Curriculum
Ideas A growing area of curriculum suggestions, as well as ideas on how
to homeschool inexpensively. Realistic, affordable ideas, as well as
reality checks!
Leadership
Position Papers
Opinions, white
papers, and sometimes controversial papers from HSC and others about
homeschooling from a Christian worldview.
State
Laws & Support Individual pages for states and countries to help you with state-specific
questions, including book suggestions, driver's ed, support groups,
and more.
Mary Our dear heavenly
Father, thank you for bringing us together tonight. Please guide Cafi
as she gives of herself to help her fellow homeschoolers. Be with our
audience tonight and help them to discern what will best help their
own children. Keep us all safe from technical difficulties. We thank
you for this opportunity tonight to help make a difference. Amen!
Mary Welcome to tonight's conference with Cafi Cohen. You will
only see your name on the screen in the audience, and you cannot type,
but you can submit questions to be answered after our interview by clicking
on the question icon in the middle of your screen.
Mary Cafi Cohen began homeschooling in the 1980's and together
with her husband Terrell educated both of her children at home through
high school. Both her son and her daughter were admitted to their first
choice colleges on substantial scholarships.
Mary She frequently
contributes to several national homeschool publications, including Home
Education Magazine, Homeschooling Today, and The LINK, a Homeschool
Newspaper. Her books include And What About College? How Homeschooling
Leads To Admissions To The Best Colleges and Universities, 2nd Edition
(Holt Associates, 2000), Homeschooling The Teen Years (Prima,
2000), and The Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook (Prima,
December, 2000).
Mary She also maintains the web page, Homeschool-Teens-College,
www.homeschoolteenscollege.net,
presents workshops on a wide range of topics at home education conferences
nationwide, and teaches music in a homeschool co-op in Arroyo Grande,
California. She is also a co-host at the Kaleidoscapes Homeschool Web
site.
Mary Welcome, Cafi!
I am so happy we've finally gotten together for an interview! You're
a very busy lady, and we appreciate you squeezing us in!
Cafi Cohen Mary, thanks so much for asking. I LOVE this
format.
Mary PrestonSpeed Publications was very generous with this chat
program! Well, let's get on with the questions!
Mary I hear many parents who say, "How can I homeschool
my teen when I don't understand algebra myself?" What do you tell
these parents?
Cafi Cohen Sooner or later, ALL homeschooling parents hit the
wall, in other words, they come up against a subject they know nothing
about. Fortunately, now - unlike 10 years ago - we have hundreds of
self-instructional resources for any subject imaginable. If self-instruction
and correspondence instruction do not work for your teenagers, they
can take homeschool co-op and community college classes.
Cafi Cohen One homeschool mom I know says she's glad when her
children hit algebra because then they enroll in junior college algebra
I, and math is off her plate, so to speak.
Mary I have been threatening to pass math on to Dad this week,
as a matter of fact! And *I'M* only a "6th grader" now!
Mary How hard it is for homeschooled teens to get accepted into
colleges?
Cafi Cohen A recent National Center for Home Education study
found that homeschoolers are routinely accepted into more than 95% of
the 500-plus colleges they surveyed. Even more impressive, some colleges
are now offering scholarships specifically for homeschool graduates.
Cafi Cohen At some colleges, homeschoolers are admitted at higher
rates than regular applicants. An example? Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
Thomas Aquinas College, a "great books" school in California,
boasts that 29% of their student body have been homeschooled.
Mary Wow, that's quite a large percentage!
Mary Is there anything that can help give homeschoolers an edge
over any other student?
Cafi Cohen Yes. Homeschoolers planning to apply to college should
use their teen years to become very proficient at one to three activities.
Parents should encourage their teens to explore their interests in depth.
Cafi Cohen For example, my son participated in the Civil Air
Patrol Cadet Program. He eventually - at age 17 - earned a private pilot's
license. This experience counted heavily towards his admission to the
U. S. Air Force Academy, one of the most selective schools in the nation.
Mary Is it necessary for homeschool teens to take the GED?
