Many families enjoy and thrive on homeschooling children through the lower grades, but when the child reaches high school age, they panic and send the child back to public school or struggle uncomfortably through the latter grades. The main reasons for problems during this time are that the material often becomes difficult for the parents, and the child wants to be around kids his or her own age. Here are some ideas you can use to address the problems these problems allowing you to homeschool happily up to and even through college.
It is inevitable that at some point your child’s curriculum becomes challenging for you, the parent to teach. Your homeschooler will not have to head off to the local public school if you do the following:
• Enroll your child in courses at the local community college. Community colleges accept children as young as 13 in some cases, and will happily let them audit or take classes under non-matriculated status. If you think taking a college class will be too difficult for your child, then take the class along side them. This way you can study together and you both can learn something new.
• Have a friend, relative, or acquaintance teach your child. Has your child exceeded your knowledge in English, or even a foreign language? Well if you know someone like an English teacher or a person whose native language is what you child needs to learn, ask him or her to teach your child in this area. In many cases, they will consider it a compliment and do it at no cost.
• Trade services with other homeschoolers. If you are very talented in Chemistry and a homeschooling acquaintance is gifted in Trigonometry, trade services with them. Teach their child Science, while he or she teaches your child math.
• Enroll your child into an Internet High school program. There are programs that handle everything from instructors that the child can contact if they have a question, to live internet classes, to interactive curriculum. You can choose from schools that offer all the bells and whistles including prom and graduation, or schools that allow you to select the services you desire.
• Hire a tutor. If all else fails, call the local colleges for tutor referrals. Find someone who is majoring is what your child needs to study. You will be helping a college student pay his way through school, as well as giving your child their first exposure to college students.
Every homeschooler at one point or another expresses their desire to spend more time around kids his or her age. This is especially prevalent with high school aged homeschoolers because so many do return to public school, leaving behind fewer prospective friends who also homeschool. If you want your child to continue homeschooling, you will have to take extra steps to secure positive socialization opportunities for your child.
• Join as many local email lists as possible so you can keep informed about events going on in the homeschool community. This is where you will find out about teams that may be forming, and social opportunities like dances.
• Establish your home as a regular place for homeschoolers to hang out. Let your mature homeschooled child have a weekly or biweekly movie night in your home, so that you and other homeschooled parents can be assured that the kids are in a positive environment as they socialize. Trade weekends with another parent allowing you to have much needed time away from the kids as well.
• Enroll your child into a local part-time “school” program especially for homeschoolers. By utilizing a part time program, your child will get to experience the best of both worlds. He or she can get to experience a real school setting while maintaining the freedom that homeschooling allows.
Just as you had to plan and discover your way through homeschooling your youngster, you will have to do the same for high school age kids. It is just a matter of finding out what is available to you and using these resources to the best interest of your child.
