With our impending move, I chose to pursue the mindset of storing only those things that are necessary (tax records, curricula), seasonal (Christmas ornaments, coats), or sentimental (photos, select childhood keepsakes). It did not take long to realize my previous homeschool archives method would not faithsize well.
Sitting in my 170 sq. ft. schoolroom, there is no clutter at all, and there are even empty shelves on the bookcase. However, fast forward to the 960 sq. ft. lake house we are moving into in a manner of two weeks, and the ten locking 5″ D-ring view binders must go; so, um….yeah, I am freaking out a little.
Who am I kidding? I am freaking out A LOT.
To tackle the overwhelming trepidation of discarding into the recycling bin the three years worth of paper archives I keep for each of my kids, I did three things:
1. I checked my state’s laws; again. In the state of Texas, our homeschool curriculum must include reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship, but there are no record keeping requirements.
2. I switched to digital archives only through 8th grade. Kenny and Meredith just wrapped up their 6th- and 8th-grade school years, so I chose to store their grades digitally and let them decide if they wanted to keep anything else; then, I ditched the rest.
Unbelievable, I know.
3. I decided to continue storing paper archives for high school. Emelie has one more course to complete, and she graduates high school. Meredith begins high school this year. While Texas does not have requirements for record keeping and archives, it also does not recognize our homeschool as an “accredited” school. Not knowing what any of my children’s future’s hold, I’ve decided to maintain their work for all four years of high school as a thorough portfolio.
Four 5″ binders can easily store in a single plastic bin alongside curricula that have yet to be used by younger siblings. Which means when all is said and done, and all three kids have graduated high school, I will have three bins (one per kid) to grab from for a portfolio or to check up on any high school work necessary.
With the recycle bin half-full, and six, empty archive binders on hand, I decided to utilize Kenny’s future plastic bin to store these D-ring binders until I need them. Seriously, they are not cheap at a whopping $25 each, and I do not want to re-purchase them later for Meredith and Kenny.
Another way I’ve thought about tackling future homeschool archiving, as well as building transcripts, is to use a computer or web-based program like Switched on Schoolhouse or Monarch. After seeing it in action at this year’s THSC Convention, I am seriously considering switching Meredith and Kenny to Monarch for a year to try it on for size.
Monarch is the web-based version of the computer-based Switched on Schoolhouse put out by Alpha Omega Publications. Using a program of that nature would dramatically reduce the “footprint” of our school in the small lake house, while at the same time introducing an ease in scheduling, grading, and maintaining a transcript.
And now, I am going to re-read the comments on a previous post, How to Homeschool where ‘Less is More’, because I enjoy organizing, and keep most things in my home very organized, but have never had to minimize the size of my organization. It’s a whole new game now!
What have you learned about archiving? Do you notice, like me, that it differs significantly as your kids get older? What did you keep or have you kept of your kids’ high school work?
P.S. If anyone has tried Switched on Schoolhouse or Monarch, feel free to leave feedback in the comments. Thank ya kindly!
Heather Sanders is a leading homeschooling journalist who inspires homeschooling families to live, love and learn. Married to Jeff, Heather lives in the East Texas Piney Woods where she currently home schools two of her three kids.