In our homeschool co-op we have a few children graduate each year. We have about 40 local families and the kids range from preschool all the way to older teens – and graduated teens that still love to hang out with our teens on “teen night”. It’s a pretty tight knit group and the children have all formed amazing bonds over the years. I always cry at the graduation ceremonies when the high school kids get honored by their parents. With an almost 14 and 12 year old, I know my turn is coming soon.
HIGH SCHOOL! I never thought I’d be here with these ‘babies’ of mine. Seems like just five years ago when I started blogging they were so little… and they were. Five years goes fast. Faster than you’ll ever imagine. Cherish it!
With my kids at the cusp of beginning High School, my attention has been turned to their future plans. I have so many questions about keeping records, grading, classes or subjects we need to cover in these last (GULP) few years, their hopes and dreams, our financial contribution towards their goals, and the requirements of colleges they might want to attend. Thankfully, I know Lee Binz from the Heart of the Matter Conferences where we both did online conference sessions – and I knew that she could answer a lot of my questions. I figured there were other moms out there who were in the same shape as me – preparing for the high school or college years and biting their nails to the quick… so I asked Lee if she would let me share exerpts from one of her articles here at the Homeschool Post for ME and for you!
I also was kindly sponsored by a great college (Indiana Wesleyan University) for Relevant this past October that I wanted to pass info on about. I was SO impressed with their Motto and homeschool recruitment policy. I’ve included their sponsored info in this post and the graphic that I created for them from their website. Too bad they are so far away from Texas, or I might consider my kids going there in person. I’ll have to check out their online degree policy and see if it is a fit for my kids (that would be cool if they didn’t have to leave home. I just know I’m going to be the parent that packs herself up inside their suitcases if they do – because I can’t imagine letting them fly away without me. Not sure if Lee can help with my “empty nest anxiety”… as experienced and bright as she is – that’s going to be something God has to handle; or I’ll be a basket case.
Indiana Wesleyan University is an evangelical Christian College (including the Wesleyan Seminary) offering a range of study options and program types including Certificates, Associate Degrees, Bachelor degrees, Masters degrees and PHD Doctorate degrees. It isn’t just a seminary. They offer all sorts of degrees, and even have a Nursing School. Indiana Wesleyan University is a Christian College and Seminary with campuses and centers in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. As a Christian University IWU is committed to Christian values (check out their motto on the button below) and they seek to equip students with skills to meet the challenges of the future.
Here below are The HomeScholar’s tips on picking a college to attend (good stuff to know)…
PICKING A COLLEGE FOR YOUR KIDS
* Attend a College Fair
“C’mon kids! We’re going to the fair!!” I let them pile in the minivan with images of scones, roller coasters and disturbingly large cows dancing through their heads. I didn’t tell them it was the College Fair. Thank goodness we homeschool! They’d had so many experiences going to homeschool conventions, that their first College Fair seemed very comfortable. That’s because college fairs are just like homeschool conventions, but instead of trying to sell curriculum, it’s trying to sell a college. A college fair can be a good starting point in choosing a college.
* Find a College Fair
There are some major national organizations like National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) that have college fairs. NACAC National College Fair events are free, open to the public, and jam-full of college representatives eager to talk to college-aspiring students. You can find a fair near you from their website: www.nacacnet.org The North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP) has a college fair of Christian universities. Call 888-4C-Fairs or check their website www.naccap.org to find a Christian college fair near you.
* Ask questions and make a field trip out of it…
Have your kids ask questions of the colleges. They need to know if the college has the classes or major that they are interested in. Not all college have a degree in engineering or French, for example. Beyond academics, the student will want to know if their favorite activities are on campus. It may be important to your student to find out if they have a pool, a sorority, or a piano in the dorm. They want to find out about academics AND the social life. Have them speak directly to the college representative. Some kids are ready for this experience in middle school, but others wait until their junior year (11th grade.) … Parents should ask questions too! After all, we might be financing this endeavor, and the colleges know that. Parents might want to ask questions about homeschooling. “What records do you like to see from homeschoolers?” “Do you have any special requirements from homeschoolers?” You can gauge their reaction to homeschoolers, and decide if you are willing to jump through their hoops – or not.
* Take a Class
Just like a homeschool convention, there are classes you can take at the college fair. You can take classes about SAT preparation, financial aid, admission requirements, college life, and other topics. For example, at the Pacific Northwest College Fair I will be speaking on “How to find a college” and “How to get big scholarships.” Some of the information may be helpful to you – and you can just leave the rest behind. There are counselors available to speak to your unique situation. Keep in mind that counselors have a bias (as we all do) and they don’t know your child. If they recommend a particular college, check it out for yourself.
