Genius Kid

Terence Candell learned how to read and write when he was 3, graduated high school at the age of 9 and is currently a college sophomore. He is now only 11 years old. What a genius!

Terence Jr. says that when he was in first grade, at age 4, he constantly would get into trouble, prompting his teacher to say he suffered from a learning disability. "That wasn't the case at all. I'd get all the work done in 10 minutes because I found it easy,'" he said. "I would get bored, so I just tried to make my classmates laugh."

By the time he was 6, Terence was doing high-school-level work and was pulled out of public schools to attend Candell's College Preparatory Academy, a private school founded by his father in East Oakland.

The school, based on Christian and family-style education, currently has about 90 K-12 students, with a 100 percent acceptance rate for its graduates applying to four-year colleges. "My dad just knew what I needed and knew how to challenge me," Terence said.

At age 9, when Terrence was nearing the end of his senior year in high school, a teacher recommended he take the SAT test. "We said no," his father said. "After a meeting with his teacher, we went ahead and let him take the test and he did OK. It wasn't anything wonderful or miraculous, but he passed."

Upon graduating from high school, the next step for Terence was college.

Link & Image: InsideBayArea
Tags: Terence Candell | Kid | Genius