Day 528 of 1000
I got a nice plug today from a relatively new blog name Joe, Stefani, Faith, and Hope that got me to thinking about some of the stuff we did in our homeschool. We really do not think we did everything exactly right, but there are several things for which we are very grateful. Two of them in particular turned out great. First, the CLEP tests were great and I think we got them just about right. Both the kids started taking them at about age 13 and kept them up until they went off to community college. The community college thing is the other thing that was both effective and a super experience for our kids, but I have mixed feelings on the timing.
In terms of the CLEP tests, Kelly took a lot more of them than Christian, and that helped her when she went to both NCSU and Wake Tech, but Christian is a year and a half younger than Kelly. They started community college at the same time, so Christian did not have time to take as many tests as Kelly. In my previous discussions, I explain that we did not only take the CLEP tests for credit, but as supplemental subject matter and college preparation material for our regular homeschool classes. This really worked like a champ. We were able to prepare the kids for some of the silliness that is taught in many college humanities classes (as well, sadly, as some of the biological and environmental sciences). The kids were more prepared for college level material than they might have been had they taken the regular homeschool classes without the supplemental CLEP materials.
I cannot say enough good about the kids community college experience. Our only mixed feelings were that Kelly waited until she was 16 years old to start there while Christian started when he was 14. We are pretty sure Kelly could have handled it just fine, but it was hugely beneficial that they started school together. Many homeschoolers start in dual enrollment programs that are offered to local high schools. I think that is fine, but we are very happy we did not do that. Rather, both the kids started as full time students. Both of them took a light load of 12-13 hours the first semester, just enough to be full time. The CLEP tests they took gave them enough credit that, even after a light first semester, they were ahead of schedule.
The problem with many of the dual enrollment programs is that often they offer a very limited number of classes and there are onerous restrictions on students under the age of 16 years of age. As a 14 year old, dual enrolled student, Christian would have had to have Lorena with him at all times. As a fully enrolled student, he did not have that restriction and he could enroll in any class the school offered. It is very interesting that students who graduate from Wake Tech do better at NCSU, grade-wise, than students who start there as freshman.
We are particularly pleased with the quality and acceptance of their education. Christian and Kelly both plan to go on to graduate school when they finish their bachelors degree. Having attended the community college first did not diminish their opportunities for graduate school, work, and internship opportunities. I will talk more about where they plan to go next. All in all, homeschool, CLEP testing, and community college have provided a sound educational foundation for which we are very grateful.