Sunday, December 9, 2012

Completing Homeschool High School Records

Do you have perfectly crafted homeschool transcripts and course descriptions, ready even now for the event (soon to come) in which someone will ask you for them? Most folks don't, either, so don't feel badly. I have a friend who called me recently in a panic, because she needed a transcript on Monday (it was Friday). Since she homeschools in California under the private school law, she had never even considered that she might need a transcript some day. When her son decided that he wanted to enlist in the Navy, surprise--the Navy wanted a transcript!

I have another friend that needed help with her homeschool records. Her problem was that she just wasn't quite sure what school work they had done. She said that she was a binder person, but when she showed me her homeschool binder during our first day together, I opened it up and there was nothing there! She had some labeled sections, but there were no papers, no curriculum, nothing there! So we dug through the tub of stuff that she had brought with all of her homeschool pieces, and I helped her put together a transcript.

We went through every little bit of her homeschool. We went over how many hours she spent on American Sign Language, and every little bit of their activities. As I was leaving, I asked her what her plans for the weekend were, and she said that they were going to a Latin competition. This was the first time she had mentioned Latin! Latin was not in her binder or her tub--she had forgotten that they did Latin!

When it comes to keeping homeschool records, it doesn't matter how gifted of a home educator you are and it doesn't matter what wonderful intentions you have; there also has to be at least a small amount of follow-through. To be real, you can do your follow-through the same way I do my taxes: once a year, I panic and do my taxes. If once a year you get your act together, that is enough follow-through for you. To be honest, if this mother had made her transcript every year, she would not have forgotten four years of Latin; you just can't forget four years of Latin year after year.

So make sure you take some time each year to record what you did that year! That way, you'll avoid trying to remember four years of homeschooling in one sitting, and be ready to create great transcripts for your high school graduate!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

Teenage Home Schooling

The idea of homeschooling through high school can be scary for many parents and usually it is through feelings of inadequacy where the parents do not feel fully qualified for the job!

This happens when the parent does not have many qualifications themselves so ask themselves the questions of how could they be qualified to do that job.

It is a fact of homeschooling that many homeschooled teens can actually complete four years of traditional high-school studies in 24 months or less.

Really?

Well if you sat down and thought about it then it does seem possible when there are no distractions and the teenager is able to focus on the task at hand.

Now I am a teacher/lecturer myself and I can tell you that with over 40 years being in this profession I have witnessed major changes in the administrative workload that goes with the job. The amount of time that is spent on taking registers, collecting paperwork, preparing for activities and especially science classes, the time to tidy up and then the time spent on disciplining is all time that is eating into the actual teaching and learning times.

In fact to be honest I often ask myself the question.

"Did I train to be a teacher or an administrative manager"

Of course in the days when I completed my teacher training in the 70's it was all about developing your techniques as an educator in the classroom and all of us were assessed on our ability to relate to the students to pass on our subject knowledge in an effective and stimulating manner. In other words we were encouraged to become teachers that would inspire students to learn and develop. So be it... today we fill out forms and tick boxes.

Anyway I am getting carried away with the realities of being a teacher today but it absolutely true that the large part of a school day would be taken up in mindless administrative tasks that are totally eliminated with a teenager that is being schooled at home.

This could be one reason a family make the decision to home school their teenagers,others could be the travelling time to get to school, bullying issues, peer pressure issues or teenagers that have special needs that are not accommodated by the schools within travelling distance.

All of these factors can result in teenage stress which in turn affects learning and attainment levels.

If a family decides to homeschool their teenager then good planning and record keeping will be essential.

Of course most importantly your teenager must be up for the idea as well. You can plan your home school program with your teenager's strengths and weaknesses in mind. Also important is their learning style, are they a kinesthetic learner, a visual learner, an auditory learner or a combination of a few styles. Go for a program that will enable your teenager to pursue their interests and also cover the basics that they will need to progress further into adult education.

