I attended the Homeschool Graduation this morning. It was held in a large church auditorium, and Dr. Marvin Olasky, journalism professor and editor of WORLD magazine gave the commencement address. The graduates walked across the stage one by one, and the parents who invested so much time in their education gave out the diplomas.

Actually, I attended one of many homeschool graduation ceremonies in Houston this morning, and I didn’t exactly just attend. Engineer Husband and I presented one of the diplomas. Congratulations, Computer Guru Son!

Attendees at our particular homeschool graduation ceremony recognized over 100 homeschooled high school graduates from all over the city of Houston. By my count, there were 52 young ladies and 54 young men. I’d estimate that a good third of the graduates say that they plan to attend Texas A&M. Aggies and homeschoolers must have something in common; I’m just not sure what that “something” is.

The graduates have big plans.
Richard and Alyssa want an MBA, and Hannah will study marketing. Courtney is specifically interested in fashion marketing. Luke, too, wants to study business, and so do Jennifer and Elizabeth and Andrew and Dana
Stephanie wants to prepare for law school. Paige is looking at real estate law.
Myron and Darrell and Brandon hope to work with youth Darrell also wants to be a history professor.
Natalie is studying nursing and “preparing to one day become a wife and mother.” Chelsea’s interested in combining nursing and missions.
Christin wants to become a dietitian and personal trainer.
Charles wants to be a CPA and “help individuals and businesses apply sound Biblical principles in the area of finances.”
Molly and Devon and Sarah and Emily and Terra are all studying education, maybe preparing to homeschool the next generation? Or perhaps they’ll revolutionize public or private schools.
John wants to major in Global Security and Intelligence Studies. I hope he’s good at it; we could use some intelligent and principled intelligence agents.
Rachel loves science and plans to become a forensic investigator. Elizabeth has a similar goal. Sam’s going to study criminal justice.
Joshua will be an officer in the Army after college.
Collin’s going to be an officer in the Marine Corps; we could use a few good men there, too.
Michelle and Thomas and Jared and Julie are taking a year to learn a bit more or serve or volunteer or just work before they go to college. Not a bad idea and one I hope catches on more and more as homeschoolers show everyone that we don’t have to be enslaved to the traditional school schedules and timelines.
Lots of the kids are interested in and want to study music: Thomas and Taylor and Silem and Jonathan and Christine and Hannah and Julia and Carlee and Collins and Laura and Andrew. Homeschoolers are big into music; most of the biographies mentioned some kind of musical involvement, usually through the church.
Craig wants to start a Christian radio station for teens.
Joseph wants to combine his passions for film and music. Eric will be pursuing film making. Stuart plans to become a film writer. These guys should get together.
Alana and Sarah want to study literature, a not-so-lucrative field, but one that is full of riches nevertheless. Alison wants to teach high school English. I wish them all the best. The world needs some literary types, too.
Joel is planning to become an aerospace engineer; Hunter a chemical engineer; Aaron is studying engineering, and Ben is looking toward studying electrical and computer engineering. Trey wants to study engineering and eventually go to law school.
Matthew is headed for medical school, and so is Paige. Faith Ann plans to become a trauma surgeon. Natalie wants to be a pediatrician. Amber and Natalie might want to talk since Amber’s ambition is to become a pediatric nurse.
Ben wants a degree in architecture. Nathan might be an architect or an engineer.
Ryan’s getting a Journeyman’s license in Utilities.
Whitney plans to study Graphic Design, and Christina wants to major in Photography and Digital Media.
Susan’s goal is to become a speech pathologist in order to “serve others.”
Amy wants a triple major: mathematics, chemistry and physics. Ruthie plans to become a ballerina. Mary’s interested in interior decorating.
Alisa wants to be a missionary. Darren wants to start a skateboard ministry. Tara wants to focus on ministry and journalism. Of course, all these kids, all of them who are committed to the Lord Jesus, will be missionaries in the places and callings and jobs where God leads them to be a witness. I’m excited to see them going out to be salt in so many areas of life.

Some of these guys will achieve their goals, and others will change direction, find something even better—or worse. Some will fail, pick themselves up, and start again. They don’t mention marriage and family in their career goals, but they’re thinking about it and for most of them family will become the focus of their lives under the Lordship of Christ. It’s an inspiring thing to see young, ambitious adults who are at the same time aware of their dependence upon and need for family, friends, and God.

