Documenting a Teen’s Non-standard
Studies
by
Teresa Ward, Barbour County
West
Virginia's public school children need certain courses in order to graduate. As
home educators, we are not bound by those regulations, though you may want to
know what they are for reference. It's pretty standard: 4 credits in English, 3
in Math, 3 History, 3 Science, 2 PE, 1 Art or Music,... that sort of
thing; they pretty much reflect the typical official college
recommendations.
Of course, since I'm not
standard (I'm outside the box) and my children aren't standard (What box? I
didn't see any box!), my children's transcripts aren't standard either.
Without boring you with too
many details, let me share some of my eldest daughter’s transcript, which
gained her admittance to Davis & Elkins.
On one page, I listed all her courses in a nice chart format.
English:
Grammar...1/2
credit
Research
& Composition...1 cr.
Editor of
"The Turkey Quill"...1/2 cr.
Ancient
Lit...1/4 cr.
Medieval
Lit...1/4 cr.
American
Lit ... 1 1/2 cr.
Lit of
Appalachia...1/4 cr.
British
Lit...1/2cr.
Lit of the
Holocaust...1/4 cr.
The
following two pages contained explanations, such as:
Language Arts: Debbi took a single official “Grammar” course, but
most of what would be considered grammar was covered in the course of other
written work done for other reasons (such as history, science, or "The
Turkey Quill" newsletter). Literature was covered in conjunction with the
history units she studied over her high school career.
As
you might surmise, Debbi’s History course listings look an awful lot like the
English courses:
Ancient History & Geography...1 cr.
Medieval History & Geography...1/2 cr.
American History & Geography...1 cr.
WV History & Geography...1 cr.
Appalachian Culture...1 cr.
Twentieth Century...1/2 cr.
American Government...1/4 cr.
Economics...1/4 cr.
History:
For all courses, a
variety of methods was employed, including literature, non-fiction books, and
visits to historical sites. Debbi spent considerable time at Fort New
Salem (600+ hours as a volunteer, plus 280+ hours as a paid summer Historical
Agricultural Intern), where she took advantage of the many opportunities
offered to learn a great deal about WV History and Geography and about
Appalachian Culture. Much of Twentieth Century History was learned in
discussions with her grandparents and others who lived through the events of
the Great Depression, World War II, Korean & Vietnam Conflicts, and the
youth subculture of the 50's, 60's, & 70's. She also learned of many other
significant events of the century through contemporary writings, videos, and
library programs/displays. The traveling actors with the WV Humanities Council
provided additional insights into historical figures.
We documented Debbi’s work in Math, Science,
Computer Applications, Homesteading, Home Ec, Occupational Education, Phys.
Ed., Art, and so on, in a similar way.
Except for Homesteading, I did not label courses as
I, II, III, or IV or as 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th. Instead, I used a more
specific and descriptive title, as you can see with the English & History
courses above. (“Homesteading” is the
title I gave to all the farm work she did...fences, animal husbandry, lawn
care, welding, mechanics, etc.)
For Carnegie units -- what most of us know from our
own school careers -- one credit equals 45-50 minutes daily in class for 180
days, plus homework. Factoring in the more efficient use of time in a
homeschool situation (we didn’t have wasted class time, excused absences, snow
days or school assemblies), the “expert” consensus seems to be to assign 135
hrs per Carnegie unit for a homeschool high school student, or completing
80% of a textbook.
As you can tell, I'm not afraid to grant 1/4 or 1/2
credits where warranted. I could not figure out any other way to count Debbi’s
work in a meaningful way. We don't use textbooks, so I noted on her transcript
that her work was “interdisciplinary.” (I love that word!)
The record-keeping forms in Senior High: A
Home-Designed Form+U+La can help you keep track of your young person's
schoolwork whether you use textbooks, track time spent studying a particular
subject, meet specific objectives, or some other method. And it's quite all
right to choose a different record-keeping format for different courses.
I kept track of all work, not just what she did
during school hours. We counted everything, all year long, especially since
apprenticeships were a major part of Debbi’s high school years.
Apprenticeships
For our family, apprenticeships mean a specified time period spent in a
real-life work situation to learn some of what happens in a workplace; we use
them to help determine what career goals our young people might have.
