I have been very busily researching and planning our homeschooling for the next year. Well, not just next year but for the high-schoolers, I have been planning out their full high school years so that they have the credits they need to do what they plan to do for college.
You may say "but Heather, you have a girl. I thought you said in your "Escaping Feminism" post that girls should not go off to college, and that the formal higher learning isn't absolutely necessary?". Yes, I did say something like that, but this does not mean I don't think it is a bonus for anyone to have a high level of education. *MY* children will all have a good education. I do not believe that daughters (or sons, for that matter) should be running off to University without being well prepared to stand up to the things that come with that decision. I would prefer my daughter stay home for her higher education. At some point, she may make that decision. However, her plan at this point is to go off to Texas A&M to get a degree in Political Science/Pre-Law, and then continue on to the University of Alabama to get her Juris Doctorate. Since these are her wishes, and her goals, it is my job to adequately prepare her for them. My oldest, he is going directly into the military (which I am not happy about, but, then again...I can't make the decisions for them). My second oldest is planning to attend a trade school, which we already have all of the requirements for. This has allowed me to tailor his high school education plan to those requirements and prepare him well for that.
High school planning is sure a lot more intensive than planning for the lower levels, that is for certain. Gone is the freedom to jump around to different curriculums. Now is when we need steadfast and concrete progress. That is not to say that if something is absolutely not working, that we won't switch, it is just saying that we all have to make a more concentrated effort to make what we use work. After all, in college they won't be able to just "switch" if it isn't exactly to their liking.
What did I do to make these plans? Well, first off, I looked at the requirements for admission to the choice school of higher education. For Katie, it meant that she has to follow the advance track credit system for the state of Texas. I went and printed those courses out. Then, I went to the education code and printed out all of the rules in re: to those courses, along with suitable substitutes. After that, I began writing out their plans. For her, it means no less than 26 credit hours. However, she will likely supersede those by a few (more like 32). For Tuck, he only has to have 22, but, he will also have more. I have everything scheduled in except all of their electives.
I am so excited about these years with them...we have so much to do, but I know the effort will pay off BIG TIME!
(This post is being linked to the "Back to School Monday" Homeschool Link Up. Click on the link below to go visit the other posts in this link-up party.)
