No one ever really told me how DIFFICULT homeschooling high school would be.

And, I don't think anyone could ever have prepared me for the tremendous weight I was going to feel - knowing that my child's ENTIRE high school education rested on my shoulders.

Everyone always used to tell me why they COULDN'T homeschool, and it was generally because they didn't feel they could teach their children upper levels of math and science. (Believe me, that is the least of my problems.)

Oh - and the ATTITUDE? Some days I think it might kill me.

But you know what?

The truth about homeschool high school is something much different than all of these nagging worries I have day in and day out. The truth about homeschool high school is about something so much deeper than Chemistry or Physics , PreCalc or Latin. The truth about homeschool high school supersedes the best teenage eye roll on the planet.

This truth is something I am discovering day by day, minute by minute.

(*This post was written with express permission from my homeschool high schooler. I don't share much about her here on the blog because I want to honor her privacy and teen years. She is 100% ok with this post!)

The Truth About Homeschooling High School

The truth is that I'm learning there is great value in doing HARD THINGS. And the truth is that I'm being refined on a daily basis.

The truth is that I'm so glad we've stuck it out this long, and I'm excited for what the future holds.

The truth is that we need to approach homeschool high school with JOY rather than dread.

The Dreaded "High School"

Let's face it, society doesn't have a very positive image of high school. And, if you look around, many public schools are laden with drugs, sex, and any number of things children that age have no business dealing with.

It seems to me that for all of the criticism about homeschoolers not being "socialized" that there is exactly too much SOCIALIZATION in high school.

Of course there is also the fact that high school is geared towards cranking out students who will PERFORM ON A TEST. Children are placed into tracks of courses that pigeon hole them into college, tech school, or remedial studies.

Where do we ever consider the child's HEART and GIFTS in our modern American high schools?

We don't.

And that is precisely why we homeschool high school.

Thank goodness my child doesn't have to deal with MEAN GIRLS, endless social media obsessions, and bullies each day. Instead she deals with us - her family - who can guide her through these most formative years. We can choose mentors through church and community that help us nurture her passions.

She has a few trusted friends - sweet girls she has known for many years. In many ways I think homeschoolers make BETTER friends because they have time to cultivate relationships and are generally kind and caring to one another. (I won't lie to you - there have been lonely days in our house, but those are learning opportunities, too. There are times in life where you will be lonely and will need to learn how to handle that.)

Thank goodness my child doesn't have to walk like a zombie from class to class, complaining about how much she "hates school." Instead, my child can help determine her own schedule and classes - geared towards what she LOVES.

(I could write a whole post about how she wants to be a music therapist and how we are nurturing this love of music and people with special needs... that's for another day.)

But...How Do You Homeschool High School?

This is a VERY real question.

Honestly, I've been going on faith quite a bit.

I also spend A LOT OF TIME planning, supervising, and just keeping up with everything.

I know what my state requires in the way of credits for graduation. I've been researching about high school classes and college admissions.

Our first two years of high school have been spent in the Classical Conversations Challenge program - which has been an EXCELLENT foundation for my Anna since the 7th grade.

We've also taken advantage of online resources like Memoria Press Online Academy and Mr. D Math (oh how we love Mr. D Math!).

Next year Anna will be in the 11th grade. We have decided that she needs to step away from Challenge to take advantage of some dual enrollment opportunities our state offers. She wants to take sign language in a local co-op (this will help her as a music therapist one day). She wants to get a job and be a bit more independent.

She's learning to play the guitar in addition to continuing her piano studies. She's volunteering with a local special needs group - last week she started leading her own small group!

While part of me mourns that we won't go through Challenge IV, the other part of me is so happy that God is guiding us to new adventures. The world is WIDE OPEN for homeschoolers and that is very exciting!

She's learning how to manage her own time and how to deal with quiet and space, something we believe is necessary to develop the habit of attention and productivity.

So the answer to "How do you homeschool high school?" is this:

Pray a lot. Research a lot. Talk to people just a bit ahead of you on the path. Be prepared to make changes and adjustments. Listen to your child. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Everything will be ok.

The TRUTH

So there you have it.

I bet it wasn't quite the salacious truth you'd hoped for, but it's a truth I've been wanting to share with you for quite some time.

Even on the HARD days (and there are many of them - but I guess life is like that, right?) I believe to my very CORE that homeschooling high school has been the best decision for our family.

