P.E. and Driver’s Education Credits
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. Is there a requirement for high school homeschoolers to have two years of P.E.? Also, where on a transcript do I give credit for P.E. and driver’s education?
A. Homeschoolers are not required to have two years of physical education. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not require homeschool parents to teach specific subjects during the high school years.
Our website includes general guidelines and samples of subjects that are typically taught during the high school years (see the links below). Colleges, technical schools, the military, or employers look for these subjects in order to evaluate a student’s readiness to enter the field for which he is applying.
www.heav.org/basicinfo/highschool/samplehighschoolprograms.html
www.heav.org/basicinfo/highschool/typicalcourseofstudyhighschoolprogram.html
Although homeschool parents are free to design a program of study that suits their student’s goals, they should consider including those subjects (like P.E.) that are typical for a well-rounded education. Homeschool parents are free to teach these subjects during any of the high school years, not necessarily during the years shown in the samples.
Both P.E. and driver’s education could be listed as electives. The parent can decide to give 1/2 to 1 credit for each of these subjects. Often, 1/2 credit is given for non-academic subjects that are completed in half a year or less. The credit value is determined by the parent.
HEAV offers a new transcript service for homeschoolers with a Q&A that addresses questions like this one. For answers to transcript questions, and to check out the transcript service, visit www.heav.org/resources/transcript.html.
Yvonne Bunn @ December 15, 2010 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Swedish Government Jails Homeschool Father
Want to get involved? Send Christer Johansson a card!
Home School Legal Defense Association
P.O. Box 3000, Purcellville, VA 20134
For Immediate Release
December 6, 2010
Contact: Ian Slatter
540-338-8663
Purcellville, VA—Christer Johansson, the father of 9-year-old Domenic Johansson, and husband of Annie Johansson, was recently jailed by Swedish authorities after taking his son home for a short but “unapproved” overnight visit.
“The Swedish government has created an intolerable situation for this family, and have overreacted to Mr. Johansson taking Domenic home for the overnight visit,” said Michael Donnelly, HSLDA staff attorney.
One-and-a-half years ago Swedish police boarded a plane where the Johanssons were leaving the country for Annie’s home country of India. The police had no warrant and did not charge the Johanssons with a crime.
Authorities cite homeschooling, a few untreated cavities, and the Johanssons’ decision not to vaccinate Domenic according to the Swedish recommended vaccination schedule as the reasons given for the continued separation.
“This family is just being crushed by the Swedish government. The treatment of the Johanssons is a disgrace. They are only allowed to visit Domenic for one hour every five weeks and a 15-minute phone call every two,” said Donnelly.
Ruby Harrold-Claesson, a noted international human rights lawyer and president of the Nordic Committee for Human Rights, said that she had “never in 20 years of practice seen a case more badly handled.”
“The government shouldn’t abduct and imprison children simply because it doesn’t like homeschooling. That’s exactly what happened here,” said Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, who is based in Europe. “Despite the ill-advised decision on the part of Mr. Johansson, the only menace here is a government drunk with its own power. This sad circumstance is what happens when an over-powerful government pushes a parent to the point of desperation, so social services should not pretend to be surprised.”
HSLDA, in partnership with ADF, has appealed the Johansson case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a 27-year-old, 85,000 member non-profit organization and the preeminent national association advocating the legal right of parents to homeschool their children.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
Want to get involved? Send Christer Johansson a card!
Blog @ December 15, 2010 | International Homeschooling | Comments (0)
Recording High-School-Level Courses Completed Before Grade 9
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. I have a question concerning high school classes taken before ninth grade. How do you give credit for these courses? Where should these classes be placed on an actual transcript since they do not fit into the fall of the freshman year?
A. Your student should receive credit for high-school-level courses even if they were completed prior to ninth grade. Since the typical transcript begins at ninth grade, list these high-school-level courses with other courses for ninth grade, but use an asterisk beside the course titles that were completed prior to ninth grade to indicate you are providing more information. Then simply put a related asterisk with an explanation elsewhere on the transcript. The additional information will provide an honest explanation of the high school courses that were completed prior to ninth grade.
