Kids who don't care about achievement, who are curiosity driven.

[Catherine]

I'm thinking of my nearly 17 yo who is about to take his first AP exam, and has decided he's "done" with the subject (calculus) and has moved on to other math topics.

 

I'm trying to help him understand that reviewing and preparing are needed even for bright students. In his mind, he's done, he understands calculus, he wants to learn the next thing. I fear he will not do well in college, because he won't study enough, pay enough attention to being a good student, basically, and just motor from one subject to the next.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[2smartones]

You just described me. I've been that way my entire life, and I still am today. I learn everything I can possibly learn about a subject and then walk away. I retain most of it, and when I need to know something later, I'm able to easily find answers I don't know already. The gifted programs, in my opinion, were a joke. I dove deep into subjects I liked and humored the gifted teachers (obviously I went to public school).

 

People have always told me to focus on one thing and get REALLY good at it rather than being pretty good at a little of everything. That's not who I am, though, and I've found that it works well for me. I've been able to get 2 great jobs in the past simply because I was a jack of all trades. I'm a fast learner, and I bet your son is, too. Right? The type that gets a little explanation to start and then runs with it? Figures out the rest on his own? That's me.

 

I wouldn't worry too much. I graduated college in the upper end of my class. It took me 5 years, but in my defense, it was a 6 year program, and I took a heck of a lot of classes I didn't "need" for my major. I just wanted to take them. I was curious. I mean, how many people actually need to know how to play the pipe organ? I learned!

Edited May 3, 2010 by 2smartones