As a mother of pretty well adjusted adults and a former elementary, middle and high school teacher, I always read posts like this from parents with keen interest. 

My son came home with a Pre-K report card; I read it and was thrilled. My husband read it and was baffled.

I read it and anchored on the lines that really matter: “He excels quickly in all his math assignments and has mastered the math and reading concepts presented.”

My…

— Katherine Boyle (@KTmBoyle) November 11, 2025

A child's math talent is a gift worth celebrating. I reject the obsession with fixing weaknesses; we should primarily nurture strengths and elevate them further. So I side with Mom here: shower the boy with praise for his stellar math performance and provide every opportunity to sharpen those skills—it's crucial. That said, Dad isn't wrong either. We can't ignore social-emotional growth. Humans thrive in community, and kids must learn to connect with peers.

Fwiw, we love our kid’s Catholic school and teachers. The state requires these assessments, which is another lesson: you can never fully opt out of the system, but you can you focus on the things that matter.

— Katherine Boyle (@KTmBoyle) November 11, 2025

Too many of you see a boy who’s good at math and bad at “circle time” and are proving my exact point.

“Many things” doesn’t mean he’s a monster kid- it refers to a range of difference that’s beaten out of boys as “deficiency” “weirdness” or “hyperactivity”, which is what state…

— Katherine Boyle (@KTmBoyle) November 11, 2025

Obviously, defiance and hyperactivity are clear behavioral issues that must be addressed. However, more subjective traits like 'weirdness' deserve far less weight. For instance, my ninth-grade science teacher once told my mom I was 'overly boy-crazy'—a claim that was flat-out wrong. She based it solely on seeing me chat with lots of friends in class. In reality, I dated the same boy for most of high school and had zero romantic interest in anyone else. She was simply projecting her own demure style onto me and drawing flawed conclusions. Sort of the opposite of the Scientific Method she was teaching us in class. Heh.

Your child is in pre-K. Even if it were true that people will put up with a lot of things if he’s good at math, pre-K math is by no means a predictor of adult success.

It’s okay to teach kids to be good humans. That’ll serve them better than any academic success. https://t.co/1Rt8vZuXfW

— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) November 11, 2025

There is something beautifully ironic about a venture capitalist attempting to tell their children that they can succeed purely on math skills and ignore interpersonal skills https://t.co/6aqB6GdzPM

— Alex (@alexthekulak) November 11, 2025

“People will put up with many things if you are excellent at math. You’re so good at math. We’re proud of you.”

You can be a terrible person if you excel at something is... not a great lesson for kids. https://t.co/o7hjqMkn9h

— Daniel Cox (@dcoxpolls) November 11, 2025

Let's encourage our kids to find their strengths and passions, but also be kind to others. It's great to have morals and standards, and not compromising on those, but it's also nice to be someone others want to be around.