"If a child is so clever, he can read books himself and he can skip grades. But if a child is lagging behind, he requires help from others."
Part of the problem is that clever children are not allowed to skip grades at most schools. Reading extra material takes time that is often prioritized for homework(often dull for a bright student). Also how is the student supposed to know what books to read on a subject. It is here that a mentor would be very helpful.
I wasn't allowed to skip grades, so I read in other books in high school classes. Most of what I read was undirected and I studied without any conviction, because I was just passing the time. I developed a terrible work ethic that hinders me to this day because I was never challenged at a young age. Not that I would have become some mathematical prodigy but I'm certain I could have accomplished more by now if I had more encouragement early on.
Here's an illuminating anecdote about the attitude most teachers have towards students: One day I finished my reading assignment early in freshman physical science class. I put away the textbook(most high school science texts are terrible and this was no exception) and started to read something of my own, Einstein's book on Relativity for layperson. The teacher called me out for not doing my assignment. She didn't believe that I had finished, because no one could have read that fast. I don't actually read unusually fast, but I did finish the assignment. She demanded to know what I was reading and after I answered sent me to the principals office for, "reading a book unrelated to physics". The principal wasn't in his office but his secretary thought that the incident was hilarious.
A child who skips grades usually faces worse problems. Skipping a grade retards your social skills badly, and that's worse than not studying enough. It's not a good idea to put a child together with other children a year or a year and a half older than him.
There are millions of accomplished people in the world today. 98% of them went through a standard schooling experience, and then ended up accomplished. If you have a problem with your work ethic, don't blame the school system - it seemed to have worked for all those other succesful people.
There is something I realised - there is no point blaming anything in your past for any of your current problems. Because the moment you realise that there is a current problem, you can fix it, irrelevant of where it came from. If instead of fixing, you go casting blame, that is really your problem then.
There have been many times throughout history where children learned in mixed age groups, or teenagers learned from being in the company of adults. Homogenous age group classrooms are a modern invention.
Part of the problem is that clever children are not allowed to skip grades at most schools. Reading extra material takes time that is often prioritized for homework(often dull for a bright student). Also how is the student supposed to know what books to read on a subject. It is here that a mentor would be very helpful.
I wasn't allowed to skip grades, so I read in other books in high school classes. Most of what I read was undirected and I studied without any conviction, because I was just passing the time. I developed a terrible work ethic that hinders me to this day because I was never challenged at a young age. Not that I would have become some mathematical prodigy but I'm certain I could have accomplished more by now if I had more encouragement early on.
Here's an illuminating anecdote about the attitude most teachers have towards students: One day I finished my reading assignment early in freshman physical science class. I put away the textbook(most high school science texts are terrible and this was no exception) and started to read something of my own, Einstein's book on Relativity for layperson. The teacher called me out for not doing my assignment. She didn't believe that I had finished, because no one could have read that fast. I don't actually read unusually fast, but I did finish the assignment. She demanded to know what I was reading and after I answered sent me to the principals office for, "reading a book unrelated to physics". The principal wasn't in his office but his secretary thought that the incident was hilarious.