carnationsgalore

My concern has never been about college degrees (as threads often
grow to different topics). I don't have one and I'm okay with
that. I was interested in hearing opinions about high school
diplomas to help me silent the old tapes in my head of how important
a high school diploma is. FWIW, I don't know many people with
college degrees and can honestly say that those people are all
working in the same fields as their degrees: one in computer
software support, one in economics, and two teachers. They are all
passionate about what they studied which is great, IMHO. In my own
family, the only person who had a college degree was my father. I
grew up hearing him say how important it was, but I never saw
evidence in his own life. He died when he was only 51.

As for asking for proof of a high school diploma, no that has never
happened. Yes, I will tell my children to say they have graduated
from homeschool at some point in the future. I haven't even truly
started looking into making portfolios and stuff because my oldest
homeschooled child is only 11 years old. The whole subject of high
school diplomas came up as my DH and I were discussing what
unschooling meant for our family. We're not hell bent on them. We
actually think the ones awarded in our state mean absolutely
nothing. We do, however, want to help our children appear credible
in this world. We don't want them compared to school dropouts. We
haven't quit anything. We just look at schooling differently. :)

Beth M.

Sandra Dodd

-=-Yes, I will tell my children to say they have graduated
from homeschool at some point in the future.-=-

I don't think people recommended saying they "graduated from
homeschool," but saying that they were homeschooled.

-=-We do, however, want to help our children appear credible in this
world. We don't want them compared to school dropouts.-=-

The energy would be better spent helping your son BE credible, and
confident, and whole.

Everyone compares everyone to others. You can't control that.
"Homeschooled" looks MUCH less like high school dropout than GED
does, so if you get clear on what your fears are, it will help you
make decisions.

A side comment to the discussion so far: I don't support dishonesty,
so for the record (as I get blamed or credited for things that come
through this list whether I wrote them or not), I don't think
falsification sets a good example for children. Living a
reactionary, fearful life isn't as good as being solidly clear and
confident, either. Confidence isn't easy to come by, but there is
lots of help from hundreds of people linked here:

http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

Sandra

Sandra

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Lara Miller

In North Carolina (where we are registered), we register as a
"homeschool" and have to have a name for it. So, I guess I always
just imagined that we create some sort of fancy diploma on the
computer and print it out, maybe frame it in a big heavy oak frame
and declare our kids "graduated". Why wouldn't that be as valid as a
public high school diploma?

You mentioned that you were afraid that at 30 he would have the same
job options that he had at 18 and no GED. Well, you have to take
into account the 12 years of job experience that he would have then.
I agree the interview skills and then job performance go way farther
in job growth than a piece of paper. I think that many entry level
jobs weed out the non-GEDs because if one drops out of school, that
may point to the fact that one isn't very reliable or dependable.
But not often the case with homeschoolers.

Neither my husband of myself ever graduated from college. I don't
make much money since i have put most of my focus on being with my
family since they came along. But I do what I LOVE! I dropped out
of college in NC at 19 and moved to Miami on a whim and within a
couple of weeks managed to land a job in sales (totally because of my
awesome interview <g>) and then managed to make 2-3 times what those
entry level job types could make. My husband is a serial
entrepreneur and has moved from company to company and owed company
after company. Now companies pay him a stupid amount of money to
tell them how to better run their companies. No one has ever asked
either of us about a diploma. Not even on that job in Miami at 19.
We often joke that if one of the ventures he always seems to be on
didn't work out, he could always get a job as a bagger at a grocery
store and within 6 months likely be running the place. :D Have you
really looked at any of the job options out there lately? The entry
level ones? There is such a void of good workers out there. Anyone
with a tiny bit of drive, that will show up when scheduled and do
what is required of them will quickly soar.

If you don't want you kids to be compared to school dropouts, then
you need to stop comparing them first yourself. Start believing just
because they are "them", they are credible in this world. Just like
we can't compare our kids to schooled kids along the way, we can't
start comparing at the end with a piece of paper. From what I have
read, homeschooling is growing by 15-20% a year. So just imagine how
many more kids and therefore how much more socially "normal"
homeschooling will be in 7 years for your son. Transcend the public
school game.

Blessings,

Lara Miller
Currently in Black Canyon City, AZ!
http://www.mytripjournal.com/millerfamily
>
> As for asking for proof of a high school diploma, no that has never
> happened. Yes, I will tell my children to say they have graduated
> from homeschool at some point in the future. I haven't even truly
> started looking into making portfolios and stuff because my oldest
> homeschooled child is only 11 years old. The whole subject of high
> school diplomas came up as my DH and I were discussing what
> unschooling meant for our family. We're not hell bent on them. We
> actually think the ones awarded in our state mean absolutely
> nothing. We do, however, want to help our children appear credible
> in this world. We don't want them compared to school dropouts. We
> haven't quit anything. We just look at schooling differently. :)
>
> Beth M.
>
>
>



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diana jenner

On Fri, Mar 14, 2008 at 4:48 AM, carnationsgalore <
addled.homemaker@...> wrote:

> We do, however, want to help our children appear credible
> in this world. We don't want them compared to school dropouts. We
> haven't quit anything. We just look at schooling differently. :)
>
>
>
>


We haven't quit anything either, which is why my kid won't be a *drop-out*
he'd be more of a... hmmmm.... what is the word for someone who just didn't
go there? :) You can't *drop-out* of something you never *dropped-into*
:::bg:::
It's titillating for me to think of all of these kids who will be entering
the workforce, across the world, who've never bought into "school=worth"
paradigm... what a revolution it will be!! :D
--
~diana :)
xoxoxoxo
hannahbearski.blogspot.com


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Pamela Sorooshian

On Mar 14, 2008, at 9:19 AM, Lara Miller wrote:

> There is such a void of good workers out there. Anyone
> with a tiny bit of drive, that will show up when scheduled and do
> what is required of them will quickly soar.

I know a guy who was teaching high school history. One summer, he
decided to mow lawns, to make some extra money. Just a few - in his
neighborhood. One of the people whose lawn he mowed, recommended him
to the owners of the building where he had an office. They hired him.
Then, over the next few months, other businesses nearby hired him. He
hired some guys to work for him - bought some more equipment and a
trailer to haul it in.

He says he had so many clients wanting him to work for them that he
couldn't hire workers and buy equipment fast enough. Why? He says that
it was 100 percent because ---- he showed up. If one of his workers
didn't show up and do a job he was supposed to do, my friend either
did it or got someone else to do it. He checked on every job, every
day, and made sure it got done.

He says that other gardeners flaked out all the time - were super
unreliable - and all he had to do to be successful was show up.

-pam



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