So, you will soon have a rising 9th grade student. Hooray! Congratulate yourself and your student for making it this far.
But what’s next? It is not out of the ordinary for a little apprehension to sneak into your thoughts when a child reaches this stage. What should you focus on when beginning these exciting final years of homeschooling your child? After all, it’s not ALL about the academics, but also preparing children for the adult years. What can a parent do to make the high school years more meaningful, yet make sure this child has the tools needed for adulthood?
This may be a good time for a little assessment and possibly investment. What type of learner is your child? Could they possibly be driven by an interest that would blossom into a career? Does your student have the qualities of a pastor or a missionary? Does your son or daughter have a passion for the armed forces that may lead into a military career? All these questions are legitimate to consider. Perhaps spending a little time exploring books such as What Color is Your Parachute, Discover What You’re Best At, or Who is This Kid? Colleges Want to Know may help you get a broader perspective of how to guide your young person as they move on up in the years of secondary education and begin thinking toward college and adulthood. Introduce the books to your student and set a date and time for a special meeting to talk about high school planning. Let them choose the location if possible: maybe the park or their favorite coffee shop. Once the time arrives, relax and dialog with them to help identify what they think their life may look like once they have graduated from high school. Word to the wise: It’s important for well-meaning and loving parents to remember that this is about their student’s life and livelihood and not our own desires for their lives. Easier said than done, sometimes!
Consider your child’s personality and giftings. When you talk with your student you may suggest that they complete a spiritual gifts assessment and/or personality test such as the Enneagram or the Myers-Briggs test, many of which can be found for free online. A web search to find a variety of career options may be something of tremendous value. As they look for ideas, encourage them to consider different workplace scenarios for the jobs that appeal to them, and how the daily tasks and work environment may line up with their personality or spiritual gifts results. This exercise may help create a deeper level of self-awareness, too.
A little prayer (or maybe a lot) and forward-thinking can be very helpful while choosing curriculum for high school. As always, be sure you know your state requirements. Also, if your child has a college or two in mind, check the admission requirements. The college may also have specific entrance requirements for homeschoolers. It is always good to make sure your bases are covered regarding credits and rigor for college prep, even if your student declares they are not going to attend college. It’s easier to plan basic college prep ahead of time than to play catch up later. The “typical “high school graduation requirements are 4 credits of language arts, 3 credits of mathematics, 3 credits of science, 3 credits of social studies, 2 credits of foreign language, ½ credit of health, 2 credits of physical education, and 5 or more elective credits. You can find more on this information here on our website by clicking and viewing the workshop handout for “Entering the High School Zone with Ruth Tennis”.
If your student has a good idea of what they want to pursue after high school, you can work toward that in planning coursework. In addition, you can also groom their elective classes and extracurricular activities to complement their interests and intentions, providing the makings of a solid high school transcript, and allowing them time to develop their passion. For example, if you have a student interested in a medical field, they should prepare by focusing on chemical and biological sciences and strong mathematics. A student interested in becoming a pastor or missionary would benefit from elective courses in Bible, world view, religious studies, and strong oral and written communication in language arts. A foundation in literary analysis would also be helpful. A student who plans to study business may benefit from courses in entrepreneurship, personal finance, computer science, keyboarding, and accounting. A student looking intro agricultural fields could benefit from entrepreneurship, agriculture mechanics, mathematics, and animal sciences.
After all of this, you may wonder, “Hmm, what could I have I possibly forgotten?” Life skills! A study in personal finance or consumer math is ideal to prepare all students for life on their own. Does your student have good interpersonal skills? Are they able to write a good resume and communicate affectively by listening, asking purposeful questions, resolving conflicts, etc.? Make sure they can make a doctor or dentist appointment, change a tire, and keep track of their own schedule. Doing their own laundry, planning, and cooking a few nutritious meals from scratch, shopping for a bargain, and doing basic home maintenance like changing a furnace filter are imperative.
As a homeschooling parent, it’s easy to overanalyze and live in a place of self-doubt regarding one’s ability to homeschool through the high school years. With a little forethought, preparation, and time, you can relax and enter the high school years with your child in an effective and meaningful way. ~ Judy
