All journeys come to an end, and the same can be said about your child’s homeschooling journey once they finish high school. But before they go to college, it is their parents’ responsibility to prepare them for the next chapter of their education. This not only means preparing them academically for college but also enriching their high school experience and teaching them the right values.
In an episode of Teach With Joy, author, wife, and homeschooling mom Joy Mendoza shares her experience and gives important tips on how homeschooling parents can prepare their kids for college. According to Mendoza, parents need to ask themselves about the documents that colleges will look for before accepting their children like a transcript of records and a diploma. These documents are easier to acquire when you are homeschooling with a provider since they will be the ones to provide them. On the other hand, independent homeschoolers need to prepare these documents as their children approach college.
It’s also important for parents to know the schedules of entrance exams of the colleges that they want their kids to attend. Furthermore, they should apply for and schedule for a number of them to give their children more options for colleges that they can go to. If their kids have any extracurricular awards, parents should also indicate that for colleges to know about them. Parents should also consider involving their children in community service work, leadership positions, sports, and other extracurricular activities to give them a robust experience before going to college.
Parents should also give their children a chance to talk to other homeschoolers who are already attending college so that they can ask questions and know more about the environment and experience. Parents also need to teach them proper time management and get them involved in doing collaborative projects with other kids. Another important thing for children to have before going to college is the skill of making presentations. This teaches them oral communication and teaches them how to be confident in front of others. This is why it is important for parents to make sure that they are good at typing and using software such as Microsoft Excel, Word, and Powerpoint.
Aside from enhancing their presentation skills, parents should also teach their children to do proper research during homeschooling, since this is something they will do in college. Writing skills are also fundamental and will be needed in almost every subject, so it’s important for them to practice writing essays, short stories, persuasion papers, and research papers. Teaching kids advanced lessons will also go a long way in helping them in college, so parents should also expose their children to Pre-Calculus and Statistics lessons. If they have a chance, parents can also teach their kids AP classes or Advanced Placement classes to give them a head start.
Homeschooling can be a little more laid back than attending school, so parents should also teach their children to take tests under pressure. Even early on, they should also ask their children lessons about the courses they want to take or the colleges they want to apply to. Joining internships, meanwhile, exposes children to different careers that they can learn from.
If your child is good in sports and music, they can also enter colleges through scholarships, and parents should consider letting them into it full-time. Being homeschooled also doesn’t mean not joining organizations, as homeschoolers can also have leadership positions in student councils by joining other homeschoolers and groups.
And finally, it is also important for children to be exposed to ministry opportunities and community service to expose them to what’s happening around them and to give them the burden to help others. Mendoza says that even though it can be intimidating for parents to prepare their children for college while homeschooling, she shares that it can also be a rewarding experience. The time that they spent with their children during their homeschooling journey will finally bear fruit, and seeing their growth and their gifts and abilities bloom can be amazing to see.
This is why it’s important for parents not to let the preparation for college get in the way of their children having a great homeschooling experience in high school. Finally, Mendoza said that all the years that parents invest in their kids in homeschooling, including high school, will eventually help them make life choices and principles and values that will carry them through life and help them achieve success.
It’s important for parents to prepare their children for college not just academically, but also teach them principles and convictions that will help them make the right choices that will please God. For more homeschooling tips, you can watch episodes of Teach with Joy or visit Plus Network on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
