Review: Internship for High School Credit

Pixie (age 15) loves to dance.  I've often seen dancer friends turn that passion into a career over time, but they danced so much more and so much longer than my Pixie.  I haven't wanted to discourage her, but I've been quietly doubtful that she could do much with what experience she has.  However, I have been happily proven wrong by Internship for High School Credit offered by Apologia Educational Ministries.

Quite simply by creating this guide book, Apologia opened my eyes to the potential my girl has for engaging in and making joyful use of her passion.  And then the Internship for High School Credit book itself has given me confidence and a sense of order (without having to reinvent the wheel) for guiding her through what's going to be a great educational adventure this fall.

There's a downloadable sample of the Internship for High School Credit available (click the title of the book in this post, then click on the "download" button below the picture of the book).  In the sample, you can see the entire table of contents and read the introduction, which includes information about the history of apprenticeships and compares/contrasts apprenticeships with internships.  It also describes some of the benefits of internships for today's students.

Then there's a small but useful "how to use this book" section.

After that there are 5 sections.

In Section I the student prepares for an internship--deciding what kind of internship, determining what hours will be worked, writing a resumé, writing a letter of introduction, interview hints/tips, etc.  

Pixie determined that she'd like to teach dance for our homeschool dance company.  As she's been a member of that company for 4 years, she already knew the director personally, so she skipped the step of writing a letter of introduction (I feel that I missed giving her a valuable writing opportunity by not requiring it of her--lesson learned for next time!) and simply talked to the director in person. 

It was an easy sell.  The director has seen Pixie dance, has first hand experience with her choreography skills and style, and knows Pixie's work ethic.  She got the job on the spot.

But I'm thinking I may have Pixie practice writing a resumé simply for the experience, and to have it on hand for the future.  The directions for writing one in Internship for High School Credit are simple, straightforward, and approachable.  In addition, there is a student sample that takes away a lot of the mystery of resumé writing.

Section II is written to parents.  It's only 5 pages long, so it isn't overwhelming, and it contains information about transcript documentation, giving a course title, and determining number of credits.

Section III is the largest section, and as Pixie hasn't started her internship, we've not completed this section yet.  It included weekly worksheets for a full semester (16 weeks) with hour counting sheets for 4 week units.  It has a page for setting semester goals, it has tip boxes (i.e. "Do more than is required of you." [p. 56]), a midterm assessment sheet and an end of semester assessment sheet for the internship supervisor to fill out, and two end of semester self-assessment questions for the student to answer.

Section IV applies only to those students who are doing a year-long internship.  It is much briefer than the first semester because it assumes that a level of competency was achieved in the first semester precluding the need for continued worksheets.  It does continue to offer hour counting sheets for 4 week units, but it changes from worksheet style reporting to a project/paper style reporting, due every 2 weeks. 

For example, the assignment for semester 2, weeks 5-6 require the student to research college majors applicable to the internship being completed and write a paper comparing the various majors

Section V is to be completed when the internship is over.  It has a final writing assignment and instructs the student in writing an appropriate thank you note.  It outlines how the student can request a letter of recommendation and how to update the student's resumé .

At the end is an Appendix with information appropriate for school guidance counselors (and perhaps homeschool parents who see themselves as such).

I talked to my Belle (age 13) about doing her own Internship for High School Credit.  She's long been interested in farming, and we have a 25 acre urban farm located only 10 minutes from our home.  We've met and made purchases from the farmers many times, and working with them would be a great learning experience for Belle.  After looking over the material she said, "I'd like to be older, Mom.  This feels too advanced for me." 

She's right.  It is high school level work.

Pixie is really excited to be a dance instructor for the 2017-18 school year.  We both are happy to have guidance from Internship for High School Credit by Apologia Educational Ministries in helping her to make the most of her experience.

For more reviews about the Internship for High School Credit, or for reviews about How to Homeschool joyfully, confidently, and with focus, click here or on the banner below: