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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/2/2012 3:19:05 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Homeschooling High School: Expanding Your Homeschool into the Community |
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#=====---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter February 2012--Expanding Your Homeschool into the Community ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Save up to 80% on popular software titles ]---------------------- Students & Teachers save up to 80% on popular software titles such as Adobe, Autodesk, Corel, Microsoft and more. Genesis Technologies Inc. is an authorized academic software reseller with over 4000 products. http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=439 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, Thank you for allowing us to show up in your email inbox each month! Our goal is to make your job of teaching high school at home a bit easier, more enjoyable, and less nerve-racking. And because it's February, we rejoice with you that you're more than halfway through your school year. It's all downhill from here--although at times you may feel like you are slipping and sliding in freefall fashion down the hill. :) We encourage you to expand your homeschool teaching through involvement in your community--either the community coming to you or you going into the community. You and your teens will benefit from spreading out your teaching environment and creating new avenues of learning for your teens. Exploring Cultures Most likely during the high school years you'll teach a geography or world history courseto your teens. Textbook learning has its place, but what about supplementing the book with some additional activities? Maybe you can plan a culture night in your home and invite neighbors, friends from church, co-workers, and others of different nationalities. Suggest that they wear their ethnic garb (if possible), bring a delectable goodie that's native to their country, and share some interesting tidbits about their country's history and current government. Your teen could supply each guest with questions ahead of time such as: how is life in your country different from the U.S., or what customs or traditions from your country do you continue to celebrate? It could be interesting to include guests from a wide spectrum of ages. Someone who lived through the Vietnam War or Korean War may give new perspectives not covered in your textbook. Give your evening a cosmopolitan flair by typing out a short well-known passage from a literary selection or from the Bible, and invite your guests to read it aloud to everyone in their own language. If your teen is studying Spanish, French, or another foreign language, find a native speaker who will meet your teen for conversational nights once or twice a month. This person may enjoy practicing his English at the same time! Do you need to expand your circle of acquaintances to come up with possibilities? Sometimes public libraries and local community colleges or universities keep lists of speakers. Local foreign language clubs may welcome others from the community to participate. Also, check out museums and art galleries in your area for educational programs on various cultures. Discovering Careers The high school years can be a bit overwhelming for your teens because of the perceived need to begin thinking about their future goals and careers. Help to allay these fears by hosting a career day. This can be a family project or a homeschool group effort. Invite people from various professions to share about "a day in the life of ..." Keep the day focused by giving everyone tips on what to share such as: what training is needed for their job, what high school subjects prepared them for their current positions, how many different career changes have they made, what are the best and least appealing aspects of their job, does their major in college or their focus in high school have anything to do with their job today? Some teens may be paralyzed by thinking that once a major is chosen they are tied to it for life! At the end of the day, leave time for a group question and answer session. Hosting these mini-career fairs could become an annual event so that by the end of the high school years your teens will be exposed to the inside scoop of many different professions. Such functions also provide the beginnings of networking opportunities for your teens. Research facilities, zoos, and hospitals may offer interesting seminars for your teens that highlight science and medical issues while also providing talks on possible careers. Use a computer search of the facilities' website to find additional information for these types of options. Receiving from Giving Homeschoolers enjoy the flexibility of determining their schedules which may permit them to volunteer on a regular basis. Although we normally associate volunteering with service (and rightly so), volunteering also affords your teens the prospect of being on the receiving end of developing skills, learning from experts, and growing in interpersonal talents. Non-profit organizations in your community may need help with their annual fundraising events. Your teens could choose a good cause and then volunteer to assist in the planning and production of the affair. Along the way your teens will learn time management, organizational skills, and promotional tips. They'll work with professionals who can impart expertise, knowledge, and guidance that will be a boon to your teens' education. Some teens tend to be self-focused (aren't we all?), but reaching into the lives of others will enlarge their world. Their eyes and hearts will be opened to the needs of others as they become more connected to their community. It will be wonderful to see your teens plugged into outlets that will benefit from their energy and fresh enthusiasm. Becoming a Better Citizen Although most high school government courses have a state and national focus, be sure to expose your teens to local government. How is your town governed? What authority rests in the local government? How does the local government interact with your state government? Use the USA.gov website http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13550 to find your town and explore its type of government and history. Your town council meeting times, names and contact info for local government officials, and in some cases, the minutes of actual meetings will be listed. One of your local representatives could be invited to speak to your homeschool co-op to share about the issues currently affecting your town. The town council meetings are usually open to the public and can help your teen see and appreciate the amount of work necessary to formulate local policy. Let your teens know that although they may be too young to vote, they can still influence proposals by writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper and to elected officials, providing their stance on an issue. They can also volunteer to help re-elect a representative who shares their views. Connecting the Dots Homeschooling in your community can enable your teens to connect the concepts in their textbooks to the community in which they live. As an added bonus, some forays into the community may provide your teens contacts for letters of recommendation for the college application or references for job applications. In turn, we hope that your teens' enthusiasm for their studies gets a boost as they enjoy exploring their community! Join us next month as we highlight high school electives. We'll discuss resources, evaluation, and course description advice that is helpful as you develop these courses. Give your teen a hug in advance of Valentine's Day and remember to enjoy these homeschooling years! Cheering you on, Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer HSLDA High School Consultants Expert Advice HSLDA member? Call Becky or Diane with your questions. They are here to help! Not yet an HSLDA member? Join today and take advantage of Becky and Diane's expertise in teaching high school at home. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13551 Send a Subscription Do you have a friend who could benefit from receiving the HSLDA Homeschooling Thru High School email newsletter? Send them this link and be an encouragement to them! http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=13552 Becky and Diane's Upcoming Speaking Engagements March 3, 2012 -- Living Waters Home Educators, NJ (Diane) April 12-14, 2012 -- MACHE, St. Paul, MN (Diane and Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12477 May 11-12, 2012 -- CHAP, Harrisburg, PA (Becky) http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=12478 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who's knocking on your door? When a social service worker arrives at your door, tension can run high. Wouldn't it be nice to get your lawyer on the phone, providing you with immediate step-by-step guidance? More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1099 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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