Homeschooling High School: - Try it, you'll like it

Intimidation mounts gradually as the grades tick by for homeschoolers. For some reason people don't question much that we can teach a child to read or master basic math. With middle school comes a new set of questions -- how do you know enough to teach your kids?

Are you really smarter than a 5th grader?

High school pounds this home with explosive intensity. Really? You really think you can teach Latin or Spanish, and Calculus, and Physics, and Government, and science labs, and research papers? You really think your child can go to college having never stepped foot in a traditional classroom? All with YOU as the primary teacher?

Well, yes, in fact, I think so. Maybe.

Although my passion for homeschooling doesn't waiver, my confidence in myself took a serious nose-dive.

After much prayer, we decided to press on. The benefits of enrolling in a traditional school were nearly non-existent in comparison to homeschooling, so we tried our hand at freshman year.

Honestly, that was a hard year. Really hard in some ways. This man-child inches past me in height, and in some academic subjects as well. We communicate differently, learn differently, and excel in different areas. I had to learn to capitalize on the weaknesses that hovered between us.

At the end of freshmen year I had almost had it. I felt like we were driving a hundred miles an hour -- in opposite directions. Then, something snapped.

It came right after I decided to just give up on really trying and just coast to graduation. My husband caught me in that one. A godly, loving parent could never push that ejector seat button and just bail out. 

So, I pulled back and prayed. and prayed. and prayed.

On a calmish day I sat down for a real heart-to-heart with my newly 15 year old. I dug in, searching for the deep waters that Proverbs says the heart holds. I found them. God met us there and everything changed directions.

I saw his respect for me visibly improve. I felt my love for him surge. We could carry on in a productive, God-honoring way. And I almost missed it.

I almost gave up, put him on the bus, sent him off somewhere, anywhere. But God. God spoke through my wise husband and pulled us all back together again.

Now, a year later, I cannot tell you the gratitude that I have for this past year. He asks for advice. We discuss college and courses of study. Such an exciting time! First job, college applications, placement exams, seeing the fruit of all these years, and even the pressing through those tough days and seasons.

Don't miss this time in your teen's life, or even another 6-8 hours a day of it. They'll already have work and volunteer opportunities likely pulling them away now and then, we don't need them gone for school on top of that.

Dream together. college, jobs, careers, relationships.

Discuss it all. I treasure the real life conversations we have now. No more imaginary, if I could fly or why is the sky blue talk. Now we talk about real things. The nightly news, deep biblical doctrines, international politics, church government issues, caring for orphans, and all kinds of other meaty topics that come up because we live life together.Yeah, there's still board games and laughing through Balderdash and family movie night, and so many other fun moments, too, but life is still full of teachable moments.

I had no idea I would enjoy this season as much as I do. And, I get to go through this five more times. :)

You can homeschool high school

You can do it, even if you don't feel like it.

Many homeschoolers get scared away by topics like trigonometry, chemistry, and foreign language. I will readily admit that it all sounds a bit intimidating, but as we charge to the end of our first child's sophomore year, I'm living proof that it can be done.

This week we experienced an exciting affirmation. My son, almost 16, went to the community college to take the entrance exams so he can begin dual-enrollment classes there this summer.

He had to take two tests -- reading and math to secure his spot in the appropriate class. He is currently nearing the end of Saxon Advance Mathematics with me as his teacher. Yep, me. The one who always has to look up what sin means (at least outside of Bible class). The one who needs reminders about what a natural logarithm is, and even with a reminder I will admit I don't really understand it.

So, how'd he do?

Proud mama moment . . . He easily passed the college level reading proficiency required by many of the classes (history, science, etc.). And, he tested into the highest class they test for -- college level calculus.

I can assure you he did not accomplish this because he had some wise knowledgeable teacher guiding him through pre-caluclus. It was just me and Saxon's book, not even the DIVE CD's.

Success is not guaranteed, but it is possible, and there are some things I did right to get here. Despite my pretty pathetic track record with blogging lately, I am going to start a series of posts and homeschooling high school and some of what I am learning, even as I admit that I am still a rookie in this venture.

I did a lot of things wrong -- started serious record keeping late, didn't do enough writing over the years, let myself get intimidated by my weaknesses, let high school sneak up on me, and on and on. God gives grace and wisdom where I had none. You don't need to be the perfect parent or the perfect teacher, just a God- surrendered one willing to seek out the answers, and surround your home with the resources for each child to be all that God has created him or her to be. And, when you have an off week, or an off month, or even an off year, God can restore those seasons.

I walked through some seasons of the locust devouring everything around me and I thought we could never make up the last opportunities and time. God is so good, and we stand here jaw dropped at test scores that live that out.

