Good Monday Morning!

When we embarked on this journey called homeschooling, I was so excited!  We started learning and discovering about the many wonders of Florida! Its marine life, their mammals, their very unique garbage disposal practices and the habitat. Over the next few months, my emotions went from exhilarated to worried to down right scared! What if 'I' failed them? Could 'I' do this?

Everyone around me made home based education look so easy! They'd be jumping into their minivans and head out to the library, the museum, or a homeschool drama class. Yet I was just struggling to make my son understand what a preposition was! And it was already 11 o'clock! Meanwhile, my husband is having his doubts about this nonsense. Could they still go to College? Yeah, here in Florida!

Then we moved back to Quebec. "What about now?", he asked. So I began my search. I don't care whether you are a traditional homeschooler, child-led or an unschooler, we all want our children to succeed academically! My children are college bound, Cejep bound or if you prefer, are headed for post secondary education. I asked all my groups, other parents, checked out websites. No one had any clear answers. So how? How could I ensure my children had a post homeschool experience in an accredited Cejep or College?

Simple. Our child's portfolio. Record keeping is extremely important. In the elementary years (cycle 1 to 3), we have it easy, teach them to read, write and math, the basics. We put great pieces of work into their portfolios and store the rest. Printout completion certificates for years accomplished (Check out my blog titled, 'Links ~ You should know about')

Our true job begins when we embark on the secondary years. The program is 5 years. This five year period is broken down into two cycles. The first is basic knowledge. (Maths, Science, English, French (second language)). In the second cycle electives are being implemented. We must spend time documenting the hours spent studying core subjects as well as electives. Our children need a minimum of 25 hours to receive one unit (credit). They need 54 units to graduate. Okay, now what?

Codes. We need to use the universally accepted codes for keeping track of our children's units. They don't want to see our boxes full of unit studies, crafts, projects or workbooks. They want to see those all important letter/number combinations. And whether you like it or not, they want to see your child's results from Ministry prescribed examinations. The following link will not only explain our children's units of study but also explains how the codes work and give us a complete list of the codes being used in the province of Quebec today! Don't forget, your child's work counts for 50% and the exam for 50%. They expect our children to be tested out in the second cycle, that's year 4 and 5. The best site I found on the internet that explains the secondary years is Secondary Education in Canada: A Student Transfer Guide .

My advice to everyone...start using the codes. Stay on track. It's okay to study every subject your child is interested in but stay focused on the big picture, that door to your child's College years!