Remember that there is no course that suits all teenagers so make sure you do adequate research before you put your plan into action and good Luck!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

Completing Homeschool High School Records

Do you have perfectly crafted homeschool transcripts and course descriptions, ready even now for the event (soon to come) in which someone will ask you for them? Most folks don't, either, so don't feel badly. I have a friend who called me recently in a panic, because she needed a transcript on Monday (it was Friday). Since she homeschools in California under the private school law, she had never even considered that she might need a transcript some day. When her son decided that he wanted to enlist in the Navy, surprise--the Navy wanted a transcript!

I have another friend that needed help with her homeschool records. Her problem was that she just wasn't quite sure what school work they had done. She said that she was a binder person, but when she showed me her homeschool binder during our first day together, I opened it up and there was nothing there! She had some labeled sections, but there were no papers, no curriculum, nothing there! So we dug through the tub of stuff that she had brought with all of her homeschool pieces, and I helped her put together a transcript.

We went through every little bit of her homeschool. We went over how many hours she spent on American Sign Language, and every little bit of their activities. As I was leaving, I asked her what her plans for the weekend were, and she said that they were going to a Latin competition. This was the first time she had mentioned Latin! Latin was not in her binder or her tub--she had forgotten that they did Latin!

When it comes to keeping homeschool records, it doesn't matter how gifted of a home educator you are and it doesn't matter what wonderful intentions you have; there also has to be at least a small amount of follow-through. To be real, you can do your follow-through the same way I do my taxes: once a year, I panic and do my taxes. If once a year you get your act together, that is enough follow-through for you. To be honest, if this mother had made her transcript every year, she would not have forgotten four years of Latin; you just can't forget four years of Latin year after year.

So make sure you take some time each year to record what you did that year! That way, you'll avoid trying to remember four years of homeschooling in one sitting, and be ready to create great transcripts for your high school graduate!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

Completing Homeschool High School Records

Do you have perfectly crafted homeschool transcripts and course descriptions, ready even now for the event (soon to come) in which someone will ask you for them? Most folks don't, either, so don't feel badly. I have a friend who called me recently in a panic, because she needed a transcript on Monday (it was Friday). Since she homeschools in California under the private school law, she had never even considered that she might need a transcript some day. When her son decided that he wanted to enlist in the Navy, surprise--the Navy wanted a transcript!

I have another friend that needed help with her homeschool records. Her problem was that she just wasn't quite sure what school work they had done. She said that she was a binder person, but when she showed me her homeschool binder during our first day together, I opened it up and there was nothing there! She had some labeled sections, but there were no papers, no curriculum, nothing there! So we dug through the tub of stuff that she had brought with all of her homeschool pieces, and I helped her put together a transcript.

We went through every little bit of her homeschool. We went over how many hours she spent on American Sign Language, and every little bit of their activities. As I was leaving, I asked her what her plans for the weekend were, and she said that they were going to a Latin competition. This was the first time she had mentioned Latin! Latin was not in her binder or her tub--she had forgotten that they did Latin!

When it comes to keeping homeschool records, it doesn't matter how gifted of a home educator you are and it doesn't matter what wonderful intentions you have; there also has to be at least a small amount of follow-through. To be real, you can do your follow-through the same way I do my taxes: once a year, I panic and do my taxes. If once a year you get your act together, that is enough follow-through for you. To be honest, if this mother had made her transcript every year, she would not have forgotten four years of Latin; you just can't forget four years of Latin year after year.

So make sure you take some time each year to record what you did that year! That way, you'll avoid trying to remember four years of homeschooling in one sitting, and be ready to create great transcripts for your high school graduate!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

Teenage Home Schooling

The idea of homeschooling through high school can be scary for many parents and usually it is through feelings of inadequacy where the parents do not feel fully qualified for the job!

This happens when the parent does not have many qualifications themselves so ask themselves the questions of how could they be qualified to do that job.

It is a fact of homeschooling that many homeschooled teens can actually complete four years of traditional high-school studies in 24 months or less.

Really?

Well if you sat down and thought about it then it does seem possible when there are no distractions and the teenager is able to focus on the task at hand.

