Just Another Chapter in our Homeschooling Life

Last Saturday, Marina received her high school equivalency diploma. I am now officially off the hook for one child's education. She worked very hard pulling together the 24 credits for this. Hopefully, by the end of next June she will have her associate's degree in the visual arts. The credits she earned  for the equivalency diploma count toward the associate degree, or I would have pushed for her to attend an out of state school. As I've mentioned before, New York residents must have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive a college degree from a New York state college or university. Which is funny when you consider she's been a straight A honor student at the community college. Obviously, she can do the work. The diploma was just another hoop we've needed to jump through.

There is a story my mother told about her uncle. When she was eight or nine, he was  attending college. My mother remembers how he gave her little lessons while he was studying. He told her that school was a waste of time up until you go to college. 

When Marina received her diploma, she told us that now she has proof she could have passed high school if she had gone. As if there was any doubt!

One child down, two to go. I'm not sure we will follow the same route with Chase. He has plenty of options now that he is sixteen. He might choose to do an internship, volunteer, look for a job, work on creative endeavors, or prepare for college, like his sister. If I have learned anything from homeschooling, it is that each of my children follow their own path, and my job is to advise and support them. 

Sometimes I nudge. Even when they know they can fly, they aren't always willing to leave the nest without a gentle push.