Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Homeschooled Math Whiz

Based on the way the article is written, that was my thought bianc850a.

I totally agree bianc.

Let me start saying that the kid is for sure an amazing PG child. Wow to him for doing so well and wow to his parents as well.

Chances are that this kid is way beyond an average 8 year old in English, science and history. To be honest I don't see a problem if he takes time off these subjects as long as he comes back to them at some point. The article doesn't say if he hasn't done any English for last 6 months or last 3 years. A year or two wouldn't bother me.

I couldn't do that, I am too much of a control freak, but parts of me wishes that I could do it. The kid is obviously into math and music and we all know that the kids learn the best if they are very interested into something.

I agree about his father. My impression from the article is that he might have gone little too far with the advertising and such. I haven't seen the boy's web page, but I will have a look.

The part about no friends was pretty sad too. Not a good situation for the child

Advertising him for what?? And, no matter his IQ, a kid still needs friends to be a kid. Who does he sword fight with or chase with a water gun or play checkers or jump on the trampoline or just be silly? Sounds like they are setting him up for some emotional problems, it seems to me.

I just wanted to add, in case this family or their friends end up on this site, that I am quite sure all our comments are based on the very limited (and perhaps not even accurate)information presented in the article, which is certainly not telling the whole story.

I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that just because I probably wouldn't do X or Y with my kid, that that doesn't mean I think it is wrong for another kid. If I have learned one thing hanging out here, it is how different each child and situation is. Just when I think I have all the answers up comes another story to make me wonder about even that!

squirt said, "a kid still needs friends to be a kid"--

don't know if I agree entirely. There are lots of kids who don't have friends. Someone with such ability is not easy to find another with common ground. My kids luckily have each other and seem to be pretty sociable, but we can go for a long period of time without anyone else. What about kids raised on farms or ranches? Wasn't Christopher Paolini (Eragon author) homeschooled in Montana wilderness?

Not trying to be contrary, but that caught my eye...

I have to say I don't much like the article, but I'm extremely hesitant to take any article at face value. I'm sure if I had a reporter here on the right day s/he could make DS look an awful lot like that, despite actually being... well... we won't say "normal" (LOL!) but reasonably well adjusted.

This is why I'm generally very wary of the media -- I've never (ever!) been quoted correctly in anything I've ever contributed to, right down to a very carefully written out, bland and detail-less statement about volunteering for a local animal rescue. They made it sound like I thought I was some bigwig running the place instead of a lowly data entry chicky. And they misspelled my name.

But especially when children are quoted, and the reporter knows what point s/he wants to make but the child isn't quite as savvy in his answers, you can end up with interesting results... technically quotes, but purposely drawn out to fit a particular argument.

Exactly Kar1200 - which is why I said "based on the way the article is written." For that very reason, I don't think I"d ever agree to such an article being written about my child. The media mis-quotes, mis-represents, paints a picture....wrong all the time.

Agreed, and...



Agreed!

That's also why the statement about advertising the boy seems troubling to me. Hopefully that was taken out of context or something, but it seems problematic to me to be looking for publicity in that fashion. Why? To what end? How does this help the boy?

I don't quite have a Ph.D., 'Neato--I quit ABD. But I think I'm definitely close enough to say "That's not what I would do, and it sounds like a bad educational policy to skip three major subjects entirely." Frankly, I think someone with a 7th grade education could say as much and be right! I'm just sayin'...

And as for friendships...I do think friends of some sort are important. Can people get by without friends in the wilds of the frontier or something? Certainly. Introverts especially. But in this day and age, it seems unnecessary for most people to *have* to do without friends entirely. Perhaps the boy just hasn't found true peers--I think many here can sympathize with that possibility. Or perhaps he's in a too-highly controlled environment with over-involved parents. That would leave me feeling less sympathetic about the situation. I don't know what's true, so I can't judge.

It does remind me that if the press ever wanted to do this sort of article about my son, I should say NO!!!!

Time for the web site,if you haven't found it yet
http://www.musicdolove.com/