The Happy Homeschooler Podcast

Extracurricular activities are important for high schoolers as these activities help them develop personally and prepare them for future endeavors like college and beyond. An extracurricular activity is anything that isn’t required for graduation, so the options are endless when it comes to what is considered an extracurricular activity.
What activities should your teen pursue?
Allow your kids to consider what their passions are and find extracurriculars that align with those. They can look to existing clubs and activities, even if they’re traditionally considered for adults. Your student may be able to start their own club or chapter of an organization if they’re not finding what they’re looking for.
As a parent, you can help find the opportunities, or work with them to do research, for example, checking out local youth civic organizations, but allow your students to pursue their interests. This helps develop those interests and allows your child to become clearer on what they might like to pursue in college or for work. These activities also allow your students to become more well-rounded, which they can then show on their college applications. These activities are where students can set themselves apart from other applicants in the college admissions process.
Using extracurriculars for course credit
Even though these activities are taking place outside of school, there may be times where they can be used for credit. For example, a physics club might be used for a lab requirement and sport team participation could be used for PE. Be sure to check what your student’s requirements are and see where their activities may fit in- this is an extra benefit of these activities. So, your students’ extracurricular activities could show up on their transcript as extra activities or as part of a course!
Resources Mentioned:Learn more about civic youth organizationsSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more

High schoolers have a lot going on- from expectations and normal pressures of high school to extreme feelings of stress, understanding how to manage the stress they feel is an important skill for your students to have.
Stress is normal!
With all that your high schooler is likely to have on their plate (classes, assignments, college applications, extracurriculars, a social life, and more), it’s normal that they’ll experience stress from time-to-time. Homeschooled students may experience less stress than students in traditional schools because they have more time available to them, more flexibility, and are less likely to compare themselves to others.
How do you know your child is stressed and what can you do?
If your high schooler is experiencing more extreme levels of stress, you may notice this from their increased irritability, less ability to focus, stomach issues, headaches, and more illnesses. Your student may also complain of stress or talk about how much they have going on.
Even at “typical” levels of stress, there are ways that you can help your student. Getting organized and creating routines can be useful, along with tools like using breathing intentionally to calm down, and monitoring their self-talk, changing it when needed. We cover details on these ideas and a few more ideas in the episode.
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Our guest on this episode is Dr. Annise Mabry, a woman who spent years in public education as a teacher and administrator. When the public-school system failed her children, again and again, she took her knowledge, passion, and experience to create a solution that worked for her family, and for others. Tiers Free Academy was born out of the need for an alternate model.
When Dr. Mabry realized that a different model of education would be best for her children, she researched what she needed to do; she learned about the laws and was inspired and empowered by what she learned. But, she didn’t just stop at helping her children, she continued on to create a program that would support others in their homeschool journey. She pursued non-profit status and created a school and system that allows her to not only help students of all ages receive their high school diploma, but also empower families to support their children in their educational pursuits.
Dr. Mabry Practices Educational Disobedience
Thankfully, Dr. Mabry doesn’t get bogged down by people telling her she can’t do something, and she doesn’t stop when something gets hard. When she was told she could be a great administrator if only she was obedient (our host, Sara’s jaw dropped when she heard this!), she realized that she was going to practice educational disobedience in an effort to do what was right for the students she worked with. She has a book out that talks all about Educational Disobedience and shares more about her story and experiences.
Dr. Mabry has created an academy that not only supports students, but also their families. When she started homeschooling, there weren’t the number of groups and type of support that you can often find now. We’re thankful that she’s developed one of the programs that really aims to help students of all ages (she recently gave honorary diplomas to individuals in their 60s!) and the family members who support them.
We love the passion that Dr. Mabry brings to everything, and she has that much passion for Transcript Maker too! If we had a fan club, she’d be the president. We know that people have questions or concerns about moving away from their usual ways of managing transcripts, but Dr. Mabry reminds us of the reasons manual transcripts don’t really work and she shares what she loves about Transcript Maker. All members of the Transcript Maker team blushed while making this episode!
Resources Mentioned:Learn more about Tiers Free AcademyPick up Dr. Mabry’s book, Educational DisobedienceWhy you probably want to move away from manual transcriptsSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more