You have an unhappy teen in school. Perhaps she's more interested in non-academic subjects and just isn't focused on her schooling; perhaps the social scene is not a fit; perhaps she's chomping at the bit to do something else, but school stands in her way; perhaps she wants academic opportunities but finds school stifling, unchallenging and boring.
Unfortunately in today's society we often believe that education has to come from teachers. Just imagine all the time people have spent trying to teach you things that you still don't know!
Schools are places where kids go and teachers teach. Learning doesn't necessarily happen there for all kids. For learning to happen, the learner has to be interested and engaged. If your teen is neither interested nor engaged in school, he is not being educated there and is thus wasting his time.
Your teen CAN learn outside of school!– by pursuing what interests him through life experiences, social interactions and, the internet. We live in an information age, where anything you might want to know is available at the click of a button.
Your teen already learns all the time about what interests him. Think of his passions, and how he already knows quite a bit about that non-academic subject, probably more than most adults. Giving your teen freedom from school's time requirements gives him the opportunity to pursue a real education, preparing himself for that ever nearing world of a life of independence.
If your teen is motivated to go to a four year college, she can pursue a college prep program on-line or at home, and still have the opportunity to apply and get into any number of four-year colleges. More than 1000 colleges have admitted homeschooled students, and studies have found that homeschooled students actually complete college at a higher rate and get better grades on average. Check out this book: College Without High School, a step by step guide on how to leave high school and still pursue a college prep life.
We have all heard the statistics that high school drop-outs are less likely to be successful in life, and more likely to engage in criminal behavior, etc. However, consider this idea: high school drop-outs consider themselves failures, and were not engaged during their formative teen years, and fundamentally do not believe themselves to be intelligent. Their intelligences were not celebrated, built upon, and challenged in constructive ways.
Reframe leaving school as an entrepreneurial move, not a cop-out. Leaving this traditional school culture gives your teen a chance to develop creativity in his real skill sets. And if he leaves school not as a high school drop-out, but as a budding expert in his interests and passions, he will have a lot more confidence to take his next steps in life.
Or Zach, who had no interest in doing homework or completing academic subjects; as a result, he floundered in school and was on the path of not being eligible for a high school diploma. We saw intelligence in him. He worked on a ranch and was incredible with horses; he was also very handy and could complete any number of construction projects. He currently works in his father's construction business, and part time on a ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Or Max, a student who at age 13, was just starting to learn his multiplication tables. He was always allowed to follow his interests at his own pace, and never went to elementary, middle or high school. He loved gaming and strategy, theater, magic and puzzles. He began taking community college classes at age 16, and is now studying advanced mathematics in Budapest through Hampshire College (where he is currently a Junior- and double majoring in Math and Drama).
Students we have worked with who either did not attend high school or left high school are currently involved in some of the following passions: attending college (UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Hampshire College, Cabrillo College, to name a few), choreographing musicals, teaching dance, mastering guitar, creating beautiful drawings (on line and off), designing web sites, designing and building underwater robots (and all kinds of other electronic devices), starting and running their own small businesses, volunteering in political, social, or environmental campaigns.
By giving your teen new personal space and a new level of trust, you are setting the stage for some good times and great memories with your teen.
For a free consultation about what learning approach might work best for your teen, please contact Shauna at shauna@pacificsandsacademy.com. Leave your phone number and the best time of the day to reach you.
Hi. I got here from a link Kraig Ward posted on FB. Great work you are doing! I realized from the name of your personal blog that you were on the chat during Dale Stevens creativeLive workshop today, weren't you? Small world.
Thanks for checking what I do out! Actually no I wasn't on that chat today–It sounds cool though. I wonder if there is another flying kites at night!
I totally agree with what is said in this article. Take Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the classic examples. They both dropped out of school to pursue their passions and succeeded. One does not have to do extremely well in school to be successful. After all, how many people actually use most of what they learn in their adult lives? I know a very successful engineer who uses less than half of what they learned in school on a daily basis.