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Can Homeschooled Students get into College?

6/30/2014

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Well, of course they can and they can get into REALLY GOOD schools! The college culture has been changing over the past 10-15 years and college admissions offices are realizing that many homeschooled students are well prepared for coming into the college classroom. But, of course, homeschooled students are competing with private and public school students, many of whom are also well prepared. They have all taken the SAT, filled out the college application and provided the transcript. So, of course you want your student to have good marks on the tests and a transcript that will set them apart.

So, how do you do that? Well, the summer is a wonderful time to get yourself organized. I have had two children graduate from high school and have experimented with several transcript templates, have experienced the admissions and scholarship processes and have helped my students prepare for the standardized testing. A well organized mom or dad can keep good records and present professional documents when their child applies to college.

So, where to start? First, if you want to provide your child with a similar course load as the public school system, visit your state educational website to learn of the credits needed for graduation. In addition, consider the 'extra' activities that your child is already doing that could also count as 'class time.' For example, my children have always spent a great deal of time in music lessons, music theory and practice. The hours added up over the year, providing four credits for 'fine arts.' Also, each of my children has participated in some sort of 'club' or recreational sport, some team sports, etc. Again, the hours added up and those have been used as the PE credit (or, in some cases a 1/2 credit). Finally, my children have done Awanas since they were little. The high school requirements of Bible reading, memorization and meeting time again added up to credit for high school.  Once you know the total number of class credits your child will need, make a total list and then break down by year. For example, most students should have four years of math, so include one math each year.  I would encourage you to go ahead and enter all your information and have the transcript saved on your computer...it will help to just have to enter grades once a year.

Another great resource that will help you stay organized is a free on-line gradebook called 'engrade' (engrade.com). Many co-ops and schools use this source and individual families can also use it to keep track of all assignment grades. At the end of each year, your final grades can be transferred to the transcript. Each year, you should also enter the 'extra curricular' activities, jobs, educational enhancements, honors, etc. that your child has completed or received during the year.

In my searches, I have found several helpful sites for transcripts. Be careful in downloading special software, etc. as they can introduce viruses to your computer. Simple forms that are downloaded and then suited to your needs are the best. Below are those links. 


http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/69395.pdf

http://www.homeschool-curriculum-savings.com/homeschool-transcript-template.html


So, take some time this summer to get organized in your record keeping! I have friends who have homeschooled their children and these children are now at schools like Grove City, Harvard, University of Dallas,  Duke, Princeton, University of Maryland, Messiah, Geneva, and the list goes on! Some homeschooled kids may decide to take an inexpensive option and go to the community college for a year or two. THIS IS A WONDERFUL OPTION, so don't discount this idea! You will save money and get a jump on the 4-year university requirements. If you are afraid they won't be challenged, then have them apply to the HONORS PROGRAM. This will add some rigorous components to their time at the community college



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Summer Refreshment

6/19/2014

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After a long year of homeschooling, the summer is crucially important for mom and kids. A break in the routine is much needed. There are some great activities that require our time...swimming, sleeping, playing games..these are things that we need to do. In addition, we should nourish our souls with reading, learning and meditation. We need to think about the things that God is teaching us.
 
So, as the families at CHA roll into another summer break, I have been challenged to consider making even my leisure time purposeful. We have so much wasted time where computer games, shallow television shows, mindless novels and on-line exploration dominate our 'free time.' But how can we redeem some of this time. A mindless novel is not necessarily a bad thing, but are we also reading some of the great books? Even just picking one classic to read for the summer will add some depth to your reading list. Or how about taking something that is a nuisance and turning it into your child's science fair project. For example, lice infested the beautiful hair of my children and some of our friends' children. In the past, this nuisance has been fairly easy to get rid of...this time not so much. So, armed with library books, medical articles and personal experience, we are turning this into a science fair project. It will take time, because we want to complete some reading, contact companies that make the de-lousing products and ultimately interview families about the methods that are successful in getting rid of these pests. Or what about stink bugs...they are annoying. Maybe one of our CHA students could create a natural substance that will get rid of them.  This is how we can redeem time. Use the time to learn, to create, to invent.

So, rest and relax some this summer. But also have purpose and then come back to school this fall and tell us what you learned, invented or created!
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THE CLASSICAL EDUCATION

6/14/2014

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In a letter written in 1814, Thomas Jefferson laments to John Adams: “Our post-revolutionary youth are born under happier stars than you and I were. They acquire all learning in their mother’s womb, and bring it into the world ready made. The information of books is no longer necessary, and all knowledge, which is not innate, is in contempt, or neglect at least.” However, while we see youth that fit this description in modern culture, there are glimpses of hope in small educational pockets throughout our community, state and nation.

The “classical education” movement is on the rise and parents are seeing the value in this model of education. Young, Christian men and women at Christiana Homeschool Academy are learning in the ways of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and are reading and studying from the great teachers, whose voices echo in hundreds of great classic books. 

A classical education is based on the original 7 Liberal Arts passed to us from Plato’s Republic through the mouth of Socrates. Those “liberal arts” include Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Music, Astronomy, Arithmetic and Geometry. These areas of study were not offered as seven separate subjects, but as disciplines integrated with culture which instilled core values and educated the whole person.

The founding fathers of America were educated within the realm of the “classical model”, read great books, learned Latin and Greek, and knew how to debate emphatically and eloquently. And while this type of education lost its appeal in the 1800’s, the mid 1900’s saw resurgence in the desire to seek an education from the great classics.

Dorothy Sayers, in “The Lost Tools of Learning” (printed in 1947) explains the three stages of learning. The first stage is the “grammar stage,” which is comprised of the first three of the liberal arts (grammar, logic and rhetoric). Young children learn chants, poetry, and basic tools of learning. In the second stage, the “logic” stage, the child begins to ask questions and seeks to make sense of ideas and thoughts. Finally, in the “rhetoric” stage, the child begins to communicate his own thoughts and ideas effectively in speech and writing.

The Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise-Bauer, has further defined the classical model of education by encouraging a chronological study of history. In addition, the various subjects and disciplines are integrated and overlapped to create an interdisciplinary learning. Wise-Bauer has also provided a much needed “road map” for home schoolers who desire to use this model of education. And today, small co-ops, families, private schools and educators are grasping hold of this model to train young minds.


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