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A Matter of Honor: Honors Classes

Honors credit or no honors credit, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to give your child a C grade for an honors credit, or a B for a regular credit. First and foremost, your job is to teach your child at their level. Teach for success. It doesn't matter what the course is, or what the books you used. An honors course refers to the depth and extent of how far your child takes the content. Any course can be an honors course when accomplished by a student who goes above and beyond. However, there is no shame in having regular courses on a transcript. If it means a class without honors for your child to be successful, then that's what they should be doing in order to learn at their level.

We have a family motto: "never compare, someone always gets hurt." Try not to compare your children academically, even if they are taking the same courses. I taught my children together for everything except math (and spelling when they were younger), but I expected different results. My younger son always read more and my older son didn't have to write as many pages for assignments. Even if your children are working together in the same subjects, you can still tailor what you expect of them individually.

One thing I've noticed that is often missing in homeschooling is the sense of where your child is academically when compared to their peers. Sometimes we know their faults all too well and it's difficult to see how they measure up in terms of grades. Grading can be as simple as "If they meet my high expectations, then it's an A" to a much more complicated formula. Whatever you choose to do, I encourage you not to give grades based on a test alone. Instead, try to think about everything your child does for the class (papers, reading, discussion, speeches) and ask yourself if they met your expectations. Give your child credit for everything they do WELL, and not just things they don't do well.