|
It's so easy to get hung up on the whole issue of a high school diploma. The
main purpose of a diploma is to document a specific program of study that has
been completed at an educational institution. So in view of this, if you give it
some thought, you may agree with my "Inverted Value Theory." Simply put,
it suggests that the more "official" a diploma looks in the world's eyes, the
less true value the diploma actually possesses. This would mean that a regular
school diploma, the most widely accepted diploma (Who would ever question it?)
has less genuine meaning in the scope of life and God's values than any other
diploma. On the other hand, a diploma representing an education navigated by mom
and dad would very likely rest in the hands of a student who is better prepared
for living, learning and loving than 10 traditionally-schooled students put
together. (I don't have the statistics, but just take your own poll.)
IS YOUR DIPLOMA MEANINGFUL?
If you're asking whether it means anything to an employer, the answer is "Most
likely--as much as any other diploma." Have you ever, even once, been
asked to show your diploma for a job? I haven't. I've only had to
give the name of my high school. So if you come up with a good-sounding name for
your homeschool, you're safe there. ("Rainbow Home School" probably wouldn't
quite cut it.) If you're asking whether a college, the armed services, or a
financial aid board would consider it valid, the answer is "Maybe yes; maybe
no." If it doesn't mean what you want it to mean to the party you want it to
mean something to (like the Dean of Admissions at a college), the student can
always take a few classes or a year at a community college. (Some or all of
those college credits could even be taken during the high school years.) This
automatically waives the need for a diploma. For example, when someone has taken
Algebra II, they never ask if you've taken Algebra I; it's simply assumed that
you know the material for the simpler if you have attained the more difficult.
If your student intends to enter the service, or another certain institution
upon graduation, check into their requirements now, then work toward them — or
work them into your program — through these years.
Another suggestion is to even try to work around their requirements by seeing if
you can work with one of their counselors to find "equivalencies" in meeting
requirements. This is breaking new grounds, scary, but it has been done and
needs to be done if homeschoolers are to forge ahead and (gently) take their
rightful place in society. This is usually done one brick at a time at a
grass-roots level where you find a lot of dirt, bugs, and rocky ground!
SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR DIPLOMAS
There are actually many options in this arena for those not wanting to connect
with a curriculum program.
You can purchase an official looking diploma made up professionally.
Several businesses offer such diplomas. (Cost ranges from $10 to $25. See end of
article for addresses.)
You can make one yourself using press-type lettering and high quality paper
(available in stationery stores) which is as professional an appearance as you
can get without spending a chunk of money or owning a high-tech computer. (I
include one in my senior high manual, but it's not as spiffy as some you can
purchase.) (Cost is about $3 to $5.)
Recognizing that some could still feel a need for a "valid" diploma, prior to
completing my senior high book, I made arrangements with Triune Biblical
University to offer an "official" diploma. This diploma enables Do-it-your-self-ers
to translate their student's learning into classes and credits and still have an
official-looking diploma to show for it. There is a list of required classes to
follow, but parents determine entirely the content of these classes. (Cost is
about $100, payable as you accumulate credits through senior high years.)...Home
School Associates of New England offers a similar plan.
SO BACK TO THE QUESTION
But I still haven't totally answered "Does your diploma mean anything?"
Keep in mind that the following is not an answer I would actually give someone
who was honestly asking the question. It would contain elements of the following
response, but the purpose of this answer is to give you some food for thought.
My answer starts out in the form of a question...
What does your diploma mean? How has it prepared you for the "real world" where
offices don't usually have 25 people all the same age, and work days aren't
usually divided by bells into six totally unrelated sectors? Has your diploma
prepared you to be a loving, considerate husband or wife or a wise, nurturing
dad or mom? (The most important roles you'll probably ever hold.) Did what you
learned in science reveal to you the awesomeness of God and give you more of a
sense of His hand upon the making and history of the universe or are you even
more convinced of the "Big Blast," evolution, or the "gene pool"? Did your
diploma help you acquire wisdom and true knowledge — or mere head knowledge? Do
you view all knowledge as being "truth" only as it aligns with the truth — His
Truth? Or has your training made you hesitant to make such a "biased"
statement? Does your diploma indicate you are closer to God? More
confident in His love for you? Better equipped you to accomplish the work
God has "prepared beforehand" for you to walk in through life? ...Just thought
I'd ask..."
BACK TO REALITY
I assure you that the diploma we award our kids won't guarantee that its
recipients have attained all these high ideals! We can do all the planting we
want; only God can do the growing. But our diploma will signify that we tried,
that we went the direction we believed God was taking us, with His values as our
"Student Learning Objectives," with His vision our vision.
OUR DIPLOMA
The diploma we issue our children, then, will be in alignment with dad and mom's
priorities rather than the "state's." It will not be state issued or
state-approved. We are a private, home-based school; not state-funded or even
state-affiliated.
As the world's values and morals continue to spiral (plummet) downward, the
chasm between the values of Christians and those of the world is widening
dramatically. God has an abundance of work for His people in these latter days
and perilous times! I believe we need to be more concerned with preparing
ourselves and our children for His work — and finding out what that is — than
with obtaining a diploma that will open bigger doors to higher-paying careers or
gaining entry into a more prestigious college.
Do we want a "valid diploma" for the wrong reasons? "Let us study (through these
high school years) to show ourselves approved by God" — not man! We may need to
ask God for a spirit of doing all things well for the glory of God, in readiness
for doing the will of God. All God needs is a heart completely yielded to Him. A
"good-education," defined accurately as being the result of yielding ourselves
to being taught of God, will only enhance and equip us to that end. Our values
should never take preeminence over our call to serve and know God — or cause the
fire of our love for Him to wane. |
|
|
The above article is
excerpted and rewritten from the book Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+la
by Barbara Shelton. Addresses of resources mentioned in article are as follows:
Home School Associates of New England: "North Atlantic Regional School" is the
name on the diploma, signed by them. Send work to them for evaluation. $60. (116
3rd Ave./Auburn, ME 04210).
Triune Biblical University: "Triune Senior High Private Extension Program."
Send documentation of completed work; they fill out and sign. About $200;
less if some credits are transferred. (Call 360-577-0586 to obtain
Information/Registration Packet.)
In Texas, as private
school officials, parents decide the requirements for high school graduation.
When met, the student may receive a diploma. THSC now makes available this
custom
diploma on which you may have not only your student's name and graduation
date, but also your school's name and a life verse, if desired. Mix and match
four wording choices with four different fonts and seven paper types.
Josten's: offers a generic diploma — parent fills out and signs diploma.
About $10. (1-800-323-9343).
(Please notify me
at beshelton@aol.com
if any of the above info is outdated!)
|
|