Home-Based but Not Home-Bound
(High School at Our House)
When my children were younger and people found out that we were home schooling, they often asked, “What are you going to do about high school?” To which I would reply, “We are going to continue home schooling all the way through.” The next question: “What if you find that you can’t teach a certain subject?” Well, at the time, I still thought I could do EVERYTHING, but I replied, “Then I’ll get my husband to teach it or hire someone else to do it!” This has certainly been the case!
I’d like to share a few random insights about home-based high school, and then move on to a summary of options.
First of all, please note that my two oldest daughters are quite different from each other. Mary, a senior, is a very academic learner who has a reserved personality. She excels in writing, current events, worldview and so forth. Julia, a sophomore, is ultra-outgoing, athletic, musical, artsy. She thrives in group settings, loves hands-on projects, and always has a keen sense of what is going on around her. She’s a great student, but doesn’t particularly LOVE reading and writing. As you can imagine, our approach to education has been different for each of them!
The common denominator is that Mary and Julia have both been “home-based but not home-bound” for high school. This means that I do not personally teach them as much. However, I do help them pick out what courses to take each year, loosely supervise their workload and schedule, point them to appropriate research resources, critique the rough drafts of many of their assignments, etc. As a quick summary, their out-of-home opportunities have included one-day-a-week classroom programs, group math tutoring, church-based enrichment classes in specific subjects, community-based skills classes, choirs, volunteer opportunities, paid internships, dual enrollment in a community college, team sports, on-line classes, out-of-state workshops, student-directed clubs, etc. This summer we will add short-term missions trips to the mix! There are benefits and drawbacks to this send-them-out approach.
In our case, with such a large family (10 children as of this summer), outsourcing education has been somewhat of a necessity. I just don’t have the time or mental energy to do ALL of high school when I am still teaching middle school, elementary school and preschool, with a pregnancy and then new nursing baby every two years. (Don’t let it blow your mind too much. We’ve survived!) Having other teachers available to assign and evaluate their work has been a life-saver. This need was particularly acute when it came to upper level math, lab science and foreign language – which were all out of my league as a teacher. My girls actually appreciate the extra accountability, as well as the fresh perspective that another teacher brings. They liked having someone prepare a lesson to TEACH them rather than just reading the text book themselves. They have also enjoyed the social aspects of being in a class at least once a week.
The drawbacks of outsourcing education are that you necessarily give up a certain amount of control over your child’s education and there is more of a tendency toward peer orientation. Not to mention that certain out-of-home options can get expensive, and you do a lot of chauffeuring! Also, it is easier to get over-involved in “extras” than to pull back from them. If you allow one child to do a certain activity, the others might expect the same privileges in the future. These challenges are not insurmountable. You just have to be aware of them and make the adjustments – and keep on top of things even when it seems that you can take a back seat and just let someone teach your teen.
The most important thing to do when choosing high school options is to pray continually and fervently for wisdom as you take things year-by-year, teen-by-teen.
Now, I’d like to briefly evaluate various educational opportunities outside the home.
One-day-a-week (or two to three day) programs: Programs differ in style, structure and accountability. Smith Prep, where Mary attended for two years, is quite classical, and the teachers decide what to cover each year without much input from parents. The EXCEL program, which Julia has been in since 8th grade, is more traditional, hands-on, with the parents having more say in the content and style, even when a teacher is hired. There can also be a mix of professional and parent teaching within a program. In the EXCEL program this past year, we hired teachers for drama and chemistry, and the moms taught world history, literature, writing, money management and year book. I particularly liked this co-op approach because it got me involved in the process for four weeks, and because I got to know all the students more personally. It was also less expensive this way! Group classes are a good transition step toward college since students are encouraged to come to class prepared, interact wisely with peers, and be accountable in their assignments.
Group or individual tutoring in single subjects: This is particularly helpful for those subjects that mom doesn’t feel equipped to teach. Our church offers a la carte group tutoring and enrichment classes in specific subjects (more on this in another article) and I know that many teachers throughout our community offer the same services, sometimes from their homes. You may also find that local organizations or businesses offer classes in sewing, first aid, music, art, cooking, photography and
other skills.
