Thoughts on a high school education at home.

We now have two children who have graduated from home education and are in college.  We also have two at home who are just starting their high school years.  It is interesting to see what I have learned from others and from experience over the last few years.  Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order.


1.  If God has called you to educate at home, He will guide you and empower you.

2.  ALWAYS do math.  Whether your child is a superstar in math or struggles.  Keep continuing on in the learning process.  I also highly recommend doing math in the summer.  When your child finishes one book allow them to start on the tests in their next book.  When they score below a 90% on a test begin studying that chapter.  Continue from that point as normal.  More than likely they will be able to skip a good number of lessons because of the review at the beginning of the typical math text.  You will not regret it!


3.  Know your child's interests.  Let this impact your choice of electives.

Here are some of the different classes that have been studied based on our kids' interests.

Martial Arts

Nutrition and Muscle-Building

Russian History

Early Child Development

Meal Planning and Preparation

Drama (by way of local drama camps)

Cinematography

Weight Lifting

Horticulture

4.  Try various methods of learning.  Does your child thrive with traditional study methods?  Here are some other options.

History by way of research

YouTube videos  (There are A LOT of educational videos!)

Online Classes

Co-op Classes

Hands On Experience

Mentoring

Apprenticeship

Have a retired teacher teach your student a class

Study Science with a friend studying the same subject

Plan and landscape a yard

Research the care of a pet and implement it

Participate in acting/filming a movie

5.  Branch out into unique grading styles.  I am sure some of you can share ways that your child demonstrated his knowledge.  These are some different ways we have graded courses in our home.

Writing a research paper demonstrating their knowledge

Making a comic book that patterns after great literature

Create activities to complete with children and journal about the experience

Compile a cookbook of recipes

Test for a Tae Kwon Do belt

Teach others a class

Develop a blog with posts that teach others

Grocery shop and fix meals for the week

Participate in a dramatic production
Competing in a Bible Memory competition or on a team

6.  Don't be afraid to plan and implement a new class that goes with your child's interests.  We did not have the money for my son's Russian program one year.  While we were waiting for God to provide the money, my son borrowed several books on Russian History from  the library.  (This greatly increased his understanding of Socialism and Communism, and it ended up being one of the classes I am most thankful for!)  He studied independently, and then the next semester he began studying the Russian language.  Now in college, he converses with students who speak Russian and is planning to spend a summer in Russia before joining the military.

7.  Define what determines a high school credit.  

120-180 hours of instruction/research

3/4 of a textbook completed (I go for completing the textbook)

1 semester college level course

8.  ALWAYS include reading time in their day.

These are some ideas that have worked for us.  I would love to hear some of your ideas and experiences from homeschooling high school.