Text | Pepsi in the Chronicle
Edit | Pepsi in the Chronicle
In 2007, a 9-year-old prodigy was admitted to Hong Kong Baptist University, and it took him only 4 years to complete the master's and master's degrees.
How did he do it? What happened to him?
Shen Shijun
A carefree childhood
This prodigy is Shen Shijun, and when it comes to the miracle on his body, it is absolutely inseparable from the cultivation and influence of the family.
Shen Shijun's great-grandfather, Shen Qingjiang, was a famous patriotic entrepreneur during the Republic of China, whose ancestral home was in Fujian, China, and later moved his family to Hong Kong, which still has hundreds of millions of family properties.
It is said that the rich are not more than three generations, but this sentence is not reflected in the Shen family, Shen Qingjiang attaches great importance to the education of his children, and 9 of the 10 children are college graduates.
This excellent tradition has been passed down from generation to generation in the family, and Shen Shijun's father and grandfather have been born from generation to generation. This is partly due to the inheritance of family IQ, but it is also closely related to excellent family education.
Shen Shijun and her father
In 1998, Shen Shijun was born with a golden spoon, he was the second oldest in the family, and he had an 8-year-old brother.
His elder brother Shen Yimou was brilliant since childhood, jumped grades one after another, and was admitted to Oxford University in the United Kingdom at the age of 14.
Under the aura of his brother, his younger brother Shen Shijun looked particularly ordinary. During kindergarten, compared with ordinary children, there is nothing outstanding about it.
He loves to play LEGO bricks, puzzles and Monopoly games, giggling every day and being free.
Father Shen looked at the obvious differences between the two sons, and not only did he not have the slightest partiality in his heart, but he felt that it was not necessarily a good thing that the younger son could grow up carefree.
Shen Shijun
No matter how busy he is every day, Shen Father will share interesting stories with the children before going to bed, or chat for 15 minutes to pay close attention to their psychological movements.
Whether it is talented or intelligent, or with mediocre INTELLIGENCE, he hopes that the two children are psychologically healthy and positive.
Father Shen Zhenxiong adhered to the educational concept of love and freedom and accompanied the two children to grow up.
Due to the influence of his father, both children like to read, Shen Shijun's favorite is the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and he admires Zhuge Liang the most.
In 2004, Shen Shijun was promoted to the first grade of primary school, and on the first day of school, the school issued a new book. As soon as Shen Shijun got the book, whether it was mathematics or language, she saw it from the beginning to the end.
He came home from school and took out a book to share with his father, telling him that the contents of the book were too simple for him. He also told his father about it while turning the book, and Father Shen was very surprised.
So he found a second- and third-grade book for his son to read, and Shen Shijun still read it in a moment, and there was no difficulty for him, especially mathematics.
At this time, Shen's father discovered that the younger son was also talented and intelligent, and it seemed that he saw the figure of the eldest son in his body.
He took the books from the higher grades to Shen Shijun and asked him to read them carefully and study them seriously.
When Shen Shijun was in class, he was found by the teacher reading the sixth grade textbook, and the teacher first criticized him, and then informed Shen's father about it.
Shen Shijun explained to the teacher that Shen Shijun understood the contents of the book very well and could fully teach the textbooks of the higher grades by herself. The teacher felt that Father Shen had some seedlings to help him grow.
The teacher's view is not unreasonable, Shen Father is actually afraid of being told by the teacher in his heart, and began to struggle with whether to let him study ahead.
This year, 14-year-old Shen Yimou was admitted to Oxford University, and Shen Shijun followed her father and brother to the United Kingdom and began her accompanying career.
Under the influence of his brother, at the age of 6, he was exposed to calculus, and his talent in mathematics soon showed.
Shen's father accompanied him to teach himself the courses of junior high and high school at home, and it took only one year to complete the three compulsory courses in middle and high school, and the remaining 6 minor courses in the second year.
University of Oxford, UK
In 2007, Shen's father encouraged Shen Shijun to take the British college entrance examination. As an 18-year-old adult, taking the college entrance examination will also nervously tremble with his hands and beat his heart faster, not to mention 9-year-old Shen Shijun.
It seems that Shen Shijun's lack of self-confidence has long been seen, and Shen Shijun's father has always encouraged him to pay attention to the process and not to care too much about the result.
Let him hold the mentality of trying to take the exam, it is really not possible to enroll in the school for a year, and then fight again in the next year. With the encouragement of her father, Shen Shijun took the British college entrance examination.
Exam
Bachelor's degree and master's consecutive reading
Shen Shijun came to the examination room, looking at the big brother and sister in front of him, he was a little frightened in his heart, and his father comforted him to calm his mind, this is just a simple test, although he let it go.
