Raising Geeks by Geeks

Just found this article while screening my tweets and it made me think some.  Mostly on how I can raise my kids to think more like an entrepreneur, aka outside of the box.  I know my children are Three(3) and One(1) but I don’t think it is too early to start.

Now is actually the best time.  Take for example, legos, there is more than one way you can put them together and there is more than one thing you can build with them.  You are stuck within the parameters that they fit together top to bottom, but there is really nothing else preventing you from doing what you want.  So, by letting my children play with legos, it gives them the ability to work not only on their creativity, but essentially they could build something else other than what the instructions provide.

Now don’t misunderstand me, Legos is not the almighty sword that will drive entrepreneurship into my kids but it is a good example.  From this example, I can keep in mind that I should give my kids options and let them come up with solutions on their own.  As they get older, I can allow them to come up with ways to make money, whether it is from my wife and I or from a business idea they have.  It all comes down to the foundation I can start to build for them now.

Other than the options I can provide for them, there is the knowledge that I can share with them.  Children in this age will be more computer savvy than in my age (I didn’t get my first computer till I was in High School).  And I can remember my Calculus Professor saying he didn’t take Calculus till graduate school, and now high school students are taking it.  I can supplement their education with information they are not getting, like how to run a business or the stock market.

In the end, having the options and extended knowledge will show my children to think outside of the box and become entrepreneur minded thinkers.

I wrote a week ago or so that the Japanese are utilizing supplementary schools to increase the education of their K-12 students. Something like this does not normally occur in the USA, though it has been known that parents will utilize tutors. It is kind of the same principle.

If we want our children to learn more, and with technology being the leading role in most if not all occupations now and in the future, it should be our responsibility to make sure that our children can be as competitive as possible. And why not make it fun at the same time.

On that note, I would like to introduce Math Bits, a website that focuses on mathematics and they make it fun.  For example, they have a system called web caching.  You solve a math problem, which gives you the answer to the next website, and it goes on like this for so many pages (I am working on the Geometry version now and am on cache #8).  Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of my geometry so I am finding my self looking back at online resources to find the solutions.  Their website also provides online lessons, how-to’s, a resource to ask questions, printable worksheets, and other resources pertaining to the subject the student is interested in.  The site makes a great tool for a high school student who needs that little extra help or can be used by parents to advance their child in math a little sooner.  It all depends on how you want to use the resources.

Can’t close the article without the software to back it all up with.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a recommendation of which software package to use, I think that should be left up to the individual to find out on their own.  But I will include a blog post that lists quite a few options to get you started, have a look here.

Have a look at the websites, I visit Math Bits  on a regular basis and have referred many people looking to take a class in Mathematics to the website as well.  If you visit the site, either let me or them know what you think and how you used the information, so that all can benefit from the knowledge.

I wanted to discuss mathematics but I think I will have a hard time to discuss it in the way I want to portray the  concept I have in mind.  Here it goes!

I think Mathematics is important to anyone and everyone.  We know this already, for we are required to take a minimum set of courses throughout our K-12 education era.  Yet, do most people realize that with the basic understanding of the theory they received, it helps us make decisions on a daily basis?

My first example, and bear with me, is of an artist.  I don’t know artists that well but I can imagine the process somewhat.  Look at canvas, focus on canvas, spread paint on canvas, sell canvas.  Don’t get me wrong, I am sure it is more difficult than that but I don’t need to get into the details.  During that process, the artist used quite a bit of math without thinking of the theory he/she learned in school.  First, he looked/picked the canvas which is defined by a geometric shape of a squre or rectangle with set lengths and heights and maybe even the depth was taken into consideration.  Now the artists did not sit there and measure it out, calculate the area and perimeter, but that process was happening in their head so that when they were focusing on the canvas and spreading the paint on the canvas, they, on a subconscious level, knew that information or at least the general part of it.

So where am I going with this article, you might ask?  Well, I am very interested in Mathematics.  I wouldn’t claim to be a bright mathematician, but I have about a undergrad level understanding minus a few upper division courses.  And one class that stuck out with me was Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE).  The class spends alot of time defining systems in mathematical terms and I really enjoyed this.  It is basically a class that links math to physics without spending a majority of the time in theory.  These calculations could be summarized in your head to throw out a quick estimate but later would have to be verified to set in stone.

So, I want my children to learn mathematics as much as they are interested in.  In any case, they will use it and I would almost wager it will make them a better judgment in their professions no matter what they choose to adventure into.  Mathematics are used everywhere in everything we interact with.  Software, at its root raw level is just math.

In the life of a geek, they are all not engineers and programmers but deep down they possibly have a very strong connection with mathematics in their lives.  They are attracted to those things that express it in a way they are comfortable with.  I will write next time on what common types of geeks are out there now and possible some new ones to be on the look out for.