Menu

Dave Johnston

About Dave Johnston

Posts by Dave Johnston:

Children in the Bible

Bible Verses on Wisdom, Children and Education

Bible Verses on Wisdom, Children and Education

“Kids are not given to keep but to nurture. They need our example, but most importantly, they need us. The best resource you can spend on your children is time, and lots of it.”   Pastor Greg Laurie

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9: 10

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” Proverbs  22: 6

“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”  Prov.1:8-9

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ” Matt 19: 14

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”  Deut.  5: 29

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ ” Matt 18:1-3

“If anyone causes one of these little ones-those who believe in me-to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matt 18:6

 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them”  (Psalm 127:3-5).

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8  

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.  Proverbs 28: 26

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  Gen: 1: 27

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.  Galatians 1: 6 – 8

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  Romans 8: 5-6

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”   Ephesians 2:10

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”    Genesis 1:26

Know that the Lord, he is God!  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.   Psalm 100: 3

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Ephesians 2:10

And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.  Ecclesiastes 12: 7

Homeschool New England

Homeschoolers go to College too

“Homeschoolers Go to College Too!”

by Dr. Adam Rondeau
June 18, 2022

A common question about homeschooling goes something like this:

I have a question about the learning pods and homeschooling.  Do you know if the credentials meet the same requirements for college?  Does homeschooling affect a student from getting into a college program they desire?

Homeschooling does not limit the ability of students to go to college. In fact, many colleges actively try to recruit homeschoolers. (See “Why Colleges Are Recruiting Homeschoolers” for more reading on this fact.)

Colleges determine acceptance based on their ability to evaluate a student on paper, i.e., their academic records. For parents that are concerned about making sure their child has the best chance possible of getting into their desired school there are some actions that they can take to minimize their concerns and maximize their child’s chances.

  1. Keep good and accurate records. The student’s cumulative folder maintained by the parent or the administration of the pod, etc. should be thorough and a transcript should be created that looks professional and follows a standard template. HSLDA has some really great information about this in this article: https://hslda.org/post/the-essentials-of-high-school-recordkeeping  They also offer a transcript building tool for members and there are many other online services that parents can use to make professional looking transcripts that colleges will be able to easily recognize and follow.
  2. Take college readiness tests. College readiness tests (SAT, ACT, and the newer for conservative CLT) should probably be taken for the college bound homeschooler and the should probably take them multiple times throughout their high school career and possibly consider test prep to help increase their scores.  The importance of these college readiness tests are starting to wane in influence with many colleges (CA state colleges have stopped requiring them, for example) and the emphasis is now on a solid transcript throughout high school. Therefore, the importance of good record keeping in this area cannot be stressed enough. 
  3. Consider taking annual norm-referenced tests. Another consideration for some parents is to annually conduct a norm-referenced test (i.e. Iowa, Stanford 10, CAT, etc.) and keep those as a part of the cumulative record that can be used to demonstrate to colleges that the student has followed a course of continued learning over time throughout the high school program. While these tests are not a great indicator to you of what the child has been learning through your program they can indeed be a valuable tool that demonstrates an upward trajectory of learning on the part of the student.
  4. Keep receipts for required reporting. Parents should also be careful to keep a record of receipts for any reporting that their state law requires of them. Whether you are reporting to the superintendent of the local district or the state board of education, always keep copies of their approval or certification. For example, in the state of Massachusetts homeschooling families are required to submit at both the beginning and ending of the academic year a packet to the superintendent of the district in which they live. The superintendent approves of the program at the beginning of the year and the certifies that the learning objectives were achieved at the end of the year through documentation provided by the parents. When this process is followed it gives the Massachusetts homeschool family actual approval by the local superintendent of their program. This should add weight to the records if ever there was a contention about the standing of their diploma. Be sure to obtain a document that shows this approval for a solid paper trail. Of course, if your state does not require any kind of approval, such as is the case in Texas, then don’t try and report for the sake of obtaining it. Focus on the other three steps and keep the governments involvement as limited as possible. But if your state requires it, then use it to your advantage.

There are, of course, options for homeschooling through a distance learning program (i.e. Liberty University Online Academy, ViewPoint Christian Academy, etc.). These programs offer the feel and flexibility of homeschool with the accountability and support, accreditaiton and professional record keeping of a school. Graduation from a distance learning program is just like graduating from a private school even though you homeschooled the whole time. While this will have regular tuition costs, it may be a viable consideration for many families.

Homeschoolers make great college students so don’t let that worry stand in your way. Keep good records and your child’s chances of getting into college from your homeschool program are likely just as good, if not better, than they would be if you kept them in the government schools. Take charge of your child’s education and the Lord will bless your efforts.