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INDEX:
“I
have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Homeschooling
High School
Did you know that John Quincy Adams entered
Harvard at age 14? This was common back then and it
is becoming more common again today. There is no reason
that a child capable of high school level work cannot
begin working on their high school requirements at
age 14 or even earlier.
There
is nothing in the law that says your children must take United
States History in junior high and again in senior high even
though that is what most schools do. Instead, teach it once,
covering it thoroughly even if it takes more than one year.
Then write it on their high school transcript. (Because of
the amount of material covered in history, most schools now
teach history in periods such as US History to 1876 and Modern
US History, awarding one credit for each course completed.
Science can be done the same way: teach anatomy, botany, geology,
physical science, oceanography, etc. as separate courses.
By beginning these courses earlier, your child will not only
cover more topics and gain a more thorough understanding of
the topics covered, but will also have time to do more hands-on
activities and lab work.)
Plot
out your course of study for the next six years. Habakkuk
1:2 "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (notebook
paper!), that he may run that readeth it." At the start
of junior high school, obtain copies of admission requirements
from colleges or trade schools your child might be interested
in attending. College and trade school catalogs are free
for the asking. Keep these requirements in mind as you plan
your course of study. Feel free to use my free High
School Planning Form (pdf document) to help you plot your
high school years.
As
your children get into their junior high and senior high
years, their gifts and specific callings will become more
evident. This is the time to expand on those subjects you've
already introduced them to and begin tailoring their studies
to suit each of their specific career or ministry needs.
Two good resources that will help with this are Discovering
Your God-Given Gifts by Don and Katie Fortune and The
Checklist by Cindy Downes.
Get
them involved in volunteer positions that utilize their skills,
talents, and interests. Consider internships and apprenticeships.
Seventy-five percent of the Swiss population go into apprenticeships
around age 15 (equivalent to 8th-9th grade). Feel free to
use the Career Development/Internship
Course (pdf document) I wrote for high school. (pdf document)
Apprenticeship
programs are usually run by private employers and consist
of one half on-the-job training and one half formal instruction.
Apprenticeships are not easy to come by, but I have found
that with a lot of prayer and by asking questions of people
you know, you can find them. One way to initiate an apprenticeship
program is to approach a business owner with the idea of allowing
your child to spend one afternoon at their place of business
to observe. If that works out for both parties, ask the business
owner if the child could come and volunteer on a regular basis.
This means sweeping floors, filing, washing windows, etc.
Your child must be willing to do the grunt work! You will
find that over time, if your child is diligent and faithful,
he will be welcomed with open arms and slowly given more career-related
work. This volunteer work may eventually lead to a paid position
during high school or even a life-time career.
Business
people are looking for good employees; and when they find
someone who has potential, they will do all that they can
to help train him. If a degree is necessary, some business
owners will even help with funds for education. Even if your
child decides from this experience that he does not want to
pursue a career in this particular field, think of the time
and money you have saved!
Don't
be overly concerned about a possible inability to teach high
school level math and science courses that your children might
need. If you train them in their early years to be independent
learners and self-motivated, they will be able to teach themselves
what they need to know as long as you get them the necessary
materials. If, however, you haven't done such a good job in
this area, or if you're starting to homeschool later in their
academic career, check out other resources for these difficult
subjects such as homeschool co-ops, paid tutors, correspondence
courses, and online courses over the internet.
Continue
to work your plan, making adjustments as needed. High school
is not as hard as you think. It's actually the most rewarding
time of your homeschool career because this is the time that
you will begin to see the fruits of your labor.
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High
School Graduation Requirements
The
high school graduation requirements for Oklahoma public
schools are posted on the Oklahoma
State Department of Education website - Graduation
Requirements.
High
School Diplomas
Public
school and some private schools offer “accredited”
diplomas. What this means is that all the members of the
school system pay to belong to an accrediting organization
which determines specific rules for how and when to teach
each course, the number of hours each course must be taught,
and the curriculum that must be used to teach the course.
In return for following these rules, the school can offer “accredited” diplomas.
Many
Christian schools have their own accreditation agency which
regulates their coursework based on Biblical standards.
While their diplomas are “accredited” by their accrediting
agency, their diplomas are not “accredited” in the
eyes of the public school system. Other Christian schools
and private schools choose not to belong to any accrediting
agency and therefore do not offer “accredited” diplomas.
Homeschool diplomas are not “accredited.”
If
your child transfers from one school to another, his credits
will be accepted without question by all schools who belong
to the same accrediting agency. His credits may or may
not be accepted if his previous school does not belong
to the same accrediting agency. It's totally up to the school's
discretion.This
is true for elementary and secondary schools as well as for
colleges and trade schools.
