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by colanderman 2023 days ago
I agree, but unfortunately access to those programs is typically not free. The best an academically gifted public-school child can hope for is either the existence of a (free) after-school enrichment program run by a benevolent teacher, or to be bumped up a grade or two in their subject of talent (which typically only works in later grades, when students have more flexible schedules).

My own experience as a public school child was following the latter course (bumped up two years in math in high school), but that was only an option because (a) I was in one of the best public schools in the state, and (b) my mother was herself a teacher, and could navigate the system to fight to open that option to me. But that only worked for one year – before that, it logistically wasn't an option (so teachers would just isolate me with a special workbook); after that, well, there were no higher-level math courses offered (so I just didn't take math and instead dicked around in the AV club room for an hour each day).

1 comments

Too bad it couldn't have been you and Walter Pitts in the library with the pencil.