Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

huffingtonpost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 42 posts

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#31

Post by silencio »

brentr wrote: post #22
silencio wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know about that. There are plenty of cases similar to this, and yes, even younger. I got pushed into a gifted program (the highly gifted magnet schools in LAUSD) by my parents. It was boring, and I wish they didn't - the people I met were fantastic but the program itself was the biggest waste of time. Another kid in my class made the papers like this one cause he finished his HS diploma and went on to college…

People who go on to discover great things don't learn from the professors. Let's take math as an example. One creates advances in mathematics by sitting with the literature, a pencil, and a pad. Every great idea comes only after thousands of failed starts.

That is also true. But sometimes you need a mentor of sorts to help you when you need it, and some professors can do that well.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#32

Post by silencio »

lvecsey wrote: post #23
timr wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't take much insight to see that this kid's life is hyper-scheduled and regulated by his parents. His Dad is "fretting" that his grade in piano will be bad, because he broke his arm in martial arts? Time to get some perspective, Pop.... Point being, this kid doesn't have the experience to know what he's missing by not being a little boy. Who says that his parents are telling him the truth?

Dude can grep wikipedia and has parents that can talk about topics in a deep way, or provide resources to him on topics that interest him. Most parents would do the opposite and restrict internet access for starters, let alone have the ability to assist in his intellectual interests. As far as kid activities his age, I'm sure he would be bored stiff around others. That seems like a blessing to avoid behavior that wou…

I don't think so. Resources, yes. But not necessarily parent-talk. And I think if he was this smart (which I do), that he'd be able to do this on his own..not this early, but eventually, somehow.

Also, some parents do the opposite, some don't. Some misunderstand the purpose of the internet, which I think is the real problem. My parents attempted to and eventually stopped trying to filter what I did on the computer after I circumvented everything they tried and turned the tables on them (I was a complete brat :D), but they also spent a fortune of their then-pitiful earnings on books and toys and hardware I wanted. They felt that was more important than indulging their own desires (typical asian parents).

Now I'm paying that back in various ways, and I thank them for all of that. I don't think I would have been the big geek I am now if it wasn't for them putting up with me tearing apart half the electronics they owned.

I wonder what he'll turn out to be like 10 years later.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#33

Post by silencio »

brentr wrote: post #27
timr wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a middle ground between your parents and his.

I don't doubt that there is a middle ground. I was simply commenting on the parent post. I was on the opposite side of the spectrum as this kid. I had the ability but not the opportunity. It is a cause of much of my bitterness. It is largely the reason why I don't speak to my mother much. For those who may think that such bitterness is unwarranted or inappropriate for such a situation, I accept that I am bitter about…

I wish I could know the reason why they did all that and if they would say the same about going to college if you were a more "typical" age. Most parents negative reactions to early college is usually along the lines of "it's too early!" and not much more. Some even feel that ridiculous numbers of honors/AP/equivalent classes at the middle/high school are a better substitution.

(personal opinion butting in: college at 12 and college at 16 and college at 19 are totally different experiences..not necessarily intellectually, but in every other way, which is arguably a big part of it).

And I don't think he should be forced to not study, but rather to study what he wants when he wants to without his parents' influence. We all change, how does he know sooo surely that he wants to dedicate that much effort/time to that subject for sure?

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#34

Post by brentr »

silencio wrote: post #31
brentr wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who go on to discover great things don't learn from the professors. Let's take math as an example. One creates advances in mathematics by sitting with the literature, a pencil, and a pad. Every great idea comes only after thousands of failed starts.

That is also true. But sometimes you need a mentor of sorts to help you when you need it, and some professors can do that well.

At this juncture, a professor stops being a professor and becomes a colleague.

EDIT: What I am trying to say is that a professor/student relationship is one of inequality. When the relationship moves beyond only one side influencing the course of discussion/discovery, then a relationship of equals is established, albeit a relation of equals where one side is more equal than the other (and that relationship may swap over the course of time).

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#35

Post by brentr »

silencio wrote: post #33
brentr wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't doubt that there is a middle ground. I was simply commenting on the parent post. I was on the opposite side of the spectrum as this kid. I had the ability but not the opportunity. It is a cause of much of my bitterness. It is largely the reason why I don't speak to my mother much. For those who may think that such bitterness is unwarranted or inappropriate for such a situation, I accept that I am bitter about…

I wish I could know the reason why they did all that and if they would say the same about going to college if you were a more "typical" age. Most parents negative reactions to early college is usually along the lines of "it's too early!" and not much more. Some even feel that ridiculous numbers of honors/AP/equivalent classes at the middle/high school are a better substitution. (personal opinion butting in: college a…

My mother believed my university studies at the normal age of eighteen were largely a waste of money as well. It's a good thing I had all of my tuition paid by the state and most of my housing and food paid for by scholarships. She said something to the effect one time: "You're eighteen. My financial support is over." I can't blame her for that as legally she's not entitled to do anything for me anymore as I had reached the age of majority, but it sure says a lot coming from a mother.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#36

Post by pchristensen »

brentr wrote: post #34
silencio wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is also true. But sometimes you need a mentor of sorts to help you when you need it, and some professors can do that well.

