Musings of a Proud Dad

by ChuckD 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  ChuckD

  Let me tell you a story. I have a wonderful 18 year old son who is almost as smart as he thinks he is. He is currently a freshman at Northeastern University in Boston, in their engineering program. Because of his great math performance in high school, he was awarded a $1,000 math scholarship and started in calculus IV rather than calculus I as is the custom.

  A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with him, and asked him what his schedule for the next day was. He said he had a math class, but was not going. Not going? At $34K a year you sure as Hell better be going was my thought, but my response was a measured; “Oh? Why is that?”

  He told me that this class was only to plan a makeup test for the most recent test, in which most students did poorly. He also said that the instructor told him not to bother coming since he was the only one to get 100 on the test in question, and therefore didn’t need the makeup test, AND that he was the only freshman the the class. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of my son, and how thankful I am that he is not looking forward to a wasted life of cleaning windows and knocking on doors.

  Chuck
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  gumby

  Congradulations chucko for being blessed with a son who has made some good accoplishments. I wonder what I would be doing now had I went to colledge when colledge was not encouraged. I think the important thing is to make your life work regardless of what you do but working with your brain instead of your hands sounds good to me at 47. Take care and have a great thanksgiving with your family.
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  Xena

  That is great ChuckD & son! Well the bible is right about one thing...children can be a great blessing huh?
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  joelbear

  Is he available for tutoring.

  I have a take home Calc exam I have to do by next Tuesday.

  Joel
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  openminded

  Is his aptitude for math natural? Cause I have a hell of a time with it. What can I do to help my 6 yr old. I want him to accel in math.
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  openminded

  excel
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  outnfree

  WOOHOO, ChuckD & Son!!!

  I am so excited myself that my eldest (a Proud Mom can Muse here, too, I hope?) was accepted to ALL FIVE Universities to which she applied and that she has chosen to attend the one with the best reputation for scholarship!

  She will be the first person on MY side of the family to attend college.

  I am so PROUD, I could bust a gut!

  I hope that she does as well in her studies as your son has done in his. Also I thank you, ChuckD, for reminding me to have those 'measured replies', because my initial reaction would've been as yours was, and I exasperate her often with my 'from the hip' responses.

  outnfree

  In dealing with fear, the way out is in -- Sheldon Kopp
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  drahcir yarrum

  Chuck:

  Congrats on your son and his academic achievement. However, since the sun will die out within the next 2 billion or so years and the earth will cease to support human life, don't you feel that your money to send him to college is rather a waste? Wouldn't he be better off worrying about the end of the world, even if it means a life of manual labor?

  Happy Thanksgiving!

  Richard
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  ChuckD

  He always had a strong natural talent for math, and was interested in it from an early age. He also was drawn toward geometric patterns, and as a kid he enjoyed playing with a Spirograph (remember those?) making complex patterns of one type or another. That remains one of the greatest toys for kids, along with an etch-a-sketch which has the unfortunate drawback of making illustrations of breasts look square.

  When he was young, I taught him how to program a bit on my old Apple II computer, and he was a natural at it. From there, he took off. Now, he writes far better code than I do, and when when he is not at school he works as one of the technical leads at www.vineyard.net.

  The impending end of the universe was a concern for me when it came to a choice of schools, but he opted for the five-year rather than the optional 3-billion year engineering program, so I hope that he will see some return on his time invested before it all goes dark.
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  outnfree

  outnfree

  In dealing with fear, the way out is in -- Sheldon Kopp