With my oldest daughter quickly approaching 8th grade, I’m starting to seriously think about what homeschooling through high school is going to look like for us. I won’t lie: it’s daunting and overwhelming.
If she’s going to go to college, high school is going to require a lot more diligence with regards to planning and record-keeping than I’ve been used to. Last Friday, on my personal blog I mentioned that with my younger two approaching reading independence, next year I might have a lot more free time on my hands. After looking through planning materials for high school, now I’m thinking maybe not.
A couple of years ago, I went to a seminar called Home School for High School with homeschooling mom and seminar speaker, Kathleen Duncan. If you are planning to homeschool through high school and have the opportunity to go to one of Mrs. Duncan’s seminars, I highly recommend it. I would go so far as to say that this seminar — and the binder of information you receive — is a must-have for any parent planning to homeschool through the high school years.
Another great source of information is HSLDA’s Homeschooling Through High School page. It is filled with links to additional information and printable brochures.
I’m starting to think about a rough course outline for my daughter’s high school years. One of the things Mrs. Duncan discusses in her seminar is that, as homeschoolers, we have some flexibility in the time frame during which credit hours are earned. One example is outlining the objectives for a particular course and awarding appropriate credit with the objectives have been met.
One way that I am considering using an “objectives outline course” is with my daughter’s literature courses. She’s not a strong reader, so rather than trying to cram all her required reading into a single semester or a single school year, I will list the books she will need to read to earn a credit in, say, American Literature. She may spread the reading out over a couple of years, if she needs to, but once the reading is complete, she will earn a credit for that course.
I’ll probably be sharing more ideas for homeschooling through high school as we enter this new season of our homeschooling journey, but if you’ve picked up any tips that you’d like to go ahead and share, I’d love to hear them.
Kris is the sweet-tea-drinking, classically eclectic, slightly Charlotte Mason, homeschooling mom to her three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
photo by DeaPeaJay
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Hi, been there and done that 2 times to graduation and one is now nearing the end of 9th grade. Have one to wrap up the HS career-but he won’t be there for 7 more years, thankfully. I have a ton of resources that I strolled thru constantly to help refresh my brain. I also do the grade when complete and just tuck it into a year on the transcript-usually when it was started (not finished) or in a year that needs more beef. So when my eldest wrapped up a certain math that may have taken 3 semesters to complete-I put under the year she started. Anyhoo-you can do it. I have a post on my blog (hsingonawingandaprayer.blogspot.com) about highschool-maybe 2 or so.
Take care.