Shane Now Has Several Options.
After much ado, much waiting, some emails, some phone calls, we have made a sad discovery: Shane’s school doesn’t actually offer the Broadcast Media pathway that is “available” on the course website.
Dylan and Shane both wanted to do this pathway, but were halted by the sudden inclusion of journalism. Shane is getting through the first class – which is called “Video Production” but is actually “Journalism.” Dylan only made it three days in that class.
Both wanted desperately to work on videos, create films, make creative pieces for the whole world to see. And both were stopped from pursuing this pathway because the second class is also “Journalism.”
It turns out that Shane was the only person ever to pursue the pathway. At least aloud, Shane was the first to question the logic that leaves Broadcast Media students stuck in the Journalism class for four years.
The administrators – who really can’t fix the problem since Shane is the only person who actually asked about the pathway – were as nice as they could be. While he does not have the option he wanted, even though it has been clearly “offered” for years, Shane now has several options.
First and foremost, they suggested that Shane might want to attend a different school to follow his passion. This would work – if anyone could tell us which school might be able to provide the appropriate classes for his passion. So far, there is no evidence of any school like this in the entire county.
Second, they suggested that we try the college enrollment option, which would start in Shane’s junior year of high school. Shane could take video production classes at the local community college and get college credit while attending high school. (We also inadvertently discovered that he could get a two year film degree at our local community college!)
Third, if Shane really wanted to take IB classes in the IBCP program, he could try a different pathway. He’s shown some interest in cooking classes lately, and that is a viable pathway, so I am offering that to Shane as an additional option.
Like Dylan before him, though, I think Shane is going to be frustrated with the entire concept and just take whatever classes he wants to take. He’ll get the requirements done, no problem, and then he’ll take a mish-mash of courses that are enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. This won’t be as enticing to colleges, obviously, who would like to see some focused interests and even some IB courses on his transcript.
But we’ll see. I’ll talk to Shane, show him his options – which I’ve neatly arranged, of course, in about a dozen carefully printed pages to represent his various choices.
And then he’ll go in, see his counselor, and – like his brother before him – drop out of the most exciting pathway his school supposedly offered.