Homeschooling is NOT the same as being in a parent partnership programs. There is LOTS of freedom with independent homeschooling! My Gold Care Club will give you all the help you need to succeed!
High School? 5th grade? Where do you draw the line between “smart” and “put it on the high school transcript?”
I received some questions on my Facebook the other day. Some big, beefy questions! How about if I give you the “readers digest” version with some resources for more information.
>>>>My son is 10 and he is interested in studying Birds. I would like to purchase a Bird Study course from Cornell University. My daughter is 11 and would also like to study various things including Baking Science with a book typically used at a culinary school. Can I use their studies toward a high school course later on?<<<
It’s possible to use that information on a high school transcript. Instead of deciding what you’re going to do with it for their transcript, I suggest that you just save that experience with lots of record keeping. Then later, when they are ready to graduate high school, you’ll have all the information you need about that course. You’ll be able decide at that time if you want to include it on the transcript or not. I found myself in that same situation with economics when my son was that age. At first I didn’t think I would want to use it on the transcript, but later on I found out that I did want to use it. So just save the information, practice your high school record keeping with that class, but leave the “deciding” for later on.
If you think you child is ready to start some high school courses when they are the age of a typical 5th or 6th grader, then you are likely dealing with someone very gifted. In this situation, I recommend my audio course, “Gifted Education at Home.”
Some people wonder if Christians should go to college. After all, college is filled with faulty humans. For many people and for many reasons, college is the next step after high school.
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
1 Corinthians 13: 11
We spend much of our homeschool years explaining to people the reasons we keep our children safe at home. Those reasons don’t change when our children grow up – it’s our children that change. In fact, they become adults. Adults must interact with a fallen world on a regular basis. Firm in their faith, adult Christians need to negotiate the contrasting world views with their own beliefs intact. At some point, and you will know when it happens to you, your child will be ready to “become a man” (or woman) and move on into life – and that “life” may include college. So train up your child in the way they should go, and when they become adult, allow them to engage the culture and change the world.
Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15
It’s a command. Jesus said it. That verse just screams for our attention. He doesn’t say, “Go into all the world, but not college.” So if college is in your child’s future, prepare them to face it as a mature adult.
But of course, you don’t have to throw your children into the lion’s den either. Responsible Christians don’t generally choose to hang out in bars or clubs for fun. So with your students, choose your college carefully, weighing the options – just don’t be afraid of college in general.
If college is the next natural step after high school, then prepare your students to step boldly into adulthood. Allow them to engage the culture so that they may change the world.
Pondering why Jesus said “follow me,” instead of “follow me on Twitter.”
Where to begin with a Junior in high school? Probably the best place to start is this article. You can ignore the parts if you’ve missed them already. Better yet, make a plan to catch up. Even if you are behind on your planning for college, don’t lose hope! You can recover with a well thought out senior year plan!
I can help you brainstorm ideas – just call or email me.
Record keeping is for important so that you keep things that are needed by your state law. It’s also important to keep records that you will need to make course descriptions AND keep records that colleges may ask you for (writing samples, etc.)
One of the things colleges seem most interested in is a high school reading list. But why should they care? The reading list gives a snapshot of the student, so colleges will know more about their reading level, interests, and extracurricular reading. The reading list should include ALL books, whether for school or for fun. Not every college asks for one, just like not every college asks for a course description. So both come under the category of “always be prepared.”
Learn more about finding a perfect college fit with my DVD, Finding a College!
I am occasionally asked about how I graded my kids in high school. I gave tests in about 1/2 my courses at home, and the other 1/2 we evaluated their learning in NON test ways. You can get a sample of what I mean in my article about grading English here.
I have a LONG section about grading in my e-book, The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts. The process of grading is also described in the audio course called “Making a Transcript,” which comes as a bonus with the book.
Darcy asked me some followup questions after my homeschool high school seminar in Vancouver. Here are the answers I provided.
Can sign language count as a foreign language?
Yes! Most colleges will accept sign language as a foreign language. It’s always a good idea to ask the colleges you are looking at, to find out their specific policy, because it can vary. However, most colleges that I have seen will accept American Sign Language and Latin (those are the two most asked about languages!)
If a child does dance, can that count for PE as well as Fine Arts?
