2 Year Old Joins Mensa Society

[brighidin]

I love it! My kids are proud that they are a part of this program. They get to do so many interesting things.

You are lucky. My son is also very smart. He could read and do math at age 3. He has a great memory and is talented in may areas. He is 13 now and it is very hard for me to get him to do his homework. Sometimes he does it and just doesn't hand it in, which is baffling. He spends more time finding excuse regarding NOT doing homework than actually doing it. Until this year, he was always getting in trouble for talking in class and disrupting his classmates.

I suspect he is bored, but when I try to get him to do extra work (even somewhat fun stuff) he acts like I told him I was going to amputate his limbs or something. I wish we had programs like the ones you described here. he's been in French Immersion since kindergarden, but I don't think that is enough.

Whenever they do provincial testing, he scores extremely high marks. In grade 6 he brought a letter home saying he had grades of 93 and 98 on two of the tests. He hadn't even studied for them! But his report cards are usually mediocre at best.

I realize intelligence doesn't equal doing well in school, but it makes me sad that he hates school and doesn't do well (almost on purpose).

 

[Kymistry35]

You are lucky. My son is also very smart. He could read and do math at age 3. He has a great memory and is talented in may areas. He is 13 now and it is very hard for me to get him to do his homework. Sometimes he does it and just doesn't hand it in, which is baffling. He spends more time finding excuse regarding NOT doing homework than actually doing it. Until this year, he was always getting in trouble for talking in class and disrupting his classmates.

I suspect he is bored, but when I try to get him to do extra work (even somewhat fun stuff) he acts like I told him I was going to amputate his limbs or something. I wish we had programs like the ones you described here. he's been in French Immersion since kindergarden, but I don't think that is enough.

Whenever they do provincial testing, he scores extremely high marks. In grade 6 he brought a letter home saying he had grades of 93 and 98 on two of the tests. He hadn't even studied for them! But his report cards are usually mediocre at best.

I realize intelligence doesn't equal doing well in school, but it makes me sad that he hates school and doesn't do well (almost on purpose).

I am sorry that you are having so many problems with him in this area. My oldest went through a stage like that also. I found out later that it was because he was being teased for his brains and felt the need to dumb himself down in order to try and fit in. He was somewhat of an outcast, but since we moved last year and he had a chance to start over at a new school he is back to his old self. It was such a relief to me to see my beautiful, smart son excelling and loving school again. He is in Battle of the Books and Quiz Bowl in addition to the AIG, and has found a lot of like minded children to hang around with.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

You are lucky. My son is also very smart. He could read and do math at age 3. He has a great memory and is talented in may areas. He is 13 now and it is very hard for me to get him to do his homework. Sometimes he does it and just doesn't hand it in, which is baffling. He spends more time finding excuse regarding NOT doing homework than actually doing it. Until this year, he was always getting in trouble for talking in class and disrupting his classmates.

I suspect he is bored, but when I try to get him to do extra work (even somewhat fun stuff) he acts like I told him I was going to amputate his limbs or something. I wish we had programs like the ones you described here. he's been in French Immersion since kindergarden, but I don't think that is enough.

Whenever they do provincial testing, he scores extremely high marks. In grade 6 he brought a letter home saying he had grades of 93 and 98 on two of the tests. He hadn't even studied for them! But his report cards are usually mediocre at best.

I realize intelligence doesn't equal doing well in school, but it makes me sad that he hates school and doesn't do well (almost on purpose).

Do your son's schools even consider "gifted students"? Back home (this is our first year here) our schools were so busy "functioning" that they didn't consider any child gifted and one drawback to that system was that the children who had talents/gifts were often left behind because the schools were "centered on teaching in a certain way". If our children scored LOW enough on tests, they were considered for "special education" (classes geared to their deficits) BUT with a mediocre student (in the oldest son's case this means a C- average and testing at near the same) there was NO CONSIDERATION given to his strengths.

Several years later and thousands of dollars later (put him in private school) we had a teacher tell us that our son could do well in school, he could answer all questions on test verbally, but wouldn't do the tests in writing. She also went on to explain that she and the school didn't have time to deal with his abilities, since he didn't score low enough on standardized testing, he didn't qualify for any "special needs".

Our middle boy is high average- he's a solid A-B student. Can he do better? Yes he can. This is the first year he's been "challenged" to do better and he does.

The youngest is just different from the older boys. I don't know what motivates him.

There is a program called "Destination Imagination" (K-12), it is corporate sponsored and we paid a nominal fee for our son to be a part of it. Please, if you will, google it, get the information and see if your area can participate. It was only a few weeks out of our time (for drop offs and pick ups) but it was a creative outlet for our son. I can't guarantee this is up your alley, but it's an approach. It sounds like you are in Canada (Provincial testing?) and all I ask is that you "google" the DI program as it is worldwide from what I've read.

