Planning a Homeschool Photography Course for Fun or Developing a Career

By Naomi Musch

 

With the advancement of digital photography, nearly anyone can learn to take better pictures and have more fun doing it, as many teens have discovered. Social media gives them a forum to visually share events in their lives with frequency and immediacy such as they’ve never been able to do before.

But what if your student wants to pursue photography with a more passionate purpose? The digital photography craze means that more young people than ever are interested in photography as a potential future career. So how do you, without a professional photographer in the family, guide them along in this elective pursuit, whether for fun or for laying groundwork toward a possible career or cottage industry? That’s what my husband and I have had to figure out as our now-graduating senior, standing on the threshold of possibility, steps into her post-high school future with her eye on turning her passion for photography into a business.      (more…)

College at Home 101

By Alyssa Mulhearn

 

Bachelor’s degree is a term that, for many, conjures ideas of financial security, job opportunities, and a road to success. It’s the $60,000-plus price tag and four years that make people wonder if it’s really worth it.

As homeschoolers, you already realize that education is not confined to a classroom. “Distance education” and “online learning” have become viable, popular options in post-secondary education. So, how can you make these new technological education tools work for you?

The first two years of a bachelor’s degree are typically dedicated to general education requirements. These are courses that cover the basic educational building blocks: math, English, history, science, etc. High school graduates have already studied these courses. What if you could prove you already know the information by passing a test, like a final exam, and get college credit for it? The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) offer you just that opportunity.

The College Board, the organization that brought us theSAT, has also created CLEP exams. A CLEP test is essentially a final exam for one of the thirty-three different subjects offered. When you pass one of their multiple-choice exams, College Board awards you the same amount of credit as if you had taken the entire course. In exchange for $80 and taking one 90-minute exam, you can earn three to twelve credits that are accepted at more than 2,900 colleges.      (more…)