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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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I need advice and prayer. I'm being asked to advise some kind of Naval Academy committee on why the Academy should accept homeschooled students. (Note: They already do; our Maria A's son is a plebe this year.)
Please offer ideas and advice and pray very hard for me. I want to say the right, Spirit-led things.
This isn't about whether we want our dc to go to West Point, Annapolis, etc.; it's about why the service academies should accept hs students...what qualities do they offer that would indicate their potential as military leaders?
Thanks!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Macmom
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 6:56pm | IP Logged
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Um... because Thomas Aquinas says patriotism is a virtue? (Its akin to filial piety) So, hopefully, Catholic students are formed to be patriotic. And because virtue isn't formed in a vacuum, and a virtuous person in one area must cultivate all the other virtues- and we NEED virtuous leaders. Because the examples of sacrifice rendered in the home will (hopefully) inspire these young people to sacrifices of their own.
Ask the homeschooled academy students why they feel especially prepared and see what their input is.
God bless you in taking this on!
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Catholic family life works on the same principle as a washing machine- clothes get clean by agitation.
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guitarnan
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I have a bit more info. This committee advises a local Congressperson on Academy appointments. Apparently they are wondering whether the grades homeschooled applicants report are biased in some way. (!)
Any thoughts?
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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marihalojen
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Wow! No advice, but you have my prayers, Nancy!
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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hylabrook1
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Nancy -
I would say that the grades are not biased -- Mom does not go easy on her children. But, unlike the schools that consider a C to be a passing grade, homeschoolers are more likely to require a child to completely understand what is being taught. If you aren't allowed to slide on the inputting phase of learning, it is more likely that you will receive A's and B's because you actually know the material.
Peace,
Nancy
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Mary Chris
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Nancy I will ask the Holy Spirit to give you the right words to say when you are speaking to the committee.
I asked my dh his opinion on this topic......I am not sure it is much help. He pointed out that you cannot judge homeschooled applicants like you would traditionally schooled applicants. A homeschooler will not have editor of the yearbook on his application, but he will have other extra curricular activities that could have the same weight. I think that the grades should hold the same weight as other applicants. Many homeschoolers take classes at a junior college, especially upper level math and sciences. If grades are coming from a co-op situation they are not given by mom.
I would think that anyone who applies to an Academy would know what they are getting into, I know that is not necessarily true and that plebes do leave. I would also say that the interview could hold a lot of weight.
Sending lots of prayers...Ronan is all set to pack his bags and head to Annapolis right away.  He talks of being a SEAL  . Although it could mean I will have an oppurtunity to housesit on Coronado for him  We were driving around the Naval Academy a few weeks ago and dh in his eagerness to not pay for college kept pointing out all the athletic fields, I couldn't take it any longer and showed the boys where their academic classes would be.
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mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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Maria B.
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Hi Nancy:
I have much to say about this!
My son, Billy, is a plebe at the Naval Academy this year. Plebe summer and the first semester have proved to be very challenging for him, but no more than for any of the other plebes. He is surviving!
First, anyone who wants to go to a military academy will research the requirements and know what is involved to be accepted. The application process is rigorous. It is very hard to make it there and not be qualified, homeschooled or not!
If I understand you correctly, your question is about the nomination process. Every candidate for one of the military academies has to be nominated by either the President, V-Pres., Representative or Senator. Each of these parties has their own screening process. Most of them are very thorough and tough. My son received two nominations, one from our Representative and one from our Senator. Each of them had a long application to fill out asking SAT scores, grades, extracurricular activities, and essays. From the applications the parties narrowed down the eligible candidates. Those candidates were interviewed by a board of people comprised of current military officers, retired, business people, editors of a national newspaper for up to an hour. Again, it was very tough.
So, I would say this. Yes, a homeschoolers grades should be considered equal to a school students grades. The reviewing committee can look at the students SAT scores, essays, course content and other information to substantiate the validity of the grades. It will be obvious if a student has been given an "easy ride" through high school by mom and dad.
In our case, we knew the fact that Billy was homeschooled would most likely be a "negative" for him. Thus, his senior year, he took Calculus and Physic courses at our community college to give some credibility to his homeschool transcript. I would also recommend that any candidate have a heavy sports record for all four years of high school. Athletics is very important to the academies. Another very important thing that the academies are looking for is leadership. Try and find ways that your student can exhibit his leadership abilities. For example, team captain of the football team, CCD teacher, club leader, Scouts, volunteer positions, etc. Look into Boys State and Girls State. Have your son or daughter attend the Summer Seminar at the military academy your son or daughter is interested in.
The Admissions officer at Navy told my husband that there were 30 -40 homeschoolers admitted at in the Class of 2011. That is encouraging.
If anyone has a teen considering this for future education, I would be more than happy to answer your question. The key thing is start early!
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Maria in VA
Proud Mom to 10 Great kids!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 13 2007 at 6:38pm | IP Logged
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This is great info. Just what I need to jumpstart my thought process. I agree that most hs parents don't give their dc an easy ride. I also think it's hard to put all homeschoolers into one "home school" group; I want to encourage the committee to think individually, regardless of educational background.
One thought for all of you...what about unschoolers, whose parents don't keep traditional graded records? Maria, maybe you could tell me whether your Billy was able to present a portfolio of his work, or a sample essay, in addition to his SAT scores and community college transcripts?
Mary Chris, my son is thinking Coast Guard (!) or Air Force. I understand your situation completely. My dh keeps talking about ROTC scholarships (to Notre Dame! Go figure!) and academies...ds may have the chance to go to Colorado Springs next summer to see the AF Academy. (At least AF and CG don't play a huge role in Iraq right now, but for me, this is all right around the corner.)
These are great answers. You're a huge help.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Why should service academies take hs kids
