Home Schooled Students Starting College

When my kids were 16 they started Dual Enrollment at the local community college. They each were nervous about it beforehand. My daughter is the older child and went through this first but what is funny is that my son also went through the same insecurity. "What if the public schooled kids know more than I do?" "What if the public schooled kids can do better in college than I can?"

Now, it is almost laughable! Both of my kids maintained a 4.0 throughout their dual enrollment and each went on to keep up a good GPA through the university level. What is funny is that they need not have worried about what the public schooled kids knew, it was not the knowing of facts that was different. What my kids found out was that the public schooled kids, on average, did not want to work for their knowledge. They were used to getting the facts and "knowledge" handed to them on a silver platter!

Group projects were a chore for my kids since they had to badger the other students to get their work in! My daughter was like the Mom of the group always delegating and trying to make sure that the group members did their job. How sad. My son has come up against this as well at a different university in Florida. Public schooled kids do not seem to have the same work ethic, when it comes to college classes, as home schooled kids. Period. I know, I know, your nephew who is at MIT and was public schooled is a go-getter and works full time and still manages an active social life and keeps up a 4.0. OK, sure. There are some exceptions to the rule. I also know a couple of home schooled kids who couldn't pass a college class. But as a whole, I see that the public school system needs to make kids accountable. Mom and Dad can't complain that Johnny got a C and now he can't get into the college of his choice. Well, too damn bad! Obviously it is not just schools who have to make kids take consequences for their actions.