FWIW, I think perfectionism is more easily instilled (was in me!) by never trying things that are too hard. But you the parent have to really, really believe it's OK to try and not succeed yet, and I take the point that this is lower stakes at home than at school (though I don't have virtual school experience and that must be interestingly different).


Can be, sure - that's why I wrote "understandably" not "inevitably". It's still hard work to make it that sophisticated, though.


It was to ours - not wildly so, but enough that it saw a fair bit of use over a year or so - but of course ymmv. He used to like, for example, making a set of sentences in this interface and challenging me to build a world that satisfied them all, and vice versa.

Have you considered math competitions? Even if DS doesn't want to compete, you may be able to find out about math enrichment opportunities in the UK. Try contacting someone at the UK Mathematics Trust: http://www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/about-us/.

Another option is Art of Problem Solving. In addition to courses, they have communities that might keep DS active in interesting math until he's ready for University: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/

Yes! He's doing very nicely at these, thank you :-)


Also already in the mix. He's actually a couple of weeks into his first taught AOPS course now, and I'll post more about that when we both have a better idea about how it's going.

Thanks anyway :-)

In another thread
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/B...html#Post162766
this link was posted
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/eugene_high_school_student_win.html

Here "freshman" means 1st year high school -- 9th grade.
So that's one data point that someone can take university maths courses and still go in the IMO.
http://www.imo-official.org/participant_r.aspx?id=15882

DS finished his Extension 1 and 2 Higher School Certificate maths in Year 9 and it wasn't going to be an option that he go three years with no maths.

I spoke with the school and they acknowledged that it wasn't a suitable outcome so the Principal approached the local university and arrangements were made for him to enrol as a external student in a BSc. The agreement was he would concentrate on completing only mathematics units initially and as time progressed branch out as he desired.

He started with one unit per semester and attended residential schools where appicable.

As he completed further school subjects ahead of time he picked up more university units. By this time he was driving so he pretty much spent the last two years of school splitting his time between school and attending lectures on campus.

His enrolment at university did not affect his entering mathematics competitions here although he did lose interest in them so rarely entered.

That's great to know, matmum! Australia seems a bit behind the mark when it comes to gifted education... Your son is lucky to have a supportive school. May I ask which state you are in?

Hey squishys,

We are in Northern NSW. My son attends UNE (University of New England). He was interviewed in 2008 and commenced in 2009. There was also another lad there from QLD doing a BSc majoring in Mathematics and he was 12y/o.

I'm in SA. That is great I hope my son's future high school will be as supportive (should it ever come to that).

We live in a small rural town so DS attended the local central school (public). It is K-12 with a middle school and I think that was the clincher to them being able to accommodate to his needs and those of his sister.

It wasn't easy for the school but they were happy to subject accelerate and timetable concurrently to achieve it. DD and DS chose subject acceleration over grade skipping.