What about you? Do you plan to homeschool high school? Are you homeschooling high school now? I'd love to hear about it!

I've reached a point in our homeschool journey where I feel really GOOD about homeschooling.

It is no longer the way we choose to educate our children, it is the way we choose to live our lives.

It feels like this is just how things are SUPPOSED to be - like they were early in our nation's history when people just taught their kids at home and did life with them - together - all the time.

This view of homeschooling changes everything - and it has me asking a BIG question:

Do we fill our lives with activities and subjects that will TRULY matter when it's all said and done?

This has been heavy on my heart the past year.

Perhaps it is because I can see the "finish line" for my oldest, or maybe it is because I can see the last months of childhood slipping away for my youngest as he inches towards being a teenager.

I want every moment to COUNT. I want everything to be purposeful and meaningful.

I want TRUTH, BEAUTY, and GOODNESS.

Recently, I was feeling very much this way and recorded those feelings on Instagram:

“Now that sixth grade is here, the days are FULL of good things. I am fine with having busy kids, as long as there are beauty and purpose in the busy-ness!”

And that's just it, isn't it? BEAUTY and PURPOSE in the busy-ness.

In order to achieve those ideals it's necessary to know the big picture. Why do we homeschool, and what is our expected outcome?

What do we REALLY want from homeschool, and what are we doing to nourish the souls we are raising under our own roofs each and every day?

This year I'm coining a term for myself: Big Picture Homeschooling

I want to school with the end in mind. I want to school with intention and focus.

(Hopefully our plans for 10th and 6th grades reflect that intention and focus.)

Big Picture Homeschooling - School each day with the end in mind

Reading through Teaching From Rest (for a THIRD time) is helping me keep focus this year. I love how Sarah writes about ordering our children's affections and not being a slave to curriculum. Oh my - such a great book.

I get motivated and passionate when I think about Big Picture Homeschooling, but that needs to translate into our every day homeschool, and that is not as easy as it sounds!

Let's break it down into practical pieces. Wha does big picture homeschooling loos like on a macro and micro level?

What is REALLY Important?

In our homeschool I needed to decide what was TRULY important.

Please know this is MY important. It can't be anyone else's important or it won't work.

Do some soul searching. Pray. Figure out what your goals are for your children's education.

Put aside what the world says education needs to look like. Stick to what you KNOW education needs to look like for your precious children.

The four areas of importance in our family are the following:

Core Academics, Fine Arts, Physical/Spiritual Well Being, and Margin.

If something doesn't fit into these areas then it's not becoming a part of our days.

These two children are my mission field. I have one chance to get it right with them, and through God's grace and guidance from the Holy Spirit I pray our Big Picture Homeschooling will help us focus on what is truly important.

Core Academics

I've come to love the simplicity of doing less to see greater results.

This is why we are educating our children Classically.

All of our academics fall into the following areas:

Mathematics

Science

History

Literature

Grammar & Writing

Language (we choose Latin)

When my children were younger we were more eclectic and at times almost unschoolers. As my children have grown, however, I have seen the time demands creep in and we can no longer pull off those carefree days from the preschool and early elementary years.

(I will NEVER regret our time spent using Five in Row, designing our own unit studies, or notebooking leisurely through The Story of the World. Those were magical days and there was definitely benefit in those years.)

When I think about everything I would have missed had we not homeschooled it makes my heart hurt... thank GOD I listened to that small, still voice that told me I could teach my kids at home!

Currently our core academics are set forth through participation in Challenge II (Anna) and Foundations/Essentials (Grant).

Fine Arts

Being exposed to the fine arts is a priority in our homeschool.

What better way can our children experience truth, beauty, and goodness, than through music and art? Whether it be simply observing and appreciating, or creating and performing, children need ample time to explore what makes us HUMAN, not to mention the discipline that goes into the fine arts.

The kids take piano lessons and of course help with me field testing each and every SQUILT lesson! This year my Anna is branching out to guitar, too - fun!

We've come to love the 13 Artists Children Should Know series during our Morning Time, and we also adore the mixed media art classes at Flourish.

Physical / Mental Well Being

One of my favorite things about Big Picture Homeschooling is that as we find opportunities to volunteer, be on sports teams, or whatever it might be that seems SO GOOD at the moment, I can truly choose just a few things to spend our time on.

How does this activity fit into our GOALS for our children? How does this activity help us fulfill God's call on our lives?

