13-Year Old Prodigy

[Ksyrup]

Kinda puts your own life in perspective, doesn't it? I can't imagine my 3.5 year old quite understanding what a vegetarian is, let alone choosing to be one at 2 years old.



ASHLAND, Virginia (AP) -- He was solving math problems at 14 months, reading and correcting adults' grammar by 2 -- the same age he decided to become a vegetarian. He was explaining photosynthesis to kindergarten classmates at 5.

He breezed through 10 grades of school in three years, graduated with honors from high school at 9, founded an international youth advocacy organization, met with prime ministers and presidents, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Twice.

Now, 13-year-old Gregory Robert Smith is about to add another line to his resume: College graduate.

Greg will receive his bachelor's degree in mathematics May 31 from Randolph-Macon College, a private Methodist school 15 miles north of Richmond. Greg, who was elected Phi Beta Kappa, is graduating cum laude.

He has not yet said where he will attend graduate school. He plans to earn PhDs in math, aerospace engineering, political science and biomedical engineering, and pursue multiple careers while continuing to champion nonviolence and children's rights.

Among his goals is to become president of the United States.

"It would give me the opportunity to help so many people," Greg said in an interview in the campus office where Janet Smith spends her days managing her son's always-packed daily schedule.

Greg's arrival at Randolph-Macon in September 1999 drew so much attention that he had to schedule two news conferences -- one before classes and one at the end of the day. School officials expect a similar crush on graduation day.

Since that first day of college, Greg has shot up 13 inches -- "5 feet 7," he says proudly -- but his maturity and personal growth are much harder to quantify, said his mentor, psychology professor Michael Wessells.

"I don't have a measuring stick for it," Wessells said. "He has come much farther in three years than anyone I've ever known."

Greg already was well ahead of his classmates intellectually when he arrived, Wessells said. But the cheerful lad with the distinctive bowl-shaped mop of golden hair lacked life experience and cultural understanding.

That is where he has made the greatest strides, Wessells said.

"He has boundless curiosity, a tremendous sense of values around peace and social justice, and great motivation. His is a mind that should not be straitjacketed."

'Life of a normal child'
Greg could have entered a larger and more well-known college. But Janet and Bob Smith liked the small classes at the 1,100-student school and what seemed a safe environment for their son, who received his first threatening note -- likely from a jealous classmate -- when he was 8. An adult is always by his side, often a campus security officer.

Janet Smith said concerns that her son has missed out on his childhood are misplaced. Greg has charted a course that makes him happy, and that includes not only advanced learning but also playing sports with children his own age.

"I feel I've lived the life of a normal child," Greg said. "I've just been given so many incredible opportunities."

Among those opportunities was attending Randolph-Macon on full scholarship. However, much of his energy has been spent working with the Richmond-based Christian Children's Fund and traveling as the founder of International Youth Advocates, which champions nonviolence and human rights.

He visited Kenya, where he was a guest at the signing of a peace treaty between warring tribes, and witnessed the despair of crack-addicted children in the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has met with Mikhail Gorbachev, Jordan's Queen Noor and Nobel peace laureates.

"He's traveling in circles very few humans ever attain, let alone 13-year-olds," Wessells said.

Campaigner for children's rights
Greg earns money on the speaking circuit to support his philanthropic work. He writes his own speeches, which he delivers with the polish of a veteran campaigner.

"When I was very young," Greg says in one videotaped speech, drawing laughter from the crowd of about 11,000. He waits for silence and begins again: "When I was very young and witnessed the video accounts of children suffering from disease or malnutrition, separated from their families or subjected to violence, I knew I had to act. I was just 7 years old then, but I was certain that there must be a way that I could make a difference."

Greg continues to advocate for children and peace, which he said go hand-in-hand.

"The first step to peace is education. That's one reason I'm working so hard," Greg said.

Greg's lessons outside the classroom included what Wessells called "an encounter with the school of hard knocks" at the United Nations' first children's summit last May. He was a delegate to the fractious meeting, which ended with approval of a compromise children's rights document that pleased virtually no one. "I saw firsthand how countries that didn't want to deal with these issues sabotaged the document," he said.

"He was quite upset by the level of political rhetoric and all the self-serving positions that were taken," Wessells said. "It was a bitter pill for him, but that's part of growing up. He didn't lose his idealism, but tempered it with a better sense of reality."

[Fritz]

people that smart never become president....

[Ksyrup]

I think you should try to get him to head the "Save the Colossal Squid" campaign. If you start now, you can have a formidable float ready in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

[CamEdwards]

It's funny that you posted this. I just say another story about another prodigy that's not so heartwarming.


