Students discover & develop personal strengths & skills
Study Skills
X
x
x
x
x
x
Exec. Functioning Skills
X
x
x
x
x
Life Skills
X
X
x
x
x
x
x
Personal Finance
X
x
x
Career Exploration
x
x
x
x
x
Scroll right to see the entire chart.
Executive Functioning Skills
The Executive Functioning class focuses on intentional self-regulation, along with touching on all seven forms of executive functioning, which include:
adaptable thinking
Self-control
time management
working memory (for reasoning and decision making)
Organization
Planning
self-monitoring
Using multiple resources, the educator will encourage discussion and offer helpful tips to help students gain control and mastery in their everyday lives. The students will also be able to improve their day-to-day school and family life as we work in the following areas:
making schedules
creating a personal calendar
creating short, effective lists
tips to help our memory
understanding how our actions affect others
Study Skills
The Study Skills class will cover material to help students explore different methods, tools, and resources for studying well. Students will begin to identify their learning preferences using multiple senses,
organizing a study space
managing time
handling stress
Memorizing
taking notes
annotating and outlining
Researching
Proofreading
citing sources
preparing for tests.
Students will build their confidence as they build their study skills!
Life Skills
The Life Skills class will allow students to develop an understanding of the skills necessary for launching successfully as a young adult.
The sections of this one-year course are centered on three broad topics:
Making the most of your life
Life transitions
Preparing for your first job.
Units include:
Finding & Creating A Healthy Life Balance
Organizing Your Life -A deeper understanding of time management and how to prioritize for the best possible outcomes when life gets overwhelming.
Can You Afford to Leave Home? Students create a move-out budget & checklist,
Budgeting & Money Management – students create a sample budget & meal plan,
The Interview – students participate in a mock job interview experience.
Resume– Students complete a resume and cover letter
The Workplace Experience
Personal Finance
Personal Finance focuses on three key areas of money management:
How to make wise money choices now
How to make wise money choices in the future
How to prepare for financial independence
Lessons Included in Personal Finance:
College and Careers
Budgeting
Car Purchase Apartment Rental
Spouse Selection
Credit Cards and Interest
Baby & Payroll
House Purchase
Insurance
School Choice
Investments,
Business Basics
Layoffs and Reconciliations
Income Tax
The Dangers of Divorce
Retirement
Career Exploration
The Career Exploration Class takes students on a wonderful adventure of discovering themselves, their families, and possible career paths. It’s a must-take class in high school, given that students take 6 years to graduate from college, not 4, and graduate with an average of $37,000 in debt. Furthermore, many of our kids will have 7 vocations during the course of their working life. Preparing them in high school to understand their interests, skills, and family strengths and beginning to develop leadership skills will save them so much time and money throughout their life.
Students will identify the intersection of passions, interests, and the necessity of work.
Students will explore the difference between work and career and how both fit into their personal pathways.
Students will learn “How They Learn.”
Students will identify their strengths and weaknesses using a multitude of assessments.
Students will leave class with a Personal Pathway based on strengths, interests, passions, and gifting paired with real-world career exploration, utilizing the Holland Code.
The student will identify spheres of possibility instead of a single job or career.
Students will also create an occupational interest inventory.
Career Exploration Bootcamp is a practical, hands-on, 6 week summer course that will take students from dreaming about their first job to having actionable steps to ensuring it becomes a reality. Perfect for high schoolers at every level as they sort through if college is right for them or if they are worried about the future because they have no decisive plan.
Career Exploration Bootcamp is designed to jump-start your dive into the workforce and inspire you to plan for an exciting future. Your journey on the path to career and life fulfillment begins with a thorough self-analysis. Using tried and true career planning tools, you will map out a vocational and/or occupational route, which matches your key skills, preferences, and values to a potential career. Next, you will unearth key concepts about the shifting landscape of today’s job market and how to access the many possibilities awaiting you.
The facilitator will lead class discussions, assign relevant reading, and direct participants to useful resources to help in the research and exploration process. Be prepared for a journey of self-discovery and to unearth some challenging ideas about your future possibilities!
This course will be worth ¼ credit and grades will be heavily weighted toward classroom participation. It is also a great primer for the more in-depth Career Exploration: Orienteering class being offered in the Fall.
Required Text: What Color is Your Parachute by Bolles . The The 2022 edition is releasing April 5, and we would prefer students use the most current Edition as they update the book yearly based on current research and trends.
