Reassure me that I'm doing the right thing...

[Dmmetler]

DD was given the opportunity to take the AMC8 next week. I turned it down, because while she's able to do the AMC8 problems when they appear in AOPS, they take her awhile to parse and figure out what the problem is asking. I don't think she could do 25 of them in 40 minutes, and I think it would really, really upset her to have to turn in a paper where she'd only managed to complete 5 of the problems (probably correctly, but still).

 

Now, this morning, I'm wondering if I'm making a big mistake-she LOVES doing competitions for the social part of it, and this is actually a competition seating that isn't just her and a proctor at the local library (specifically, it's a seating for a local private school that has their 8th graders seat the test, but they have 5 slots available for homeschoolers. Only one has signed up-the parent was asked if she could find anyone else interested, and she contacted me because DD is the only other child she knows who is doing AOPS). This would be a chance to be in a room with 50+ people, all doing difficult math.
 

Am I missing a major opportunity? Does it make a difference if everyone else taking the test is probably going to be a 6th-8th grade boy (the other homeschooler is 11), and she's an 8 (almost 9, but still...) yr old girl?

 

 

 

 

[Kathy in Richmond]

I'd leave the decision up to your daughter. What does she want to do? Can you give her a sample AMC 8 from the AoPS archives online & see how it goes? Explain to her that kids up to age 14 take the test & that her knowledge and speed will both increase over the years. If it sounds like fun at that point, then go for it. You're lucky that you have a place to test without having to make the arrangements yourself!

 

My daughter started the AMC8s in the fifth grade, so about age 10 if I remember correctly. We just did the AMC 8 in our own little homeschool, usually pulling in a girlfriend to take it with us in order to have that fun, social aspect. She didn't go to bigger groups to test until middle school. We'd been playing with the problems for a couple of years at that point, and she was begging to take it "for real"...little sis thing (her big brother did AMCs). She's not a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination, so it didn't bother her that she wouldn't be able to come out on top right away, but at the same time it did give her an idea of what was out there - other kids who enjoyed math & excelled at it. And it gave her a goal to shoot for. In our case, that was important because she didn't get that same motivation by working at home alone.

 

The boy to girl ratio aspect never bothered dd; she got used to it over time. And by the time she hit the teenage years, it was a good thing & another reason to continue to do group math activities, LOL.

[fractalgal]

My daughter took the AMC8 for the first time last year at the age of 12.  She was able to take it at a private school with other 7th and 8th graders, and she really enjoyed it. 

 

One thing you could do is have your daughter take it just for the experience of it, and use it in preparation for future years.

 

To prepare her you could go to this website and time her for 40 minutes to see how far she can get. I did this with my daughter when she was younger.  I'd record how far she got in forty minutes time, and then I'd also have her finish any problems left after time was called.  I'd have two scores: timed and non-timed.  Over time she was able to finish within the forty minutes.

 

In our case there were a mix of mostly boys and about five other girls.

 

Good luck. :)

[Dmmetler]

DD's response is "Can I do it later? I think I should finish AOPS first!".

 

I suspect part of the reluctance is that she's preparing heavily for the NCEE right now, which is taking her extra time.

 

According to the person giving the test, unless they fill up, which is unlikely, she can change her mind right up to the day of the test. He's more than willing to have an 8 yr old try it-and thinks that might give a bit of motivation to his 8th grade boys (who otherwise might be inclined to not give their best effort since the test isn't for a grade).

 

 

[Luckymama]

Dd likes to see how her score changes from year to year----she's been taking timed AMC tests since we discovered them in sixth grade (fifth was her first year home). She took the 8 "for real" last year for the first time. She has yet to finish one in the 40 minutes...but she's getting closer every time.

 

I'd leave the decision up to your dd, if at all possible. The extra challenge might be just the thing to spur her on :)

 

My dd13 is participating in a math circle at the university. Sometimes she is the only girl mixed in with junior and senior boys. She feels really awkward at times when someone draws attention to her (look, that little girl is here!), though most of the time she's just a part of the group. She's gotten used to being part of the 25% female subgroup wherever she goes :lol:

[acurtis75]

Since she didn't jump at the chance to do it when you mentioned it I think you are doing the right thing. One of the things I have to remind myself constantly is that dd is only 8 and when we decide to skip something this year it isn't a permanent decision. She's eligible for these competitions and things for many more years and saving some things for later is okay. I keep telling myself just because she can do something doesn't mean she has to...right now.

 

We've been taking a lot of outside science classes this year which has meant lots of days out of the house and little or no formal school work. I question myself about what I'm doing way more than I should. Your daughter is awesome and your doing an incredible job. There is no perfect way to do everything. Don't stress :). I am aware that someone will need to tell me this in the near future but today it is your turn.

[daijobu]

I suspect part of the reluctance is that she's preparing heavily for the NCEE right now, which is taking her extra time.

 

 

 

 

What is NCEE?  

[Dmmetler]

National Classical Etymology Exam-a 45 minute test of etymology and vocabulary for high school students-all kids take the same test, but the scores are compared with others with the same amount of classics study and the same grade level for medals, but I have no idea where they'll put her as an 8 yr old using a Textbook normally used for Latin 3 ;). She said there were a lot of words not on the practice papers she'd been doing, so we'll see how she does-I figure that this year, she's doing it for practice anyway-my suspicion is that students who are prepping for the SAT will have a big advantage. She definitely found a lot on unfamiliar words while practicing.