Relax! High School Isn't That Different!

This week some of the Schoolhouse Review Crew are sharing some thoughts about homeschooling through high school.  How to handle the high school years seems to be one of big concerns of those who are just starting out homeschooling, those who are considering homeschooling, and the skeptics.

For anyone who is feeling a bit anxious about just how to homeschool through high school, here's a bit of perspective.  How many of us, when we brought our first infant home, spent a lot of time worrying about how they would learn to ride a bike?  Did we lie awake at night stressing about balancing their sports schedule with church activities?  Or planning out our strategy for how we would handle dating? (Okay, when our daughter was born, my husband immediately decreed that she wouldn't be allowed to date until she was at least 30 years old.  But the topic has rarely come up again since then.)  Most of us focused on being as efficient as possible in diaper changes and left potty training concerns for down the road.  Most of us needed to make sure the baby was properly fed and kept comfortable, and that all of us got enough sleep.

It's the same with homeschooling through high school.  Don't stress about how you'll teach algebra and high school chemistry if your students are still in Kindergarten. As you get closer to those years, you'll find the information and encouragement you need.  And as you get started, you may also be pleasantly surprised to find that it's really not that hard!

I remember when we started homeschooling, a lot of people asked us if we planned to continue homeschooling all the way through high school.  Looking back, I realize that was sort of like asking a parent of a newborn if they were going to keep their child all the way through their teen years.  Ummm.... yeah.  God gave me these children, so I will keep them! And God led us to home educate, so unless He tells us otherwise, we'll stick with that plan!

Depending on your homeschool style, your state's laws, and the type of oversight you have, you may need to make some adjustments during the middle school years in order to be prepared for a good high school at home experience.  In our homeschool, we needed to move towards more structure and record-keeping.  I wrote a little bit more detail about it for the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop - you can click here to read my post, I Love It When A Plan Comes Together.  There are so many resources available to help parents navigate through high school level courses - besides the many wonderful textbooks designed for homeschoolers, there are online courses, and co-ops, and the opportunities to dual enroll in community colleges, and many others.  

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, 

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

~Proverbs 1:7~

Visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog (this link will be live on Tuesday, September 4th) to see what other Crew members have to say.  You can also visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog homepage to see the reviews we are working on, past reviews, and past blog cruise topics.