Subject: Friend, Caregiving on Homeschool Heartbeat, High School Requirements, Struggling Learners, more
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The Everyday Educator17 January 2012 In This Issue
Dear Friend, Are you caregiving while homeschooling? If so, you may enjoy this week's Homeschool Heartbeat series. I was able to share a few snippets of encouragement with host Mike Smith, and they are airing for one minute a day, each day this week. The show is also heard on many radio stations nationwide. Here's the link you need to listen online:
I can't wait to see all the great entries! I'll share them with you in Tuesday's blog post at http://Janice-Campbell.com. I hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter, and find it helpful. Remember, you're always welcome to forward it to friends (with a little note, so they know why they're getting it!). Enjoy your week! Blessings, Janice Campbell Fresh from the Blog The most active part of the Taking Time for Things that Matter blog has been comments on the post, "How I Chose Great Books for Excellence in Literature." Readers have been asking about compatible history courses, using audio books, and more. If you're interested, you might want to stop by and read the comments section. The Map that Inspired Treasure Island: A guest post by author Celia Blue Johnson Three New Contests: Poetry, Art, and Essays Reminder: Click each article title to read the post on the blog. High School Requirements: The Wrong Question?by Janice Campbell Parents wonder how many years of which subjects their student must take in order to graduate from high school, and that’s certainly an understandable question. However, there are reasons why it isn’t the most important question you need to ask. One reason is that graduation standards have only minor variations across the country. You can find a printable page outlining basic requirements at Everyday Education (and more details in Transcripts Made Easy). As you work to decide on your high school curriculum, there are two questions that are far more important than the question of basic requirements. You need to ask:
These two questions will guide you in developing a curriculum plan that truly fits your student’s interests and goals. Traditional state high school requirements are usually minimal, and of little help in tailoring a program that makes the best use of your student’s time. The earlier you can answer the two questions above, the more focused and useful your curriculum will be. For example, a student who has a math/science bent and hopes to go to MIT would have at least four years of math on his or her high school transcript, but it will most likely be a higher-level sequence than the three to four years of math on a prospective English or history major’s transcript. Both students would also have at least four years of English, but the student who hopes to attend a liberal arts school and become a journalist should have additional electives that contribute toward the well-rounded knowledge base needed in his future profession. Most colleges and vocational schools list admission requirements on their websites, and this can be very helpful in curriculum planning. Even more helpful is the profile of the average student admitted to the school. If your student is dreaming of a university where the average incoming student has a 4.9 grade point average, a 2400 SAT score, and a transcript bristling with AP courses, it is obvious that he or she will have to far exceed the minimum requirements of the state in order to be considered for admission. For students who don’t plan to go to college (a plan that often changes once they’ve been in the workforce for a few months!), it’s still important to cover the basics in a way that fits their interests and prepares them for the future. If they hope to work in a trade, their curriculum should contain not only courses that develop knowledge needed in the trade, but also the academic and business skills they’ll need to be successful. Most will eventually become parents, so family and life skills (the classes included in “home economics” when I was in school) are very important as well. There is a lot more to planning a high school curriculum than just meeting basic requirements designed for a generic “average” student. You can help your teen create a high school curriculum that will develop their interests, make the most of their teen years, and truly prepare them for adulthood if you look beyond the basics. In case you missed it the first time, here's a review of a valuable resource. Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl, A Review
Asking “Is School Working for Your Child?” Kuhl begins by discussing educational options for children with various learning difficulties or attention disorders, then proceeds to address issues such as evaluation, diagnosis, therapies, treatments and training. The planning chapter walks the reader step-by-step through the process of setting goals, learning about available options, and implementing a structure that will work best for your family. Throughout the book, sidebars and boxed information add detail and structure. Kuhl is frank about the challenges of working with a struggling learner, but she provides the reader with ample encouragement, information, and resources to approach the task with reasonable objectives. You may order Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner (priced at an astonishingly low $14.95) through Kathy's website, www.LearnDifferently.com. I encourage you to order directly through Kathy, as she is a small publisher, and it makes a big difference in what she earns for each book. I hope you've enjoyed this issue of the newsletter. If you have questions you'd like to have answered, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or e-mail me, and I'll do my best to get you an answer. Please feel free to forward it in its entirety to anyone who may enjoy it, and invite them to subscribe. Thank you! With gratitude, Janice Visit the website! www.Everyday-Education.com Be sure to check the Taking Time for Things that Matter blog for weekly (usually) updates. www.Janice-Campbell.com If you work with words, or want to, you need to get "The Edge: Success Strategies for People Who Work With Words," a free newsletter from the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors at www.NAIWE.com . |
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Nothing beats hands-on, in-the-trenches encouragement and advice from families who have worked with struggling learners. Sometimes, just getting a glimpse of the challenges that others face can help you face your own. In this remarkable 375-page book, author and speaker Kathy Kuhl brings together the stories of 64 families who are working with struggling learners.