HEAV offers a new transcript service for homeschoolers with an Q&A that addresses this question and more. For answers to transcript questions and to check out the transcript service, visit www.heav.org/resources/transcript.html.
Yvonne Bunn @ December 8, 2010 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)
Home School Foundation Ambassador Project – Homeschool Home Makeover
This past August, a group of homeschool volunteers had the opportunity to both bless and be blessed in a homeschool version of “Extreme Home Makeover.” The Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) partnered with the Ambassador Program of the Home School Foundation to completely renovate the home of a single homeschool mother in the Hampton Roads area. The bulk of the project—which took a month from start to finish—was completed on Saturday, August 28, by a team of more than 40 volunteers, leaving a grateful homeschool family with not only a beautifully restored home, but restored hope.
The genesis of the project occurred when Chuck Hurst, director of the Home School Foundation (HSF), called Anne Miller, president of HEAV, about an idea for homeschoolers to help other homeschoolers in a Habitat for Humanity-style project. The HSF, which is funded through the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), has several programs to help homeschoolers who are in need, but did not have one specifically directed toward home projects. Unbeknownst to Mr. Hurst at the time, Anne (a home decorator) and her husband, Jeff, (a home builder/remodeler) both have a passion for fixing and beautifying homes—making them the ideal team to bring this project idea to fruition. Thus began the HSF’s pilot Ambassador Project, funded by the HSF and led by the Millers.
Local support group leaders and the “Homeschooling in Hampton Roads” Yahoo group were contacted in order to find appropriate homeschooling families to benefit from the home renovation. HEAV’s executive director, George Lansing, interviewed several of them, and one family, nominated by Lisa Pitts, a local support group leader, stood out. Leticia was a single mother who was homeschooling her children while on disability for a chronic illness. Leticia’s home was in disrepair, and she did not have the financial resources to fix it. Once the family was chosen and the scope of the project was determined, volunteers were recruited through e-mails, personal phone calls, the HEAV newsletter, and contacts to homeschool support groups. The response was tremendous, not only from homeschoolers who wanted to volunteer, but from businesses within the community as well. The project slowly began to move from concept to reality.
Jeff Miller functioned as the site supervisor, developing a job assessment for the project; his wife Anne, as project manager, translated this into a list of tasks. The HSF provided a budget of $5,000, although anonymous donors provided additional funding for the project. After three solid weeks of organizing, shopping, and choosing colors and accessories, SmartBoxes were delivered to the front yard and the contents of Leticia’s home were moved from the house to the storage boxes. Next, professional floor finishers began sanding and refinishing the hardwood floors while Leticia spent the week with a family from her church.
On Friday, August 27, volunteers prepped the house by removing doors, sanding and priming trim, covering floors, and generally preparing for the next big workday. Saturday dawned bright and clear and volunteer work crews showed up and revamped the entire house and grounds under Jeff’s able direction! Every room in the house was painted—walls, ceilings, closets, and trim. Multiple repairs were made, including fixing gutters, replacing fence posts, repairing a chain link fence and gate, and correcting drainage problems in the yard. Volunteers participated in mulching, weeding, moving a phone line, replacing a large picture window, and installing exhaust fans in both the kitchen and bathroom. The team moved appliances and hung shelves to make the laundry room more functional, and installed new window blinds throughout the house. Old furniture was painted and repurposed, and new sofas, lamps, pictures, and bedding were purchased. No detail was left undone and the house was completely redecorated. Volunteers made multiple trips back to the home for days after the planned work weekend to be sure everything was fully finished. Although the scope of the work was ambitious, the team was committed to seeing an excellent job through to completion.
