So confused about High School- your opinions appreciated

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

Ok here it is- My daughter has decided not to go to PS for school. Yeah- I am thrilled. The high school is brand new and several of her friends are doing great there- but I was hoping she would elect to stay home.

Now what?

I am freaking out about planning the whole thing- Where do I start? Everything seemed smooth up until 8th, but now I am partially afraid that she won't be prepared for college.

She wants to take some online courses- like BYU High School or VP Online? What is your experience with these types of programs?

How did you determine what classes and routes to go down?

Any guidance from the BTDT moms would be great-

[Nan in Mass]

Maybe not. Perhaps it will help you to think about some possibilities, anyway.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3487&highlight=high+school

Best of luck!
-Nan

[Grace is Sufficient]

I found that just reading this board helped me a lot, so I would suggest reading through as many pages as you can. It was almost a complete education in homeschooling high school. When you find different courses or curricula described in a way that resonates with you, or that receive universal acclaim, take notes and research those options.

Also, try to read a book or two on the subject. There have been some mentioned on the board lately, so you may want to search for them.

I won't make any specific course or curricula recommendations as what works for one family or student can be a disaster for another.

HTH

[Brenda in MA]

How did you determine what classes and routes to go down?



To determine which classes, you need to consider her/your goals for her high school years, and ask a few questions: Does she have any idea of what she wants to do after high school? If she's college-bound, then she'd need to consider that in picking courses. If not, then you need to help her prepare for a job after high school, and more job-oriented courses may be appropriate.

If she's college-bound, look at the websites of your state school(s) and also any other college you think she may want to attend. Examine which courses they require and what kind of testing they ask for. Make sure to look at what your state requires, if anything. Some places require things like Health and PE.

When I planned my Sr. son's high school coursework, I made a rough plan in the 9th grade for all 4 years of high school. As time has gone on, we've made changes when needed, but the basics are pretty much the same. We ended up outsourcing some courses and using the cc for others, but those decisions were made along the way and not when he was in 9th grade.

I know your panic. High school just seems like the "big time" and the stakes seem much higher. In some ways this is true, but it's also a wonderful thing to see your teen developing into an adult and to be there with them to ease the way.

Best wishes,
Brenda

[Nan in Mass]

I think you have to start by deciding what you want your child to be like as an adult and use that to set your educational goals. You will probably have to redo this every semester or so, but at least you will have a starting place. I wanted to aim for college, so I began with the normal 4 years of science, math, English, social studies, and foreign languages. Then I looked at what my ps system required. Then I spent quite a lot of time deciding on other goals, ones like being creative. Then I wrote up a statement of goals, trying to state things in the simplest terms and most general terms I could. (I guess I did a good job because I haven't changed that in the whole four years and I'm going to use it for my younger one.) Then I tried to decide how to accomplish these goals, starting with TWTM suggestions. Then I got mad because I didn't feel like we were taking full advantage of the wonderfulness of not having to go to school and learn things in a formal way. So then I spent some time deciding which things they wanted to learn efficiently (the traditional way is very efficient and my children would rather do something they dislike efficiently than less efficiently but more interestingly) and which things they wanted to teach themselves (often non-traditionally) and which things I knew we'd need outside help with. I also took a guess at who this particular child was likely to be and what they would need to do in depth and what they could do just the basics in, since one can't cover everything. I tried to be very realistic, but still leave room for dreams, and I tried to make sure they were the child's dreams, not my own. I nudged and prodded until I got some sort of input from the child himself. (At that point, LOL, I found that I was back to TWTM again, and realized how akin to unschooling it actually is, if you read the text and don't just look at the lists. But I guess I had to arrive there myself.) Then I tried to blend it all together into some sort of plan. I found the easiest sort of "plan" to deal with is a list of things to learn (typing, study skills, how to travel, etc.), textbooks to do, projects to do, and books to read. I organized it by traditional subjects, for lack of anything better, and I put everything I dreamed about on it. Then I decided what we would cover the first half of the first year and ordered the books. (Scary - and I discovered that it took us the whole year to cover what I had planned for the first half.) Then I checked things off as we do them or decide to abandon them. It is a rather daunting list, but I've abandonned more than half of it and rewritten half of what was left. Still, it has made the assess and reassess process much shorter than it would be otherwise. I just add or take things off of the list, which is in Word on my computer. Every year, I translate part of the list into a more formal sounding plan to submit to the school department and then forget about it and go back to thinking about my list. It has changed SO SO much since I began it, and that is good, because that reflects my child's own growth and input.

Long answer to a short question LOL. Sorry.
Have fun dreaming. Dream big, not just traditional.
-Nan

[Lori D.]

I have no experience with online classes, so I'll let other ladies speak to that. I just wanted to encourage you about homeschooling high school. :)

I totally understand your sense of panic! We had homeschooled for 7 years -- and then last year the older son hit high school and I freaked out -- it was as though I was starting from scratch again! What first helped me was listening in on this high school board and occasionally asking questions to soak in the wisdom, and to start compiling curriculum and resource ideas.

But what helped most was remembering to start PRAYING! For us, it was important to *first* understand who our student are (gifts, skills, interests), and what direction the Lord may be taking them toward for their adult life, as THAT is has helped us narrow down what academic paths to take.

Last summer, I had the privilege of hearing Mary Schofield speak at our local homeschool convention. Her main point is that once you hit highschool, your time is very limited, so PRAY, think about, discuss with both hubby AND student what are the priorities to accomplish during this time. By putting spiritual and character development first, and developing important life skills second, academics will naturally fall in place after that, and be dictated by the first 2 priorities.


As you plan your highschool academic coursework, you can do a quick google search of what your state universities require for entrance, which helps you figure out what your "required" classes will be -- usually about 20 credits worth; that usually leaves you 4-8 credits for electives, which you can use to help your student explore and/or develop interests. From there you can begin to decide exactly how to accomplish those required and elective credits:

- at home, with homeschool programs/highschool textbooks
- at home, creating your own course
- at home, with a tutor
- at home, "distance learning" (BJUP or other teachers on DVD; academic grading through Hewitt or others; etc.)
- outsource, through a homeschool co-op
- outsource a class at a local public, charter or private high school
- outsource, with an online course (Potters School, others)
- outsource, through your local community college
- or a combination of several of the above to complete a credit


So at this point, I encourage you to:
- pray
- read about homeschooling high school
- begin to plan out a 4-year course of action
- begin to research the many resources available for teaching high school
- leave room for flexibility, changing needs/interests

Below are some past threads that may help you get started thinking/researching. Hugs and encouragement -- and welcome to high school! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.



Need Book Suggestion for Homeschooling Through High School
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81097


How To Homeschool High School?
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76573


Tell Me I Really Can Do WTM at Home for High School
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74736


Looking at High School and Hyperventilating - Can't Compete
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72685


Tell Me About Your Lit/History High School Courses
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77827


Transcripts
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79982&highlight=transcript

[Lori D.]

Beautiful, Nan! You so eloquently and specifically speak to the question asked while also answering the unspoken concerns of the heart! :)

[LoriM]

of every homeschooling high school text book!

If you have hsed 8th grade, you can handle 9th grade. After you handle 9th grade, you'll do fine with 10th grade. In 10th grade, you'll figure out 11th grade. And by then, your child will have pretty definite ideas about 12th grade, and college. Somehow, you figure it out.

Now, if you are like me, you like to know where you are going a little further out than that. So, what I did with my 8th grader was sit down and ask her, "Where do you want to be when you graduate?" It was pretty easy in some subjects. Math? Calculus, no matter what she decided to major in in college. English? Read lots of literature, great at literary analysis, good with giant themes in literature, easily dash off a MLA formatted essay, speak with authority, win a debate. Foreign language? She chose to finish out with Latin IV in 10th grade, and move on to Spanish at the CC (where she took five semesters of Spanish). Science? A good overview of science history and contemporary science fields of research, as well as some practical skill in chemistry and physics, astronomy and biology. (She did five lab sciences in high school.) Then the questions started...History? We'd done a good pass through world history, and she was bored. (Sigh.) So, we opted for some specific eras of study for high school...Tudor England. Ancient Rome & Greece. American Revolutionary Era. Civil War. Modern American History/Contemporary Events. Art? Oh, she wanted extra time for art and creative writing. We worked that in.

Then I had some non-negotiables. Ethics. Logic. PE. (She flinched, but agreed.)

And we started designing something that she could handle. Usually about five courses at a time, for four-six weeks of focus on a "unit" of ideas, and mixing things up.

Turned out we did 90% of what we planned. (We were ambitious.) But she also finished an associate's degree, which wasn't in the plan at all. And found a boyfriend, who became a fiance', and just a year after our projected graduation date, is planning a wedding. :)

They grow up like that. So, plan what you will, and take diligent action to accomplish your goals. But be flexible, and enjoy the process. I never in my wildest dreams imagined the young women I'd have the honor of mothering, even just five years ago when they were fledglings.

Relax. Plan and prepare, but enjoy and be flexible. Above all, don't panic.

[Jean in Wisc]

Ok here it is- My daughter has decided not to go to PS for school. Yeah- I am thrilled. The high school is brand new and several of her friends are doing great there- but I was hoping she would elect to stay home.

Now what?

I am freaking out about planning the whole thing- Where do I start? Everything seemed smooth up until 8th, but now I am partially afraid that she won't be prepared for college.

She wants to take some online courses- like BYU High School or VP Online? What is your experience with these types of programs?

How did you determine what classes and routes to go down?

Any guidance from the BTDT moms would be great-

Here's my take on it:
http://shadesofwhite.typepad.com/shades_of_white/2007/03/someone_has_ask.html

I've not outsourced, so I can't help there.

I suggest you look at college requirements (and state requirements if you have them), and decide what basic classes belong in your high school years. Then start your search for ideas. Take science -- read the boards and see what people say about the different programs. Choose one. Move on to math. Keep going until you have a skeleton of ideas that tell you what you need to do over the next 4 years. Then you can start collecting books for next year--and you can always change your mind along the way. Doing it one piece at a time allows you to divide and conquer.

FWIW,
Jean

[PollyOR]

I'm there with you. :grouphug:

For me, the biggest stumbling block when I started college was writing. I don't care what subject I was studying, I had to write paper, after paper, after paper.

At this point, my goal is to help my girls become writers/communicators. If they know how to write well, it will make their university experience less stressful and more rewarding.

[newbie]

After looking at requirements and trying to do it on my own although it was online courses, I went w/International that has a lot of help, advisors and guidance counselor. This makes sure she is on track. Super expensive, but my stress and time are worth it.

Since I kind of learned along the way. I have a basic idea after three years and lots of help from WTM gals. Second dd is going to VP this yr. But its classical so totally different journey, but different child.

Like other poster said, you get through ninth, than tenth and so forth. It always reminds me of when people always ask how long am I going to hs, and I answer, as long as I can, one day at a time.