Posted on 05/30/2010 4:41:07 PM PDT by JoeProBono
ORLANDO, Fla.- Parents of a home-schooled 13-year-old Florida girl say they are filing a complaint because she's being denied entry to college because of her age.
The retired engineer parents of Anastasia "Annie" Megan say they have gone as far as they can go in educating their daughter. She's almost completed her high school education and they've applied for Annie to take dual-enrollment classes at Lake-Sumter Community College in Leesburg, Florida, but they've been turned down by college officials, who say she's not ready to be in classes with older students, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday.
The parents have filed an age-discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against the college.
"If she meets all the qualifications but for her age, then why not let her in?" asked her mother, Louise Racine. "What's the worst that can happen, honestly? If a child does pass these tests, don't you think they should be allowed to continue their education to the next level and continue to let their minds grow?"
Although college President Charles Mojock would not comment specifically, the Sentinel said, he talked about the freedom of the college environment.
"Anyone basically can walk onto our campus," Mojock said. "So we've got a very different environment (than a high school). … And we have many adult students having adult conversations on adult topics and that may or may not be suitable for some young students."
"It's a shame to see the (college) administration taking the go-slow approach to a bright student who wants to continue to learn," Annie's father John Megan said.
some thirteen year old girls look 25.. BUT, I am guessing that perhaps the parents have a little bit of control with the dress, hair, makeup that might add “maturity”. Home schooled kids I have know are all the way around more conservative
Poor boys. Most 13 year old boys look VERY 13!
Maybe if this were the 1960s... what you don’t realize is that girls outnumber boys on college campuses by an enormous ratio. The girls who now must compete are often sexually aggressive. It is not the old days where the boys outnumbered girls and had to “play nice” in order to get the girl. The boys won’t care if she’s that cute because there will be ten standing in line for them. It’s the new sad reality of the gender ratios on campuses. Sad but true. You can check out the stats for yourself. It does not mean she can’t keep her standards but there is a lot of competition.
This girl doesn’t look 13 either.
A lot of it is how you present yourself. Even if she looks 16 but acts older, kids are just going to figure she looks young for her age.
My one daughter looks about 6 years younger than she is. There’s really nothing she can do about it.
My other daughter always looked about 4 years older than she is.
So, everyone thought the younger one was the older.
The self-confidence that most homeschoolers exhibit is what gives the impression of being older and is exactly what is going to keep others from trying to take advantage of them.
It isn’t just age that protects one socially, as much as self-confidence.
He's right. Because in high school they only teach things like masturbation, fisting, gay sex and 'the choice' of abortion. < /sarc>
I don’t believe you are interpreting the posts correctly. My take (and my position as well) is that people just think that a 13 year old homeschooled kid is not necessarily ready for the college environment. There are numerous reasons for this. The entire social aspect of college is going to be forfeited because the 13 year old is too young to participate in a lot of the activities on the same level (and no, I am not talking about drinking or immoral behavior).
I will concur. As the father of a 14 year old daughter who operates at a junior year college level in almost all forms of intellectual measurement, I faced this type of decision throughout her schooling career. Everyone wanted to jump her up a grade or two, some have said she should be in college now.
My decision ultimately has been to deny her advancement - not on the grounds that she could not handle the level of work, but because of the tremendous social pressures which would ensue. For all that she is very smart (as are all of my kids), she is still a little girl.
I agree with what you say about Hillsdale. I have no idea when your sister went to college but some of the material in today’s liberal schools is not really what I’d want my 13 year old to be exposed to - of course thankfully, my 13 year old is now in his 30s.
The whole idea that homeschoolers are not socially aware or savvy is a myth (or lie, really) perpetuated by the public school establishment in their last ditch effort to find SOMETHING to criticize about homeschool students. And even then, they've never been able to demonstrate it to be true.
I'm not one that has a problem with homeschooling kids, as I think it's how parents can have their kids get the proper "worldview" from what the God reveals to us in His divine word -- taught to them, without having it "beat out of them" before they can even learn it in the first place.
