High School. Few words create as much anxiety in a homeschooling parent of young children as these two do. I admit that I felt the same way. When my oldest started kindergarten, I was pretty confident that I could teach colors and numbers, and by the time I had taught several children to read, I was pretty confident about elementary school. But high school was intimidating. Could I really do it?
Ultimately we did choose to homeschool through high school; a decision made with our children’s input. While our daughter was curious about attending high school, she realized she valued her time and her freedom to pursue her own interests far more. There is so much she enjoyed doing that would not have been possible if she was giving 7+ hours to the school system.
We are now at the end of our daughter’s high school years. And while I wouldn’t be truthful if I said I didn’t have moments of doubt and worry, on the whole it has been a positive and rewarding experience. Of course, a couple things have happened over the course of the past few months which have bolstered my confidence. First, my daughter has been taking some college level classes this past year (her first classroom experience) and has done very well. Second, she has been accepted into the college of her choice with both academic and theater scholarships.
I have learned a few things over the past four years that have made the process a bit easier:
- Keep records. Actually, have your student keep records. Our high school students are asked to keep track of what they do and read and how long they do it. This really simplifies the transcript process.
- The learning belongs to the student. By the time a child is 14, they can really take responsibility for what they learn. I help them schedule their time, find resources,make suggestions, and keep them on track, but they are in control of how and when and what they learn. Some things I do insist on (such as math), but for the most part I have really handed over the reins.
- Don’t fear the transcript. I did and put it off as long as possible. But in the end, itwasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected. In fact, I ended up having to omit things because after a certain amount of credits, it starts to look a bit much.
- It’s not just book learning. One of the purposes of logging activities and hours isto be able to turn those things into credit classes after the fact. My daughter has had extensive experience running a sound board and has learned about soundtechnology. Though it was done as a volunteer, the knowledge and experience were there. As a result, she ended up with 2 science credits based on what she learned and how many hours she spent doing it.
- Find mentors. I am not the only one who can teach my children and sometimes my role is simply to find others who can teach what I cannot.
Today’s High School Post is written by (former panel member) homeschool mom Elizabeth. Elizabeth writes at Ordinary Time. *photocredit – Elizabeth’s high school son putting bees into his hive.
** if you are a high school homeschooler at/near the end of your homeschool journey and would like to submit an article to encourage other homeschoolers along their way – please contact us!
