I feel poignant as my eldest child graduates from our homeschool.

I won’t say I’ve done my best. We all have regrets and would love to make changes.

You’re my firstborn and I made many, many mistakes. I am trying to make amends for those mistakes. I think I’m doing better now.

I was amazed by the precocious little girl you were.

I am amazed by the woman you are becoming.

I still remember you as you were the day you were born, with your angry lower lip.

I remember when you bravely went to day care.

I remember when you were bored at preschool.

I remember that first year of homeschooling.

I remember with trepidation as you went for one whole month to third grade at the DoD school on base.

I remember the awkward middle school years.

I remember when I wasn’t there for you.

I remember when I was harsh and hard.

I remember the tears, scrapes, eye rolls, slammed doors, cuddles, and snuggles.

I remember the arguments over my trying to control you.

I remember the struggles over math and bullies.

I remember when you wanted to be an artist, a dentist, a veterinarian, and more.

I can hardly wait to see what you decide.

I’ve seen you shine as a leader at Civil Air Patrol.

I’ve tried to nurture your dreams and offer you experiences to shape your ideas.

I’ve watched you shine on stage and become another person from another time and place.

I’ve watched in awe as you go off to volunteer at the hospital – in the laboratories, maternity ward, pediatrics.

I’ve listened to you sing and play piano.

We’ve looked at amazing art and history in Europe‘s museums.

You’re a great big sister.

We drank Champagne in Paris while viewing the twinkling Eiffel Tower.

You’re so much more than a test score.

The PSAT and SAT are just numbers that mean so very little.

Grades mean nothing.

You’ve learned so much – about the world, history, current events, yourself.

That can’t be measured on a Scan-Tron.

Never stop learning.

We hiked up Diamond Head in Hawaii. I think I’m still sore, years later!

We’ve had a lot of fun in so many beautiful places.

I’d give you the world if I could. And the sun and moon and stars.

We’ve flown over oceans and lived in so many different places.

We’ve endured the stress of moving five times and survived.

I’m proud of you, my daughter, as an strong individual – with original thoughts, dreams, and views.

I’m excited for this new stage in your life and in our relationship.

It’s been awkward for you as a teenager living in Europe.

The rules and laws are different here than in the USA.

On one hand, you have more freedoms, but on the other hand, you have fewer freedoms. At age sixteen, teens in Europe can drink beer and wine, but cannot get a license to drive until age eighteen. As an American, you still cannot get a paying job on or off base until over age eighteen.

So, we have some catching up to do as we move back to the States.

This next year will be busy – finishing up some history and literature studies, applying for college and scholarships, getting a part-time job, learning how to drive and getting a driver’s license.

So many changes and responsibilities, so quickly.

We all have fears for the future.

The unknown…

It’s scary to have so many options and have to make hard decisions.

Homeschooling prepares teens to make decisions and think critically.

I pray that I have prepared you adequately.

Help her make her dreams come true here.

High School Homeschool:

• Homeschool High School
• Health Credit
• Transcripts and Credits
• Homeschool Planner Printables
• Civil Air Patrol as Elective
• How we do History
• I Don’t Teach English
• How we do Math
• Foreign Language
• How we do Science
• Preparing for After High School
• 5 Best Life Skills Books for Teens

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When we begin our homeschooling journey, we think that high school is so far away.

Thinking about “after high school” seems silly when you’re playing patty cake with a toddler, singing ABCs with a preschooler, or teaching a 6-year-old how to read and add.

But the goals we set when our kids are young ensure our children’s success when they are adults.

How should you prepare your child for college, vocational school, or work?

How do you know your child is ready for life after homeschool?

Three important areas should be addressed for success after high school:

Our Child’s Heart, Hands, and Head.

Heart

Spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being are important for success after high school.

Have you equipped your child with apologetics to combat the atheistic ideas most liberal arts universities adhere to and teach?

Is your child able to show self-control when her peers indulge in poor behavior? Teaching self-control is probably the most important lesson children can learn.

Can your child exhibit empathy if a friend experiences a tragedy – illness, injury, death in her family, failing a course, an ugly breakup with a boyfriend? Teaching and modeling kindness is integral for a child to show compassion to others.

