Ainan Celeste Cawley
This bright-eyed boy passed 10'th grade chemistry at age 7. Two years later, he passed 11'th grade chemistry and then high school physics.
His Irish father Valentine Cawley and Singaporean mother Syahadah Cawley both say he's a prodigy. He spoke complex sentences by his first birthday, drew hyperdimensional shapes for fun as a toddler, and selected thick chemistry textbooks from the library to study at age 6.
Ainan has lived in Singapore all his life...until now. His parents are moving to Malaysia because his homeland "is too rigid to accommodate gifted children," according to Education Week's rephrasal of his father's opinion. Apparently, no Singaporean university will admit young Ainan, and both his parents want to place him in a university.
What do others say to about Ainan? Some view Ainan's remarkable talents as dangerous. As one article states, "Experts believe that the lack of a normal childhood can do irreparable long-term psychological damage."
Many object to Ainan's parents' search for a univerisity. One Singaporean chemistry professor declared, “To send a child to university is like you are not regarding him as a human being, but as a performing monkey."
But others recognize that Ainan is not normal; he is unusually talented, and treating him like an average 10-year-0ld is unfair, as another Singaporean professor acknowledges: "Clearly, a normal school would be incredibly frustrating for Ainan."
The fact is this: Ainan is not normal. He will not have a normal life. He is specially gifted. God has given him remarkable, unique talents.
Why do some call this "irreparable" and "dangerous"? Perhaps Ainan's greatest danger is others' misunderstandings. Perhaps they don't know what to do with a child like Ainan. What would you do with a 10-year-old in your college-level Chem 101 class? Or with other 10-year-olds who don't yet know what "chemistry" means?
But perhaps the first reaction we, as Christians, should have toward Ainan is praise - for God. God has reflected his intelligence, creativity, and capability in creating Ainan as a unique individual. Children like Ainan may not fit into an over-categorized society or education system. Are we open-minded enough to think outside the box and encourage him to excel in what God has gifted Him to do? If so, how?
I've said what I think (and written a lengthy first post while I'm at it!) What do you think??
Very interesting post - well done. I like your persepctive on this issue. My thoughts are we are trying to fit Ainan into the box that has been created for the institution known as school, where we group people by age not ability, content by the clock not by when we are 'done', teachers by one area of expertise instead of an integrated approach. There are lot of structures that need to change prior to Ainan's situation being seen as 'normal'. I hope we can make some of these changes!
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