Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. ~ Proverbs 19:21 NIV
Today I want to talk a bit about planning for high school homeschooling. Today, my children are 25, 17, 17, 16 and 7.
Right now I am homeschooling one child through high school and honestly, I wish I could go back in time and have taught them all at home. What I have learned is that there are so many opportunities to support who your child is while teaching them at home.
And, there are so many resources available that make planning to homeschool high school easier than it sounds!
For me, my number one resource has been the HSLDA website. I just really like their Homeschooling thru High School section. I have used their “Developing a Plan for High School” information and found it very concise and easy for me to use.
I like to see the “big” picture of what needs to be accomplished in four years. Then, I take it year by year and then course by course. I add in when my son needs to take the SAT. Big things like that.
Each year, I have adjusted courses and switched out things, like one math for another. But, overall I have a plan that has us on a college track, and we should have no bad surprises when he begins applying for college.
Once I have a feel for the overall plan, I begin thinking about what my son’s special gifts are. What do I want to help him develop? Do I want to steer him into an elective playing guitar or an internship with a chef? Should I add astronomy as an elective? Things like that.
I also think about his emotional needs and strengths. What bible studies would fill requirements and also really benefit him? How can we adapt for needs? We need extra writing practice…etc.
My rough draft plans look pretty good!
Then, I talk to my son and his Dad. We narrow down our focus to the upcoming year, keeping in mind the general idea of what needs to be done to stay on track for college. I ask my son to plug in his ideas into his schedule. I ask him for help on what courses he really likes and wants to actually do. My husband looks at everything. He will give his opinion and advice, which often leads to a specific curriculum. We will pray together over it all. I like that this way, we are all aware of what is being done.
The one thing I have learned as a Christian and a Mom is that I cannot control everything. I can try. I can be assertive and stubborn…and sometimes get what I want. But, what I want does pale in comparison to what God gives us. I pray for God to give me leading and direction and he always does just that.
Here is a good short video by Lee Binz of the HomeScholar on what courses your high schooler should take:
Here are a few favorite picks for planning homeschooling through high school resources:
About Heather Quinn-Schilling
Thanks for sharing Lee’s video today, Heather! With Gracie entering 8th grade this year, I needed to make some notes of what we need to be thinking about for next year. Great article!
Oh, I cannot believe how quickly they are all growing up! I am that video existed:) I think Lee is very concise and I really like her stuff.
Great article! The thing that always helped calm me through the high school jitters with our older two and now our youngest (in addition to Lee!) was that God has a plan for our kids. I’m not bigger than His plan, so I can’t derail it no matter how hard my mess ups try. With planning, preparation, and prayer, I will do my best and He’ll fix the rest.
Thanks, Stephanie! Yes, I am always amazed by how well our homeschool has come together, often in spite of me! I am actually really looking forward to going through all this with my youngest now that I know it is not as complicated as it may sound!
Great article! I have 4 in high school next year. One thing I like about homeschooling in high school is my criteria does not HAVE to match the public school criteria. I do follow what HSLDA suggests for those planning to go to college and I keep to all the basics for typical high school graduation BUT I have one daughter that is delayed. She’ll be 18 next week and is on the aspergers spectrum. She’s only doing 5th/6th grade work. I told her I’d “graduate” her next year IF she completes all the criteria I have for her. She won’t be able to get get thru algebra, her mind doesn’t think that abstractly. Her writing is still grade school-ish. But if we work on independent living skills….reading recipes (dividing it, increasing it); make a budget and keep it balanced; daily household upkeep; mending; etc. Knowing, showing, these things I’ll let her graduate next year with the understanding that education doesn’t stop there. One of my main reasons is that when she has a family her kids won’t disrespect her because she didn’t graduate until she was 25. She’s agreeable….at least for now LOL
Hi Vickie! It is always good to hear from you:)! You know, I realize I am lucky (in some ways) that I have only one to get ready to graduate from homeschool in the near future. I know you have such a large family and I know there are many, many paths kids can take. I agree wholeheartedly that you do not have to match up with public school–I should have added a paragraph for those daring souls who do more unschooling and nontraditional type paths! Even within homeschooling, there is such a range of choices! You bring up an interesting point about homeschooling with a child with additional needs. I, too, have made some modifications for my child with Add. You really do need to make your plans based on what YOUR child needs. It is impossible (yes, I tried) to fit a child to a curriculum. Vice versa works much better, lol. I like how you are approaching the idea of your daughter graduating. You do want to support her in the ways she needs. I would be interested to hear from some of our special needs experts about how to handle this…perhaps Penny Ray will share sometime, too. And, it is something we all want for our children, I think…to have them continue their education because they want to–all throughout their lives!
Thanks for sharing my video – I’m SO GLAD you have found it helpful! I remember how it was scary to be a homeschool mom looking at high school – yikes! I do have lots of freebies that I hope will make life easier for you: http://www.thehomescholar.com/homeschool-freebies.php. I love helping parents homeschool high school, and I try to make it easy-breezy, not crazy-scary. Thanks for the great article, Heather!
Blessings,
Lee
I love the video, and all of your great advice and resources!
Thank you, Lee! I enjoy many of your resources:)
Thank you, Heather. People always ask me about teaching the boys through High School, as if I were going to be teaching them to do brain surgery or plan NASA missions. I’m looking forward to the High School years, and I love all the great advice and support available from other homeschool moms.