The Homeschool Minute ~ Help for transcripts & report cards

If you’re like me, you struggle with the recordkeeping side of homeschooling–the transcripts and other school information that has to be tracked. If you have homeschool “dementia” when it comes to remembering what your kids did when, Lee Binz has a solution in her article, “Recordkeeping: The Cure for ‘Homeschool Dementia.’” Janice Campbell shares in her article, “High School Transcripts: It’s Easier Than You Think,” how to simplify the transcript process. If you’re wondering about the pros and cons of report cards, read Inge Cannon’s article, “Report Cards Who Needs Them.” You’ll find lots of other great planning tips for your recordkeeping in the magazine. Just visit www.TOSMagazine.com and search for a topic. With our digital magazine, great homeschool advice is at your fingertips whenever you need it.

And speaking of planning ….

God has a perfect plan for each of your children’s lives. But guess what? He’s not finished with you, yet. He knows your future and the gifts He’s got stored up for you, the joyful times to come. Greatness directly from His hand ….

Do not grow weary. Keep walking. His hand is on your head today.

~ gena

Dear Friends,

Has spring arrived at your house yet? If so, make sure you and your kids take time to ENJOY it!! Learning is  much easier after you have had time to play–particularly outside in the sunshine … Warmth, sunlight, budding trees and blossoming flowers are good for growing minds and bodies!
On to today’s topic. Let’s look at some helpful steps for how to accomplish staying on track (and my thoughts on creating report cards/transcripts) without getting stressed.

1. Create a basic, simple plan for what will be covered this year, this month, this week for your kids. Cut in half your expectations of what they will accomplish, because kids are not ROBOTS. In some subjects, they will go more quickly, and in others, they will go more slowly. Learning at their own speed helps insure they really “get it.”

    

2. Leave LOTS of extra “free time” in your plan for all of the unexpected opportunities and distractions that will come.

To gauge how the plan is going:

1. Every month, check to see if you are on track. Did Susie actually learn her subtraction facts? Did Joel learn how to write a persuasive paper?

    

2. If you are “off track,” ask yourself why? Was everyone sick at your house for the last few weeks? Adjust your plan. Was Susie not ready for subtraction yet? Take it slower until she succeeds.  Did Joel not understand the book he was using? Find a different source that makes more sense to him. When you understand why things went off track, you will see the right kinds of adjustments to make.

When it comes to report cards–except for high school transcripts–I have one comment:

Don’t do it!!!

Discover what your kids have learned today, celebrate their accomplishments, and enjoy the journey!  We all work far harder when we know people are cheering us on than when we are being critically evaluated.  And, believe me, kids don’t receive criticism at the same intellectual level as adults.

Transcripts are a different issue altogether. Colleges require high school transcripts in the admission process. So, with your senior high student, decide what classes are to be taken and how to evaluate them for GPA. Here is one source of information on credits, grades and transcripts.

Remember, whatever you do, stay relational!

Diana

dianawaringpresents@gmail.com

P.S. Here’s a homeschool riddle for you: How are a muffin and a curriculum alike? To learn the answer (and see how FRESH is much better than ARTIFICIAL), check out my latest blog post.

I can’t offer much advice on transcripts or report cards, except that if you absolutely feel like you need to keep them, then don’t mention them to your children. If you can avoid looking at them yourself, that would be good too because they aren’t always accurate measuring sticks of what your children know, but rather how they do on tests.

But as the topic relates to staying on track, let me just say, “Your children ARE on track.” They are right where they need to be. It doesn’t matter where other children are or where some expert says your child should be. The truth is your child is right on track.

Now that doesn’t mean you can’t push your child or that you shouldn’t pick up the pace, but don’t let anyone convince you that your child is behind or that somehow he is lagging. Standards were made for the masses; not for individual children … not your children.

Average children do well. Those on either side of average don’t “track” so well. In fact, if you measure your children against those “tracks,”  you’ll be left feeling discouraged and defeated. What’s worse is that if you let your child know about your feelings, he’ll be in worse shape than you.

So my advice to you is to relax, enjoy the spring weather, and have a wonderful day with your children, knowing that EACH of them is right on track.