On September 27, 2007 our son was accepted as a special
student into a local college. He initially attended an honors
algebra course - achieved the highest average and subsequently
accomplished the same feat in a pre-calculus course the
following semester. Additionally, as an 11 year-old being honored
by the College's Mathematics Department, this special occasion
caught the attention of the local media.
This year, particularly the fall of 2008, our now 12 year-old, 4'8
student has completed his first year on a college campus. The
novelty of it all has yet to wear thin as he still has to leave for
class early enough to allow time for handshakes and inquiries,
but in his own words, he wouldn't trade the experience for
anything.
Although people like to quickly assign descriptions like genius,
profoundly-gifted, etc. to our son, Stephen, like so many other
children who excel in academics, is a student who is
parent-produced.
In other words, there were parents who formed the intent early
in their child's life to nurture a talent or cultivate ability within
them. Think of Earl Woods, Laszlo Polgar as examples. In our
case it was academics and although some of us have taken the
route of homeschooling, many have produced amazing beings
through conventional educational methods. The point is, we as
parents became proactive and refused to leave our child's
academic development up to chance.
Furthermore, we have also discovered along the way that it is
possible to guide a child to his/her highest academic potential
while creating a love for learning.
One interesting issue that is coming under increasing scrutiny
is whether academic giftedness is an inherent immutable
occurrence. There is mounting evidence suggesting that many
kids identified as gifted were in fact taught by their parents early
on in their childhood. My family's experience certainly can be
counted among them. It is for this very reason that we tend to
shy away from the word "genius" (and he too is uncomfortable
with the description) because we are quite aware of the amount
of effort it took to get our son to this point in his academic
career.
Moreover, and this is paramount, there was very little
demonstration of "genius" in his local school. He pulled all A's in
his classes yes, but even his teacher at the time did not think
that his performance in class warranted a grade-skip. Had my
husband and I not had evidence of his academic potential by
virtue of the assignments he completed at home, we would have
accepted what the teacher had to say as our reality and our son
would not have received the highest average in a college math
course just three years later!
Our children's level of acceleration (our daughter will graduate
from high school with honors at age 16!) had more to do with
precise, consistent, deliberate instruction with optimization of
development periods more susceptible to environmental factors.
So parents do not be anxious about asserting your role in your
child's education and introducing advance concepts into their
child's learning experience. Yes, the local schools are there for a
reason but learning...real learning that's pulsating,
accommodating and unrestrictive could actually come from a
person who knows the child best. After all, the parent is the one
constant in a child's life.
I'm certainly not suggesting that neither a teacher nor tutor is
incapable of providing a rewarding learning experience - talented
professional educators are a treasure - but never underestimate
the teaching power of a parent early on in a child's life. Not to
be overlooked of course is the bonus of a communicative bond
that takes place during the learning process that will likely
extend into the teen years.
We should indeed be thankful for our right to a free education
however, the local school should be a major contributor in your
child's educational experience not the sole provider.
- Michelle Brown-Stafford, 2008
student into a local college. He initially attended an honors
algebra course - achieved the highest average and subsequently
accomplished the same feat in a pre-calculus course the
following semester. Additionally, as an 11 year-old being honored
by the College's Mathematics Department, this special occasion
caught the attention of the local media.
This year, particularly the fall of 2008, our now 12 year-old, 4'8
student has completed his first year on a college campus. The
novelty of it all has yet to wear thin as he still has to leave for
class early enough to allow time for handshakes and inquiries,
but in his own words, he wouldn't trade the experience for
anything.
Although people like to quickly assign descriptions like genius,
profoundly-gifted, etc. to our son, Stephen, like so many other
children who excel in academics, is a student who is
parent-produced.
In other words, there were parents who formed the intent early
in their child's life to nurture a talent or cultivate ability within
them. Think of Earl Woods, Laszlo Polgar as examples. In our
case it was academics and although some of us have taken the
route of homeschooling, many have produced amazing beings
through conventional educational methods. The point is, we as
parents became proactive and refused to leave our child's
academic development up to chance.
Furthermore, we have also discovered along the way that it is
possible to guide a child to his/her highest academic potential
while creating a love for learning.
One interesting issue that is coming under increasing scrutiny
is whether academic giftedness is an inherent immutable
occurrence. There is mounting evidence suggesting that many
kids identified as gifted were in fact taught by their parents early
on in their childhood. My family's experience certainly can be
counted among them. It is for this very reason that we tend to
shy away from the word "genius" (and he too is uncomfortable
with the description) because we are quite aware of the amount
of effort it took to get our son to this point in his academic
career.
Moreover, and this is paramount, there was very little
demonstration of "genius" in his local school. He pulled all A's in
his classes yes, but even his teacher at the time did not think
that his performance in class warranted a grade-skip. Had my
husband and I not had evidence of his academic potential by
virtue of the assignments he completed at home, we would have
accepted what the teacher had to say as our reality and our son
would not have received the highest average in a college math
course just three years later!
Our children's level of acceleration (our daughter will graduate
from high school with honors at age 16!) had more to do with
precise, consistent, deliberate instruction with optimization of
development periods more susceptible to environmental factors.
So parents do not be anxious about asserting your role in your
child's education and introducing advance concepts into their
child's learning experience. Yes, the local schools are there for a
reason but learning...real learning that's pulsating,
accommodating and unrestrictive could actually come from a
person who knows the child best. After all, the parent is the one
constant in a child's life.
I'm certainly not suggesting that neither a teacher nor tutor is
incapable of providing a rewarding learning experience - talented
professional educators are a treasure - but never underestimate
the teaching power of a parent early on in a child's life. Not to
be overlooked of course is the bonus of a communicative bond
that takes place during the learning process that will likely
extend into the teen years.
We should indeed be thankful for our right to a free education
however, the local school should be a major contributor in your
child's educational experience not the sole provider.
- Michelle Brown-Stafford, 2008
Why Parents Matter to a
Child's Education!
Child's Education!
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