s/o Anyone glad they didn't quit by high school?

[Alice]

I totally understand the recent threads about the difficulties of homeschooling and I get why it's good to support those who have made what can be the hard choice to stop homeschooling and put their kids in brick and mortar school. I also get that for some kids it is absolutely the best choice. That might be true for some of my kids eventually. I've never been a hardcore homeschooler that believes that it's the only way. 

 

But I have a 12 year old who is in 7th grade and who is definite in his desire to homeschool through high school at this point.

 

And it's February and I near to hear some happy stories....

 

Not unrealistic stories about how everything was perfect. But just that homeschooling didn't ruin your relationship with your teen, that there were good times, that you are glad you did it, that you look back with mostly gratitude and not regret. 

[Lawana]

Dd was homeschooled through high school. Most of the courses were outsourced for the last 2-3 years, so not sure if that counts. She most definitely wanted to be homeschooled and would not have done well in a traditional school due to quite uneven abilities and probable learning disabilities in certain areas. Our relationship survived quite well, thank you very much.

[redsquirrel]

Not me, but my friend homeschooled all four of her kids through high school. She has no regrets and has a great relationship with adult children now.  It wasn't always perfect, but it was the right decision for them.

 

I have seen homeschooling through high school and it can be great, I promise!

 

[regentrude]

I am VERY glad that I homeschooled high school.

 

DD who is ambitious and academically interested got to learn at her pace, design some of her own coursework and take 32 college credits at a four year university before graduating high school. She had the opportunity to pursue her interests, made best friends among the older students, and developed an impressive transcript that got her admitted to a top ranked extremely selective university.

DS who has strong athletic interests has time to train and write; he has freedom to complete his coursework without unnecessary busywork and wasted time.

 

Is every day wonderful? No. I have had plenty of self doubts whether I could pull it off, especially with DD aiming for top tier school.

But I have not regretted for one moment homeschooling high school.

[StaceyinLA]

I homeschooled all of mine through high school, and I would do it again.

[Jenny in Florida]

Hmmmm, we didn't exactly quit homeschooling, but we did find it necessary to seriously switch gears in order to keep my son home.

 

We reached a point very similar to the one that it seems Katie is describing with my son. I e-mailed my husband and said, essentially, I'm done. I will not attempt to teach this kid for one more day. I was all for marching him down to the closest school and enrolling him the next morning.

 

We had a couple of days of family meetings, during which my husband talked me down a bit. My son made it clear that the only school situation he considered acceptable was the virtual school/dance training/internship program based at the professional ballet school. (Of course, we couldn't afford that unless I were to have magically gone back to work full time almost immediately, and since my son had abandoned his classical dance training a good two years before, there was no way of knowing whether he had a snowball's chance of passing the audition.)

 

Eventually, we negotiated a compromise that had us enrolling him in a full slate of online classes from various providers. My role became strictly administrative. We put in place a series of rules about how much work he was required to accomplish each day and what the consequences would be if he didn't keep up both the pace and his grades -- which started with not going to dance class and ended with the local high school.

 

It was awful at first. I felt I had failed. I was angry at him for not appreciating all of the work and planning and effort I had put into planning a wonderful, rigorous, personalized curriculum . . .

 

But, surprisingly quickly it became clear it was all working. His grades went up and stayed there. He became happier, more focused, more pleasant to have around. We went back to talking about books because we were both reading them, not because they were assigned for school. He began spending more and more time at his dance studio and making tons of progress there. He started assistant teaching a few classes. There was no way he would have had the freedom to devote that much time to dance if he had been tied to the schedule and workload of a brick and mortar school,

 

The following year, he ended up dual enrolling at the community college for almost all of his classes, doing just a couple of others online. He continued to do really well, so well that he decided to apply for full-time enrollment a year early.

 

He's now happily ensconced at the university of his choice, in the spring semester of his sophomore year. He's doing well, both academically and emotionally/socially. He calls regularly just to check in, and we mostly enjoy each other's company.

 

I'm really glad we made the choices we did. It was not the high school path I had planned and hoped for him, but it was definitely what he needed.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Jenny in Florida

[elegantlion]

I homeschooled ds through high school. He was an average student with some diverse interests and a deep aversion to mornings. My ex and I separated during ds's freshman year. My dad got sick shortly after that and I started back to school the next fall. Ds would do more than asked in classes he was interested in and the rest found us butting heads a bit. I let a lot go because the stress in our personal lives was overwhelming. 

 

He graduated a year early and is doing very well in college. I see a lot of the skills he learned in homeschooling being applied now. He has also matured a lot since that first year of high school. I just spent most of this evening listening to him discuss his plans to transfer and looking at the spreadsheets he made for each college and their programs he's considering. 

