First Event of the Season

I attended my first event of the season last weekend. It was the CHEF of LA Homeschool Convention in Greenwell Springs, LA. This is my homestate event, and one of the smaller ones that I do, so I have the benefit of getting to know attendees and recognizing those who return year after year.


I guess since my youngest will be graduating this year, I'm getting more nostalgic as the graduation date approaches. This year, I realized that there were some attending with their small children who I remember attending as middle-school and high school students in my early years of representing Sonlight. Rather than wallow in feeling old, though, this makes me rejoice to see another generation pursuing the high calling of homeschooling their children. What a gift!

"Goal" is not a 4-letter word

I have always had a part of me that resists setting goals. I don't know whether it is the connotation of the word that makes me think goals are hard and will take forever, or whether I just never had it modeled for me as a child. Whatever the reason, this is an area that I am working on in my life. Funny how various things will speak to you when you are focused on a theme ...

The following is from The Word For You Today devotional that I read regularly:
"Good planning and insight...bring...you honor and respect." Prov 3:21-22 NLT
People who set goals accomlish much more than people of equal educatio nand ability who don't. With that in mind, build these eight principles into your life.
1) Decide what you want. But first consult God. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Pr 19:21 NIV)
2) Think on paper. Writing your goals down gives them a sense of permanency, plus it energizes you. "Good planning and insight...bring...you honor and respect." Wishy-washy objectives won't get you where you want to go.
3) Establish a deadline. Without a definite beginning and ending, it's easy to procrastinate and get nowhere.
4) Make a list of what you need to do. Keep it before you at all times; it'll give you a track to run on.
5) Convert your list to a plan. Decide what you need to do first and what you can do later. An organized plan is always better than trying to carry stuff around in your head.
6) Act immediately. "Be very careful, then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity." (Eph 5:15-16 NIV) Do something! A mediocre plan that's implemented beats a brilliant one that's not.
7) Do something every day to move you forward. Build it into your schedule. For example, read systematically through your Bible, call a specific number of clients, engage in physical activity for a given time.
8) Have a goal you're willing to devote your life to ... and keep your eye on that goal at all times. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps 90:12 NIV)

I found that this gave me a guide, set a process for setting goals and added pointers for pursuing the goals. Granted, we don't all meet our deadlines, and goals may change over time, but I've heard it said, "If you're aiming at nothing, you're sure to hit it." I'm working to fine-tune my aim ... how 'bout you?

Translating Sonlight to Transcript Courses

In my last post I promised to provide some guidelines for breaking down Sonlight Core programs into courses that can be reported on a high school transcript. You probably recognize that Sonlight's Core programs comprise a variety of components - Bible, History, Literature, and Vocabulary/Composition in the older levels. In order to include your child's Sonlight studies on a transcript, it is best to separate these components into separate course credit. The titles you give these courses can vary according to your preference or the expectations of the college to which your child will be applying. A quick note here - your child's transcript is similar to a resume that would be submitted when applying for a job. When job hunting, it's not uncommon to tailor the resume to the business ... likewise, you can adapt your child's transcript to the particular college, even creating a unique one for each college to which your child applies. The courses wouldn't change on each one, but the way that you present them in order to highlight particular ones may make a difference in how your child's transcript is evaluated.

So, what Sonlight Core programs would be appropriate for high school credit? I would say - and this is my opinion - that Core 5 and higher could be justified as high school studies. Naturally, you would expect a high school student who is doing Core 5 (Eastern Hemispheres) to put more work into the program and projects than you would an elementary-aged student, but given the prominence that Eastern Hemisphere countries are carrying in current events, I believe that this Core program could provide an effective foundation for understanding international affairs. The likely course credit from this program would be a World Culture course titled according to your child's focus in the study, and Bible credit. The related Language Arts 5 program can provide Composition credit, but high school students do not normally count grammar as part of English credit.

Core 6 and 7 provide a two-year study of World History. These can be done as outlined, or you may prefer to focus on just the Alt 7 Condensed World History course, or the Core 7 as Modern World History (modern meaning since the Renaissance). I would suggest that the latter two options would fit better in the traditional outline of high school course requirements. Again, these would provide World History course credit, Bible credit, Composition credit if the writing assignments are completed, and Intro to Literature credit.

Core 100 provides an In-depth American History course, along with Bible, Composition and Literature credit. The amount of credit - 1/4, 1/2 or a full credit - is dependent on the amount of time devoted to the particular portions of the Core program or coursework.

Core 200 provides a study titled, History of God's Kingdom. I have used this title on a transcript submitted to a Christian college, or shifted the course title to World Civilizations for a transcript submitted to a secular college. Again, the course would generally provide credit for History, Bible, Composition and Literature.

Core 300 provides a World History course focused on the 20th Century. You may want to indicate that focus in your course title. The Core would provide credit for History, Bible, Composition and 20th Century Classic Literature. In this case, I gave my sons a full course credit for the Literature because of the numbers of works that were included.

Core 400 provides a combination of American Government and Civics, along with a hefty dose of American Literature. If your child covers all of the scheduled materials, I would suggest that you can give 1 credit for American Government, 1/2 credit for Civics or Political Science, 1 credit for Bible, 1/2 credit for Composition, and 1 credit for American Literature. You may even choose to give "honors" credit for portions of the Core 300 or Core 400 programs because of the robust content when compared to traditional textbook programs.

Lastly, Core 530 provides a focus on British Literature. This is not a complete Core program in the sense of incorporating Bible, History and Literature, but can be used in preparation for taking the AP English Literature exam. Please note that this course is not endorsed as an AP course by the College Board.

I highly recommend Cafi Cohen's book, Homeschoolers' College Admission Handbook, for guidance and samples of high school transcripts.