Dear Friend,

It's back-to-school time once again- I hope you're rested and ready to go! I've enjoyed hanging new calendars and clearing out file drawers in preparation for the new year, and we're now enjoying some unusually mild weather. It's hard to believe it's 60 degrees in mid-January!

On to the news....

Upcoming Events:

A Beat-the-Clock essay workshop is being considered for Colonial Heights, VA in February. If you might be interested in having your student participate, be sure to watch the www.EssayWorkshop.com website for details.

From the Blog:

High School Transcripts: Two Frequently Asked Questions

Creating a high school transcript is easier than it looks, but there are a few questions that tend to recur like dandelions in springtime. The beginning of the spring semester seems a good time to review a couple of the questions that are most frequently asked.

The winner of the most FAQ (frequently asked question) contest would have to be some variation of the following:

Q- My 10-year-old is doing Saxon Calculus this year. Can we count it on his high school transcript?
A- Read more on the blog....
Speaking of my blog, I post a new article there almost every Tuesday. I have been letting my newsletter mailing list automatically send out a notice to the list with a link to the new article, but if you'd rather have the article itself delivered to your inbox, you can add your e-mail to the box in the right column of the blog.

Finally, A Word of Encouragement from a Teaching Mom

If you've battled the fear of homeschooling through high school, I think you'll be encouraged by this sweet note I received. I often get interesting notes from people who have read my books, but Dawn from Ohio wrote a note that needed to be shared. Not because she said something nice about my book, but because she speaks from the heart about a fear that is common to many. Dawn wanted to encourage other homeschool moms, and with this note, I think she has. I think you'll find her joy contagious. I know I did!

Hi Janice,

I just finished your book, Transcripts Made Easy , and finished making my daughter's High School Records Book. I even made one for her friend. I just couldn't stop. :)

It's amazing how I went from intimidated and clueless before your book to excited and prepared after. I was grateful to figure out that many of the extra things she is doing can be compiled into a class and I can give her credit for it. I made 4 extra classes out of things I was going to have her do but didn't know how to account for it as a class.

I certainly appreciate the gift God has given you to help make this homeschooling choice so much easier! Thank you so much for answering my questions. I feel like a kid with a new toy. I am so relieved and joyful.

I spent a lot of time imagining teaching high school to be difficult. It was wasted time because that is just not true. It was silly of me to make a decision of my inability to do something when I didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing in the first place. I think that unfounded fear begins well before it it time to teach high school. At least it did for me.

Honestly, if my husband had not encouraged me to look into early graduation and early college and just figure it out, I would have probably pushed for sending her to a Christian school. I think when you imagine something for so long, such as teaching high school is too hard, your decisions end up being based upon a lie.

I wish there was something I could do to help other parents realize that it is not hard to teach through high school and spare them from years of believing a lie, living in that fear and making the choice not to homeschool in high school because of it. I know they would have a much more relaxed and peaceful homeschool experience.

Thank you for your help and thank God for leading me to your website!

Blessings,

Dawn C., Ohio

And that is all for January. I wish you a most joyous 2008!