You all know that I’m using Lee Binz’s Total Transcript Solution to keep our high school years on track for creating that important document. And she held that fantastic webinar about transcripts and high school credits which you can watch online.
So I’m a Lee Binz fan. When she told me she had a new book coming out, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it. The full title is The HomeScholar Guide to College Admission and Scholarships: Homeschool Secrets to Getting Ready, Getting In and Getting Paid
Learning from the Home Scholar
I have to say that Lee knows her stuff. There is one part of the book that I initially thought was silly. And in a matter of four days, I was struck by how right she is!
There is a chapter where she talks about specialization and delight directed learning. She advises us to make courses (or give high school credit) for our children’s passions. Everyone has the same four years of English, two years of foreign language, American history, and so on. The trick is to make your child’s transcript stand out from the rest with specialization that features your child’s unique giftings.
She says that some parents have a hard time finding those unique areas. So to help you identify your child’s passions, she gives a strange test — annoyance. She says that the area where our child specializes is the area that probably annoys us with messes or inordinate attention. I thought, “This doesn’t really apply to me; I never get annoyed by Emma’s special passions.”
Whoops! Four days after I read that section, we were in Costco. I found myself saying, “Please put that origami down and help me pick out some food!”
I realized that her crafty passion was annoying me. Lee, you are a smart cookie! (And yes, I documented the moment with my iPhone. Emma was too busy folding cranes to protest.)
Thanks to Lee’s book, I had a great discussion with Emma about how she could document some of the conversations she has with friends for her psychology class. She is the one in her social group that everyone goes to for counseling. And she really enjoys helping them. I see this as a potential passion since Emma has considered going into Biblical counseling as a career.
I’m not talking about giving credit for texting friends. But if Emma documents the disagreements her friends have and outlines the underlying motivations behind their behavior, that’s psychology work! Then if she researches principles in her books and applies them to the scenarios, that’s worth high school credit!
Parts of The HomeScholar Guide to College Admission and Scholarships (aff) meshed really well with Vicki Tillman’s session on transcripts and helped me see that earning high school credit doesn’t have to be scary or drudgery. In fact, we have a wonderful chance to portray all the unique traits of our children in ways that a public school could not.
Looking Toward the Finish Line of High School
If you are a fan of The Princess Bride, you will get a kick out of the quotes Lee put at the beginning of each chapter. I’m not a fan, but I have suffered through it at least once, so I could understand most of the connections she made to her chapters. Her style is straightforward and easy to read.
I appreciate that although she incorporates meaningful anecdotes from her sons’ experiences and from her years of consulting other parents, she doesn’t pad the book with a lot of silly stories to make her points. Lee Binz is no-nonsense and to the point with a very empowering tone. You finish each chapter feeling that you have the know-how you need or at least you know where to go find more information. At the end of each chapter, Lee succinctly outlines the key points by way of review. I read those outline boxes for the few chapters that I skimmed over to make sure I didn’t miss any critical facts or hidden gems in the chapters I either am not ready for or don’t apply to us.
I was so thankful that Lee outlined detailed advice about the PSAT. I had little understanding about that test, and I would not have known to go searching for it. Now I know why it’s so important for Emma to take it, and I know when we need to sign up and how to go about doing that. That one tip makes the book worth its price, in my opinion. But there’s plenty more of course.
Some of the chapters are a bit beyond our goals or don’t fit our situation (at this point) like getting into ivy league schools, taking a gap year, and restarting after a crisis year. But the section on college applications, essays, and interviews, although still a few years away, was top on my list to read. I am already looking forward to hunting for college fairs and making college visits with Emma thanks to Lee’s book.
I wholeheartedly recommend The HomeScholar Guide to College Admission and Scholarships (aff) to any homeschool mom. I suggest that you read it before or during your child’s freshman year for maximum impact. I’m a planner, and I love having a better vision for what grades 10, 11, and 12 should be like to optimize Emma’s college admission process. I got this book at just the right time. It will be sitting on the shelf right beside my other homeschooling teen books, but I suspect it will get pulled down more and more as we reach Emma’s junior year. This is not a book to read once and let collect dust.
Win a Copy for Yourself
I love Lee’s books. While my kids are a bit older (incoming junior and sophomore), there is still plenty of great advice in all of her books. They get right to the point and are a quick read, very important in this time of running my teens around to activities they want to do!
Thank you for all the great info andthe opportunity to win Lee’s book. I look forward to more info on getting ready for homeschooling high school!
What scares me most is making sure the children have everything they need and that I have documented it all!
Oh dear. My homeschool super hero is not a fan of my favorite childhood movie. I will refrain from typing a certain word that starts with an I.
Your latest posts have me thinking about high school. It is 3 years away, but I am going to start reading Lee’s books now. 🙂
Such great advice already from just your post. I have one out of college and one almost out…and I can attest to the Annoyance Test!! The things that drove me crazy are truly their biggest gifts now. We have one more to get through high school and I now have Lee’s book on my wish list. Thanks!!
Lee’s books are wonderful, I’ve been downloading some of them onto my Kindle! I don’t have this one…
I’m so worried about paying for college for twins… ugh! Everything worries and scares me!
I think what scares me most about the college admissions process is that I have so many children (EIGHT!) with varied interests. How will we ever narrow down affordable colleges that will give them the education they want? And how will they get scholarships because we certainly can’t pay for school for the lot of them?
I’m nervous about having it all together. I haven’t done a lot of record keeping up to high school. It’s a big change for me and I want it to look good, good enough to get scholarships!
I have also used Lee Binz services and website. She is a fantastic resource.
What scares me, of course, is that I have not properly prepared them for college.
I am most anxious about finding good opportunities for them to pursue their interests. So many activities are now funneled through the school districts that community organizations are fading away.
I am nervous about paying for college, therefore interested in scholarship info.
I am interested in learning how to include my children’s interests as part of their applications and along with basic preparation of high school transcripts.
Thanks for the great post and giveaway!
I participated in the webinar you had and really enjoyed it. I guess I worry about several things regarding college: money, will they be prepared enough for college classes, and will what we do in our schooling be seen as “enough” by the admissions offices.
I’m worried about missing an opportunity that would benefit my daughter.
What scares me the most is that colleges won’t accept what we did for schooling. That we aren’t doing enough.
I worry about if my kids will earn enough scholarships to make college affordable.
What scares me most is feeling like we’ve left something out. Going into the college admissions office and realizing that we missed a super important class.
What scares me most about college is the mountains of paperwork! Thanks for the great review and giveaway.
What scares you most about college admissions and scholarships?
What scares me is the right now. I have a 7th and 5th grader and I am worried sometimes that I won’t get them where they need to be for college. I also worry that others won’t take me seriously because I am the mom writing the transcript.
Right now, I’m not scared because it’s so far in the future. Give me a few years, and I’ll be scared because I know NOTHING about it!
What scares me is not being prepared for what colleges are asking or looking for.
She’s the only one I go to for high school info.
My son went straight from homeschooling to our local community college, there was no application process, no really cool transcripts to do because, well, anyone can get into the community college. What I worry about is what if my girls want to go to a non-community college? How can I help them?
You know, I think what scares me most is that Sarah will end up in college “by default,” not because she wants to. I would love to see her go, but only if she really wants to, and only if she has a vision for what she wants to get out of it!
Not a fan of Princess Bride?! Inconceivable!
While my daughter scares me a little with her advanced intellect, I was a high school English teacher and college English professor, so at least I know what is expected. Just wasn’t ready to think about it so soon!
ha ha! I get it, Jennifer! 😉
That I won’t have planned well enough for her, leaving her transcripts lacking 🙁
that sounds like a great book to use even if you don’t homeschool
This sounds amazing!!!!