Reading, Writing, Arithmetic. Necessary, but falling short of what is needed for a true education. Some things cannot be taught, but must be learned through experience. Compassion, life perspective, and an awareness of one’s place in the world. This also helps bring a roundness and maturity to students that is exceptionally helpful in college scholarship interviews. For this reason, these activities might be better begun at the end of the sophomore or beginning of junior year.
Use a High School Summer to Create a Homeschool Capstone Course
A summer filled with these experiences will prepare a student for college-and beyond. A journal of expereinces, reactions, and new impressions should be kept. This not only provides the students a chance for self reflection, but also helps bring out important themes that will be prime material for college scholarship essays and interviews.
High School as the Beginning of A Life of the Works of Mercy
Several opportunities exposed me to new worlds I never knew existed. Experiences were an amazing way to begin to learn and practice the works of mercy. Our calling to live the Gospel is one that must be nurtured and allowed to be developed through His Grace throughout life. These locations are a beautiful way to start. I began to venture into these areas of service at the close of my freshman year of college. All I could think was why did I not start this mission sooner?
- Time spent in a nursing home, not just for a performance or a one day event. Instead, plan for enough time to get to know some of the residents. This can be accomplished by getting in touch with an activities director. Glancing at photos of the person in front of you, now decades older, when they were just your age. When I worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant, these snapshots of lives lining the elderly windowsill pressed deeply into my mind. A blink of an eye, and I would be where they are, dependent on others and staring eternity and my God as I surveyed my life behind me. Hospice centers also may be looking for volunteers
- Mission trip-the phrase brings to mind third world countries and Sahara climates. However, the truth is that there’s likely real projects in your own backyard. Contact schools that work with immigrants and the poor to see what needs and opportunities they have currently. Volunteering in a homeless shelter or a kitchen that provides free meals to those in need is also a good starting place. Working with those less fortunate in life is a chance not only to evaluate your own blessings, but also to learn to speak to those in completely different circumstances than you.
High School as the Beginning of Seeking and Facing Challenges and Growth
- Seek out immersion opportunities for the foreign language studied in High School. This could be through a city multicultural center, local festivals, or clubs. Ideally this would be an ongoing opportunity, since languages take years to master.. I watched my closest friend in college look for chances to practice in the international student dorm. By senior year she was a fluent speaker, and able to be the only one of the nursing students who could talk to a sick patient suffering from a disease causing complete paralysis, though with hopes of future recovery. Before this patient could even regain full use of his mouth to speak, we was smiling to hear his own native language spoken. My sister had similar opportunities speaking with members of the deaf community. My chosen language in high school, Latin, served me well through my medical studies. However, I do regret not having a foundation in a living language to spring off of into this new frontier.