Now I am a teacher/lecturer myself and I can tell you that with over 40 years being in this profession I have witnessed major changes in the administrative workload that goes with the job. The amount of time that is spent on taking registers, collecting paperwork, preparing for activities and especially science classes, the time to tidy up and then the time spent on disciplining is all time that is eating into the actual teaching and learning times.

In fact to be honest I often ask myself the question.

"Did I train to be a teacher or an administrative manager"

Of course in the days when I completed my teacher training in the 70's it was all about developing your techniques as an educator in the classroom and all of us were assessed on our ability to relate to the students to pass on our subject knowledge in an effective and stimulating manner. In other words we were encouraged to become teachers that would inspire students to learn and develop. So be it... today we fill out forms and tick boxes.

Anyway I am getting carried away with the realities of being a teacher today but it absolutely true that the large part of a school day would be taken up in mindless administrative tasks that are totally eliminated with a teenager that is being schooled at home.

This could be one reason a family make the decision to home school their teenagers,others could be the travelling time to get to school, bullying issues, peer pressure issues or teenagers that have special needs that are not accommodated by the schools within travelling distance.

All of these factors can result in teenage stress which in turn affects learning and attainment levels.

If a family decides to homeschool their teenager then good planning and record keeping will be essential.

Of course most importantly your teenager must be up for the idea as well. You can plan your home school program with your teenager's strengths and weaknesses in mind. Also important is their learning style, are they a kinesthetic learner, a visual learner, an auditory learner or a combination of a few styles. Go for a program that will enable your teenager to pursue their interests and also cover the basics that they will need to progress further into adult education.

Remember that there is no course that suits all teenagers so make sure you do adequate research before you put your plan into action and good Luck!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

Teenage Home Schooling

The idea of homeschooling through high school can be scary for many parents and usually it is through feelings of inadequacy where the parents do not feel fully qualified for the job!

This happens when the parent does not have many qualifications themselves so ask themselves the questions of how could they be qualified to do that job.

It is a fact of homeschooling that many homeschooled teens can actually complete four years of traditional high-school studies in 24 months or less.

Really?

Well if you sat down and thought about it then it does seem possible when there are no distractions and the teenager is able to focus on the task at hand.

Now I am a teacher/lecturer myself and I can tell you that with over 40 years being in this profession I have witnessed major changes in the administrative workload that goes with the job. The amount of time that is spent on taking registers, collecting paperwork, preparing for activities and especially science classes, the time to tidy up and then the time spent on disciplining is all time that is eating into the actual teaching and learning times.

In fact to be honest I often ask myself the question.

"Did I train to be a teacher or an administrative manager"

Of course in the days when I completed my teacher training in the 70's it was all about developing your techniques as an educator in the classroom and all of us were assessed on our ability to relate to the students to pass on our subject knowledge in an effective and stimulating manner. In other words we were encouraged to become teachers that would inspire students to learn and develop. So be it... today we fill out forms and tick boxes.

Anyway I am getting carried away with the realities of being a teacher today but it absolutely true that the large part of a school day would be taken up in mindless administrative tasks that are totally eliminated with a teenager that is being schooled at home.

This could be one reason a family make the decision to home school their teenagers,others could be the travelling time to get to school, bullying issues, peer pressure issues or teenagers that have special needs that are not accommodated by the schools within travelling distance.

All of these factors can result in teenage stress which in turn affects learning and attainment levels.

If a family decides to homeschool their teenager then good planning and record keeping will be essential.

Of course most importantly your teenager must be up for the idea as well. You can plan your home school program with your teenager's strengths and weaknesses in mind. Also important is their learning style, are they a kinesthetic learner, a visual learner, an auditory learner or a combination of a few styles. Go for a program that will enable your teenager to pursue their interests and also cover the basics that they will need to progress further into adult education.

Remember that there is no course that suits all teenagers so make sure you do adequate research before you put your plan into action and good Luck!

Completing Homeschool High School Records   Completing Homeschool High School Records   

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