WHY I'M NOT AFRAID TO HOMESCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL

You’re definitely going to send Noah to school for high school, right?

This is the question Jarrod and I get on pretty much a bi-weekly basis. Our answer…always…we’re not sure. Yes, it’s lukewarm and wishy-washy, but it’s the truth. We have very open communication with all our kids, but most of all with Noah, our oldest, whom being 13 can handle talking about a wider variety of things than the other kids. Like for Vera, we mostly just talk about her getting down from the furniture. It’s fun.

We have been having the high school talk with Noah for over a year now.

How do you feel about homeschooling?

Do you have strong feelings about going to school or not going to school for high school?

We don’t want to mess up your life…help us here.

Eye rolls…eye rolls…eye rolls.

If I made him decide whether or not he was going to high school right this very minute, he would say…no.

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And if you were to ask me if I was afraid of teaching high school I would say the very same…no. The subject of high school once seemed so far away–I mean, SO far away–but what they tell you when you have babies about it going really fast is true and here we are, a year away from high school. High school and all it encompassed like geometry, chemistry, transcripts, and credits once gave me hives, but I am slowly shaking off the shivers. It’s uncharted waters for me, for us, this is true, but I have been so encouraged by several different factors and I’m not so freaked out any more.

Homeschooling ain’t what it used to be.

When we began homeschooling over seven years ago, the first mention that we homeschooled would send new acquaintances into a downright tizzy. Nowadays, it’s not so odd to homeschool. More and more people are choosing to educate their kids at home (called it) and have total control over their kids’ education. I know that if we choose to homeschool for high school, we will not be alone. There are many others choosing to do the exact same thing. As much as we homeschoolers like to do things independently, there’s also strength in numbers. It’s good to know people that have been in this spot before and those going through it with you.

I have confidence in me.

Picture me, suitcase in one hand, my guitar in the other, singing these words at the top of my lungs, skipping down the tree-lined road, hugely excited and confident for this new journey–high school! (the Von Trapps…whatever) I turn the corner, the mansion that is high school comes into view, I freak, drop my guitar and run for the closest public school to register.

Ha!

No really, at the risk of sounding too prideful–I am confident that I can teach my through high school if we choose to. Homeschooling has been our life for so long. It won’t be easy, but we can do it. We can seek help where we need to. We can take breathers when we need to. We can research and learn from others that have done this already. We can do this. I have confidence in us–the teacher, the student, the principal.

Having a high schooler around might be kinda nice.

Don’t remind me I said this when I’m totally annoyed, ok? But when I think about having another person to drive, run errands, help with daily things, and be a comic relief during our crazy days–I kinda like that thought.

The eighth grade trial run.

When we approach this school year, we’re (I’m–who am I kidding?) going to be looking at this year like a trial run. I’m choosing Noah’s courses carefully–he’s even earning a few high school courses this year. We’ll be keeping grades, I’ll be making a transcript and keeping better records, and treating this year like a trial high school run. So, hopefully when the real thing is here, we’ll know what’s up.

My son will kill it in high school.

Being a mom is so weird. My stomach flops over while I watch my son do certain things that would have fa-reaked me out at his age (maybe its a girl thing??) but he walks through them with confidence and grace. Through all our moving and different people we’ve met and activities we’ve done, I’ve watched Noah jump into them with both feet and not just follow along, but lead. Dude owns it. And he makes me proud. We’ve gone head to head plenty of times, don’t get me wrong. We’ve had our fair share of teeny-bopper “conversations,” but overall, this is a kid that can walk into a situation and just figure it out. I know high school will be no different for him, whether we choose to stay home or go to public school.

I’ve asked him many times how he feels about going to school. Right now, his choice is to stay home for high school (I totally know this could change. like many things in life, things change in an instant.) He has given me his own private reasons for wanting to stay home and they are all really valid and mature reasons, and I totally respect his thoughts. If we were deciding today, we would homeschool for high school. But that’s a year away. We’re doing like we’ve always done and taking things a year at a time.

I’ll get by with a little help from my (pretend) friends.

You guys, this internet thing is pretty amazing. Just doing the little research into high school that I’ve done so far has blown me away–there is so much great stuff out there. Most of these writers, bloggers, moms, I have never met–but they feel like friends.

