10-Year-Old Scholar Takes California College By Storm

"The Myth of Prodigy and Why It Matters" was a presentation done by Malcolm and is a must read. <a href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2026" rel="nofollow">http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?...</a><p>Gladwell makes the distinction between gifted learners vs. gifted do'ers.<p>&#60;quote&#62; We think of precociousness as an early form of adult achievement, and, according to Gladwell, that concept is much of the problem. “What a gifted child is, in many ways, is a gifted learner. And what a gifted adult is, is a gifted doer. And those are quite separate domains of achievement.” &#60;/quote&#62;

For a long time I’ve been meaning to write about the subject, and what was to be a simple comment morphed into this essay.<p>On YC:<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=190148" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=190148</a><p>Or directly:<p><a href="http://daniellefong.com/2008/05/15/advice-to-the-bright-and-young/" rel="nofollow">http://daniellefong.com/2008/05/15/advice-to-the-bright-and-...</a>

I agree with the commenters who point to the parents. This kind of prodigy is usually the product of an ambitious parent trying to vicariously superachieve. I think that explains why so few go on to great (or even comparable) achievement in later life. It's because they weren't living out their own identity but something that was assigned to them. Sooner or later this is bound to be rejected or otherwise collapse.<p>The vast majority of children want simply to be like other children and, most of all, to have their parents' love. I believe it is the latter force that drives the typical child prodigy. That is, what drives the achievement is not anything like intellectual passion (which mostly comes later) but a desire for the parent's approval and love. It's sad when that is conditional on mastering calculus at age 8 or what have you.

Oh jeez, I know this kid. I have the same piano teacher as he does, and I felt so sorry for him. His lessons were often after mine.<p>Personally, I think his parents (his dad in particular) ARE pushing him way too much.

I think more cases similar to this (ok, maybe not <i>this</i> young, but still) will, or should, happen more in the future. I'm sure there's many opportunities where a kid is actually interested in studies but can't or doesn't go on the "fast track" for various reasons.<p>One reason, I think, is that kids are expected to play non-productive games all the time. Another is that there's this warped, prevalent perspective that work and play are opposites.

If he doesn't watch it he'll end up like Michael Jackson, spending his adult life trying to recreate his lost childhood.

Over. Scheduled.<p>On the flip side I think we <i>should</i> front-load education because kids hardly learn anything from jr. high onward, thanks to the hormone fairy. There are a few exceptions, of course.

Maybe pg should have been less negative about the abilities of 10 year olds in his essay.<p>Of course it's hard to know very much by age 10 if your parents lie to you frequently. But that isn't the child's fault.

Downey in the hizzle! I'll hire him as an intern at my startup... if he keeps his grades up.