Leigh Anne Touzeau: Providing the transition for home-schooled students

Home-schoolers often have many questions when they begin college: How will I get a transcript? How does dual credit work? Is this campus a safe place? Will I fit in? How many hours should I take at first?

“The questions they have are not necessarily much different from other students’ questions,” said Leigh Anne Touzeau, director of Enrollment Development and Community Relations. “The distinction is that they are the ones asking the questions, instead of their parents.

“Home-schooled students often have the initiative and study habits to do well in college, so part of what I do is help those students make the transition from home-school to college courses,” said Touzeau.

Recently, Touzeau received a thank-you note from a family that has sent four home-schoolers to the College. In the note, the mother thanks Touzeau and Pellissippi State for providing support for her children.

Touzeau first made contact with the family through her ties with a home-school representative from Berean Christian School, a Knoxville-area K-12 Christian school.

The first student to attend the College ended up taking 46 hours of classes. Since then, three more family members have attended. One took 9 hours, another graduated in Interior Design Technology, and a fourth is a current student.

“More and more, we are also seeing home-schooled students taking advantage of opportunities to enrich their high school education through ‘dual enrollment’ courses,” said Touzeau.

Dual enrollment classes are courses that provide a student with both high school and college credit simultaneously. High school students can accelerate their college education through the Dual Enrollment program, and thanks to a grant provided by state lottery funds, the students receive $330 each semester.

“Although the grant only covers the fees for one class a semester, home-school students often pay to take one or two additional classes,” said Touzeau.

Touzeau’s staff hosted the first open house for home-school students two years ago. Planning is under way for another this March.

"Inside Pellissippi" is a bi-monthly electronic publication produced by the Community Relations Office for the faculty and staff of Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, P.O. Box 22990, Knoxville, Tennessee 37933-0990. All suggestions and comments should be sent to Julia Wood (jwood@pstcc.edu).

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