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Homeschooling thru High School: Opportunities and Challenges

This is the outline from a talk Alicia gave at the Minnesota Catholic Homeschool conference in 2006. She hopes to fill in the details at some point.

Why Should We Educate?

  • to form convictions
  • to develop intelligence
  • to acquire knowledge
  • to form character
  • to cultivate virtues

Virtues of a Homeschool Family:
(in the context of Faith, Hope & Charity)

  • diligence
  • humility
  • patience
  • enthusiasm

Opportunities for Personal Growth:

  • sacraments
  • service
  • good reading
  • making connections
  • developing convictions
  • well-roundedness
  • closeness to family
  • developing independence and taking responsibility

    Challenges:

    “Real World” Skills:

    • competency
    • organization
    • “follow-through”
    • time management
    • job skills (typing, computer, basic math, etc.)
    • “people skills”

    Academic Skills:

    • time-management
    • managing deadlines
    • thinking skills (underlies all other academic skills)
    • outlining (organizing thoughts)
    • note-taking (drawing out the most important things)
    • discussion (articulating thoughts, making connections, etc.)
    • diagramming (dissecting complex thought)
    • writing
    • reading comprehension
    • math

    College Notes:

    • Stay informed and ask questions – especially during admissions process.
    • Let your children take responsibility.
    • The college they attend should be a place they can thrive.
    • Graduation requirements don’t always meet admissions requirements.
    • SAT tends to be more important than transcripts.

    Further Reading, Websites and Resources:

    Catholic:

    The Catholic Homeschool Companion edited by Maureen Wittmann & Rachel Mackson
    Catholic Education: Homeward Bound by Kimberly Hahn and Mary Hasson
    High School of Your Dreams by Nancy Nicholson
    Catholic Authors: Crown Edition: Grades 11-12 (Neumann Press)
    Another Sort of Learning by Fr. Schall
    Young and Catholic by Tim Drake
    Declaration on Christian Education (Vatican II)
    Catechism of the Catholic Church and Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church
    Cardinal Newman Society: www.cardinalnewmansociety.org
    Fellowship of Catholic University Students: www.focusonline.org
    Saint Anthony Padua Institute www.stanthonypaduainstitute.org

    Other:

    Home School, High School, and Beyond: A Guide for Teens and Their Parents by Beverly Adams-Gordon
    Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis
    Homeschoolers’ College Admissions Handbook: Preparing 12 to 18 Year Olds for Success in the College of Their Choice by Cafi Cohen
    College Planning for Dummies by Pat Ordovensky
    College Board Info on Homeschool College Admissions
    http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,5-25-0-56,00.html
    Stanford University Article on Homeschool Admissions:
    http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2000/novdec/articles/homesch...
    Learn in Freedom: Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers:
    http://learninfreedom.org/colleges_4_hmsc.html
    College for Special Needs Students (not necessarily homeschooled):
    http://www.professorsadvice.com/

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