Cafi Cohen Although most colleges no longer require the GED of
homeschoolers, a few still request it. Sometimes taking the GED may
be the easiest way to "complete the applicant's file."
Cafi Cohen At the same time, readers should know that some homeschoolers
are refusing on principle to take the GED. Either they avoid applying
at colleges that request the GED, or they explain to admissions officers
why taking it makes no sense. I know of several cases where they have
won the argument by saying, "I have a 1350 SAT score and 16 college
credits. Do you really think a GED score is necessary?"
Mary What is an "official" diploma, and how important
is it to have one?
Cafi Cohen An "official" diploma is one issued directly
to colleges from the credit-granting institution (usually a high school).
Official diplomas often bear seals, stamps, and signatures to assure
their authenticity.
Cafi Cohen Most colleges now know not to expect an official diploma
from homeschoolers. Nevertheless, there is no reason why homeschooling
parents cannot include seals, stamps, and/or notarized signatures on
their homebrew diplomas, thereby making them "official."
Mary With all the desktop publishing programs now, it wouldn't
be hard to do!
Mary How can I prepare my teen for college entrance exams (SAT
and ACT)? At what age should they begin taking these exams? And are
they required for all colleges?
Cafi Cohen That's it. Actually, homeschool diplomas often look
more impressive than those from public high schools.
Mary How can I prepare my teen for college entrance exams (SAT
and ACT)? At what age should they begin taking these exams? And are
they required for all colleges?
Cafi Cohen Many four-year colleges and almost all two-year community
colleges do NOT require an SAT or ACT score. In addition, an increasing
number of four-year colleges have discontinued use of the SAT or ACT
to make admissions decisions. For a list, check out FairTest, http://www.fairtest.org.
Cafi Cohen Check with colleges where you think your homeschoolers
will apply to determine which test, if any, they will need to take.
I recommend preparation, beginning at grade eight, using standard book
and CD-ROM preparation materials you can find in the study guide section
of any large bookstore.
Cafi Cohen Most homeschoolers do not take four years to do the
four years of high school. Those taking college entrance tests may take
the first exam, the PSAT as early as grade nine. The "standard"
time to take the SAT and ACT is the end of grade eleven or the beginning
of grade twelve.
Mary At what age can homeschool teens begin taking college classes?
Cafi Cohen How about age 12! Much depends on the how accepting
different colleges are. In some parts of the country, all they need
is a parent signature. In other areas, some colleges, unfortunately,
build a wall of red tape. Regardless, ALL homeschooled teens can avail
themselves of correspondence college classes.
Mary Have you gotten
much feedback from parents who start their kids very young in community
colleges? I would be nervous about the age span between my young ones
and those coming from government high schools.
Cafi Cohen Community colleges seem to have an older, more serious
clientele than the local state university, according to most homeschooling
parents I have queried about this.
Cafi Cohen Also, usually younger teens take a single class. I
know one mom of a 14-year-old who accompanies her daughter to her college
class.
Mary And probably
the only kid in the class who wouldn't be embarrassed to have her mom
along!
Cafi Cohen Probably right!
Mary How important are AP classes and how can a homeschooled
teen take these classes?
Cafi Cohen AP classes enhance the transcript of any applicant
to a competitive college. I have a list of institutions offering AP
classes to homeschoolers on the links page at my website.
Cafi Cohen That said, you need not take an AP class to take the
AP exams. You may use any course material you like.
Mary We'll be showing Cafi's Web site (http://www.homeschoolteenscollege.net) in a few moments, and
you can click around in it while watching tonight's chat.
Mary How important is composition in preparing for college? How
much writing should a homeschool teen be doing in high school?
Cafi Cohen Writing skills are crucial to success at most colleges.
All homeschoolers now in college that I have interviewed say they should
have done more writing during their high school years.