At this juncture, a professor stops being a professor and becomes a colleague. EDIT: What I am trying to say is that a professor/student relationship is one of inequality. When the relationship moves beyond only one side influencing the course of discussion/discovery, then a relationship of equals is established, albeit a relation of equals where one side is more equal than the other (and that relationship may swap o…

I like that phrasing. And most bright kids never get a "colleague" like that. I just finished reading Lockhart's Lament, and it made me sad that even though I was one of the best students in my IB program in high school, then got a BS in CS, I had to learn from the internet 10 years later that math is a journey of creative discussion.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#37

Post by pchristensen »

silencio wrote: post #16
brentr wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this child's age, it's up to the parents to decide what is best for the child. Sometimes the parents will not make the best decision. Personally I feel that if the child can state the want to study more complex or advanced topics, the child should be allowed to study those topics. I am a bit biased because I found most of my pre-university studies boring. I also didn't fit in with the other students while I was in…

Except they aren't making the best decisions most of the time, and by the time the kid can study what they want easily on their own (think things like money for buying materials), they're stuffed with bullshit busywork from their normal classes that are intellectually boring and take forever to do, until they get to college (hopefully). Or at least that's what it was like for me. One of the things I loved to do was t…

Wow, silencio, I had to check the comment header to make sure this wasn't one of those comments I write in the middle of the night and forget about :). I think you might be my long lost twin.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#38

Post by brentr »

pchristensen wrote: post #36
brentr wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this juncture, a professor stops being a professor and becomes a colleague. EDIT: What I am trying to say is that a professor/student relationship is one of inequality. When the relationship moves beyond only one side influencing the course of discussion/discovery, then a relationship of equals is established, albeit a relation of equals where one side is more equal than the other (and that relationship may swap o…

I like that phrasing. And most bright kids never get a "colleague" like that. I just finished reading Lockhart's Lament, and it made me sad that even though I was one of the best students in my IB program in high school, then got a BS in CS, I had to learn from the internet 10 years later that math is a journey of creative discussion.

The first time through a Bachelor's program I made the same mistake. I wanted so much to get out of school and head into the business world. The result was a finance degree and an intense urge to go back to school to pursue math and computer science. Now I am going back to pursue those two at Bowling Green, and I will not make the same mistake again.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#39

Post by zach »

silencio wrote: post #30
gruseom wrote: post #21

I agree with the commenters who point to the parents. This kind of prodigy is usually the product of an ambitious parent trying to vicariously superachieve. I think that explains why so few go on to great (or even comparable) achievement in later life. It's because they weren't living out their own identity but something that was assigned to them. Sooner or later this is bound to be rejected or otherwise collapse. Th…

I don't know. The thing is, I got into the highly gifted magnet program at lausd (the group for kids with IQs>=145) thanks to my parents. But my parents were completely oblivious as to what all of that nonsense from the school principal was and just signed all the papers without really reading anything. They actually thought I caused some trouble at school when they got a call from my teacher who wanted to talk about…

Hey, me too. I was at Carpenter Avenue in the valley. Didn't go all the way to Walter Reed but I did enjoy the HG classes. It was a real "wealth effect" of intelligence. LAUSD seems to be very proactive.

Re: 10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

#40

Post by silencio »

zach wrote: post #39
silencio wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. The thing is, I got into the highly gifted magnet program at lausd (the group for kids with IQs>=145) thanks to my parents. But my parents were completely oblivious as to what all of that nonsense from the school principal was and just signed all the papers without really reading anything. They actually thought I caused some trouble at school when they got a call from my teacher who wanted to talk about…

Hey, me too. I was at Carpenter Avenue in the valley. Didn't go all the way to Walter Reed but I did enjoy the HG classes. It was a real "wealth effect" of intelligence. LAUSD seems to be very proactive.

I think they are in the beginning, but at the end (basically, during high school) all that happens is that you get stuffed with AP and honors classes galore. Everything that was good in elementary and junior high just disappears :(
Post reply on HN