The High School Years - 11th Grade

I began working out of the home in the summer in between my daughters 10th and 11th grade years. The timing seemed right. My daughters no longer needed me in a homeschooling capacity and they were now driving. On a friend's advice, we had not traded in my husband's car when he purchased a new one a couple of years ago, so my daughters had a reliable car to drive, even if they did have to share it, so I wasn't shuttling them around anymore. It was an odd transition for me, but they seemed to embrace this new life of mom doing her own thing, while they embarked on their own lives.

In the fall of their 11th grade year, my daughters enrolled in 12 college units. Now, in California, a concurrently enrolled high school student is only allowed to take a maximum of 11 units, but my daughters took 7 units at our local community college and then they took a 5 unit on-line math class at a college in another county, so they got away with it. It seemed like a lot for them to take on, but they were successful and ended the semester with straight As, again. I guess they really are ready and comfortable in the college forum.

During the short winter inter-session that our local community college offers between the fall and spring semesters, my daughters took a history class that they were having difficulty enrolling in. You see, as a concurrently enrolled high school student, they must register after everyone else, so many of the popular and necessary general education classes fill up before they have a chance to enroll. Taking the history class in the inter-session gave them a better chance of getting in and it worked.

For the spring semester, my girls opted for a 9 unit semester. They needed to take another 5 unit math class and a 4 unit science/lab class; and because of the 11 unit limit for high school students, they couldn't take another 3 unit class (which most classes are) and there just are not any 2 unit classes available (at least, not any that they want to take). It was difficult getting into the math class, as it was another general education class that the masses need to take. They were waitlisted, but got in.

So, just like after their 9th grade year, we were beginning to realize that my daughters' educational needs had outgrown their educational situation. Registering was becoming more difficult and the 11 unit limit was getting in the way, too. After updating their high school transcript, (I have always kept a transcript at home to use when registering for college and to just keep an eye on) I realized that with the math and science that they had just enrolled in, they had hit all of the requirements for a high school education. I contacted our ISP and asked the director to look over their transcript and see if he saw it the same way I did and he agreed.

With the high school requirements fulfilled, there was the option to graduate. This created a situation to be weighed out. Do I keep my daughters in high school another year and continue to take advantage of our local college's policy where a concurrently enrolled high school student does not pay for their units? Or graduate, so that they can enroll as a college student and end our recent enrollment difficulties by having a registration date and an unlimited number of units? Another advantage to graduation is that future college classes would not be earned concurrently, which matters to some universities when transferring. We spoke with their college counselor and she agreed that there were pluses and minuses to both, but the decision was ours. We opted for graduation and my girls began applying for scholarships and financial aid to help pay for their next year of college. As I write this, one of my daughters has received a scholarship and both of my daughters have received a Federal Pell Grant and The Board of Governors Enrollment Fee Waiver.

My daughters graduated in June in a beautiful ceremony hosted by our ISP (EIE Academy). My girls were initially not interested in participating in a ceremony, but after discussing the ceremony with Martin Forte (Co-Director of EIE), and hearing that it was a special ceremony that was really a graduation for me as well as them, I asked my girls to participate and they agreed. I am so glad that we did. Thank you, EIE, for a day to remember.

What to 'do' for me?

Well, let's see. I need to get busy doing something. Now just what will that be? It's kind of intimidating. I've been out of the traditional workforce for a long time. Prior to my 15 years as a mom and homeschooler, I worked for 15 years in the television industry and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But it is so 'all consuming' that I don't think I'm ready to commit the time I know it will demand. I still have teenagers, you know! So, what else? They say 'If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life'. So, what do I love doing?

I've had an at home business since 2000 as an independent consultant for Mary Kay and I've enjoyed it. I love the company and its philosophy and the people that I've worked with are all amazing women, but I haven't taken the business to it's next level. I seem to have peaked with it for now and am happy with my business were it is. But I need something else... so how do I figure out what that is?

I consider getting a simple job that I don't have to put much thought into, but would get me out of the house. I even interview with a car dealership for a position as a receptionist. I am so glad that they didn't call to hire me.

To narrow down 'what I love' doing I decide to think about what has brought me happiness. I have so loved my homeschooling experience so, that has to be at the top of the list. Of course, part of that love is because it directly affected the lives of my children, but I also enjoyed the part that was making a difference in another's life. The other activity I have enjoyed is web design. I just dabbled in it for non-profits and for friends, but I need to consider that I enjoyed the process of the design and also the opportunity to be in an environment that changes so quickly that you are always in the position of learning more. With that in mind, I enter the cyber world of Craigslist to see what employment opportunities out there are related to these interests.

On Craigslist I find an ad for a web-related position at Princess Cruise Lines that I apply for. And I find an ad for a Behavior Therapist for Autistc children that I also apply for. Now, these are two very different types of positions, but they each fit my criteria for 'doing what I love'. Obviously, though, I cannot supply each position with the same resume, so I create individual resumes for each one. Which brings up another intimadating part of all this... I haven't had a resume in a couple of decades. What do I put on it! I learned from my years in television that there is no need to put dates on your resume; just experience, education and volunteer work. I also remember to keep it simple. A single page will do and include an objective that fits with the position that is being applied for. Well, I must have done something right because I heard back about the Behavior Therapist position within the week, and after an interview and another week of waiting, I got the job and I'm happy to say, a year later, I still love it!

I am a spiritual person and so I feel that this whole path was divinely orchestrated because it has all turned out so perfectly. My previous experience with special-needs children was working with Special Olympics in my late teens and early twenties and then again when my daughters earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award with a service project at Special Olympics. The employer I work for has a wonderful philosophy of life and I feel appreciated and I appreciate them. And, funny enough, when I was presented with the opportunity to meet the owner of the company, I find out that he and his wife homeschool their children. Upon further conversation in this, I discover that I know his wife from a few years back. She and I had met and exchanged emails on a few occasions. What a small world.

~Debbie in So. Cal.