Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

Graduation and special high school events

What comes to mind when you think about high school graduation?  For many people, the list goes something like this:

  • Prom
  • Honor Society
  • Awards Ceremony
  • Class Ring
  • Yearbook
  • Cap, Gown and Tassel
  • Graduation Party
  • Diploma

Did you know that these traditions aren’t just for kids who graduate from high schools? Homeschoolers may enjoy all of these special events, too.

Homeschool dances and proms, for example, take place every spring in many major cities all across the country — a little research should help you find one within commuting distance.  In some states, homeschoolers are also invited to attend prom sponsored by the local schools, too.  And if there isn’t a prom in your area, why not team up with several other families and host one of your own?

Some honor societies are open to homeschoolers, too.  Check into the National Society of High School Scholars , Eta Sigma Alpha, or call a local high school guidance office to learn of any local chapters for which your student may be eligible.

As for class rings, cap and gown, diplomas, and other graduation memorabilia, try Josten’s, the HSLDA store, your statewide homeschool group  or any of the other suppliers you find on the Internet.  Homeschooler graduations can be as low-key or as elaborate as you wish, including invitations, programs, professional photos or anything else you’d like to include as part of the festivities.  Keep in mind that companies like Vistaprint, Cafepress, and Shindigz offer great deals and specials on posters, banners and other party supplies, so graduation doesn’t have to cost a mint.

When thinking about homeschool graduation, remember that homeschooling is an entirely different lifestyle than the one experienced by families with kids that attend high schools.  Because of this, for some families, traditional graduations are not important at all.  But on the other hand, for those who love the idea of duplicating all of the pomp and circumstance — why not?  Whether your graduate walks in a local ceremony, or you gather with other families and hold a smaller one of your own, the experience is entirely up to you.   Just as your homeschooling experience has been unique, so should your child’s celebration of success.

Congratulations!

[Image: Free Digital]

 

Lab science

When homeschooling, particularly during the high school years, parents sometimes wonder about “Lab Sciences”.  These are science courses in which a lab component must be included as an integral part of the class — the lab portion being comprised of some physical, technological, experimental or hands-on experience that is awarded credit along with the other course material. Parents also ask how to count lab sciences for credit and how to equip labs in order to teach these courses, too.  In this article, we’ll take a look at some general  tips for teaching homeschool lab science.

What is it?

Lab sciences include subjects like chemistry, biology, physics, and any other science class that is taught with a lab component.  Though labs can be included with science at any age, these kinds of courses often become important during the high school years.  This is because many high school programs require labs, thus homeschoolers duplicating a high school programs include them as well.  Many colleges and universities also look for lab experience in their homeschool applicants, making these classes important for college-bound students as well.

How many credits?

The number of credits to award lab sciences is up to the parent and depends upon the number of hours the student puts into the course (see awarding credits HERE).  However, those following a traditional system as a guide typically award credits the same way that schools do:  a single credit (1.0 credits or 3.0 hours) for lab science taught at the high school level and a slightly higher credit value (4.0 hours instead of 3.0 for example) for lab science taught at the honors or AP level, or those taken through dual enrollment or other college programs.

How to teach it?

Curriculum products exists for every homeschool subject imaginable, including sciences with labs.  Parents may select from a wide variety of books and kits that teach lab science at  home.  Some families prefer to buy all-in-one systems that include supplies, while others prefer to shop around and purchase lab supplies inexpensively on their own.  When it comes to lab sciences, homeschoolers are also free to take classes online, at adult ed centers, at technical institutes, colleges, through homeschool coops, or any other method they like, to earn lab science credit.  Students that volunteer in the sciences are also eligible to receive credit from their real-world experiences as well.

Awarding credit — three different ways

You may wonder how to award homeschool credit for learning that doesn’t come from a book.  Since there are many ways to homeschool, rest assured, there are different ways to recognize homeschooling achievements, too.

Use one of these methods to recognize your child’s efforts and award the credit they deserve for working outside of a book or curriculum.  Three of the most common ways to do this appear below:

1. COUNTING HOURS

Counting hours is perhaps the simplest way to award homeschool credit. Begin with the notion that no matter what the activity may be, as long as it’s educational, it counts.  You may track hours any way like, such as keeping a daily list and tallying the hours at the end of every school week.  Using these totals, hours may be grouped together to form one single course, or may be spread out over several courses, depending on the subjects you teach that year.  Assigning some limit, such as 150 hours per course, will help determine when a credit has been reached.  (Check your state to see if credit guidelines exist, or make your own.)  And don’t forget that anything related to the class counts, too; therefore things like studying, research, discussions and extracurricular activities related to the topic may be included as well.