Cafi Cohen I am not a fan of traditional writing and grammar
exercises, reports and term papers, and typical high school writing
assignments. Teens would do far better to write for real world purposes
- 4-H newsletter, creative short stories, correspondence, contest entries,
journals, and so on.
Mary That's the sort of writing that I personally enjoy, but
I'm sure there is a lot of variety in what everyone thinks is good there!
Ah...the beauty of homeschooling!
Mary How do you keep a teen involved outside the home and interacting
with others when he is most interested in computers and would rather
not deal with people?
Cafi Cohen About all
that parents can do is promote and create opportunities for group interactions.
In our case, I made community service and church attendance mandatory.
Everything else was optional.
Mary I picked up an interesting idea from someone on our message
boards about mandatory church attendance.
Mary When the kids groan and say "AW, do we HAVE TA go to
church?" You answer "NO, we GET to go to church!" That
usually takes care of it here!
Cafi Cohen Smile.
Mary What do you think of letting homeschool teens graduate from
high school early?
Cafi Cohen I have
no problem with that, and in fact, it will happen to most families simply
because home education is so efficient. The big question is: what do
you do with a 15- or 16-year-old high school graduate? I agree with
those who say that ages 15 and 16 are too early for exposure to campus
living at the state university.
Mary Good point! I think we are going to see a proliferation
of on-line college courses in the near future. It's already begun.
Cafi Cohen And don't forget alternatives such as foreign exchange
trips.
Mary One of my uncles, in fact, teaches political science at
Regent, completely on-line and out of state!
Cafi Cohen Yup, there's Regents and Thomas Edison State College
and a host of others.
Mary Can you teach biology and chemistry at home without a lab?
Cafi Cohen Sure. We did it. You don't need something that looks
like a laboratory to make observations, do experiments, and study natural
phenomena.
Mary The private high school my husband attended is about to
put an electron microscope on their Web site that will be controlled
by those on the Internet! (Webb School of California in Claremont)
Cafi Cohen Ah, labs at our fingertips!
Mary What would you consider to be the most important books for
a college-bound student to read?
Cafi Cohen All college bound students should be well-grounded
in the two pillars of western civilization: the Judeo-Christian tradition
and the ideas first elucidated by the Greeks and Romans.
Cafi Cohen The Bible and classics would be high on my list, with
the side note that most students will only have a smattering of the
thousands of classics before they reach the age of 18.
Cafi Cohen Keep in mind that "reading" takes many forms
- seeing a Shakespeare play and hearing an audiotape count just as much
as poring over a text book.
Mary At least homeschooled kids aren't wasting their time with
unnecessary politically correct coursework! They can devote more time
to real studies!
Mary Yes, we're BIG fans of books on tape!
Cafi Cohen Hear, hear!
Mary Is a transcript a requirement, and are there any books or
Web sites with information on how to design one? What are your thoughts
on record keeping. How detailed? Report card or transcript only?
Cafi Cohen Many colleges will want to see a transcript. I have
information on designing one to fit YOUR teenager in my first book,
"And What About College?" That title also discusses record-keeping,
as does my second book, Homeschooling The Teen Years.
Mary Does the And What About College? book go more into
depth on that than the Teen Years one?
Cafi Cohen Yes.
Mary What do you think about college at home? Where can we go
for more information on that?
Cafi Cohen Want to save big bucks??? Consider college at home.
Cafi Cohen The second edition of And What About College?
released last May has a new chapter addressing college at home. Certainly
opportunities for college at home are expanding, and many might want
to explore this cost-saving option for part or all of college.
Mary That's great! I didn't realize there was already a second
edition! Things have changed a lot recently with respect to on-line
colleges!
Mary Can you name a few of the colleges/universities that you
know of offering at-home studies?
Cafi Cohen We see changes EVERY week. If you are interested in
college at home, begin in your own backyard. Call local colleges.
Cafi Cohen
Most colleges now offer some distance learning opportunities.
Mary Cafi, can you tell us about your latest book and how it
is laid out? I am very impressed with your bibliographies at the end
of each chapter for books, videos, curriculum resources and helpful
Web sites.
