Your Own Path

Where you go and what you do in life is up to you. Where you go is restricted mostly by what you imagine is possible. Some kids I taught were doing 11th grade math at age 11. Some kids I taught in public school couldn’t do 1st grade math at age 11.

You are always going at your own, unique speed, but did you know you can actively choose what speed that is? In gifted education, that is called acceleration. You can choose your own fun, adventurous path if you want. No one will stop you, if you do the work. Some students are ready for college at age 14. How can you go at your own speed? You:

  • Discover what interests you and what you love doing. Then spend your time doing what you love

  • Learn how to express yourself well and understand complex issues. For this you need to be able to read fast and well, learn about the things that interest you, and have an ever increasing vocabulary (learn lots of words) to be understood quickly and easily.

  • Develop a strong foundation in math, as it is the language of nature, engineering, and money.

    Discover interests and start creating a portfolio. Every evening, remember what gave you joy and excited you, what made you forget time. Write down what you want to learn more about, in your vocabulary treasure chest. Even if it seems obvious to you, other people don't necessarily see what makes you special. That is why you create a portfolio. It is a collection of things that excite you, work you have done, books you have read, art you have made and more. It will help you tell the world who you are, as people aren't always great at seeing it.

    Read a lot and learn lots of words! Ask your librarian, teachers, family members, and friends to help you find perfect books for you. Read at least two books a week. Look up all the words you don't know, and write them into your Vocabulary Treasure Chest.

    Learn math at your own speed. If the math you are learning in school is too easy or too hard, let your parents know.

I believe you are extraordinary and know you have the ability to do amazing things. Learning new material is easy and fun when you want to learn and learn it at the right speed for you.