{"id":1108,"date":"2014-12-13T05:42:20","date_gmt":"2014-12-13T12:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=1108"},"modified":"2015-07-08T16:36:09","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T22:36:09","slug":"a-college-degree-for-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/a-college-degree-for-girls\/","title":{"rendered":"A College Degree for Girls? Not Necessarily. An Education? Why, of Course!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"My

My Daughters and I: Julianna, Emily, and Louisa<\/p><\/div>\n

I have Brooke Reynolds to thank for causing me to write this article. She and I got into a discussion about what homeschool girls should be doing between the age of 16 and the time they enter marriage. Brooke is 18 years old and is currently pursuing a music education on scholarship at the University of Utah. She enjoys it and finds it challenging, but she wonders if college is exactly the right thing for her.<\/p>\n

I know lots of young women who have been tenderly taught in homeschool yet \u201cgraduate\u201d from their family homeschool wondering what to do next. <\/strong>Working doesn\u2019t seem to be what they want to do full-time. Entering college seems to automatically lead to following the coursework to attain a degree, which seems to automatically lead to becoming career-ready. Society seems to dictate that college is the next step in a young person\u2019s life, but once involved in college, many homeschoolers realize that what they didn\u2019t want in a public school setting is ever present in a college environment. Truth is not the standard taught in every class. Most students are involved in the \u201ccredit game\u201d (credit, then forget it). The desire to gain true and useful knowledge is not the first priority of most college students.<\/p>\n

I have older sons, and for men in this society, a college degree is a necessity. College has proved frustrating to them. Even if they begin a course with high interest, most of the classes have managed to deaden that desire to learn very quickly with a lengthy syllabus, huge list of terms, class attendance requirements, test schedule, etc. What started as a tremendous motivation to learn accounting ended up as dreaded drudgery. I marvel that in nearly every educational area, delightful learning has been regulated and expanded into so many nonsensical terms and extrapolations. The accounting in Accounting 101 is not the same accounting that you would find stimulating and useful in the business world. Somehow, a college course can often turn a chocolate eclair into burnt toast.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Julianna

Julianna loves to sing!<\/p><\/div>\n

Obviously, some courses are more directed and interesting than others due to the competency of the teachers. Some schools are probably better than others, too. Two of my sons have been extremely motivated and stimulated to greater learning by one excellent Spanish teacher. I learned to write because of a demanding high school English teacher that pushed me beyond my normal performance and taught me to appreciate Shakespeare. But I can also clearly remember my days at college some 20 years ago. There were some wonderful teachers and a few courses that taught me home nursing of the sick and nutritious food preparation, which has been practical knowledge. But, of all the classes I attended to earn my bachelor\u2019s degree, only a few stand out in my mind as feeding my hungry interest for truth in the subject,<\/strong> and even fewer have been useful in my adult life.<\/p>\n

Being involved in a college program means you end up taking classes in which you have no interest and that hold no practical application for your life. It\u2019s \u201ccredit and forget it,\u201d again. One young woman told me she\u2019d just taken Botany at a good university. In spite of my zeal and enthusiasm for discussing Botany with her, she could recall very little. I questioned why she took the class, since her disinterest was apparent, and she replied that she had heard it was the easiest course to take to fulfill the Science requirement in her major.<\/p>\n

What should a young woman be doing, if not college?<\/strong><\/em> I have pondered this question long and hard as my daughters are growing up, and I have friends whose daughters are already college-aged. As I look back from a more experienced perspective, I am shocked at how unprepared I was personally to give birth, to nurture and raise my large family and deal with all the challenges that a wife\/mother\/homemaker career holds. Had I been able to see the future (or had a wise and experienced advisor), I could have done things quite differently. Those precious preparation years between approximately 16 years of age and marriage could have been spent in rigorous, exciting learning for the work that lay before me.<\/p>\n