Cafi Cohen Thanks so much, Mary. Homeschooling The Teen Years
is the result of more than 100 multi-page questionnaires that homeschooling
moms, dads, and teens nationwide completed for me. It contains not just
my ideas, but the successful approaches of families using many different
methods.
Mary We covered a lot of ground with our questions in a short
period of time, so let's get right to questions from the audience! Feel
free to submit a question, just be sure to make it short enough to fit
in one transmission.
Q&A: Questions & Answers from the Audience
Caron
{question presented} On a "homebrew" transcript: Is there
a difference between labeling a course "Honors" vs. "AP"?
Can we so designate any course we feel is above grade level?
Cafi Cohen Prefer the "AP" designation to "honors".
I think it has more impact in college admissions offices. Yes, you can
so designate any course you feel is above grade level.
Mary I'm so glad Caron brought that up. I never would have thought
about that!
Beverly {question presented} How does one get a homeschooled
scholar into a community college to take algebra?
Cafi Cohen Ah, THAT depends on how cooperative your local JC
is. In our case, we simply enrolled our son and paid the fee for the
classes (in Colorado). He had to take reading and math placement tests,
and that was it!
Cafi Cohen Other places can make it much more difficult. Community
colleges are not supposed to compete with public high schools.
Mary From what I hear, they don't have much competition! [grin]
Beverly {question presented} How old was your son when be began
to participate in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program? How young do they
accept candidates?
Cafi Cohen I think the CAP ages are 12-21. My son began to participate
at 14. I wish we had known about it earlier. It's a FABULOUS program.
Mary Is it available in most communities?
Cafi Cohen Yes and no. Most moderate size communities should
have a CAP squadron, say 100,000 people or more. Smaller communities
might have a local squadron if there is an Air force base nearby.
Mary Is it available to both boys and girls?
Cafi Cohen Yes, it's co-ed.
Andrew Scott {question presented} I am 15 right now. I really
enjoy computers and I want to start a career in computers. What can
I do to help me prepare for college. Is there anything you can recommend
that will help me choose the right course of study.
Mary Andrew, by the way, is our homeschool apprentice here at
Homeschool Christian.com!
Cafi Cohen Hi Andrew. Nice to see you here. My guess is that
you are already great at computers. Focus on your writing and math skills.
With those, you can do anything.
Mary Would you recommend any outside activities for homeschooled
scholars who are college bound? Would it look bad, for instance, to
have a teen who has done nothing but math, science and computers?
Cafi Cohen Yes, yes, yes -- let's see, specifically. 4-H, CAP,Scouts,
and as much community service (volunteering) as possible. Paying jobs
also look very good to college admissions officers.
Cafi Cohen Homeschooler's who restrict themselves to "covering
all the bases" on a scope and sequence do not impress college admissions
officers.
Mary Can you explain that a bit more, please?
Cafi Cohen Any applicant who simply does his four years of English,
four years of Language Arts, three years of math, and so on -- without
activities -- will NOT stand out in a crowd. You need to stand out in
a crowd if you want to win admission to selective colleges -- or big
scholarship money at any school.
Mary That brings up another question I have...what about scholarships
for our kids? Do they have a chance?
Cafi Cohen
Homeschoolers win just as many scholarships as their traditionally
school counterparts. I base that on research I have just completed for
a third book, The Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook,
to be released in December.
Mary GREAT! I'm so glad my oldest is only 11! All you veterans
have paved an easy path for my family! We bow to you!
Beverly {question presented} Why have colleges discontinued using
the SAT or ACT scores to make admission decisions?
Cafi Cohen They don't think the SAT/ACT tells them anything about
an applicant's potential for success at college. Read more about it
at the FairTest site.
Mary From personal experience, I was admitted to USC with a low
GRE test for a graduate program based on the interview I had.
Beverly {question presented} What is your take on clepping college
courses?
