While it’s true that the paths to our teens’ degrees will differ, some methods make this path more direct, while others sabotage your teen’s progress. I’m sure you’ve read HS4CC Happy Stories from our community, and wonder if these families all have super-motivated teens? Their success comes from small shifts in their approach to homeschooling, but the “better” you are at homeschooling, the harder it is to realize it!
Read more: Are You Sabotoging Your Teen’s Degree Progress?I want to raise your awareness that some characteristics that make you a great homeschool parent can also get in the way of our ability to make successful and efficient degree progress with your teen! Getting into college is the easy part. It’s getting out that’s hard. If a college degree is on your teen’s “to-do list,” there are a lot of things you can (or not do) do during high school that can bring that goal post closer.
Having most of a degree isn’t the goal. If you have zeroed in on a specific major at a specific college, then pour on the gas and ignore everything else.
Just Keep Swimming
At the risk of sounding careless, it is important to emphasize that you must keep your teen moving forward toward a degree if you want them to finish a degree.
My 20-year-old son is finishing up his second degree this year. Having done this many times, I can tell you that taking a kid through the degree completion process requires different muscles than those that make me a good homeschooler! In fact, I’ve discovered multiple ways that being a good homeschooler can sometimes make it hard for me to execute a plan that ends in a degree. These snares still trip me up from time to time.
Problem #1) Neverending Curriculum
If you’re like me and really love learning, or you spend a lot of time indulging in a topic before moving forward (“…here’s one more book I’ve found! Oh, and this documentary…”) You’re going to have to recognize that this kind of enthusiasm is not a positive character trait of a degree completer. That character trait is wonderful for a lifelong love of learning. It is quite possible to dedicate your entire life to studying something without ever earning a single college credit in the subject, but if this degree is the goal, all their subjects must have a defined ending to make room for the next requirement.
Problem #2) Lateral Mover
I’m always a little bit sad when we finish a class. It’s an accomplishment for sure, but that little nagging voice asks, “Is this really his last math class? Ever?” It’s always a little bit uncomfortable for me to record their credit and move on to the next thing. As a rule, I don’t like to stop learning something, but as a result, all of my older kids had some “extra” college credit that they didn’t need for their degrees. (That’s pretty much my fault since I love college credit so much!) I really do like to sign them up for classes, but for every minute they spend on something lateral (more courses or credit at the same level, not moving forward) that’s less time they can spend on what they need for graduation. If the degree your teen is earning requires one math class (typically the case) and they just finished it, you really do have to stop math and move forward if you want them to earn this degree.
Problem #3) Deep Diver
Many parents tell me that they’re a little disappointed at how “easy” a college 101 class is. Our expectations of depth are probably a bit skewed toward the heavier side, especially if we’re good at homeschooling. Homeschoolers LOVE to be an inch wide and a mile deep, but college courses are the opposite. 100 and 200-level college courses are a mile wide and an inch deep! Courses are “exposure courses” meant to give a little taste of a very big academic field of study. What most of us imagine to be an appropriate amount of learning may be considerably less than what they’ll get in a simple 101 class. In addition, college classes are only 1 semester, while we might be used to taking an entire year to teach our teens a subject. A desire for deep learning in a subject may alert you to a possible major or career option for your teen, but for students enrolled in a college course, there simply isn’t time or the need. Your teen’s professor will simply demand that you keep moving forward with a surface-level exposure and understanding of many topics.
To complete a degree, you must allow yourself permission to put limits on learning. This includes time limits and depth limits.
Make it Happen
A bachelor’s degree usually requires the successful completion of 40 courses. (An associate degree the completion of 20.) To complete a 4 year degree in 4 years requires taking no less than 10 courses per year. Homeschooling for college credit doesn’t demand that kind of speed, most of our teens study fewer courses and for a lot longer than 16 weeks. As you plan, it’s a good idea to consider how many college credit courses your teen completed this year, and how that plays into your overall timeline goals.
FUN FACT: The average HS4CC teen graduates high school with 30-45 college credits (10-15 courses) complete.
As you move your teen forward, I’d like to leave you with four important ideas to keep you on track as you plan your teen’s schedule.
- Don’t move the goal post. It’s easy to start adding to a plan (“Oooh! You could double-major!”) but keep the goal clear, and on track. As they start to approach the goal post, don’t sabotage their progress by moving it back.
- Slower is almost never better. The longer it takes your teen to complete a course, exam, or degree, the less likely they will finish. If you’re using self-paced classes, be aware that these can kill motivation and progress when they take too long, especially if your teen doesn’t like the subject. It’s better not to take the class in high school, save it for college when they can do it quickly and get it done in 1 semester.
- College credits are not a degree If your teen does not have a rock-solid-totally invested major and college picked out, it’s better NOT to plan their degree. Earning college credit without a target is very helpful when they have fewer credits. Taking just a couple college classes will enhace their high school program no matter what they do- but changing gears and planning a degree means closing all other doors and focusing only on the specific degree requirements. To lock in requires laser focus. It’s 100% ok not to pick a college or major and still earn college credit in high school
