Need help!! Scared to death!

[mom2agang]

I'm in tears! I've hs my son all the way through school so far, but in the fall he is ready for High school. That's sacred ground. If I mess up or miss something it will effect his college. I don't even know where to start for high school curriculum or how to? How do I know it is good enough? What do I add besides the basics? He is VERY smart and LOVES school. Where do I look for HS curriculum? He wants a career in like science or crimnal justice. What are all the subjects I have to cover? I know English but how to I find a outline of all he needs to know? Sorry for the ramble I'm just a scared mommmy

[Faithr]

First of all, take a deep breath! Remember many people have homeschooled their kids through high school, so you are joining a group of people who've already been there and done that! So don't panic! Homeschooling high school is hard but deeply rewarding and doable! You'll never regret it! As for how to do it, that depends on your son's learning style (does he like Sonlight? Ambleside? A Beka? There's tons of choices out there!). You could go with something canned to organize things for you in 9th grade or you can pull something together yourself. The latter is what I've been doing. We do a combination of outside courses/tutors and things at home. Just look at what different companies offer for high school and then maybe look at your local high school's offerings and then put together what you think would work with your son. I'd let him help make decisions too.

 

For ex: this year my 9th grader is doing Algebra II, Earth Science, Ancient History, Ancient Literature, Logic, Latin, Bible study. Since your son is the oldest of many (I love all your kids' names!) you probably need him to be fairly independent because you've got lots of other children to care for. So I'd make that a priority. Remember anything you invest in can be handed down to younger kids as they come up through high school, so you'll be making initial investments. You might want to rely on audiovideo courses somewhat if that suits your son's learning style.

 

I am sure you'll get lots of great advice here! So don't be a scared mommy! You'll do just fine!

[Lizzie in Ma]

:grouphug::grouphug:

Deep breaths. In.......and out...... There ya go!

 

You can do this! And your choice of curricula, in my humble opinion, isn't as important as continuing on your course with all the reasons you began homeschooling in the first place. If they haven't changed, why would you?

I would venture also to say that HS is NO sacred ground.

 

Our high school website has a nice timeline to help with things like PSATs, SATS and such, maybe yours does too? I found it helpful to KNOW when to do that sort of thing. That was my biggest concern and this really helped a great deal.

 

My dd wants to be an ER nurse so we are using BJU DVDs for math and science, really rigorous.

In fact, though it wasn't how I wanted to go, we are using all BJU dvd now. It was almost cheaper to buy the whole grade level than only 2 courses.

 

If it helps, before we made the switch, this is most of what I had planned out for her.

BJU Grammar

IEW Excellence in Literature sequence

BJU math sequence

BJU science sequence

work through Classical Rhetoric with Aristotle

Truthquest History would have been my preference but in the interest of time knowing how much work the BJU ones are, I would go with Spielvogel's Western Civ with the map books and activity books, easy to get used.

Balancing the Sword for Bible with a survey of church history with Kuiper's book

 

You CAN do this!!!:grouphug:

[Kim in SouthGa]

I highly recommend listening to Teaching High School at Home by Dr. Jay Wiles of Apologia. It did so much to calm me! As far as the rules and such, the HSLDA website has tons of information!!! You really need to check it out. Then look at your state's dept. of education website and find the graduation requirements. Is your son interested in any particular colleges yet? If so, look up their admission requirements. If not, find out a few that offer the programs he is interested in, and look up the admission requirements. Then you can search high school here and find lots of sample schedules...but be warned, even within classical, there are lots of differences! Remember that just because some are doing Geometry and Chemistry in 9th, that doesn't mean you have to. We are pretty standard for 9th grade-my son will be doing the following:

 

*Biology (using Biology 101 dvds, Biology-100 worksheets, Biology coloring book, and other free sources from library, along with Nature Study) (1.0 credit)

*History of the Ancient World and Rome online class from Memoria Press (1.0 credit)

*Traditional Logic, then Material Logic (1.0 credit, elective)

*Kinetic Algebra 1 (1.0 credit)

*SMARR Ancient Literature, Analytical Grammar, Vocab from Classical Roots (1.0 credit)

*Spanish 2 at coop (1.0 credit)

*current events/geo program of my own making (.25 credit per year)

*fine arts ala Charlotte Mason/WTM (.25 credit per year)

* Bible study, mish mash of stuff (1.0 or .5 credit)

He'll also be doing swim team, Key Club, and TeenPact, plus working on keyboarding skills and going through Teaching Company's How to be a SuperStar Student.