From the NY Post:

April 22, 2003 --
State education officials have urged the Bloomberg administration to investigate whether a defiant dad has committed parental neglect by having his 14-year-old whiz-kid daughter skip high school and go straight to college.

Angela Lipsman has been taking college courses since graduating from PS 187 in Washington Heights last year. She's passed more than two dozen college classes since she was 11, and now has enough credits to obtain an associate degree.

As The Post reported yesterday, her father, Daniel Lipsman, has sued the state, alleging age discrimination, for refusing to grant Angela a high-school equivalency diploma - a requirement for a college degree - because she's too young.



State law says students must be at least 17 and out of school for a year to get an alternative high-school diploma.

While the court case is pending, a top lawyer with the state Education Department, William Lynch, said the city has the primary responsibility to enforce a state law requiring all minors be in secondary school until they're 16.

"The local Board of Education, not SED [State Education Department], bears the responsibility of determining whether a student is receiving instruction that is substantially equivalent to that provided in the public school of its own district," Lynch said in court papers.

"Therefore, SED is required to refer the issue of Angela's current instruction to the New York City Department of Education, and is in the process of doing so."

[Bee]

It's got to be tough on the parents of kids this smart. You have to balance providing them with a normal childhood, while still stimulating them intellectually. Gotta be tough.

Luckily my parents did a wonderful job...

[Ksyrup]

Cam, that's a very interesting case. You have to think that a kid that smart would be nothing but trouble if you forced him/her to stay in school well below their intellectual level, just to meet an age requirement. That kind of kid is just ripe for discipline problems in school and then at home.

What is probably missing from this story is what steps the father took to discuss this unique situation with the school district/state board of education. We don't know whether he tried to work it out with them and they refused, or he just ignored them and went on his way of doing what he wanted to do, which prompted them to consider taking action.

A reasonable solution is to provide for an alternative for someone who is obiviously so advanced. I think the guy should win on that point alone.

[Fritz]

Ksyrup - do you think the state board has much latitude if the law says "must be in school until 16"?
---
Cam's post brings up the question of the role of primary and secondary education. At one time schools were expected to provide life and social skills in addition to standard "academics."

In Virginia that seems to have given way to "measurables" as demonstrated through standards of learning (SOLs). I am neither a teacher nor a parent, so my understanding of SOLs may be a little off. My teacher friends basically say, "if it isn't in an SOL, we don't teach it." I think the standards of learning are all academic.

If education is going to abandon life/social skills, then demonstrating academic fitness should be enough.

[Ksyrup]

Officially, they may not have any lattitude. But I've seen instances where laws have been bent in certain circumstances. I find it hard to believe this is the first prodigy in NY, but I have no clue how any of them were handled before this girl. I just have a gut feeling that the reason this has gone to a lawsuit and threatened parental neglect charges is largely due to the way this guy handled the situation. Again, just my guess.

[mckerney]

He may be a 13 year old prodigy, but he's no Freddy Adu.

[EagleFan]

Where's JPhillips at? This kid's only 13, we should be complaining that he should not be allowed into the adult world of college already. He has to be a kid still.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally posted by mckerney
He may be a 13 year old prodigy, but he's no Freddy Adu.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I suggest this for QOTM

[Adamski47]

...and he'll never have sexual intercorse in his entire life.

[Anthony]

i'm fascinated by genuises. sometimes i try to find books that touch on this phenomenon but i don't ever find anything that deals with the subject.

[thesloppy]

If I met Gorbachev when I was thirteen it would've gone something like this:

"Nice birthmark, fag."
{sips on Capri Sun juicebag}
"Do you want to roll up some Star Frontiers characters?"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally posted by Adamski47
...and he'll never have sexual intercorse in his entire life.

I don't think that's likely to be a problem. He oughta make more than enough money to afford sex.

[Qwikshot]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
I don't think that's likely to be a problem. He oughta make more than enough money to afford sex.

I was thinking the same thing...plus he may have the magic formula: cocky, funny and filthy rich.

[mckerney]

"I feel I've lived the life of a normal child," Greg said. "I've just been given so many incredible opportunities."

...and this is exactly why he'll never be president. Someone like this is so out of touch with how the world is for most people they can never relate to enough of the public for enough support to be elected president. Intelligence is important for leading the nation, but people need someone who they can relate to and better understand how life is for the average person.

Him thinking that he has lead a normal childhood is ridiculous.

[Easy Mac]

and I'm sure our presidents have led normal lives

[mckerney]

No they do not, but he goes even further beyond that to an extreme that would never work out for a legitamit presidential run.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally posted by mckerney Intelligence is important for leading the nation, but people need someone who they can relate to and better understand how life is for the average person.

