I recently met with a home school mom who found herself in a pickle. Her oldest son was approaching graduation and she was struggling to help him with his future plans because she hadn’t kept better records. Throughout high school, she had approached record-keeping in an “as needed” effort.
(Note: Here’s a link to a Four-Year Plan I’ve added to my site since this article was published. I thought it might be helpful for you!)
You might even feel the same way. But the great news is that, unless your last child has graduated, it is not too late to start and plan well! Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way.”
Since keeping records during high school is so important, I want to share with you some record-keeping tips (that you can tweak to your personal likes). I think you'll find that they’ll help you get and stay organized!
• Every student gets a 3-ring binder (I’d get a 2” or 3” – this fills up quickly!). Choose a binder that has the clear sleeve for the front and spine. Write the name vertically on a thin slip of paper and slip into the spine. The front cover could be as simple as “4 Year Plan for *name*." However, some of the fun of being organized is designing covers – and it’s likely something your teen would like to do!
• Inside the binder, set up divider tabs for the following (and adjust these to fit YOUR plans and YOUR school)...
1. Daily schedule - This will look different depending on the season of life you are in, but make sure it stays current to what you expect.
2. Transcript - as your child completes a class, pencil it in. If you'd like a free transcript form with a how-to, let me know here.
Sample High School Transcript
3. 4 year plan – Be sure you are following state requirements. Write out what you “plan” each year to look like. Add extra pages for when life changes and you need to remap. Include dual credit courses and electives. And if you'd like a free 4 year plan form with a how-to, let me know here!
4. Activities – Music, volunteering, scouts, clubs, and electives can all be recorded here. Make sure to record service hours for all volunteer work done.
5. Honors/Achievements - Anytime your child receives an award or a marked achievement, make sure to record it along with the date.
You can find free resources online (just search Pinterest!) for organizing. And consider putting some sheet protectors right there in the binder for things like…certificates (behind the “honors/achievements” tab), recital programs or 5K runner numbers (behind the “activities” tab), etc.
Have a box where all school work (deemed worthy of keeping) can be labeled and kept. Keep it handy enough to add to it as papers are written, notebooks get filled, etc.
Instead of sheet protectors in the binder, you might prefer to keep a shoebox for each student in the bigger box for scrapbook type mementos (recital programs, field trip tickets, etc.).
Just remember - the three PRIMARY forms of record keeping are your daily schedule, your 4-year plan, and the transcript.
These are simple steps to take and very satisfying when you see how well things come together!
I’ve been considering sharing a free download of a four-year-plan and/or a transcript (with side notes on how to plan and then MAKE IT HAPPEN!). Which one would be more helpful to you? Let me know by telling me here.
