Natural Learning, Intentionally: High School- Part III- Cum Folders, Home Education Style

             Intentionality has paid off in the high school years. 

Thankfully, I realized early in my son's eighth grade year I would play the role of guidance counselor for my homeschooled high schooler. Meaning? I would be the liaison between school (us!) and college, the keeper of all things official. Yep, me, until the student was 18 (that is the topic of another intentional high school blog). No qualifications or degrees, "just" the mom who was overseeing the learning taking place in our home. If I didn't keep the records, no one would. The records I kept would influence my student's post secondary career (no pressure, right?)

Not much time was lost in regards to recovering the undocumented or potentially important information we needed to begin compiling a cum folder for our high schooler; not many tracks to retrace. And in the end, retracing was worth the effort. The folder became a gold mine, one of those things you tell people you would grab if the house were aflame.

Wow! Me, the keeper of the "cum folder", the folder about which school officials threaten and gloat, at least in the high school I attended. When things got serious students got the "that will go in your permanent cum folder" lecture; the file in which all things which hold the keys to the future reside.

When my son was in eighth grade I began researching the NCAA requirements. It became evident I would need specific documents for eligibility.

No one I knew had kept a cumulative folder of high school records so this was new territory for me. And, not a naturally organized person I was determined to start THAT DAY!  I purchased a 3 1/2 inch binder and some colored-tab separators to help me keep his paperwork organized. Armed with plastic protector sheets and a hole-punch, I sat down to begin compilation of the "cum folder". I started labeling tabs I knew we would need, and then added, trial-and-error, along our journey. Years later, as we began contacting colleges, I added tabs for copies of applications (yes, this was before they were online), scholarship applications, acceptance letters, and financial aid notifications.

At the end of four years, when writing the first edition of Celebrate High School, I decided to include the major section tabs we found helpful, knowing parents who read the book may find our tab titles helpful as they complied the cum folders for their students.

What tabs did we find helpful?

• Activities
• Awards
• Certificates and Certifications
• College Admissions Requirements
• College Applications
• College Major Requirements
• Community Service/Volunteer Hours
• Dual Enrollment Documents
• Financial Aid Applications
• Financial Aid Offers
• Grades
• Letters of Recommendation
• Medical Records
• NCAA Eligibility
• NCAA Home School Core Course Worksheets
• Scholarship Applications
• Scholarships Awarded
• Test Scores
• Transcripts
• Work Experience
• Writing Samples

*Note: These tab titles are our most recent (based on our experience with three unique high school students) and will be included in the revision of Celebrate High School. Not all tabs will be needed for every student. This list has been updated since the most recent edition of Celebrate High School and my blog post dated 07/29/2013.

Revised edition due out July 2015!

*The information in this blog post is not intended as legal or educational advice. It is simply a journal of what worked for us. Parents are responsible to oversee their child's home education.

What's Behind a Perfect SAT?

Love my newest pleasure read! Recommended by a veteran, I searched the Internet to find a used copy. Eureka! Found! It was in my mailbox a week later and I immediately opened the package and began reading, while cooking dinner. This stuff is so fascinating! Not because I have a student who achieved a perfect score or that I endeavor to have a student who will earn a perfect score, but because I am curious what elements comprise a "perfect score".
SAT Perfect Score: 7 Secrets to Raise Your Score written by Tom Fischgrund, Ph.D, complies and details the results of his landmark study. His findings come from interviews with students who earned a perfect score on the SAT (160 of them and their parents) and College Board data. His goal "was to understand the academic habits of these bright students (p.3), who these students were as individuals (p.4), and what made them successful." (p.4) He asked:

• How many times did they take the SAT?

• What kind of education did they receive?

• How many hours did they spend studying?

• What were their sources of inspiration and motivation?

• Did their parents interact with them in special ways?

• Did they read a set number of hours a night?

• Were they interested in certain subjects?

and more....

From the data he answers commonly asked questions. Some of the answers are obvious, others thought-provoking.

