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Hear from a Texas Home School Graduate

 diploma decisions

by Leah G. Driggers

Texas Home School Coalition REVIEW^© February 2001

You hit the high school mark, but now your mailbox is flooded with college paraphernalia, your grandmother wants you to get a law degree, a guy from church offered you a full-time job, your best friend leaves for school in the fall, and everyone is demanding to know your plans. What are you going to do?

A seventeen-year-old Arlington home schooler enjoys playing the piano and sings soprano in a local home school choir. Like most other high school seniors, she is con­sidering the next chapter of her life. Many well-meaning friends and family members want to help her make that decision wisely. Several have asked, "What college are you going to attend?" The majority simply inquire, "What are you going to do?"

I remember, as an eighteen-year-old, thinking it was unfair for people to demand to know what I was going to do with the next sixty years of my life—especially since any answer besides being a doctor or lawyer sparked a lecture on careers with a bigger paycheck. However, as with most things in life, there is wisdom in planning and preparation. Motivation commences when you realize Saxon math lessons are going to be documented for college tran­scripts and academic scholarships.

The most traditional post-high school route is college, degree, career, affluence, and success. Just like pulling their kids out of traditional schools, however, home schoolers across America are playing other cards like apprenticeship, mission work, experience jobs, and Internet courses.

traditional college

Preparing for college may be an if, but it motivates students to excel in academics and prepare a good resume. Colleges like to see SAT scores, high school transcripts, and extra-curricular activities. Ask your teachers for records and letters of recom­mendation; note teachers, grades, course titles, and work/leadership experience. Pre­pare for the PSAT and the SAT through classes offered through home school groups, schools, books, or computer software. Because of flexible schedules, extra-curric­ular activities set home schoolers apart. If you worked on your home school group's newsletter or volunteered for the local food bank, write it down. Many high school home schoolers are accumulating credits through early admission at local junior col­leges or CLEP exams. My brother enrolled in an early admission program at our local community college as a sixteen-year-old. Scholarships are a whole new world; some­times the fact that we were valedictorians of our one-student classes does not impress faculties. Some colleges, however, now offer special home school scholarships just for being educated at home. Sports scholar­ships, especially for team sports, are chal­lenges for home schoolers barred from traditional competitions. My dad jumped outside the team hoop with golf and tennis; in my sophomore year, I sent copies of my standings for golf tournaments in which I had participated and a letter to golf coaches of local colleges. Thanks to home school organizations like the Texas Home School Coalition, home school athletes may soon gain scout attention in the public/private arena.

apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are always valuable for experience, college admission, or resumes.

Thousands of godly Christian employers would love to train and work with home school graduates. Apprenticeship allows a student to assist the employer; in exchange, the student learns the trade. If you want to be a vet, involve yourself with the animal clinic down your street. If you faint at the sight of blood, you will save yourself and your parents thousands of dollars and hours pursuing a worthless degree. Appren­ticeships boast professional business skills and real life experience; try different fields. This is an incredible door to gain new skills and develop interests. My friends have apprenticed with florists, herbalists, photographers, vets, financial advisors, and caterers. When you approach a new appren­ticeship, discuss objectives, hours, training, and work. Always request recommenda­tion letters. Many apprenticeships evolve into long-term careers.

correspondence

With the increasing influence of the World Wide Web, Internet classes are emerging all over the country. Seventy-five percent of colleges now offer on-line classes, and over one million Americans already download for degrees. Many home schoolers prefer this route because students determine work pace in a home environment. Correspon­dence courses are a fabulous, structured avenue to help students hit hard deadlines on time. Even junior colleges are rushing to take advantage of the possibilities. I enrolled in online courses at Telos Institute International in Indianapolis and South­western Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. With Telos, I read required textbooks, watched lectures from CDs on my monitor, wrote and e-mailed eight-page weekly assignments to my supervisor, and typed exams under the supervision of a proctor. Telos pushed me to write quickly and accurately under deadlines. The semi­nary was a little more interactive. Besides our textbook reading, we worked on an interactive web board reading lectures and studying graphs; each week we were required to post an answer to a different question. There was even a chat day once a week to enable us to talk with our profes­sors and classmates.

ministry

Some may be called to spend these prepa­ration years in service. An eighteen-year-old from Glen Rose disciples and trains juvenile delinquents in Indianapolis, Indi­ana. My nineteen-year-old sister has just been certified to be a transitional care parent at the Edna Gladney Home in Fort Worth, Texas. The Gladney Home assists mothers in crisis pregnancies who plan to place their children for adoption. In Texas there is a legal waiting time between delivery and adoption. Faith cares for the infants during that time. She believes that God is calling her to be a wife and mother and is using this as preparation and a ministry. A twenty-one-year-old home school graduate from Azle flew to the Ukraine as a missionary immediately after high school. In February, he plans to leave for five years as a full-time missionary in the Ukraine.

experience vs. degree

Others push their college funds into a busi­ness instead. While their peers scribble notes behind a wooden desk, they are earn­ing a living, making contacts, and develop­ing skills. Others bypass essential college preparation and jump straight into a career. Many jobs are all about experience, and one year of the real thing may prove far more valuable than a degree. Instead of spending time and money on a four-year piece of paper, these students are getting paid to learn their lifework. A twenty-one year old from Aledo was hired by a consult­ing firm when he was eighteen years old. Although his position called for a four-year degree, his boss was impressed with his interview and communication skills. He now travels and works as a project manager in Dallas.

Post-high school options will factor into forming this huge decision. Questioning friends and family double the pressure. Remember there is no better place to be than in the will of God whether you choose college or not. Right now God may want you to peacefully trust in Him like the Arlington seventeen-year-old and answer, "I don't know right now." She is waiting on Him, and He will reward her obedience. He will direct your path.

Leah Driggers, after graduation from home schooling, began working for WORLD magazine (See benefits of membership for discounted subscription).

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