I homeschooled two of my daughters during high school.
Many parents homeschool. But why would a mom begin with high school? Isn’t that the age most parents are just getting out of the homeschool phase?
Here are some of my reasons – my top five reasons – for taking on the high school curriculum.
1. Nobody knows my child like I know her. Nobody loves her like I do (except her dad and God). Nobody has her best interest in mind more than we do. Nobody.
2. Nobody can anticipate how God might use her gifts better than I can. I have seen those gifts rising within her, and nobody gets a greater joy than I do in watching her activate those gifts.
3. She has greater access to daily Mass because I homeschool. (Her schedule is also more flexible and can accommodate special activities and experiences, like taking art classes or piano lessons, like making a pilgrimage to a local shrine or to Mexico, like practicing Spanish over lunch at a local Mexican restaurant.
4. I’m not alone. While I am an administrator (monitor hours and review all subjects with her), I do not have to be an expert in every subject. I know people who can help fill the gaps where I am weak. With one child, my sister stepped in and helped with math and science. My sister is a college professor and teaches future science and math teachers how to be teachers. My youngest child is now being homeschooled, and we are utilizing a co-op in a nearby Catholic parish. She spends one day a week learning about chemistry, American government, and Catholic apologetics for high school students.
5. My daughter is at an advantage because she is dual-enrolled in college classes. She completed intermediate college algebra over the summer. It counts for high school credit and for college credit. The local community college is a gold mine. By the time my daughter completes her high school hours, she will have completed nearly a year of college. Nice.
There are other perks, too. While we sometimes get to the place where we need space from each other, we mostly enjoy this time. We bond. We make memories. We learn together. And one of the important things I am learning is how to watch her grow up gracefully
If you know my bio, you know that there is no reason why I should have enough time to do the whole home school thing. As my parish priest says, you make time for things you believe in. You make excuses for things you don’t want to do or don’t believe in.
That said, I have two other children who were not good candidates for home school. One thrived on competition. Homeschool didn’t provide her with enough opportunities for competition with peers. My son was in the band. We didn’t have enough children to generate a marching band. Hence, traditional high school for him.
But if you are considering homeschool for your son or daughter during those high school years, don’t be intimidated. You can do it. And nobody loves that young man or woman like you do. Nobody knows him, nobody knows her, like you do.
Be not afraid.