Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Graduating a homeschooler is an accomplishment for both graduate and any involved teachers, be they parents, grandparents, co-op teachers, or live online teachers. Whether you’ve got a high school graduate, or you simply want to make moving up to the next level in homeschool special, it’s more than worth doing. It honors their hard work and perseverance, which deserves to be celebrated!
For young graduates moving up…
It’s common for public schools to hold graduation celebrations for students moving up from preschool, or going into upper elementary, or on into high school. Your student(s) may get a lot of encouragement from a celebration like their public school friends and family members experience. Consider doing something fun before starting a new year of schoolwork, or even holding a modest party to highlight your young learners’ accomplishments and hard work. Giving them an opportunity to help plan adds to the memories and pride they have in themselves and all they’ve done thus far in their homeschool journey.
For high school graduates…
Just as you’ve chosen course work, tailored lessons, and reinforced interests throughout the years, your graduation ceremony should very personalized. Here are some questions to discuss and ideas to consider as you plan your celebration…
– If you belong to a co-op, do you want to celebrate several graduates all together? Or hold your own celebrations to focus on your individual graduates and their personal accomplishments?
– Do you want to have a full ceremony, with all the pomp and circumstance, music, short speeches, and handing over of the diploma? Or are you feeling more of just a great party with lots of friends and family gathered around? Perhaps both?
– What things of significance do you want to include in the celebration and possible ceremony? Does your graduate play an instrument? Perhaps they would like to play a favorite piece for their well-wishers. Do they excel in graphic arts? Perhaps they would like to set up a display of their works, including any devices or mediums they need to show off their talent.
– Where will you hold your ceremony and/or party? If you are going to need anything special to show off your graduate’s personality and accomplishments, you might need to hold it somewhere other than at home, or make some rearrangements of your home to accommodate guests and any special set-ups you’ll want.
– Do you want school/class colors, a cap and gown, tassels and cords, or any other special graduation keepsakes? If so, check out homeschooldiploma.com for a great selection. It’s also your source for very nice, personalized diplomas.
– You’ll definitely want pictures of the special day, so who can you ask (or hire, if you want professional shots) to take them for you? If you decide to hold a graduation ceremony, you’ll want to video it. Who can cover that for you?
– What about cake and/or food? Do you want to hold a “dessert only” open house? Or something more elaborate? Should you have it catered? Ask friends and family to help out?
– Whether you decide on a full ceremony, or just a party, how will you really highlight your graduate’s journey through homeschool? Plan to talk about and show their achievements, great memories, talents, interests – anything that really puts the focus on who they’ve become and all they’ve done to get there. If you hold a formal graduation ceremony, you might do this live – or through a video you create and then play. If you only hold a party, consider creating a video and setting it to play on a loop, for guests to view during the party.
– What about photo boards? If you want to display photos on a board, but don’t have many already in print format, start this early. You’ll likely need time to locate photos, have them printed, and display them nicely. Another alternative is to create a photo slideshow and have it running on a device for guests to walk memory lane with you.
– Do you want senior pictures? Even throughout the summer, you can still to do senior pictures. If you want them for your graduation, you’ll need to time it so they’ll be ready before the big day.
No matter what you decide to do, whether elaborate or simple – relish the joy of having a homeschool graduate! You’ve come a long way together, and a lot of celebration… and maybe a few tears… are in order.