Surprise, surprise, my kids' success isn't all about me.But, stay tuned and I will share some of what we did right along the way to get here.

Strike is imminent . . .

All the striking teachers over the course of this school year have gotten me thinking . . .

I think I'm long overdue for a strike. Twelve years without a raise, and the work load just keeps increasing. Here are some of the demands I could seek, followed by my current working conditions.



We could definitely use some better working conditions.
- cleaning vomit from student's bed sheets before school can begin
- maintaining the cleanliness of the entire school building before during and after school hours
- no breaks, unless you count stopping to prepare the students' lunches
- holidays may be taken at your discretion unless any student might decide to want to do some extra work

Or at least, more narrowed work responsibilities
- Lunch lady
- transportation coordinator
- curriculum selector and purchaser
- handle all classroom discipline no matter the extent including any detentions or outside consequences.
- manage all extra curricular activities, or research, hire and fund any personnel outside of regular classroom
- after school care
- study hall supervisor
- school secretary, security, and assistant principal. Must screen all calls and visitors before during and after school hours.


Maybe more reasonable hours?
- Monday through Friday and occasional weekends. Teaching might begin as early as 8:00 and continue through dinner for various students. Weekends are not guaranteed off, and teachers are expected to always be on the lookout for teachable moments to reinforce classroom learning. On call tutoring at any time, even as late as 8:30 pm on occasion. 
- Teaching will diminish during summer months, with occasional days off here and there.

Adequate pay
- No monetary compensation whatsoever.

Continuation of employment not based on student performance (and yet, many want homeschooler's to submit to annual tests and perhaps relinquish their right to homeschool if their child isn't meeting standards. Seems a little inconsistent on the part of educators, don't ya' think?)
- This is really kind of irrelevant, my kids are all thankfully thriving, I just threw it in there for the sake of argument.


So, why do I keep at it?

Benefits:
- Relational bond with students for the remainder of your life
- Intimate knowledge of students and boundless opportunities to pour into a priceless life.
- Sticky kisses from younger students
- Aha! moments
- Inside jokes
- Visible impact academically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.
- Truly immeasurable

Of course, I'll be back at it in the morning, and most mornings for the next 16 years. I wouldn't have it any other way.

One Word

Yes, once again, February is my new January . . . Although I have been mentally going after this goal already, it has taken me a month to actually sit down and write about it, and give me the tenacity to speak my goals publicly.

This word came as it often does, rather suddenly.

I thought I wouldn't have a word this year, just focus on some specific areas that I want to re-establish and suddenly I realized that it all fit neatly in one goal, one word -- discipline.

Honestly, an area that I have often struggled in. People label me organized, responsible, and other orderly sounding words, but I knew the discipline that truly merited those labels was not a part of my character.

Well, I can be disciplined for a day, or two. But, true discipline requires long term commitment and change. Discipline needs to seep into your habits and character and change you, not just an hour.

Now, I have a year to tackle that.

Discipline in my health, in homeschool records, in housekeeping, in bedtime schedules, in stewardship, in budgeting, in life. Discipline.

How's it going so far? Well, I've blogged 5 times in one month! I haven't done that in a year, so that's looking up. :) Granted, 5 is barely more than once a week, so I have a ways to go before that habit is back in shape.

I've kept track of money spent for a whole month and stayed under budget in groceries. Yeah! It always catches up with me at some point, but I really want to stay on top of that more consistently. Discipline does not deserve its name if it lacks consistency.

My real excitement has come with a new schedule for exercise, better eating habits, and some weight loss goals. I haven't set a weight loss goal in 20 years. I've occasionally focused on getting in shape, exercising more or being healthier, but a specific number has never been a target for me since shortly before my wedding (my college roommate and I set ourselves a little challenge to lose a few pounds together over the summer). Anyway, I lost 5 pounds in January and have the goal of losing (oh, I cringe to say this for fear of falling short . . .) 15 more. Okay, there it is. I think it's doable, but I'm terrified of fizzling out or getting stuck, or realizing that it was unrealistic for an old lady like myself to trim down that much.

Spark People has been a great tool in helping me stay on track and making me aware of the little calories that add up, and how often I forget to drink water.

The other areas, record keeping, bedtime, and housekeeping are still needing more of my "One Word," But that's why I have a year to focus on it.

Discipline. I'm in for the long haul.

