Lesson 7: College and Career
Completing High School
Some homeschooled teenagers choose to attend public high school or to follow a home-based education program that will provide a high school diploma and transcript for college. Other teens choose further unschooling, internship, or apprenticeship opportunities rather than conventional schoolwork to prepare them for adult work or college.
“Most unschoolers who attend school seem to do well both academically and socially, though sometimes after an initial adjustment period. One factor that seems to contribute to their success is the knowledge that they are there because they want to be, and that they know there are other educational options available if they decide they want them.” - Mary Griffith, author of The Unschooling Handbook.
Your public school, community college, or a private school may offer an independent-study program or correspondence program that allows your child to complete high school credits at home. Community colleges often offer adult high school programs that your child can attend to earn a high school diploma in less time than traditional high school. Most community colleges also offer an equivalency test that provides not a traditional diploma, but a certificate of equivalency such as the GED certificate.
Some homeschoolers choose to avoid such certificates as the GED to avoid being classified with under-achieving public school dropouts. These students prefer to stand on their actual learning achievements by providing personally-prepared transcripts, portfolios, letters of recommendation, etc.
Unschoolers may choose to attend a public or private high school in preparation for college to facilitate a smoother transition and acceptance into a college, however not all colleges require high school diplomas. Some will admit students who pass the GED exam or those with SAT or ACT scores above a certain level. Others will consider students based on portfolio submissions.
“At one point in my life I chose not to attend school, and at another point I choose to attend school. I was happy with both realities (in different ways) because they were my choices. To some extent, the experiences complemented each other. And going to school certainly made me appreciate what a wonderful life I had before I went to school.
“Near the end of my high school experience, I wrote: ‘Although at the beginning I was distressed because I thought my home education was getting in the way of my success at school, I soon learned that I actually had many advantages over my peers. Because I was used to a resource-based style of learning, research and independent thinking came far more easily to me than to others. Also my interest and motivation far exceeded that of my peers. It amazed me, and often frustrated me, that everyone else spent their time and energy trying to avoid things, when I was eagerly awaiting them.’” - Heidi Priesnitz, former homeschooled child, and author of two books about deschooling.
For those high school-aged unschoolers who do not choose to pursue a high school diploma, their unschooling lives continue much as they did in earlier years, however they are more likely focused on finding or pursuing meaningful life work. This may or may not include future college attendance.
A high school unschooler’s activities may include various activities to explore career area interests such as taking community college courses, volunteering, participating in a mentoring relationship, apprenticing, etc. Some unschoolers are already employed and happy with their current situations.
- Online or Correspondence High School:
- Compuhigh Online High School, http://clonlara.org/compuhigh.htm All course material is online. Students work at their own pace. Each course has a mentor. Courses are project-based, not test-based. Provides a list of colleges that will accept graduates.
- Phoenix Academies, http://www.phoenixacademies.org Two high school diploma programs, Standard High School and College Preparatory High School. The college preparatory program includes foreign language, health, more math and science, and less electives.
- Articles:
- ’FAQ About Unschooling High School and College,’ by Alison McKee, http://www.homeschool.com/advisors/McKee...
- ’Unschooling High School,’ by Karen Gibson, http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/kmg...
- ’School-Free: Pursuing Real Life,’ http://info.nbtsc.org/schoolfree/
