Where are all the homeschooled high schoolers?

Thank you for this. I am homeschooling a high school student now and I'm in a panic because I school differently than most of my friends. I am afraid he won't be able to get into college, if he wants to go, because of his lack of "traditional" schooling through high school. That method is not right for us, but still I worry. "What if I'm messing this up so terribly that he can't recover." Your homeschooling posts help calm that fear just a little bit. (I don't think it will go away totally until he's out on his own, making his own way.) Thank you again.

I am looking forward to reading more of your writing about highschool!  I have been homeschooling for the first time this year with my 8th grader, and most of the homeschoolers we have met this year are sending their kiddos off to high school in the Fall.  It is very hard to find resources for interest led homeschooling for older kiddos!  It is particularly difficult to find writing by those who have only just started at this later stage of schooling.  Thank you for taking the time to share with us.  I only recently stumbled across your page and have spent quite some time going further and further backwards in your writing :)

Just to encourage your readers - we have homeschooled 3 of our children all the way through highschool, 2 more are homeschooling highschool now and 2 more are in elementary,  We did different things with different kids but they all stayed home and homeschooled traditionally as opposed to "online" which is popular where we live.  All three were accepted into post secondary, one graduates this spring with another shortly following.  We are fortunate to have a good handful of people in our area that homeschool all the way through but as you have experienced, the majority seem to go back to school.  I would encourage all of you to stick to your values and don't let the fear of the world's expectation push you to change your path.  That fear will continually creep in but know that the gift you are giving your children by home educating them will stay with them forever.

Bless you for opening up this topic!  I am running on faith that our education choices will "work" with very few role models to look to for reassurance.  Thank you so, so much.  I am looking forward to this series.

I am very excited for this month of homeschooling posts, Rene! Thank you!!

I think you answered this question with your previous post when you stated that home schooling in these later years is even more work. Raising and teaching younger kids is physically exhausting work. I think a lot of us relished the time we just got to sit down and enjoy a little computer time. But raising and schooling these older kids is intellectually and emotionally exhausting. I spend much less time on the computer now. Or if I do, it is to search out resources for their ever-expanding interests. I was never a proficient blogger--just enough to keep family informed. But I can not imagine finding the mental energy to do that now. Thank you for your commitment to it!

I am highschool homeschooling the last two, and yes, they want their privacy!!! It is paramount to them. Besides, they are much too busy actually doing things to write blogs.

Thank you SO much for sharing this. My boys (5th, 8th and 11th grades) are enjoying the freedom and self-discipline of homeschooling higher grades. It's so hard to share without over sharing, but you've done it beautifully.

I can identify with all that you shared, especially the individual and deeply personal curriculum choices and the lack of "mental energy" to share :)  I look forward to further posts.  My daughters is poised to start 9th grade next year, with four siblings to follow every two years there after.  We are definitely poised on the edge of the highschool diving board anxious, nervous, and excited to jump in!

I am really looking forward to reading all your posts on this topic. While I was going through it, my first thought to your question, "where are all the project-based high school homeschoolers?" was that they are there, but their parents are maybe edging back giving them privacy, which you noted as well. 

I love your long posts --I just savor them. 

Sarah M

So excited about this series! Thankyou 

I was visiting a homeschooling friend yesterday and we were talking about this exact topic. We live in a large city, but it seems even if you wanted to homeschool highschool there would be so few peers for your kids. Maybe that is the advice needed, how to stay on board while so many others jump ship. 

I find it ironic, as so many teens who have been in school their whole lives struggle and drop out, homeschooling kids are begging to go. 

Glad I have a long time to decide, my Little is only 9.

Thanks for sharing as always.

Anna

As always, Renee, thank you for sharing. It is always interesting to see what homeschooling looks like for others. Here is a question I have: In many ways, I love the idea of delight-directed learning (or any other names given to that method). However, many teens really don't know the direction they will go as an adult. What a 14 year old wants to do may not be what they want to do at 28. Of course, any of us could change our interests or careers at any point in life. But, I guess I wonder if maybe that is why many "play it safe" by following a more traditional path of learning. I have one child who asks the question many moms have heard: When am I ever going to use this? Why do I need to learn this? Etc. And I don't really know that they ever will use algebra. However, we are continuing on with it for multiple reasons. I know that if I let my children choose what to eat (and I do this too often), they wouldn't choose what is good for them. Do they know at 13,14 or 15 what is good for them educationally? As I said, I love the idea of delight-directed learning. We used that a lot when they were younger. Between it getting harder to delight them and wanting to be sure they are prepared for college, etc., I find myself choosing more traditional resources. Does this make any sense? I am very much looking forward to reading further posts on this topic. You are inspiring to me in many ways!

I'm excited to read your series, Renee! We've graduated 2 from our homeschool, we have 4 more to go. Each one is diferent. We use a mix of 'unschooling" and traditional schooling for high school. Our oldest son told us when he was 16 that he wanted to be a jeweler so we started looking at what that would take and he started working towards that end. It's amazing how much more diligent he got in his school work when he began working towards the goal of being accepted to jewelry school. Our next son told us when he was 12 he wanted to be an actor.  To say I was supportive would be a HUGE overstatement ;-). But I've come around and it's really exciting to see him having big dreams and doing the work to follow those dreams. Our third son (17) recently wrecked his truck and a local high school auto shop teacher is helping him fix it. Out of all my children I thought he would be the one to go to a four year universitiy right off the bat. He told me the other day that he really enjoys working on cars and might want to go to an auto mechanic/body shop school. I sometimes struggle with these decisions, my pride gets in the way, but more than anything I want my children to do what God wants them to do and use the gifts and talents He has given them.

Thanks for being so honest, your series is very much needed. 

I don't think it's just parents of homeschooled teenagers who aren't on the web -- it's parents of teenagers in general .  I don't homeschool, but have looked for blogs about family and parenting in general that are written by parents of teenagers, and not found many.  Crafting, cooking, nutrition, health, activities, life organization, family dynamics & challenges -- you name it, it's all about and for families with little kids ( I dare anybody to try feeding hungry teenaged athletes with a $5 Dinner!!!).  Even though my kids (now 16 & 17) are nothing like yours, and I'm only a little like you, I am so glad that you blog and share and are really honest about so much of life with teenagers.  Thank you, Renee!