Some (there are many more in the book!) of the interesting findings:

• "Succeeding on the SAT is not a short-term approach but takes a lifetime approach to learning." (p.5)

• "Students who scored a 1600 on the SAT typically spend more hours a week reading than those who get an average score." (p.5)

• "A vast majority of perfect score students participate in multiple activities outside of the academic realm... and pursue these endeavors with passion and won't settle for half-hearted attempts to learn a new skill." (p.5)

• "They were not pushed by their parents or teachers to achieve. Their drive comes from within." (p.6)

• "Parents motivated them to learn in the early years and then gave them the tools to motivate themselves through high school." (p.6)

The author uses charts, graphs, and in-depth insights into the lives of these students and their families to answer the 7 secrets. Students share their likes and dislikes (very interesting!), how they spend their free time (equally interesting!), how they relate to friends, and the role of family in their lives. The book also contains information about preparation (long term and short term), study tools, test-taking tips, developing passions, and learning styles.

Interesting information, wouldn't you agree? The next question for me: How does this effect, or will it effect, how I am teaching my children? For certain I will continue to foster a love of reading with my children, through reading aloud and listening to great audio literature, and nurture a love of learning, not with the intention of scoring a 1600 on the SAT, but with the goal of raising thinkers and problem solvers, adults who will use their creativity and God-given talents to provide for their families, to care about and for people, and to serve where they are called.

THE END

The story has ended. My last blog, which took place at the end of our school year just days before our vacation, shared the beginning of our collage story. It was a story that began with painted papers intended to be cut into geometric shapes to create a beach scene. The idea was not our original idea, it was an idea we wowed over earlier in the month while reading the book I Love Collage! (you can read about it in one of my earlier blogs). Anyway, back to our beach collage.

After the painted papers dried, we cut out the shapes (yes, a math lesson) and created our scene. The girls helped one another place their shapes and re-cut new ones. In the end we had 4 amazing pictures, each completed at the developmental level of the artist.

I know it has been a long time, over a month, since I last sat to tell the story. I appreciate your patience and hope the anticipation built as you awaited the ending.

Stories Begin at the Beginning

Creation began when God created. Our family began when we said "I do!" Art begins in the mind of an artist.

Today we began our day reading about artists: Giotto, Bellini, De Vinci and Carle. We read their personal stories and learned about their techniques. I told the girls about the amazing paintings I was in an art gallery in Venice. Then we headed to the kitchen table to mix paint. The eleven year old decided to paint modern art. The seven year old painted a landscape like the one she watched Bob Ross paint the day before. The five year old painted Dad a birthday card. Mom and the three year old painted paper. Paper? Yes, papers from which we will cut collage shapes for our collage beach scene. That's this afternoon's story.

So, this blog shares the beginning of our painting story, the one we will conclude later this afternoon. I will tell you about it later when we finish the story

I Love to Collage!

I have been working on a writing project and haven't had much extra time lately to tell stories or blog about our "book" fun. However, I did have to blog about our recent find. We found the most incredible, colorful, inviting book at the library last week.

I Love to Collage! by Jennifer Lipsey

Excellent, empowering (especially for kids and parents who think they were born without creativity), and written with step-by-step instructions, this book will inspire the reader to get up and get creative. Many mediums are explored in the twenty ideas detailed between the covers. Tissue paper, newspaper, painted papers, torn papers, garbage (yes, garbage), nature findings and more are used to make amazing art.

My girls were particularly interested in the Tasty Treats project which involved painting papers and then cutting shapes to make a yummy treat. The results were an ice cream sundae and cone. Brilliant hues and impressive images (almost good enough to eat) were the end result.

For those who want to take collage to the next level, here are some suggestions:
1. Study artists who use the collage method, especially children's book illustrators. Look for the art of Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, Lois Ehlert, and Denise Fleming.

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle (painted tissue paper)

Ship Shapes by Stella Blackstone (fabric)

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert (paper)

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert (found object)

Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming (found objects)

2. Compare the mediums used by these authors. Try using the artist's techniques with found objects from the around the house.

3. Research the history of collage.

4. Visit an art museum. Look for examples of collage art.

Collage is not the only art technique which deserves attention. Find out more about painting, photography, digital art, clay, print making, and drawing. My unit study Check These Out! devotes 4 weeks to discovering children's books, including illustrations. Check These Out! at http://www.cherylbastian.com/bookstore.