SL Xpress
500+ Posts
08/24/09 11:31 PM
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In reply to:
Human nature is the same, but the social environment of high school is very unlike the social environment of "real life"....
I don't agree with this at all. There are huge differences, obviously. The intensity of experiences as a younger person can be greater because we have fewer of them. Age gives perspective in a way that's difficult to attain virtually by definition by any other method. But our high school years are a part of gaining that perspective. Without them, we don't have the same foundation as a comparison to our "real life." You can't just short circuit one and assume healthy adjustments to the other.
However, there's still peer pressure when we're older. There's still social dynamics at play, and if they involve enough people, especially at a place of employment, there are going to be STARTLING similarities to the social dynamics of high school.
The differences are who holds the power, and how did they obtain it? The people who hold power in high school don't necessarily "earn" that position in ways that translate into the post high school experience. So are those people better off skipping high school entirely? Is that what is going to help them be more successful later in life?
For the people who were relatively powerless in high school, does skipping that experience still ensure them the same level of success later in life?
Maybe so, but I don't see how anyone can answer that question authoritatively one way or another. It's my opinion in the case of Jeremy Tyler, skipping his high school experience is a mistake. He has opportunities other kids don't have. He would be better off if he was surrounded by people who had his best interests at heart to get into a positive high school environment that would help develop him as a person. That would certainly --- IMO --- do him a lot more good than moving to Israel as a senior to be to begin his professional basketball career.
But maybe things work out for him. I hope so for his sake.
In reply to:
...and generally isn't designed to prepare kids to be adults, relate to adults in a mature fashion, or make adult decisions.
I can agree with some of this. It depends on a person's experiences. I certainly feel like high school helped me with all of the above, and I do feel like there are opportunities in high school to develop those abilities. I also feel like no matter how good your preparation may be, you still can be awful at it, just like there are folks whose preparation was completely inadequate, yet they find a way to overcome.
But we're talking specifically about Jeremy Tyler here, and I'm saying in his particular case, I think this is a bad move.
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LakeErieHorn
100+ posts
08/25/09 09:16 AM
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In reply to:
And a meaningful high school "experience" doesn't mean jack in the grand scheme of life.
I love comments like this. It is the classic refrain of the guy who was too smart for school as he looks back on the accomplishments of his life. Did it all on his own. That four year span of time introduced me to sex, drinking and music. Still pretty meaningful parts of my life.
I guess adolescent development, peer socialization and emotional growth are just tiny fractions of the "grand scheme" of things.
Yeah I liked high school just fine, [censored] loved college, enjoyed numerous other phases through out my life so far. I have raised a teen ager and have others set to go as well. You think what you want on the matter, but a lot of good memories come back to me when I see my kids in school. I am sure I will have the same experience when they go to college.
Drop out of high school to play basketball. I place more emphasis on education than that. Go on, you keep telling yourself high school was a waste of time. How do you rank meaningful experiences?
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Bob in Houston
5000+ posts
08/25/09 12:32 PM
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How many well-adjusted child stars are there? The ones you can think of verify how few there are. There's something to be said for doing what everyone else goes through, even if it doesn't seem like much at the time.
I'm not even sure that it's to the benefit of the football players who graduate early in order to do spring practice in college. I understand the reasoning, and it may seem like a great idea, but unless you make the big jump and become a star player, is it worth it?
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overmaars
250+ posts
08/25/09 03:07 PM
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In reply to:
I'm not even sure that it's to the benefit of the football players who graduate early in order to do spring practice in college.
It is to the benefit of football players to graduate early and get to their college spring practice. Why else would they do it? My point solidified. There is a legitimate reason why talented and ambitious high school athletes graduate early.
I've known several collegiate and now pro/semi pro golfers who chose to be home schooled. Why? So they had time to play in more amateur events, which increased their visibility and subsequently netted them more scholarship offers. To the average kid, I think it's a great idea to stay in high school. Live it up, get what you can out of it. I'm not endorsing dropping out of high school, or saying I don't think education is important. Thats a careless assumption.
But for accomplished athletes with proven ability who are striving to get to the next level, the fixed pace and rigid structure of high school is a waste of time.
In reply to:
It is the classic refrain of the guy who was too smart for school as he looks back on the accomplishments of his life. Did it all on his own. That four year span of time introduced me to sex, drinking and music. Still pretty meaningful parts of my life.
You must have gone to high school in the 70's, am I right? Times were indeed different then. High School was more of a right of passage, when all there was to do was learn about sex, and music and drugs. I'm sure it's still present in some circles, but those things are largely passe' to the contemporary high school student - and certainly one with legit potential for next level competitive sports isn't speeding around in his camaro, having orgies, and smoking reefer. It's not the same today. I'd be curious to hear your teenage son's opinion on the matter...or that of any of his contemporaries. Most teens I know either hate high school, or are indifferent. Regardless of their mental state or future plans, they see high school as a means to an end. Still, the average kid doesn't have the luxury of choice...Jeremy Tyler does.
Money may not buy happiness, but it'll buy a waverunner. Ever try to frown on a waverunner?
Edited by overmaars (08/25/09 04:50 PM)
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Bob in Houston
5000+ posts
08/25/09 04:52 PM
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In reply to:
I've known several collegiate and now pro/semi pro golfers who chose to be home schooled. Why? So they had time to play in more amateur events, which increased their visibility and subsequently netted them more scholarship offers....
[F]or accomplished athletes with proven ability who are striving to get to the next level, the fixed pace and rigid structure of high school is a waste of time.
I wonder if Michelle Wie still believes that.
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LakeErieHorn
100+ posts
08/25/09 09:33 PM
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No, you would be wrong to assume I graduated in the 70's. Late 80's though if that helps your point. I don't have much experience with collegiate golfers. I don't want to beat the proverbial deceased horse here, but I work a great deal with high school students and I believe it to be true that high school and its impact on the development of youth is undeniable and formative.
You don't have to look to far at recent busts in the recruiting circles to see that yes, high school premier athletes do speed around, smoke and have sex (how would ousucks field a team otherwise). Our greatest players of recent have had children upon entering UT. Of the youth I work with, the opportunities to experiment are much greater but the bottom line is they are no more mature than I was in high school or for that matter my contemporaries. As for my own kids, I think my advice is drawn from my own experience.
I spent the last year teaching incarcerated youth. I came away with many impressions but foremost was that they missed the socialization and structure of high school perhaps more than their own dysfunctional families.
If a golfer wants to be home schooled, so be it. But let's face it, the greats weren't/aren't. It is irresponsible of a parent to let a child drop out of high school. By the reasoning provided in your posts, any kid that has the ambition to be a mechanic or assembly line worker and enter the workforce at age 16 and avoid the needlessness of high school. Education is the cornerstone of an advanced economic system such as we have. Innovation is dependent upon it at all levels. Supporting this decision in any way leads us down a slippery slope.
I have put my soap box away and want to return to the unbelievable news that is the final piece of our 2009-2010 basketball team!!!
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Statalyzer
10,000+ posts
08/26/09 01:52 AM
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In reply to:
If a golfer wants to be home schooled, so be it. But let's face it, the greats weren't/aren't. It is irresponsible of a parent to let a child drop out of high school.
Are you really saying home schooling is tantamount to dropping out of school?
In reply to:
Its not about wins and loses, if it was we wouldnt be t.u.'s rival...
~Texags.com poster
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LakeErieHorn
100+ posts
08/26/09 10:08 AM
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Sorry about that. Though I don't agree with homeschooling in most situations it is not the same as dropping out of school. In fact I don't use the terms next to each other at all. Just poor sentence transition on my part.
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overmaars
250+ posts
08/27/09 12:44 PM
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In reply to:
I spent the last year teaching incarcerated youth. I came away with many impressions but foremost was that they missed the socialization and structure of high school perhaps more than their own dysfunctional families.
Don't forget the initial context of the post: "To the destined pro, this move makes sense to me".
Disenfranchised youth from dysfunctional families...yes, please go to high school and see how it can positively impact your life.
Micheal Beasley, Micheal Whitehead, Bryce Harper, Jeremy Tyler, countless others...
Get your GED or homeshool on and then go get paid to play professional sports.
Money may not buy happiness, but it'll buy a waverunner. Ever try to frown on a waverunner?
Edited by overmaars (08/28/09 09:52 AM)
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LakeErieHorn
250+ posts
08/28/09 08:34 AM
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Well Michelle Wie went to high school. A very exclusive school in Honolulu.
As for the rest, the decision is based solely on money. There is a reason why Tiger Woods and Johnny Mc are interesting. They are well rounded. Same can be said for the greats in a lot of sports. It is a shortcoming of LeBron James in all honesty and he only skipped college.
Sure there will be people who claim that so and so is the salt of the earth and he/she is smarter than you think. But I am pretty sure that a conversation with home schooled guy who places athletics ahead of academics (which is the reason you gave for your semi-pro golf friends) is going to bore the [censored] out of me.
Let me end this thread on my part with the following...All, and I mean all 14-17 year olds are dumbasses. God live my own, but they are intelligent, well behaved, thoughtful dumbasses. lt would be a failure on my part to not maximize thier learning environment as they mature.
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overmaars
250+ posts
08/28/09 09:48 AM
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In reply to:
As for the rest, the decision is based solely on money.
How about simply for the love of the game? or because it's their passion? Calling it selfish or money hungry is a copout. It's an unfair and unfounded conclusion. You don't know these people or what their genuine motivation is.
In reply to:
But I am pretty sure that a conversation with home schooled guy who places athletics ahead of academics (which is the reason you gave for your semi-pro golf friends) is going to bore the [censored] out of me.
 your opinion of course but an incredibly narrow and antiquated one; which just confirms I needn't waste any more time belaboring this point.
Money may not buy happiness, but it'll buy a waverunner. Ever try to frown on a waverunner?
Edited by overmaars (08/28/09 01:04 PM)
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overmaars
500+ posts
11/09/09 02:49 PM
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The Link
I can admit when I'm wrong.
Money may not buy happiness, but it'll buy a waverunner. Ever try to frown on a waverunner?
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UTAustin92
500+ posts
11/09/09 09:18 PM
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Wow...I hope the money was worth it.
His coach calls him lazy and out of shape. The team captain says he is soft. His teammates say he needs to learn to shut up and show up on time. He has no friends on the team. In extensive interviews with Tyler, his teammates, coaches, his father and advisers, the consensus is that he is so naïve and immature that he has no idea how naïve and immature he is. So enamored with his vast potential, Tyler has not developed the work ethic necessary to tap it.
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Texas85
< 25 posts
07/31/10 04:21 PM
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It looks like he may need some education both on and off the court.
The Link
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