Pray for the graduates of 2006. They will be our leaders and our workers and our future. Those who are Christians will be His ambassadors in a needy world. I think they’ll do OK.

So far, both of my graduates have wanted to attend college, and Engineer Husband and I have been supportive of their desire to do so. However, college isn’t for everybody. I know a young man, still in high school, who wants to build houses when he gets out of high school. He’s already been apprenticing with Mom, who buys apartment complexes, remodels them, and rents them out, and he’s taking an interior design class at our homeschool co-op this next year. He probably won’t go to college and probably will start his business of remodeling, then home-building when he graduates from high school in a couple of years. So, as you think about requirements for graduating from high school, think about what your state requires, what you want your young adult to learn, maybe what colleges require, but also what your teenager wants to learn and needs to learn to get where he wants to go.

I posted this list before, but it bears repeating. Look over these reasons, god and bad, with your teenager. Talk about where he or she wants to be in five years or ten years. Then, decide prayerfully what it will take to get there.

Ten Bad Reasons to Go to College

1. I’m going to college to have FUN!!
2. I’m going to college to figure out what to do with my life.
3. I’m going to college to find a husband or wife.
4. I’m going to college to get out of my house.
5. I’m going to college to find myself.
6. My parents saved all this money for my college education, so I guess I”ll have to spend it.
7. I just graduated from high school, and college is the next step.
8. I don’t have anything else to do for the next four years.
9. All the really rich people go to college first before they get really rich.
10. I don’t wanna grow up–I’m a Toys R Us kid.

Ten Good Reasons to Go to College

1. I’ve saved up or earned or been given enough money to pay the tuition myself.
2. I want to learn something that I can learn best at a college.
3. I want to earn a credential that I can only earn at a college or university.
4. I want to learn a marketable skill in order to support a family someday, and I know that I can learn that skill at college.
5. I know what God wants me to do , and I need a college education to get there.
6. I don’t have responsibilities for a spouse or children, and I can afford to spend the next four years learning something that is important to me.
7. My parents and I are in agreement that college would be a good educational setting for me.
8. I want to get a broad liberal arts education now while I have the time and the opportunity.
9. I have the Biblical foundation and the right relationship with Christ to be able to filter all the teaching I receive through a Christian worldview.
10. I believe that God is leading me to go to college.

Homeschooling High School, Part 1
Homeschooling High School, Part 2: The Plan

I wrote yesterday about the plan I came up with for high school for my second child. We’re a rather academically inclined family, so the plan is a college preparatory sort of plan. I can see how other families, if not constrained by state regulations, might come up with different sort of plan for the high school years. However, I set out to require the same sorts of classes that the public high schools require, for the most part.

Bible: My young adults have done variety of studies to fulfill this requirement. One of them is taking a class with a twenty-something homeschool graduate at our church. The class includes Bible, English grammar, literature, and history studied together. Eldest Daughter went to one of Summit Ministries’ summer conferences for young people. She received one Bible credit for that conference. Computer Guru Son has taken two years of co-op classes based on the worldview materials from Summit Ministries; he’s getting Bible credit for those classes. For other Bible credits, I purchased a New Testament or Old Testament survey course at the bookstore and had a student complete it.

English: There’s the class at church that I mentioned. Two of the urchins took a grammar and composition class at Potter’s School (online) that I’ve been very pleased with. I’ve taught British literature and American literature for our homeschool co-op and had my students as part of the class. (If you’re interested in the syllabus for those classes, email me or leave a comment, and I’ll be happy to share.) I also taught Greenleaf Press’s Guide to Ancient Literature by Cindy Shearer one year, but for some reason they don’t seem to carry that title anymore. Too bad, I thought it was well-written.

Math: We do Saxon. I give three high school credits for completion of Saxon Algebra 1 and Algebra 2: one for Algebra 1, one for Algebra 2, and one for geometry. We have done some supplementary work in geometry just to make sure it sticks, but it’s really all there scattered through the Saxon Algebra books. Some of my young adults have gone on to do some or most of the Saxon Advanced Math book, and I gave another trigonmetry or advanced math credit for completing at least half of that book. We may try something other than Saxon with Organizer Daughter; she’s not getting the math in the Saxon books as well as I’d like. Any suggestions?

