Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Warden's Graduation

 
Warden Bates and Kelly Bates

'Tis the season for graduation parties! Gil and Kelly Bates' 13th child just graduated, and the family got together to celebrate his achievement. Warden turned 18 last month, so it's the perfect time for his grad party. Congratulations, Warden! The Bates have successfully homeschooled 13 children, with only 6 to go.

Photo courtesy of thebatesfamily.com

34 comments:

  1. He seems like he's spent all his time working with Chad in the last couple of years. Is that what his "homeschool" was?

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    1. Depending upon Kelly,she might have counted it as part of his homeschool education. It would be considered work experience. When my daughters were home schooled, I counted their jobs as work experience. When I was in public high school I was working and it was considered part of the work experience program.

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    2. Do you live with them or are a neighbor? How do you know he spent "all" his time working. A lot of teenagers work and do their school work.

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    3. It only seems like that if you think the only things they do are the things you see.

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    4. Who? Warden? I have known about Jackson and Trace working with Chad but not the younger boys as far as work as in getting paid. There's footage of Carlin tutoring the young boys doing their home school.

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  2. The Bates sure do have good genetics. All so very attractive.

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    1. This is true! Thank goodness!

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    2. He could be a model!

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    3. What a wonderful thing! So important.

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  3. Congratulations Warden! Homeschool graduations are my favorite!

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  4. Congratulations to Warden! He looks so grown up now. Wishing him all the best in his future plans. And Kelly looks fantastic!

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  5. Did he receive his GED or a homeschool diploma? What are his post grad plans?

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  6. Congratulations Warden. Wishing you a world of success.
    Marilyn,Joan and Marion

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  7. MO- Is it a GED or a High School Diploma? Sorry folks, it does make a difference. Best to Warden in the future. :o)

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    1. He got a High School Diploma

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    2. I didn't go to college. I lived at home with my parents tell they passed away.

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    3. 6:45 I find that very sad. Were your parents unable to care for themselves?

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  8. I also ask did he receive a GED or a homemade 'diploma' from The Bates Academy? Yes, what are his plans now? Will he go to an actual college or are his parents still limiting them to Crown College? Has he passed a real general education test for Grade 12? These things, they never say, do they.

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  9. When you homeschool kids, how do you measure when they are ready to graduate. Are there requirements. What do colleges, universities use as a guide for entrance, for kids are homeschooled? I’m not being critical here. I’d really like to know.

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    1. Hello! Homeschool graduate from TN here (no, I don't know the Bates). I don't normally comment on blogs, but this is a topic that I'm very familiar with. :)

      To graduate, I had to complete a list of subjects plus six or more electives. So four years of English, four years of math, three years of science, etc. We were responsible for reporting grades and courses to our umbrella school (Google it). I dual-enrolled some of the credits at a local university which allowed me to get those credits in in one semester (rather than it taking a whole year at the high school level). It also helped me to get my feet wet in college, giving me a lot of confidence and removing the overwhelming nature of college when I became a full-time freshman. To dual-enroll, I first had to take the ACT. Unlike most high schoolers, I only took it twice. In my family, the focus was not on test scores but on developing the self-discipline and curiousity to teach oneself anything, so that learning becomes a lifelong pursuit. That being said, many of the homeschoolers I know (including some of my siblings) have scored remarkably high on standardized testing. In fact, I'd say that roughly half of the homeschoolers I know scored 30 or above. ​I do not say this to brag but to show that many homeschoolers are successful even according to measures that may not be that helpful to begin with.

      All that is to say, there are ways to get around the system. You can lie about the courses you take and the grades you get. But aren't there ways to play the system in any model of education? We've all heard stories of people graduating without knowing how to read. I do know homeschoolers whose education is, well, lacking. However, the vast majority are well-educated young people excelling in their college classes and careers.

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    2. I am Canadian. Each American state and Canadian province has slightly different requirements. Some regions require homeschoolers to check in twice per year with a teacher that is qualified with that region. Some regions have that as optional. Homeschool families generally would plan high school years with literature, history, math, science. Because many homeschoolers are very good at independent learning, they are welcomed at most colleges and universities. For instance, a university would be more impressed with a good score on a math competition rather than just a public school math mark. Also, a university music program would rather hear a student play well than look at a public school class grade. Many colleges value volunteer and work experience and an essay sample over just public school grades. Some homeschoolers do SAT or AP tests to show they can do well on standardized tests. Hope that helps!

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    3. I am the OP. Thank you so much for answering my question. I love what everyone said about the self-discipline of learning to train you to be a life-long learner. That is so important. Thank you for all the interesting responses.

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    4. 9:11 — Thank you for that detailed, well-written response.

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  10. @5:06 when I applied to college 4-5 years ago there was a section on the app for different scenarios, homeschooling was included there. I graduated from an international school in Asia and just had to plan a little early for transcript review.

    Not sure if they used a program or not, but the program may have assessment measures that the student tests out of and is provided with course descriptions and transcripts if needed.


    Congrats to the grad! 👨‍🎓

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  11. what will he do with his life? need to go to college. go out of mom and dads house and meet other do mission trips. lawson and nathan seem the most grounded.

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    1. Seems to me that all the older children are quite grounded! They all work and own their own businesses and, other than Katie who is getting married soon they all live outside of parents home and all of them have done some type of further education.

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    2. College is not for everyone!

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  12. Congratulations Warden! May God continue to bless you in the future!!

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  13. Congratulations Warden on finishing High School. What are your plans going to be now? There is so much you could do with such a large family with different careers. You could go to Bible college at Crown Bible College and get a degree of some sort(like maybe a pastor like dad,Gil),you could learn a trade and work full time in construction,the family tree business,plumbing,electric,law enforcement or even go to ALERT academy and join the US military after that. The possibilities are endless with your family. Haley P. from Colorado

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    1. He could also be a lawyer, doctor, or shoe salesman. He doesn't have to follow in the path of an older sibling.

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    2. Oh so true. A Lawyer is one career that might be fitting for him maybe.

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    3. 9:53 why ? Has he expressed any interest in that career ? He could be anything as long as he's interested in it!

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  14. Congratulations, Warden!

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