"All the Way to College"

Here was my progression:

We are NOT going to homeschool because I want and need a life.

We ARE going to homeschool ALL the way to college because it is more optimal for child development.

Actually, that is not exactly how it went. But we landed on homeschooling as our first educational option when my oldest (and only child at that point) was 3, and within 2 years (or in time for him to begin Kindergarten) we were telling everyone our intent to led it ride through Junior High and High School, "all the way to college"... if it was working. 

Clearly, we felt that the first 2 years of homeschooling preschool were working. And the caveat of "if it was working," is a large caveat that brought a lot of peace. "We're in this for the long haul. AND we are not locked in and will do public school whenever it seems MORE beneficial."

Immediately, when this became our mindset, with kids merely 5 years old and 2 years old, we started fielding questions about college: "How are they going to get into college?" "How are you going to get them ready for college?" "Are you going to homeschool college TOO?" "Are they even going to GO to college?"

There are probably parents who can answer those questions definitively for their 5 and 2 year olds with a straight face. I had to laugh, because what OTHER parents are grilled about college before their kids have graduated Kindergarten?

Still, it's not like my laughter was a GOOD, or INFORMED answer. Well honestly, I didn't have one. But I DID have a decade to figure it out. So I opted not to sweat it. "We'll see," seemed a sufficient answer to the barrage of doubt others wanted to hurl at me for our choice.

Fast forward one decade. My oldest is 15 and has ONLY homeschooled. Something was working. But was it college worthy? WHAT ABOUT COLLEGE?

I figured it was time to find answers to that question. He was quickly reaching the limits of the instruction and even the structure we could provide. He needed to continue to stretch himself academically, and I figured we might as well stretch in that direction, so I began to explore options. Could he take concurrent enrollment? Well no. He wasn't a high school student - that is how colleges provide those classes: through the high schools. Could he take college level courses at our local tech school? No. He was too young. Do correspondence online? Maybe, but when I asked around about it, I didn't hear good things about the programs, and IF he didn't end up attending the college through which the correspondence courses were offered, the time and effort and expense diminished in value.

Committed to continually walk through options, we found ourselves walking through the doors of a community college and sitting down with a gentleman in the enrollment office. I said something like, "I have a 15 year old here who has been homeschooled and moving forward, we would like to prepare him for college. What do we need to do?"

He responded, "Would he like to attend here?"

"Sure," I answered. And why not? The school was easily accessible to where my boy lived. They had lots of online options too. It was going to be cheaper than a university. And my son's goal to be a professional ballet dancer did not necessitate a degree of any kind, so what did it matter to his employer where he rounded out his knowledge and skill set?

But what came next shocked me. "Would he like to enroll NOW?"

I stuttered, I stammered. "Is that POSSIBLE?"

"He needs a diploma."

"But we've only homeschooled."

"Then you need to create a homeschool diploma."

HOLD ON ONE MINUTE! CREATE a homeschool diploma? Well, as it turns out, YES!! A "diploma" is a piece of paper from an institution certifying that one has completed the institution's course of study. It's "official-ness" or LACK of "official-ness" is only a reflection of the institution. When you have completed Papa Henry's Yoga Basics, he can issue a REAL diploma stating you completed Papa Henry's Yoga Basics. You are DONE with his class. The diploma is as real as Papa Henry's course and your completion of it. That means that the only difference between a homeschool diploma and a high school diploma is that one comes from our homeschool and the other from an accredited public school (presumably). But the pieces of paper certifying completion are equally "official."

As incredible as it sounds, here is what we needed for my 15 yo's college enrollment: a homeschool diploma (we got a nice piece of paper and came up with a name for our school, certified he'd "finished," and signed it), a homeschool transcript (I typed up everything he'd studied in the last 4 years including trips we'd been on and books he'd read), $40, a state ID (we'd already got him his learner's permit), and some filled out forms. 

What about GPA? That's a funny story. When we returned to hand all this in, they opened and looked at his homeschool transcript. I'd broken it down as alike to a high school transcript as I could, by broad subjects (ex: History), by a more narrow topic, (ex: American History), and then listed what he'd done. (I actually had my boy do most of this. I just cleaned the formatting up and made sure we hadn't left anything out.) So they glanced over a few pages and asked, "Are there any grades?" I had not assigned him any reflection on how he'd performed in any of these studies. "No, but I'd be happy to add them." Why not? I could go back and reflect on what level of mastery my boy had arrived at and indicate that with a letter. "No, it'll be fine," they said. Clearly my boy was not enrolling in an academically rigorous institution. That worked fine for our non-rigorous approach!

And what about tests? Interestingly the  SAT and ACT are tests which are supposed to measure college aptitude and readiness. And increasingly, colleges are feeling that scores on these tests are NOT a decent measure. But that is a side note in an evolving institutional prerogative. I think all THIS school cared about was whether or not MY child could keep up in whatever class he chose to take. To determine this, and without anything MORE official, WHEN my son needs to take a class with a pre-req requirement he will need to take placement tests for English and Math. When we spoke to a counselor about his classes, we were told that the English placement classes simply determine if you speak English with sufficient fluency. Noting how I yammered on, he quipped that he didn't expect my son to have any problems. (So far, my boy has enrolled in one science class, one philosophy class, and one music class, all without taking these tests.) He will need a math test to place into the class he needs for his associates degree as well. We are working to prepare him to test into that class, and hoping he can learn what he needs to get in (with the help of free, school provided tutors, no less), learn the content of the class, and be done. I should note that these tests cost $40 and can be taken over and over.

What about paying for these classes? Yes, they DO cost money. We didn't think we'd qualify for finacial aid of any kind, but it is available. The first class he took, "Scientific Foundations of Human Nutrition" cost between $500-700, I think. If I remember correctly (it's been 2 years now since we looked at it) a 2 year degree was around $9k maybe... BUT his enrollment came with a free public transportation pass, and this boy was on the bus daily. The monthly bus pass was costing us almost $80/mo. When factoring in that we have not needed to pay for the bus since he enrolled, THAT class was paid for. So the cost, whatever that amount is, is something most of us will pay anyway. The kid with a full ride might need a car and gas. We ALL pay a bit. This bit seems economical to us.

So the plan was and remains this: start slow to learn how to "college," after which we ramp up to 2-3 classes/semester. Because of his early start, he may still finish by the time he's 19 or 20 (after his 1 yr break to train with the Boston Ballet) and walk away with an associates. Sure, it's from a community college, but it's a degree that may help him get into another institute of learning. Living life with an expectation TO learn. Always expecting to move forward and figure out how to progress with the knowledge and experience one has, expecting to master what ELSE is needed. In the bigger picture, isn't this what college is for? Isn't this what "higher education" IS?

Yes, we homeschooled all the way "to college." We just arrived there a little differently.