* Check out your options online
If you can’t get to a college fair, there are other “first steps” you can take. The College Board has an online search engine that will help students find a college to visit. It’s like a college match-making service, available online. You can search for colleges on FastWeb.com, which focuses on financial aid. You can search with Peterson’s, the SAT review company, or through US News & World Report. There are lots of online search engines! You can also find colleges by taking the PSAT. When your student takes the PSAT, they are asked some survey questions about their interests and grades. The results of the survey are given to colleges, and they may contact your student.
It never hurts to be prepared. Just reading about these clear steps that we need to take in the not-so-far-away future make me feel better. That’s probably the list-maker in me. If you need more tips about this, groovy Lee has her own videos on Amazon, too:
And if you are READY to start the transcript process… or just ready to start planning ahead about it (like me), she packaged her brain up for you on the subject. Check out her Total Transcript Solution:
I’d love to hear about your experiences with preparing for high school and college beyond. Be sure to leave comments and tips in the comment section for all the moms of “tweens who are about to be teens” out there like me! You can sound off on our Facebook Page, too!
Too bad kids have to grow up. And yet – isn’t it wonderful that they become big people? A mama’s heart is always split both ways on the subject…
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All article exerpts in quotes are by: Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, specializes in helping parents homeschool high school. Get Lee’s 5 part mini-course, “The 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Homeschooling High School.” You can find her at http://www.TheHomeScholar.com.
Photo at top by: CarbonNYC on Flickr
Disclaimer: IWU offered sponsorship funds to me for last year’s Relevant Conference in exchange for spreading the word about their college. I was honored to work with them. I won’t get any compensation if you click the links in this post, though… other than if you purchase the video through Amazon or Lee’s amazing transcript program (she allowed me to sign up to be an affiliate with her).
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Lee is such an excellent resource for homeschoolers who are in high school and looking toward college!
I do think that when you start homeschooling with your little ones, high school seems like a daunting scary kind of thing. However, you end up learning right along with them through the years and when you finally hit that age it’s just the next simple step and not nearly as bad as you thought it would be. In fact, if you’ve been consistent and developed good habits up until that point, it’s actually a fun time to be homeschooling!
You’ll do great, Heather!
Blessings,
Tammy ~@~
Thank you so much for this post. I’m Australian but it has helped me in broadening my understanding. I think there are far less Australians homeschooling, and thus far less experience, so we are a still “struggling” with some things.
I have one daughter in college now and one in her last year of homeschooling. When asked, “How do you stand it when they leave?” I answer,”How can I help from being happy when they are so happy, doing what they are called to do in the next phase of their life?”
Graduations ceremonies are called commencement ceremonies, meaning a new beginning, not an end.
I try to think that way and it helps a lot.
Carol Topp
One of my favorite high school resources has been High School @ Home – You Can Do It! by Diana Johnson. This is the one book that really helped me get a handle on what I needed to do and how to do it. If you have the opportunity, I would strongly recommend getting a copy before you begin to make high school plans. It’s a huge help!
http://www.amazon.com/High-School-Home-You-Can/dp/0805445455
We homeschooled (Calvert School (& another for 9th grade)) til the kids were 9th and 10th grade. Selection of the High School was easy, since we were overseas & they attended the Embassy supported American-style school (pre-K-12, max 60 per grade). We signed them up for the straight set of classes the first year, since they had never been in a traditional classroom before, but they settled in fairly easily and after that year they started taking AP classes, and our daughter also took classes on her own over the summer so she could get into more APs Sr Yr (chemistry one year, Algebra 2/Trig the next). They were both honor roll, National Honor Society and award winners.
When time came to apply for college, it is very easy to find out info about each school at their websites. Depending on what schools you are applying to, it is possible to submit one application for several schools, and just tweak the compositions for each, and maybe some supplemental forms. After hearing back from their applications, they took different paths, our son preferring a large state school (FSU), our daughter a smaller state school (Wm & Mary/VA) more similar to their small high school. Homeschooling experiences played a part in their college essays. With their numerous AP classes, they were able to double major (international relations & poli sci for one, biology & history for the other), since most of their prerequisites were taken care of.
They both graduated Phi Beta Kappa, w/ honors and are now in grad school – molecular biology (on a full scholarship w/ stipend) and law school…. So far so good!!
I think Homeschooling gave them a much better basis and good study habits, more self motivated. I never had to tell them to go study when they started attending classroom school. I never had problems making them go to bed either when they were kids, since they could start homeschooling at whatever time they woke up, not needing to catch a bus til 9 & 10th grade……
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