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That hit home fairly hard, though it can be hard to talk about since most people respond negatively to claims of ability. I was identified as a gifted child in

by MRD85 8y ago

That hit home fairly hard, though it can be hard to talk about since most people respond negatively to claims of ability. I was identified as a gifted child in primary school and was transferred school to a gifted school where I completed my primary education. I graduated dux (top of the school) and was years ahead in every subject. My parents then chose to send me to the impoverished local high school, a school with median grades well below average. It was horrible, in year 7 at age 12 I would help my 17 year old brother with his homework when he struggled. I struggled to make proper bonds with other kids and I was horribly bored. It led to a bunch of psychological issues that I didn't get sorted out until my late 20's. I was incredibly interested in computers but I was pushed away from them (this is the early 2000's) as they were a waste of time and I should focus on skills so I can get a trade. I completed a trade in my early 20's and was depressed due to social isolation. I had nothing in common with my peers. My parents did the best job they knew how to, I don't hold it against them. To them, a trade sets someone up for life. I'm in my early 30's now and I am finally starting to live a great life. I've been studying for a few years and I am preparing to transition to life as a software developer. I'm finally meeting people that I share interests with! I don't care about missing out on career achievements I may have possibly had. I do regret I missed most of my teenage years and all of my 20's to major depression. They are supposed to be the best years of your life. My 30's are turning out fairly amazing though, every year I become happier and happier with how my life is shaping up. The best decision I ever made was seeking help from a proffesional to identify why I was so unhappy.

chrisco255 8y ago
My story's not far off from yours. High school was a social struggle for me. I didn't start to get good social skills until I got jobs in my late teens...and I went through a series of jobs and trades before going to college at 25 for a C.S. degree. Now I've been in the business 7 years now, loving it still very much. But I do wish I had learned it when I was younger.
mcv 8y ago
My impression is that most schools don't like accelerating kids, because they can end up way too young among much older class mates in a completely different phase of their lives. The Dougie Howser idea is terrible; Dougie is not a doctor, he's a child and should get the chance to live as one. Better is challenging children in other areas: find things outside the regular school curriculum to challenge them with. Robotics, philosophy, science, politics, or other projects that are interesting and challenging but don't make them bored about next year's school curriculum. My son did skip a grade despite his school not being a fan, and he did so at a point where next year's curriculum would have been mostly a repetition of the previous year's. That would have been a recipe for boredom, so it makes sense to skip that. But other than that, he just does a bit extra in less time and gets other interesting challenging stuff to keep him occupied. When I was a kid, my schools did nothing of the sort, and I ended up bored and demotivated. By the time I went to university, I still hadn't learned to do homework, because I never needed to. Turns out being able to work is rather an important skill in university. I plan to make sure my son learns it on time. But not by skipping too many grades.
- MRD85 8y ago
  The phase of the life issue is touched upon in the link. It discusses how the accelerated kids are often happy because they have new peers who have similar interests. It's a difficult issue to solve. A 7-year-old who is 4 years ahead of his age group peers has little in common with his peer group but is very much younger than 11-year-olds. The study in the link appears to indicate that the accelerated kids ended up happier and more fulfilled as adults. I think that's a very good argument for acceleration.
neffy 8y ago
If the best years of somebody's life are their teens and twenties, then they didn't have a great life, imho. There are also all sorts of ways very smart people can go permanently off the rails, even when given every opportunity. With the speed at which computing in particular is developing, I doubt it matters that much that you jumped in a bit later - this just means you've learnt the latest stuff - and the rest of your life is ahead of you to enjoy - which is what really matters.
- MRD85 8y ago
  Having the rest of my life ahead of me is a great feeling. I'm still only 33 and I already see people my age that appear to have given up on living their best life. I feel what makes the 20's great for most is that they have the energy and motivation to live their life but they enter a rut once adulthood is fully under way.

by MRD85 8y ago

chrisco255 8y ago

My story's not far off from yours. High school was a social struggle for me. I didn't start to get good social skills until I got jobs in my late teens...and I went through a series of jobs and trades before going to college at 25 for a C.S. degree. Now I've been in the business 7 years now, loving it still very much. But I do wish I had learned it when I was younger.

mcv 8y ago

My impression is that most schools don't like accelerating kids, because they can end up way too young among much older class mates in a completely different phase of their lives. The Dougie Howser idea is terrible; Dougie is not a doctor, he's a child and should get the chance to live as one. Better is challenging children in other areas: find things outside the regular school curriculum to challenge them with. Robotics, philosophy, science, politics, or other projects that are interesting and challenging but don't make them bored about next year's school curriculum. My son did skip a grade despite his school not being a fan, and he did so at a point where next year's curriculum would have been mostly a repetition of the previous year's. That would have been a recipe for boredom, so it makes sense to skip that. But other than that, he just does a bit extra in less time and gets other interesting challenging stuff to keep him occupied. When I was a kid, my schools did nothing of the sort, and I ended up bored and demotivated. By the time I went to university, I still hadn't learned to do homework, because I never needed to. Turns out being able to work is rather an important skill in university. I plan to make sure my son learns it on time. But not by skipping too many grades.

MRD85 8y ago
The phase of the life issue is touched upon in the link. It discusses how the accelerated kids are often happy because they have new peers who have similar interests. It's a difficult issue to solve. A 7-year-old who is 4 years ahead of his age group peers has little in common with his peer group but is very much younger than 11-year-olds. The study in the link appears to indicate that the accelerated kids ended up happier and more fulfilled as adults. I think that's a very good argument for acceleration.

neffy 8y ago

If the best years of somebody's life are their teens and twenties, then they didn't have a great life, imho. There are also all sorts of ways very smart people can go permanently off the rails, even when given every opportunity. With the speed at which computing in particular is developing, I doubt it matters that much that you jumped in a bit later - this just means you've learnt the latest stuff - and the rest of your life is ahead of you to enjoy - which is what really matters.

MRD85 8y ago
Having the rest of my life ahead of me is a great feeling. I'm still only 33 and I already see people my age that appear to have given up on living their best life. I feel what makes the 20's great for most is that they have the energy and motivation to live their life but they enter a rut once adulthood is fully under way.