You Mean One Day I Won't Have to Make the Decisions?

A few months ago, EG and I had a fairly in-depth conversation about what she wanted to study next year and in the years following, all the way through high school, with regards to science. We discussed Advanced Placement courses, possible summer programs, the chance of finding a professor locally with whom she could do research, once she's in high school, the importance of a high level of comfort and enjoyment of math in order to do upper-level science - the whole nine yards. I have a few small things that I require, and we added those into the mix.

And here, then, is where we wade into somewhat uncharted territory. There's no reason that she can't do what it is she'd like to do, but I don't see many examples of it. Further, the assumption in most circles seems to be that a child who is capable of high school work before high school age should graduate from high school early. That's not our philosophy. EG will graduate from high school in the spring of 2018, just as she would have had we sent her down the street to school back in August 2005. Her high school education will not look the same as it would have in that scenario. She'll go both wider and deeper. I don't know which books she'll read for high school, or what electives she might choose. I do have an inkling of how she'd like the science portion of her transcript to read, though.

Luckily for her, her math skills are more than adequate to meet the pace she wants. It's common knowledge that math begins to be a prerequisite or co-requisite at higher levels of science, which can in fact hold some students back from the acceleration that they desire.

Science is EG's main area of interest, at this point, at least in terms of thinking about potential courses and direction. Charting a course with her input is a slightly new direction for me. I've become so used to making the necessary decisions for her education without any other input. Yes, occasionally my mother or the Spousal Unit will give his or her two cents' worth, and occasionally I've even asked for outside input. In the end, though, I've always been the final arbiter, and this - this represents a departure. I know it's a necessary one, but I'm thankful, I think, that she's ready to begin with one subject, so we can navigate the transition slowly, one area at a time. Not that she couldn't handle it otherwise; I'm just not sure how I would.