Most of my daughter's apprenticeship experience was
at Fort New Salem, which provided her with more experiences than I ever
imagined. She not only learned some “old-timey” skills (History & Folk
Art credits), but also learned waitressing at their Tavern during special
events (several times a year for several years, counted in her Home Ec
credits), and retailing as she helped with pricing & cashier work in the
Gift Shop (counted in Occupational Education credits). Her participation in
History Day at the Legislature gave her credit in American Government, and
she garnered History credit through her involvement in reenactments at the fort
and at the Vandalia Gathering. This was in addition to the self-esteem and
confidence she gained as she was not only accepted in the adult world, but
counted on! In fact, they hired her on several occasions for pay when
regular staff were unavailable.
Over the years Debbi’s apprenticeships and other
activities cost a tidy sum of money. However, they would have been much more
expensive in another venue, I believe. And the individual expenditures were
mostly small amounts.
My daughter’s apprenticeships were volunteer
positions, mostly one day a week for 8 to 12 weeks, except for her work at
Fort New Salem, which amounted to one day a week for most weeks over several
years. For other families, a couple of hours every day might work
better. It depends upon the family, the student, and the workplace. There
are many small businesses that could use help from an interested person in
exchange for training. Usually those business people love their work and
are happy to share their knowledge and expertise with young people.
For each apprenticeship, I requested an evaluation
from the trainer (on a form from EdPLUS that I provided). If my daughter got
along well, she would request a general recommendation letter for her files. No
one ever refused. I liked her to keep a journal of her experiences, which we
used later when I was compiling the transcript.
Our current high school student is obsessed with
horses, and her apprenticeships actually began a few years ago when her
trainer offered her a volunteer position helping on the horse farm in exchange
for free lessons. Over the next few years, we plan for her to work for other
horse stables/trainers, probably a vet or two, a farrier perhaps. Who knows
where this might lead? She already gives riding lessons to the daughter
of a friend of mine. She participates in horse shows, perhaps the opportunity
will come for her to assist behind the scenes or maybe learn to judge.
What interests your high school student? Whether
it’s auto mechanics or hairstyling, police or hospital work, entomology or
architecture, look for someone in your area who is involved in this work and
ask about a short-term apprenticeship. That will likely open up more
opportunities.
I worried about the high school years long before they arrived, but with the help of some good books (see Recommended Resources), we developed a system that worked for us and helped my daughter achieve her goals.
————— WVHEA ——–
A
Word About Grades
Debbi received A’s in all
her courses, and I listed her Quality Points (the Grade Point Average scale: A =
4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0). I didn’t give weighted grades; all her courses
were college/life prep, but none were taken at a college. (Weighted grades are
often given now for college coursework completed in high school, so an A = 5.0,
B = 4.0, C = 3.0, D = 2.0.)
Our policy has always been
that we don't go on until the child masters the material, so if the subject is
learned, then it's an "A" in my opinion. In many ways, I think grades
are irrelevant, but colleges ask for them and depend on them for information
that is difficult to determine any other way. Debbi’s SAT and ACT scores did
support the good grades she received.
You don't have to rush out and buy these all at once
(about $500 plus shipping), and in fact, I would recommend you borrow them
first so you can decide what you need. I accumulated mine over the
course of several years. I figure these resources saved me far more than $500
in unnecessary expenses for my daughter’s high school years, and there are
three more children following her!
from
Barb Shelton:
Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+La
Lab Science: The How, Why, What, Who, 'n' Where Book
www.homeschooloasis.com
from
Inge Cannon:
Mentoring Your Teen (formerly Apprenticeship PLUS) www.edplus.com
from
Lynda Coats:
Far Above Rubies (for young women)
Blessed is the Man (for young men)
www.farandblessed.com
Also
very helpful:
The Guidance Manual for the Christian Home School by David & Laurie
Callihan (also useful for non-Christians)
From Homeschool to College and Work by Alison McKee
The High School Handbook by Mary Schofield
Homeschooling the High Schooler by Diana McAlister and Candice Oneschak
The high school handbook from your local public high
school.
Of
course, there are many other resources; these are just those that I've
found most useful.
— Teresa Ward