Homeschool Crew Review~ Internship for High School Credit from Apologia

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Recently, we were given the opportunity to review Internship for High School Credit from Apologia Educational Ministries. Michael is heading to high school soon and I thought this would be wonderful resource to have. A few years ago, he took classes at a local wildlife rehabilitation center and started asking about volunteering then. We learned he wasn't quite old enough, you have to be 18, to work with wild animals. We did learn that he could help out at our veterinary clinic near us though. This is a great opportunity for a young man who loves animals! I knew an internship would be in our future.

Why are Internships Important?

Years ago, people learned their trade while studying under great masters. They studied under these well trained men and women to learn a specialized trade or skill. Once they had learned all they could, these apprentices would be able to head out and start their own careers. Sadly, over the years jobs and careers become more business orientated and less craftsman like. The advancement of technology changed the way people learned their skills and knowledge. College and universities became the way to advance their knowledge, skills, and career. Learning more about you career is  great but studying books can only take you so far. Many graduates attend a 4 year university and never enter into their actual career path. They have no hands on experience. They have no idea what the day ins and outs of their career are. They have no idea if they will even enjoy their chosen career path. 

So we are back to the question of why are internships important? 

Well, they give students a wonderful way to get hands on leaning and experience. They allow students to experience their chosen career and see if they truly like what they have chosen. 

Internships offer students a variety of benefits.....

Explore their chosen career & gain valuable experience

Learn the day to day job responsibilities

Discover what they like or dislike about their job

Decide on a major and chose classes to focus more on that path

Improve their college application & scholarship opportunities

Gain marketable job skills 

Increase their potential job offers

What is Internship for High School Credit?
Internship for High School Credit is a workbook style notebook for high school students. The notebook is broken up into five sections.

Part I: Getting Started The getting started section helps students do just that. It guides students on how to determine the type of internship they might want to obtain, how to chose a company, how to write a resume and a letter of introduction, how to do well on the interview, and how to obtain high school school credit. This section even offers students sample of the introduction letter and the resume. This section offers wonderful advice that is extremely important for young men and women entering into the work force.
"There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person." ~G.K. Chesterton

Part II: Information for Parents This section is for the parents! It helps parents with vital information about how to choose a company and location, important child labor laws, how to add it to your student's high school transcript, how to decide on a course title, how many credits to give for the course, and how to grade. This section is filled with a wealth of information for parents just heading into the homeschooling world of high school. "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." ~G.K. Chesterton 

Part III: First Semester & Part IV: Second Semester These two sections of the notebook contain various worksheets for the student to use. Students can write down their semester goals. They can track the dates and times they work. They can record their position and job description. They can write down what type of duties they are required to do at at their job. There are even places where they can write down any questions they may have about their job. The workbook pages have questions and activities for the students to complete that will help them with their job experience. There are pages for their supervisors to fill out. At the end of their internship, the students can fill out a few pages all about their internship, the skills they have learned and gained. It's a great way to wrap up the end of the year! 

"Do your best to cultivate ability for concentrating your thought on whatever work you are given to do." ~Theodore Roosevelt 

Part V: Course Wrap-Up The final section in the notebook is the end of the year wrap-up. The notebook has a wonderful writing assignment that encourages students to write a paper about their experience. Student scan look back at the previous two sections and write a detailed paper about what they did and what they have learned.  This writing assignment allows students to see if they have enjoyed their internship and if they would like to pursue their chosen career path. Another great idea from this section is having the students write a thank you note to their supervisor. It's always great to thank others who help us learn new things. Students can also ask for a letter of recommendation from their supervisor. Of course, they need to update their resume with their new job experience!

What Did We Think About Internship for High School Credit?
Michael isn't quite old enough for an internship just yet, but I wanted to get an idea about how to incorporate one into our studies, He has already asked to do one. He would love to work at our local wildlife animal rehabilitation in the next few year. I found the book very helpful, especially for this mama heading into a new phase in our homeschool world. It was filled with a ton of information on how to get started. I love the pages for the students to use to record their experience. I think it would be a wonderful way for them to write down their thoughts. These pages will allow the students to dig a little deeper into the internship experience. I am looking forward to using this with Michael when the time comes for his first internship. If you have a high school student or a student heading there soon, I can't recommend this book enough. 
Be sure to see what they rest of the crew had to say! We actually reviewed two different products this time, Internship for High School Credit and How to HOMESCHOOL with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy, and Amazing Focus (DVD & Coursebook). Stop by and check them out! 
Till Next Time, Monique