When Shen Shijun sat in the examination room, everyone couldn't help but look at him, and the sound of suspicion and curiosity came, and Shen Shijun tried to ignore the sounds of the outside world.
He adjusted his breathing, let himself face it calmly, and finally achieved a good result of 2A1B.
Shen Shijun and her father were very satisfied with this result, and they began to apply for the university with confidence, but they did encounter one blow after another.
Shen Shijun
The major universities in the United Kingdom are reluctant to admit this boy who is only 9 years old, they think that the child is too young to live and study like a normal college student, and he even needs parents around him all the time to make a living for him.
In desperation, Shen Shijun's father decided to take Shen Shijun back to China, and after coming to Hong Kong, the major schools also rejected Shen Shijun as if they had discussed it, claiming that as long as they were Aaa students, Shen Shijun did not meet their admission requirements.
For a time, some unscrupulous media in Hong Kong began to criticize and satirize Shen Shijun, saying that he wanted to go to college at the age of 9, and no one dared to ask for it, after all, he was too conceited, and he ended up with no college admission.
Shen Shijun
Shen Shijun found her father and said:
"Dad, I can re-read, I'm only 9 years old this year, and a year at night is not a big deal for me."
Shen Father nodded silently, he told his son that life is sometimes like this, to give you a good news, to give you another bad news, to see some is also good.
Just when Shen's father was choosing a high school for his son, Liu Dark Flower Was Bright and another village, and this matter ushered in another turning point.
Hong Kong Baptist University expressed its willingness to admit 9-year-old Shen Shijun to study in the Mathematics Department, and also tailored a 5-year undergraduate and master's program for him.
Shen Shijun went to college at the age of 9
Shen Shijun was overjoyed by this sudden good news, and he did not expect that things could be reversed. He is grateful to Hong Kong Baptist University and cherishes this hard-won opportunity.
Shen Shijun, who entered the university, watched the classmates around him fall in love and play with the computer, and gradually lost himself in the university.
He had also tried playing computer games, but he couldn't enjoy them anyway, and they didn't appeal to him in comparison to math.
He felt that this situation made him very incomprehensible, and once criticized at the school assembly: "People who shoot and play games in college are really naïve." Why not study hard? ”
Shen Shijun
Therefore, in college, he can be said to be alone and has no particularly good friends.
The main thing is that everyone thinks that he is too young, and he is buried in learning, and he and his classmates do not have a common language, and naturally they cannot play together.
His mentor once said that Shen Shijun was the most relaxed student he had ever brought, although he was young, he was more focused on doing things, and he could devote himself to the research project without distraction, which made people feel very relieved.
Originally planned to study for 5 years, Shen Shijun completed her studies in only 4 years with her enthusiasm and day-to-day efforts.
This also doomed Shen Shijun to embark on a different life path from most graduates.
In 2011, 13-year-old prodigy Shen Shijun graduated with a master's degree from Hong Kong Baptist University.
During these four years of study, Shen Shijun came into contact with two papers by a professor of mathematics at Texas A&M University, and some of the research in them inspicited Shen Shijun, who decided to study in the United States.
PhD
His brother went to Oxford University at the age of 14, and Shen Shijun studied for a doctorate at the age of 14.
As soon as Father Shen mentioned these two sons, he happily closed his mouth, and many people came to him for advice, and there were some wonderful tricks in educating children.
Father Shen said: "I never force children to read, and the internal driving force of learning comes from their interest. ”
However, it is not denied that young people do have to have a certain talent, and perseverance and self-discipline are necessary conditions for success.
In 2013, Shen Shijun came to Texas A&M University to pursue a doctorate.
He worked on a mathematical topic with the school's mathematical experts, and here he found like-minded people.
Shen Shijun felt that he could only forget time and where he was in the world of mathematics, and he was obsessed with it.
Interest is very important, but perseverance can not be less, Shen Shijun in order to figure out a formula or an answer, he can not eat, drink, sleepless, has been working.
Even for a while, Shen Shijun's body also had some problems because of this, and he lost twenty or thirty pounds, and his family was very distressed to see it.
Later, after asking for leave from school and returning to Hong Kong for a month of recuperation, his father once again acted as a mentor for life, advising him to treat life, relax a little, and not push himself too hard.
Too late, too tight a string will always be broken one day.
Shen Shijun once again learned from her father how to face life better, and after returning to the United States, Shen Shijun forgot the aura of her "child prodigy" and came to school again as a devout scholar.
After the mental pressure was buffered, Shen Shijun began to socialize in school and took the initiative to find someone to talk to.
Once in the restaurant, he took the initiative to help his classmates get a set of utensils, this small thing, let Shen Father feel that it is a great progress.
