Sep. 18, 2006 - Graduating from High School Early
I have had several emails lately about this subject in regards to Victoria. Taking a break from packing, I decided to spend a few minutes and share our journey.
Everyone has probably read stories of homeschool students graduating very early and going on to college at early ages. I used to read these and wonder the wisdom of putting a younger teen in a college situation.
We lived in California when Victoria was in 6th grade. We homeschooled through a charter. We had a great experience. The advisor, others and I talked about having Victoria skip 7th grade and move on the 8th. There were many reason for this, but one of the major advantages was that it would enable her to do high school level subjects in 8th grade and get credit for them. At the time this was important to us.
Victoria has always been a little advanced. I remember when she was in second grade. Everyday I would sit down with her and go over her math lesson, let her do her assignment, grade it and think she was doing very well in math. At some point I realized, she was not only doing her assignment, but also working on others. She was working from the back of the book to the middle. She had no trouble teaching herself these lessons. We also discovered she was doing this to her older sister's math book.
Another interesting memory of her was when she was learning to read. I had always read aloud to the girls. When Victoria was four, she expressed interest in reading. I pulled out the materials I had used for her older sister. Basically to find out she already knew how to read. I am not exactly sure how this came about. She just seemed to soak up education and was always very self-teaching.
I always felt like she would patiently sit through anything I tried to teach her, but she had the ability to do it herself. It was also hard to figure out if anything we did actually challenged her. She is also one of those rare people that seem to be good in every subject.
She basically finished all normal high school classes in 8th and 9th grades, after skipping 7th. I did not want to graduate her early. We covered more subjects in tenth grade. I still did not feel comfortable with graduating her. She was just so young! At the same time I did not want to hold her back. I wanted her to be challenged. She attended community college for 11th and 12th grades. She whizzed through the classes, worked as a TA for the Physics/Astronomy department and was asked to tutor college level algebra (until they found out her age). She ended up getting an Associate Degree in Business Administration at age 16. She was their youngest graduate. We also graduated her from high school homeschool a week before her community college graduation.
She is now, at age 17, a Junior at Eller Business College at Univeristy of Arizona. She finally has found her challenge! She seems to be handling the pressures well. She also works part-time. She appears to be well-adjusted and enjoying the journey.
We have no regrets about her educational journey. I know I could have graduated her earlier, but I think maturity is a key factor in making decisions of that nature. She may have been academically ready to attend college at age 12 or 13, but emotionally and socially it would not have been a good idea.
We never pushed her...she just continued forward on her own pace. I often had to struggle to keep up with her!
Even now it is hard on me as a mother knowing my 17 year-old is out there with all those in their early 20's. However, she is mature and has always shown wisdom in social situations. She also rooms with her 19 year-old sister.
Relatives often ask if I'll do the same with my youngest. Meaning will I have her attend community college and graduate early. I tell them that we will see how her educational journey unfolds. I doubt she will graduate before age 18 and that is perfectly fine! There is so much to study, so many memories to make...I certainly would not want to rush it. With Victoria we never rushed or pushed, it always seemed to be a natural progression for her. Her progression was just advanced.
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About Me
Reflections and ramblings on living and homeschooling in Sedona, Arizona.
(Formerly "Under a Baja Moon" and living in Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico.)
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