Entering my teenager in a local/national maths competition

silvercar

emmatthews wrote: »

Let her be a child. What benefit would there be to entering/winning a competition? If she's good at maths then she's good at maths, she doesn't need a trophy to prove it & neither do you.

Would you say that if her skill area was sport or music?

Lovely that you have found something that she excels at.

phill99

These things are invariably done for the ego of the parents, and not the benefit of the child.

peachyprice

I would ask the child if she actually wants to do it, first and foremost.

penguingirl

As she is end of year 10 (so about 15?) I would definitely have the conversation with her. Especially as she has her GCSEs next year so may want her 'downtime' to be something non-academic if she is going to be studying a lot. She's almost a young adult, and I think one of the most important skills for this period is to manage competing demands and stress as this is likely to continue through A levels and university- and beyond into work! If she thinks she'd enjoy competitions, then get her to speak to her maths teacher. But I suspect that at this age they will encourage her to focus on her academic qualifications.

onomatopoeia99

emmatthews wrote: »

Let her be a child. What benefit would there be to entering/winning a competition? If she's good at maths then she's good at maths, she doesn't need a trophy to prove it & neither do you.

If she was good at gymnastics or swimming (as in "potential olympic level") then would you say the same? Or if she had the potential to be a concert pianist?

What is wrong with celebrating ability in pure academia vs music or sport? We see school concerts, school sports teams, children that excel in these areas are feted and encouraged and no-one talks about letting them be a child. Why not for mathematics?

Madmel

Other than asking her if she would like to do it, why not see if her school would consider Maths Challenge? A former colleague who is a maths specialist said that it tests different skills to GCSE/KS3 maths and good results in Maths Challenge are often a sign (to him at least) of a mathematical brain.

All our GCSE & A level Maths students sit it at the appropriate level, along with the Head of Maths. The A level kids adore it when they beat his score!

KRB2725

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If she was good at gymnastics or swimming (as in "potential olympic level") then would you say the same? Or if she had the potential to be a concert pianist?

What is wrong with celebrating ability in pure academia vs music or sport? We see school concerts, school sports teams, children that excel in these areas are feted and encouraged and no-one talks about letting them be a child. Why not for mathematics?

Yes I would still say the same.

I was at secondary school with someone who was a talented ice skater - 5.30am practice and never ending competitions. He parents wanted it far more than she did, she did it to please them. Her happiness was put second to her talent.

JIL

Reading your opening post you are asking for competitions you can enter her into.
There's not a hint of that's what she wants to do.
Do you want to put her on display as she is clever?

The most important question in this surely is what does your daughter want to do?

My eldest PhD in nuclear and astro physics would have absolutely hated me to have even thought about competitions for him to enter. He was and still is very good at maths.
He hates me discussing his academic side even now. He just wants to be "himself"

FBaby

Geeks, nerds and gamers all have a certain cachet now, probably thanks to TBBT. Cleverness and intelligence is something to be celebrated, not mocked, thankfully.

Excelling at Maths doesn't make you a geek or nerd. DD is a natural mathematician, got a Gold award at the Maths challenge and expected A* or distinction at her GCSEs Maths/Further Maths, but is also part of the 'popular' group and looks/acts nothing like what is seen as a 'nerd'. There are two boys who do fall under that stereotypical category, and are very happy to be so, but again, they are not excluded and often invited to join in. DD gets along great with both of them. Times have changed thankfully!

peachyprice

JIL wrote: »

Reading your opening post you are asking for competitions you can enter her into.
There's not a hint of that's what she wants to do.
Do you want to put her on display as she is clever?

The most important question in this surely is what does your daughter want to do?

My eldest PhD in nuclear and astro physics would have absolutely hated me to have even thought about competitions for him to enter. He was and still is very good at maths.
He hates me discussing his academic side even now. He just wants to be "himself"

OP doesn't really consider what his children want when he comes up with these ideas for them.