 

I would also suggest finding someone IRL who has been there, done that and see if you can take them out for a cup of coffee or something and pick their brain. We picked a family that had similar values, kids we thought were well rounded, etc. They were happy to do it and ended up making us dinner instead of letting us do it for them!

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

How do you find an outline of what to cover?? I think that was one of your questions....

 

1. Look at your state's Dept of Ed website. I think most states list the required subjects , as well as, a list of electives taught in most high schools.

 

2. Contact a few colleges your child is interested in attending. They will list the required subjects for admission. They will also have a list of courses each major is required to take.

 

3. Look through different home school catalogs that sell books based on grade level. BJU comes to mind first.

 

4. Read the high school section of WTM. There is a wonderful list of books to read in high school, plus a list of what to teach each year.

 

5. Finally, take all that information and meld them together, along with your goals and your child's goals and make an overaching flexible plan for high school.

 

It is quite fun actually!

[Jeannie in NJ]

quite a few moms have their high schoolers do dual enrollment with their local community college especially for science classes and foreign languages. The credit would count for both high school and college and the student usually has an associates degree be

fore they are 18 and then transfer that to a 4 year college. Some comminity college are free and some like our local one charge half price for high schoolers (homeschoolers are treated the same ). For example here, it would cost my dd $135.00 to take chemistry (plus the books and maybe some other fees, I haven't checked into that yet).

At our local college, homeschoolers can start at age 14 after taking a placement test and interviewing with the admissions director.

 

That might be an option. Be sure to ask lots of questions on this forum, also for suggestions for each subject etc

 

I am req. my dd to complete:

 

4 years of English

3 years of science (if your son is interested in science, he will probably want to do 4 years

4 years of history

3 or 4 years of math

2 years Latin

4 years of P.E.

1 or 2 electives a year, for my dd that will be baking, cake decorating (that is her passion)

 

many of these classes will be dual enrollent with our community college

[MamaSheep]

:bigear:

[Brindee]

Our CC says Juniors and Seniors can take dual credit classes, but not before, so that may not be an option YET, but it's something to look forward to if you can't do it now.

 

I agree, take a deep breath, relax. I'm sure, since you've homeschooled him all the way through so far, that you'll both do great!

 

Here's what my dd is taking:

MFW AHL (My Father's World Ancient History & Literature)

----counts for 3 credits: 1 each for Bible, English and History

----written to the student, so aside from checks and a weekly "meeting", can be done pretty much independently by the student

----Christian-based, so won't work if you want secular

Biology (1 credit)

Algebra 2 (1 credit)

Spanish 1 (1 credit)

Home Ec (1/2 credit)

Intro. to Logic (1/2 Credit)

----using Fallacy Detective & The Thinking Toolbox

Piano Lessons (1/2 credit)

PE (1/2 credit)

 

I like the MFW having the schedule written out, and written to the student. My dd WANTS to be more independent, so this allows her that step, yet I can still be involved with that, and with Logic and things.

We are really looking forward to next year!

 

You know your son best: how he learns best, what his interests are, what he's already accomplished. Don't panic! Use the knowledge you already have about him, read up on homeschooling high school, and go forward with confidence. You've done a great job so far, and I KNOW you can do a great job with this! It IS scary /intimidating at first, but it becomes easier! Just like having another child....at first you may wonder how you could do it, but you settle into a routine, get the idea, and sail forward!

 

Keep coming here for support and answers!

