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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 41
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 41 |
And yet Taylor’s story began much like David Hahn’s, with a brilliant, high-flying child hatching a crazy plan to build a nuclear reactor. Why did one journey end with hazmat teams and an eventual arrest, while the other continues to produce an array of prizes, patents, television appearances, and offers from college recruiters?
The answer is, mostly, support. Hahn, determined to achieve something extraordinary but discouraged by the adults in his life, pressed on without guidance or oversight—and with nearly catastrophic results. Taylor, just as determined but socially gifted, managed to gather into his orbit people who could help him achieve his dreams: the physics professor; the older nuclear prodigy; the eccentric technician; the entrepreneur couple who, instead of retiring, founded a school to nurture genius kids. There were several more, but none so significant as Tiffany and Kenneth, the parents who overcame their reflexive—and undeniably sensible—inclinations to keep their Icarus-like son on the ground. Instead they gave him the wings he sought and encouraged him to fly up to the sun and beyond, high enough to capture a star of his own. The Boy Who Played With Fusion
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,743
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,743 |
A few suggestions to check out for your child to nuture his oceanography. I would consider contacting various organizations to see if they know of grants/scholarships. Tell them your story, you never know, something good could come of it. http://www.jason.org/public/whatis/start.aspx Look into near by Science Centers, Nature Centers and Park Systems. My local park system does camping type travel in small family group and I believe they are more reasonable. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
Last edited by onthegomom; 02/21/12 11:37 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 41
Junior Member
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 41 |
My final goal in this thread is to encourage people to think bigger. It's not a bad thing to go the extra mile to help your child get what he needs, to feed his brain and open up a world of possibilities. This is not "spoiling" the child. The bootstrappy idea that something "earned" is more valuable than something given is not a philosophy to which I subscribe. And I doubt the parents claiming that here truly believe it anyway. If they did, none would accept college scholarships for their kids, or support grants and funding for scientists and researchers.
My son has funded his trip via support from a philanthropic organization.
Don't settle for little or nothing when possibilities are endless!
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,743
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Congratulations. that's so wonderful. Do you want to share how you made this happen?
Have a wonderful Trip. I'm sure we would enjoy hearing your experiences.
Last edited by onthegomom; 02/22/12 07:41 AM.
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 868
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Glad to see it's all worked out and that you were able to find a solution that fit within your own values and those you want to teach your child, that's important.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,457
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My final goal in this thread is to encourage people to think bigger. It's not a bad thing to go the extra mile to help your child get what he needs, to feed his brain and open up a world of possibilities. This is not "spoiling" the child. The bootstrappy idea that something "earned" is more valuable than something given is not a philosophy to which I subscribe. And I doubt the parents claiming that here truly believe it anyway. If they did, none would accept college scholarships for their kids, or support grants and funding for scientists and researchers.
My son has funded his trip via support from a philanthropic organization.
Don't settle for little or nothing when possibilities are endless! I'm glad that your son will get to take his trip. Do you realize that you're the only person to use the words "spoiling" and "spoiled" in this thread? You don't seem to deal well with input that's not in complete agreement with your own thoughts.
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Joined: Jul 2009
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That's unneccessary. Just be nice.
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 12
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 12 |
Rereading old posts is fascinating because more information has become available over the years. In this case, fundraising websites have become more commonplace, including: - GoFundMe - https://www.gofundme.com/- GiveSendGo - https://www.givesendgo.com/Updating this for future readers of this thread. Although this parent ultimately posted that they received funding for this trip via support from a philanthropic organization, they seemed unwilling to post the source, or a follow-up on how their son enjoyed the experience of the family trip, visiting the museum, and meeting the scientists. A few quick clicks reveal that evidently the child started a public blog on social media, and another blogger made a fundraising appeal to it's wider audience of readers (who shared similar interests), collecting an amount which exceeded the financial goal. This sounds like an appealing strategy for families to use, as it exercises the child's passionate interest and gathers like-minded individuals. The young scientist would be about 17 now, possibly about to graduate high school, or possibly accelerated and already in college. It would be lovely to learn how the past decade has gone for him, and whether his interests are in the same general area, or have changed much over the years.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,691 Likes: 1
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I have found that everyone is using gofundme platforms for everything. From ballet training to moving to Europe to be with a loved one. I think your fundraising capability is based on how good your network is. I find it isn't the cause, just how willing and big the group you reach. I would think my network unwilling and not big.
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 12
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,272 Likes: 12 |
Exactly! That's where the child's blog comes in... when picked up by a known blogger who shares a specific area of interest, one can potentially reach a wider audience, beyond their own existing network, by leveraging the network of the well-known blogger, its readers, and its social media contacts.
Like ripples on a pond.
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