Survey on your math education

I teach pre-algebra to gifted 7th graders (12 year olds) in the U.S. While
almost all discussion in math education in focused on helping those who have
a hard time understanding the basics, I am interested in excellent education
for the future Einsteins, Newtons, Gausses, etc. I am considering doctoral
research on this topic in the future, but for now I am mostly curious. On
the assumption that most readers and posters of this group are above the
99th
percentile of math understanding, please take a minute to respond to some of
these questions:

1- Was there anything that somebody (parent, teacher, etc) did to
significantly spark your interest in mathematics?

2- Was there anything that your parents, teachers, or schools did to
accelerate your math education? (in the US, some advanced students are able
to take a course in Algebra in 7th grade and may be able to a take a course
or two in Calculus before starting college.)

3- Given the right education, do you think you could have understood high
school Algebra by the age of 10?

4- Do you think you could have understood the first college level of
Calculus by the age of 13?

5- What do you most wish had been differently in your upbringing to
accelerate your understanding of Mathematics?

Any other thoughts you have on the topic are welcome.

Thanks for your time!

Tom




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