From the earliest of days, Wonder Boy has been comfortable with numbers. Long before he could write full sentences, he could add, subtract, anddeal with fractions. He has always taken to math like a duck to water, or as I explained to the review board for the gifted and talented program at his middle school, math comes to him like breathing to you or I.
The Boy's prowess with numbers truly became obvious as he entered middle school. He tested out of 7th grade math and jumped ahead a year, finishing his first year of high school Algebra by the end of 8th grade. He spent a summer at Mathematical Problem Solving camp. And again, in high school tested out of pre-Calculus so he could get two years of calculus under his belt before leaving high school
His academic success in the mathematical arena has been fun to watch, but honestly, it is the countless hours of independent study he has put in over the years that always boggles my mind.
His favorite summer activity was watching math videos on YouTube and working his way through his favorite proofs and theorems. He filled his whiteboards with his favorite proofs and problems. And he couldn't wait to explain the things he learned to those he loved the most.
These days, his whole world is about independent learning. The years he spent researching subjects he enjoyed and pushing himself to understand all that he could, is paying major dividends these days. His transition to virtual learning has been much easier than many of his classmates because of this.
Even now that he is in college and already in his second semester of calculus, he happily works through this more advanced text book he requested as a gift last Christmas. He has set himself up for success all while enjoying one of hif absolute favorite topics. That sounds like a formula for a lifetime of happiness to me!
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