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From: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: High school education
Message-ID: <1170@burl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Mar-86 15:15:58 EST
Article-I.D.: burl.1170
Posted: Mon Mar 31 15:15:58 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Mar-86 23:54:16 EST
References: <162@pyuxc.UUCP> <588@hoptoad.uucp> <1119@burl.UUCP> <1154@burl.UUCP> <118@toram.UUCP>
Reply-To: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Burlington NC
Lines: 38
Keywords: gifted, educational philosophy, society, bad schooling
Summary: 

In article <118@toram.UUCP> roe@toram.UUCP (Roe Peterson) writes:
>I'm one of the 'fortunate' people who got this head-start on life...
>I started grade one at 5 years old, and skipped grade four completely...
>as a result, I graduated high school at 16.
>
>I would NEVER permit any of my children to go through that particular
>wringer.  Putting it simply, the difference between a 15 year-old and
>a 17-year old is very pronounced.  The 15-year old is just beginning
>to develop the inter-social skills that have been working in the
>17-year old for many moons.  I find that the stunted social development
>that can result causes far more problems than the advanced educational
>schedule is worth.

Well, I started grade one at 5 years old, skipped grade two completely,
and as a result, I graduated high school at 16.  I would DEFINITELY
permit any of my children to go through that "wringer", as you call it.
I had no problems relating to my academic peers, (as opposed to physical
age peers), and I did not find my social environment stunted in the
least.  Sure, there were things like not being able to drive when the
other kids could, etc., but they were very minor.

I pity my little sister, who was in first grade after we moved to Mississippi.
MS does not allow skipping grades (at least not our school district), so
she completed all of her first grade work 3 months ahead of time and had
to work on second grade work, only to have to re-do it the next year.  I
wish she had had the opportunity that I had -- it also would have been
nice if our two-year age difference hadn't resulted in a four-year
academic difference -- she deserved to skip a grade and wasn't allowed.

I do think it is nice to draw the line somewhere -- I could have gone
to summer school and graduated at 15, but chose not to myself.  My parents
would have supported me in either decision, but no pressure was put
on me either way -- they were nice like that.
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd allegra ]!burl!rcj
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