Most often when parents consider home schooling their children it’s early in the child’s education, usually in their elementary years. But if you’ve schooled them through the elementary and junior high years, you’re suddenly faced with teaching high school at home, which can be a completely different experience.
Here are some of the challenges you can expect to encounter
1. Your High Schooler Is Growing Independent
As your child ages, there’s a natural progression toward independence. This becomes particularly apparent in their high school years. And if you teach high school at home, you’ll quickly realize that your child doesn’t need the same level of guidance as he or she once did.
You’ll continue to follow a set curriculum and cover established subjects, but this is a time for your child to start working through the materials independently. Just as important as what he or she is learning is the process of learning, of discovering new ideas, and how various concepts interact. It’s a period of learning how to think independently.
So don’t let it scare you. Encourage this independence.
2. The Subject Matter Becomes More Advanced
As your home schooled child moves in the high school curriculum you may find yourself ill equipped to teach some of the subject matter. Whether it’s math or science or chemistry or English, it’s difficult to have a thorough knowledge of everything. So what do you do
There are a number of options. First, there’s nothing wrong with learning the material right along with your high schooler. You can both benefit from the educational materials.
If that’s not something you’re comfortable with, consider hiring a tutor for particular subjects. College students can be great in this role. There are also video courses available on just about any subject imaginable. Plus, you may find it helpful to team up with other parents in your area who are teaching high school at home and working together on various subject content. And you’ll find that there are a number of credited online schools where your child can learn particular subjects.
Don’t let the material scare you. There are a number of effective solutions that your child can draw upon to make sure he or she receives the best education possible.
3. The Diploma Dilemma
Yes, your child will be without a state accredited high school diploma. However, you can issue your own diploma when your child is ready to graduate. There are numerous online web sites that can help you put a diploma together that looks great.
However, it’s important to note that for college purposes, far more important that having a diploma is having the proper documentation demonstrating that your child has received a well-rounded and thorough education. This documentation also comes from you, in the form of transcripts, a portfolio of completed projects, and a summary of accomplishments. So you’ll want to maintain thorough records throughout your child’s home schooling experience to give him or her the best opportunity for college.
In addition, to proper record keeping, if your child is planning on attending college, it’s worth obtaining letters of recommendation from tutors, coaches, employers and others who’ve interacted with your child over the years and can offer additional perspectives on his or her capabilities, talents, integrity, etc.
Teaching high school at home is a significant shift from teaching your elementary school aged child, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare.
Tags: child moves, college students, educational materials, high schooler, natural progression, s education, school curriculum, subject matter, teaching high school, video courses