\"Emily

Emily loves to travel!<\/p><\/div>\n

Over many years, I have learned mostly through the school of hard knocks how to do the things necessary to pleasant home life.<\/strong> Had I been prepared with these skills before marriage, it would have proven very practical and would have greatly improved the quality of my life and my family\u2019s well-being. I see young mothers overwhelmed with the demands of housekeeping, child care and pregnancy. Few are prepared to handle the high intensity of these callings. Many are unhappy, just as unhappy as a man who majored in Physical Education would be in a desk job. If a young wife has career training, it is natural for her to long to go back to doing what she is good at and turn from this challenging and unfamiliar new job. Some choose to escape through a part-time job, mall shopping, hobbies or unwillingness to have more children.<\/p>\n

Lack of preparation doesn\u2019t make for a content young wife and mother.<\/strong> It is tough on marriage, too. I heard a respected man tell about a young woman whose mother passed away suddenly when she was just 17 years old. This young woman took over the household and tried to do her mother\u2019s duties, such as cooking and laundry; she burned dinner and turned her father\u2019s shirts pink, learning in the process. When she married, her adjustment was easy and stress free. Her newly married friends complained about how difficult it was to adjust to married life, but she had made an easy transition because of her preparation.<\/p>\n

\"Louisa

Louisa loves to paint!<\/p><\/div>\n

I have been a mother for 22 years now, and I am certain that with my big family I have washed three times the amount of laundry in my homemaking career than my mother washed in hers. And yet, I still don\u2019t feel very confident. Why didn\u2019t I learn from my mother, whose clothes always look so bright and clean and stain-free? I suppose I wasn\u2019t paying attention or didn\u2019t see the need to learn how to do laundry properly, or maybe I was too busy with college classes!<\/strong> Since doing laundry is a daily affair and creates the first image that others see for all your family members, I think it is an important skill to learn. There is no better time than when a young woman is living under your roof to tutor her in the details of laundry and every other homemaking skill that will be required of her in her lifetime. Many of us don\u2019t learn the important lessons of a homemaking\/mothering career until we are up to our ears and screaming for help. What a happier world it would be if we came to our marriage\/family life prepared!<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I could have the perfect college coursework for future wife\/mothers, it would be thoroughly saturated with the word of God, and other sources of truth. I would pick and choose ways to learn the skills: studying good books on my own; tutoring under a grandmother, mother, neighbor or friend; taking correspondence or on-campus college courses, community classes\u2014wherever I could find knowledge. Learning would retain its joy and interest. My education might look something like this:<\/p>\n

Semester 1<\/h3>\n

Old Testament
\nFirst Aid
\nBasics of Good Nutrition (I do not<\/em> recommend using the government structured diet, RDAs, etc.)
\nPlanning Nutritious Meals
\nSewing (with emphasis on mending, remodeling clothes, children\u2019s clothing)
\nManners, Social Skills, Etiquette<\/p>\n

Semester 2<\/h3>\n

New Testament
\nFamily Relationships (using The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey as the basic textbook)
\nHappy Marriage (how a man ticks)
\nNatural Health Care (using good foods, vitamins, herbs and natural remedies)
\nMaking Your Own Herbal Remedies (herb identification and preparation)
\nBread Baking<\/p>\n

Semester 3<\/h3>\n

Psalms, Proverbs
\nPregnancy (how to take care of yourself, remedies for morning sickness, pre-conception foods, vitamins, herbs to reduce chance of birth defects, etc.)
\nDrawing (useful for teaching children, church classes, etc.)
\nLaundry How-to
\nPreparing Nutritious Meals
\nHaircutting<\/p>\n

Semester 4<\/h3>\n

Parables of Jesus
\nChildbirth (options, natural remedies to help in labor, etc.)
\nPiano or other musical instrument
\nMoney Skills (shopping savvy, yard sales, making do)
\nHandling an Infant
\nChoosing and Care of Major Appliances
\nPractical Writing<\/p>\n

Semester 5<\/h3>\n

Bible Geography
\nPostpartum Care (building your strength back, proper recovery care)
\nCalligraphy
\nVoice (with emphasis on family fun songs, patriotic songs, songs to teach children)
\nQuantity Cooking (Once-a-Month cooking, cooking in bulk, etc.)
\nCare of Furniture and Carpets<\/p>\n

