<p>Narcissa, do me a favor and ask your parents what they pay in school taxes. You might be surprised.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Now, it took me 25 steps when it should take 5 because I had to prove all the underlying stuff .....but hey - I got there eventually.)
[/quote]
Oh Curmudgeon, this is Mathson's little brother. He's actually doing very well in math this year, as long as he doesn't run out of time on those tests. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>yes its all very nice- the summers abroad, every summer, the weeks and weeks over world travel every year, the time spent in all those countries, the ability to pay for very expense online courses, the private lessons....</p>
<p>Its is all very nice, but to make it some sort of special accomplishment and deserving of some sort of applause is beyond me...</p>
<p>They were able to buy some amazing experiences, that most people would never even have the chance of getting close to and that is to be celebrated?</p>
<p>I just don't bye into the hype of all this, amazing as this girl is</p>
<p>
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"and you did all that while working full time?"</p>
<p>Yes, obviously she did. Obviously the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Some people are better able to squeeze more into the 24 hours a day than others. They should be congratulated, not critiqued.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I can't help noticing that alchemymom has been a member for almost two years, but has made only 31 posts. Her daughter has made 16 posts over the same period.</p>
<p>Sounds like good priorities/time management to me!</p>
<p>LOL re the time management. I enjoyed Alchemymom's and Indigo's posts. We considered homeschooling often when Mathson was younger, but we definitely had more understanding teachers, and he never wanted to be homeschooled although he often complained bitterly that he wasn't learning enough in school. We ended up supplementing math with EPGY and he went to CTY in the summer because that was his idea of a good time. Not to prove he was better than other kids. Anyway congrats to Chelsea, enjoy your college years!</p>
<p>alchemymom, congratulation on your great success and Chelsea's great accomplishments. Not everyone can do this even if they have great academic resources and financial resources. Chelsea is an amazing young lady.</p>
<p>While I am happy for Chelsea's accomplishments, I don't really see how she is different from a private school kid in one crucial way. Many of the factors that made her a desirable candidate for admissions to top schools and Ivies, including her experiences travelling around the world (wedding in Egypt, studying Greek philosophy in Greece, learning about Buddhism in Tibet) and learning by doing rather than through textbooks are simply endowed upon her because she is fortunate enough to have parents willing to dedicate extraordinary amounts of time and money to her education. Parents of private school children also spend lots of money in tuition fees, but probably don't spend nearly as much time ferrying their children around the world and bringing them the best tutors and experiences. How many private school children have the resources to play the Irish harp? I mean.. just look at the picture at the top of the Chicago Tribune article. The sum value of those instruments in that shot are probably worth more than all the furniture in the homes of other students. Obviously these experiences made Chelsea a prime candidate for admission to Harvard and the like. But how much of this material in her application was borne of her own explorations and seeking out of opportunities rather than the generosity and joie de vivre of her parents, which translated into her success?</p>
<p>What I see is a gifted, smart young woman fortunate enough to be born into a family that gave her what only a handful of families in the nation (even if we look at the families of Ivy admits) are willing to give in terms of education and opportunity. While I'm impressed by her achievements I don't see how this is newsworthy material when it is rather routine for Ivy admits to come from wealthy and intellectual families.</p>
<p>@ ambr
yes, that and her extraordinary ec's, including a "world champion" title, great recs, and maybe the 2400 SATs, 36 ACT, and the 3 800 SAT IIs...</p>
<p>
[quote]
posted by citygirlsmom:
and please no one needs to apologize for me, I don't apologize
and the above post makes everything very clear to me
nuff said
[/quote]
wow.. just.. wow. </p>
<p>Congrats to Chelsea and alchemymom! Most of us are thrilled for you and your accomplishments.</p>
<p>And since I have only skimmed all the recent posts, I am unsure if anyone has pointed out (I would guess someone has) that the funds spent on travel, tutors, etc are probably equal or perhaps less than the cost of private school tuition that many of us have shelled out for our kids every year. How we choose to spend our money on our children's educations is our own business. For others to make disparaging comments about such choices seems distasteful.</p>
