In case I die...(I'm not sick!! Just thinking ahead)

[Garga]

So, with Covid being around, it does make one think, "Gee, what if I caught it and died..."

Which makes one think, "Of course, I could die at any time in some freak accident..."

Which makes one think, "Huh. If I was dead, would my DH know where all my homeshooling stuff for my high schooler is?"

For me, the answer was no.

So, I created a little Word document for him telling him where everything is:

Transcript
SAT scores
Course Descriptions
Grades (mine and outsourced class grades)
504 form
PHEAA grant application
FAFSA info
Evaluator paperwork/phone # (in my state we have to have an evaluator)
Labs/reports from high school labs
Outsourced teacher info
And where all my planning notes are found

I didn't have to write a counselor letter, but if I had, that would have been on the document, too.

 

Just thought I'd share my morbid little idea with you guys.  It took me a couple of hours to think of everything I'd need to include and to type out where everything is. Now that it's done, I do feel kinda good knowing that if anything happens to me, my poor DH (and ds) won't have a huge headache on his hands trying to find everything.  I had stuff scattered in my OneDrive, on various OneNote binders, and in physical manilla folders.

[fourisenough]

As the daughter of a funeral director/funeral home owner, this doesn’t strike me as morbid at all. Just super practical and organized! I love the idea and might get myself on board!

[Momto6inIN]

Morbid, yes. But by golly, I've worked gosh darn hard on these plans and record keeping so somebody better make use of it if I'm not here! 😊

DH knows I have a big ole honkin' file called SCHOOL in my Documents folder. Anything even somewhat related to school is there. Every pdf I use, every year's gradebook, all transcripts and course descriptions, and a big spreadsheet of preferences and ideas for all subjects in a preK-12 curriculum. DD will have to help him with all the acronyms though lol

[MamaSprout]

Yep, I did this 4-5 years ago with a shared google drive folder. Now it's become the "Transcripts and Course Descriptions" folder.

[regentrude]

Good point. I like having my affairs in order.
We're past that stage, but my DH has my computer password. So I was confident he would have been able to look into the folder labeled "Homeschooling", seen the subfolders with each kid's name, found therein subfolders labeled by school year, and figured out what file names like "curriculum outline" and "transcript" mean.

My concern now is having our financial affairs in order for the young adult kids. Which is a trad trickier, because you obviously don't want to create a computer file that includes all banking info and passwords. How are you all handling that?

Edited April 19, 2020 by regentrude

[Miss Tick]

Good idea. I asked dh last week if he wanted to sit down and look at the homeschooling stuff in case I did and he had to pick up the pieces. He said, "well, I'll just enroll the dc in public school." BUZZZ! That doesn't work anymore now that they are in high school.  I just told him that he would need to take time off from work and I told the dc what they should plan on. Not perfect, better than nothing.

16 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Which is a trad trickier, because you obviously don't want to create a computer file that includes all banking info and passwords. How are you all handling that?

Also last week we put together a document for my dc (teens, not YA) With contact info for trusted friends, bills due, and financial information. My proposal was to explain the password in plaintext. So, not impossible for a stranger to figure out, but difficult. Then this will be in a sealed envelope, in the firebox with the key in a separate location. Hardly perfect, but sufficient for now.

[8filltheheart]

I've had this conversation with dh.  Our 14 yod would wilt in high school.  We've discussed options where she could continue to homeschool.  Our 10 yod, otoh, is an extreme, extreme extrovert and would thrive in school. (Quarantine is incredibly hard on her.  The other day, she climbed to the top of our playground, stood on it, and yelled, "I want to hold a neighborhood meeting.  I NEED PEOPLE!!"  Not joking.  She has been so depressed that next week, after ds has been home from work for 14 days, our granddaughter is coming to live with us for a while.)

I do need to put together password info, though.  I handle all of our financial/bill paying stuff and no one has a clue about any of it but me.

[kristin0713]

I honestly have this thought every year and make it a point to show DH "just in case" some thing crazy happened to me.  

[BusyMom5]

Oldest would probably be on her own filling out college aps.  I have all her stuff filed and documented.   DD2, I'd just hope they accept my transcript at the local high school!  All others would go to public school.  My DH would have his hands FULL bc I have a toddler, too 😉

[Arcadia]

10 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

Yep, I did this 4-5 years ago with a shared google drive folder. Now it's become the "Transcripts and Course Descriptions" folder.

Same here, started when my kids were in elementary school. Just that I am using a shared OneDrive instead because all of us are using Microsoft Word and Excel for school and work.

8 hours ago, SusanC said:

He said, "well, I'll just enroll the dc in public school." BUZZZ! That doesn't work anymore now that they are in high school.  

Previously the backup plan when kids were younger was to put them in private middle school.

My husband would just put both into dual enrollment full time. Both have student accounts with their preferred community college, DS15 has taken 5 classes there and is taking 2 this spring quarter. DS14 is taking his first class there this summer quarter.

[RootAnn]

Realistically, it isn't worth it for me to try to set anything out explicitly. DH would need to spend enough time wrapping his brain around financials, taxes, investing, bills, etc. He wouldn't delve into all my homeschooling materials.

The kids would help him find dd#2's transcript. She has no standardized test scores yet.

Edited April 20, 2020 by RootAnn

[crazyforlatin]

I've already told Dd to sign into my account here and just ask for help. 

[Momto6inIN]

My kids and DH know that I have 1 password with just a few variations for absolutely everything. If they can get into my email, they can access everything and since all our bills and accounts send email statements they should be able to find everything.

Oldest DD knows enough of what I have planned for her to finish out high school. Then the younger 3 could go to a small local private school run by our church. I would never ask nor expect it of her and neither would DH, but it wouldn't surprise me if DD offered to hs the younger 3 instead though. Not sure if DH would let her or send them to the private school. We would want her to get on with her own life after graduation, but she's the type that might need to do something like that for a while first to adjust.

@crazyforlatin that's a great idea! They know the Hive is my go to resource but I don't know if they'd think to log on themselves. 

[Aloha2U]

One of my many jobs as a homeschooling mother is to keep accurate and updated homeschool records. By lessening the burden of my absence, if anything were to happen to me prematurely, my husband should be able to pick up and move forward from where I left off with an executable plan and sufficient documentation to back it up. I don't want to short change neither my hubby nor my ds for that matter.

During primary, I kept a course-of-study spreadsheet reflecting what was used/covered each year in each subject. I selected the best or most memorable output for keepsakes and proof of ability/skill. As ds progressed into secondary, I continued in the same way, until high school and transcripts began. Now, I create course descriptions for the upcoming year in the spring, and I update those—with grades and such—throughout the school year. So essentially, I have a portfolio for each completed high school year, with the current year as a work--in-progress but ready and up-to-date at any point during the school year, just in case. Additionally, each of these portfolios are being combined into one Comprehensive Homeschool Portfolio that will be completed at the end of his high school year and ready for college admissions. 

On a side note, my hubby has access to all necessary passwords for emails, bills, household records, homeschool records, etc. and knowledge of how to maneuver through the waters. We review the plan periodically. We are both stewards of all this, so knowledge is power and peace of mind.