I think there's two families I've read about in the last year that are doing and promoting this very specific type of acceleration. This one is the Mona Lisa Harding family, and there's the Swann family. They're doing it by following a boxed curriculum set at an accelerated pace. Obviously you get done faster that way.

Originally Posted by Woman in other forum
There are legitimate differences of opinion about breadth vs. depth, speed vs. comprehensiveness, in the education of an advanced child. There are legitimate differences of opinion in what serves a gifted or advance child best. Why not discuss them?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/t...d-getting-into-college/page__hl__college

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/t...-college-by-12-its-about-a-hsing-family/

Here's the two threads where the other forum discussed the Hardings and the Swanns. They went to a small private Christian college, which was able to make accomidations. ((State U's or Community College are reportedly less willing to make age accomidations because of homeschoolers doing exactly this.))

(I really hope I'm not breaking forum rules by linking to the homeschooling forum too much. I'm not spamming I'm just lumping my frequent forums togeather as "the internet" and yes, I mostly quote what I mostly read).

The homeschooling ladies in the other forum pretty much agreed that some kids will need college early, but most kids who can go to a so-so school early, can go to a great school if they work at it a little longer. Compare to the students who are profiled in the Davidson newsletter... the graduates this year looked like they all went to their first choice school, a lot of big names in there. Better to get a solid education than a fast one. Some kids do both.

I'm reading online about very smart kids who are homeschooled and many of them are doing highschool algebra by seven years old. They're not just spending all day long studying and doing nothing else. They're just very smart and learning at their own pace doing the average school day or even less time. I have to ask, what are you supposed to do about that? The answer is not to hold them back. Not to just do school all day and nothing else, obviously... because that's not healthy. But to consider it a good thing if that's how they learn.

I have more questions than answers.

I wish there was a video explaining what and how to teach your kids to be ready socially, emotionally, and educationally if they are noticably more rapid. I'm not sure "stick them in Calvert", (or Abeka,) or any other boxed curriculum and say "go" is it, is it? Is it?! I don't understand... what is comprehensiveness and breadth and depth? I read that gifted kids do well when matched with a mentor who's passionate and educated about something.

I hear you'll know more about what your kid needs by the time they needs it. The internet parenting quote I love best is, "I'm not raising children, I'm raising adults." I really just want to know how best to hand them full control of their life choices at a time and how to raise them to take that responsibility, in case it's earlier than eighteen. Here's the video lecture on how to recognize if your kid is at the age where they need to go to college early:


I guess the guy in the video (linked in the original post) is selling the missing piece I was hoping for, what to teach your rapid learner before then so they'll be ready. I don't want to buy the program just to find out. Why doesn't he come discuss his ideas for free on the forums, darn it!

FWIW, I keep reading the phrase, "The evidence supports acceleration as a beneficial educational choice."

Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar