Are you in the midst of teaching high school, or are you considering this option in the near future?  Would you benefit from a one day symposium providing you with “The Essentials of Teaching High School at Home?" If so, we would love for you to join us on March 28, 2008 as we present seminars and breakout sessions on topics such as developing a high school plan and preparing your teen for college, the marketplace or the military.  The day will be packed with helpful information –  it’s a teacher training day for those teaching high school at home!

We’ve added Stand Strong in College by Alex McFarland to our college prep resources on our HSLDA high school website. As you prepare your child for college, this book is an excellent read for both of you. It addresses the many future choices (academic, social, emotional, spiritual) your child will make, and provides a thoughtful discussion on how to develop and maintain an immovable faith before and during college that is consistent with a biblical worldview.

JH Ranch’s Second Wind is a summer camp geared for high school students with the stated purpose of helping “students develop a practical understanding of life purpose, personal values, and leadership skills.” Director Bruce Johnston says, “For the most part, kids are information rich, experience poor. The camp uses content (through Bible messages) and application (through adventure-based activities) to give students an understanding of God’s purpose for their lives.

Are you looking for an intermediate step between high school and college/vocational school/career to allow your child another year to mature and grow? According to the website, Impact 360 is “an interactive and experiential living/learning community focused on biblical Christian worldview, vocational understanding, spiritual and life formation and a month-long international experience.”

The 9 month program gives students the opportunity to put hands and feet to their education through working and volunteering in the local community while learning servant leadership. If students choose, they may complete 15 hours of college credit through the partnership with Union University.

In an earlier blog entry we told you about the free online college courses MIT makes available to the public. MIT has now begun offering how-to courses (how to build stereo speakers and guitars) aimed at high school students. In addition, they provide help for students taking AP science and math courses.

In addition, Yale offers video-taped versions of seven of its most popular courses with plans to add more in the future.

The Open Coursework Consortium is a clearinghouse for free courses from University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, and even overseas schools. Then there are courses offered for free to download through iTunes University from Berkeley, Duke, Stanford, and others.

Students don’t receive college credit for these courses, but they provide the opportunity for your high school children to take advanced, challenging, and interesting courses while laying a foundation of knowledge for future college work. And parents…if you always wanted to take that course in Philosophy but just didn’t have the time, here’s your chance!

As you are looking forward to a new year in 2008, here are some good reminders from Vision Forum on how to bring closure to 2007 and prepare for 2008:

• Outline and Chronicle the Many Providences of God – this exercise will not only remind you of instances of what God did for you and your family in 2007, but it will provide you with the opportunity to rejoice and give thanks.
• Say ‘Thank You’ for Those Who Have Invested in Your Life – don’t wait until funerals to give thanks for the person’s influence in your life; do it while they are still living and can be encouraged by your words.
• Forgive Those Who Have Wronged You – Lack of forgiveness festers in the heart bringing about bitterness. Bitterness may shorten your life and be a roadblock to real joy.

Remember, a new year, a clean slate lies before each of us. What will be written on it this year?