History: I’m teaching AP US History this next year at co-op, and Dancer Daughter will be taking the class. My two graduates have already completed AP US history and taken the AP test. Both of them did well on that test. Computer Guru Son took government at the local junior college this year as a dual credit class, and he enjoyed that.

Science: We’ve been able to do all our science labs at co-op and then do the book work and the tests at home. We use Apologia at co-op and at home for science.

Foreign Language: Eldest Daughter taught herself French and then took an AP French class through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers online her senior year. I speak Spanish, so I taught Computer Guru Son Spanish. The results of that experiment were not so good mostly because of my inconsistency. Dancer Daughter took French at Potter’s School. Organizer Daughter will be taking Spanish next year with a lady at church, and I’ll be assisting the teacher with planning and grading papers.

PE: We’ve been really lax in this area. I’m not very athletic, nor am I good at setting an example of regular exercise and physical fitness. Dancer Daughter is very active and has received PE credit for her dance which is very physically strenuous. The others have started exercise programs in which they kept track of the amount of time they exercised each day or week—with mixed success. What have you all done to stay fit or encourage exercise or to award credit for PE?

Electives: Here we shine. We have more electives than we can say grace over, including (not all for the same child) interior design, choir, ensemble, dance, guitar, computer science, computer web design, computer graphics, music theory, drama, journalism, homemaking, art, driver’s ed, extra foreign language credits and probably some other stuff that I’m not remembering.

Both of my graduates have more than the 27 credits I told them they were required to have to graduate. Neither of them really completed four years worth of PE. However, I couldn’t keep them from graduating because they didn’t complete their PE requirements.

I guess I’m just a softie, after all.

I said yesterday that having a clearly communicated plan was key to homeschooling my, shall we say, unmotivated, student. I didn’t need much of a plan for the first one, really. I just set up a transcript template, wrote up everything she had done, gave her some grades, and when she was ready for college, we were done. The second child needed to know exactly what courses he was required to complete and how he could get credit for each of those classes. So, after praying, looking at public high school requirements, looking at college requirements and praying some more, I gave him a paper that looked like this one:

Graduation requirements for Meriadoc Homeschool:
Bible: 4 credits—may include one credit for Worldview or Summit.
English: 4 credits, each credit including composition, grammar, and literature
Math: 4 credits: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus
History/Geography: 4 credits
Science: 3 credits: Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, Physics, Geology, or Astronomy
Foreign Language: 2 credits in the same language
PE: 2 credits (1/2 credit per year or per sport)
Electives: at least 4 credits

TOTAL: 27 credits

Alternatives for earning high school credit:
1. Complete the material in a high school level textbook with a test average of 70 or above
2. Complete a course of study planned by Mom or Dad
3. Complete a course of study and take and pass CLEP test in that subject
4. Complete a course of study and take and pass an AP exam (score of 3, 4 or 5) in that subject
5. Complete and document a total of at least 120 hours (=one high school credit) of study or practice in some subject
6. Complete a class at a junior college for dual credit
7. Finish an apprenticeship or practicum with someone outside the family who is knowledgeable in a subject area. Start with a signed contract that is agreeable to student, parents, and teacher.
8. Complete intensive study of a subject at a summer camp or other short term class
9. Complete an online course of study approved by parents

One public high school in the area requires 26 credits to graduate in its college preparatory program. However, they don’t require Bible credit.

This framework was where we started after the ninth grade year that wasn’t. I’ll tell you tomorrow what worked and what compromises we had to make along the way.

THE LIST (of books I want to read) is already so long that I won’t finish them in this life. But did that stop me from attending the Friends of the Houston Public Library book sale on Saturday and buying the following to add to THE LIST, mostly for a dollar apiece?



