It's never too early to begin gathering information about homeschooling through high school. Regardless of our children's future dreams and aspirations--whether they want to graduate and begin missionary work, own their own businesses, learn a trade, or attend college, for many homeschooling parents, homeschooling through high school seems daunting. However, with the impressive selection of high school curricula and resources on the market, the explosion of online classes, and the increasing overall support, homeschooling high school is not as tough as you think!
One mom shares her tips for organizing a high school student. Even if high school is still a few years off for your family, you'll want to keep this list as a reference.
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5 Ways to Organize Your High School Student
by Susan Spann
1. Planner up! Make or give your student his or her own day planner, preferably one with hourly divisions. Let the student mark independent study time, and periodically transfer that record to your own master planner. Not only will your student learn to track and organize time, but an individual planner also fosters independence and responsibility.
2. Clock in, clock out-always have a clock about; Older students should have a clock or timepiece available in every room they use for school or study. Teach them to pay attention to the times they start and stop studying, as well as how much work they achieve in each session. Don't put inappropriate pressure or emphasis on speed; the timing technique is designed to help your student learn his or her standard pace and estimate the time required to complete a given task. Knowing this makes it easier to schedule time--a major component of an organized day!
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3. Set Aside "My Space". Middle and high schoolers have more books, papers, and projects than elementary students, along with a growing need for personal space. Give your student a special place, separate from and inaccessible to younger siblings, to store books and other course work. A personal desk with cubbies or shelves works best, but creative solutions work too! Consider one shelf on a bookcase, a drawer in a filing cabinet, or even a milk crate turned sideways. Let your student organize and maintain the space in his or her own way. Encourage neatness, but leave room for your student to develop an individual method of organization. 4. Color Coordinate. Let your teen pick a color for each subject and mark or label related materials with matching colors. For example, if the English book has a blue cover, use a blue spiral notebook for essays and blue divider tabs to mark English assignments in three-ring binders (or a blue binder, if you have one for English alone). Removable colored stickers can also mark books, bindings, and folders.
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Packed with answers, encouragement, and resources, Homeschooling the High Schooler: From Transcripts to Graduation will equip you to homeschool through high school with confidence! Our authors, all armed with firsthand experience, share more than just practical advice.
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Homeschooling your high school student can be a scary proposition, but with our Homeschool through High School back issue bundle, you will find encouragement and information.
Included in this bundle are the Fall 2003, Fall 2006, Fall 2007 and Fall 2008 Issues. And as an added bonus, you will receive the E-Book-Homeschooling the High Schooler to get you started right away.
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Transcript Boot Camp on DVD is a special training seminar on DVD for parents of homeschooled junior and senior high students, featuring Inge Cannon.
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The College Success Program with the ACT workbook includes:
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5.Teach academic organization. Don't assume your teens automatically know how to organize! You taught them to clean their rooms--help them learn to clean their academic houses. Talk about using separate notebooks (or separate sections) for different subjects,
and talk about keeping each subject's notes, flashcards, books, and tests together. Mixing everything up leads to confusion and costs precious minutes that could be spent in study--or recreation.
Bonus Tip: If your student has trouble figuring out how to highlight or underline important information in textbooks, consider the use of multiple colors to help with organization. For example, underline new words or definitions in red, critical facts in yellow, and important people or places in blue. Not only will this help your student focus on the kind of information he or she underlines, but finding the right passage is a snap the second time around! If you don't or can't permit writing on the pages, colored Post-it Notes serve the same purpose without creating permanent marks.
Susan Spann, Senior Contibuting Writer Susan Spann is a partner in the law firm Llewellyn Spann, where she specializes in copyright, trademark, and corporate law. Formerly a professor at Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, California, she currently teaches business law at William Jessup University. She blogs on legal issues from a Christian worldview at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/SusanSpann.
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Homeschoolers are often asked what they will do for high school; first, because your child "won't have a diploma;" second, because your child "won't be ready for college." With colleges and universities actually seeking out homeschoolers, it's been proven that the concerns of our well-meaning friends and families are not something we need to worry about.
Still, as homeschoolers, we don't have school guidance counselors to help us and our student figure out college planning. It's even more challenging for those of us who don't have our own college planning experiences from which to glean. When should the SAT be taken? How do we find out about scholarships and financing? What about sports scholarships? My College Options, and Terry Wilfong, have these answers and more!
Read our TOS interview with Terry Wilfong of My College Options Here.
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Organization for busy families!
From preschoolers to high schoolers, get your busy family happily organized-buzzing like bees as you start to organizzzzze!?
Are you ready to tackle the dirty dozen?
As a month, August means organization for many households . . . Is your home looking dignified and grand? How impressive are your organization skills?
Wouldn't it be nice to be prepared for the new school year with make-ahead kitchen mixes, spotless closets, and a renewed spirit in your heart?
Start now, and strategize to organize with this motivating issue of . . . Molly's Money-Saving Digest August 2009!
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Earn while you shop!
You can earn up to $25 in "Back-to-Homeschool Bucks" in the Schoolhouse Store! When you shop, you'll earn "Back-to-Homeschool Bucks"--a coupon code good for dollars off your next purchase of TOS products listed in the wide selection of our Totally TOS category in the Schoolhouse Store.
News, events and Information as it pertains to Homeschool Families in Washington State. Please note, posted information has not specifically been reviewed or is endorsed by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine or the volunteer blog coordinator. Please review posted information carefully to determine its suitability for your family. God bless your homeschooling journey.
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