Homeschooling the Teen Years - A Homeschool Graduation, Part 1: The Private Ceremony

We celebrated the first of A(age 18)'s three graduations, yesterday.  Sadly, all I have to show for it, other than a left-over cupcake, a signed and notarized diploma, and a lingering smile, are a few blurry and backlit photographs.

I'm terrible about taking pictures when I'm enjoying a moment, and I was enjoying myself yesterday.

These type of private, at home, fast and simple ceremonies are by far my favorite way to celebrate a homeschool graduation.  If we could get our friends and extended family to recognize them as official, we might never want for more.  It's hard to get a stern world to take you seriously when you're busy having fun.

I would like to keep some kind of record of the day, as it went off so well.  I doubt we'll ever reproduce it exactly, but there were some nice features I'd hate to forget.

A had a class at the college in the morning.  I dropped her off (her driving test is coming up shortly) and then ran to the store to buy some special cupcakes (cream cheese filled, and decorated for spring) chips and fruit, and then to Subway Sandwiches (grad's choice) to put in an order.  Food in hand, I headed home to rally the rest of the gang and to "decorate".

The set-up was simple, a party table cloth with a card from Grandma and our grad gift (tickets to a Celtic Woman concert) in the middle.  D (age 16) was charged with locating a good version of "Pomp and Circumstance" to play upon the grads arrival, and the rest of the girls each given an item to hand the graduate upon her entrance into the house (one had the robe, one the mortar board, and one the unsigned diploma in its case).

I left to pick up the graduate, leaving the children to keep their older brother out of the food if he made it home from his class before we did (which he did)  Everyone, except the poor Man of the House who ended up with a last minute lunch meeting, was there when we arrived.

The girls were lined up to meet A at the door, and D started the music as soon as the door open.  A was given her robe, her cap, and her diploma.  We all yelled, "She's graduated!!!" and then proceeded to lunch.  I had anticipated that A would not care for the mortar board (she's always been persnickety about hats) and had a "grad" tiara and sash ready for her to change into.

She wore those after lunch when we joined the Man of the House at his work, where there happens to be a notary public, for the signing and notarizing of the diploma.  Our parade in and out of the building caused quite a bit of mirth, as did our entrance into the college (our next stop) with a copy of the notarized diploma, and A's completed high school transcript.

I spent a little bit of time with the registrar, making sure we had dotted all our i's and crossed every t ahead of her next graduation (to receive her associate's), and that she would be good to go to register for classes and receive financial aid through the Montana university system (I don't know if the state universities in every state are as nicely interconnected as ours are in Montana, but I hope so, it's very convenient for students).

Leaving wide grins behind on the faces in the admissions office (and a few full belly laughs ringing in the air), we returned to our cars to go our separate ways.  T (age 21) headed back to his classes, G (age 19) had to get to work, and the rest of us were ready for a quiet afternoon at home.  I thought about trying to snap a few shots of A around town in her tiara and sash, but it was pouring down rain, and unseasonably chilly, so we called it a day instead. A very good day, if you ask me.

It's great to be a homeschooler.