Art resources for your homeschool

37 FREE Online Art and Music Resources by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/37-free-online-art-and-music-resources.html

Homeschool Without Traditional Art by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfbeauty.html

Draw What? by TechWife@A Playground of Words
http://playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/draw-what.html

Flower Pony Tail Holders - Beginning Sewing Projects by Julie @
Highhill Education
http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/flower-pony-tail-holders.html

Seeking Beauty- Virtual Curriculum Fair by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me
http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/seeking-beauty-virtual-curriculum-fair.html

Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not by Erin @ Delighting
in His Richness
http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/creating-artsy-homeschool-even-if-youre.html

Living with an Artsy Boy by Annette @ A Net In Time
http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/living-with-an-artsy-boy.html

Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not

My daughters have amazing abilities in the arena of arts and crafts. I do not.

See the cute duct tape outfit for Miss Build-a-Bear? I had nothing to do with that.

I tried knitting, making crafts, painting, and more, but they all either bore me or show my extreme incapabilities. These aren't core school subjects, but they should have some place at some point in a well rounded education, so what was I to do?

Here is how we filled my artistic void.

Outsource. Crochet at co-op, knitting from one grandma, sewing from the other. My girls are amazing, and no thanks to me. See Bob? A few crochet classes and Paige took off with her skills. A knowledgeable neighbor, a class at the library, relatives -- skilled teachers are hidden all around you.

YouTube! After a good start with a real live person, YouTube has taught the next steps. How to do various techniques, inspiration for new projects, and ideas galore. Obviously there is plenty of junk on there, but careful searches can uncover lots of helpful clips.

Curriculum. Whatever you want to learn, someone has written a book or course for it. We have really enjoyed See The Light! art DVDs. It will take your child through a whole year or more of solid art teaching.

Just do it. Last year we spent each Tuesday outside sketching, weather permitting. Everyone got a little better over the year. No real teaching, just spending time with pencil in hand, drawing whatever caught our eye that day. I loved this relaxing break in our week, and painless art integration.

Independent exploration. I try to make sure that each week or so my kids have time to choose their activity. Some use it better than others, but many of them have found something that they wanted to learn about or discover on their own. Skills and hobbies need to bubble over from personal interest. We can take an art class and never use it. Or, we can find a book on rocks and suddenly discover the best thing in the world.

Letting kids pursue their interests and hooking them up with the resources, books, and skilled teachers to help them excel are all part of a healthy homeschool atmosphere. I may not bring the art, but I know where to find it.

Check out other art resources at the Virtual Curriculum Fair:

37 FREE Online Art and Music Resources by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/37-free-online-art-and-music-resources.html

Homeschool Without Traditional Art by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfbeauty.html

Draw What? by TechWife@A Playground of Words
http://playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/draw-what.html

Flower Pony Tail Holders - Beginning Sewing Projects by Julie @
Highhill Education
http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/flower-pony-tail-holders.html

Seeking Beauty- Virtual Curriculum Fair by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me
http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/seeking-beauty-virtual-curriculum-fair.html

Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not by Erin @ Delighting
in His Richness
http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/creating-artsy-homeschool-even-if-youre.html

Living with an Artsy Boy by Annette @ A Net In Time
http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/living-with-an-artsy-boy.html

Math for the Natural

Teaching a subject to a child who seems to naturally acquire knowledge in that area without underchallenging them can prove difficult.

My children clearly have inherited my husband's mind for all things mathematical. Logic comes natural to them, numbers made sense from early on, and my sophomore is now racing beyond my knowledge and ability in the subject.

The individuality of homeschooling means that they don't have to stifle their natural gifting in this area to remain at level with 28 other kids. But, how do you let a child soar most effectively when walking is clearly easier to teach?

In our own homeschool we have applied these principles to math, but many will carry over to other areas where you might see advanced skills.

Don't hold them back. Stating the obvious, I know. I often hear parents talk about the kids reading chapter books at a young age or delighting them with advanced artisitic abilities. Wouldn't if be ridiculous to tell a child, "You can't paint that you should just be scribbling at your age." or "Don't read that book, in first grade you should still be learning phonics. Put that book down so we can work through the material." For some reason, in math we tend to follow the book and might ignore early signs that our child is ready for much more mathematically.

Don't let their developmental ability hinder them. My kids did not like writing (still don't), in part due to some issues with dyslexia and dysgraphia. No problem, math can easily be done orally. If they had to write all the answers to their assignments they dragged through it. Orally we could plow through two lessons in 15 minutes. Let them fly rather than clipping their wings so they stay in the fence. By third grade I would require that they completely wrote out the answers to their tests, and we gradually phased out most of the oral "homework" by 5th grade.

