7 Kids in the Same Family All Enrolled In College By Age 12
It all began when Kip and Mona Lisa decided to pull Hannah, their oldest, out of school in third grade.
"We saw that maybe we could do better," Kip Harding told KSL.com. "There was a lot of homework in the evenings, and we just decided to pull her out. It was a scary time at first, but we started and it was working out great and we just never looked back."
They enrolled Hannah in junior college courses, and as she continued to excel and express interest in a full-time college course load, her parents finally enrolled her in college full-time.
The Harding's philosophy on homeschooling is simple: "One teacher has 30 students on average. We can do better than that. Kids get left behind in a classroom ... This is where homeschooling really teakes off because these kids are getting extra attention," Kip Harding told KSL.com.
More than ten years later, the Hardings continue to homeschool their children, and the results have been nothing short of astounding. The parents recently wrote a book, entitled "The Brainy Bunch." It documents the family's story and offers advice for parents looking for an alternative schooling method.
Although the Harding parents insist they never pushed their children to enter college early, 93% of voters in a recent Today Show Facebook poll still said they would not raise their children like the Hardings.
Learn more about the "Brainy Bunch" children below (via The Today Show):
Hannah (26):
The Today Show
Started online college courses at age 12, earned a degree from Auburn University at Montgomery at age 17. She now has two masters degrees and is set to begin her doctorate in engineering this fall.
Roseannah (24):
The Today Show
At 18, became the youngest member of the American Institute of Architects and is now an architect in New York City.
Serennah (23):
The Today Show
Possibly the youngest doctor in U.S. history, now at Walter Reed hospital for her internship in internal medicine.
Heath (18):
The Today Show
Called himself the family "slacker" - earned a Bachelor's degree in English at age 15 and a masters in computer science at 17, but took time off between his two degrees.
Keith (15):
The Today Show
Just graduated from Faulkner University with a degree in music and is an aspiring composer.
Seth (13):
The Today Show
Currently a sophomore at Hunnington College studying history, and plans to be an archaeologist.
Katrinnah (11):
A first-year student at Faulkner University, majoring in legal studies and minoring in theater.
The Hardings have three more children, all of whom are homeschooled but too young for college, even by the family's standards. Mariannah (8) and Lorennah (6) both say they want to be pediatricians, while Thunder (4) already has his sites set on lifeguarding.