[2cents]

Deep breaths! I won't say much since the others have given you great tips. I just wanted to say that I've been there and done that and it isn't bad at all. High School hsing just means some more record-keeping (you'll be glad later), a transcript which is easy-cheesy and getting some college entrance tests scheduled, and possibly dual enrollment paperwork. It sounds like a lot but take it in small bites and tackle each as you go. Keep good records!!

[mrscopterdoc]

I just wanted to say that this was me a year ago. We are now almost finished with dd's first year of high school and it was probably the easiet year ever! They should be more independant by now and that takes some of the pressure off. Breathe! It will all be okay. :D

[Cedarmom]

I remember feeling that way! But, you can do it. I am so thankful I chose to homeschool my son. I have been blessed to have these years with him.

 

Look at some of the colleges he may be interested in. Check out their requirements. These will give you some good goals. Feel free to email/phone the college advisors and ask questions. If there are areas you don't feel competent to teach look at your options for outsourcing. My son did some community college classes in areas that were beyond my skill. I also had his dad teach some math classes

[johnandtinagilbert]

I just wanted to say, :grouphug:, I was you a couple of months ago...I'm mostly over the jitters now :)

 

What really helped is an echo to other poster's suggestions: figure out what's required and make a 4-year plan. The plan can change, but it will put the whole in perspective and show you it can be done. It gave me a huge sigh of relief just to "see" it. (I used post it notes and wrote a subject on each note...then I lined 'em up by year and viola! I could breathe again.

 

Secondly, consider the materials you've used until now. Do the same materials continue with hs level courses...if it ain't broke, ykwim!

 

YOU CAN DO THIS! Yes, it's real now...yes, it's on....but it has always been real, it has always been on, and although the consequences seem deeper now (and they are), you'll still do the best you can and with some hard work and support, YOU CAN DO IT! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[Nan in Mass]

Most of us don't really do high school all ourselves. We have lots of help. Some people sign up for a complete high school program, like BJU, K12, or Keystone. Some people do the first two years, concentrating on making their child ready for college classes, and then send their children off to community college to finish high school. Some people rely on their homeschool coop to do the harder classes and just do the classes they know they are capable of teaching well at home. Some people a combination. You have lots of little ones coming along, right? That being the case, you are going to need to look for curriculum choices that can be done fairly independently. In your shoes, I would consider one of the complete high school programs, one that is written to the student and just supervise and lend a hand here and there. I don't want to panic you further, but high school is scary. You have to be the guidance councilor (transcipts, careers, college choices and applications), curriculum committee (researching which textbooks or programs are best), vice principal (disciplinarian), teacher, and parent. It is a lot. Most of us need help with part of that. Many of us need help with large parts of it. If he wants to go into science, he will need good math and science and labs, at least four years of each. You might consider finding a class for those things. Most colleges want four years of English, between two and four of a foreign language, and one each of world history, US history, and government or economics. It helps to think backwards from your end goal. I made a list of things I wanted my 18yo to know and be able to do and then worked backwards, deciding how to cover each thing. This kept me from overlooking things like study skills and driving lessons. I kept in mind that a child's world needs to expand as he grows older and tried to provide for that. I tried to provide some supervised experience with learning in a classroom before it was "for real" in college. And I tried to leave lots of room for my sons to learn the things they themselves want to learn. It is wonderful to watch your child grow up during those high school years, but it is a lot of work. Make sure you get help.

-Nan

[Hunter's Moon]

I am not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but as far as what to cover, look at what colleges require. Any colleges in your area, or that your son would seriously consider, look at their requirements.

 

Most just require 4 year math, 4 years english, 3 years science, 3 years history, 3 years language, etc. They aren't too specific but that's good. It gives you more options and he can focus more on what he wants. If he likes science more, last year of high school, drop history and do an extra science. You could look at scope and sequence for high schoolers and go off of that but if you would rather choose classes he would enjoy, make sure they're high school level and go for them.

