Today's post is simply a dose of encouragement for homeschooling mothers considering the looming future idea of homeschooling "all the way through". (Key creepy music and girly shrieks and screams)
Yea, it's a scary concept. But if you take a moment and remember when you first began to considering homeschooling, you'll recognize the same emotions. Remember how you felt about teaching your child to read? Or teaching them to write in cursive? How to form a complete sentence or perhaps a paragraph? The scientific method? How to type and use the Dewey decimal system and the history of Ancient Egypt? All those concepts seemed pretty daunting, and yet you were able to keep your head and teach your children. High school is much the same - I promise!
My oldest graduated last May and is now in college (yes, your homeschooled child can actually get accepted to a college ~ but that's another post altogether!). I have two daughters in high school this year (9th and 11th grades) and two daughters in middle school (6th and 8th grades). These are busy years and the school day tends to be l-o-n-g. However, it isn't really any more challenging than it was to teach a couple of my kids to read and write and all that jazz with a baby, toddler and preschooler to care for.
My first piece of advice to any mom wondering if she can homeschool through high school would be to seek the Lord. He is able to provide all the grace and wisdom you need for this endeavor, and only He can bless you with an abundance of peace.
My second piece of advice would be to plan ahead and start planning well in advance. Before you reach the middle school years, consider which subjects you will teach during 6th - 8th grade that can count as high school credit. For example, if your child is advanced in math you might consider placing them a grade or so higher in math. They might complete Algebra I in 8th grade, and Algebra I is Algebra I no matter what year it's taught - so it counts as on year's credit in higher math on the student's transcript. If your child is a history buff, maybe you could search amazon or The Great Courses for curriculum that is a little more difficult than the typical middle school coursework. Upon completion of the text, the student receives credit for high school level work on their transcript. And remember, according to the public school model "completion" is reached when 80% of the text has been finished.
And my last piece of advice would be to stay relaxed and remember that homeschooling through high school is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't try and cover too much subject matter during the child's freshman year or they will end up overwhelmed and you will end up irritated and weary. Pace yourself. Use resources that show you what a typical 9th grade academic year looks like. Pray and pray some more. And let your child choose one subject they want to study that isn't on your "must do before graduation" list. Believe me, that makes a huge impact on the student's attitude during the high school years. And a good attitude in your teenager is a very good thing!!
Trust in the Lord and rely on Him alone, and you will find that homeschooling your high schooler is no more difficult than teaching your 5-year-old to read.
Happy homeschooling!
Day 128 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com
Yea, it's a scary concept. But if you take a moment and remember when you first began to considering homeschooling, you'll recognize the same emotions. Remember how you felt about teaching your child to read? Or teaching them to write in cursive? How to form a complete sentence or perhaps a paragraph? The scientific method? How to type and use the Dewey decimal system and the history of Ancient Egypt? All those concepts seemed pretty daunting, and yet you were able to keep your head and teach your children. High school is much the same - I promise!
My oldest graduated last May and is now in college (yes, your homeschooled child can actually get accepted to a college ~ but that's another post altogether!). I have two daughters in high school this year (9th and 11th grades) and two daughters in middle school (6th and 8th grades). These are busy years and the school day tends to be l-o-n-g. However, it isn't really any more challenging than it was to teach a couple of my kids to read and write and all that jazz with a baby, toddler and preschooler to care for.
My first piece of advice to any mom wondering if she can homeschool through high school would be to seek the Lord. He is able to provide all the grace and wisdom you need for this endeavor, and only He can bless you with an abundance of peace.
My second piece of advice would be to plan ahead and start planning well in advance. Before you reach the middle school years, consider which subjects you will teach during 6th - 8th grade that can count as high school credit. For example, if your child is advanced in math you might consider placing them a grade or so higher in math. They might complete Algebra I in 8th grade, and Algebra I is Algebra I no matter what year it's taught - so it counts as on year's credit in higher math on the student's transcript. If your child is a history buff, maybe you could search amazon or The Great Courses for curriculum that is a little more difficult than the typical middle school coursework. Upon completion of the text, the student receives credit for high school level work on their transcript. And remember, according to the public school model "completion" is reached when 80% of the text has been finished.
And my last piece of advice would be to stay relaxed and remember that homeschooling through high school is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't try and cover too much subject matter during the child's freshman year or they will end up overwhelmed and you will end up irritated and weary. Pace yourself. Use resources that show you what a typical 9th grade academic year looks like. Pray and pray some more. And let your child choose one subject they want to study that isn't on your "must do before graduation" list. Believe me, that makes a huge impact on the student's attitude during the high school years. And a good attitude in your teenager is a very good thing!!
Trust in the Lord and rely on Him alone, and you will find that homeschooling your high schooler is no more difficult than teaching your 5-year-old to read.
Happy homeschooling!
Day 128 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com
Way to go sister. I have a home-schooled kid in college too.
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