College/Real Life Prep Curricula
College and the real world weighs heavily on those homeschoolers whose children are not quite there yet. How will I get them into college? How will they function in the real world or the classroom? What curricula or method or type of co-op is the best to help in this endeavor?
Now that I have two graduates who are out there in that real world of college and work, they have graciously given me feedback on what prepared them for the paths they have chosen to pursue.
My oldest has an Associates of Arts, and EMT certification and is in Medic school, while working as an EMT and, for the summer, as a lifeguard instructor/pool manager. My second oldest is in the Army National Guard, is also working as a lifeguard for the summer, drills with the Guard once a month, and has finished one year of college.
Do we really have such little faith in our kids' abilities to think that a classroom or a job would completely stymie them? Do we really think that once they set foot out in the real world they will have no clue and no way to adapt to new surroundings? I think we need to give our kids more credit!
According to my kids, the curricula we used did not make as much of an impact on them as did the fact that they were largely self-educated. In the elementary years, I was very hands-on with them and we did most if not all school-type stuff together. In the middle school years, I started to let them do more on their own, partly because they wanted to, and partly because I had passel of younger kids to care for. OK, I think it was mostly because I was pretty busy with younger kids, but you know what they say about who the mother of invention is, right?
So, by the time they got to high school, they took the reigns of their education, within the guidelines I set down, and allowing for their own choices and jobs and hobbies to be incorporated into their schooling. They preferred it that way and both stated at various times that the struggle to grasp difficult concepts on their own, being in charge of their schedules and holding themselves accountable, cemented what they were learning. My daughter articulated that once she learned something on her own, it was hers, and no one could take it away.
So they went out into the work/college/military life already owning their education and able to be accountable to themselves for their success or failure. They went into it already self-disciplined and able to work with others or alone as the need dictated.
We never did co-ops. We never did any academics outside the home, although the kids took a variety of non-academic classes, worked jobs, participated in activities and pursued hobbies. We talked a lot- about what they were learning, current events, and their struggles (academic and otherwise). I didn't have to teach Chemistry (but I did read a Chemistry book aloud). We struggled through math together at times (I understand the quadratic equation now). But they plowed through it with a determination that I never had when I was their age.
In our search for the perfect curricula or programs to give our kids the best possible experience and preparation for life after high school, let's not overlook the most important factor- our kids.
Now that I have two graduates who are out there in that real world of college and work, they have graciously given me feedback on what prepared them for the paths they have chosen to pursue.
My oldest has an Associates of Arts, and EMT certification and is in Medic school, while working as an EMT and, for the summer, as a lifeguard instructor/pool manager. My second oldest is in the Army National Guard, is also working as a lifeguard for the summer, drills with the Guard once a month, and has finished one year of college.
Do we really have such little faith in our kids' abilities to think that a classroom or a job would completely stymie them? Do we really think that once they set foot out in the real world they will have no clue and no way to adapt to new surroundings? I think we need to give our kids more credit!
According to my kids, the curricula we used did not make as much of an impact on them as did the fact that they were largely self-educated. In the elementary years, I was very hands-on with them and we did most if not all school-type stuff together. In the middle school years, I started to let them do more on their own, partly because they wanted to, and partly because I had passel of younger kids to care for. OK, I think it was mostly because I was pretty busy with younger kids, but you know what they say about who the mother of invention is, right?
So, by the time they got to high school, they took the reigns of their education, within the guidelines I set down, and allowing for their own choices and jobs and hobbies to be incorporated into their schooling. They preferred it that way and both stated at various times that the struggle to grasp difficult concepts on their own, being in charge of their schedules and holding themselves accountable, cemented what they were learning. My daughter articulated that once she learned something on her own, it was hers, and no one could take it away.
So they went out into the work/college/military life already owning their education and able to be accountable to themselves for their success or failure. They went into it already self-disciplined and able to work with others or alone as the need dictated.
We never did co-ops. We never did any academics outside the home, although the kids took a variety of non-academic classes, worked jobs, participated in activities and pursued hobbies. We talked a lot- about what they were learning, current events, and their struggles (academic and otherwise). I didn't have to teach Chemistry (but I did read a Chemistry book aloud). We struggled through math together at times (I understand the quadratic equation now). But they plowed through it with a determination that I never had when I was their age.
In our search for the perfect curricula or programs to give our kids the best possible experience and preparation for life after high school, let's not overlook the most important factor- our kids.
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