Hands

Life skills are necessary for success after high school.

Most teens get a driver’s license before age 18. It’s important that young adults learn defensive driving skills.

Car maintenance schedules and simple auto tasks should be taught so they don’t get taken advantage of by mechanics due to their ignorance.

Make sure your child understands finances: balancing a checkbook, the difference between a credit card and a debit or check card, avoiding debt, the basics of investing or planning for retirement, and taxes.

Cooking skills are super important. An easy way to ensure this is to include your children in meal planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. Have your child practice simple cooking with help and supervision – building up to planning and preparing several simple, frugal, and healthy meals. We build recipe binders for our four kids with their favorites that they are very proud of that they will eventually take with them when they grow up and away.

Household chores and maintenance are very necessary skills. Everyone should know how to do dishes, laundry (to include ironing and mending), deep cleaning of every room, and minor handyman tasks.

Head

Academics are certainly important for success in college, many technical schools, and jobs.

Here’s an unpopular thought: Academics are the smallest factor for success in life.

That being said, let’s not be lazy.

Too many homeschoolers I know seem to take the easiest way out. Parents choose a simpler, cheaper, or easier curriculum, often DVD, online, or workbook, just to check it off on the transcript. And that may be fine for some of the hoops we homeschoolers have to jump through, depending on state graduation requirements. Just don’t fear a challenge or shortchange yourself.

I’ve even known some homeschoolers who “graduated” without completing all their high school coursework. Is a ceremony and party so important that we shouldn’t have integrity?

Homeschoolers need to complete a decent course of study in the core academic areas: English, math, science, and social studies.

If your teen has his heart set on a specific career, then tailor his high school focus towards that academic goal. Look at the college or technical school requirements and make sure your child completes all that – to excellence.

Electives are a great way to customize a homeschooler’s education to interests and strengths.

Many homeschoolers have the freedom to get a headstart on college courses online or at local colleges during their junior or senior year. This is a great way to gently transition into college life or to prove to a chosen university that the homeschooler can succeed at college coursework.

Ensuring our children grow up to be successful, content adults who contribute well to society is a tough job. It requires diligence, consistency, and discipline.

Linking up: Classical Homemaking, Natural Beach Living, Crystal and Co., Hip Homeschool Moms, A Little R&R, Whole Hearted Home, Pat and Candy, Lamberts Lately, Bloom Designs, Frog’s Lilypad, I Choose Joy, The Crazy Organized Blog, Curly Crafty Mom, Making Our Life Matter, The Life of Faith, Practical Mom, Modest Mom,Donna Reidland, F Dean Hackett, Sarah Celebrates, VMG206, Organized 31,xoxo Rebecca, Oh My Heartsie Girl Friday, Sincerely, Paula, Create with Joy, The Crazy Organized Blog, Life with Lorelai, Being a Wordsmith, Strawberry Butterscotch,Ask Latisha, Books and More, Mom’s the Word, Saving 4 Six, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, Pam’s Party and Practical Tips,

How do you determine high school credits?

High school homeschool shouldn’t be scary or confusing.

Counting credits and completing transcripts is a daunting task for homeschool parents.

Here’s how we’re doing high school transcripts.

What’s a credit?

Check your state’s requirements for the amount of high school credits needed to graduate.

Suggested College Preparatory High School 4-Year Program:

What’s a GPA?

A grade point average is “the average obtained by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credits attempted —called also quality point average.” {dictionary}

You as a homeschool parent get to determine your own policy on calculating grades.

I like the traditional scale of 90-100=A, 89-80=B, 79-70=C, etc. It’s not complicated. We don’t inflate. We don’t make things harder than they should be.

I’m tough when it comes to grading, when we even have grades. My kids know they won’t be “those homeschoolers” who are given high grades without properly earning it.

A GPA depends on three things:

1. Your grading scale
2. The letter grade earned for each course
3. The credit earned for each course

Typically, A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0

The grade points are multiplied by the number of credits earned per course, resulting in “quality points.”

