How to Homeschool High School
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Homeschooling at any age requires planning and work on the part of parents, but when you decide to homeschool high school students, things get even more involved.
Homeschooling a teenager is not for the faint of heart!
The high school years set your child up for their future, whether that means college or heading straight into the workforce.
Knowing how to homeschool high school, making a decision about standard or online homeschool, and choosing the right homeschool curriculum set you both on the right path for success.
Homeschooling High School
Understanding State Requirements
Every state has specific requirements for the completion of high school.
Some of those apply to the homeschooling community, as well.
Stay up-to-date on the required courses and credits that students must complete and records that you are required to submit.
Staying on the right side of the law makes everyone’s homeschooling experience better.
Making Homeschool Curriculum Choices
Even in public school, students make choices about coursework.
Many of these decisions still apply when you’re choosing a homeschool curriculum.
You may have your teen wondering why study botany in high school as opposed to astronomy.
The answer comes down to which one is more interesting for them and what helps them get to their goals faster.
For instance, if they’re into engineering, try finding a homeschool engineering curriculum that clicks with them!
Within most online homeschool courses, students choose a general academic load or a rigorous honors program with challenging work.
When you are homeschooling high school, you also need to choose elective options that will help your student advance toward their future education and career path.
With the variety of homeschool curriculum choices and online homeschool options, you’ll have a lot of flexibility to tailor your child’s education to their dreams for the future.
But no matter what you choose, the curriculum should motivate kids to learn!
Keeping Good Transcripts and Records
Elementary and middle school grades and education are certainly important, but now transcripts start to count.
When your child applies to colleges, having a transcript of the courses completed and credits earned makes admission easier.
Within online homeschool, they usually create the transcript for you.
If you need to do this by hand, there are online templates that you can use to ensure that you’re including the right information.
Stay on top of this task throughout their high school education, as putting it off until graduation makes the job much more difficult.
Challenges of Homeschool High School Students
An important thing to keep in mind as you homeschool high school students is that there are always challenges.
Most of them, however, are easy enough to overcome.
Here are a few of the common challenges you’ll face and ideas to help handle them.
- Lack of social interaction – With a rigorous course load taught at home, it is tough to get social time. Make sure your child has activities outside the home and makes time for relationships with peers.
- Teaching subjects you don’t know – It’s been awhile since your days as a student. You probably won’t remember all of the topics that your child will need to learn. Turn to other homeschooling parents or friends who teach to help if you’re having a hard time. Online homeschool courses also provide great resources for you, as most give you access to a teacher.
- Handling procrastination – Kids around high school age can be lazy, let’s just be honest. They put things off until the last minute and then rush through. This always creates a less-than-optimal outcome. Make sure that you have set solid consequences if work isn’t completed on time, then follow through.
Though it can be a lot of work to homeschool high school students, the effort pays off for your kids.
By planning carefully, taking care with your homeschool curriculum choices, and making the most of online homeschool resources, success is well within reach!
