HIGH SCHOOL EDITION #6
By Heather Idoni
Added Monday, July 13, 2009
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
***SPECIAL SERIES - High School Homeschooling***
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Vol. 10 No 50 July 13, 2009
ISSN: 1536-2035
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Copyright (c) 2009 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to the Homeschooler's Notebook!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- Kelly's High School Method
Feature Article
-- A Homeschool Graduate's Perspective
Helpful Tip for High School
-- Guidance Manual for High School
Answers to Reader Question
-- Can I Really Unschool High School?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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I've been asking our readers who have graduated one or more children
to share with us about what they wish they had known before they began
their journey and what they have learned that might benefit the rest
of us. Here is another real life experience from one of our readers!
---
"The second of our six children will graduate from our homeschool
high school this year, and another will graduate next year. I have
noticed that many homeschool families choose an online school when
the high school years roll around, so I consider our methods somewhat
untraditional. I'll try to keep this brief, but I tend to be passionate
about the subject of homeschooling high schoolers. :-)
I do keep records of credits earned for our high schoolers, but I'm
creative about what constitutes a credit! For example, they earn one
elective credit ('Driver's Ed') just for getting their driver's license!
In our state, kids need to log a hundred hours of driving practice before
they are allowed to get a driver's license and I figure approximately
one hundred hours of study is worth one credit. I also give them Life
Skills credits for helping with the grocery shopping or running the
calculator when their dad and I balance the checkbook. These activities
are accompanied by instruction, and I consider them worthy of credit.
Their part time jobs count toward credits, too. My daughter is currently
working in a restaurant, where she has to make change and reconcile her
till at the end of each shift. The approximate percentage of work hours
she spends doing this counts toward some math credits.
For more traditional study, I prefer 'a la carte' courses to an online
school or complete program. My teens really enjoy online classes, so
we've taken advantage of several Time4Writing courses. It's one of the
few sources of ala carte courses for high schoolers, and I like having
an opinion other than my own when it comes to their writing ability.
We use sites like Cosmeo and Brainpop for video lessons. I have the
kids write summaries of the videos they watch on Cosmeo. Brainpop has
its own little quiz at the end of each video. When choosing online
curriculum, I pay more attention to content to than to specific grade
level. One of my sons used Time4Learning's algebra this year, although
it's intended for advanced middle schoolers instead of high school. He
also used Time4Learning's seventh grade social studies, because I thought
it was a great overview of American history.
I think a lot of people choose more traditional educational methods for
their high schoolers because they want their child to have a 'real'
diploma. Neither of the colleges our oldest child attended questioned
his 'homemade' diploma or transcript. He has graduated from college
now and says many of the skills he learned through homeschooling helped
when he entered college. That made it easier for us to feel comfortable
continuing this method with our other children." -- Kelly S.
---
Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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Feature Article
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A Homeschool Graduate's Perspective
by Karen Lange
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Amy Heacock graduated from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky last
year. By all appearances Amy was your average college student. But
Amy was not average. Amy never attended traditional school. She was
taught at home. Her parents felt that their southern New Jersey
home was the best place for Amy and her siblings to be taught. Home
remained the 'place to be' through 12th grade.
When asked if her education at home was a good experience, she
replied, "Absolutely. It prepared me to think and work more
independently." Amy went on to share that she felt less peer
pressure and developed better critical thinking skills. She is
sure that her critical thinking and independent learning style
paid off in college.
After graduating from high school, Amy attended nearby Atlantic
Cape Community College. "Community college is more affordable
and a great way to get started. My transition from ACCC to Asbury
was great. Both colleges worked well together and all the necessary
credits transferred."
In elementary and high school, Amy's mom did most of the teaching,
with her dad helping out with history and other subjects. She and
her family were active in the local homeschool support group where
they participated in field trips, bowling, and many other activities.
One of Amy's favorite activities was the Homeschool Olympics, a
yearly event sponsored by a nearby county's support group.
Amy and her older brother were also active in a teen learning co-op,
where they studied history, chemistry, writing, and public speaking
and did numerous group projects. "The public speaking we did in
co-op wasn't really my favorite - I was always nervous, even with
my friends there. But it really did help me prepare for college.
When I had public speaking in college, I did well and wasn't as
nervous."
Socialization wasn't an issue. Amy had friends from the homeschool
support group, the neighborhood, 4-H, and her church. "I never
wanted to be a part of what I saw happening in the public school,
especially in the high school. I had my friends and did a lot of
stuff. I don't feel like I missed anything, although when I was
little I did want to ride the bus for awhile."
Being homeschooled allowed Amy the time to pursue her interests,
such as art, history, and literature. A talented artist, Amy likes
to paint and draw, and also enjoys photography. These interests
led her to pursue the Studio Art major at ACCC. After transferring
to Asbury, she ended up majoring in photography. She obtained her
bachelor's degree and now works in the photography industry.
Amy suggests taking a class or two from the local community college
or vocational/technical school while still in high school. When
the local technical high school offered adult evening classes in
photography and watercolor painting, she was quick to sign up.
"They were interesting and fun, and a good way to see what you
might like to do," she said.
When asked if she would change anything about her education at
home, Amy replied, "No, not at all. The only thing I might have
done differently was maybe to have taken some community college
classes or looked into the CLEP exams during high school. But I
have no regrets."
So what is Amy's final bit of advice for homeschooled teens?
"Explore your interests and career options, and if you think you
might want to go to college, research potential schools to see
what they require. Take your studies seriously and discipline
yourself to learn to work independently, whether you are planning
on going to college or not. Learn to think!"
