Homeschooling high schoolers can be an intimidating prospect even for parents who’ve been homeschooling for a long time. Many parents decide to put their children back in the public school system when their children reach this age. But is this the correct thing to do? Let’s look at why some parents make this decision and address some of the issues.
Some parents decide to stop homeschooling during the high school years because they fear for their children’s social evolvement. Although social skills are a concern even in the elementary years of homeschooling, they do become even more of an issue in the high school years. This is when children become more attached to friends and begin to form social groups. But there are many ways to guarantee that your child’s social skills evolvement does not suffer even during the crucial high school years. First, allow and encourage your child to partake in social clubs, sporting events, camps and scouting groups. Participating in such events will help your child share experiences with others, build leadership skills and foster a sense of belonging.
Homeschooling parents often teach their children all topic areas themselves. This may become a more intimidating task when it comes time to teach higher levels of math or science. If this is your concern, then you can consider hiring a tutor for any subject areas you do not feel confident about. If you’re working with a tight budget, then consider a barter arrangement, where you swap tutoring services with another homeschooling parent. A great place to begin looking for a homeschooling barter partner is your homeschooling support group. If you aren’t already a part of one, then find one and join as soon as possible. They are an essential resource. The challenges of homeschooling will most certainly grow in size and complexity as you reach the high school years, but homeschooling parents know that no matter how large the challenges appear the benefits of homeschooling will almost always override the disadvantages.