Part B to that, start "formal" math when it's right for the child. I know some buck formal math until double digits, but I think it can be introduced gently and even with rigor long before then. My 4 year olds always want to do real school like their older siblings, so we jump right into the 1st grade math book at whatever pace they desire. Often they are done with first grade before first grade age and we move on from there. We make it light and fun and integrate it with real life, but I don't wait until the "right" age to begin.

Skip what they already know. This is probably the second biggest reason my kids are way ahead of where they should be in math. Most curriculums begin with LOTS of review. If you compare the lessons to the previous year the first 20-30 lessons are just catching up the "class" to the same spot and reviewing what kids might have forgotten over a summer break. I begin where I know my child needs to begin.

Here's how this looks in our routine. We review about 10 lessons a day for 2-3 days when first starting a new math book. When it seems like we are hitting some potentially challenging material I have them take the test that we had worked our way up to. As long as they do well on the test (A or maybe a high B) we start there. Sometimes we might still do a couple lessons a day for a few more days, or if they struggled with the test we will back up a bit.

Reward their success. Even gifted kids will sometimes hit a roadblock and even feel dumb. Rewarding their success, bragging on them (not to the annoyance of others, hopefully), and encouraging their hard work will help them see their skills. I don't know how often I have to tell some of my kids that they are brilliant at math and they still go through spells of questioning it now and then when they struggle with a new concept. Eventually it sinks in. Some might find benefit from the "proof" in a standardized test. Whatever it takes, let your child know they are smart and give God the glory for making them in that way.

Don't test them to death. Speed drills definitely have value to cement basic math facts, but many math curriculums have tests every week! I don't need my child to take a test that often. We do every other test and I still sometimes feel like they are testing too often.

Toss the calendar. Schooling at least somewhat year round will help them not have to waste so much time on review. We take breaks here and there and school fewer days a week in the summer, but when they finish a book, they get a week off, and then start the next grade level. This is easier for us since we have always homeschooled and most of our good friends homeschool, so we don't have the pressure to conform to the school calendar (other than our human desire to be lazy now and then).

Thinking outside the box will help your child learn to truly put their wings to good use.This can be done with any curriculum or educational philosophy. It's all about knowing your child and praying for wisdom as to how to capitalize on their strengths.

Check out the rest of the Virtual Curriculum Fair for more math ideas and thoughts.
Delight Directed Middle School Science?  by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/delight-directed-middle-school-science.html

The Hardest Part of Math by Kristi @ The Potter's Hand Academy
http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/the-hardest-part-of-math/

A Tour Through Our Math and Science Life by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfmath.html

What Works for Us…Math by Piwi Mum @ Learning & Growing the Piwi Way
http://piwiprincess.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-works-for-usmath.html

Math Art – Geometry by Julie @ Highhill Education
http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/math-art-geometry.html

It's Math-magical by Missouri Mama @ Ozark Ramblings
http://oramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-math-magical.html

Virtual Curriculum Fair: Fun and Games with Math by Tonia @ The Sunny Patch
http://thesunnypatch.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-fun-and-games.html

Discovering Patterns by Lisa @ The Golden Grasses
http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2013/01/discovering-patterns-how-to-teach-
math.html

Math for the Natural by Erin @ Delighting in His Richness
http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/math-for-natural.html

Virtual Curriculum Fair~ Discovering Patterns by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me
http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-discovering.html

Too Many Math Programs or Not by Linda B @ Homeschooling6
http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-many-math-programs-or-not.html

Virtual Curriculum Fair:  Math and More!  by April @ Coffee, Cobwebs,
and Curriculum
http://coffeecobwebsandcurriculum.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-math-and-more.html

The post where I admit I was wrong by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset
http://sunrisetosunsethomeschool.com/2013/01/14/the-post-where-i-admit-i-was-wrong/

High School Math - Beyond the Textbook by TechWife @ A Playground of Words
http://playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/high-school-math-beyond-textbook.html

Discovering a World of Logic and Order by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
http://homeschoolingforhisglory.blogspot.ca/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-discovering.html

2013 Virtual Curriculum Fair- Discovering Patterns: Mathematics,
Logic, and Science by Leah C @ As We Walk Along the Road
http://courtneysix.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-virtual-curriculum-fair.html

The Plans of Mice and Math (My Math in Focus review) by Chelli @ The
Planted Trees
http://theplantedtrees.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-curriculum-fair-2013-plans-of.html

Rightstart Math is right for us! by Leann  @ Montessori Tidbits
http://www.montessoritidbits.com/2013/01/rightstart-math-review-games.html

Our Favorite Homeschool Math Curriculums by Wendy @ Homeschooling Blessings
http://wendy-homeschoolingblessings.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-favorite-homeschool-math-curriculums.html