The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.
The Walking Drum by Louis L’Amour. I became interested in Mr. L’Amour’s westerns and other fiction when I read his autobiography, Education of a Wandering Man.
High Lonesome by Louis L’Amour.
The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston. I read the Green Knowe books a long time ago, but it’s time to re-read. I only remember that I enjoyed them very much as a child.
Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg. I have a special fondness for Southern fiction, and I loved the movie of Fried Green Tomatoes. So I’m hoping this one will be good.
The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher. I actually purchased this book at another book sale some time ago, but I haven’t “gotten a round tuit” yet.
Song of the Magdalene by Donna Jo Napoli. I’ve read another book by this YA author and liked it. This one is about Mary Magdalene.
Brothers by Angela Elwyn Hunt. A Bethany House fiction title about Joseph and his brothers.
Mennyms Under Siege by Sylvia Waugh. I’ve heard of this series of children’s books, but I don’t think this one is the first in the series. I may have to check out the first one to read them in order. Anyone know what that is?
Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor. I’ve been meaning to read this one for a long time. Now that Computer Guru Son has become a Prairie Home Companion fan, I must read Keillor’s book so that I can keep ahead of said son.
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.
1984 by George Orwell. Computer Guru Son has also been discussing secret government plots and conspiracies and privacy issues with a relative, so I recommended 1984 to him. So now I need to re-read it. It’s been over twenty years, and all I really remember is the rats and the slogans.
Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen Ambrose. The story of the transcontinental railroad. I thought this book would be good to read in preparation for the AP US history class I’m teaching next year.
The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry. Eldest Daughter has become of a Wendell Berry fan, and I see his name mentioned freely in agrarian circles and blogs. So I thought I should read something of his, even though I’m a city-girl myself.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
A Heart-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. I think this book is another one of those semi-autobiographical novels of questionable truthiness, but I’ve heard it’s good nevertheless. I opened to a random page at the book sale and found more yucky language than I care for on one page, so I may not get through it. We’ll see.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Another book I’ve been intending to read and perhaps recommend to Computer Guru Son who likes good science fiction.
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. Someone whose blog I read read this book recently (this year). Who was it?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Is it really good?
Queen’s Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris. A novel of Mary, Queen of Scots. I have a weak spot for Mary, even though she was a sort of weakling, sinful queen herself.
1066 and All That by Sellar and Yeatman. I thought this “memorable history of England, comprising, all the parts you can remember, including on hundred and three good things, five bad kings, and two genuine dates” looked like fun.
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. Should I know something about this book? I know I’ve heard of it. I have vague impression that it’s about Communism or conservatism or something of the kind.

Yeah, and that doesn’t count the children’s books I bought for the urchins, the science books I bought for Engineer Husband, and the paperback copies of American literature classics that I picked up for my American literature class at co-op next year. Don’t you just love book sales?

PS: Comments on any or all of these books are welcome. Your comments might help me decide what to read first.

Spunky of Spunky Homeschool asked the other day about homeschooling during the high school years:
Why do many homeschoolers put the kids in public school for the high school years?
What does it take to “finish well”?
What are the options for high school?

I have some thoughts on the high school years, although I don’t have it all figured out. Here’s what I wrote in Spunky’s comments:

Dual credit, online classes, homeschool co-op classes are all options we have used. I think finishing well requires looking at the options and weighing them carefully. My eldest could not have received nearly as good an education in our public high school as she gave herself at home. She’s very self-motivated and studious. She will graduate next year from a private college that she attended on full scholarship. Second child is different, lots of potential but not very disciplined. He taught himself guitar and web design for his ninth grade year—that’s all he did. Not that he didn’t have other assignments; he just didn’t do much of anything else. So he’s had to play catch-up, and he will be graduating this month at almost-19 years of age. For a child like this one, you need to be very clear about what your requirements for graduation are and then encourage them to meet those requirements in a way that achieves the goal. Public school would not have been any better for him. First, the public high school would not have required as much of him as we did, and he could have coasted through. Secondly, if he did as little his ninth grade year in public school as he did at home, he would have been placed in remedial classes–a disaster for an intelligent, but undisciplined, young man. So our options were limited to homeschool, homeschool, and homeschool. So far, for two children, we’ve done what we needed to do to make it work. I have two more in high school, and they’re doing some things at home, some classes online, and some classes outside the home.

I still think I can put together a better education with their cooperation than the public school can. I’ll post some more about this subject soon; I know lots of parents are looking ahead to the high school years with conflicting emotions: fear, trembling, hope, ambition.