Help with High School
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Frequently Asked Questions About Homeschooling During the High School Years
(Answered by Homeschool.com's High School Advisor, Cafi Cohen)
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Resources for our visitors living outside of the United States
Meet
Homeschool.com's High School and
College Advisor Cafi Cohen
Cafi Cohen began homeschooling in the 1980's and, together with her husband Terry, educated both of her children at home through high school. Both her son and her daughter were admitted to their first choice colleges on substantial scholarships. Based on her experiences with college admissions, Cafi wrote, "And What About College?: How Homeschooling Leads To Admissions To The Best Colleges and Universities." She is also the author of two new titles, "Homeschooling: The Teen Years" and "The Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook."
Editor: Why should parents consider homeschooling their teenagers?
Cohen: Home education has several advantages over traditional classroom learning. First, homeschooling is markedly more efficient. It is not unusual for high school homeschoolers to complete typical grade 9-12 academics in two years or less.
Editor: How do you know exactly what to teach in high school?
Cohen: There is not one exclusive national scope and sequence (a list of who learns what when), which everyone agrees, representing "The Perfect High School Program."
Editor: What if parents have no desire to relearn trigonometry or Spanish? How do you cover high school subjects for which you have no expertise?
Cohen: It is easier than you might think. Sooner or later, every homeschooling family hits a wall like this. You have many alternatives available, and exploring your options will help you and your teen learn to locate superior teachers and mentors - an invaluable skill for college, work, and life in general.
Editor: What about a diploma?
Cohen: Contrary to popular belief, most colleges and universities do not require a diploma for admission. Harvard's catalog specifically states that they do not require a high school diploma. Your teen only needs a high school diploma if he/she attended a government or private high school full time.
Editor: How do homeschoolers apply to college?
Cohen: Homeschoolers apply to college much like everyone else. They request application materials and financial aid forms from colleges and universities they are interested in. They complete the forms and send them in. In addition, they can submit additional required documentation such as portfolios samples and letters of commendation.
Editor: What if a parent needs to start homeschooling their teenager immediately. How do they begin?
Cohen: Unfortunately, many families find themselves begin homeschooling with less than a week of preparation and planning-particularly families of teenagers. If you find yourself in this position, here are my "quick start" recommendations.
Resources
for Homeschoolers Outside the United States
Meet BRETT BOWERS, founder and director of NorthStar Academy, a Christian Internet-based school for students in grades 7-12 that serves students around the world.
Editor: What homeschooling options are available to non-USA students who wish to pursue a home-based learning approach either within or outside of their passport country?
Brett Bowers: Of all the nations in the world, USA students enjoy the greatest level of homeschooling support in terms of resources, support, and legalities. This is a huge and sweeping statement, but it is true. For example, in Germany, homeschooling is simply illegal within the geographical borders of the country. Let's take a quick look at the home schooling resources that are available to non-USA families who wish to use materials based on the curriculum requirements of their respective passport country.
CANADA
Homeschooling
is legal in Canada and in Alberta. Homeschooling families receive
government funding which pays for the students' educational materials.
Homeschooling in Canada is growing in terms of participating families,
social acceptance, resources, associations, and support. For more
information on homeschooling in Canada, please visit http://www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/regional/Canada.htm
UNITED KINGDOM
Homeschooling
is legal in the UK, provided that the family is under the supervision
of the local education authority. Homeschooling in the UK is growing
and expanding in terms of support and resources. You may find more
information on homeschooling in the UK by visiting
http://www.care.org.uk/
GERMANY
According
to Mr. Guenter Schwesig, director of the German Correspondence School,
"[home] schooling on a completely individual basis is illegal" if the
family is living within the geographical borders of Germany. However,
if the family is living outside of Germany and wishes to homeschool,
they are permitted to do and are urged to use the materials provided by
the German Correspondence School which will then closely monitors the
child(ren)'s learning. For more information on homeschooling for German
families, please visit http://www.ils.de/ or contact the German Correspondence School (Deutsche Fernschule) at
df@debitel.net.de.
HONG KONG
According to Polly Chan who is the Coordinator for Asian Third Culture Kids at
OMF, "home schooling is a rare concept here [in China]".
KOREA
According
to Ruth Baek who is the Director of MKNest in Seoul, Korea, "most
[Korean] parents do not think homeschooling is appropriate for their
children's education...As far as I know, there are no Korean-language
homeschooling programs available."
AUSTRALIA
According
to Jill and Roger Dyer, "homeschooling is not well regarded (in
Australia)... most Australians consider homeschooling as an option
taken by rather unusual people." However, Australian correspondence
schools are highly regarded, and you may visit the Australian
Correspondence Schools website at http://www.acs.edu.au/
NOTE: You may find all of the above information (and more) in the newly published book, "Fitted Pieces," which is edited by Janet Blomberg of Interaction and Dr. David Brooks of SHARE Education Services located in Budapest, Hungary. sharenet@share-ed-services.org
Visit
with Other Homeschoolers
On Homeschool.com's "Teen" and "Homeschooling Through High School" Message Boards
http://www.homeschool.com/boards/
Suggested
Reading
And What About College?: How Homeschooling Leads To Admissions To The Best Colleges and
Universities (Second Edition), by Cafi Cohen
This newly revised and updated book is based on Cafi's homeschooling
experiences, including her son and daughter's college admissions. Read
how to make homeschooling easy and learn to translate education at home
into a format that admissions officers will appreciate.
This
book is available for purchase at Amazon.com
Homeschooling: The Teen
Years, by Cafi Cohen
This great resource contains stories, helpful advice, and practical
suggestions from homeschooling families around the world. Even if you
don't have a "teen" yet, read ahead and get ready for the next exciting
chapter in your and your child's life!
This
book is available for purchase at Amazon.com
Homeschoolers' College Admissions
Handbook, by Cafi Cohen
Want
to see transcripts, college application essays, resumes, and other
documents created by homeschoolers applying to college? If your answer
is "YES," get this book. In addition, "Homeschoolers' College
Admissions Handbook" is full of ideas about preparing for the college
application process from grade seven through twelve. If you think it is
too early to begin to prepare and keep records for your 12, 13, or 14
year old, experienced home educators will tell you it's later than you
think.
This
book is available for purchase at Amazon.com
The Teenage Liberation
Handbook, by Grace Llewellyn
Grace Llewellyn presents good reasons for teens to "drop into life", by
leaving school and reclaiming their natural ability to learn. The book
is filled with great advice and personal stories on how to design a
real-life education, how to find volunteer positions, and how to get
into college without going to high school. The Handbook was written
with teens in mind. Its message, however, is true for all ages of
Homeschoolers; self-taught and self-directed children are our future
leaders and entrepreneurs.
This
book is available for purchase at Amazon.com.