They certainly accomplished that goal! Upon seeing their new home, Leticia’s children excitedly exclaimed, “Everything matches! It’s like a hotel!” Leticia loved absolutely everything. She saw it as the fulfillment of a dream, having always wanted to provide for her children the lovely home she had never had as a child. And the Lord was clearly at work in every detail. When making decorating choices about window coverings, Anne felt led to use the more expensive wide plantation blinds rather than cheaper mini-blinds. When Leticia saw the window coverings, she cried; she told Anne she had always dreamed of having wide blinds in her home, but never imagined she would ever have them. She kept reiterating how blessed she felt by the Lord, and that she could see God taking care of things in their lives far beyond what she could ever have imagined. For her children, who do not have a father in their lives, it was a beautiful model of the care and love of their perfect Heavenly Father.
When asked what the most fulfilling part of the project was, Anne replied, “Being used of the Lord to create the beautiful home this family has always wanted.” Even after the project’s completion, Leticia’s family continues to experience its blessing. Leticia learned that prior to the renovation, her children had been ashamed of their home and had not wanted their friends to visit and see how they lived. Since the Ambassador Project, Leticia’s family has begun having people into their home; Leticia’s desire to practice hospitality in her home is being fulfilled. It is the weaving of a lovely tapestry of Christian service: The family that was served is now serving others.
The HSF hopes this will be the first of many Ambassador Projects throughout many states, and is currently looking for a Virginia Ambassador to do similar projects in local homeschooling communities. Anne explains that the response to the Ambassador Program has been tremendous. She says, “Almost all the people who worked on Leticia’s house said, ‘We want to do this again. Please let us know when there’s another project.’” Even local businesses got excited about the work. An auto mechanic and an architect offered their services, Starbucks donated coffee for volunteers, Lowe’s and Home Depot provided discounts on supplies, Target gave gift cards, and Sherwin Williams donated paint. The willingness is there, both with volunteers and with business donors. What HSF needs now are people who can identify families who have needs and people who are willing to be the hands and feet of the program on a local level to organize and execute projects.
Anyone interested in bringing the Ambassador Program to his or her community should contact the HSF. Projects do not need to be as comprehensive as this one; Ambassador Projects could be as simple as painting someone’s house or replacing appliances. The most important quality is a willingness to help other homeschoolers. It was through such willingness that the Lord blessed Leticia and her family, and all of the many volunteers who participated in the project. Anne sums up the “payment” for efforts like this: “We just loved doing the work. We were more blessed than Leticia was! She can hardly believe it, but through giving, we got back so much more than we gave. The pay may not be much, but the rewards are out of this world.” The Ambassador Project, through this “Extreme Home Makeover,” not only rejuvenated one homeschooling family’s home, but their lives—and the lives of all those involved.
Blog @ December 1, 2010 | Events, General, Homeschoolers Did It! | Comments (3)
How Much Grade Keeping Is Required?
This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!
Q. I just started homeschooling my kindergartner and I was wondering how much grading/grade-keeping I am required to do?
A. The Virginia homeschool law does not require you to maintain grades for your child. Neither are you required to report grades to the state for any homeschooled child at any grade level. Instead, by August 1 each year, you must submit to your division superintendent the results of a standardized achievement test or independent evaluation (provided you are homeschooling under the Homeschool Statute; see www.heav.org/law/flow1.html for an overview of the options). There is an exception to this accountability requirement: If your child was not six on September 30 of this school year, testing will not be required.
So while the law does not require you to maintain grades, you may assign grades in a manner that is suitable to you for work completed. For young children, a teacher plan book works easily for grades as well as comments. Because you’re working one-on-one with a kindergarten child, it is sometimes not necessary to assign grades because you know exactly how your child is progressing.
For a young child, you want to stress mastery of basic skills and make learning enjoyable. As a student matures, you can increase your use of grades, especially for spelling, math, and language arts. By the time your child is in ninth grade, you should keep careful records and begin preparing a high school transcript.
Yvonne Bunn @ December 1, 2010 | Homeschool Q&A | Comments (0)