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June 10,
2008 - by Terri Johnson, author of Upper Level Homeschool
- www.UpperLevelHomeschool.com
- an online class designed to
equip and
encourage homeschooling parents to stay the course even when
their teen enter high school and to finish the race
strong.
Homeschooling Through High School
You can do it!
When it comes to high school, most homeschooling parents
approach these years with fear and trepidation. I will admit
that I did, as well. But I am so pleased that we decided to
take the plunge and continue home schooling our oldest daughter
rather than pursuing private or public school for these final
four years.
Are the high school years approaching in your home? I
encourage you to stop, take a deep breath, and consider the
possibility that homeschooling your high schooler might be a
tremendous boon for you, your student and your whole family.
Here are some reasons why...
1. This is when homeschooling really begins to pay off. Your
student has become an independent learner and can schedule and
manage his own work load. High school level work should not
require a great amount of your time (although more of his than
he might be used to!).
2. Ideally, your student, who is approaching high school, has
become a real helper to you and her younger siblings. This is a
wonderful time to have your teens home by your side, learning
to cook, garden, manage a home, build a deck, balance a
checkbook, etc. Often high schoolers enrolled in public or
private school do not have time to learn practical life skills
because of the excessive class time and increased home work
that their teachers demand.
3. High Schoolers are fun to be around. This is when your
children become your friends. Now, don't get me wrong, you
still need to be their parent, BUT you are beginning to let go,
little by little, letting them make their own mistakes, letting
them learn from their own successes and failures. This is a
time when kids can really begin to open up and talk - talk
about real life issues, debatable topics, philosophical or
theological differences, social pressures... Wouldn't you like
to be the one that he or she turns to? Wouldn't you like to be
the one that he asks advice from? Wouldn't you like to continue
developing that life-long heart-to-heart friendship?
Homeschooling the high school years can foster and grow this
relationship because you have time to just "hang out"
together.
So these are just a few reasons for you to consider as you
decide whether or not you will press on. But how can it
practically be done? This is a good question because we all
know that high schoolers are learning material that is often
above our heads. We often do not remember our Algebra 2 courses
or advanced grammar exercises.
Here are some ideas that you can think about that might make
homeschooling high school a more do-able scenario for you and
your student:
RESEARCH
One of the intimating factors about homeschooling high school
is that it is most likely a 4 year decision. It is alot easier
to pull your student out of public high school than it is to
stick him back in. Do your research before you make this big
decision. Find out what type of subjects and the number of
credits that your state requires. You can probably just do a
google search to find this information. Find out what needs to
be recorded on a transcript and begin keeping this information
from year 1 - when your student is finishing her freshman year.
Find out what kind of programs are offered in your area for
high school teens. That brings me to my next point.
OUTSOURCE
I don't know about you, but there are just some subjects I
would rather not teach. I have found out that there are many,
many classes out there that my teens can take for high school
credit, such as science, math, writing, speech/debate, spanish,
etc. Most of these classes are taught by private instructors in
a traditional style classroom setting (although smaller than a
public school classroom - usually 8-10 students). Many classes
can be taken from our local junior college for dual credit.
Tutors are available to teach one or more subjects that I do
not want to teach. And classes can also be found online, taught
through virtual conference rooms and corresponding through
email. Think outside the box and find out what types of
programs are available for your students.
MAKE A PLAN
You do not have to plan everything out in advance, but jot out
a rough plan for your high school student's education, knowing
that it will change as he specializes in certain subjects as
high school progresses. If you know that your son dislikes
foreign language, then just plan for 2 years of Spanish,
instead of 3 or 4. If your daughter wants to work for NASA,
then four years of higher math needs to be planned into the
schedule. If you have a student that wants to work in Bible
translation, then continue with grammar and even beginning
linguistics all the way through the four years. So, make a
plan, but stay flexible for changes down the road ahead. Your
teen doesn't need to know right now what his career is going to
be, but he should be thinking about it.
ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENCE
Help your students to understand that their classes are their
responsibility and that you are not going to hand them an "A"
or a 4.0 on a silver platter. Good grades must be earned. This
is the time to get your teen a planner where she can break down
her assignments and write them into her day's schedule. Let her
make some decisions about how and when she will study her
subjects, as long as she completes her assignments on time (she
still reports to you as teacher). You will no longer need to
hover over every assignment, but do insist that she turn in her
work on time (whether that be once a week or something else
that you decide). Tell your student up front what is required
to gain an "A" in a particular subject. Then place the
responsibility for earning that "A" in her lap. Now, that said,
you can decide that a 1 credit course is not quite complete in
May and give your teen a month or two more to finish the
requirements. Again, you are the teacher and can make these
critical decisions along the way. Or you might choose to give
half a credit now and the other half during the following year
if those requirements are finished up later.
COLLEGE BOUND
It is so hard to know when your student is entering his
freshman year, whether he will attend college or not at the end
of four years' time. However, it is important to choose a route
at the beginning so that all requirements are finished during
the high school years. In other words, unless you are certain
that your child will not attend college, it is best to choose a
college bound course of action. In this way, all the
requirements that he will need to apply for and be accepted
into the college or university of his choice will be completed.
You may even want to look into the requirements of specific
colleges and universities that your son or daughter might be
interested in attending so that you can plan to meet them in
the next four years. Often your student can take courses at
your local community college and earn dual credit during his
junior and senior year. This may be an added benefit for
acceptance into his college of choice or may hurt his chances.
Best to find out before he takes dual credit. Your child may
also want to take some CLEP (College Level Entrance Placement)
tests along the way in order to test out of some college
classes that are general in nature and cover material already
learned during the high school years (i.e. general
biology).
You may be certain that your son or daughter will not pursue a
college degree, but rather apprentice or start his or her own
business, or take another path. That is fine and then you can
plan for more freedom or focus during the high school years. If
carpentry is the career of choice, then by all means, put some
of the school books aside and get out there and build things.
But remember, carpenters use math every single day! If in doubt
about whether your child needs a class, have him take it to be
on the safe side!
Do not fear the high school years. They are delightful, focused
and rewarding. Consider homeschooling your high schooler. I
think you will be pleasantly surprised. I was!
Enjoy your summer and school preparation!
Warmly,
Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
Terri Johnson, along with her husband Todd, has
been teaching their children at home for 11 years. They also
run a publishing company - Knowledge Quest, Inc. - producing
history and geography materials for the homeschool
marketplace. This past year, they have started two online
classes - Homeschooling ABCs (www.homeschoolingabcs.com) -
dedicated to helping new homeschoolers gain the confidence
and the necessary skills to successfully teach their
children at home; and Upper Level Homeschool
(www.upperlevelhomeschool.com) –
encouraging and equipping homeschooling parents to stay
the course even when their teen enter high school and to
finish the race strong.
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