Wouldn't it be far more productive if "people" aspired to greatness instead of wishing to drag everyone else down to their level of mediocrity?

Don't get me wrong, I know it's not that way, I'm just what-iffing.

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by thesloppy
If I met Gorbachev when I was thirteen it would've gone something like this:

"Nice birthmark, fag."
{sips on Capri Sun juicebag}
"Do you want to roll up some Star Frontiers characters?"

Star Frontiers! Oh, the flashbacks!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, I'll bite -- WTF is a "Star Frontiers"?

[thesloppy]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Okay, I'll bite -- WTF is a "Star Frontiers"?

It was TSR's (the makers of Dungeons and Dragons) early attempt at a futuristic, space-based role-playing game. In my experience, the main problem was that expecting some pimple faced twelve year old (that would be me) to construct an epic space opera, was a little above and beyond filling a dungeon with owlbears....so I just rolled up characters.

[sjshaw]

I feel sorry for this kid.

[mckerney]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Wouldn't it be far more productive if "people" aspired to greatness instead of wishing to drag everyone else down to their level of mediocrity?

Don't get me wrong, I know it's not that way, I'm just what-iffing.

I wasn't trying to drag him down, but I just don't think he is right for president. It takes more than just smarts to be president and that with his experience wouldn't make him the right man for the job.

Hell, I probably won't live out all my dreams and probably won't get my ideal job, though I wouldn't consider it 'dragging me down' if someone were to say that I'm not fully qualified for it.

[INDalltheway]

I know the coach of Randolph- Macon's football team. Does that count as anything?

[msf518]

I currently go to Randolph-Macon, and The Comic Book Guy has more of a social life than this kid does. How can he possibly be normal when he either has a campus safety officer or his mother around him at all times. He even has his own personal office (like a faculty member would) in the science building. I just feel real sorry for the seniors graduating this year whose ceremony is going to turn into the Greg Smith show because of all the reporters there. It is a real shame. On the education part, his mother is with him so much that she's probably gotten the same or similar education that Greg has. It tells you about the toughness of the school that it actually took the "child prodigy" 4 years to get his degree. In other words, he really is a joke on campus, no one can relate with him at all and the few people in the classes with him are the only people who can relate with him in any way possible.

[Axxon]

Originally posted by JonInMiddleGA
Wouldn't it be far more productive if "people" aspired to greatness instead of wishing to drag everyone else down to their level of mediocrity?

Don't get me wrong, I know it's not that way, I'm just what-iffing.

Harrison Bergeron would definately agree with this 100%

[NoMyths]

Originally posted by Axxon
Harrison Bergeron would definately agree with this 100%

Yeah, and look at what happened to him.

{sips on Capri Sun douchebag}

[tucker342]

I kind of feel sorry for him... he's completely missing out on his childhood, which is kind of sad. But if you're as smart as he is, than you would probably have to.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Great reference Axxon, a reminder of something I had (to my own dismay) forgotten about completely.

I owe you for that one.

[Axxon]

NP Jon, I am a huge Vonnegut fan and just thinking about Harrison Bergeron makes me want to dig up my copy of Welcome to the Monkeyhouse and read it again for the umpteenth time.

[korme]

Originally posted by GoldenEagle
That's exactly what I was thinking. I suggest this for QOTM

you can put it in yourself, Eagle!

[korme]

Originally posted by msf518
I currently go to Randolph-Macon, and The Comic Book Guy has more of a social life than this kid does. How can he possibly be normal when he either has a campus safety officer or his mother around him at all times. He even has his own personal office (like a faculty member would) in the science building. I just feel real sorry for the seniors graduating this year whose ceremony is going to turn into the Greg Smith show because of all the reporters there. It is a real shame. On the education part, his mother is with him so much that she's probably gotten the same or similar education that Greg has. It tells you about the toughness of the school that it actually took the "child prodigy" 4 years to get his degree. In other words, he really is a joke on campus, no one can relate with him at all and the few people in the classes with him are the only people who can relate with him in any way possible.

no one pass this post up, thats huge news.

[Fritz]

Jeffrey Dahmer was genius.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by Axxon
NP Jon, I am a huge Vonnegut fan and just thinking about Harrison Bergeron makes me want to dig up my copy of Welcome to the Monkeyhouse and read it again for the umpteenth time.

ohh, that is my favorite Vonnegut followed by God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and then Deadeye Dick.

[mrushh]

It is VERY tough to raise a child genius... just ask MY parents.