Shen's father encouraged him to go out of his own world, make more friends, and embrace life.
When the tutor saw Shen Shijun again, he felt that he had become a little outgoing.
After several years of transformation, Shen Shijun seems to have faded the childishness of his body and become a mature big boy, not only growing a beard, but even a few white hairs in his hair.
In 2017, Shen Shijun finally broke through his project, completed his studies, and obtained a doctorate.
This news made his father and brother happy and proud of him, and felt that he had finally broken through himself and fulfilled his dream.
Even if you are a child prodigy, there will be troubles and some things that cannot be solved, but fortunately, Shen Shijun can adjust her state in time, find the right path, and get out of the lost path of life.
After graduating with a doctorate, Shen Shijun, who was only 18 years old, was invited by many famous American companies.
But for such a talented teenager Shen Shijun, chasing fame and altruism has always been dismissive.
From the moment he stepped out of the campus, he has been thinking about how to choose the future path and direction of life.
Teaching
In 2018, Shen Shijun submitted his resume to the University of California, where he wanted to be a math teacher.
When the school received this resume, it was attracted by this boy at a glance, and everyone was very surprised, at the age of 18, he dared to apply for a professor.
With the understanding of Shen Shijun, he was finally impressed by his excellence, and the University of California agreed to his job application.
Shen Shijun got his wish and came here to teach.
The students who came to the class were also full of curiosity about this teacher.
Because most of the students are also eighteen or nineteen years old, and their math teacher is as old as them, this has to make them admire this oriental face.
Some students posted a dynamic on the Internet, saying: "I can't imagine, I am a year older than my college teacher, he is really too powerful!" ”
Shen Shijun's class was sought after by many students, and some of them came for him as a person.
Shen Shijun looked at the group of peers in front of him, completely without the domineering appearance of the old teacher.
He got along well with his students, where he not only gained a career, but also a special friendship experience.
But serving in California is not a choice for Shen Shijun in this life, just a springboard in his life.
He signed a 5-year contract with the school, and when the time comes, he will once again face the choice of life path.
When his father asked him if he wanted to return to China, Shen Shijun thought about it carefully and firmly said to his father: "I will definitely return to China to develop." ”
This is exactly what Shen's father has been looking forward to, and he hopes that his son can return to Hong Kong and come to Hong Kong to teach.
Father Shen quickly nodded, realizing that his son could not see, he hurriedly replied: "Good, good, just go home." ”
brief summary
Some people learn to earn money, which is also the choice of many mothers, but there are still some people who are willing to teach and educate, with a low salary, but do the greatest things.
Like Peking University WeiDong Yi Wei Shen, the major universities and enterprises in the United States hired him heavily, he was not moved, always adhere to his original intention, two steamed buns and a bottle of mineral water, you can meet his life needs.
But the difference between the two is that Shen Shijun's family is rich, and Wei Dongyi has two sleeves of fresh wind.
Even if there is a world of difference in the world, but in the choice of life path, they have chosen what they want to do.
Wei Dongyi
Perhaps in the minds of true scholars, being a teacher attracts them more than a lot of high-paying jobs.
Instead of using "prodigy" to describe Shen Shijun, it is more accurate to use "xueba".
In many fields, intelligence is a threshold that is enough to keep many people out, and "prodigies" can basically cross this threshold and get started easily.
But after getting started, what kind of achievements can be achieved depends on many factors other than intelligence, such as persistence, self-discipline, and hard work.
Therefore, if a "child prodigy" does not achieve particularly outstanding achievements, it is also a very normal thing, and it is not necessary to be surprised like some media.
Now there is a phenomenon of "chicken babies" in society, that is, parents, focusing on cultivating their children and striving to make them children like "prodigies".
For example, from the beginning of learning to speak, it is bilingual enlightenment and the cultivation of bilingual babies; From kindergarten, cultivate children's reading habits, and must read more than a dozen picture books a day; 2 years old to take early education classes, 3 years old to apply for interest classes, some also have more than one extracurricular class.
And these parents are all looking forward to jackie chan and hoping that the girl will become a phoenix, and they think that their children cannot lose at the starting line.
But such ideas and practices will inevitably deprive children of the right to enjoy childhood, time is used to learn, then there is no time at their disposal, and children's happiness will be reduced.
Parents do not have to impose their own social pressure on a child, unless the child is voluntary, just like Shen Shijun.
We should learn from Shen Shijun's father, no matter whether the child is smart or not, as long as the child is positive, has a correct value, and can live his life well.
Society is very inclusive, if the child is not a "prodigy", please do not force him, give him a little space to grow freely, maybe after a while there will be unexpected gains.
There is more than one way to live in life, a way out, and I hope that every parent can help them live the life they like on the basis of understanding their children.