Announcements & Special Events Archives - Page 4 of 15

Jul 22 2014

{Day 2} College Prep High Schooling: Shore Up That Writing

Day 2: Shore Up That Writing

[View the entire series HERE]

You just learned about covering the basics. Those were important.

Now, you’re going to hear about an area that makes an even bigger difference — writing. Writing is very important.

You already understand the advantages of homeschooling: flexibility in scheduling, freedom to choose courses, plenty of time to study whatever you like, and more. Well, guess what? It’s those same advantages that make it easily possible to become a good writer in high school. In fact, with all those great benefits, there’s really no excuse for a homeschooler not to become a good writer.

Writing is important in more ways than students realize. Writing (sometimes called Composition) as an academic subject is one thing, but remember that writing helps across the entire curriculum, making it possible to succeed in all other areas, too. Plus, writing helps create knock-out Freshman Resumes (I’ll tell you about that in the next article), score well on standardized writing tests, write winning scholarship essays, conquer college application essays, and more.

It’s silly not to take advantage of the high school years to learn to write. Many students already do. But if you haven’t been one of them, well…now’s the time.

Not learning to write — and write well – is just harming yourself. Really.

All that being said, not every mom and dad is comfortable teaching writing. Not every student knows exactly where to begin, either. It’s okay. That’s where courses, curriculum and tutors come in. Use them liberally if you must.

Take the high school years to shore up your homeschooler’s writing skills. Here’s why.

Click To Tweet

The takeaway from this lesson is to include some quality form of writing instruction you can trust. For at least a couple of years — or, better yet, throughout high school. If you plan on getting into college, that is.

Becoming a good writer takes time, practice and feedback. It isn’t something you can pick up by reading a book and it isn’t something that can be mastered during the last semester of high school, either. Start early, and write often.

Colleges notice.

Next up is Day 3: Standing Out.

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschool pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, was industry-acclaimed for illustrating how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT,Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com. Her latest book, The Ultimate Guide to Florida Homeschooling, is now available on Amazon.

Jul 21 2014

{Day 1} College Prep High Schooling — Covering The Basics

Day 1: Covering the Basics

[View the entire series HERE]

If you’ve been homeschooled any length of time, you already understand how many choices there are for homeschooling the high school years.

You may:

follow the same curriculum and take the same courses as teens in traditional high schools;
do things differently, even as radically as not taking those subjects at all;
or, anything along the vast continuum of options in between.

Having options is the trademark of homeschooling — freedom of choice. Right? Right.

Also keep in mind as you’re reading this, that no matter what kind of homeschooler you are, there is a college out there for you — uniquely you.

Here’s the catch, though. Colleges are going to want to know who you are, what you took in high school, what you’ve been doing so far, and — of particular interest to them – what you’ll bring to the table when you get there.

Unless you select an open admissions college, one that admits every student who applies, or one with no requirements whatsoever (pretty hard to find), it’s a fact. You can’t get around it. At least not as of this writing.

So, freedom aside, let’s talk reality.

The truth is, colleges want to know you’ve covered the basics — English, math, science, history, foreign language, and so on. So, whether you’re learning these things in the form of traditional high school courses (lessons, books or lectures), or whether you’re learning this stuff through exploration and experiencing them on your own, they need to be there. On your transcript. By the time you apply.

Imagine a student graduating from an American high school today. He or she has probably completed (hopefully successfully, with decent grades) the following classes:

4 English courses (including lots of writing)
4 math courses (including Algebra and math “higher” than that)
3 science courses (usually, a couple that had labs)
2 or 3 social science courses (like history or geography)
at least a couple of foreign language classes (sometimes called World Languages)
a couple of arts courses (like music, art or theater)
at least 1 or 2 health, P.E. or fitness courses
maybe an online course or two
maybe a computer class, or something in the technologies
and a whole bunch of electives (sometimes focusing in the same general area)

Which means, if you’re applying to college, you should probably be taking those kinds of classes in high school, too.

Do you need to do all of them? Exactly the same ones? Can you take more, less or different classes? No, no and yes. And you can learn the material differently than other teens, too.

But the reality is that admissions officers — at most colleges – expect to see mastery in those areas on a high school transcript. So you’ll need to cover those skills, too.

Your job now is to figure out how and when you’ll knock those classes out during high school. So you’ve got the same, or similar, or more of the same stuff as other applicants to.

You can do it, you just need to start planning.

Here’s the list of courses you’ll need to complete if you’re applying to college.

Click To Tweet

Next up is Day 2: Shore Up That Writing

Jul 20 2014

5 Days of College-Prep High Schooling {series}

College Prep Series for Homeschoolers

If you’re preparing a high schooler for college, this is the series for you. In the next 5 articles, I’ll be sharing some of my most valuable tips for homeschool parents and their college-bound teens. Trust me, you need to know this stuff. It’s pretty basic, but is sometimes overlooked.

Homeschooling your college-bound teenager? Here are some of the top things you’ll want to know.

