Should you homeschool high school?

One of our standard parental retorts when our kids were younger was, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” It usually came on the heels of “somebody” crying after the brother got a little too rough during a game. Over time, however, we found this expression applied more to us as parents as we considered homeschooling high school.At first, homeschooling was truly “fun and games.” We loved the freedom of learning together, at your own pace, matching curriculum to the kid’s interests and learning styles.  But high school seemed like much more serious business. We worried that somebody’s future might get hurt. Our free and easy homeschool style started to take on a decidedly more “serious” tone.  Dark questions crept in:  “Can we do this?”  “What about college?”  “Will they be able to earn scholarships?”  And the ever popular, “How on earth will we teach Calculus?”I wish I could give you a well-reasoned answer to why we continued homeschooling through graduation.  The truth has likely more to do with inertia than conviction.  We loved homeschooling. We felt it was exactly what God wanted us to do, and it had worked well so far, so… we continued.

As is often the case, “no decision” is a decision.  Although we feigned confidence, there were still some lingering doubts. The doubts grew as we started college applications.  As slowly as these doubts crept in, they were gone in a single day.

I’m referring to the day we got a call from our children’s first choice university. My boys had each been awarded a four year, full-tuition scholarship. We were thrilled and amazed! I had given the college a transcript I made on my home computer using a Word document. All the grades were “mommy grades.” Our beloved and precious homeschool diploma was not accredited; it was purchased from an online printing company.

Think about how freeing this is! We were able to succeed in high school beyond our wildest dreams even though we were unprepared for the subject matter, doubtful of our capability, concerned about college, and afraid of the unknown. We were scared! But it worked out anyway. We were faithful to God’s voice, despite our fears.

And when we are faithful, God is always more so.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, we can see how homeschooling high school gave us the advantage in academics, socialization, specialization and character.

Learn how homeschooling high school can  give your children the advantage, too!  Read the complete article online!
Facing the Crossroads