It’s graduation time, and I thought it was only fitting and proper to give a few nods in the direction of homeschoolers graduating from high school.
Some homeschoolers will have quiet family celebrations and silently pass into the world of adult work life or college. Some homeschoolers will graduate en masse with hundreds of other homeschoolers, many of whom they have never met, but used the same online curriculum. Other homeschoolers will graduate with students they have walked the homeschooling journey with, gone to field trips, also and shared their proms.
A couple of years ago, I attended the graduation ceremonies (yes plural) of a young lady completing her homeschool journey. She had three ceremonies in all.
She graduated from the homeschool programs she attended including the Masters Academy program my children are using. One ceremony included concerts displaying the artistic talents of each graduate. Next she had an at home ceremony where her parents gave her a diploma in the midst of family and friends.
In Gulfport, Mississippi, four female students graduated from Coast Christian Home Educators Association together. Three Hundred family and friends attended the ceremony. (This is one graduation that did not cause a family rift because Grandma or an Aunt was not invited.)
Nine homeschoolers, family, and friends from the Knox County Christian Home School Association gathered at Lakeholm Church of Nazarene in Mount Vernon for commencement ceremonies. The program included slideshows of the students’ journeys. The graduates also presented their mothers with roses.
Being awarded a National Merit Scholarship is reward enough for John Molitor of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He will be attending Northwestern University in the fall.
Each Spring Lighthouse Christian Academy holds a formal graduation ceremony for seniors who have homeschooled using the program (should they opt to attend). Other students receive diplomas in the mail and have private family ceremonies.
I find homeschool graduations extremely special because each student is often highlighted instead of the “best” one or two students being given the spotlight. And so, I want to take this moment to congratulate any and all graduating homeschoolers this year, and wish you the best of luck in your continued educational and life journey.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?