One of the beauties of home schooling is the freedom of choice for many matters concerning the student's education.  But if college enrollment in the future is a possibility, there are some limitations that would be helpful to observe.  In order for the student's transcript to have an appearance conforming to what college enrollment officers usually see come across their desks, keep these suggestions in mind:

• Limit the number of courses reported each year to under 10. Most students have a limited capacity to "master" many subjects at the same time.
• Avoid assigning the grade 100% to most courses.  If you hold to the philosophy that your student is not done until he/she can earn 100% on the test, then develop the procedure of averaging the first and last test taken for each chapter.  For instance, if a student earns a 62% on chapter 13 in Algebra 1, then have  the student relearn the material and take another test.  If the second test turns out to be 98%, then average the 62% and the 98%  to come up with 80% for that chapter.
• Resist awarding more than one credit to each course completed.  Even if it took 130 hours to achieve the objectives of the course, award one credit.  A credit means "a year's worth of work" in a subject was achieved.  If you can recognize perhaps two distinct courses of study learned while the student invested those hours,  then the one course could be broken into two, each requiring its own course description.  

Jaimey's mom, Kari Kelly, describes her daughter this way:

"She has always been a little spit fire, holding her own with the two older brothers.

From the start she has always been focused once she set her mind to something."  The "start" for Jaimey in the Kelly family came at age five months when she was adopted out of an abusive situation.  Could that have been what instilled an extra measure of gumption in her?  Jaimey wonders if there is an imbedded desire to fulfill a debt to society that her birth-parent owed. Regardless, what emerged from that early chaos is now expressing itself in Jaimey's life as focus on the future, mental toughness and tremendous poise.  After spending an hour on the phone with her Monday, it is hard to believe that she is only 16.

Out of that hour came fascinating snapshots of Jaimey's life, one of which is her ROTC training. Jaimey is home schooled except for 3 hours a day that she spends at the high school involved in the Navy ROTC program.  The first hour she enjoys a class where she learns the basics of military life, the lingo, training, the equipment, rescue work and ships.  For those who are more serious about military life, there is a 3-day boot camp after which students "know how to say 'yes sir' and 'yes ma'm'. "  ROTC students take field trips to manufacturing & military training sites, become familiar with the chain of command, ranks, parts of rifle, the correct presentation of arms, and learn how to meet grooming standards. After her daily class, Jaimey moves on to drill team regimen, armed drill at that. The daily workout with 8-pound rifles prepares for fully-dressed competitions where teams display practiced routines of precision. It was through ROTC that Jaimey also became acquainted with orienteering events in which the participants are dropped off in the woods with a compass and a map showing checkpoints and landmarks to locate.  Competitors may be timed as they navigate the two-mile long orienteering route.    Many regard this a sport, but Jaimey considers it an easy way to get frustrated when lost.

Now that Jaimey has reached her junior year, more leadership responsibilities are expected of her.  Three upper classmen share the leadership spot, under the direction of the two ROTC teachers.  As Company Master Chief, Jaimey is in charge of all events that occur throughout the year, including opportunities to visit students in the junior high to familiarize them with the ROTC program.  

Having read through this short snapshot of Jaimey's educational choices, you can probably see where the focus, toughness and poise are exhibited.   This leads to why it was stated earlier that Jaimey  just may have taken her first step toward greatness. 

The thirty-third United States president can explain:

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first. "

Harry S Truman