I think that education is the cornerstone of everything. I’ve enjoyed lots of discussions around this subject with people over the years. My wife and I had one the other night that spooked us a little. More on that in a bit….##A Little Backstory## I have 2 boys. The oldest one is in first grade and really enjoying it. He qualified for the Talented and Gifted program last year while in Kindergarden. Naturally we are very proud of him. He is very smart and also gets very frustrated when he struggles with something.
A couple of weeks ago we had a meeting at his school for the program. We were both very excited for the opportunities that he will have as part of this program. He will get to do a lot of cool stuff.
I especially like that he will have a structured program to help push him in a constructive manner. They focus on letting the children use creative problem solving and still keep the environment somewhat structured. Very cool.
I was a bright kid as well, but I did not apply myself. I did not have these opportunities. I guess I didn’t qualify based on the test scores, or maybe my teachers saw that I was kind of a screw-off. I don’t know.
I did love to do stuff though. I would make up my own chemistry experiments, do reports from the encyclopedia, and reprogram computer games. I just didn’t apply myself towards school.
I was motivated by grades, but not in the usual way. I saw the kids who were shooting for A’s cramming for tests. They weren’t necessarily learning the stuff. I wanted to learn the stuff more than I wanted to get the A. I had this sort-of reverse elitist attitude about it.
The Conversation
So we got back from that meeting and had a really nice chat with our babysitter. This girl is great, and our kids LOVE her. We will all be very sad when she moves off to college.
We knew that she was really smart, but didn’t really know the full story. She’s one of the top kids in her class of 800 kids – in the top 5% of her class. She studies a LOT because she is in all AP (advanced placement) classes. She also wants to move up in her class rank.
Concerned
We were a little concerned about whether we had just seen the Ghost of Christmas Future. School is a big stressor for her. Big.
The timing of the conversation was awesome since we had just returned from our son’s GT meeting. Are we setting our child up for some sort of pressure?
So….
I’ve thought about this a lot. I looked back on my high school and college days. We all had pressures. I was in a very competitive environment in high school band, and I thrived in it.
In the end, I remember the 8 years of high school and college as some of the best times of my life. I wouldn’t go back, but they were fun. Remember how HUGE the decisions you had to make were? How important that math test or paper was? Who are you going to take to the homecoming dance? What are you going to study at college so you can get a good job?
I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, too.