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I just wanted to chime in on this topic with a few thoughts. I've used the guides from Bigger Hearts through the latest guide, World History. We started with my kids in 3rd and 5th and they are now freshmen and a junior. Wow, how the time has flown by!

I'm a huge planner/organizer by nature. But one thing that I've never been concerned about since starting HOD is if it would be enough. Now that we are near the end of high school with my oldest, I still do not question. Maybe it's because the education she has gotten with HOD has been far superior to my public school education - and I did fine academically in college. Maybe it's because the education has been so much more rich and meaningful. Maybe it's the amount and level of skills covered that have gradually escalated with each guide. Maybe it's the amount of excellent, living books they read and the assignments that require higher thinking skills. Maybe it's the layout of the guides and the way that they very purposefully promote independence and the ability of the child to schedule and plan on their own. Most importantly, these guides help prepare kids spiritually for college as they think through worldviews, world religions, and deeper Bible studies each year. I could go on and on.

My children that are currently in high school take the guide and plan out their own days every day. They decide if they want to do more or less of each subject on a given day based on their schedule and just make sure that it is all completed by the end of the week. They decide the order to do their subjects. Each child's schedule and order looks different from the others. Just like college level work. If they don't complete their work on time, their grade is docked (really never happens as they've done it this way for so long).

The projects at the end of the year are planned so well with guidelines for scheduling and planning so that they learn how to do it effectively, but still be learning how to do this work independently. I'm sure that each successive high school guide will continue to build on this as they always do.

The HOD guides are planned very deliberately. You will never find willy nilly or riff raff in them! If you have read any of Carrie's thoughtful responses or met her in person or read her bio, you will realize that she is highly educated. She takes this job with the utmost seriousness and fully realizes that we are trusting her to help us educate our high school students. I imagine that is why it was so hard to make the final commitment to write for high school! (I cannot imagine taking on a job like that myself!) More important even than her education and extensive experience in educating, she is a mother to four boys herself. She is writing this for them. She knows what they need to succeed in college or whatever they choose to do in life. She is no stranger to higher education. I'm sure that she and Mike take so seriously the task of preparing their own children to be the supporters of their families someday. I can guarantee that each and every high school guide is written with the thought in mind of enabling and preparing their own children to be successful college students and adults. Many people write curriculum with other children in mind, but it may not necessarily be personal for their own children's success. Carrie is writing this for her own boys - as well as us!

Will HOD prepare our kids for college? That is not an issue in my mind at all! I know we each have to do our own due diligence in making choices for our kids and it is tough to be ultimately responsible as the mother planning the course. But, I have peace of mind with HOD and I'm so thankful that the Lord led Carrie to write these guides! (Stepping down off my soapbox now. )

So well said Tiffini!! Thank you!

Ladies,

This is such an important topic that I definitely want to pop-in and share a few thoughts about this even though time is a bit tight right now!

I'll begin by sharing that at HOD it is definitely our desire to prepare kiddos as best as possible for college, should the Lord lay it upon their hearts to go in that direction. Our guides are written to help students earn needed credits expected by most colleges. We take a 4 x 4 +2 approach to this by including more than 4 social sciences (i.e. geography, world history, two years of American history, government, economics), 4 years of English/composition, 4 years of math, 4 years of science with lab, and 2 years of foreign language. We also include 4 years of Bible and additional courses beyond that such as Health, Fine Arts, Logic, World Religions and Cultures, etc. This is our first step toward making sure students are adequately prepared for what lies ahead.

Next, we work to be sure that students are trained and comfortable in using their time well. This is accomplished as students gain independence in a variety of skills as they move through the HOD Guides and are required to accomplish a wide range of tasks each day with minimal supervision. Getting behind has its natural consequences as the work load continues to move forward daily. The guide does not adjust itself for students who are not completing their work on time, meaning that the goals for the day are set and it is up to the students to figure out how to meet them. Simply telling students what to do does not equate to students doing it! Instead, completing assignments on time requires initiative, planning, time management, diligence, and follow-through (all essential college skills). Consider that the HOD guide's directions are a training ground where students learn essential skills needed for success in life!

Another area in which HOD shines is in its level of required reading and writing each day. The guides are rigorous in their expectations in these two areas, making sure students are prepared to readily do the two most common portions of any college level class. Students who can readily read and write, who can manage their time well, and who are used to independently managing their time will have an easier transition to college requirements. Our guides also require students to think deeply about a variety of areas, often foregoing the easy route and opting for assignments that require higher level thinking which must be put into words. Years of oral and written narration practice prepare kiddos to put thoughts from their mind into words and/or onto paper cohesively and creatively.

This brings us to the question of long-term projects and their place within the curriculum. I do believe that long-term projects are good as students learn to budget their time over multiple days and weeks. As such, we have included projects in every guide leading up to the high school guides, spreading one project over a week or longer in each guide, as well as through Drawn into the Heart of Reading's projects at the end of each unit. We have included long-term projects in the World Geography Guide as already mentioned in this thread, as well as in the World History Guide (through health projects at the end of each unit in health and through the long-term research paper.) With that being said, I do think it is important to have some perspective as to how much of this type of learning is beneficial at the high school level. Does all work need to be handled in this manner, or might it be better to strive for a more balanced approach where some work is handled in this manner and other work is still required daily?

I tend to lean in the direction of a balanced approach to education in high school, thinking that the high school years are meant to train kiddos in skills needed for success in college rather than making high school like a mini-college. The high school years are years of preparation, where skills are honed and a variety of subjects are explored. For some students this will be their final pursuit of this kind, while for others this will be a threshold for what is to come and a platform on which to build further learning.

While we could give kiddos a general plan for what is to be completed for the week/month/semester/or year, ask yourself how many assignments are really contained within that type of a plan. Then, compare that plan to what is being asked of the students and accomplished in any HOD guide (and if you look carefully at the assignments, you will see that these assignments go far beyond "seat work!") A general plan will be more general. Often it will require less output than a specific plan. As you consider a college syllabus, think about how many actual assignments are on that syllabus. Typically, the syllabus includes a huge volume of reading, lectures meant to aid learning, several written responses along the way in the form of essays/papers/reflections etc., and then one or two tests (which comprise most of the grade). While we could design our high school courses this way, ask yourself why we would design them like the college course when high school is meant to serve a different purpose than college?

Why do students still attend their high school classes daily? In my mind, it is because they are still in need of more accountability and because there is still much teaching/training/learning to be done at this level in preparation for what is to come. This is the role that I see provided within the HOD guides. It is a role not to be overlooked, as it actually takes more work to teach in this manner and requires more accountability and output from the student! I have often thought how much easier it would be to give my students a college-like syllabus for high school, but it would not reflect all of the skills and learning opportunities I desire for my students to have before they graduate!

College will be an adjustment, but our goal is to make that adjustment as seamless as possible. My own son is doing online courses for college right now and has transitioned very well. He actually thinks it is easier than his high school courses were as he was used to a much longer school day with more required in high school. He uses his time well and has not had any issues figuring out how much to study each day in order to be prepared and finish on time. I firmly believe that HOD prepares kiddos for the needed skills required in college and that students who do the guides as written will find themselves able to adjust to the expectations that college brings. I also believe that for students who do not go on to college, the well-rounded education received within HOD will help them all throughout life in whatever they pursue!

I cannot conclude this post without mentioning that the high school years are very important years for molding our students' character, strengthening their faith, directing their attention to God's Word, pouring their hearts into living as Christ desires, and seeking God's will for their future. These are the goals that matter for eternity. This is why the HOD high school guides regularly address these heart issues. If we lose are children's hearts in the pursuit of academics, what have we gained? Head knowledge does not equate to heart knowledge. So, both must be addressed!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks Carrie for taking time to address this question with your well laid out response. I always enjoying seeing where we are going in the next few years. It helps put me (and the rest of my concerned family members) at ease knowing what the plan is to achieve the end goal. Many thanks to you and all of your family members who work hard so that my family (and other like mine) can easily home school our children through the middle school and high school years!

This all sounds so good... Where does this leave those who are using the younger guides for their high schoolers, If a child actually places best in a younger guide skill wise? Will there be skills learned in those guides that will help them if they WOULD chose go on to a college or community college?