Homeschooling highschool: the next in line

In a blink of an eye, time passes quickly. Looking back I remember when my oldest was just starting high school. I wondered what that was going to look like. Would I be able to keep up with the new demands? And how would he adapt?

Now I stand at the same point with my second born. Sure, for the past year he’s completed some high school work already – but this year he’ll be classified to the world at large as an official “highschooler”.

Knowing what I know now, I am much more relaxed. These are exciting years as the teen begins to take the academic wheel, steering it towards their future. I’ve seen such fantastic growth and maturity in my first born… I can’t wait to see the path for my second born as well!Knowing what I know now, I am much more relaxed. These are exciting years as the teen begins to take the academic wheel, steering it towards their future. I’ve seen such fantastic growth and maturity in my first born…. I can’t wait to see the path for my second born as well!

My advice to homeschooling highschool. Honestly? In my opinion, high school is easier than teaching them how to read and so rewarding as you move towards handing them the steering wheel of their future. Stick to their strengths, adapt curriculum to their weaknesses and guide them in opportunities that will open doors.

And most importantly, BREATHE!

You can do this!!!

Then one day you realize graduation is closer than you think! Where did the time go?

Here we sit on the very edge of the next chapter in our homeschool journey and I can recall a conversation from years ago with my husband that went something like this: like this:

“Hey Honey, did you see how grounded ‘so-and-so’s’ children are in their faith and how much they love to learn?”
“Yes, I noticed.”
“You know, they’ve been homeschooling and have graduated 2 out of 5 kids already. The graduated kids are fully functioning adults!”
“That is remarkable! They certainly aren’t like the neighborhood kids!!”
“Well, I’d like to try homeschooling preschool and kindergarten. How badly could I mess up?”
“There’s NO WAY you could mess up!!”

And so it began….

We flew through “preschool” and finished Kindergarten early. Now we were faced with a problem. It was “time” to enroll him for Kindergarten, but he was 1/2 way through his 1st grade curriculum. Putting him in school at his ‘chronological’ grade would leave him bored. The school wouldn’t consider putting him in school at his ‘ability level.’

So, we continued on.

I had planned on just taking one year at a time and evaluate schooling for the next year – each year.

Somewhere, somehow homeschooling became less about “keeping up with public school” and more about a “lifestyle of learning”.

I’m so grateful for this metamorphosis in thinking because today my highschooler-to-be not only has a strong foundation on Jesus, BUT has a love for learning and a desire for knowledge. Something I desperately wished I had gotten from my schooling years.

The journey has been worth the hours of preparation, teaching, counseling and skinned knees from much prayer.

Which years later leads us up to this: Highschool!