Homeschool Kid Excited For First “D+”

University opens new doors for all types of students with different goals in mind. For most, that means reaching for the stars and cultivating an enriching environment tailored for success. Alex Reddon, on the other hand, has a more non conventional goal.

Formerly homeschooled, now a first-year student enrolled in Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the University of Toronto is Reddon’s first experience with ‘real school’. In an interview with The Boundary, Reddon shares his excitement as well as his unique perspective.

“I was so surprised to find out they don’t give students A++! This really is a strict school,” he comments, amazed. Reddon elaborates that his mother, who had educated him from home since the second grade, had never given him anything less than an A. Even then, it was only when he misbehaved. Ontario’s homeschooling guidelines are rather relaxed, as parents are not required to have educational qualifications (of which Reddon confirms his mother had none) or to send any proof of learning to the government. “I honestly thought homework was just a fake thing they did for movies.”

The new student explains his aspirations: “I’m not really thinking of a specific program; I just kind of picked as many random classes as I could. I’m taking six this semester! I really want to maximize my chances at failing. That’s like—the only thing I haven’t done.”

His peers confirm that he really is set on the goal. In the first week, Redden bragged about using Copilot on an assignment in order to intentionally commit an offence of academic dishonesty. Upon investigation, professors found him innocent—he hadn’t ever heard of the AI and had actually confused the program with the stationary brand Pilot, using one of their pens for the assignment.

When asked about his mother’s thoughts on the change, Redden sighs. “She’s really nervous—she never got over ‘the incident’ in the second grade. It’s so annoying! And every time I get a bad grade she calls the school to complain. She’s making me commute, too, so it’s really hard to waste my time at frats since my curfew is 9PM… Whatever.” Redden ignored further questions regarding ‘the incident’.

“Anyways, I only filled out like half of my last problem set, so I’m aiming for a D+ at most. I’m suuuper hyped! I think I’m aiming for academic probation by the end of the year, to get the full failure experience,” he concludes.