---
Karen Lange is proud to have taught Amy in local a homeschool co-op,
and is also proud of her own three homeschool graduates. Karen and
her husband Jeff taught their three children grades K-12. She is a
freelance writer, homeschool consultant, and the creator of the
Homeschool Online Creative Writing Co-op for Teens. Visit the Co-op
website at: http://www.hswritingcoop.bravehost.com
Karen loves to hear from Homeschooler's Notebook readers; feel free
to contact her at writingcoop@yahoo.com
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Helpful Tip
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Recommended: The Guidance Manual for the Christian Home School
Although written 9 years ago, this is still one of the very BEST
books to read about taking CLEP exams through the high school years.
---
Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
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High School Question
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"I have always unschooled and enjoyed the freedom. But this year
my oldest is starting High School and I have become nervous about
my choice. I have always had to defend my choice and the questions
are getting harder the older they get. For example: How do they
graduate and get into college (if they choose to)? How do you
know they are learning if you do not test them? I have never had
a lot of support around me -- all the homeschoolers I know do not
unschool. I don't want to stop unschooling; I just want to make
sure I am doing all I need to. Any advice?" -- Telia
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Reader Responses
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"Let me just begin by saying that the unschooling journey isn't
for the faint of heart, but it has been my educational choice from
the beginning, because when they learn what they love, they love
what they learn -- and the results can be amazing.
My eldest has just graduated and I have a son who just turned 15
and an 11 year old. My 17 year old daughter has made all her own
educational choices (as with all my children) and my job has been
to be available as an advisor and to help whenever I saw the
opportunity to open more educational doors for them to go through.
So my chief job has been observer.
My daughter has graduated with a homeschool diploma that looks
amazing. And she has more skills and maturity than the average mid
20 year old. She is a gifted athlete (she has just been selected to
our province's Canada summer games team and will be spending a month
competing in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec), she is
a lifeguard, a coach and getting her paramedic qualifications.
All these skills arose naturally one-by-one because of her own
interests.
Will she go to college? Probably, but not for a year or two. She is
just too busy just now!
My son is a gifted composer, cellist and beginning to follow his
sister's example and becoming a strong athlete. He enjoys math,
science and computers, but he dislikes to read and write (but I am
being patient). Just last week he said he needed to work on his
spelling and writing skills -- he finally initiated it and so I know
he will learn quickly what could have taken years of slogging --
with the result of him just HATING to write... and to what purpose
is that?
My advice is this: Get to know your children and follow wherever
they lead you... he wants to cook? Then cook!
I recommend you read 'The Teenage Liberation Handbook'
and 'The Skylark Sings with Me' by D. Albert.
These two books shaped my approach to high school.
It is definitely scary, but now when I see my independent, strong,
healthy, responsible and intelligent children next to their peers
who were schooled -- and even next to those who had a more traditional
approach to homeschooling -- they are the ones who get the jobs and
who have all the doors being opened for them." -- Holly
---
"Telia, don't change what has worked well for you so far. You
shouldn't have to defend your methods, but you can tell the skeptics
that many people using your approach have done well in college. If
your children decide to go to college, they will get in the same way
everybody else does: they'll walk through the front door! Regarding
testing, standardized tests don't show what they're learning anyway.
Testing only shows whether they are good at taking a test. When you
walk through life with your children, it becomes obvious what they
know, and what they need. That's a more reliable assessment than
any written test.
If you think your child might go to college, you should develop a
transcript form and keep it filled out. There are many resources for
doing this, or you can create your own. Try to keep an eye on the
child's future, based on areas of interests and talents, and provide
plenty of opportunity to continue cultivating and pursuing those areas.
You can help your high schooler set goals and determine a course of
study accordingly. If the child encounters a need to know something,
that will become an area of study. If he or she knows how to learn,
any 'gaps' can be quickly filled as the need arises.
You're probably doing all you need to do. The only other thing I
would suggest you do is to relax, enjoy these last few years, and
remind yourself that you don't need the approval of the rest of the
world to do what's right for your children." -- Mary Beth
---
[Editor's Note]
Telia -- Mary Beth and Holly are soooo right! If you want to read
more, here is a book I can recommend that has several pages of
testimonials from homeschoolers who were basically unschoolers all
the way through high school. It has an excellent section about the
teen years. A Parent's Guide to Home Schooling by Tamra B. Orr
It is not a well-known book, probably because it is part of a guide
series, has a "plain Jane" title, and wasn't necessarily marketed in
the mainstream homeschool circles -- but it is a GEM! :-)
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New Reader Question for Next Regular Issue
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"I will be starting my 2nd year of homeschooling this fall. My son
is 6 and will be starting 1st grade. This is the first year I need
to send in my letter of intent to the state. I am required to keep
records, don't have to report them to the state, (I live in CO),
but I need to keep them in case anything happens. I have heard of
homeschoolers keeping notebooks year-to-year of what their child has
accomplished during that year. I am interested in knowing what kind
of notebooks others keep and what resources you use to keep a notebook?
Also, I am wondering what kind of grading system others use with their
kids? Do you use check marks, letter or number grading -- or something
else -- and what method do you use to decide grading? I am new to all
this yet want to keep in touch with my son's progress from year to
year. I can already tell where he is struggling and where he needs
work, but kids also need to do their best as unto the Lord. I am
curious as to others' input in this area. Thanks!" -- Kris in CO
---
Do you have some thoughts or some practical advice for Kris?
Please send your answer to: mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
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Ask YOUR Question
=====================
Do you have a question about homeschooling high school?
Send it to mailto:HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll see
if we can help you out in a future issue!
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