Can you actually Home School through High School?

Home Schooling the High School Years...

When we were first blessed to start this journey of home schooling, there 

was A LOT to learn!!! So much more than I had ever even thought.  All I knew 

was the Lord had laid it on my heart, and my hubby was for it, so we 

started... I thank the Lord for making me so brave during that time to even 

attempt to try it out.  Now as I look back on the past 10 years, I can hear all 

of the questions I have been asked about our decision and the answers, even 

unsure ones, ringing in my ears...What about socialization? What qualifies 

you to home school? How long are you going to home school?...just to point 

out a few that everyone I know have been asked.  I have always felt 

 confident in answering those questions and over looking the judgement,

but one question I was a little nervous about...Are you going to home school 

them all the way through?  My answer was always, "I hope to", and is still

my hope today.  The thing that changed inside that response was my 

confidence, from seeing the Lord provide what we needed in school year after 

year and him sending others who have gone before me to graduate their 

children has boosted my confidence to home school through high school. 

Recently I was blessed with a CD on Home Schooling through High School, 

and I was so encouraged once again to keep on the path that I wanted to 

share it with you.  It is an older recording from the writer and teacher of the 

Apologia Science curriculum, Dr. Jay Wile.

Here is a highly educated, college professor, and scientist who saw first hand 

through his college students the differences between traditional schooling 

and home schooling.  His observed such a huge and positive difference that 

when he and his wife adopted their daughter he knew there was no other 

option but to home school.  There were a few really encouraging things he 

said that I know I won't be able to quote exactly, but I wanted to at least try 

to share the encouragement: Your home school experience is NOT going to 

look like anyone else's, that's OK!  Our kids are getting everything they need 

from home schooling.  Studies show that a home schooled child tests as well 

or better than public or private schooled children no matter the highest 

education level of the home schooled child's mother or the income level of 

the household.  Home schooled students seem to do better in college 

because they are self-learners/teachers. We as home school "teachers" serve 

three roles from kindergarten through twelfth grade.  Grades K-5 we are the 

teacher, 6th-8th grades we shift more responsibility to the student and 

become more of a tutor, and 9th-12th grades we give almost total 

responsibility to the student and become a fellow learner.  That is how the 

self-learning/teaching is created.  If we learn something on our own it 

becomes ingrained and we will have learned it for forever.

WOW!! What an encouraging thing to hear after the day some of us have 

had, right!?  The message from this CD is so encouraging and I urge you to 

try and hunt one down if you are faced with any doubts at all about if you are 

capable of doing this "home school thing".  We ALL need a little 

encouragement and reassurance from time to time~

    Love,

Colleen