<p>Yes, I read that the mother is the CFO of their own company. Did she work OUTSIDE the home? Who teaches/directs a 5 year old?</p>
<p>ooh, I see that amb3r made my point just a few posts ago.... in fact with better examples. While many of us have felt like chauffeurs for our kids, parents of homeschoolers shoulder a bigger burden for this. Hats off to you. And well sid, amb3r.</p>
<p>"How we choose to spend our money on our children's educations is our own business. For others to make disparaging comments about such choices seems distasteful."</p>
<p>Hear, hear! I agree completely.</p>
<p>Dufay, you are going to have to trust me when I say I know OF this family in a professional capacity (though they don't know me, and wouldn't recognize my name - we are in the same industry, I have heard her father speak at conferences, and we are probably two-degrees-of-separation) and a) they are NOT rich-rich-rich, just comfortable upper middle class, no different from tons of other parents on CC and b) the mother most certainly did / does work in the family's marketing-analytics firm.</p>
<p>Though I really don't see what her mother's working status has to do with anything. This girl would be a superstar regardless. Good for her!!</p>
<p>"But how much of this material in her application was borne of her own explorations and seeking out of opportunities rather than the generosity and joie de vivre of her parents, which translated into her success?"</p>
<p>@@ Have you not read what the girl did with the Shakespeare classes?</p>
<p>citygirlsmom...why am I not at all surprised to read you say that you do not apologize? How crass.</p>
<p>I thought about this thread as I lulled off to sleep last night. I am truly saddened that some of the unnecessarily brash, negative comments all but "forced" indigorock and alchemymom to give up their anonymity to speak to these comments and unfounded accusations. I applaud indigorock and alchemymom's courage and diplomacy, in the face of the lack of it by some posters. It is sad, however, that they are all but forced to defend themselves because of an article which should make them proud. I guess one person's "sandy grit" is another person's salt in the wound. It is possible to post an opinion without being arrogant, abrasive or offensive in the process. There is honest and there is brutally honest. The difference, the disctinction is an important one.</p>
<p>PizzaGirl- I do not denigrate this young lady's accomplishments, which are truly impressive. What I am trying to say is that $ enters into it in that she had the benefit of her mother/parents' TIME. Most of us can't drop out of the work force to homeschool our kids, especially when they are very young and need an adult present to guide them. Most of us can't take 3 weeks off to fly to Greece to give lessons on Greek archeaology and history.</p>
<p>Yes, so? The same thing when you see a kid who has achieved athletic success (often with private coaches, lessons, a parent who has been able to drive the child around, etc.). The same thing when you see a kid who has achieved musical success (with expensive instruments, private lessons, a parent who has been able to drive the child around, etc.). The same thing when you see ANY of the kids on here who go to the elite boarding schools.</p>
<p>Congratulations, Chelsea! I remember when you wrote that you'd been called by Harvard, and some posters doubted your veracity. You and your parents have done a wonderful job, and I wish you the best in college. I hope you hold on to your passion for learning, which conventional schooling can often destroy. Word of warning: please arm yourself against jealous people, and don't apologize for your achievements.</p>
<p>Dufay,</p>
<p>I did not drop out of the work force to home school Chelsea. Far from it. I worked my a** off. I have been Chief Financial Officer of my company for 16.5 years. My husband and I didn't just work jobs, we created jobs and a very nice livelihood and working situation for 45 families. This is something I am as proud of as I am of the education and childhood we provided for Chelsea.</p>
<p>Many, many of the home schooling mothers that I know also work in some capacity, at least part-time. It is entirely possible. Telecommuting has grown a lot and will continue to grow, making home schooling one's child while still earning a living more and more of a possibility. I found ways to make it work. Certainly, owning your own business gives one flexibility in some ways, but it takes it away in others. One can often do the same work on a laptop in a hotel in Greece as on a laptop in one's home. I was lucky that I had a business and life partner who could hold down the fort while I travelled with Chelsea. We didn't shut down our business when Chelsea and I went on our adventures. We have become expert jugglers!</p>
<p>I'd also like to mention that, since we home schooled, we could take advantage of off season rates in much of our travelling. If your kids are in traditional school, you can never travel except at peak travel times and peak travel costs. We were not bound by that, and could take our trips far more economically than if Chelsea had gone to school. One of the perks of home schooling.</p>