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Minute to Minute
Readers Helping
Readers | |
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| August 25th, 2007 |
| In response to Donnann's question about NCAA sports
scholarships for homeschooled children, we received some very
informative and helpful letters. Not only did the Minute to
Minute readers respond, but our HSBCompanyPorch readers also aided
Donnann.
In our search to help Donnann and her
daughter, we read "Soccer Star 'Found' in Valencia County,"
a very interesting article about a homeschooled young
lady who received a soccer scholarship to play for a Division
I college.
This week homeschool moms and dads united to aid
a homeschool parent experiencing a "question mark"
moment. To all who wrote in, thank you for the research and
time you gave to Minute to Minute. Without your faithful
participation this e-newsletter would be
impossible. | |
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2007. |
| The Male Perspective |
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Dear Donnann,
I'm a homeschool Dad--instead of a Mom; hope that
doesn't matter :)--but you got my attention when I saw sports
involved (typical guy).
First of all, you are
blessed to have a daughter that is so talented.
God wouldn't have given her that talent if He didn't want
her to use it. Since she's only 11, she shouldn't have to
worry for the next 6 or 7 years about a sports scholarship.
Obviously, you and your husband both realize she will receive
a better education at home than she would in the public
schools, so I would trust God on this one; give her the
better education, and let Him work out the details of the
scholarship when the time comes.
That being said, there
is an excellent article that was written on homeschooling and
scholarships, and it indicates there is a growing acceptance
of homeschoolers for athletic scholarship
consideration.
Here's a couple of excerpts from the
article:
"The NCAA has eagerly worked with Home School
Legal Defense Association to establish some clear guidelines
and procedures for homeschool students. Homeschool students
must, like all other students, meet the NCAA initial
eligibility standards in order to be eligible for scholarships
at their university."
"With HSLDA's help, the NCAA has
written Frequently Asked Questions by Homeschool Student
Athletes. HSLDA recommends that you obtain a copy of this
document from the NCAA's Website . It is important to
read this material well in advance of the time to fill out
college applications, in order to make certain you will have
the necessary items included in your transcript."
You
can read the full
article for further information. In any case, I wouldn't
base your decision on the possibility of a scholarship vs.
lowering your daughter's educational standards. You can never
go wrong by giving her a Godly home-based
education.
A Homeschool Dad,
Brian
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| The Way of the Lord |
| Dear Donnann,
I have no idea about sports scholarships, but
I would suggest you contact the admissions offices of the
colleges you are interested in and ask them. You will
need to know the requirements for admission for any college
you consider and work toward that goal all through high
school, and if you are approached by any more coaches, you
should certainly ask them. I think most colleges welcome
homeschoolers nowadays and many are even actively recruiting
them.
I also suggest you be absolutely sure of the
legal requirements for homeschooling in your state and be sure
that you are complying with the law. You may have to file
paperwork each school year and go through certain steps to
document your daughter's progress. If you do this, you
should have no problem proving that she has fulfilled the same
legal requirements for high school graduation that a public
school child needs to. In NY state, you can get a letter
of equivalency from the superintendent of your school district
that will state this, but if you don't do everything you need
to do in the beginning of the high school years to reach
that goal, your daughter might end up having to take the GED
at the end of high school. I don't know how that would affect
her chances at a sports scholarship.
I also think you
need to consider that homeschooling is the most excellent
choice for any parent who desires to develop the whole
child. The main benefits of homeschooling are the strong
relationship you build with your child and the character
education you can give her--academics almost seem to
happen as a side benefit in some ways because those things
need to be in place before learning can even begin. As a
homeschooler, your child will have the time she needs to
develop all her gifts and talents. As she becomes
involved in rigorous sports programs, she will have the
flexibility to take her schoolwork with her as her schedule
gets filled up and her education will be more
consistent.
I know that with gifted children, we tend
to focus on developing their gifts and forget that there is a
whole child there who needs nurturing and care and education
in every area of life. Your daughter needs to develop her
body, mind, soul, and spirit. A sports scholarship and
going to a good college are important goals, but in the grand
scheme of her life they are only small parts. If you were
to discover that sports scholarships are not given to
homeschoolers, would you be willing to sacrifice the overall
benefits of homeschooling just to reach that goal? Is a
public school education worth that cost?There is no guarantee
that she would thrive academically in public school--too many
distractions, peer pressure, etc. At home, she would have
the best education overall, and you would have a lot more
control over the influences she would face. I encourage
you to weigh it all in the balance and decide what is truly
most important for your child.
