Bright Futures?

Today the Pace High School class of 2018 graduated. I taught quite a few of them through the years and this year I had the privilege of guiding sixteen of them through the rigors of my Advanced Placement course. Throughout this year we have spent almost two hours a day together and because of this I have gotten to know this group of students very well. During the year we would have discussions about their futures and plans. About half of them had a plan at the beginning of the year and the other half had nothing set in motion.

I decided part of my mission would be to show them some options so I invited colleges such as SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), UWF (University of West Florida) and PSC (Pensacola State College) to come into my classroom. All of the programs gave the students scholarship and school information. While on our National Art Honor Society trip in New Orleans we made a visit to Tulane University and toured their art department. All of these opportunities helped some of them make more decisions about their future. A few of them decided to stay local and will be attending PSC or UWF. Others had a plan in motion and will be going to FSU (Florida State) and other in state schools.

I still had a few with no decisions or plans this week. As a mom it really bothers me that some of them have no parental units helping them make probably one of the most important decisions of their lives. One of my students who graduated today has a 3.9 weighted GPA and never applied for bright futures-(this is a program that allows students who have a certain GPA and meet other requirements to get tuition paid for by the state). Her parents (they are divorced) have not helped her or guided her to make a decision. She is not only smart but super gifted in art. Her father bought her a car but her mom has been allowing her to drive without a permit and will not take her to practice or get her license. She was asking me how much it costs and where to go this week to get her license. I find it so frustrating that this beautiful, gifted and smart girl will struggle to find her way. She hugged me Friday and suddenly started to cry, which made me cry as well. We stood there together hugging and sobbing and she thanked me for caring about her and told me she would miss me. I told her I am only a phone call away and that if she ever needs help to contact me. My fear is that she will never get a chance, so much is stacked against her already. I cannot understand how parents cannot help their child figure this step in life out. As a mom I have been talking to my two boys about college, other options and important information to help them in their future for years.

Why do some parents set their child up to struggle? Is it because they are lazy? I literally just Googled Bright Futures and found out the facts in less than a minute. I cannot fathom how a parent could let a highly intelligent child who is also gifted not have an opportunity that she has earned. I hope and pray she finds her way. "Bright Futures" are for all and you need to give your child every opportunity for greatness you can. It certainly is not easy and it can be extremely overwhelming but I feel it is part of my parental duties to help my boys find their path in life. The boys and I are currently researching colleges and for James swim programs to see what is the best fit for them both. Creating a "Bright Future" is a long journey but it is probably the most important step you can do as a parent. To my student I want to say, "sweet girl I will be thinking about you and praying that you find your way."