Homeschooling Grandmothers Unite!

Joyce in Maine wrote to me today:

"Thank you!! we are late to homeschooling. I am a grandparent of an 11th grader who is now raising her. Our decision to home was just made this week and we are doing ok, but floundering around at times. My daughter (her aunt) homeschools her kids and has been an enormous help. I have found your letter to have some really great stuff in it. We want her to go to college but she is so much happier doing this at home and I can use all the help I can get. great newsletter, thanks so much"

It reminded me of how many homeschooling grandmothers I met at the last homeschool convention. Here is my response to her:

"Dear Joyce,
You are so welcome! Boy, I'm seeing more and more grandparents homeschooling these days. Schools are just SO different than they used to be! I'm really proud of you for taking on such a big job. I must say, I've seen grandparents be EXTREMELY successful when the teen is willing and eager to stay home. If you ever feel like you are in over your head, my DVD is a nice overview. It's intended for homeschoolers with 9th and 10th graders, but since you are just starting, it would be perfect.
Have a great day!
Blessings,
Lee"

Kristine comments about The HomeScholar in her blog!

Read Kristine's Blog

"I've posted before about my amazing online homeschool support group.
Lee has been one of my loopy friends for many years. She no longer homeschools her boys but she stays on our list to inspire and encourage us. Even though her kids are much older than mine, she's been a great source of support for me in topics like chess, Latin, math, literature, science and more.

Both of her boys went off to college this year. One of them was just 16. They both received full tuition scholarships to their first choice college, and both skipped their freshmen year entirely through CLEPing several classes.

Impressive? Yes.
Unusual? Maybe.
Smart boys? Yep.
Impossible? No, in fact entirely possible.

When Lee's boys started college, instead of returning to her professional nursing career, she decided to continue doing what she knew, what she loved best--homeschooling. She started her own business to help other homeschool families successfully make the transition from home to college. She offers a wide variety of support services, including planning curriculum, creating transcripts, scholarship searches, and help with the college admissions process.

Check out her terrific website, The HomeScholar, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter. She's full of great advice and her recent topics include:

• tips for studying and passing CLEP exams
• brilliant ideas such as planning a writing curriculum around scholarship essays
• how to keep skills sharp over the summer (like my post yesterday, although her newsletter didn't come out until today)

Holly's only going into 7th grade. But it's not too early for me to keep an eye on high school and how those choices will affect college. This would be true whether or not we homeschool high school.

I am so grateful for those truly courageous families who forged the homeschool path ahead of us, making possible the many wonderful options we have now, which continue to grow each year. (Homeschooling wasn't legal in every state until the mid-1990s.) Lee is one of those people who not only blessed her own sons by teaching them at home, but she's also blessed so many of us, making a difference in the lives of our children. It's amazing what you can do just by encouraging someone else."

Thank you, Kristine, for your wonderful comments!

Personalized Scholarship Search

Part of my job is to help parents find scholarships for college. Kim had an unmotivated art student, with little available resources for college. I did a two hour telephone interview with the student, to determine her strengths and interests. Then I spent six more hours searching the internet for available scholarships. I found 34 scholarships and arranged them by due date, with instructions for the student. Because I knew the student so well after the interview, I was able to make suggestions on how to make the process easier. I was also able to find a community college near her home that offered a AA degree in Fine Arts, as a back up plan.

Kim writes: "We're kind of stunned. [Our daughter] is working at a different level this year and has been motivated and shown initiative and good time and stress management. I think it really helped to work with you on scholarships - it gave her some structure and made the whole college thing real."

If you want help searching for scholarships, let me know. I would be glad to help!