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Homeschooling Highschool, harder than Chemistry and Trig

Many people worry about homeschooling highschoolers because teaching subjects like Chemistry, Trigonometry, and Calculus is so hard. Compared to the full job of homeschooling a high school students, a few AP courses don’t scare me in the least. If you really want to be scared, look at what I am dealing with on a regular basis as a mom homeschooling teens. 1. I am homeschooling TEENAGERS. Teenagers are tough to deal with so closely on a daily basis. When I was homeschooling little kids, it was all fun and smiles all the time. We laughed. We played. We learned. It … Continue reading →

Homeschoolers suspicious of Arne Duncan, the new Secretary of Education

It figures. Considering that the vast majority of homeschoolers are anti-Obama, it is not shocking that his pick of a fellow Chicagoan, and buddy as the Secretary of Education would be viewed with suspicion. I spent some time perusing the internet searching for some connection to Duncan and any mention of homeschooling and found nothing. I did however, find a few opinions by homeschoolers as to our chances with him in office. Spunkyhomeschool, probably the most popular homeschooling blog online and definitely one of influence pointed out Arne Duncan’s recommendation of a high school for gay students. She also questions … Continue reading →

Do You Have a High School Graduation Plan?

I spent the bulk of this morning mapping out a plan for the rest of my son’s high school. In looking at what he has done so far, I have realized that his transcript is very elective heavy, but he is still on track to graduate at the end of his 1lth grade year if he wishes, or his 12 grade year which is what I would prefer. I found a 4-year high school plan template at HSLDA to download and started plugging in his completed classes. Because he started taking High School classes in the 8th grade, he will … Continue reading →

More on CLEP Exams

The last time I wrote about CLEP exams, I was just discovering how they could help in our homeschooling journey. In my usual autodidact way, I have since immersed myself into everything CLEP, and integrated that knowledge into what I already know about homeschooling. It is time to share that information with you. There are 34 CLEP exams available that students can take and they cover math, language arts, literature, history, science, and philosophy. These tests were created to allow college students to test out of taking classes where they already held the knowledge that would be taught, but they … Continue reading →

Patrick Henry College has a New Dual Enrollent Program

Patrick Henry College, a college founded by the same people who founded the HSLDA is now offering high school Juniors and Seniors the opportunity to earn dual enrollment credits online. This is a smooth move the HSLDA as more and more homeschoolers get cautious about paying for “insurance” that is actually being used to fund agendas that we may or may not be crazy about. The college level/ AP classes made available to homeschoolers can be used at Patrick Henry College for credit and at other colleges as well. However, homeschoolers should double check to make sure that that credits … Continue reading →

Planning Your College Course Schedule

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When creating your college schedule of courses you have much more freedom than you likely did with your high school schedule. In most high schools, you choose the courses that you wish to take and a high school counselor fits them into a schedule. You have no control over which period you will get a course. However college is a little different. While classes can get full and close, you still have some control over what days and which times you take a course. Some courses are offered in the daytime and at night. Some offered two days and week … Continue reading →

Typical High School Course of Study: Electives

Electives are a very important of high school coursework. Taking elective classes makes students more well rounded, and prepares them for skills they will need when they enter the workforce. Students choose elective classes based on their personal interests and career goals. Some electives are required, and more are not. Required electives include foreign language (of your choice), physical education, health, computer classes, home economics, typing, and some art and music depending on the school districts. The array of choices for electives courses however are quite varied. A student can choose to study multiple languages and in advanced classes. They … Continue reading →

Should Homeschoolers use Weighted GPA’s?

Most homeschool parents award students a GPA based on the same scale that they remember from high school. The thing is, however, that this is not your GPA. It’s not yours either. GPA rules have changed and schools are now awarding students GPA’s that approach 5.0 and 6.0. For a homeschooling parent with a child nearing college, this can cause alarm and even make the homeschooler decide to also award weighted GPA’s. Weighted GPA’s are awarded by many schools to prevent students from taking classes that ensure easy A’s and to coerce them to take courses that are more challenging. … Continue reading →

Do Homeschoolers Need Regulations to Tell Them What to Teach?

For the past few days I’ve been talking about whether or not homeschoolers need more regulations. I have to be honest and say that this question always cracks me up a little. The thought that all common sense goes out the window when we decide to homeschool floors me. I don’t need the state to help know how to dress my children appropriately for the weather, I don’t need the state to tell me how to feed my kids, I don’t need the state to help me figure out how to teach colors, or numbers or anything like that but … Continue reading →

What are College Admissions Officers Saying about Homeschooling?

In a recent homeschooling graduation article the writer, Michael Alison Chandler also interviewed some college admission officers. Here is what the college admissions officers are saying: Granted, everybody’s kids are great,” said Earl Granger, associate provost for enrollment at the College of William and Mary. “But it’s great when we can get an external source to really comment on a student’s progress. While Former Stanford University Admission Counselor Jon Reider, feels homeschoolers’ maturity is an asset, he also said, The rising number of home-schoolers means they will have to work harder to set themselves apart. A lot of people in … Continue reading →