HomeWorks by Precept Consultant Jennifer Lont MI

10/29/2026

Quick transcript post today. Your transcript needs a key. It should include a grading scale so the reader knows what constitutes a 4.0, a 3.0, etc.

It should also include codes for courses that were taken at other schools and courses that were audited.

If you need to send in a six-semester transcript, you’ll have to mark courses from the senior year as being in progress.

This key allows the reader to decode your transcript. Don’t forget to include it!

10/28/2026

Those who take music lessons are often motivated (at least in part) by enjoyment. We love to make music. Even though we take pleasure in certain parts of music practice, pleasure is not the goal for that time; practice is.

We do scales and learn theory. We use math to figure out intricate rhythms. We practice style, vibrato, and dynamics. We have even done exercises to strengthen our finger muscles.

We often use a metronome. We don’t always love it, but it helps us mature. And then when we do play through a song, we play with greater skill.

Things we learn in school can be like this too. Reading is a great example. Many kids love to read books but hate those reading workbooks. (I was one of those kids.)

So why do we use them? Because they contain skills that will make good readers become even better ones. Good exercises in workbooks assist us as we study phonics and plot and idioms and poetic devices. They are useful tools that we use for a short time to accomplish a larger goal.

Training with discipline allows able to do things like read and make music with greater skill and therefore greater pleasure.

Yes, we do want to nurture a love of learning. We also need to be skilled. As a homeschool mom, you can encourage both!

10/27/2026

On the last line of this example transcript, I listed a reminder for you to include delight-directed learning. When my older son was in high school, he picked up his dad’s Greek textbook and started studying, so my husband bought a Greek course for him.

That son also started teaching himself to play the piano in 2020. By the time he graduated high school, he had spent many hours at the piano. Instead of giving partial credit each year, I just gave him one credit in his senior year for all of those accumulated hours.

My second son bought a nice drone and then worked to get a recreational license. My husband gifted him with a course that would help him get a commercial license. Once my son worked his way through ground school, he took the test through the FAA and got his certification. He has also taken photography courses. All of this work will be grouped together for credit.

The HSLDA says that 60 hours of work is enough for a half-credit in an elective. If your student has completed at least 120 hours in an elective, you can award a full credit.

Every student will have the same core courses: math, history, science, and language arts. Delight-directed learning helps colleges get an idea of who your child is and what he loves. My older son’s transcript showed that he loves language and music. My younger son’s transcript shows that he loves music and aerial photography. What does your child love?

10/26/2026

I know it can feel daunting to make your own homeschool transcript, but I'm going to break it down into simple steps for you. Let’s look at the main part of the transcript, the academic record. While it can be organized by subject, I chose to organize mine by year.

Simply list all of the subjects taken by your student each year. Most years will include the core four: math, history, science, and language arts. You can also include electives. Our family usually had Bible, foreign language, phys ed, and fine arts.

You can create your own course titles if the course was completed in your own homeschool. For example, if you use English 9 and 10 from BJU Press Homeschool, you can change those titles to English 1 and 2 (for first- and second-year studies in high school).

Make the course titles clear and descriptive. I added “Grammar, Composition, & Literature” to my English course titles. Instead of listing Bible 1-4, give specific names like Biblical Living or Bible Doctrines. My son always has performance as part of his cello studies, and in the last two years, he has had a cello student. You can see in the photo how I worded those titles.

If your child has completed hands-on labs, you can include “with Lab” after the course title. If your child has not completed labs himself, list the course as “Survey of ____.”

We’ll talk about delight-directed learning next time.

10/24/2026

This weekend I had a lot of baking to do for special events. Yesterday I made cinnamon rolls and a banana pudding cake. Today I made two apple pies.

A friend recently told me that the cinnamon rolls that she often makes come from the frozen section of the grocery store. I had no idea. All of these years I had thought they were homemade! I had to try them out for myself, and they are, indeed, very good.

The banana pudding cake is something my mom used to make. You just have to add banana, egg, oil, and water to a boxed cake mix and a boxed pudding mix. It contains some convenience items, but this bundt cake tastes homemade too.

The apple pies were completely from scratch. I peeled and sliced all the apples, and I made the crust from scratch. While I will eat pie from the store, I agree with my son--a store-bought pie is just not the same as a homemade pie with fresh fall apples.

