It’s easy to find stories of 13-year-olds going off to college, but many gifted kids just aren’t ready to leave the nest early. As they look toward high school, however, they may see little to entice them. Luckily, there are alternatives.
The competitiveness and social scene of the typical high school may not appeal to your teen, but one good place to look is alternative school programs. Some programs educate onsite like a typical high school, but offer more personalized paths of study.
Other alternative schools offer guidance for obtaining education off-site, either through independent study or by attending a local community college for high school credit. Public school systems from Ontario to Los Angeles offer alternative high school options.
Some small private schools might be a good fit for gifted teens, if the school is flexible enough to suit the student’s needs.
For more information:
- Check out Serving Gifted Learners Beyond the Traditional Classroom (Prufrock Press, 2006). [Read a review of this book.] [Buy this book.]
- See Hoagies’ Gifted list of online high school courses. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm
- See “Factors to consider when selecting a high school for your highly able student” from the Davidson Institute.
Whether students have been previously homeschooled or not, high school can be a great time for a gifted learner to strike out on her own. Students who are highly self-motivated will find relief in being able to follow their own path through subjects they enjoy.
High school services for homeschooled students range from online, self-paced programs (good for students who need more structure and accountability) to completely self-designed, self-realized homeschool agendas.
In between, there are homeschool programs which can offer some guidance in the form of a credentialed teacher, but allow flexibility and freedom to follow interests and pursue studies in depth.
For more information:
- Read the perspective of Wes Beach, who runs a private school program for non-traditional high school students.
- Check out Gifted Homeschoolers’ Forum homeschooling resources.
Finally, teens who graduate early don’t actually have to leave the nest. Gifted teens not ready to go to college can pursue personal projects in the arts, get involved in volunteer work suited to their interests, or continue to take community college courses until they feel ready to apply to universities.
Teens who follow this path should be especially aware of their eventual goals, so that they continue to keep an appropriate portfolio, communicate with universities that they are interested in, and don’t take so many community college credits that they can’t enter university as a freshman, if that is their goal.
For more information:
- Join the Yahoo Group Homeschool 2 College to get information from other parents whose teens have chosen unusual paths.
- Browse articles on various topics regarding gifted education at the Davidson Institute.
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