I have talked about my friend Cindy many times here and she has been such a big help for me and so many others. She has great posts on making high school work.
Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, a fabulous blog I have the honor of posting for monthly, has post after post of great high school information.
I just listened to a webinar by Lee Binz the other night on high school transcripts where I learned so much. Her sight is full of info too!
This year, the 2015 Omnibus is so full of high school resources (UPDATE: this years Omnibus sale has ended) that I cannot wait to dig into! I’ve already started reading a couple, but here’s few that I am really excited to get to:

College Admissions for the Homeschooler–a talk by Kendra Fletcher
College Prep-Is Writing on Track–a talk by Kim Kautzer
Creating a High School Transcript–a talk by Vicki Tillman
Facing the Giant-Homeschooling Through High School–a talk by Terri Johnson
Homeschool Transitions from Elementary to Middle to High School–a talk by Megan Zechman
Homeschooling High School: It’s Not as Hard as You Think by Meredith Henning
Homeschooling Your Teen the Charlotte Mason Way–a talk by Sheila Carroll
Project-Based Learning in the Middle and High School Years–a talk by Cindy West
Putting Together a Four-Year Plan for High School–a talk by Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau
The Homeschool Advantage in College Admissions and Scholarships–a talk by Dr. Jennifer Bernstein
What Your Child Needs to Know When by Robin Sampson

Many on this list are MP3 files, which is actually awesome because I love to listen while I’m folding clothes or making dinner. I just leave a notebook beside me in case I need to jot down a quick note for later. If I purchased each of these resources separately, it would total about $60 (!!), but you can purchase all of these, plus 113 more courses, eBooks, and MP3s for just $25. You can see a full catalog of all the resources here.

To conclude this, I’m circling back to the big “I don’t know” about next year. But what I do know is that this year, we are getting ready for another year at home. We’re going to be thankful for this year that we have together, while keeping next year in the back of our minds–keeping them open for whatever might come.

Comments

blue corduroy says

August 6, 2015 at 10:03 pm

Really awesome to hear your thoughts on High School Alicia! I also have an eight grader in the fall, and we have every intention to home school her "all the way through". That was our intention from the start, and still feel like the exact reason we started homeschooling in the first place. Why give them into someone else's hands once we've laid down the foundation. I want to tend this little plant of mine and reap the harvest myself! And isn't it awesome, as they grow, how wonderful it is to see their interests blossom and to have the time to foster those amazing gifts of theirs. Proud of you mama, and so nice to know we're not the only ones. xo emily
Mandy says

August 6, 2015 at 5:30 pm

Yep, we always weren't sure about high school either, but at this point…. well, I see my kids and what they are learning ,etc, and I just don't want to lose that. We have a top notch high school here, but the stories I hear still make my stomach drop. I am open to where God leads, but at this point? We will be homeschooling high school too.
Dara says

August 6, 2015 at 3:16 pm

Absolutely you could do it. I started being homeschooled in 7th grade, after attending public and private schools (back in the 80s), so for me homeschooling my own kids through high school (like my parents did for me) has never seemed intimidating. I just think there are so many great options out there for dual enrollment, online classes, work experience, pursuing passions and not wasting time on a bunch of high school angst. I can't imagine how bored and annoyed my kids would be at having to sit at desks all day long when they've had the freedom of homeschooling. 🙂
Monica T. says

August 6, 2015 at 1:53 pm

I think it's impressive and a great idea! Our son is a very good student, but I felt like his junior high/early high school experience (teacher wise) wasn't so great, and we ended up doing so much at home, that he may as well have been home schooled! Have a great school year.
Christi says

August 6, 2015 at 10:40 am

I loved this post. All along, it's been so interesting to me that pretty much everyone has assumed that when we got to high school… we'd send the boys to "real" school. I'm not afraid to homeschool high school either. Of course it's uncharted territory – hasn't every other grade been, too? That being said, my oldest is more than likely going to "real" school for high school in a couple of years for sports. In GA, you cannot play on school teams as a homeschooler & he wants to continue to play baseball. So we'll see. Like you, if that's what he chooses to do – he'll rock it! But I'm glad this year is only 7th grade. 😁