Q: My daughter is a seventh grader this year. What recommendations do you have for us as we prepare for high school during her eighth grade year?

A: I'm so glad you're thinking about high school before your daughter starts eighth grade. Here are some basic tips to get you headed in the right direction.

1. Get a good grasp on the laws for your state regarding high school education including the number and type of credit hours required to graduate. You can find help at the [[Home School Legal Defense Association: http://hslda.org]] or you can do a Google search for your state's high school graduation requirements. You will also want to investigate the admissions requirements of a few colleges in which your child might be interested. Sometimes admissions requirements are different for home school students.

2. If you aren't associated with a good network of home school families, or don't know another family who has already graduated a student, NOW is the time to network and connect with a mentor who can walk you through the next few years. Having a relationship with a good high school teacher or home school supervising teacher can also be a big help.

3. Treat 8th grade as your "last best chance." If there's any remediation that needs to be done, do it now. If there are any gaps in your child's education, fill them now. (I actually recommend doing this in seventh grade.)

4. Treat 8th grade as a trial run for high school. Keep grades and other records like you will for high school. Prepare a transcript. If you plan to use a video curriculum for high school, try it out in the eighth grade. If you think you might use a local co-op for science classes, sit in on a few classes first and preview the text books. Eighth grade is the year for the learning curve; make your mistakes now, and correct them before you officially start high school.

5. Plan with the end in mind. For example, don't spend time running back and forth to four music lessons a week if your child has no interest in studying music in college. Ask your child to choose her ONE favorite instrument to study, then she will have her time freed to study those things that will be most helpful as she prepares for her next phase of education. (This same principle can be applied to dance classes, sports, or anything else that eats away at your academic time.) Or, if your child wants to become a missionary, language, Bible and cultures studies should be given priority. Design a curriculum that fits your child's future as best you can discern it at this time.

6. Think through your options. You may want to do a little study regarding the following: traditional home study, correspondence courses, options for dual enrollment (at a public or private school for extra curriculars, sports, music or general education courses), advanced placement courses at home or at a school (AP courses), video courses, local high school co-ops, and on-line options for high school or college studies. Choose the route (or create a custom combination) that's best for your child's learning style and will lead to her accomplishing her goals.

7. Consider how long your child will need to complete her high school education, then design a course schedule to fit her needs and the anticipated time frame. Determine now (but remain flexible) what classes she will take each year in each subject area. Perhaps your child is highly motivated and could finish high school in three years. She could then devote one year to working in an internship, doing missions work and/or completing community college course work. Or, she could enroll in the college of her choice a year early. Think through the advantages and disadvantages of early graduation. The main thing is to PLAN AHEAD and WRITE DOWN YOUR PLAN.

A book I recommend to all of my pre-high school parents is Home Schooling High School by Jeanne Gowen Davis by Emerald Books Press. It's the most comprehensive book I've found to prepare students for college admission. The link to the right for Oklahoma Home School also has some of my favorite high school resources and sample documents.

One note: For above average to advanced students, I typically recommend only two years of "middle school." I've found, over and again, that three years at this level is often a waste of time. So, for those of you who can take this option, you would need to follow my advice for eighth grade during your second (and final) year of middle school preparation.

As your child enters high school, there are additional areas for consideration:
1. College prep testing (ACT/SAT)
2. Scholarship availability
3. College admissions essays
4. CLEP tests for college level credit
Just keep these things in mind as you begin.

I'll add comments soon regarding adapting high school plans for at-risk students and students who do not plan to attend college. Also, look for tips about home school students taking college courses during their high school years in upcoming blogs.

If you have more specific questions, I'd love to hear them!

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

I usually blog about the school side of home schooling. But, today, I want to reflect on my personal journey and encourage you to give attention to your home as well.

My husband and I renewed our wedding vows on Sunday. It was our 11 1/2 year anniversary. While that certainly isn't a milestone number, after a time of personal challenges, transitions, and deep introspection, renewing our wedding vows was exactly what we needed to do to affirm our commitment to God and our family as we approach this sacred season and a new year of opportunity.

We are in the midst of a major career change for my husband, and we have our house, which my husband designed, on the market. After fifteen years of mission work and church ministry, my husband has spent the last six months on a type of sabbatical, and has worked as a manager at a retail store and as an adjunct professor of philosophy at a local college. He's planning to teach more college courses, and is heading into a new venture as a family counselor alongside his best friend who has a wonderful ministry called TEAM Restoration. We are hoping to move a little closer to our friends, and decrease our expenses to accommodate our home school lifestyle, leading to our need to sell our house.

I'm sharing this with you to encourage you. Yes, our children need to know how to read, write, and think critically. But more than that, they need to know that in a world that is unsteady and ever-changing, God is a rock, and their family is a place of peace, grace, comfort, rest and stability. Building a house of refuge must take priority over building a school of excellence. My roles as a nurturing wife and mother are ever more significant than my role as teacher.

So, during this season, as you worry about covering all the academic bases amidst hurried holiday happenings, let a few of the non-essentials go by the wayside. Are there any vows you need to make, or consider renewing?

Let's set aside some time today to think over our priorities. Focus on Christ; spend five extra minutes today praying and reading the Bible. Give attention to your husband; spend five extra minutes today to write him a note of encouragement. Bless your children; spend five extra minutes today giving hugs and kisses. Oh, and skip the dusting. It will still be there tomorrow. Or next week.

Today, remember that the most important thing in home schooling, isn't the schooling, but the home. Math and science can't create a lasting legacy of love, but a firm foundation in Christ will help your family weather the inevitable winds of change that blow your way.

I'll look forward to reading your comments.

Happy HOME Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry

I wanted to expand upon the spelling question we visited a couple of days ago.

I do recommend using a spelling curriculum of some sort, but I also like to use journals to supplement spelling instruction. Journals are a great way to tie language arts instruction together: composition, spelling, penmanship and reading.

There are lots of different kinds of journal entries. Here are a few:
1. Daily diary: Students give an account of their activities, thoughts and feelings.
2. Current events journal: Students read and comment on a newspaper or magazine article. This is a nice way to integrate social studies and language arts!
3. Creative writing journal: Students are given a writing prompt (such as "On a dark and stormy night..." or "sharks..."), and they add on to the prompt to finish the story. They can create their own prompts, or they can be teacher driven. Students are occasionally encouraged to try different writing forms such as poetry or plays.
4. Dialogue journal: The teacher and student create an ongoing dialogue, asking and answering each others' questions.
5. Free Flow journal: Students write whatever comes to mind. (This is great fun for the self-motivated student who loves to write, but can frustrate the fire out of those who find writing to be a challenge.)

I like to mix up these approaches to encourage variety in writing. Generally, I either set a timer for a few minutes (depending on age and ability), or ask them to write one page.

I don't "grade" student journals; I simply read them and respond, noting progress across the language arts areas. Sometimes, my response may include gently correcting glaring errors, but I emphasize effort over quality. (Of course, my approach would be different if I were reviewing a final draft of some sort.) I use my high school English teacher's idea of marking journals with green or purple ink. There really is something negative about a paper being marked up with a red pen!

As far as spelling goes, I keep a separate log of frequently misspelled words from the journal and add those words, a few at a time, to their traditional spelling list. My goal is to see fewer spelling mistakes in the journal as the year progresses.

I have additional spelling and journal tips I'll share later.

I'm looking forward to receiving more questions. Remember, just click on comment at the bottom of a particular post if you want more detail, or, to ask a new question altogether, click on guest book and send me your query.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry