This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Raising Service Dogs for Transcript and Character. This post is running concurrently on Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.
Raising Service Dogs for Transcript and Character
Get sparkle on the transcript and build some good life skills with service dog training!
Homeschooling high school gives families some space for exploration and growth. That’s why teens can learn a lot about themselves while enriching their lives. While they are at it, they are enriching the lives of others by taking some of that time for service or volunteerism.
Most of us homeschool parents have a real juggling act trying to help our teens:
- Develop a powerful, useful transcript
- Find good-fit service and volunteer projects
- Develop a sense of character that helps them to become the people God created them to be
Our 7Sister Kym and her teens have always been dog lovers. When her twins began high school they started talking about service projects that would be meaningful to them. Not only that, it would be a project that would be meaningful for the whole family.
That’s when they ran across the Seeing Eye organization and suddenly the lights turned on! They found out that the family could have a blast while they logged service hours for their transcripts by raising a puppy for that wonderful non-profit.
Over time, the family found that the dedication needed to raise and train a puppy helped develop some character strengths.
The twins found out that they could be:
- Diligent
- Persistent
- Dedicated
- Sacrificing
- Consistently loving
- Looking for the positives
These are all good character skills!
Your teens can build transcript AND character by raising service animals! Some things that colleges are looking for include:
- Service hours
- Commitment
- Dedication to a cause
When your family volunteers for raising service puppies, that’s exactly what your teen will experience:
- Service hours– log a reasonable number each week. This should be in direct care and training.
- Commitment- it is a commitment! 24/7 this important puppy will be with your family. Allow your teen to participate in all aspects of his development and training
- Dedication to a cause. This includes:
- Time
- Effort
- Personality growth
- Money
Kym wondered how they were going to find time for everything that her teens needed to do over their high school years. After all, puppy raising and training takes time. She was right to think about it. We all only have twenty-four hours in a day. With that in mind, we put together some guidelines on time management that Kym (and all us Sisters) have learned on how to live in the world of imperfection!
What they found in raising the puppy that the joys of knowing they are investing in a wonderful cause outweighed the stresses of trying to fit “all the things” into their schedules.
They allowed themselves to enjoy the moments of puppy joy and the adventures of training them. Along with that, they came to truly enjoy the Seeing Eye community they found with other puppy raisers in the area.
On top of that, Kym’s twins had some marvelous stories to add to their college application essays. They also had some genuine sparkle to add to their transcripts.
Okay, let’s sidetrack for a second and have some fun 7Sisters doggies stories. Here’s Sabrina’s story about planner-eating pups and Vicki’s story about doghouse soup.
Kym, Marilyn and Vicki for a discussion about how to build transcript and character by raising service dogs. Kym’s family has raised several service dogs for the Seeing Eye organization. And join us for another discussion on the Homeschool Highschool Podcast about developing leadership skills through service projects.
Are you curious about how to make your homeschool high school transcripts work? And also the whole homeschool high school experience? Check out our Authoritative Guide suite of posts:
- How to Homeschool High School
- Planning Homeschool High School
- Transitioning to Homeschool High School from Traditional School Settings
- How to Handle High School Transcripts
- High School Literature Requirements
- Writing Requirements for High School
- Training Teens for Basic Public Speaking Skills
- Career Exploration
- Handling Electives for Homeschool High School
- Teaching Financial Literacy for Homeschool High School
- Out of the Box Credits for Homeschool Teens with Special Needs
- Creating Co-ops for Homeschool High School
Also, do not forget that we have a lovely, supportive community in our 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group. When you join us there, you can ask questions, share information and be encouraged. We love our 7th Sisters!
5 Skills to Teach that Matter More than Homeschool Transcripts
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