The Happy Homeschooler Podcast

You may not have heard the term “youth civic organization” but you’re probably familiar with organizations like 4H, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. Holly Urbach, mom of 6 homeschooled children, shares about why involvement in these organizations is a fantastic choice for students.
Involvement prepares students
When someone is involved in a youth civic organization like 4H or the scouts, they’re given the opportunity to learn, explore new areas of interest, and develop leadership skills. Not only are they likely to get more comfortable talking with people and gain confidence in themselves, but the relationships they make with others are hugely important as they continue through school and beyond. Involvement doesn’t always lead to scholarships, but students who participate through high school usually have strong letters of recommendation for college from some very impressive people. Holly shares stories about her family’s positive experience with involvement in 4H, and the benefits she’s seen for other kids. She also helps you understand how to highlight this experience on a college application.
How do we get started?
You can use Google to find organizations near you, or utilize families in your community to help you get started. One of the great things about organizations like 4H and the scouts is that they allow kids to explore so many of their interests, so there will be something for everyone. For all students, but especially homeschoolers, involvement creates another community to be a part of.
Resources Mentioned:How to write a high school resumeMore tips for writing your resume for your college applicationSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more

We know you’re busy. You’re running a school. Maybe you don’t have enough staff to help support you, or your school has been growing and it feels harder and harder to manage your time. It’s critical for administrators to use their time as effectively as possible so that you can focus on the core responsibilities of your job and not waste your time.
Our best tips for time management
Batch your tasks: Take the tasks that are similar to each other and do them at the same time rather than spread out. When you shift your focus from task to task, you become less efficient. As an example, instead of checking your email throughout the day, spend dedicated time checking and responding to all emails, and then don’t revisit the task until your next dedicated time.
Delegate: Though you might feel like you save more time when you do a job yourself, it can be worth it to delegate certain tasks so you can focus on your critical roles. Yes, you might take time to create and train someone else on other tasks, but in the long-run, you’ll save yourself time.
Look at how you schedule: Get everyone on your team using the same tool, and try scheduling tools like Calendly or YouCanBookMe. These tools allow people to schedule meetings with you when you’re available. Also be sure to schedule meetings with yourself (for example, that hour that you’ll be checking email) to protect the time you need for tasks.
Use technology: There are many tools that can help make your job easier from fully-loaded School Information Systems to software like Transcript Maker. There are many options when it comes to utilizing technology to improve your time management.
Make time for self-care and personal development: It may feel hard to make time for yourself, personally, when you’re so busy from work, but if you don’t prioritize yourself, your work can suffer.
Save time with your transcripts: We make it easier and less time-consuming for you (or the person you delegate to!) to deal with transcripts. This is an area where people can spend more time than is needed, and we want to help you be more efficient.
Take action now
There’s no need to waste more time. You’re busy, we know, but pick just one of these time management tips and work on applying it in your routine. Then, enjoy the time you’ve saved and pick another idea to try.
Resources Mentioned:5 Time-Saving Tools for Private High School AdministratorsTry Calendly or YouCanBookMe to get your meetings scheduledTrello can help you get on the same page with others, and save time.Feeling like change is hard? Check out our podcast where we help you push through the challenges.Laura Vanderkam reminds us we have 168 hours each week (and other great time management tips)Sign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more

Marketing is not just for business! As a school, it’s easy to think that the students will come to you, and then you serve them. But, as alternative forms of education grow, it’s important that you consider marketing, not just to help your school grow, but to ultimately reach and support more students.
How can a school market themselves?
If you’re looking to reach more students, you need to start where people are: online. Most people are going to use Google to find information on potential schools and programs, so, at a minimum, your school should probably have a website. Make sure that you have pages that discuss your school, it’s approach, and what makes your school unique. Be sure to consider what people are searching for and have that on your site, for example, “Private School [Your city and state].”
From there, you can add on content, like blog posts about your school, profiles on students, or information that people would find useful. Not only does this give people more ways to find you when they search online, but you can then use these articles to send out in your mailing list, and also within social media: two other significant ways to market your school.
What is the transcript’s role in marketing?
Anything that your school produces can potentially be a source of marketing, and your school’s transcript is a marketing tool, whether you’re using it that way or not. When your students share their transcripts with colleges, that’s creating more awareness of your program: you don’t want your school or your students to get a negative reputation because of errors, inconsistency, or an unprofessional look.
Your school can use its transcripts as a helpful marketing tool by not only making sure the content is accurate but also by creating a branded look. Transcript Maker makes it easy for you to accomplish this. Not only can we help you create a template that meets your needs, but when you print your transcript, it will look great. You can kick it up a notch with high-quality paper and emboss it with a seal- what a great marketing tool that students will be proud to share!
Resources Mentioned:Our blog post that covers a few ways schools can market themselvesLearn about 3 great schools: Orion High School, Texas Success Academy, and Dartmoor SchoolSign up for a free trial of Transcript MakerJoin our newsletter for blog posts, tips, and more