Good luck to you and your son. It's never too late! :blowkiss:

 

[Lyn1001]

You are lucky. My son is also very smart. He could read and do math at age 3. He has a great memory and is talented in may areas. He is 13 now and it is very hard for me to get him to do his homework. Sometimes he does it and just doesn't hand it in, which is baffling. He spends more time finding excuse regarding NOT doing homework than actually doing it. Until this year, he was always getting in trouble for talking in class and disrupting his classmates.

I suspect he is bored, but when I try to get him to do extra work (even somewhat fun stuff) he acts like I told him I was going to amputate his limbs or something. I wish we had programs like the ones you described here. he's been in French Immersion since kindergarden, but I don't think that is enough.

Whenever they do provincial testing, he scores extremely high marks. In grade 6 he brought a letter home saying he had grades of 93 and 98 on two of the tests. He hadn't even studied for them! But his report cards are usually mediocre at best.

I realize intelligence doesn't equal doing well in school, but it makes me sad that he hates school and doesn't do well (almost on purpose).

I was always in the "gifted" programs when I was in elementary school. When I hit about 6th grade, I started doing what your son is doing. I was 10/11 years old at the time. I would simply refuse to do homework, or do it and not turn it in. In 6th grade, I was supposed to write a story and read it to the class. I never wrote it. So, when it was my turn to read, I took my notebook up with me and, while periodically flipping pages, made up a story! I did continue my refusal to do work throughout high school, and college. I found homework boring and pointless. Why did I have to prove that I listened and retained? I know, I should have done it anyway. I am proud to say that I did go on in school and receive a Master's degree. So, even though your son does not like school (I hated it) and rebels to an extent, he may turn out okay!

 

[pferrin]

I am jealous.

 

[STEADFAST]

You are lucky. My son is also very smart. He could read and do math at age 3. He has a great memory and is talented in may areas. He is 13 now and it is very hard for me to get him to do his homework. Sometimes he does it and just doesn't hand it in, which is baffling. He spends more time finding excuse regarding NOT doing homework than actually doing it. Until this year, he was always getting in trouble for talking in class and disrupting his classmates.

I suspect he is bored, but when I try to get him to do extra work (even somewhat fun stuff) he acts like I told him I was going to amputate his limbs or something. I wish we had programs like the ones you described here. he's been in French Immersion since kindergarden, but I don't think that is enough.

Whenever they do provincial testing, he scores extremely high marks. In grade 6 he brought a letter home saying he had grades of 93 and 98 on two of the tests. He hadn't even studied for them! But his report cards are usually mediocre at best.

I realize intelligence doesn't equal doing well in school, but it makes me sad that he hates school and doesn't do well (almost on purpose).

My son was exactly like this! We were really worried and just couldn't imagine what was going to happen with him. He tested out of high school (luckily, since he wasn't attending anyway) when he was fifteen, went to college but didn't do any of his work there either. We had visions of him being 40 and still in his room doing stuff on the computer. But, by 18, he had started his own network security company and, now at 24, he has tons of money and works all over the world and gives presentations at conferences -- and, yes, has his own place. So, sometimes with the really smart ones, you've just got to let them live their lives the way they want to (not that that is possible for a parent), because they're going to do just what they want anyway. I regret all the time I spent worrying about him.

 

[kittenish]

Wow. I gotta say, though, that she might be some kind of savant. Seems a bit early in life to be able to tell. Anybody remember that guy in Great Britain, I think, who recited the number pi to something like 10000 decimal points? Amazing.

Did he look at a picture of it for a few seconds then repeat them? We might not be talking about the same guy, because he was Indian. We watched a video about him in psychology about photographic memory and it was insane!

On another note, IQ testing is traditionally the "gold standard" for testing intelligence, but is not being held as high as it once was. Psychologists and others are looking at other forms of intelligence such as creativity in art, music, etc.

Most people think it's inherited, and to an extent it is, but if you have a baby you can raise it's IQ by certain parenting methods (reading to them, teaching them words properly, rather than using baby talk, etc).

 

[Boyz_Mum]

My son was exactly like this! We were really worried and just couldn't imagine what was going to happen with him. He tested out of high school (luckily, since he wasn't attending anyway) when he was fifteen, went to college but didn't do any of his work there either. We had visions of him being 40 and still in his room doing stuff on the computer. But, by 18, he had started his own network security company and, now at 24, he has tons of money and works all over the world and gives presentations at conferences -- and, yes, has his own place. So, sometimes with the really smart ones, you've just got to let them live their lives the way they want to (not that that is possible for a parent), because they're going to do just what they want anyway. I regret all the time I spent worrying about him.

You must be so proud! Your son is an inspiration as is Lyn1001. :blowkiss:

 

[Lyn1001]

You must be so proud! Your son is an inspiration as is Lyn1001. :blowkiss:

I don't know how to do the little faces, but I'm blushing! Thank you. =)