Homeschooling high school can be tough! We’ve pulled together some great articles and resources for you during this month’s College and Career focus. So without further ado:
Information on High School Planning Resources
Prepping and planning for High School seems to get even the most stoic homeschooler a bit frazzled. Not to worry, we’ve been there done that and have great resources available for you! Our first piece of advice is to create a plan that includes a basic course of study, fill in with areas of interest and work a solid strategy to get you where you want to go! And if you don’t want to go it alone, we’d love to come alongside you on the journey. In fact, that’s what we do!
Testing can highlight student abilities, shine light on areas of struggle and garner thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships! Don’t overlook the power of testing!
Performance Series Test – A gentle, excellent way to equip your students for standardized test-taking.
It’s a fast paced and changing world our young adults are entering into. College is but one of many options that include apprenticeship, military and entrepreneurship! A good strategy will get your student farther, faster and save them from unnecessary debt!
Let us know if you found our round-up of high school resources helpful and drop us a comment about resources you like! We love to provide our readers with relevant information!
In our Orienteering Class, we talk about many things related to adult life and careers. We had the good fortune to have a guest speaker this month, a homeschooling, blogging, expat, living in Scotland, to share about how travel has enriched her life and the life of...
One of the services that we provide through True North Academic Advising is career and life coaching. Kids often have a big idea of what they want in life but don’t have the experience get them there in an expedient and cost-effective way.
Why does Career Exploration matter to high school students?
Career Exploration, as Cheri explains:
Increases students awareness of career options
Helps students see how they fit into the working world
Encourages students to plan high school courses based on their future goals
Improves academic performances
Saves time and money by pursuing a defined goal
Introduces students to employment skills valued by all employers
The Career Exploration and preparation course guide consists of 2 parts.
Career Exploration & Prep Course Part 1:
This section is designed to allow the student to get to know themselves better and gain a clearer understanding of their vocational interests. This section also helps the student confirm their interests through various activities.
Part 1 Overview – Career Exploration: Choosing a Best Fit
Keys to your future
Your Vocational Profiles
Occupational Profiles
Informational Interviews
Final Review
Part 1 is designed to be used in homeschools or co-op settings. Cheri includes many web-links and resources right at the beginning of the guide to get you started on the road to understanding your student. Some examples include Learning Styles, Motivation Triggers, Grit Scales, Business Essentials, to name a few.
Career Exploration & Prep Course Part 2:
In part 2, students are guided through a capstone project in their career area of interest. This section will allow students to define and hone skills relevant to the career areas that they have selected in Section 1.
The Guide consists of reading, assignments, and projects. Students should plan on 3-4 hours per week to complete the lessons, reading, and longer-term projects. Students should prepare to partner with their parents or a cohort, such as our Orienteering course will provide, to make the most of this course.
So what do I love about this program?
I love how this program starts off right by encouraging students to seek and find a team of mature mentors that they can learn and grow from. It is an excellent exercise in seeking out Godly leaders who can speak into their lives.
Additionally, there is a fantastic Bible Study right out of the shoot that sets up the Biblical basis for work. Conscientious, hard workers are in high demand these days. Cheri guides the kids through a Bible study on this and lays such an excellent foundation for the joy, responsibility, and God-given inspiration for work. Directly following, there is a study on family and cultural expectations. This facet is an oft-overlooked section of most career exploration programs. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I love the fact that students look at the careers and vocations that are part of their family. We are often more influenced by family members and legacies than we realize.
A Cost of Living Project is also included. An excellent project that every high schooler should complete before their graduation from high school!
All of this before the student begins a Vocational Profile, which includes Personality Inventories, Occupational Profiles and Evaluation, Credentialing Evaluation, and Job Shadowing. This Vocational Profile is a thorough and detailed overview of career exploration for each student based on their personality and interests.
Part II will focus on students building their skills and showcasing them in a way that will take them into the beginning stages of developing their professionalism.
The Capstone project includes critical thinking, public speaking, research skills, self-sufficiency, team-work, planning, media literacy, planning, and goal setting. Students will learn and understand the difference between hard and soft skills. As a podcast host, focusing on Soft Skills, this makes me happy. The Capstone project asks the student to create a quality program or experience for themselves that will develop their professional self and ability. SMART Goals, resumes, and interviewing skills are covered.
Career Exploration and Prep is an excellent course for young adults of all ages. The target ages are 16 and up, but the resource is acceptable for motivated younger students as well. I would recommend this Guide for families and co-op situation.
