Rivka Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Alex (age 9) has been participating in a math club this year. It's part of a large math development program in our area which sends teams of older kids to regional and national math competitions, and one of those older students, a 13-year-old girl, is teaching Alex's math club as a work-study job. She teaches mini-lessons, leads the kids in games and friendly competitions, and helps them prep for contests like MOEMS. Alex's relationship with this older girl has been amazing for her. She's got a real case of hero worship going on, and it's done wonders for her confidence and enthusiasm with math. After years of us nagging her to show her work, she came home one day and announced that "Eva says to always show your work, and if Eva says it, IT'S THE LAW." That was it. No more arguments. Math meltdowns have been a lot less common for us this year, but for some reason Alex totally lost her mind over the final chapter test in Jousting Armadillos, and it was a three-day ordeal of wailing and complaining and forgetting basic math. At my wit's end, I suggested that she write to Eva and ask for advice about how to handle frustration when she gets a problem wrong. Eva wrote back and said, essentially, the same things that I always say. And Alex was transformed. Apparently, when Eva says it, it's comforting and encouraging. When Mom says it, not so much - because Eva's still in the trenches, I guess. I am so grateful for this relationship, which came about by chance. (When I signed her up for the club, I thought it would be led by an adult.) We always hear about the importance of finding gifted age peers for our kids, but I am really seeing wonderful benefits from regular contact with a kid who has similar abilities, but is more experienced and mature. Do your kids have older gifted mentors? Do they mentor younger gifted kids? I wonder if there are any programs out there to nurture this kind of thing. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 One of the best parts of DD being in the mentoring program is exactly this-especially since the mentor they paired her with for the conference was a 16 yr old college student. It's not so much the academic side-DD gets that from her mentors here, who are largely faculty, but having someone who understands what it's like to always be the youngest in every room really is a big help, even if the contact has only been via e-mail and texting since this past summer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 That sounds so incredibly wonderful! We could only dream for a mentor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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