I guess I am homeschooling a highschooler now. My son reminded me yesterday that we had his first day of “high school.” He means if he were in the public schools, he would have entered high school this year. I told the same thing I tell everybody: he’s been doing high school level work in certain subjects for a long time.

I stopped keeping track of “grades” early on in our homeschooling career. I realized that many children work at “grade” level in some areas, ahead in others, and may need more time in others. So I started keeping track of my children’s individual levels per subject instead of grades.

Debunking the grade idol is a nice springboard in conversation to the philosophy of individualized instruction in the homeschool. When people ask me what “grades” my children are in, I start with, “We don’t do grades.” Then I inform them of the above philosophy and might give them a run-down of my children’s ages. This is usually what they meant by the question, anyway.

Still, I do admit to feeling a bit big to be homeschooling a highschooler now for the first time. I remember his being five and six as clearly as yesterday. I remember the feeling I had watching him polish off his first math lab worksheets and decoding English. My trepidation and goals now are the same as they were then: fill him up with good things, keep his inquisitive nature busy, be available, and fight the spiritual fight with Jesus on our side.

My faith is in the Great Master who will be overlooking our home and our lessons while our children enter and complete their highschool years.