2. TOPIC COMPLETION

When using a ready-made curriculum product, completing the book or finishing the entire course makes it easy to know when credit is due.  But, homeschool parents can duplicate this concept on their own, using other kinds of resources, too.  When spelling out the goals of a course, determine just how much material must be covered before the course is complete.  Writing down a list of objectives, either randomly or in the order you hope to meet them, is one way to do this.  Then, once students have completed most or all of what was expected on the list, credit may be awarded and the class considered over.

3. MASTERY

Since homeschooling is flexible and efficient, students may be able to grasp concepts and master skills very quickly.  Regardless of the number of hours, days or weeks something takes to learn, parents may award homeschool credit based solely on this mastery.  Looking at a student’s total level of understanding or mastery of a skill before a class, and at periodic intervals thereafter, homeschool credit can be awarded whenever mastery is achieved.  Resist the temptation to assign extra work to students who complete a class quickly; instead, reward achievement by awarding credit and either giving students a break or the chance to move on to the next course.

Marie-Claire Moreau, Quick Start Homeschool

 

 

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Comprehensive high school record

Most every parent understands the importance of creating a high school transcript — that at-a-glance summary of the student’s high school experience, all on one page.

But in addition to a transcript, I also recommend preparing a more comprehensive record of the high school years, too.  I suggest creating a comprehensive record that includes more than just a transcript — and which spells out in specific detail the work completed by the student over the last 4 years.

Think of a comprehensive record as a scrap book of sorts, only one designed specifically for your student, specifically about his or her high school years, and specifically designed to make him or her look really, really good.

updated record books

There is no standard format for creating this kind of record, but I suggest a 3-ring binder that is at least 2″ thick.  I also suggest investing in plastic tab-dividers and good-quality document sleeves to keep documents neat and clean, and make them easy to organize within sections.

Sections will be specific to individual students, but I suggest organizing documents into these sections for starters:

  • Test Scores
  • Transcripts
  • Course Descriptions
  • Honors, Awards, Nominations
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Special Projects
  • Volunteer Service Records
  • Course Outlines
  • Work Samples
  • Writing Samples
  • Reading Lists
  • Telling Photos, Flyers and Mementos

Additional sections should be added for things unique to your student.  By all means, always include anything that may further highlight or explain what makes him or her unique (and worthy of college admission, scholarship money, or whatever the goal after graduation).

When creating the binder, it can help to keep in mind how and when the binder may be used.  Try to imagine people looking at it — the people in your child’s future, the people who can make a difference in his or her life.  Imagine, for example, your student showing the binder to an admissions counselor at a college, a scholarship committee, a prospective employer, or another person in a position to evaluate your student and positively impact his life.

I cannot guarantee that a comprehensive record will add to a student’s success, but it can obviously only increase the odds.  I have heard from many parents and more than a dozen admissions officers the impact this kind of comprehensive record system has had on student success.  I have seen the impact of the comprehensive record in my own family, as well.

I strongly urge all homeschool families to take the time to put a comprehensive record together for every teen in the homeschool.  It is a great investment in each child’s future, and delivers great peace of mind for parents, too (just the ease of having all those documents together in one place makes finding and photocopying documents so easy, and eliminates the need to search for papers all the time).

Marie-Claire Moreau, Quick Start Homeschool

 

 

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Free online college courses for teens

If dual enrollment isn’t in your high schooler’s future but you’d still like your teen to take college classes, free college online could be the ticket.  At least a dozen major universities now offer “open” courses to the public — free.  These are actual college lectures from major colleges and universities that are recorded and made available online, with no obligation whatsoever, to anyone with an interest and a high-speed Internet connection.

Imagine being able to have your high schooler sit in on a History of Art class at Yale, a Psychology course at UCLA or a Chemical Engineering class at MIT.  Using open courseware, this is now a reality.

Perhaps you’re wondering how these courses might be used for homeschooling?  Offering advanced high school credit is one way. For instance, just like you’d “weight” an AP or honors course more than a traditional high school course, you can weight the college course when applying it to the GPA. (This is called a “weighted GPA”.)

A second way is to use the courses to supplement other learning going on at home.  For example, a student studying a topic at home could use as many of the college lectures as would be needed to reinforce learning, or satisfy whatever remaining hours you’ve established to award credit.

Gauging interest is a third option.  One never knows when a spark of interest may ignite in a student!  Watching online college lectures can help teens learn more about different areas and think about if these courses/careers might have a place in their future.

Lastly, there is great intrinsic value here.  Like anything else, students of all ages can watch just because they want to.  Whether one completes an entire course or just a sampling of lectures offered by a variety of different lecturers, the opportunities for learning are endless — and don’t forget, free.

Begin with these links and find others on your own:

Academic Earth

Open Yale Courses

MIT Open Courseware

If you still have questions, let’s schedule a consultation. I’d be glad to meet with you and your student to customize a program that fits just right.

To your success,

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, is 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.