Middle school is a great time for both homeschool parents and their students to get ready to homeschool high school! With some intentional time of preparation and practice, the transition from middle school to high school can be blessedly smooth. It doesn’t have to be the disaster you see on TV! Here are some of my best tips on preparing yourself and your student for high school.
Prep for Parents
During 6th, 7th and 8th grade, parents should be spending time learning how to homeschool high school and how to be a confident home educator. Take classes on homeschooling high school at a convention, read books on how to homeschool high school, and visit the College Board® website to check out their college prep plan to invest in yourself and make ready. There are so many important details for parents to learn about high school. Take it in bite sized pieces, but make sure you are taking bites!
Middle school is the perfect time to practice your record-keeping skills. This is an essential parent responsibility, and there are tricks to doing it well. You can practice making your transcript, keeping track of school hours, record-keeping, and writing course descriptions. This will prevent you from panicking when you get to high school! Right now, if you misplace a paper, or forget to keep records for an entire subject, it’s not a big deal. In high school, poor record keeping will make creating a transcript much harder. Look at my favorite record keeping method here:
Get Organized! – Record Keeping for Butterfingers.
It’s a good idea to slowly incorporate all of the high school subjects into your regular schooling is you haven’t already. By 8th grade make sure your student is used to regular Math, Science, Social Studies, and English classes so the high school workload won’t freak them out! If you’re ready to go beyond the basics of middle school, one of the things you can do is plan your high school courses. Get a rough draft started, including all of the core subjects as well as a foreign language, physical education, fine arts, and electives. This is also a great time for your kids to begin establishing good study skills so they understand what will be required in high school.
Lastly, middle school is a good time to investigate college financing. Learn about the different kinds of scholarships, the investment plans that are available, try to start setting money aside now, and estimate the financial aid you might receive. Use the FAFSA forecaster, at
https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/, which will help you estimate how much financial aid colleges might give you. Even though it might seem really early, preparing for college now will make those years so much easier!
Prep for Students
Middle school has a purpose for students, too. Allow them to do remedial work where they need it. If they are below grade level in math, for instance, middle school is the time for them to focus on math and get up to grade level again. Children who are ahead of grade level can move straight into high school level work. A student might need remedial work in some areas and advanced in others, so both situations might apply to the same student.
The good news about middle school is that it’s absolutely impossible for you to be behind. If your child is below grade level and they’re in 7th and 8th grade, then the purpose of 7th and 8th grade is to get them up to grade level again. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you’re just exactly where you should be.
This age is an excellent time to foster independent learning skills. Encourage your student to take responsibility for their own education by setting and achieving their own goals and managing their time. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills go hand-in-hand with learning independence. Integrate activities that challenge students to think critically, such as debates, research projects, or logic puzzles, and encourage them to seek out other resources when they need help. High school is mostly independent, self-directed learning so practice now to help them become adjusted.
Use middle school as a time for family discussions about future goals. This is a beautiful time where your student begins to think seriously about their career aspirations and what they want to do when they are grown. Take the time to talk about career interests, college aspirations, and the types of courses or experiences that might align with those goals. This can help students feel more motivated and invested in their own education. These talks can be invaluable for cultivating a growth mindset in your young teen. Encourage students to see challenges as opportunities to grow rather than obstacles. This mindset can help them approach high school with resilience and a positive attitude towards learning and will benefit them in every area of their adult life.
Invest in Preparation
The High School Solution can hold your hand through every age and stage, from middle school the the way to senior year. It’s the FASTEST way to set yourself up for success with high school. Everything you need, all in one place. It will help you gain the confidence you need to tackle the challenges of each stage along the way with a huge collection of online resources, classes, workbooks, and eBooks just for parents. It has over 50 hours of training classes that will fit your learning style because each class include video, audio, handouts, and articles, plus we add eBooks and downloadables too!
INCLUDED:
4 Core Modules – 31 hours of classes will teach you how to homeschool at every age and stage along the way.
4 Resource Packs –3 hours of classes, downloadable tools, and monthly calendar for each year.
4 Bonus Packs – 10 hours of classes on teen motivation, handling technology, and scriptural motivation, plus book discounts.
And 4 Surprise Bonuses – 6+ hours of extra classes plus 4 eBooks.
Consider the
High School Solution to give you the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed in high school!
Go forth and do amazing things with your aspiring high schooler! Do you have any fun memories or advice to share with other parents? I’d love to hear your input!