Cafi Cohen CLEPPING is wonderful -- IF the college where your
child will eventually receive his degree accepts the credit.
Mary Good point! At what age should these young people be looking
college choices?
Cafi Cohen Believe it or not, selective colleges would like to
begin talking to them at grade eight or nine.
Cafi Cohen My husband is now a liaison officer for the Air Force
Academy. As such, he helps people apply to the military academies and
for ROTC scholarships. He would like to begin seeing interested students
at age 14 -- when they can still do something about their preparation.
Mary Better than finding out at 18 that they're not prepared!
Cafi Cohen That's right.
Reise {question presented} What should be included in a high
school portfolio?
Cafi Cohen Reise: here's a short list: work samples, letters
of recommendation, awards, test scores, transcripts, photos, descriptions
of in depth projects, documentation of running a business, and anything
else that shows off your student's accomplishments.
Mary By the title, it sounds like your book due out in December
is going to cover this quite well.
Cafi Cohen Yes, that's true, I was racking my brain to try and
duplicate the list in that book here.
CindyPooh {question presented} Wouldn't college at home serve
as a detriment for some careers?
Cafi Cohen Yes. I don't think you can get a teaching credential
via college at home. And it's hard to imagine nursing or piano performance
in a college at home format.
Mary But I suppose some of the general ed courses could be done
at home more efficiently too, leaving more time for the major courses.
Cafi Cohen That's also true. I think that not enough people consider
college at home. Certainly it can be a wonderful, money-saving alternative
for the first year or two, especially if your homeschooler graduates
at age 15.
Alexisse {question presented} Mrs. Cohen, My name is Alexisse
& I'm 12. I wish to become a vet. How can I find the best college
for me to attend?
Cafi Cohen Alexisse -- what a cool name.
Mary She's a cooool kid! I have her picture on my desk!
Cafi Cohen Vet school is very difficult to get into. And, as
you probably know, there aren't very many nationwide...only one in California,
for example.
Cafi Cohen I would suggest that you do a little library research
and find out which two or three vet schools are closest to you right
now. Then get some of their literature, so that you can begin preparation.
Mary I'll bet helping a local vet in a job/volunteer position
would be a good start!
Cafi Cohen That's what my daughter did. At age 12-13, she had
a volunteer job at a veterinary clinic. Convinced her she did NOT want
to be a vet!
Mary Alexisse just
added that's she's on a list to help the local vet! She knows what she
wants, doesn't she?
Cafi Cohen Wish I'd
had it that together at her age!
Mary I STILL don't have it together!
Mary And from personal
experience, I strongly recommend a wide range of study because you never
know what the Lord will send your way!
Mary We have plans to do some career choice conferences in the
future, interviewing adults from different career paths here on HomeschoolChristian.com
CindyPooh {question presented} Is an accredited high school program
beneficial (such as Clonlara) for a homeschool scholar wishing to attend
college?
Cafi Cohen Cindy, at most private colleges, it probably won't
make much difference. At state colleges and universities, you will often
be better off with a transcript from a school like American School,
Cambridge Academy, or Clonlara.
CindyPooh {question
presented}How expensive are some of the accredited programs for high
school accredidation?
Cafi Cohen Accredited
independent-study programs may run anywhere from $250 to $2500 per year
-- quite a range!
Mary Cafi, thank you so much for joining us tonight! We appreciate
all you do to help parents realize that high school should not scare
parents away from homeschooling.
Cafi Cohen Mary, you have made this very enjoyable. Congratulations
on creating such a useful, fun forum. Thank you so much. High school
is the BEST time to homeschool.
Mary Thanks also to PrestonSpeed Publications for sponsoring
our Christian Education Symposium. See our schedule
of events linked on that page for more information about our chats
and conferences. Thanks also to Pat H. for helping with the questions
for tonight.
Mary If you would like more information about Cafi Cohen, her
books and work with parents and teens, please see her Web site at: http://www.homeschoolteenscollege.net
Thank you for joining us, and God Bless you and your families! Good
night.
