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by Naomi Musch
To ponder. To plan. To remember. To dream.
The embodiment of our children's memories and hopes make up much of who they are. We parents are the blessed ones who have the privilege of coming alongside them and sharing in those memories and dreams.
As they grow older, especially maturing into their teen years, it falls upon us to help them channel these remembrances and aspirations in a way that will meet their needs for the future. This is where the creation of a personal or student portfolio has its advantages.
When most of us graduated high school, we carried with us a "diploma", "transcripts", and "test scores". These were relied upon to guide us into either the job or college market. They also provided proof that we had completed a certain level of education. But the home schooler seldom depends upon these same sources in finding physical evidence to prove their scholarship. Therefore, as they are just entering junior high or high school age, it behooves us to begin gathering that evidence.
This begs several questions, of course, the first being what kind of evidence? We can begin to answer by seeking a definition of "portfolio". *Martin Kimeldorf explains it this way, "A portfolio is a collection of samples that communicate your interests and give evidence of your talents. You use your portfolio to show others what you have accomplished, learned, or produced." So then, a portfolio may entail anything that gives a clue as to whom this child is, what they are about, what motivates and interests them. It may include examples of things they have excelled at, be it meticulously organizing and scientifically labeling a collection of insects, a musical piece they have performed, or a writing achievement.
You may show their achievements by including in the portfolio such things as samples of scholastic, art, or other handiwork done; photographs; awards; floppy disks; newspaper clippings; CD or video recordings; letters of commendation; and lists of books read or studies completed. I think of a portfolio as the next, more advanced step past building a scrapbook. It may even fill a box.
In creating a portfolio it is essential that all is neatly organized according to some fashion or plan, and that you
keep the future audience in mind -- whether it be college admissions personnel or employer.
It is not every child's plan to pursue such goals as college or career. Many girls, for instance, will pursue the role of homemaker rather than businesswoman. Even then, a portfolio is a worthy thing to acquire. It will be of a more personal nature perhaps, with the intended audience being the young lady and her family, but maybe all the more treasured because of that fact. In designing a portfolio, she may also be giving herself a valuable experience to pass on to her own growing children someday, especially if she becomes a home schooling mom.
Parents might also consider creating a portfolio of their own along with their children. In it you might gather a history of a skill or hobby you have worked hard to hone, a record of your years of home schooling (also helpful in potential legal situations), or a portfolio of experiences you've gained that might lend themselves to some future career or endeavor.
Home schooling keeps us busy, no doubt about it. But because it is becoming more and more common for individuals to need portfolios in college and in the work place, building one with your child is something you should not procrastinate at. Who knows what it may do for both their memories and their dreams?
*Martin Kimeldorf is the author of Creating Portfolios, published by Free Spirit Publishing. It comes with guidelines, advice, and reproducible worksheets that will help you to create and organize a number of different types of portfolios. It also gives ideas for presenting the portfolio you've created. I recommend this book.
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