Lesson No. 10 - College prep needs to start early

I made the mistake (!) of reading through parts of a book my father gave me, What High Schools Don't Tell You. It's a good book, and I discovered what they don't tell you is that you have to start early to make sure your child has a collection of extras which not only show he/she is passionate about something, but has taken the time to advance his/her knowledge in that area.

So my 9th grader, a very bright but unmotivated A student taking honors classes, is passionate about Naruto (a cartoon), a few television shows with real live people, his iPod, and the new PSP that he and his brother chipped in to buy (I've got to admit, it's very cool, great graphics and allows music downloads!) (sigh). He enjoys art, building things (but wouldn't join the Lego/Robotics Club, much to my chagrin), and likes math and science.

The author offers methods for helping both you and your child try to find out what his/her passions are. She reassures the reader that it's okay if these passions change over time. If you're faced with a child who doesn't have an obvious passion and isn't motivated academically (or otherwise), there are still things you can do. For example, if your kid likes to play video games, let 'em learn how to create them. Oh, the book also says that it's important to use summers wisely. So I found a summer two-week program/camp at a polytech college where high school students learn how to make their own video game. He's interested in doing this, which is good.

College credits during high school are also impressive. My son is addicted to television-watching. It turns out that a local tech college only a few blocks from my home offers a program in television production, and they're beginning one next year in computer animation used in television graphics. I spoke with someone in admissions and am going to schedule a visit so that my son can see the cool equipment. If he's on board, then he can take an admissions test (something called the Compass) and begin something next school year.

Between exposure to computer programming games and behind-the-scenes television, my son should be able to find something he'd like to discover more about--or even be passionate about.

And while I'm at it, I looked into the SAT Subject Exams ("Achievement Tests" when I was in school). My son is fluent in Hebrew and his reading and written skills are still strong, despite having moved from Israel almost five years ago. I downloaded sample questions for Modern Hebrew, he did well and is okay with taking the test. I found a source for a book of practice sections and tests, and ordered it. (It's still a race against the clock, with 85 questions in 60 minutes.) Figured taking the test can't hurt. (He also happens to be doing very well in French, enjoys foreign languages.)

Our problem is we live in Georgia. The state's generous Hope Scholarship pays full tuition at a state school for those with a B-or-better average. So, the number of B-and better students who might've gone to private or out-of-state schools is far smaller than would be otherwise; they're now competing to get into the top state schools. Now, not only is a B average not enough to get in to University of Georgia or Georgia Tech, students with even much higher grades and great SATs don't always make the cut. They want rigorous courses and lots of extracurriculars. But What High Schools Don't Tell You makes sense: those extras should be related to your child's passion and to each other.

Anyway, the lesson is start early, find extracurriculars & programs, make summers count, and try to help your child discover what he or she enjoys/wants to do.