We have always intended to home school our children through high school, but this winter, with 9th grade for our oldest fast approaching, we had to "officially" commit to that course of action. And we did, but it was a very big deal to me which consumed hours upon hours of thought and prayer and later, planning. I was confident of our daughter's ability to manage her time and study well, and I was pretty confident of my ability to provide instruction (either myself or someone else), but I was not very confident of my ability to be the guidance counselor, to make a four year plan for high school that would adequately prepare her for college, to make sure I had graduation requirements and college entrance requirements all covered. If I made a mistake and ruined her future, there would be no-one else to blame!
It was an entirely new hat to wear, and has taken some getting used to. I have been blessed to have had several homeschool friends and mentors with children slightly older than mine, but none of those I know well and in real life have chosen to continue homeschooling through high school (not a judgment of their choices, simply a fact). So it has been and will be another learning curve for me.
I am thankful to say that we now have a four year plan in place for our daughter that I have shared with a public school counselor and a private school counselor, and has passed muster! It is academically rigorous, but with electives tailored to her gifts and interests. It is not set in stone, but it's a framework that we feel much peace about. And I, personally, am very relieved that the initial intense learning and planning is over! She will have two online classes next year with certified teachers other than me (Literature and Spanish I). She has been in our virtual co-op for three years and is used to the technical aspects of an online class, but these classes will be much more demanding and grades will have to be earned by her (read that: daily homework, and at least in Spanish, homework will have to be uploaded to the teacher prior to class) and awarded by someone other than me (a great experience for homeschool students!). Also, many colleges want incoming freshmen to have experience with online classes, so this will more than cover that!
There are many homeschool co-ops in our area that are tailored to high schoolers, but after praying about it and even visiting one, we felt that it was not a good fit for the four year plan God gave to our family. We will continue with our writing co-op on Friday mornings, and do the rest of our schooling at HOME, together. At least that is the plan for now. ;-)
So, all of this to say, if my posts have seemed sporadic and picture-less until recently, it's because my brain cells and time were otherwise occupied. And if you are a homeschooler planning to homeschool through high school, let's support each other! And if you are not a homeschooler but you know someone who IS, please pray for them as they embark on their high school journey, especially if it is with their oldest and they've never done it before. And if you know of a homeschool family who is sending their high schooler to building school for the first time, pray for them as they make that huge transition. And how is it possible that my baby is about to enter high school?!?! ONLY FOUR YEARS LEFT?!?!?! Excuse me while I freak out for a moment......
Last but definitely not least, I am so thankful that God guides and directs in every decision! He is good!
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5 comments:
i do have a good friend who is mom to five and has homeschool them all, start to finish. two have graduated from college now and are working in their field of study. her youngest i think is in middle school now. let me know if you would like her contact info.
I will freak out with you! Yes - the time seems to go way to quickly. But I'm confident that Sweet G will be ready for all that God has in store for her. I, for one, am getting very excited for the next school year. And this one isn't even done yet!
I am exactly where you are! My oldest will be homeschooling high school starting next year. I have been consumed with planning and today we met with a guidance counselor to go over our plan. We have a fairly rigorous course laid out, but because we choose not to use a UC approved text book we were told she will have a hard time justifying her courses on a UC of CA application. But with faith we will go with our plan. I support you and all the other families who make these tough decisions. God Bless, Dana
That is so great that you have all that help and provision to do those things in the big plan. I have felt completely overwhelmed and absolutely alone in this process. I am especially feeling the pressure now that my daughter is starting her senior year, yet, I don't exactly know what she is ready for in life. So I think although we have goals, we are taking things one step at a time.
Blessings,
Laurie
After looking at and applying at an art school, my daughter decided to be homeschooled through high school as well. So, we will be starting 9th grade in the fall too! This whole process has been a little nerve wracking to me. We still need to sit down and plan out our 4 years, but so far I've been focusing on what we're doing next year.
So many choices and decisions to make. I just need to remember to pray and allow God to guide.
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