- : http://www.artofproblemsolving.com
- : Educational entrepreneur; teacher of brilliant middle and high school mathematics students.
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A few years ago I left a lucrative career in bond trading to return to my passion - teaching so-called 'gifted' math students. (You can find our current work <a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com">here</a
>, which is an extension of texts I co-authored in college.) I was one of these kids once.
I went to a school that did not have the academic reputation of either of these programs. But my teachers created for me exactly what I needed: time, freedom, and opportunities. They didn't bog me down with pointless homework, and left me free to pursue my interests. Meanwhile, they made opportunities for me to work with other eager students in my state (Alabama, which you'll be shocked to hear was a breeding ground for top math students from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, maybe because the boot-camp AP attitude came late to Alabama). This education was perfect for me - I learned the 'do it yourself' skills that have led to a couple successful careers (and made college a breeze). This I hope to instill in my students now.
The current rigid classroom paradigm does not work for our most eager students. Not even the APs; our top students are hindered by them rather than helped by them, as they are bogged down by having to take so many of them rather than focusing in the areas about which they are passionate, and which will be their calling in life. Many of the students I work with now are utterly crushed by the AP system. They ace their AP's, to be sure, but they take 15-20 of them during high school, and instead of honing thinking skills, are simply getting very good at taking tests. Moreover, the time spent on the APs is time away from more fruitful pursuits - namely, whatever it is these students really love to study. What is a future research scientist doing taking her third AP history exam instead of using some extra free time pursuing the science she loves?
Our job as instructors and parents of these students is to provide opportunities and stay out of the way. The current educational system (except in a few shining counterexamples) rarely does both. Even when opportunities are presented, they're given as mandatory, and often turn into obstacles.
Give them guidance, give them options, but let them choose. The future leaders will choose wisely, and be better for having chosen themselves.
Posted at December 28, 2005 7:34 AM in response to Gifted Children Left Behind?