[mom2agang]

Thank you!!! I never thaught of some of the ideas and getting a outline from colleges of what they require.I'm going to start there. And some of our curriculum has been working great and continues through HS so why fix it. Thanks!

[PinkInTheBlue]

*History of the Ancient World and Rome online class from Memoria Press (1.0 credit)

 

Where do you see this at Memoria Press? I'm planning on my upcoming 9th grader taking Logic online with Memoria but I'm interested in this as well. I don't see anything with a title like this.

 

Thanks!

[Gratia271]

http://www.memoriapress.com/onlineschool/fall10/fall10-cs3.htm

[Kim in SouthGa]

yes, that's it, sorry I got the title wrong! we are super-dee-duper excited about it! My son actually chose to take this instead of an IRL course with his friends at our coop. Hope he won't be disappointed.

[ChemMommy]

I was right where you were two years ago with my oldest!!

 

Here are some suggestions:

 

Pick a couple of likely college and see what they require. That will be your minimum.

 

Be snoopy about what an academically prepared local public school kid took in high school and model your plans on that.

 

Plan backwards. What level of math and science do you want your child to be finishing up in his senior year? If it is calculus, he will need pre-calc/trig in his junior year, algebra II in his sophomore year, geometry in his 9th grade year and algebra I in 8th grade. (That's just an example, not an expectation, BTW!)

 

High school is a great time to start the last four-year rotation through history, literature, and philosophy. Think about that when you are planning.

 

Read TWTM for high school.

 

Decide what classes are likely to need to be outsourced. For us, it's foreign language. Sorry, I'm just plain monolingual and nothing is going to make me a good French teacher! LOL

 

READ the boards extensively and take notes. I would spend the day reading about math programs (using the search features) and make notes on the kind of programs people were using. The next day, I'd research the programs that most appealed to me or seemed most likely to work for my son.

 

Decide first on what you will use for the area you are MOST comfortable teaching. This will boost your confidence.

 

Finally, admit that you'll choose some lousy curriculum, sell it to someone else, and try again. In other words, give yourself a chance to goof up.

 

 

 

You are doing a great job is you are already planning and thinking about this. Welcome to high school homeschooling. High school at home is way more fun than I ever expected it to be!!

[lauriej]

Others have given you great advice on the "how to", may I offer just a little thought to keep things in perspective? There is no law that says that a child has to start college at 18. If we make mistakes along the way (like forgetting to teach some course they must have to get into college), they always have the option of taking it later at home or at a community college.

I actually don't want my kids heading off to college at 18. I hope they will take a couple of years to work, save money for school, and pin point exactly what they want to do when they get to college so that they don't waste time and money making up their minds while paying expensive tuition (this is from the woman who took 8 years to get a BA because she couldn't make up her mind!)

 

I guess it all comes down this: life is a journey, not a race.

 

Good luck!

Laurie

[krstbrwn]

I'm glad to know somebody else is as scared as I was. In our state we have to register with an umbrella school which lists all the required credits to graduate. So, I just follow along with the college prep diploma. I've learned that I can be flexible, and, thankfully, they generate the required transcripts. It's also great to know that MANY colleges are recognizing the value of homeschooled students. So, it's not nearly as hard to get into a college with a homeschooled high school background. Thanks to all those who have paved the way ahead of us!:)

Kristi

[Vanna]

I'm in tears! I've hs my son all the way through school so far, but in the fall he is ready for High school. That's sacred ground. If I mess up or miss something it will effect his college. I don't even know where to start for high school curriculum or how to? How do I know it is good enough? What do I add besides the basics? He is VERY smart and LOVES school. Where do I look for HS curriculum? He wants a career in like science or crimnal justice. What are all the subjects I have to cover? I know English but how to I find a outline of all he needs to know? Sorry for the ramble I'm just a scared mommmy

Thanks for starting this post. I have a rising 8th grader and I'm up late, right now, past midnight, exploring some of these "options" that the other posters mentioned.

 

Thank you all for your advice. It has benefitted more than one person today! :thumbup: