My dad was a programmer, so I don't know what it's like to grow up without a computer. Having a computer from such a young age set me up to be bored in school.

My dad was a programmer, so I don't know what it's like to grow up without a computer. Having a computer from such a young age set me up to be bored in school. Zork was a major influence in my initial interest in reading. By the time I hit kindergarten, I was already devouring the biographies written for kids. My teachers usually didn't know what to do with me, so I spent most of kindergarten - second grade on my own in the school library. My grades have always been good, but I think that's more because of my parents' influence. My mom is a teacher and helped me find books on subjects that weren't offered in my school, so I would be less likely to hit material that I would be learning later in class. She also encouraged me to write. My dad introduced me to programming and Pascal in elementary school. I went to a rural public high school in Louisiana, so my dad would often pick up old college textbooks in subjects my high school didn't offer, like chemistry, Latin, and history from a non Christian perspective. He also stood up for me when my guidance counselor tried to put me on the MRS. track instead of college. If I had to sit through 4 years of home ec and parenting classes, I would have dropped out as soon as I turned 16. I think kids tend to do better in school when their parents care. An involved parent could use a computer to enhance their child's education. A non involved parent might use it as "tv 2.0" - just another thing to entertain their kid so they don't have to.