National Science Winner: Home Schooled

[Gerry Clinchy]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...ience-contest/#

Interesting that this young man won the $100,000 award for first place in the national science contest ... and was home-schooled.

In 2007 he also won the National Spelling Bee.

His winning project:

his math entry, "Continued Fraction Convergents and Linear fractional transformations."

I'd like to hear more about the tools that were used in his home-schooling. I wonder how they compare to the public school he would have otherwise attended. Maybe this parent should be put in charge of California's schools?

[subroc]

I expect for the family that has the resources and the wherewithal, homeschooling is the far superior solution to a good education. I doubt that most or at least a significant percentage of families have the option.

To the young man: a hearty "well done."

[Gerry Clinchy]

I had a friend who home-schooled her last child. They were not "wealthy", but the father is a successful, self-employed machinist. Mother was a stay-at-home mom who helped with the bookkeeping in the father's small business.

When the child reached middle school level, mom gave up. She came to sympathize with middle school teachers as she found out what adolescent hormones did to learning skills at this age

[Buzz]

I had a friend who home-schooled her last child. They were not "wealthy", but the father is a successful, self-employed machinist. Mother was a stay-at-home mom who helped with the bookkeeping in the father's small business.

When the child reached middle school level, mom gave up. She came to sympathize with middle school teachers as she found out what adolescent hormones did to learning skills at this age

That's the key.

We had next door neighbors in Cincinnati that home schooled their kids. Both were exceptional and went on to do extremely well at university. She claimed that they could get a school day's work done before noon.

[Dogtrainer4God]

Congrats to the winner! As a home-schooled student myself, nice to see fellow scholars out there showing how it is done.

Bright future in store for that young man, incredible accomplishments.

[Hew]

Just a hunch, but I'd wager that he's so smart that he had to be home schooled to challenge him rather than he's home schooled so he's smart. That kid's probably so smart that he could be Folsom Prison schooled and still be a whiz.

FWIW, my three children are all home schooled.

[achiro]

Just a hunch, but I'd wager that he's so smart that he had to be home schooled to challenge him rather than he's home schooled so he's smart. That kid's probably so smart that he could be Folsom Prison schooled and still be a whiz.

FWIW, my three children are all home schooled.

If it's the same kid, I've seen him interviewed a couple of times and I'm not sure the kid could carry a "normal" conversation with someone. Social skills seem very limited. I do agree with not being challenged enough in public school. One of the things about home school kids, they can work at their own pace and the smarter ones will excel for sure. In a classroom setting the pace generally is that of the slowest student.

[Laura McCaw]

That is great news as I am a stay at home mother and although our daughter is only 3, I plan to homeschool. I am already doing certain things with her 2x a week and she already knows her basic addition and we have a program on the computer set up for her where she does science, math, social studies etc.... it is cool because all the lessons are game based off her favorite cartoon shows. At the end of the week, the system sends me a progress report on how she did, how much she did, and also of any artwork drawings she did.

I have been getting looked down on from a lot of members in the family for wanting to home school but honestly, I am terrified at what public schools have become. I mean, school shootings, ELEMENTARY KIDS bringing cocaine to school and who knows what else that goes on. The school I went to as a child, was very small with the entire high school being of 103 students and we had TWO coaches dating freshmen girls, one of them was our female volleyball coach. Haha.

Also, like achiro said, all our classes had to go at the pace of the slowest student, so I feel we never really learned much and it got boring because everything was just too easy and not a challenge.

[achiro]

If it's the same kid, I've seen him interviewed a couple of times and I'm not sure the kid could carry a "normal" conversation with someone. Social skills seem very limited. I do agree with not being challenged enough in public school. One of the things about home school kids, they can work at their own pace and the smarter ones will excel for sure. In a classroom setting the pace generally is that of the slowest student.

I should clarify that I'm not saying that all home schooled kids will have social issues. Just that this kid seems to. Kids, just like your puppies, need to be exposed to all kinds of things growing up and I've known lots of kids that were home schooled that had no problems interacting at all.

[Gerry Clinchy]

I've known lots of kids that were home schooled that had no problems interacting at all.

According to my friend, there is a very healthy network among home-schoolers. Everything from field trips to play-dates. She said she had to be careful about saving some time to do the schoolwork.

So, I would agree with achiro that some kids will struggle with social skills even if they go to a traditional school.

Can you imagine how this parent felt home-schooling a math genius? OMG! I know that I would have been in WAY over my head.