My daughter's friend who is a rising 8th grader is in Multivariable calculus camp, WTF?

[Anonymous]

How is it possible for a 13 year old to be in a multivariable calculus camp? What would be the point of even trying to push your kid ahead this far?

[Anonymous]

So what? I know a few kids who passed AP calculus in middle school and now in HS are completely burned out.

[Anonymous]

Good for her, right?

[Anonymous]

As a mom of a mathy kid, I can see it. My kid didn't hit multivariable calculus until she was a junior. However, she really didn't get much math at all for her early school years. She figured out multiplication herself before kindergarten. I realized she wasn't learning anything in her math classes, but she was happy until third grade. When she asked to learn more I conferred with her teacher who agreed that I could send in math for her as long as it related to the unit.

So while the rest of the class spent a weak on place value, she learned to convert fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions, how to add, subtract, and multiply decimals, an introduction to scientific notation and metric prefixes, and for fun an exercise with Roman numerals. At the end of the week, I checked in to see how she felt it was going, and she complained it was too slow.

We didn't keep to that pace all year. There were times when she wanted to be lazy and do whatever the class was doing. That was fine. The class did cover some new material that year in terms of operations with fractions.

The next year at the HGC she jumped to Math A (sixth grade math), and then when she was bored (knew most of the material) in math B the following year jumped to IM.

Although frequently accused of pushing her, I felt that she was pulling me. When she was happy doing grade level math, I let it be. I only stepped in when she indicated a problem. If she had pursued math at her level starting at kindergarten instead of third grade, then we might have been looking for sumner multivariable calculus camps too.

For the record, I am not a math person. She always looked at the world in a way that is foreign to me. I think these kids are wired differently.

As to the point in "trying to push your kid ahead this far", the only point is to please your kid. Obviously, camps are expensive. Finding school programs that fit will be different/impossible and will most likely involve paying college tuition. It will complicate things for the family. The family is sacrificing to accomodate the child.

[Anonymous]

If you like math, multivariable calc is a lot of fun. No different that a camp about chess, brain teasers or mazes. Lots of fun.

[Anonymous]

It's so annoying when jealous or ignorant people presume a child has been pressured into advanced academic subjects.

Not all of them would complain that much with a stellar athlete.

We are an academically-minded family. My son would MUCH RATHER do any kind of intellectual activity than do sports. In late elementary he was reading at a 12th grade level, and doing advanced math. Not because we pushed him, but because we think topics like these are fun and interesting - we unwittingly created an environment where he could like such things.

Do you understand, OP? Please stop criticizing other families like this - it makes you seem very insecure.

[Anonymous]

Why do you care? If the kid wanted to go, good for them. If they like math, good for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like math, multivariable calc is a lot of fun. No different that a camp about chess, brain teasers or mazes. Lots of fun.

+1 smart girl. if it's taught by good teachers, they can make it fun. I would have preferred that type of camp to tennis camp at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's so annoying when jealous or ignorant people presume a child has been pressured into advanced academic subjects.

Not all of them would complain that much with a stellar athlete.

We are an academically-minded family. My son would MUCH RATHER do any kind of intellectual activity than do sports. In late elementary he was reading at a 12th grade level, and doing advanced math. Not because we pushed him, but because we think topics like these are fun and interesting - we unwittingly created an environment where he could like such things.

Do you understand, OP? Please stop criticizing other families like this - it makes you seem very insecure.

I was with you until you went there.

You can't take credit for something, and also call people who claim that you caused something ignorant and jealous. You need to choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's so annoying when jealous or ignorant people presume a child has been pressured into advanced academic subjects.

Not all of them would complain that much with a stellar athlete.

We are an academically-minded family. My son would MUCH RATHER do any kind of intellectual activity than do sports. In late elementary he was reading at a 12th grade level, and doing advanced math. Not because we pushed him, but because we think topics like these are fun and interesting - we unwittingly created an environment where he could like such things.

Do you understand, OP? Please stop criticizing other families like this - it makes you seem very insecure.

I was with you until you went there.

You can't take credit for something, and also call people who claim that you caused something ignorant and jealous. You need to choose.

There's a difference between making something fun that the kid already has aptitude for, and pushing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's so annoying when jealous or ignorant people presume a child has been pressured into advanced academic subjects.

Not all of them would complain that much with a stellar athlete.

We are an academically-minded family. My son would MUCH RATHER do any kind of intellectual activity than do sports. In late elementary he was reading at a 12th grade level, and doing advanced math. Not because we pushed him, but because we think topics like these are fun and interesting - we unwittingly created an environment where he could like such things.

Do you understand, OP? Please stop criticizing other families like this - it makes you seem very insecure.

I was with you until you went there.

You can't take credit for something, and also call people who claim that you caused something ignorant and jealous. You need to choose.

There's a difference between making something fun that the kid already has aptitude for, and pushing.

Then give your kid credit for it. Don't boast about how you created the environment. Creating and environment because you value one thing more than another is pushing it. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing, or a good thing, but you can't push your child towards liking something over other things and then call other people idiots because they say you pushed.

[Anonymous]

Some parents brag about their 13 year old making jr national cut times at a swim meet while others brag about that kid making a multivariable calculus camp. What is the big deal? The only common theme here is parental bragging.

[Anonymous]

Sure why not. There a a logic and chess school for kids in Rockville and starts at age 3 (Russian teacher). If the kid enjoys it, all the better to be able to foster it.

[Anonymous]

I am a woman with a degree in math.

I think it is silly to rush kids through math.

I don't think the kids truest understand the math the just memorize how to "do the problems".

I am all for math camp, hopefully applied math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's so annoying when jealous or ignorant people presume a child has been pressured into advanced academic subjects.

Not all of them would complain that much with a stellar athlete.

We are an academically-minded family. My son would MUCH RATHER do any kind of intellectual activity than do sports. In late elementary he was reading at a 12th grade level, and doing advanced math. Not because we pushed him, but because we think topics like these are fun and interesting - we unwittingly created an environment where he could like such things.

Do you understand, OP? Please stop criticizing other families like this - it makes you seem very insecure.

I was with you until you went there.

You can't take credit for something, and also call people who claim that you caused something ignorant and jealous. You need to choose.

There's a difference between making something fun that the kid already has aptitude for, and pushing.

Then give your kid credit for it. Don't boast about how you created the environment. Creating and environment because you value one thing more than another is pushing it. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing, or a good thing, but you can't push your child towards liking something over other things and then call other people idiots because they say you pushed.

I am with the OP. If your child enjoys academics and you support them and don't make them do other things because every other kid is playing soccer or on swim team or playing violin, you can take credit for knowing your child. Environment may also mean things like lots of books and music around the house and not as much access to iPhones/screens. I agree that it is much less likely that a family with a 13 year old kid in travel sports gets criticized for pushing too hard - and those kids often get injured permanently or at least burned out.