HOMESCHOOLING HIGH SCHOOL – It’s not as Difficult as it Sounds
Homeschooling high school – it sounds incredibly hard! But I’m here to tell you, it’s not nearly as difficult as it sounds. And it’s such a joy!
How/what should you do?
- First, you’ll need to find out what your state requires. How many years of English….of science, etc. to graduate.
- Also, does your son or daughter want to go to college? If you child sees college in his/her future, you’ll need to find out the admissions requirements of the universities in your state, or the colleges on your child’s wish list. 9th grade is NOT too early to start this process!
- Once you have this info, use both the state and college requirements to make a basic plan for all four years of high school (if you start to homeschool mid-high school, no problem). Include what curriculum you think you might use, as well as electives you want to include.
- Don’t forget life skills! Life skills prepare your student for being on his/her own. Life skills might include banking, cooking, minor sewing, etc. You can teach these skills formally, or incorporate them into your daily activities (cooking together, cleaning together, etc.)
- When it comes to finding curriculum that corresponds with your child’s interests, use the internet to find just the right courses. Then be creative in determining how you can meet the state requirements while also meeting your child’s interests and desires. For instance, if you have a child that loves science, find history courses that are science heavy – be a little creative – make the requirements fit your child’s interests.
- Is there a course you don’t feel comfortable teaching? Then, look outside yourself. After all, you don’t have to teach EVERYTHING. Again, the internet has a wealth of info/resources. You might also want to consider using knowledgeable family members, tutors, homeschool co-ops, and outside classes.
- Be sure to look for dual credit courses online and at your community college (I prefer online options).
- Find out when the PSAT and the SAT/ACT are, and sign your child up for these tests. The PSAT occurs in 11th grade and is very important – many colleges start recruiting off PSAT scores – and a good (high) score can result in a multitude of financial scholarships.
- If your child doesn’t want to attend college, but wants to learn a trade, find opportunities for your student to get involved in his/her desired field while still in high school. A girl at our Church graduated from High School and from Beauty School the same week. She went directly from high school to earning a living.
- Regardless of whether your child is college-bound, or trade-bound, keep good records of everything you do in your homeschool – it will make creating a transcript much easier. For GREAT info on homeschool high school transcripts, you can check out The HomeScholar. In addition to her transcript info, she offers GREAT info on teaching high school.
- Other sites you might want to look at –
- Your child will probably learn how to drive while in high school. Kids can take online courses to meet the in-class requirement. My son took an online course for the nuts and bolts of safe driving and a local driving teacher taught him how to drive. I didn’t want to teach him how to drive – so I looked for outside resources.
- Learn with your child. Was algebra difficult for you back in the day? You might discover that you LOVE it now.
Do what works, throw out what doesn’t, and then try something else. You don’t have to figure it all out on Day 1. Heck, you have four years!