How did I decide when to use premade items and when to make the item myself? I looked at the time I had available. I prioritized making the things we love, the things I'm good at making. I considered the quality of the cinnamon rolls. I strategically planned that banana cake that comes together so quickly.

I make similar choices with my homeschool too. I used to be a bit of a snob about doing all the teaching myself. Parent-led instruction for everyone in every subject! But then I decided to try a few video courses from BJU Press Homeschool. I had been skeptical, but I found out that the videos provide quality instruction.

Here's the part I want you to take away. You have a choice. Look at your time, your family's needs, your abilities, and possible outcomes. Quality resources are available. You can choose to teach some courses yourself and use videos for other subjects. I do a mix of the two, and those video courses really help me get things done!

Homeschooling doesn't mean everything has to be completely homemade. Instead, think of homeschooling as the freedom to choose what resources will be used in your own home.

10/23/2026

When my older son was approaching high school, I collected a lot of information and encouragement from Lee Binz, a retired homeschool mom who spoke at conferences and did webinars about how to keep excellent high school records. (She still sells books online, by the way!) I was able to gather some additional advice from the HSLDA. Armed with all of that information, I decided to make my own transcripts for my boys so that I can customize what I want to include.

Over the next few days, I'm going to give you a little tour of things to note. Today let's talk about the student and school info. Start by creating a name for your homeschool. You can choose to include a particular character quality, a location, or even just a phrase that sounds good to you. Some names will sound a lot like private schools (ex: Grace Christian Academy). I chose a very simple name that will let the reader of the transcript know exactly what we are: Lont Family Homeschool.

Next up--you need to include an address for the school as well as an address for the student. I understand that this will be the same address if you homeschool, but you still need to include both.

The college will want to contact your student with information regarding enrollment, so include your student's email address. If he doesn't have one yet, this is a good time to create one. Provide your own personal email address because the college may need to contact you, the homeschool administrator, with questions. (You'll need to follow up by actually checking your email!)

This is an example of a 6-semester transcript, so it contains a space for an anticipated graduation date. When the student finishes high school, you'll need to delete the word "anticipated" when you update the transcript.

My boys took the SAT, but you can change that line to include scores from another college entrance exam. Please note that you will need to have those official scores sent to the university too.

10/22/2026

My son filled out his college application this past summer when he attended a music camp run by the university he wants to attend. It was a great time to apply because they waived the application fee and even gave him a free sweatshirt. (Yay for college swag!) In this particular case, anything my son wanted to write was part of the application, so there was no separate essay.

My son asked three people (non-family members who have known him most, if not all, of his life) to provide recommendations for him. Next, I made sure that my son's SAT scores were sent to the university.

The university provides an enrollment advisor who checks in with my son and answers any questions for me as well. After talking with her, I knew that all we still needed to do was send in my son's 6-semester transcript.

I've had that on my to-do list for a while, and I finally finished and sent it in this week. To our surprise, my son received an acceptance email the very next day!

I'm feeling good this week. Not only am I celebrating his college acceptance for his sake, but I am also celebrating this milestone in high school records--for my own sake! We still have some hoops to jump through before he moves to campus next fall, but those will be accomplished in time.

Do you have a homeschool senior this year? If so, does your student plan to head to college? Trade school? The military? What's your senior's next step in the preparation process?

10/21/2026

Last night I sent my son's 6-semester transcript to a university! 🎉 Since my clients often ask about high school records, I decided to share a generic transcript here today.

🚧🚧🚧 DISCLAIMER--While I am happy to share what we did, you are responsible for your own homeschool. You have to follow your own state homeschool laws. Other colleges or institutions may have different requirements, so you'll have to do your own research. I'm not giving legal advice or promising any outcomes for you. I'm just a mom sharing what we did in our own family. Feel free to use this transcript as a template for your own homeschool; just know you do so at your own risk. 🚧🚧🚧

Back to my transcript. After I took out personal information, I also changed the lineup to reflect the normal order of high school courses in BJU Press Homeschool. You'll see a little of our family flavor in the lines about the cello and martial arts. And obviously, the years, credits, and grades are unique to each student.

I plan to point out some unique features over the next few days. In the meantime, take a look and feel free to ask questions!

10/20/2026

How are you doing with checking your child's work this year? Do you have a routine nailed down yet?

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