Think About It: An "A" For Effort - KFVE, K5-Hawaii News Now, Local Programming

Think About It: An "A" For Effort

While college may not be right for everyone, it is a great option for anyone. The life lessons one learns in college often far exceed the history, math, or science lessons. The lectures one gets or gives in social situations can often times be as impactful as the lectures one receives in the classroom. The independence one experiences if living on campus can help teenagers to grow up and deal with life day after day, on their own.

Thus, it was good to see that the percentage of Hawaii public high school graduates who opt to attend college was up 3% in 2011 over 2010. Last year, 53% of Hawaii's public school grads chose college as their next life option. Also, more local students are taking advance placement courses and SAT college entrance exam tests. The state would like to reach the national median of college attendees from public schools (62%) by 2018. Again, college might not be right for everyone, due to circumstances ranging from financial to family to academic disinterest, and the costs of higher education have skyrocketed throughout the country, but the well-rounded student who gets his or her degree is often better prepared and more mature than those who opt not to continue their education.

We often are disappointed with local test scores and results from our public high schools, but seeing that more Hawaii kids are going to college, while also indicative of a tough job market for teens, means that the spark to grow and learn more is there. Whether it emanates from the student, the school, the parents, or a college counselor, the yearning for learning is a good thing, and a positive sign on our academic quest locally. Think about it…