Dual Enrollment Vs. HOD all the way?

[3sweeties]

HI everyone,

I hope this is okay to ask here. My oldest son has been using HOD since 2nd grade. He is getting ready to start 10th grade this year! There is a lot of pressure where I live and in my homeschooling circles to dual enroll either online or at the local college starting in 10th/11th since it is free in GA and relatively "easy" for homeschoolers to take part in. I am just not sure it is the right path for us. We LOVE HOD and I feel like it has been perfect for my son, but I worry that by not doing any DE, he will miss out on having someone else's deadlines, grading, etc. before actually starting college. I would love to hear from those of you whose children have not done DE and have only used HOD and how the adjustment to college has been? If you did DE, but still used HOD for the history, etc., was it difficult to do both at the same time? Thank you ahead of time!

[StephanieU]

We obviously aren't there yet, but my plan is to use HOD for most things but for my kids to take a few things at the CC where I work. Right now the plan is for them to take Spanish 1-4 starting in 10th or 11th grade. Then depending on college desires and career plans, to possibly have them take physics, chemistry, be and some math as well. These are all fairly safe classes in terms of content in my mind. And Spanish and science labs might be beneficial in classroom environment.

[LovingJesus]

We aren't there yet either, but I have been doing a five year plan for my oldest for 8th - 12th. Our plan does include HOD through 12th. Their spiritual life and Bible knowledge has also always been our primary home school goal.

Our plan though does also include a rigorous science / math plan that he wants since he may go that direction career wise. It does not include CC or dual enrollment.

I think it really depends on the area you live in, and on your families personal goals. I have heard enough stories of the inappropriate content in dual enrollment classes from home school moms that I won't put my kids into that environment. I am stunned by content that would have been illegal to expose minors to in my day that is now in the classroom.

We plan on doing the science labs and higher math at home.

[jellybeanmum]

Take this with a grain of salt because as an Expat we don't have the same access to things as those who are in the states do.. I do hear a lot about dual enrolment, CLEP, & more amongst high school homeschoolers, & for some families it works well. Others not so much. I do hear you on the idea of having our students learn to have deadlines & check in with others, etc.

However, having a rising 10th grader myself he does have deadlines. It's HIS job to get his work done, independently. It's his job to be ready for the tests he takes {Apologia science}, & it's his job to reach out for extra help when he needs it. Sure, I have doubts.. like when he wasn't as far along in French as we'd wanted him, but then he was able to converse in French [written] with a Native French person who thought our child was French & was impressed to learn he was just "learning".

It makes me kinda grateful, most of the time, that we don't have the same opportunities, because it allows my child to flourish where he is & keep high school for high school & college for college, kwim? You could always consider an online course or two if you really want to worry about keeping up on things. Places like Virtual Homeschool Group are 100% free & offer anything from Apologia Science & Saxon Math to IEW Grammar/Writing & Spanish classes. CurrClick offers some low cost classes & some not so low cost.

My son has used VHSG's AYOP because the live classes would require him to be up at 3am. He's also taken a few introductory courses {online} from a place called Open2Study. Those courses are geared for people who are in grade 12 or higher to consider some things they could go on with later in life. My son passed the courses & got the certificates & was able to tell there are some things that SOUND interesting, but aren't areas he'd really want to go in long term.

We're looking at an animation class {online} for him for the summer which will count as an elective.

[Nealewill]

My oldest is going into 8th grade but I teach college classes. I know many homeschoolers who have done just fine in college without attending any college classes in advance. I think it is a completely personal decision. For us, we will probably keep dual enrollment to a minimum if at all. The only things I would consider dual enrolling in would be math if I went a slightly different path, a foreign language, or some type of elective I couldn't get with HOD. But as for now, I fully planning on use HOD with each of kiddos as is since it seems to align with everything my kids would need upon graduation. For me, I don't feel the need to rush my kids into college classes. Yes, it can be cheaper now. But who knows what types of scholarships they may receive if we wait. Why stress now? HOD is working beautifully for us and I plan to stick with it.

