We have hit a milestone with our eldest child- his first resume! He spent a couple of hours cranking this up and his portfolio to be submitted to companies for his upcoming 3rd year Internship. I'll be totally honest. I am filled with pride to see listed under "Education" the word "Homeschooled". I tell you, every year we homeschooled was a step into the unknown. But at the end of every year, we can just look back and see the grace of God. And here we are. A Resume!
Now, if you were a potential employer, and you see "Homeschooled" on that Resume, what would cross your mind? Hopefully, in the years to come, as more and more Singaporean homeschoolers make their mark in society, the word would mean "expect to meet someone who is exceptional!"
Here, I speak to homeschool parents who have decided to homeschool into the teen years.
If I was to rank the greatest advantage that we have as homeschoolers, it would be the autonomy of TIME to allocate as we are led to develop our children. It could be time spent in anything, or nothing at all. (There is value in "nothing-ness" too. Creative endeavours often come out of play and experimentation.) These activities can all become items your child can put into his/her Resume and stand out as a very different kind of education.
Many, if not most public schooled kids at this stage, will list the programs that their secondary school provided for them. Well and good.
Imagine the Resume of a homeschooler that can list dressmaking (tailor-making dresses for clients), or calligraphy (running workshops to teach calligraphy)- business and entrepreneurship in real life--profits and losses action, not a school project!
Then there are also the homeschoolers who focus on music, going to many Masterclasses and concerts and performing? Or the homeschoolers who dedicate their time to sports excellence (junior national teams), or drama (staging a musical)? Oh yes, and homeschoolers who organise themselves to launch community fund raisers.
These are actual real life examples of our homeschooling friends, God bless their endeavours! All these put into a Resume speaks volumes of individuals who are forward thinking, entrepreneurial, passionate learners, possessing great leadership qualities, hard working, etc.
See Asher's work experience below. He has started a freelance photography business since age 17. And that began with taking lots of photographs on our 6 month Road Trip when he was 15. And before that, he was the camera man and video editor of our zany homeschooling videos. Ah, our happy homeschooling days when the kids were younger.
So, my point to homeschool parents who have decided to homeschool into the teen years... use your autonomy of time to your advantage and let the kids go out and have a fun time growing their interests and pursue it to where-ever it may lead. And it doesn't mean we have to break our banks to do this for them either. What a blessing to see our children blossom under our loving encouragement. Each child is so unique in their talents so let their portfolios reflect that gifting!
He listed his baby sister as his hobby. LOL.
I don't know if that was the way Resumes should look these days. I hope so!
But I think his portfolio speaks louder than the Resume. I post a few pages of his portfolio just for us to enjoy his art work. :) Thanks for reading!!!
Comments