Semester 6<\/h3>\n

Bible Cultures
\nBreastfeeding (how-to, problems and solutions, herbs to help)
\nToilet Training a Toddler
\nChild Discipline
\nCooking from Scratch (how to make canned soups, mixes, prepared foods from scratch)
\nCommon Childhood Illnesses<\/p>\n

Semester 7<\/h3>\n

Sermon on the Mount
\nWeaning
\nPreparing Your Body for Subsequent Pregnancy (building up strength, using natural helps to prepare, etc.)
\nTeaching Skills (how-to, best resources, etc.)
\nFast Meal Preparation (nutritious meals in under 30 minutes)
\nArt for Children
\nSimple Home Repairs<\/p>\n

Semester 8<\/h3>\n

Books of Revelations
\nMaking Special Foods (green drink, sprouts, healthy candy, healthy holiday foods)
\nTime Management
\nKeeping Fit and Energetic
\nSewing Shortcuts
\nChores System
\nStorytelling<\/p>\n

This is just one suggested\u00a0way to gain the necessary education. \u00a0The beauty of choosing your own education is that it can be fine-tuned to your interests, rather than college requirements. Choose well! \u00a0The sky is the limit!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May I recommend:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"space-shuttle-992_1280\"
\nSon’s Career Planning
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"3kids\"
\nGet Your College General Education During High School
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"2569\"
\nHome Economics Course
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have Brooke Reynolds to thank for causing me to write this article. She and I got into a discussion about what homeschool girls should be doing between the age of 16 and the time they enter marriage. Brooke is 18 years old and is currently pursuing a music education on scholarship at the University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,10],"tags":[150,206,70,82],"class_list":["post-1108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","category-why-homeschool","tag-college","tag-girls","tag-instead-of-college","tag-motherhood-prep","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/4girlskitchen.jpg?fit=386%2C250&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IrRN-hS","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1306,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/college-general-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":0},"title":"Get Your College General Education during High School","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"I started thinking about having my children work towards their general education degree during the homeschool high school years when my eldest son, Daniel, turned 19. A teen is studying the basic general education subjects anyway, so why not go in more depth, learn more, and receive college credit as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My college kids, goofing around","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/3kids-279x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":580,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/why-homeschool\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":1},"title":"Why Did You Decide to Homeschool?","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Why did you decide to homeschool? I decided to keep a list of the reasons I have heard from other mothers for taking children out of the public school system: too much disrespect allowed swearing bullies busy work emphasis on peers rather than on family too much value placed on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Molding the Heart"","block_context":{"text":"Molding the Heart","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/why-homeschool\/molding-the-heart\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_4942.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_4942.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_4942.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_4942.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1171,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/not-organized-not-perfect\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":2},"title":"Not Organized, Not Perfect","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Help! I'm not too good at this! \u00a0I am not very organized, and I am not doing everything in homeschool that my children need and it worries me. Should I wait until next year when I can get more prepared and organized to homeschool?\u00a0I'm afraid that my kids will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/skydiving-658405_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/skydiving-658405_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/skydiving-658405_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/skydiving-658405_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/skydiving-658405_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":308,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/homeschool-with-a-baby\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":3},"title":"Homeschool with a Baby","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Homeschool with a baby? Yes, it presents about the same likelihood as taking a family vacation to Mars, teaching your dog to talk, or abolishing Santa Claus. Depending on the temperament of your baby, and the number of non-reading children who need instructions read to them during homeschool\u2014 you are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.195.124.81\/~homescp3\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/homeschooling_0312_DSCF0021.sized_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1202,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/husband-wont-let-me-homeschool\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":4},"title":"Husband Won’t Let Me Homeschool","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am desperate to homeschool my child. I really think it is something God is telling me to do but my husband will not give me his permission. I just know that I could do a good job homeschooling if he would just give me a chance. Answer: Oh,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/daniel.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1192,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/homeschool-through-high-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":1108,"position":5},"title":"Homeschool through High School?","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just started and am so delighted with homeschooling! My oldest is 11 and we are having a great time, and he is running a little business from home and learning so much and loving homeschooling. I have mapped out a plan to homeschool my children right through high\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/prom2010-07.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/prom2010-07.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/prom2010-07.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1108"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7329,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions\/7329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}