Have you wondered about transitioning you and your eighth grader to homeschooling high school? Some time ago, I found myself in this very predicament. After nine years of teaching my son at home I realized I didn’t know much about homeschooling high school. I attacked the internet with fury and discovered so much helpful information that our transition to higher grades became very easy and actually quite enjoyable. Both my son and I found high school to be much easier than we originally thought. I am confident you will find it too!
Let me walk you step-by-step through a few fundamental mindset points that will help you focus in the right direction:
1. Homeschooling high school is not hard.
- By the time your child reaches a high school level, they, for the most part, learn independently. Even if he/she is not in the fully independent learner’s group at the moment, because of their natural development and your continued input, they will soon reach this level. Therefore, most of your involvement during high school years will consist of guiding and instructing rather than teaching.
- There are almost infinite resources available to achieve your high school goals. Not only can you benefit from myriads of book and video curricula, but also from reasonably-priced online and co-op classes as well as private tutors (or, good friends) who will take your student through subjects you don’t feel comfortable teaching.
- Each subject doesn’t have to last an entire year. You have the flexibility to choose which subjects to teach and also determine how long they should last.
2. Start with the end in mind.
I personally consider this to be the most important part of planning your child’s high school years. Just imagine: you only have four more years left to guide your child and help them make the right decisions. Keeping the end result in mind will determine how you compile your high school plan and structure your school days.
There are two areas you should focus on while thinking about the end:
- What “soft” skills (for example, communication, critical thinking, problem solving) does your child need to acquire?
- What “hard” skills (for example, technical skills, computer skills, foreign language) will he/she need to learn before entering the workforce?
Considering these questions will help you focus on that which is most important for your child. For example:
- Is your child a quiet individual having difficulties expressing themselves? They may profit from extensive speech and effective communication classes, which may take time away from advanced biology.
- Will your child pursue a college path? There are various programs available that will help them not only succeed in college later but also acquire a number of college credits while still in high school.
- Even if your child doesn’t exactly know what they “want to be when they grow up”, there are a number of both soft and hard skills extremely useful in life no matter which profession they will choose later. For example,
- Ability to type with all 10 fingers
- Advanced communication skills
- Finance management
- Time management
Formulate your ultimate goals and always make your high school decisions with the end in mind.
3. Invest your time in quality planning.
When I worked in a professional business, we were always reminded of one basic principle: “If anything goes wrong with your project, it is because of your poor planning.” Of course, there are unforeseen circumstances that effect your planning, however, if your plan is built well, you will be able to modify it in the middle of crisis and still achieve your goals.
4. Be flexible.
The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that you can direct your own path and set your own pace.
- Is your first four-year plan not working well? Modify it.
- Does your current curriculum not suit your child’s style? Try another one.
- Do you need to take a few days off to regain motivation and balance? Don’t feel guilty about it.
It is as simple as that. If you keep in mind that being flexible is a part of your high school education, it will be much easier for you to make decisions and also, it will eliminate much frustration when things don’t go well. Homeschooling is part of life and life is always changing and requires flexibility.
5. Plan not only with your child in mind, but actually with your child.
Even though your high schooler is still under your tutelage, they are also learning to make responsible life decisions and bear the consequences of these decisions. Involve them in planning their high school, teach them how to schedule, direct them to identify their learning style and together choose curricula that best fit this style. There is nothing more important for your child than to have a part in crafting their own future while still under your roof.
No matter how you choose to direct your child’s high school years, I am confident you will not find it as difficult as it may sound. If you keep your desired end in mind, plan accordingly, and be flexible to make the necessary changes, you will enjoy spending profitable time with your child before they start off on their independent life’s journey.
Do you have any other mindset points to add to our list? Please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
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