You don’t have to be a ninth grader to start high school at Rocklin. Three kids are taking advanced classes and plan to further their knowledge at a younger age.

The point is for kids who are gifted with a higher IQ than others, instead of being held back they’re able to move forward. This has been working out pretty well so far.

But not all is good with this process. It’s a problem that may occur when the kids get older, they have the possibility of “burning out.” There might not be anything left to learn in the subject and nothing to keep them going. “Acceleration doesn’t always mean deeper learning,’ said Principal Stewart

Another lurking problem is that kids may never get to being burnt out from no more to learn, but from the pressures of parents. Many students in their schooling career has experienced the constant nagging to keep their grades up.

An article touched on a 2007 study that suggested more than “20 percent of  young people may experience psychological problems at any one time.” That was about 11 years ago, who knows how much that statistic has gone up now.

It is true that parents only wants what’s best for their children, but it can become too much for the child to be able to succeed in school.

And now there are currently three students taking Integrated Math II at Rocklin High School. They are Nihar Mudigonda, Sunny Lui and Shanzay Gill Yabe.  

When asked the same series of questions, all three answered and provided insightful responses.

Do you feel different or out of place, taking classes with higher grade levels than you?

“Yes, it feels a bit weird taking classes with students that are mostly sophomores. Sometimes I feel out of place taking the class, but most of the time it feels fine to be with them.” -Sunny Lui, Age 13

“No, I feel comfortable working with higher grade students.”- Nihar Mudigonda, Age 12

“On occasion, I sense that those of higher age than me may perceive me differently just because of my age. I have periodically noticed that some of the high school students are left in awe after hearing that I was placed into integrated two as an eighth grader. It makes me feel more excluded and sometimes singled out, however, I have grown to make a copious amount of friends at the high school, making me more comfortable while being in class, although, sometimes I still feel, I am not a complete part of the Rocklin high community.”-Shanzay Gill Yabe, Age 13

Do you think accelerating in math is a good path to take?

“I think it depends on the person. People might miss some important information if they skip too much levels, but some people learn quickly to make up for it. Those people can move ahead without consequences. On the other hand, accelerating too fast in math might make some people feel stressed and if they start getting bad grades or do sloppy work, I don’t think it will be a good path to take.”-Sunny

“Yes, I think taking advanced math helps me think logically and analytically.”-Nihar

“It depends on the child, if they feel that they are comfortable enough to take on the challenge, then they should, however, they should never be pressured into doing something they don’t desire.”- Shanzay

Did you want to take a higher math class, or did your parents?

“My parents brought up the idea of going to the high school to take math. I decided that it seemed like a good idea to try out something new. I was a bit nervous agreeing to go to the high school, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought once I was there.” – Sunny

“I wanted to take this path because I enjoy math.”-Nihar

“As a matter of fact, I did want to take on this path, however, I never wanted to seem as if I was doing it only to show off. My intention was never to try to be an un-humble being.”-Shanzay

High school is stressful time for everyone to go through, but it is even more stressful at a younger age. The path the three students are taking could be viewed in a multitude of ways, but they choose what they felt was right for them.