Take it one day at a
time. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because each
day's troubles are enough for that day. No matter which option
you choose today, you still have NO control over college
scholarships for your daughter in the future. The only
thing that matters today, right now, is that you obey the
voice of the Lord in whatever He is telling you to do. I
don't know anything about sports scholarships, but I do know
that God is absolutely faithful. I also know that He
knows the plans that He has for your daughter, and quite
frankly, you can't be sure that a sports scholarship is in
those plans until He really opens that door. I have a
21-year old and an almost 19-year old who have homeschooled
through high school with me, and I can tell you that your
child will be changing a lot in the next few years. As
she becomes a teenager and begins to develop her own
relationship with the Lord, He could lead her on a completely
different path. She has a lot of growing to do and choices to
make. If you think a sports scholarship is in her future,
you can begin walking that way, but the Lord will ultimately
direct her steps and yours. If you believe you should be
homeschooling her, I encourage you to be obedient and take the
plunge. God honors obedience, and sports scholarship or
not, your daughter can only benefit from your love and
care.
A Homeschool Mom,
Meghan |
| What the Veterans Learned. . . . |
My state homeschool association sent me information
about an organization called Homeschool SportsNet (HSPN). The
article said that it is the only National Organization
dedicated to promotion of any and all homeschool sports. It
said that this organization helps bridge the gap between
homeschool athletes and the NCAA by coordinating eligibility
forms and offering exposure to college scouts and recruiters.
I hope this helps you.
~Amy
First, you mentioned that she was in a club soccer
program. Could she not stay in this club program if she
was homeschooled. . .or possibly another private
program? Also, many districts allow children to
participate in non-core classes and sports even if they are
homeschooled (partial enrollment: it makes the schools
happy because they get money for your child but don't have to
provide much in the way of service). We had someone here
locally who did that because her husband agreed to
homeschooling only if the kids could still play high school
basketball which they did and went on to get scholarships at U
of M. Maybe you could find out from the colleges she is
interested in what their requirements are and how she could be
recruited while
homeschooling.
~Jim
University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was
homeschooled his entire life. He has brought a lot of
positive attention to homeschoolers. I think reading
about Tim
Tebow would encourage you and answer some of your
questions.
~Andrea
Yes, it is possible to homeschool and
have a daughter receive a sports scholarship. We have friends
in IN who know one of the "models" for the Apologia Science
ads. We met this kind, lovely, multi-talented young woman
when we saw their Young Shakespeare Players productions in
Muncie. She homeschooled all through high school if not
before and will begin at one of the main state universities in
Illinois this semester on a full ride 4 year Tennis
scholarship.
~Susan
I was a compliance coordinator for an NCAA Division II
institution which means I was in charge of getting all the
athletes eligible to compete, and I managed their
scholarships. I was also a scholarship soccer player and an
assistant coach for that institution. From my experience, I
know that homeschool students have played and have received
sports scholarships. Sports scholarships are solely based on
athletic skill not on academics. The only thing your daughter
needs to be concerned with is getting into the institution and
becoming NCAA certified. Homeschooled students can become
certified. The NCAA website explains what they need to do. She
needs to start getting her soccer profile together about her
sophomore year. Keep her on a good club team and one that
travels a lot; this will get her seen by many coaches. College
coaches look at club players the most. Soccer is my passion. I
coach a high school girls team now and enjoy that very much. I
have two young sons and that is my reason for not going back
to the collegiate level. I plan on homeschooling them and
helping them to play a sport in college. I hope this
helps.
~Robin
My suggestion would be to directly contact the
colleges (Athletic Director) that you are interested in your
daughter possibly attending. You can explain your concerns and
let them answer you specifically (even in writing). The NCAA's website lists the high school
courses and credits needed to play on the Division I level.
My son was leaning towards playing on a Division I
college basketball team, and as we prepared, we used this
list. I also chose a diploma program (PHAA for
Pennsylvania)which met those same standards. He was
accepted, and there were no problems. The college was
chiefly interested in his SAT score. I hope this helps you get
started.
~Teri
|
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|
Thank you for writing in reply to Donnann's sports
scholarship question. If you have a question you would like to
ask other homeschool moms please email us. When you email us you give us
permission to post your question in the Minute to Minute
e-newsletter or use it in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's
My Voice column if
selected.
Sincerely, |
Nancy Carter, The Homeschool Minute Editor
The Old Schoolhouse
Magazine | | |