[annaz]

Take this for what it's worth, because I am a non-conformer. It is difficult, because I'm surrounded by the public school mindset even though most of the people I know homeschool (albeit through co-ops.) I try very hard not to be driven by doing something for money or lack thereof, nor the world's ways, but it is excrutiatingly frustrating to be around this mindset that has infiltrated homeschooling. I feel like HOME school has been lost as all I hear is "where are the co-ops" or how to take the SAT twice a year for 4 years to master it to get to college. What a racquet! Let me ask, have we all lost our minds? Did we lose our vision; do we have a vision? I know some aren't called to homeschool, therefore they do it as they feel like it or when it gets tough they throw in the towel. I also realize that it's not an option for some, so don't throw tomatoes at me. I get that there are many who wish to go to college to further their education. I get that they need to test in. But I also get that no one ever seems to realize that there are other possibilities in life. That when did college become the next step, the have-to? And if we actually train and educate our children properly, do we need to play the game?

I am in no way bashing college. But in my opinion, the entire purpose has been lost.

I will be enjoying our last few high school years, doing high school material, and life prep. But I refuse to spend it whirling around like the crazy people I know, simply reinventing the public school mindset by adding in college classes to save a dime or time, or to hurry up this precious process of which I can never get back.

[daybreaking]

Take this for what it's worth, because I am a non-conformer. It is difficult, because I'm surrounded by the public school mindset even though most of the people I know homeschool (albeit through co-ops.) I try very hard not to be driven by doing something for money or lack thereof, nor the world's ways, but it is excrutiatingly frustrating to be around this mindset that has infiltrated homeschooling. I feel like HOME school has been lost as all I hear is "where are the co-ops" or how to take the SAT twice a year for 4 years to master it to get to college. What a racquet! Let me ask, have we all lost our minds? Did we lose our vision; do we have a vision? I know some aren't called to homeschool, therefore they do it as they feel like it or when it gets tough they throw in the towel. I also realize that it's not an option for some, so don't throw tomatoes at me. I get that there are many who wish to go to college to further their education. I get that they need to test in. But I also get that no one ever seems to realize that there are other possibilities in life. That when did college become the next step, the have-to? And if we actually train and educate our children properly, do we need to play the game?

I am in no way bashing college. But in my opinion, the entire purpose has been lost.

I will be enjoying our last few high school years, doing high school material, and life prep. But I refuse to spend it whirling around like the crazy people I know, simply reinventing the public school mindset by adding in college classes to save a dime or time, or to hurry up this precious process of which I can never get back.

Annaz, I LOVE your post! Thank you for sharing your heart!

I have been so sad to see several of the homeschool parents in my homeschool group so thrilled to stop homeschooling after 10th grade and put their children in an all-day local college program which completes their last two years of high school in two semesters and counts as college credit. I just don't understand the need. From my perspective, children of that age still desperately need the guidance of their parents as they form their worldview and as they mature, not to mention there's no way I would want to lose the last two years of my children's homeschool education. I'm possessive of that time! I want the deep conversations with them. I want the learning alongside them and being intricately involved in what they are learning. I want the fun times and the peaceful pace of staying at home. I want the day to day living life as a close family. I want to keep their hearts and not lose them to the world.

I do not want to launch my dear children until they are older and more grounded. In my opinion, at 16, they are still being established and are not yet prepared for the daily bombardment of everything that counters what we have instilled in them at home. (Well, to be honest, we don't want our children going to the local community college at all. Right now we're investigating several options, such as how Carrie is using College Plus from home.)

I guess I am feeling so strongly about these things because I'm watching the young students from my homeschool group be overwhelmed with so many worldly influences as they are away from home all day long, in a secular college setting. I happened to run across the twitter account of one of these students and was appalled at how they have changed. This particular student, who was just on a missions trip a few years ago, is now posting twitters that have foul language (including the F-word) and talk of "Should I get up and go to school today or should I kill myself?" Yet, when I talk with her mother, she raves about the high school/college program, saying how great it is and how her daughter is getting all A's.

On the other hand, I have a dear friend whose daughter is entering her last year of homeschooling. She has decided not to go to college when she is done, but to work in several businesses she has established (ex. dog sitting, lawn care, etc.), while she works on pursuing certifications in areas that interest her. She'll be living at home, under her parents protection, will be able to save a lot of money, and have more time to decide what she wants to do with her life.

I am not anti-college. My husband and I have both have master's degrees and my husband is a college professor. I fully expect my son (and likely my daughter) to get a college degree. I just agree with you that college shouldn't be looked upon as the only possibility after high school (or before!).

[annaz]

Amen, Daybreaking!!! Thank you for filling in the details!