Yes, but not with double-dipping. One credit of dance can be PE or it can be Fine Art, but it can’t be BOTH. The 150 hours of a credit can only be counted once. Usually people who like dancing do a LOT of dancing. They will often have different kinds of dance, so that one can be the PE credit and another can be the Fine Art credit. (Remember you don’t need to have both of those every year!) You can’t use the same hours for two purposes. But you might have enough hours to do both.
Would 4-H things like “Horse Group” or sewing be counted as electives?
4-H and Boy Scouting are very similar in one way: almost all of it is completely educational in nature. I haven’t met a 4-H that didn’t belong on a transcript! I would include your “horse group” as an elective, but if you are doing much riding, it might be a good fit for PE. Sewing can be a wonderful elective for textile science, fashion design, or home economics.
Can “Horse” be science?
The study of horses can certainly be a science, as long as you are studying the SCIENCE of a horse. Equine studies, veterinary studies, biology of the horse, and that sort of thing are great. In my opinion, using a horse for science would probably involve some lab work or veterinary skills. A good rule of thumb for determining if something can be a science is to just look at a college course catalog. Is there anything in a college catalog like that? Since we know that veterinarians exist, and that some kids work as a vet assistant, then the science of a horse would be workable.
I was looking at an accredited homeschool program the other day, looking for “messages”. At first I was very impressed. Then I read the details. Let’s do a little compare and contrast.
“Each curriculum package is individualized” – but they only use the textbook/workbook/school-at-home learning. That’s not a very high percentage of homeschoolers’ chosen strategy.
“These outstanding curriculum choices coupled with the expertise of your advisor” – but the only expertise you truly need is the love for your child. True expert advice would encourage you to follow your heart and your own expertise. And remember those “outstanding curriculum choices” only include the options above.
“Our courses range from vocational to advanced placement” – so does our independent homeschool. We are also not limited by curriculum choices, and we can make ANY class that our student needs, at any level, no matter how strange or unusual the interests our kids have.
“record-keeping options for courses on their own or through a coop”. – We have options that go far beyond that. We can include ANY educational experiences on our official homeschool transcript. We can include a public school calculus or band, a coop class, a distance-learning class, delight-directed experiential learning and community college classes all on the SAME official homeschool transcript. See my book if you need a description. The Easy Truth About Homeschool Transcripts.
“tuition is only…” – maybe it’s $195 for first student, but the fine print will describe huge costs of $1000 or more, with no more assurances than we have from our own homeschool and our own official transcripts.
Sometimes accredited distance learning programs are the right choice for families. But look closely at the messages, weight the pros and cons, and think carefully before choosing. Remember that there is NO NEED to be afraid of homeschooling at all. There is NO REASON for concern about homeschooling high school. Make sure your choice is based on what is right for your own child because you know your child best, and make sure it is NOT based on fear of homeschooling. Fear is no reason for making an important choice about schooling options.
Independent Homeschools are TRULY flexible, individualized, supportive, and official. We are not flexible within some artificial boundaries, or individualized within certain curriculum choices, or supportive as long as rules are followed. We can be official by following state law, and we recognize that accredited is not a panacea or holy grail. Our advisors are mothers and fathers who truly love their children and want what is best for them.
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I hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day! All homeschooling dads deserve a wonderful day filled with great surprises! Thank you fathers, for the care and commitment you have for your children.
My husband has written some great articles about homeschooling, and being a homeschooling father. You can read about Superheroes, watch “The Incredibles” and then tie on some capes and play superhero games with your younger children! What fun! Here are the links:
For our Father’s Day, my two boys are home from college. We are taking the boys and their girlfriends, plus my mother-in-law and father-in-law to see the movie “UP” and then have Pizza Hut. It doesn’t sound like much, I know, but we’re pretty tired after conventions for the last two weekends, so it’s a perfect fit for us.
I saw the most wonderful bumper sticker! “If you love Jesus, tithe – anyone can honk!” I just love that! Genuine faith is not just about doing the easy things, it’s also about doing the hard things. In this economy, tithing may be a VERY hard thing. Anyone can honk, but giving money away when finances are insecure, that takes faith.
Homeschoolers focus on academics, and the Lord does want us to raise children in knowledge as well as wisdom. In the midst of it, remember to teach charitable giving.
2 Corinthians 8:7
But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
You can use a curriculum, but what really will help the skill “take” is if you can teach by example. Still, if you are looking for a curriculum, I love Larry Burkett’s books, and they can at least get you started
Filed under: 
Christianbook.com Curriculum Page
