Wizard reads the local paper and the New York Times everyday, just like me and WineGuy. On Sunday, Wizard read an article about Fidel Castro's health and the future of Cuba.
He came to us at dinner with all kinds of questions about Cuba. We discussed who Fidel is, how and why he came to power. We talked about Cuban history and our various family members who lived and worked in Cuba in the early 20th century. Wizard wanted to know about communism and socialism and whether Fidel's revolution was successful. We all speculated what will happen when Fidel dies. I told Wizard about the Cuban ex-patriot community in Miami and its powerful lobby in Washington. It was a high-level and engaging discussion that lasted over an hour. Later that evening, I pulled out my college texts on Latin American history and Cuba. Wizard has been reading them for two days.So, I ask you:
- How many 10 year-olds do you know read the newspaper everyday? I'm talking about the whole paper, not just the sports page or the comics.
- How many 10 year-olds even know where Cuba is?
- How many 10 year-olds have a good-enough grasp of world affairs to be interested in, let alone intelligently discuss regime change and its impact on American affairs?
- Doesn't a child like this belong in an academically challenging school that reinforces good character and personal achievement?
3 comments:
My youngest son was like that at age 10. Then a poor school district bored him and made him dislike schooling in general.
Academically challenging is the way to go. :)
Not mine that's for sure! He's a sports and comics guy only. I guess he's a dolt ;->
What I *have* noticed recently though is that his thought patterns have become deeper. We have gone into that kind of "what if" "why did this happen" "what was the impact on this group" series of questions on other topics. It's cool to see their minds continue to expand beyond their own little worlds.
But yeah - Wizard needs to stay in private school for so many reasons. Jr high is the WORST time to make a change for a child IMHO. Socially and academically.
Sounds like you need to sign him up for the UVA program, quick!
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