HSHSP Ep 16: Success Story: My Career-Bound Teens
Must a teen go to college in order to become a successful adult? Absolutely NOT!
God created each young person with different interests and abilities. Why should a homeschool highschooler spend 4 years plugging through academics if that is totally not his/her gift?
Shouldn’t a young person lean into the gift God gave them? Of course!
Join Sabrina and Vicki for an interview with Angela O’Shaughnessy, homeschool mom whose now-graduated sons were always career-bound. They loved hands-on, practical learning!
Find out how these fine young men have found success in their careers. AND how their mother enjoyed God’s leading in their lives (and co-operated with it).
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Thank-you so much ladies for such an encouraging podcast to this momma who has been so stressed and worried about highschool next year. My 2 sons sound very much like yours and I’m not sure post secondary is the way to go with my boys that just want to work with their hands and farm with dad. I really needed the reminder that there’s no one right way to homeschool and to let my expectations of post secondary go and trust that God has a plan! I had a question about how you mentioned you “farmed” out math. Does this mean that you hired a math teacher for them or did you mean a more video based homeschool math program? Just curious as one of my guys seems to be struggling and I’m in the same boat of having done extremely well in math myself but am doing terrible teaching it! I wonder if we need to find an alternative too in that area but I wasn’t sure exactly what you meant.
Thanks again!
We’re so thankful that the episode is a blessing to you! Isn’t it wonderful to be able to relax and enjoy God’s individual plans for our kids?
Angela “farmed out” math in 2 ways: our local homeschool umbrella school had some math classes with a wonderful teacher who taught “Level 2” math (math for average high schoolers who didn’t need/want the college-prep math). She also, at another time, hired a wonderful tutor who loved investing in “average teens”. These gave her sons what they needed without wasting their time and energy on more competitive maths.
So, i don’t know if I’m supposed to comment on the podcast in which I’m featured, but…a friend of mine who has a young granddaugther asked me if the philosophy of “if you can walk, you can work” would apply to grandkids too. I got to thinking about that and got inspired, so I thought I’d share here in case anyone is interested in my answer to him: It can apply to any kids on which you have any influence. it doesn’t have to be rigorous and you don’t have to be a taskmaster. Work isn’t a dirty word. It’s a blessing to get to work. Problem is that we have come to associate work with going to a place we don’t want to be with an insecure, narcissistic boss. When you ask your granddaughter to pick up her toys, she’s learning to work and to take responsibility for her own things. When you ask her to help Grandma in the kitchen by setting to spoons next to the plates, you’re teaching her to show respect and caring for others and she’s learning something about social norms. When you ask her to help clean up after a meal, or when she gets older, to wipe down the bathroom sink and counter or to run the vacuum, she may get a science lesson in hygiene and germs. (Do I sound like a homeschooler yet??) As you do all these things together, she learns that she has value to offer the rest of the world. And you have conversations which not only teach her things, but develop her brain, teach her how to interact, how to give and take and perhaps expand her vocabulary and her curiosity. When she gets older and she begins to babysit, flip burgers, clean houses or whatever part-time job she ends up with as a young teen, she will build on all those skills and that in turn will help her know herself and learn about her strengths and weaknesses and make it easier for her to choose a vocation. Does this make sense?
Beautifully said, Angela!!!