That viewpoint of mine in how homeschooling is beneficial in that regards doesn't change the fact that "developmentally" those same kids are still growing, and have not reached the point where it is even considered that they have the "ability" to make some decisions for themselves to "have sex" (for one example). [ ... and those are decisions that are going to be made in that environment, much more so than in the high-schooler group, although it's going on there, too ...]
Let's say that what you're saying is true -- then that means that if that girl of 13-14 years old decides because of her "advanced social skills" to have sex with a 20-year-old boyfriend of hers, that she is well-qualified to do so and her opinion and decision should be respected, because of her "advanced social skills" -- which surpass others in the public schools.
Now..., you might say, "Well, she'll be smart enough to decide not to, because of her advanced social skills." If so, that means that if she does decide to do so at 14 years old, then you must respect that just as much, because of those same advanced social skills that she possesses, and thus -- one cannot make any complaint about that 14-year old having some 20 year old boyfriend and having sex with her during her college years.
I mean, if it "works one way" (in that she's smart enough to make those kinds of decisions) -- then it works the other way, in that she's smart enough to be respected and "left alone" when she does choose to do that sort of thing, too...
It’s what you make it, as a commuter.
You can easily avoid the dorm life.
I went to class, did my research at the library, conversed with my classmates who lived on campus, and went home at the end of the day.
If I had wanted to get involved or cause trouble on campus, yeah, I’m sure I could have. But I wanted an education and got it, just like she can do.
I didn’t participate in any social activities on campus in all the years I commuted to college. I never wanted to. I had my own life and went to college for an education.
And that was as true at 18 as at 32.
I’ve been to three different colleges and have never seen the kinds of things go on that people here seem to think is in store for this girl and I’ve never seen the kind of immature, junior-highish behavior that others seem to be expecting out of your average college student.
That’s why you pick your courses carefully.
I’m beginning to think you and I are the only people who have gone to college. Obviously, I’m joking but I’m in college now and I KNOW the kids would be able to weed out a 13 year old kid. Sure, they’d be nice to the kid but that’s not the same as being her close friend. There is just no way. I don’t care how mature she is. The young girls I have met - many of them anyway - are in some very serious relationships at this stage and I just can’t imagine them confiding in the 13 year old.
You also made a really great point about the huge window in between classes.
“To be honest...with the type of antics that go on in college...I couldn’t see a guy less than sixteen ever attending...and that would be questionable.”
Keep in mind this is a community college. Kids drive to school, show up for classes, and then go home or go to work - the kids barely know each other. There isn’t one tenth of the problems in these colleges as there are at typical public high schools.
A more reasonable question might be whether the kid will have any same-age friends while in college - but being home schoolers, I suspect that they belong to a church and that they are involved with other home schoolers...who don’t have issues with smart kids.
There is no way. I just can’t believe you cannot accept that a 13 year old who looks older is just not going to be a part of the crowd of 19-22 year old college kids. No way is it going to happen. I think I mentioned to another poster that at this age, these kids are going on vacations - cruises with other friends, they have very serious relationships; some are even engaged, etc. The issues are much more complicated. Some of them already even have children. Even if they meet the girl and she “looks” older, at some point, they will know and it’s just not going to work. It’s just natural. When I was 20, I wouldn’t have been having a 13 year old as my BFF either, and the 13 year old needs to have friends in her age group. It’s another scenario entirely if we are talking a 23 year old and a 29 year old, but frankly, I think that until people are in their 30’s, a six year gap is huge.
You're equating sending a 13 year old homeschool student to a community college to ake vollege courses to inviting her boyfriend over for a sleepover because they're already likely having sex?
The comment was made that it was the parents right to decide these things. And I would agree, that it's their right to decide that these things are okay for their daughter.
In addition, there's the additional thought that this young girl of 13-14 years old is also "socially advanced" and quite capable of making those kinds of decisions for herself.