I also know that college isn't what it used to be. I like the college at home scenario as well.

[LynnH]

My daughter did a few dual enrollment classes her senior year of high school. She took 2 classes each semester and I still taught all the other subjects. She did it mostly because she was able to do it through the college she knew she was going to attend and since she was going to be a dual major it helped to do the equivalent of 1 semester of credits so she could then graduate in 4 years. It worked well for her as she is gifted and an over achiever. My son however will either do community college or online college, but only after we finish high school. In fact because he came out of ps after 4th grade and I felt he had some gaps and due to his CP we slowed things down, so as he puts it, he is doing 13th grade. Anyway I would never dream of doing dual enrollment with him. It doesn't fit who he is or his goals.

[3sweeties]

Wow! Thank you for all the thoughts and feedback! I really appreciate all the insight each of you have given! Praying for wisdom and direction as we head into this next phase of high school.

[Lynn3ggb]

We homeschool in Georgia and I totally understand the pressure to utilize the no cost programs for dual credit. The savings on books and tuition can easily reach thousands of dollars. This is not peanuts for families like mine who pinch pennies every week.

My daughter wants to go into nursing, so she thought the MOWR program would benefit her by allowing her to earn many credits ahead of graduation toward her degree while also earning high school credit at the same time. It will, in fact, do just that.

We signed her up for this Summer semester and she took English 101 and Psychology 101 online. The English course was great. She learned alot and did well. Her teacher was responsive and helpful. The Psychology course was a nightmare. It was full of vulgar content void of any useful context. Her teacher was almost useless. He had no clear course instructions and rarely responded to questions.

The garbage my daughter encountered in the psychology class sparked many conversations. It allowed us to look at how the secular world differs in its interpretation of our humanness when compared to those of us who follow Christ. My daughter now understands how deeply flawed modern society has become because of its rejection of the One True God. I am not happy about the exposure my daughter received to some of the topics that were covered. I am glad, however, that it happened while she was still in our homeschool so that we could talk it out together and examine it in the light of God's Word. She now has a much deeper appreciation of her faith and a thankfulness for our efforts as parents to help her develop roots to strengthen that faith.

This is my take away. If your children are ready for deadlines and are mentally and spiritually mature enough to talk about any adult content they encounter, college classes in high school may be an option for you.

If not, steer clear of them regardless of their monetary savings.

[MelInKansas]

If you want your child to experience deadlines, grades, etc then there's no reason why you can't do that at home. You will have to be disciplined and organized too, but you can do it. If your child is college bound for sure and knows what field they want to study, some college classes in high school might be a great benefit. If your child is immature, and/or unsure of the career they want to pursue, I would think it would be a big waste of time. Another great cost savings is AP courses and tests - they cost way less than college tuition, and you have to study and know the material well to do well on the test.

I appreciate many comments the others have made. These teens are still laying down a lot of patterns and developing their world view. The cost of college is no joke, but the cost of the struggle they may have as a result of those classes is also pretty great. I will pray the Lord gives you wisdom.

[daybreaking]

These teens are still laying down a lot of patterns and developing their world view. The cost of college is no joke, but the cost of the struggle they may have as a result of those classes is also pretty great. I will pray the Lord gives you wisdom.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on being able to create deadlines, etc., at home, as well as using studying for AP tests as a tool. I'm going to keep those thoughts in mind as we navigate the high school years. Your comment that I quoted, however, especially spoke to me. Thank you so much for sharing.

[mamanlait]

Great post, AnnaZ!
I feel the same way. I feel like so much of worldly success has infiltrated a once protected homeschool mindset. That said, I do worry that my dd will enter college without all of the dual enrollment hours that most typical high schoolers will have, but she has been the deciding factor NOT to do dual enrollment. She wants to do high school in high school and college in college. She's done a few online language courses through a variety of online homeschooling "schools" over the years and MOST (all but one specific teacher) have been bad experiences for her. Because of this, she does not want to do anything online - college or high school. For us this, this eliminates any option of dual enrollment. We have made changes to HOD for High School b/c it's so full (too full) for us, but we will finish out high school at home.

[StephanieU]

One thing that has come to mind as this discussion has progressed is that we all come to homeschool for different reasons. Our reasons for homeschooling probably are reflected in our decisions about dual enrollment. So I think it might be wise to spend some time deciding why you homeschool. Then use that information to decide if dual enrollment fits.