Talk about making us all feel slightly inadequate with our kid's educational progress. A 17-year-old from California is currently making the rounds of the "weird news" reports because he graduated from college BEFORE graduating from high school. Ay carumba.
Here I thought "reads at high first grade level while only a kindergartner" was something to brag about. If I wore one, my hat would be off for Spencer La Favor and his mom, who he says supported him as he juggled high school and college classes. What he's accomplished is incredible. But that's not to say I'd let my daughter do it.
Call me a meanie or perhaps just a realist. I don't mean to denigrate what this kid has accomplished, but reading about how Spencer spent every year from ninth grade on trying to keep up with classes at both Independence High School and Taft Community College made me sad. As he said:
I would take three online classes at Taft Community College. Then I'd go to school and take advanced-placement classes in English and history and honors chemistry. It was pretty rough.
I remember ninth grade. I was taking tenth grade coursework, and it was HARD. But that's just it, I was taking tenth grade coursework and having a hard enough time trying to fit in friends, family, and extracurriculars. I can't imagine if I'd piled college on top of that. What kind of life would I have had? What kind of fun?
Today's kids have a benefit that kids just a few short generations back didn't. They get to be kids on up through their teen years. They get to balance school with fun. Sure, many of them have jobs, but there is still time left over to enjoy the simplicity of hitting the mall or poking around on Facebook.
If it sounds indulgent, consider this. Kids who learn to play by themselves are shown to do better in college, because they have developed the ability to think outside the box. And workers who cave to the allure of "me" time are better employees in the end. Teaching our kids to "work, work, work" may seem like it has real world application, but in the end, it can seriously backfire.
Congratulations to Spencer La Favor on college graduation, on high school graduation, and on having just a year and a half left to finish his bachelor's degree. Here's hoping he finds some time to relax too!
Would you let your kids take this route?
Image via Tulane Public Relations/Flickr
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Comments 61
I am also majoring in Psychology. I have had wonderful instructors for my courses at my community college. Having two majors has been a workload, but I am less stressed since my complete tuition is covered by financial aid. I even get some extra money to put away after books and supplies are paid off. That is really going to help once I transfer and will probably need more scholarships to cover my tuition. I will not have to work as hard to pay for rent, food, utilities, or school supplies with the money I have saved up from my community college financial aid. Community college is my stepping stone, and also a way for me to build up some extra money alongside my savings for when I take that next step into my education. Community college is working for me at the moment. It is not inferior to a university. Not all community colleges have substandard curriculums and educations.
I wish I'd had this opportunity! The classes at our local community college were formatted so that they were much more understandable to me than the highschool classes, and I felt like I was accomplishing something instead of just passing time. Everyone thinks a HSD is an accomplishment, but honestly, you can't do much with it that you can't do with a GED or without one. Highschool for many kids is a stupid step that could be skipped, for me it felt like I was waiting to be allowed to start my life. The people at college for the most part WANT to be there and take education seriously, which many highschoolers don't and can frustate those who do. If I'd had this opportunity as a freshman, instead of having to wait until senior year, I'd have been a lot happier.
I would definitely not encourage a full college load while still in high school. If a child of mine wanted to take an occasional course, perhaps, but a full load on top of high school courses would be too much. Whatever happened to childhood?
When I was in high school (graduated 2005) there was a program called "middle college" You did your junior and senior year at the community college with the credits counting for both college and high school so when you graduated you not only got your high school diploma but your associates degree as well. then went to the four year university. That was in California.
I now live in North Carolina, they have a program called "early college" where instead of going to what ever high school you would go to after middle school you go straight to the community college do all four years and again graduate with both a high school diploma and associates degree.
I think this is awesome. I will do everything I can to help my daughter get into the early college program if it is still around when she reaches high school (she starts preschool this year lol). Its a leg up and its 2 less years of college we will have to pay for because it is a program through the school district and the community college and parents only have to buy the books and supplies. My neice got into this program but then she got dropped for fighting but she was so ashamed she told everyone she didn't want to go, this was a huge opportunity and she blew it and she knew it.
And to everyone saying community college isn't as good an education you need to check your facts. Some community colleges offer excellent programs that are very challengeing. I will be graduating from a community college this friday with my associates degree in Human Services. We have been told by trained counselors people with masters degrees and doctorates in social work and counseling that the material we cover in this curriculum they didn't get anywhere near until a they were graduate students.
Most people start at a community college then transfer into a four year university. I will take a short one or 2 semester break then transfer to a university to get my bachelors. It is cheaper to start at a community college. Not everyone can afford to got straight into a university. Its also a good way to transition Its like going to middle school/junior high before starting highschool.