What is College Prep and  

Why is it Important?

By Dave Goldberg, IRHS Counselor

A better question might be when does college prep begin? And a deeper question is: what is the true value of a college education? I put that one in courtesy of Dave Ramsey. After 25 years working as a placement director, registrar, teacher, admissions counselor, ABE/GED instructor in a prison, guidance counselor, full-time student and a financial aid counselor, I know a little something about school.

The answer is college prep begins now. For all of our 9^th grader parents, your child is taking college prep right now. English 9 is college prep. Biology is college prep. Fashion Design & Merchandising is college prep. Show Choir is college prep. Basketball is college prep. It's all college prep. But more to the point, 9^th grade parents, your child is making the transition from middle school to high school and that move is fraught with peril for your child both socially and academically.

Damage done to the GPA in the freshman year costs your child acceptance to better colleges, acceptance to honors colleges and scholarship money. A poor GPA in the freshman year sets the tone for a higher likelihood of dropping out without ever earning a diploma. Drop outs make up a large portion of the unemployed and prison population. Bad things happen when your 14 year-old opts to chat up pals during class, avoids homework, cheats, doesn't attend conference periods and generally avoids responsibility. Guidance counselors cannot adequately fix the patient collegiately when the freshman year is a flop. At that point we go into damage control mode and it's just sad and as Darwinian as class rank.

Again, this is specifically directed to our 9^th grade parents. You moved up here to the OV area and work hard to provide the best opportunities for your children. You all love your children. No parent wants to see their child miss out on opportunities other children are afforded. How then can you best monitor how your child approaches school in order to afford them the best opportunities beyond high school? Well, we have clear expectations and excellent faculty and staff here. There is nothing your child can throw at IRHS that we haven't worked with and solved before. Our act is together. Your child is attending a great high school as vetted in major publications and peer-created accreditation reports. Our reputation is excellent.The answer is, demand that your struggling freshman work harder. Yes, this concludes this article. Your kid's head won't explode when you demand that they proactively learn how to put their nose in a book, put a pen to paper, learn how to type, develop self-control, learn how to study at home and generally avoid peers who choose to mess around. And also, you should teach them to always address their teachers, counselors, secretaries, dining personnel and security with respect.

Okie from Muskogee comes to mind:

Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.
Football's still the roughest thing on campus,
And the kids here still respect the college dean.

            You may believe that this advice is harsh and deviates from the typical tone I convey in the weekly College Tips sections. I will tell you that a prophet is never welcomed in his hometown. This is sage advice and it doesn't avoid the reciprocal idea that we too owe your children excellent service.

            High school is a marathon and not a sprint. We always have students who awaken and reinvent themselves over their years here, and honestly those stories bring everyone to tears and make it all worthwhile. That's a narrative counselors can work with, straight from Central Casting. But I have a sternness of purpose now. As I write this, we are heading into Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend. I hope you heard some of those great speeches. He was the greatest American of the Twentieth Century. King deeply valued education and he was not wrong. He began college at age 15.

            A 14 and 15 year-old kid is a lot to handle. Single parents have it harder. I know personally how that works. Please re-acquaint yourselves with the Course Description Book 2013-2014 and ask your child to not be intimidated to seek help from teachers and counselors outside of class time. Keep that kid's head in the game all the time. Ride that kid. The stakes are very high and much hangs in the balance. Finally, can everyone be excellent? Yes. There is no statute of limitation on brains or effort.