Click To Tweet

I suggest reading the topics in order, and inviting your student to read all of them, too. They are:

Day 1: Covering the basics

Day 2: Shore up that writing

Day 3: Standing out

Day 4: Tackling those tests

Day 5: Marketing yourself

Why keep this to yourself? Share it with a friend.

To your success,

Jun 23 2014

Joyful day!

Fabulous weekend!

I attended Florida Home Education Summit to speak about my very favorite thing.

There is absolutely no better way to celebrate home education than spending the day with friends!

We talked courses, credits and high school graduation. We talked super sonic grade point averages and success story after success story. But we also talked stress, worry and being good enough.

It was a day to celebrate real life.

As often happens at these events, I learned so much more than I delivered. Met many fabulous people, some new to home education, and some with years and years of triumph to share.

And, as always, my favorite part comes at the end of the day. That’s when I get to meet all of you, hear your stories, share in your lives but for a moment.

No question about it. You parents never cease to rock my world with your hearts and your compassion, your diligent efforts and your willingness to devote your entire selves to your children.

How I love you all.

Can’t wait to see you again next year!

Feb 19 2014

Hate science fairs? You need to read this now…

[Photo permission: Susan Messina]

See that photo? I’m guessing that’s how you feel about science fairs.

Don’t think I don’t hear you talking with your friends.

I know you’re upset about it. Grumbling about the process. Frustrated by the time crunch. Clueless and struggling to help your child. Wishing somebody had warned you about it sooner. And wondering why the <bleep> they make them do this stuff.

Secretly, you wish science fairs were never invented.

And if you weren’t busy enough, the project threatens to gobble up any free time you had with your family. Let’s face it, everybody knows science fairs aren’t your run-of-the-mill assignment. It’s an every weekend, all hands on deck, ripping your hair out kind of assignment, am I right?

Kiss weeknights and Sundays goodbye.

And more power to you if you have more than one kid. Let’s face it, you might as well raise the white flag now. Parents patting each other on that backs after PTA meetings, calling out, “Good luck, you’re gonna need it.” doesn’t even touch the agony of what you’re about to experience.

Or, is there another way…?

What if I told you there was a way — a relatively simple way – to get a science fair project done on time?

What if I also told you it won’t be nearly as miserable as you’ve been led to believe (or experienced in the past)?

What if I guaranteed your child would learn a ton of stuff in the process (and maybe even enjoy doing the project, too)?

And, get ready for it…what if your child actually won the science fair?

Let’s flip this thing around for you.

How’d you like to turn all that frustration into this project right here:

And how about if I showed you exactly how to do it?

As a teacher and a homeschool parent, I watched for years the frustration families experienced during science fair season. Never enough time, too few instructions, wondering where to begin — it was literally too much to bear.

I knew science fairs weren’t the real problem. You see, I knew science fairs were awesome, and could actually be fun!

Lots of families shy away from science fairs because they’ve heard horror stories from other people.

Many parents dread the task because they’ve been through it before.

Some shy away because they haven’t the first clue how to begin.

Many kids miss out on the scientific process and compete in a very exciting event.

This doesn’t have to be.

Science fairs can be a blast!

But, ONLY if you follow a time-table, and ONLY with a clear set of instructions to follow along the way.

Enter, my system. Because I literally couldn’t handle hearing from another cringing parent or seeing another disappointed teacher. Because I never again wanted to hear the cries from frustrated students, or witness the anxiety of another science fair coordinator.

This simple guide to science fairs removes the fear and uncertainty, turning science fairs into an enjoyable learning process:

I wrote it, not just to streamline the process, but to encourage more homeschoolers to enter science fairs.

In The Homeschooler’s Guide to Science Fairs, you learn:

What a science fair project is, and what a science fair project is not
Where to find a topic idea, and how to find a topic you love
How projects are judged/graded, and common scoring criteria
The components that every qualifying, eligible project must contain
How to create an attractive, comprehensive and indestructible display
How to prepare, how to present, and how to speak to judges and guests
The importance of following guidelines to a ‘T’

The book also includes a PROJECT TIMETABLE which breaks the project into easily-managed chunks. No longer sacrificing weekends, the timetable keeps everyone on track, presenting steps in order, and estimating how long each step should take.

Will the science fair project still take months to complete? Maybe. But, while science fair projects take a while to finish, by using this book, it won’t be the first thing you dread in the morning and the last thing you think about at night.

Science fairs don’t need to monopolize your time any more. And they can be great experiences, too.

Pinky swear.

If you or your student, or your student’s entire class, is struggling with a science fair project, or just getting to do one…OR, if you there’s is no science fair nearby, and you’d like to start one, this guide is for you!

There’s even a terrific introduction written by award-winning scientist, Janice Vancleave, too. Just reading how she develops an idea into a science fair project is worth your time.

Find the book on Amazon HERE (paperback) or HERE (Kindle) today.

To your success!