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Honestly, this sounds like a terribly selfish move. The OP consciously took her son out of a bigger pond to put him into a smaller pool where he could shine aga

Honestly, this sounds like a terribly selfish move. The OP consciously took her son out of a bigger pond to put him into a smaller pool where he could shine again. This completely ignores the fact that probably the best way to learn is to be surrounded by people more intelligent than yourself. Speaking as someone who spent most of my childhood as "valedictorian" I would have craved a competitive peer group much sooner, despite the blow to my self-esteem which confrontation of my own fallibility created.

panglott 11y ago
Moving their child to an environment where they develop a healthy, positive attitude toward learning and outgrow a crippingly low self-esteem is "terribly selfish"?
- morgante 11y ago
  > Moving their child to an environment where they develop a healthy, positive attitude toward learning and outgrow a crippingly low self-esteem is "terribly selfish"? Speaking as someone who spent years in a "normal" environment where I was consistently at the top of the curve, I don't think it's necessarily the healthiest learning position even if it benefits self-esteem. When you never have to try to beat everyone else, you don't develop a lot of essential skills and instead just have a growing ego.
beedyg 11y ago
> This completely ignores the fact that probably the best way to learn is to be surrounded by people more intelligent than yourself. It might feel great interacting with your intellectual peers, but being among your actual peers will train in you in the kind of interactions which will form the majority of your life.
- morgante 11y ago
  In what way are other intelligent students your age not your "actual peers?"
DanBC 11y ago
> This completely ignores the fact that probably the best way to learn is to be surrounded by people more intelligent than yourself. Isn't the best way to teach other people? You soon find out what you don't know when you teach other people and they ask you questions.

panglott 11y ago

Moving their child to an environment where they develop a healthy, positive attitude toward learning and outgrow a crippingly low self-esteem is "terribly selfish"?

morgante 11y ago
> Moving their child to an environment where they develop a healthy, positive attitude toward learning and outgrow a crippingly low self-esteem is "terribly selfish"? Speaking as someone who spent years in a "normal" environment where I was consistently at the top of the curve, I don't think it's necessarily the healthiest learning position even if it benefits self-esteem. When you never have to try to beat everyone else, you don't develop a lot of essential skills and instead just have a growing ego.

beedyg 11y ago

> This completely ignores the fact that probably the best way to learn is to be surrounded by people more intelligent than yourself. It might feel great interacting with your intellectual peers, but being among your actual peers will train in you in the kind of interactions which will form the majority of your life.

morgante 11y ago
In what way are other intelligent students your age not your "actual peers?"

DanBC 11y ago

> This completely ignores the fact that probably the best way to learn is to be surrounded by people more intelligent than yourself. Isn't the best way to teach other people? You soon find out what you don't know when you teach other people and they ask you questions.