“I don’t think 11 year olds are supposed to be worrying about changing the world. That’s his parent’s job. I hope this child is being encouraged to be a kid, a very special one to be sure. I went to high school with one of these very young geniuses. He wasn’t very happy, I thought.”
Agree. My kids (who aren’t exactly slackers themselves) know that they would get a fat lip if they talked about changing the world. Besides getting spanked a bunch, they are also told that they aren’t Shiite and if they cop the slightest attitude or air of superiority, they pay.
Kids that are way ahead need to have that beat into them by their parents. There are plenty of others around that will tell them how special they are.
...and it works. No one has ever said (at least to me, directly or indirectly) that any of my kids are unhappy, depressed, no fun to be around, or boring. They are happy because they can be with other kids their own age, who are on a normal track, and be perfectly accepted...since they, in no way, feel superior.
I feel bad for any kid who has that has that “change the world” attitude, and especially when advanced. Their parents can do MUCH better.
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that children are not in an environment that singles them out as “gifted”, and sets them apart in gifted enrichment classes, and honors them with special graduation awards, etc.
The child's motivation to move forward is generated by a true love of learning. They can't preen themselves before a classroom of other children, and their aren't teachers and principals to fawn over them.
One of my serious objections to institutionalizing children ( bright, normal, or dull) is that it takes them about one nanosecond to know the difference between the bluebird, redbird, and robin reading groups. They all know who is smart, average, and stupid.
Also...Children who graduate at the top of their class are often knocked off their artificially created pedestal when in college, graduate school, or in their profession they learn that nearly everyone in their field is just as smart as they are.
( In a hurry, not proof read.)