When a 12-year old Black boy from Marietta was accepted to Georgia Tech this fall, the internet fell in love with his story. Caleb Anderson was featured everywhere - from Good Morning America to Business Insider to Southern Living. Newsweek included his story in the top ten “Good News” stories of 2020, and Steve Harvey even offered to pay his college tuition. And he truly is amazing. And we would argue, so are his parents.
But one of the most interesting parts of his story seems to be a bit left out. According to 11alive news:
When asked what advice he had for other parents, Kobi Anderson (Caleb’s Father) said parents can start by advocating for their children's academic growth in the same way achievements in areas like sports are celebrated.
"My wife frequently says 'raise the child you have not the child that you want,'" he said. "You’ve got to nurture what nature gives you."
And this is good advice considering parents would HAVE to advocate for a child trying to attend school before the age of 5 years old. Georgia Public schools require a child to be at least 5 years old before attending kindergarten, and rarely (if ever) make room for a student who is an outlier. So, how in the world did Caleb attend the first grade at 2 years old? It was the missing piece of the story in nearly every media feature. There were no mentions of teachers who encouraged him, and there was no alma mater listed. Finally, after a little digging, we found one resource that listed Caleb as a student at a hybrid Christian school in Atlanta called King’s Academy.
At King’s Academy, students like Caleb have the opportunity to study with a teacher two days a week and then with a satellite teacher (often a parent) the other days of the week. After a certain point, Caleb dual-enrolled at Chattahoochee Tech while he was still enrolled at King’s Academy. It seemed like an excellent opportunity for a boy like Caleb!
So, why didn’t media sources celebrate his flexible education or the hard work and sacrifice of his parents that ultimately nurtured his gifts? What about the other exceptional students like Caleb who are out there but whose families can’t advocate in the same ways or make the same sacrifices? Those students are stuck in traditional schools, most likely bored, as Caleb describes himself in certain situations.
Consider the education system in place. Parents, do you feel heard when you advocate for the individual needs of your child? Do you wish you had choices beyond your assigned school? Kobi and Claire Anderson are proud that they advocated for their child but don’t forget that advocating can come in the form of supporting more options for all students as well. We hope more students like Caleb have the opportunity for flexible education if that’s what they need.