Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Homeschooled Math Whiz

I think that's some pretty good advice, Neato! I think we have to be very careful between being very proud of our kids, but not make them feel like a commodity.

Texas home schooling guidelines are minimal at best, which is a wonderful blessing. We don't have the government telling us how to educate our children. I know many parents of PG children who unschool and it works great for them. I am just glad that I have the freedom to make that decision. Even if I may not agree with this father's decisions regarding his child's education, I support his right to decide what he thinks is best for his child. The children I know who are studying calculus at a young age crave that mental stimulation. Their parents are usually running behind them trying to keep up as many of us are doing with our children. Other children like this child do exist but most parents are not comfortable displaying their children's abilities for the world to see for reasons previously mentioned. That is one of the reasons the DYS program is so valuable to PG families. It helps PG children find true peers without being on public display.

Some of my earlier comments may not seem to make as much sense at this point as the boy's website has been frequently revised, even in the last 24 hours. I still don't know why this kid *needs* to be advertised. If promoting him towards commercial purposes or a performing career is the goal(admittedly something to which I can't relate) then a more professional website would be more in line, minus the identifying information and toning down the gratuitous hyperbole - the abilities are impressive enough to stand on their own. Links to other child prodigies' websites are recent additions to Magnus' - I do hope the parents got permission to post those.

There's quite a good chance that the boy is a DYS, or if not, that his parents read this site. I, for one, would not enjoy reading about myself, but if you're out there - feel free to post and say hi.

Quote from the website:
"Magnus will begin University Physics in the fall of 2008. Within two years he should be ready to begin his Intel Science Talent Search project. His research project will most likely involve Algorithms, a subject in which he shows exceptional creativity. "
http://www.musicdolove.com/

Ania, forgive me, are you making a point? I'm missing it.

No point, neato
Just having fun...

I thought Intel was science fair for High School students? Two yrs of university level physics could give him a slight advantage over the other HS students. Not that I have a problem with it, but it's interesting.

P.S. The comment about genius being made not born reminded me of Malcolm Gladwell's talk where he postulates that 10,000 hrs devotion to something/anything (guitar, math, etc.) is what's needed to be the expert/genius in an area. This is poorly re-stated but maybe you'll get the idea.