So, in putting those two together, it is just like parents who decide (for their own daughter) that it's "okay" for their daughter to have sex with their older boyfriends in their own house, because it's something totally and completely within the control of the parents to decide, and not the "state". In that regard, I would agree that the parents get to decide if their daughter can do that, even though I would think that they are idiots for deciding that the daughter can do that with some older boyfriend in their house. But, it's the parents' right, in any case.
And then, as I said, secondly, being that the 13-14 year old is socially advanced, it's completely within her own rights, to make those decisions of having sex with that older boyfriend (or one her own age, although all this 13-14 year old is going to find in college are the "older" ones of 18-19-20 and so on and up ...).
Since she is developmentally advanced, socially -- as you say -- then you are to accept her decisions in that matter, too -- as completely her own to make (as she is far advanced from those "her own age" normally speaking).
Thus, with the "parents decision" being their own right to decide to put her in that environment -- and with her being socially advanced, despite dealing with all older boys -- it's her perfect right, along with her being "quite capable" of making those decisions for herself.
I would just advise her parents to be getting her on birth control before she enrolls in the university ... :-)
A lot of very good colleges will accept students that age if they’re genuinely academically qualified. And getting straight As in community college won’t do anything for her real college GPA, as the grades aren’t transferable (even if some of the credits are).
If her parents are ready to have her mingling with public school students, why not send her to regular high school for AP courses? If she’s already past the level of AP courses (which I doubt), then her parents are guilty of failure to engage in advance planning. If she’s really an academic superstar, then there would be plenty of good colleges not only willing to accept her, but also to give her a good financial aid package, but she would have needed to apply on the usual schedule.
I think it can make a lot of sense to use community college courses as a supplement to high school level homeschooling (e.g for lab sciences, or for math courses the parents don’t feel qualified to teach). But unless the homeschooling was done to due some sort of learning or developmental disability, then it doesn’t make much sense as a next step after *finishing* high school level homeschooling at an age which suggests high academic potential.
So you really think so? Unless you literally read every single text that is required for the potential class, you would have no idea. I can assure you of that. Even in classes that you would not think would be liberal, there could be material that I guarantee you would upset you and that does not even include the stuff the teachers use as handouts or show on videos. I’m there, right now, so I speak as an expert in the college world as it exists right now.
Hey Kid... I’m gonna chime in here. I have not met the 13 year old girl yet who can pass for 25, b/c the 25 year olds look 30. But, your point about the boys is hilarious (and true).
“I think he means sitting in a dorm room drinking, smoking pot, and having casual sex. Thats some peoples image of college.”
That’s also MANY people’s experience in college. Even so, that is NOT the case of a 13 year old in a community college. It’s not like mom drops her off Monday morning and then picks her up Friday afternoon. No. It’s more like she has a few hours of classes - mom drops her off just before the first one and picks her up just after the last one. Not much time for drugs, booze, and sex...unlike when high school lets out for the day.
I’m beginning to think you and I are the only people who have gone to college.
LOL ... it would seem so ... :-)
I think what is going on here, is that some people have the idea that "homeschooling" is to be supported "no matter what" and anything that deviates from the "mantra" that "homeschooling is better in every way" -- is not to be tolerated. This will lead them into "unreal situations" -- like this 13-14 year old girl getting into relationships with those 18-24 year old boys.
I support the idea of homeschooling but that doesn't make the kid "grow up" any quicker, actually. There's a reason why society has said that kids of 14 years old cannot -- are unable, to make decisions for having sex themselves.
BUT, the "comeback" from the "homeschoolers" is that they are "developmentally advanced" -- so you carry that forward and that basically means that it's "legitimate" for 14-year old homeschoolers to have sex with 20-24 year old boys in the university.
Hoo-boy! The kinds of things that one can come up with when one "irrationally" supports an idea to the "extreme" ... :-)
You also made a really great point about the huge window in between classes.
Oh yeah! There is ample time to do a whole lot of things in between classes, day time or not -- commuter college or a college town where everyone is on campus.
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