As my daughter has gotten older she is developing a passion for working with the special needs population. Through our church she works with a wonderful ministry - she works with a music group and also helps with a Bible study and small group ministry. For the past two years she has been a volunteer for a special needs VBS at our church.

She is expressing a desire to be a music therapist or a special education teacher.

These volunteer opportunities fit into her BIG PICTURE!

It isn't that she has "too much homework" or "not enough time" to do these worthwhile activities.

I love that we aren't beholden to an academic institution and hours of homework each evening because it allows us to truly tailor Anna's education to her desires and interests.

And don't we want our children to live their lives this way? Passionately, and with purpose?

Let's talk about organized sports, shall we?

I believe in the value of teamwork, and working hard to achieve a goal, but I don't believe in being a slave to a schedule, and putting a sport ahead of family time or time for worship.

Again, how will this sport fit into our big picture?

Having a pre-teen boy has made me keenly aware of the time suck organized sports can be, so we proceed with caution (because I do have a boy who loves sports and is good at them). I also was NOT happy with many of the team environments we experienced when my son was younger.

If I had a child that was passionate about a certain sport we would seek opportunities and make time.... but we're not at that point right now.

Right now, tennis has been a great compromise for us. Learning a sport that can be played your whole life is important, as well as a sport that can be played individually or as a team.

It is important to be physically fit, so my children know that something physical will be a priority - whether it is tennis, winter basketball, or something else.

Margin

I've long been a fan of the book Margin.

As my husband and I strive for margin in our own lives, we want to teach our children to have margin, too.

It's OK to have down time. In fact, it's good to have time to be bored.

You don't have to be everything to everybody and you don't have to say "Yes" every time someone asks you to do something.

As I look at the big picture of our homeschool there must always be plenty of time for MARGIN.

I will never regret the hours spent on our back deck reading aloud to my children, and I am so thankful I didn't crowd out that precious time with busyness and silly commitments.

(and by the way... even the middle school boys love to be read to - we're loving our current read aloud!)

A great read aloud: The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow

Implementing on a Daily Basis

It's so easy to get caught up in the "busy" of every day life.

Finally - this year - I feel like our days have purpose, structure, and discipline. Yes, they are busy, but that busyness has a purpose.

Here are a few things we do to bring peace and order to our days - to keep that BIG PICTURE in mind.

Morning Time

I'm so thankful for my friend, Pam, who has taught me so much about Morning Time.

Our simple morning basket helps us spend time together each morning focusing on Bible, Latin, Fine Arts, and current events.

Staying HOME

We're at home every morning of the week (except for our CC community day). No outside commitments creep into that time, and the earliest we are leaving our house is 4:00 for afternoon/evening activities.

With a 10th and 6th grader we need this time at home to really dig into our school work. We will take breaks to play tennis or run a quick errand or two, but I don't let anything get in the way of our protected school hours.

(Yes, things come up. I know that. But for the most part we stay home!)

Outsourcing Hard Things

Math and Latin weren't really getting along so well with me the past couple of years.

Anna takes outside math through Mr. D Math and a Henle Latin class through Memoria Press Online Academy.

We no longer struggle in these areas, and it has made all of the difference! Sometimes it's just necessary to have an EXPERT come alongside a homeschooling mom to eliminate confusion.

"Staying in Our Lane"

This is my new favorite expression. It's the death of any homeschool when you start to compare yourself to anyone else, or start to copy what works well for your friend down the street.

Find your lane and stay in it! Don't go in someone else's lane. Stop comparing and start doing!

I see this as we homeschool high school. It could be so tempting to look at friends who have kids in traditional school and feel that somehow my children are "missing out" because of a certain subject we aren't studying. Or maybe it is because my kids aren't taking a lot of "AP" classes. Or maybe it is because we aren't hyper focused on college being the ultimate goal of a high school education.

It takes a whole lot of faith - not fear - to homeschool upper grades!

I keep telling myself this: we decided to homeschool because we wanted to step away from the crowd, so why would we follow the crowd from the confines of our own home?

The Big Picture Challenge

I challenge you to look at the BIG PICTUE of your homeschool - and of your life.

How does what you do with your children each and every day fit into that big picture?

Are you checking off boxes, meeting requirements, and spinning your wheels, or are you intentionally focused on pursuits that will benefit your children for the rest of their lives?

If we look at our homeschools from this vantage point I believe it changes everything, don't you?