Most
colleges and trade schools do not require diplomas from homeschooled
students. Instead they base their decision to enroll on transcripts,
testing, and interviews. For those few colleges and trade
schools that do require diplomas, your child may have to take
the GED. We do not recommend taking the GED unless it is completely
necessary as a GED indicates to perspective employers that
the child dropped out of school. To decide whether or not
your child needs an accredited diploma, contact the school
system or college where your child wants to attend.
Most
homeschooled students find that they do not need an “accredited”
diploma. In this case, parents typeset their own diploma
or simply forego one altogether. ProSara
Software sells simple-to-use computer software to
enable homeschoolers to create their own professionally
designed diplomas and transcripts. Another free resource
is this simple, printable
diploma created by Donna Young.
High
School Graduation
Many support
groups or homeschool
organizations offer a high school graduation ceremony. If
you cannot find a graduation service in your area,
send out graduation announcements to your friends and
relatives and have your own celebration at home or
rent a hall and go out out with a dinner!
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High
School Classes, Co-op, and Tutors
If
you are looking for public
education at home,
here are some choices:
Oklahoma
Virtual High School. This is an online, "alternative
education" for high school students.
(University
of Oklahoma) OU
High School Online.
K-12 -
Online high school
Keystone
National High School - online high school
Stanford's
Education Program for Gifted Youth -
Online Highschool for gifted students.
Tulsa
Learning Academy - meets in the Promenade Mall.
Non-traditional
or Christian online education
at home,
here are some choices:
Clonlara
School. Online school for nontraditional high
school. Design your own course of study.
Christian
Liberty Academy - Christian education.
Eagle
Christian School - Online Christian education.
Kingsway
Classical Academy - Web-Based, Classical education
for 7-12.
Northstar
Academy. Online learning program for grades
7 - 12th using Abeka textbooks and Saxon math.
Co-ops in Oklahoma,
here are some choices:
Cornerstone
Tutorial Center located at 3160A S. 129th E.
Ave., Tulsa, offers classes for the 5-12th grades
in a wide variety of subjects, including algebra,
biology, chemistry, computer science and foreign
language. Their classes are open to families who
have homeschooled at least one year. Contact: Susan
Strelow at 918-664-9527. “The
Basics” booklet contains information
on testing, transcripts, sports scholarships, websites
and book titles, and a time line for preparing for
college. If you would like to purchase this resource,
contact Cornerstone Tutorial Center at 918-664-9527.
Individual
courses online,
here are some choices:
AP
Online Classes from Pennsylvania Homeschoolers.
Earn college credit online!
Keystone
National High School - individual online high school
classes
Patrick
Henry College - distance learning high
school classes (as well as a 4-year college). This
college was created FOR homeschoolers BY homeschoolers.
Highly recommended.
The
Big Red House. Online learning, one class at a time for
Christian homeschoolers, gifted students, and others. Classes
are available in Philosophy, Ethics, Religion, Business, Government,
Language, Science, Art, Literature, Costs: $25.00-$250.00
per class. Email: bigredhs.ptd.net
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Military
Information
Here's
a letter that was printed in the HSLDA newsletter:
Dear HSLDA members and friends:
Homeschool Legal Defense Association was recently contacted
by Capt. James D. Couch, a Flight Commander in the 349th
United States Air Force Recruiting Squadron. The 349th
Squadron encompasses most of Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas,
and Kansas.
While evaluating approximately 25 to 35 homeschooled
students in the Air Force, Capt. Couch noticed that these
students, as a trend, scored higher on the Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) then most other applicants.
This impressed Capt. Couch.
At the same time Capt. Couch was concerned that the Air
Force was missing out on a large population of high quality
applicants. Recruiters are able to schedule visits to a
public school or attend college and career fairs. While
there is a definite trend in higher performance among homeschooled
students, recruiters have fewer ways of reaching out to
these students and relating the opportunities available
to them for their possible service in the Air Force.
Faced
with this dilemma Capt. Couch contacted HSLDA for
help. Capt. Couch is not a recruiter; however, he would
be happy to direct any homeschool student to a qualified
United States Air Force recruiter under his command. If
interested you can contact him at both Rso349@rs.af.mil and
james.couch@rs.af.mil.
If you are a homeschool student in Oklahoma, Missouri,
Arkansas or Kansas and have a desire to serve your nation
through military service, we would like to encourage you
to contact Capt. Couch and find out more about how service
in the Air Force could benefit both you and the United
States.
Capt. Couch assures us that Air Force recruiters will
not badger interested individuals, but rather act as liaisons
between needs and desires of perspective applicants and
the needs of the United States Air Force. To see a copy
of the letter Captain Couch sent to HSLDA please visit
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4119.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Schmidt
HSLDA Staff Attorney
Here
are more resources for homeschooling high school:
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