How to calculate a GPA:

1. Assign each course a credit value.
2. Assign each course a numerical grade.
3. Multiply each course credit by it’s numerical grade. That gives you the grade point for that particular course.
4. Add all the grade points for all the classes that are complete.
5. Divide the total grade points by the number of credits completed.
6. The answer is the current grade point average.

What about weighting grades?

Weighted grades are for honors classes, college courses, AP classes, etc.  Since these course are more rigorous, they have a greater GPA value than other high school courses, so receive a 1-point increase in their numeric value.  Use the higher value for that course and then calculate the GPA as usual.

Contact the college or university your child is planning to attend for their grading preferences. Always tailor the transcript to the college’s needs.

See detailed information about GPA calculations at HSLDA’s blog.

So, how does a homeschool parent determine credits for all these courses?

The three easiest ways to determine course credits are by textbook completion, recording time, and mastery of subject.

Textbook

Most textbooks are meant to be used for a year-long course, so 1.0 credit is given. For example, Algebra I is a year-long course, even if a child takes longer than a year to complete it. Often, textbooks will list at the beginning or on their website how much credit should be given for the course.

Many homeschool curricula list recommended course credits for completion, even at different levels of study. For example, Tapestry of Grace offers a chart I can follow to determine how many credits Elizabeth earns for the time she puts in for her work.

Time

What if there isn’t an actual curriculum? Or you’re an unschooler? Or your high schooler spends every Monday for over two years volunteering at the hospital?

For some activities or courses, you can log the hours spent. This is where it’s important to know how many hours equals 0.5 or 1.0 credit.

Elizabeth calculates her time spent volunteering at our local hospital laboratory and will probably test for medical technology certification when she is eligible.

Mastery

Homeschoolers have so many of opportunities for non-traditional education.

Credit can and should be awarded for mastery of a subject.

Projects completed and entered into a contest or winning an award earn mastery credit. Apprenticeships are amazing opportunities.

Elizabeth is in Civil Air Patrol, and if she plays her cards right, will earn the rank of Major by next year. Her goal is the Spaatz Award!

She starred in the play Kindertransport and participated as an extra in Mary Poppins with our community theatre. She has learned so much about stage productions!

Transcript Planning

I start to keep records of courses my children complete beginning in the middle school years. It’s good practice for me and can come in handy if they’re already taking advanced classes.

My daughter completed her Latin language requirements before age 14. She’s now learning French.

She’s been in Civil Air Patrol since she was 12.

I printed the course checklist for VideoText Algebra and recorded the assignments, quizzes, and tests.

Our main curriculum, Tapestry of Grace, has printable course descriptions and suggested credits for literature, writing, geography, fine arts, Bible/church history, government, and philosophy.

I created a sample transcript and list the courses already completed and the potential courses for each year.

As you can see, my daughter completed economics earlier than I had planned. I jotted down in the top right corner a reminder to myself that we need to make sure she completes courses in art, music, and health/PE.

See how we homeschool high school.

I also include spaces for PSAT and SAT scores.

Don’t fall into these traps:

Don’t give credit unless the student has actually completed a course. We’ve known homeschoolers who “graduate” before actually having completed a high school course of study. What message does that send?

Don’t count electives as academic courses. Academics are core classes: math, science, social studies, and English. Many curricula list what kind of course it is. Look at high school or college syllabi to see where the course should be places on a transcript.

Don’t give credits for fluff. If you can honestly calculate hours for a credit in a subject, then list it. Otherwise, chalk it up to life experience or a hobby. There are places to explain those on college and scholarships applications.

Don’t inflate grades. You’re not doing your child any favors. If a high school student struggles with a course and earns a solid C, don’t feel guilty or whatever and inflate that grade to a B to make him look better. You’re not preparing him for success.

Graduating a homeschooler is an exciting time for a parent, successfully launching an adult into the world, after years of being so involved in the educational process. I can’t wait to see what our four children grow up to be and do.

Extra Tips:

List curriculum titles, especially for lab sciences.

Make a space for volunteering on the transcript and log the hours.

Explain unique extra-curricular activities.

List on-the-job training or part-time work.

We have so much freedom as homeschoolers to list all the fun learning opportunities!

Many homeschoolers are highly successful during and after high school – going on to do great things in the workforce, university, alternative education, and life.