Where have the months and years gone?

I've been significantly absent from this blog for far too long. Don't think for a moment that I was lounging on a secluded island paradise ... that rarely happens in real life. No, I've been working through a season of change, and I'm still in the process.

May saw my usual busy schedule of homeschool conventions - I traveled to Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Florida - in which I was delighted to speak with hundreds of homeschool families. I gave workshops for large groups, but the most rewarding is speaking directly with homeschooling parents, finding out where they are in their homeschool journey, what their goals are, what ages they are teaching, and offering them suggestions for making the journey simpler and more fulfilling. I love it! God equipped me as an encourager, and has given me many experiences from which to share.

Once the conventions were over we had the final flurry of preparations for the high school graduation of our youngest son. There was plenty of planning and prep that went into our ceremony for 12 local homeschooled students, and it was punctuated with foggy reminiscent periods of the 19 years that we have homeschooled. This wasn't just his graduation, it was mine, too. I am no longer an active homeschooling parent. Wow! I never pictured this day when we first ventured into homeschooling so many years ago. Sure, there have been some rough times, but I wouldn't trade our experiences for anything, especially not a yellow school bus.

Graduation might have brought a lull for many, but not for our family. Our son had chosen to enlist in the Army and was scheduled to leave for Basic Training less than two weeks later. We began an unchoreographed dance around each other - he trying to see all the friends that he would miss while he was gone, me trying to get details sorted out to ensure that what he needed to take was at hand and prayerfully processing the varying emotions of my youngest grown up and leaving home. That was one of the bigger shocks. Unlike the older two who went to college and came back home after each semester, the youngest was going to leave and not come home again except for hoped-for annual leave from duty, and we won't know where he will be living until later this fall. I haven't lived in this unknown since my years in my parents' home (Dad was a Marine) and the first decade of marriage (husband was in the Army).

So I'm wandering new territory. Writing letters by hand to my son who has no computer access during Basic Training, sorting through emotions, and seeking the path and plan that God has for me in this new season of life. Meanwhile, I hope to be able to impart some of what I have learned through my homeschool journey and what I am learning now. I welcome your company along the road.

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.

Transcripts - What's the Buzz?

As I have talked with homeschoolers, it appears that one of the primary concerns of those considering the high school years is the issue of transcripts. The very term seems to strike fear into homeschoolers. Okay, I'll admit that as my oldest entered high school, I was not certain how I would create a transcript, but a friend walked me through the process, and perhaps now I can alleviate your fears by walking you through it as well.

First of all, there are two different aspects to preparing a transcript: 1) compiling the records, and 2) actually creating the document.

Compiling the records is best done yearly rather than in the final stages of the senior year. Think step by step, line by line, course by course. It is much easier to collect the information about the courses that your child completes when the material is fresh on your mind. For each of these courses, I recommend that you keep a list of what was studied, what materials were used, and how much time was devoted to the process. Your child's course may fall into a very common title such as Algebra 1, in which case you will likely have used a textbook and your child will have completed daily lessons. This is an easy course to record, since most textbook-based courses that are designed for two semesters of study would be considered 1 credit for a high school transcript. If you are recording a course of your own development, or one that is not designed in a traditional format, you will need to have your child maintain a log of the time spent on the coursework so that you can determine how much course credit to give - traditionally, 1 credit would represent 120-150 hours of work, but given the tutorial nature and efficiency of homeschooling, I lean toward the 120 hours for 1 credit. You should also create a brief description of each course and its goals as you compile your records.

The next step for transcripts is actually creating the form. This is easiest to do using the computer, but you still need to select the format you wish to use. Lest you be concerned that your transcript will not look like others, be assured that every school district produces a transcript that looks unique. Some transcripts show the coursework chronologically, and some group the coursework by general subject areas (such as English, Math, Science, and Electives). Either way is acceptable. Sonlight offers some helpful resources in Cafi Cohen's Homeschooler's College Admissions Handbook and Barb Shelton's Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+La. I have used Excel Spreadsheet software to format my transcripts and print them off. Barb Shelton offers a good suggestion ... when you print your transcript in black ink, have the principal (Dad?) sign it in blue ink so that it is clearly an original copy.

Now, when you are using a non-traditional program such as Sonlight Curriculum's literature-based Cores, you may wonder how it breaks down into courses. I'll post that in my next installment.

Homeschooling High School

High school at home? Most definitely! Many parents approach me with concerns about their ability to teach the high school subjects, but I assure them - and you - that it is not the daunting task that it may seem. There is a vast array of resources available to homeschooling parents of high school students - ranging from self-study courses, to tutoring settings, to traditional texts taught by parent or by video - and don't overlook the rewarding approach of learning alongside your student. I never thought I would be learning Latin at my age, but I have found it both fascinating and rewarding to study along with my sons. Now when we tour historical sites, it has become a game to translate the wording on the seals and official plaques we encounter.

Let's face it, many of us feel inadequate to "teach" high school because we don't remember much of the material that we were supposed to have learned in our high school years. That's really not a problem. As I've worked through courses alongside my sons, I've refreshed some knowledge, discovered new areas of interest and gained some new understanding of knowledge that I had retained. That was beneficial for me, but it also demonstrated that learning can be a life-long adventure.

You might find it helpful to hear input from several Sonlighters – including me – from the Staying the Course podcast on the Sonlight website. Listen and be encouraged!

By the way, the handsome graduate pictured above is my youngest and last one.

What started our homeschool journey?

Ask any homeschool parent what prompted them to begin investigating homeschooling and you will, no doubt, hear a unique story. Our reasons can be as varied as our taste in food and clothing, or our family backgrounds.

Our family's home school journey began in 1990. After teaching the middle of our three sons to read as a preschooler, we attended the local public school's Kindergarten orientation and realized very quickly that he would not be sufficiently challenged in their course of study. I had several friends who home schooled and encouraged me to consider it, so we decided to bring our oldest son home from public school and begin home schooling with a 3rd grader, a Kindergartener and a baby.

Of course, we started off with traditional textbooks because that was what I knew from my school experience. We managed through our first years this way, but frankly, it got boring...and quite challenging for me to cover all subjects for so many different grade levels. Eventually, I decided to leave the textbooks for a more hands-on learning approach and joined 4 families in a co-op using unit-based materials. Learning in this way was much more exciting, but it was not uncommon for me to spend at least 3 hours each weekend preparing for our lessons.

As our oldest son approached high school, I began looking for a method that would provide for this level of study, help me break away from a pile of textbooks for each child, and release me from extensive preparation time. I found my answer in Sonlight Curriculum. The Instructor's Guides minimize the need for preparation, we enjoyed reading much of our materials as a family, and instead of a pile of textbooks written for a captive audience, we enjoyed a collection of books that immersed our family in the environment and lives of the people who made history. Just months into our first year using Sonlight Curriculum, my children voted unanimously that it was the most fun they had had in school.

Now our oldest son has graduated from college, married and is starting a family, while the middle son is in college, and the youngest is finishing high school. For those of you who think that high school is simply too big an undertaking for the home environment, I would encourage you to reconsider. While we would all agree that it is best for parents to be home with preschoolers, I personally feel that our teenagers need us just as much. By home schooling in the high school years, you can help to shape your child's studies to prepare him for his future and provide stable support and guidance as your teen tests his or her wings.

You don't have to have the end figured out when you first start ... trust me, I certainly did not! In the beginning it was a one year at a time commitment. And then one day I realized that home school was a part of our lives, something I no longer needed to debate each summer. It has benefitted us as a family and as individuals, and enabled us to touch many lives in ways that we never would have had we followed the "norm" of shunting our children off to traditional school.