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Teen Homeroom with Goal-Setting

$299.00

“For years, my Goal-Setting students have complained about how quickly the course ended! In creating Homeroom, I hope to continue supporting my teen students in setting goals, staying on-task, and becoming happier and more fulfilled human beings.” ~Prof. Suki

 

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Offered By Instructor

Suki Wessling, MFA
Content Level

Junior High – High School – Grades 7-12
Course Length

16 weeks – plus parent meeting t.b.d.
Day & Time

Wednesdays, 4 PM Pacific – 1/20/21 – 5/22/21
Enrollment

Enrollment Options Linked Below

Description

Teen Homeroom creates a space for teens to explore their personal and educational goals, make plans for their current and future education, and support each other.

The Homeroom is a once-a-week meeting place for students the way that “homeroom” would be in high school. Although they will all be taking different courses—some at Athena’s or other online schools, some at their local school, some from private teachers or through self-study—they will come together to discuss the work they have, learn time management and organization techniques, learn about the teen brain, and explore their options.

This 16-week course is geared toward supporting teens as they negotiate the complexities of social development, high school academics, early college academics, and career development.

  • Students who have already taken Suki’s Goal-Setting for Teens course will start immediately into Homeroom, meeting weekly and forming plans for their semester and beyond.
  • Students who have not taken Suki’s Goal-Setting for Teens course will start in Homeroom integrated with the initial 7-week Goal-Setting course.
  • The course includes a bonus Parent Session halfway through.
  • After completion of the Goal-Setting course, the Homeroom portion of the course continues for the rest of the semester, so that students can keep themselves on task and support each other.
  • Each semester integrates students new to Goal-Setting with veteran students who are continuing in Homeroom to create a focal point for their high school education.
  • Both Homeroom and Goal-Setting include synchronous and asynchronous activities. See “What to Expect” for details about our live webinars.

Note to parents: 

  • This course is restricted to students aged 13 and older, whether or not they are currently in high school or pursuing early college. Please query instructor about early admission for 12-year-olds.
  • Parent workshop: The course includes a bonus meeting just for parents to discuss how to support their students. We will address questions and concerns that parents may have. The meeting will be scheduled through a survey of parent availability.
  • The course is appropriate for both school and homeschool students.
  • School funds may not be used for this course.
  • This course may be repeated.

A word from the instructor:

Student comments:
  • “I felt like I’ve grown a lot more confident in my abilities after taking this class, both as a student and with actually completing my work. Suki taught me a lot about how to manage my life, and how to balance work and play.”
  • “Prof. Suki is good at keeping everybody on track and being able to teach things that normally might be kind of boring but making it fun.”
  • “I’ve enjoyed talking with other kids my age because it’s interesting to get other points of view.”
  • “It was very supportive, and it was easy to keep track of the schedule and what we do every week.”

Offered by:

Enrollment Options 

What to Expect

What to expect in the Required section in the classroom each week:

  • Goal-Setting students will read one chapter of the assigned text each week.
  • Online and offline student-generated content forms the core of course discussions.
  • Students who want to get the most from the course will also complete activities that require interaction with adults in their community, in person or via email/video chat.
  • Curated resources, including websites & videos, are provided to offer food for thought for our discussions.

What to expect in the Highly Suggested & Optional sections in the classroom each week:

  • Curated resources, including websites & videos, are provided to offer food for thought for our discussions.
  • Instructor and students will add resources related to our discussions as the semester progresses.

What to expect during the weekly webinar:

  • Weekly webinars are 50 to 75 minutes long depending on the week’s content and needs of the students enrolled. The first portion of the webinar will be Homeroom. Goal-Setting students are required to stay the full 75 minutes for the first 7 weeks of the semester.
  • Webinars are recorded and are available for students with schedule conflicts.
  • We ask students to actively participate in our class discussions — verbally and through text-chat.
  • We will meet once a week to talk about the goals we’ve set and met, from silly to serious. We’ll share the information we’ve gained from talking to adults in our lives and from our reading.
  • Homeroom will support students in improving their organizational skills, focus, and understanding of the teen brain.
  • Most importantly: Homeroom will be fun! Teens tend to think that the course will be “boring,” but it never is. (Teens: Prof. Suki doesn’t do boring.)

Materials & More

Before taking this course, students should be able to: 

  • Read at a high school level or above.
  • This course is restricted to students aged 13 and older.

Students should be willing to:

  • Be prepared for the webinar.
  • Actively participate (via the microphone and chat) in the class discussion.
  • Verbally participate in webinar discussions – this class is discussion based.
  • Encourage class discussion by adding their questions/ideas in the chat window during the webinar.
  • Respond with positive and encouraging comments on their classmates’ posts in the classroom forums.

Required books & materials:

  • Suki’s book, Homeschool with Confidence (ISBN: 978-0966145298), forms the core text of this course.  All other materials presented will be available on the Web.
  • Although aimed at homeschoolers, this book is applicable to students who are both schooling and homeschooling high school.

Note from a parent: “Our bright, gifted, and precocious tweener was a real challenge to us whether in regular school or homeschooled. We couldn’t get him engaged or interested in his own education. When we saw Professor Suki introduce her Goal-Setting for Homeschoolers course, it sounded like it could be a helpful addition. We consider the results transformational for our family. Our son is now eager, not only a partner in his own education, but really the driving force. He owns his coursework, has a plan, and a schedule he developed with our approval. It’s exciting to see a class create such a dramatic change in attitude. And we now have the miracle of a 13-year-old boy who looks forward to his school work!” ~The Ekstrand Family

Enrollment Options

Enrollment Options can be viewed *above* in the Description Section. Live Webinars - Wednesdays, 4 PM Pacific - 1/20/21 – 5/22/21 - Enrollment Options linked above. This course may be repeated.

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