On-line classes: These are offered by many organizations. I wish I could present you a knowledgeable list of these. Our only experience has been with the Florida Virtual School (http://www.flvs.net/), a state program which offers a huge variety of high school credits free of charge to Florida students. It is also available for out-of-state students for a fee. Many of our friends have been quite pleased with the quality of instruction offered by FLVS, so we decided to give it a try. Mary has found the AP English class to be quite rigorous, with a much heavier work load than any of her college classes. She feels like she is swimming in the homework, but is sticking it out. However, the experience has been very stretching for her as a writer – which is good! Enrollment for FLVS classes starts in May – check the web site for more details.
Dual enrollment at a local college: Basically what this means is that the student attends college and gets both high school and college credit for the same courses. In our area, tuition is free, but we have to pay for books. This is a very popular option with the older teens in our church. In her junior year, Mary began dual enrollment at Valencia Community College. She has done quite well (straight As so far) and will have 30 college credits next month. I am glad that she had a good solid Christian worldview before she went, because she has had myriad opportunities for expressing it her speeches and papers. College classes are an adjustment; students will need to quickly learn to be self-disciplined, come to class on-time and prepared, and do the work completely according to the teacher’s specifications. I don’t have specific information on how you can get started with this since my husband and Mary did all of the legwork, and that was two years ago. Check with the individual school.
Public or private school classes: We’ve never taken advantage of this particular option, but some of our friends have. In the state of Florida, high school students are legally eligible to take individual classes at the public school. There may be some restrictions on this. Many private schools will also let home schooled students enroll for specific classes. I’m sorry I don’t have more information on it, but I wanted to at least list it!
Performance groups: Many home school support groups, churches and community organizations offer choir, band, orchestra, drama, dance and other performance opportunities that are best experienced in a group setting. A main concern would be WHAT they are performing, as well as how rigorous the rehearsal schedule is. Is the main focus teaching the child the skills, or doing a spectacular performance?
Team sports: Students can participate in team sports through home school programs, private schools, public schools (in many states) and churches. This counts for P.E. credit and is great for staying in shape. Julia has played varsity basketball on two different teams – first with a private/home hybrid school and then with our church. Of course, involvement in team sports complicates the weekly schedule during the season, and there is always a risk of injury!
Volunteer opportunities: In the state of Florida, most college-bound students are required to complete 75 hours of volunteer service during their four years of high school. While this can include non-skilled services, students can also find opportunities to learn while they work. They might tutor under privileged students, learn to do web research, run an office, etc. The key is to find an area of interest! Of course, the most intensive and cross-cultural volunteer opportunities are foreign mission trips! Mary and Julia are scheduled to go to Bolivia from June 22 – July 3, and I’m sure it will be the adventure of a lifetime.
Paid internships: Students who show particular interest and skill in a certain area might be able to find paid internships – basically jobs where the they are learning and earning at the same time. If there is sufficient educational content and training involved, an internship can count for high school credit. In 10th grade, Mary worked at home for Smith Prep grading essays. In 11th grade, Mr. Smith arranged for her to join an intern program at a law office, for which we gave her a full credit of Executive Internship. Mary went back to work for Mr. Smith this past year; now she grades essays, tutors students in writing, monitors lunch hour and does administrative work. These experiences are very valuable for college applications! It takes a little leg work to find the right job, but ask around among people you know in the field. Network!
Student-directed clubs: Does your student have a burning interest that he would like to share with other like-minded teens? Then he might want to look into joining or even starting a club! As an extra-curricular activity, Mary founded Scribes and Witnesses, a home school high school journalism club with about 10 members. Meetings have consisted of writing activities, discussion, occasional special speakers, and putting together two issues of a mini-newspaper. This has been quite an educational experience for Mary as she has had to organize people and resources, learn to use publishing software, lay out issues, edit other people’s articles, deal with printing companies, etc. Mary has just turned over the reins of the group to another student, since she is taking a second part-time job to help pay for her summer mission trip to Bolivia.
Out-of-town camps and seminars: Last summer, Mary had to choose between three options: a world-view academy, a mission trip, and the World Journalism Institute (http://www.worldji.com/). After much careful thought, she chose the latter option, which is affiliated with World Magazine. In August, she flew up to the campus of Covenant College in Tennessee for the two week seminar, which was an awesome experience for her. Unfortunately, WJI no longer offers this high school session, but they do still offer college sessions in New York City, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. A word of caution gleaned from friends: even if your teen is well-supervised and in a Christian atmosphere does not mean he or she is immune from getting into trouble, especially if guys and girls are in the same program! Some highly recommended programs are the Summit Worldview Academy and Teen Pact.
As you can see, there are myriad opportunities for home schooled high school students. The main challenge is picking the right ones for your teens!
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