Homeschooling For Dummies. Jennifer Kaufeld

you want to list Every Single High School Level Class your child ever took, if those courses take place before ninth grade, transcript readers like college admissions departments don’t want to see them. (I know. I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules.) If your child takes Algebra 1 in grade 7 and Geometry in grade 8, then the ninth grade high school transcript will begin with Algebra 2. Earlier courses are assumed. Same with foreign language. If you do Italian 1 in middle school, then Italian 2 starts off the high school foreign language list. (Be aware, however, that if you do this, the foreign language cops do expect to see at least two years of that language on the high school transcript, preferably three.)

      

For additional guidance in homeschool organization, turn to Chapters 23 and 24. These chapters discuss testing, portfolios, scheduling, and daily planning. You may want to consider a computer-based planning system if you want to cut down on overall paperwork and still keep a hand on planned activities.

Putting Grades to the Test

      If your child moves into the middle years with some homeschool time under his belt, then he may have little experience with grades. On the other hand, if you bring your child home to school during middle school, grades may be a painful reminder of the past. Even if you never graded work before, these junior high years are a good time to start.

      For one thing, grading now gets your student used to grades in high school. Going from a completely nongraded eighth year to an all-graded ninth year can be a bit of a shock. Also, if you want your child to continue past twelfth grade, he needs some kind of transcript to take with him. That’s where the grades come in.

      

If you plan to use a distance high school program of some kind, you need eighth-grade scores and final grades to prove your student actually did the eighth-grade work. Without this “baby transcript,” the school won’t accept your child. Chapter 10 tells you more about teaching your child at home with complete school programs from grade school through high school.

      Many homeschool parents shy away from grading because they don’t really understand how the grading scales work. Chapter 24 lays out a simple and effective grading system that gives you letters the colleges can deal with while being fair to your student. Advanced schools, whether colleges, universities, trade schools, or apprenticeship programs, don’t deal well with S for satisfactory and E for excellent. They need a common language.

      EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ADD DEPTH

      Although it’s much easier to schedule a young teen who does nothing but traipse to the library to replenish an armful of books and then bring them home to read, the maxim that “all work and no play makes dull students” is a true one. In addition to meeting the social needs of your child (beginning with the teen years, this is no small matter), outside activities make your student much more fun to talk to. Varied activities help your teen to develop interests that make him a well-rounded individual.

      One of your main goals as a homeschooler is to mold your children into creative, productive members of society — at least, I hope that’s a goal. We all know people who read erudite books that make our heads swim yet cannot seem to grasp the main fundamentals of life. When your student steps outside his own “self bubble” to volunteer, joins a sports team, or learns from an expert in an area of his choosing, he takes a huge step into real life. With any luck, he also stumbles on an interest or two that remain lifelong hobbies.

      Unless your student enjoys conducting experiments or building models from matchsticks that test the laws of physics, pure textbook learning only goes so far. Living life is much different than reading about it. Your child branches into the living portion when she begins to engage in extracurricular activities.

      Calculating the amount of paint that she needs to help redecorate the local county fair buildings brings math skills into the daily living category. So does noting how much dog food the local animal shelter uses on a weekly basis. Think about monthly dog food consumption and the numbers get huge!

      Not only does your child get to practice what she learns in the classroom, but she also learns to interact with people of all ages, abilities, and strengths. She figures out what it is to join together with others to complete a goal. And she realizes the worth in reaching out to help someone or something else — without you ever saying a word.