 

We had to adjust our sails because our life was so upside down, but I have no regrets about sticking to our homeschooling plan. 

 

We had a depth of conversation that was not possible in middle school, he had time to explore interests that were important to him, in his case computer programming. That experience has made his first two programming classes at school mostly review. Obviously, we schooled on a bare bones budget otherwise he might have dual-enrolled in those courses to start with. 

 

Homeschooling was his choice in high school. The freedom of time we had allowed us to spend a lot of time helping my parents and just hanging out with them. My dad died in November and I am really glad that there were days we dropped everything to just be family. That's not academic, but if he had been in public school he would have been in trouble for missing so many days or he would have missed the time with his grandfather. 

 

Now, my son is my academic peer as we attend the same college. He is beyond me in math and science and it is a weird feeling sometimes. 

 

I have the benefit of hindsight in my case. There were many days in high school where I was sure I was ruining his education. It was no easy, but there were a lot of fun days and it was oh so worth it. 

[LibraryLover]

I hs'd a child through HS. :) I had another hser who wanted something different. What works might vary by resources/person. :)

Edited February 6, 2016 by LibraryLover

[Garga]

My son is in 8th and we're gearing up for high school. I posted in the other thread that I'm not exactly sure how we'll pull it all off, but I wish I'd said in that thread how very excited I am about trying. My son is very, very sure he doesn't want to go to a brick and mortar school so he doesn't fight me about homeschool. Sure, he grouses a bit and "forgets" to do homework, but whatever. He'd do that wherever he goes.

Right now I'm planning his 1/2 year elective on Ancient Egypt and his other 1/2 year elective on Astronomy, which are the courses he picked and will be soooo much fun to study.

I'm a mixture of terrified about doing things like FAFSA and making sure my ducks are in a row for PSAT and SAT/ACT testing, happily anticipating all the things we'll learn together over the next year, nervous about getting all his work done alongside of teaching my other son, and confidence that I'll pull it off.

I shouldn't really post here since I haven't graduated anyone, but while there are a few scary moments when I think of schooling high school, mostly I'm looking forward to it.

I'm feeling better than I did 4 months ago because that's when I started taking copious notes and sorting them and getting my head around all the ins and outs of homeschooling high school. The more I learn about what to do the better I feel about being able to do it. One step at a time and it'll all get done.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Garga

[Seasider]

I hs'd a child through HS. :) I had another hser who wanted something different. What works might vary by resources/person. :)

So true! I have both home school and B&M graduates. Each was invested in the chosen path because they had input into that choice. Each is excelling in college studies. OP, the fact that your student desires to home school high school is a big factor. Honestly, though, for many, it's two hard years at home, then on to community college for quite a lot of class work. Those few years - end of middle school, beginning of high school - are challenging but totally doable. They can even be really fun!

[Audrey]

Ds is halfway through grade 11 and has always been homeschooled.  We're in this for the long haul -- all the way.  I would do it again (only better because I'd know better -- but c'est la vie -- no do-overs, eh?)

[abba12]

I was homeschooled through high school, and so was DH. We're both extremely grateful for it

 

We're in it for the long haul with our own kids. We're far off from high school right now, but, especially given the experiences of myself and my husband, I definitely intend to homeschool high school. 

[Joules]

Almost done with ds18.  He's in dual enrollment part-time and self-educating this year, so I'm not really teaching, just tutoring as necessary.  He's making great grades in college honors classes and is growing up wonderfully.  It has not been perfect; yes, one butts heads with a teen occasionally (or anyone you live with round-the-clock), but our relationship is good.  When we have problems, we work them out.  

 

There are always things you wish you could go back and change, but I would never change homeschooling all the way through.  It's been great for us.

[creekland]

I started homeschooling my three when my oldest hit high school, so the other two started in 7th and 5th respectively.  The only regret I have is that I should have started homeschooling all of them in 7th.  

 

My talent is not with teaching the pre-puberty set.  The three of mine are lucky they survived my parenting those years.  I never tell them about the 4 who didn't.   :lol:

 

My oldest two did really well homeschooling - better than their equally as talented ps peers they hung around with in the earlier grades.

 

My youngest got burned out homeschooling - see reference as to how I don't handle younger years as well.  He wanted to return to ps, so we let him for high school (made him stick with hs through 7th and 8th).  His education definitely lagged in many subjects... and he had a tougher time adjusting to academics in college.

 

All three are fine young men and I expect all three to be successful in life, but there's no question the academics were better at home for mine. (With an exception or two here and there - Anatomy, PE both come to mind.  Anatomy could have been taken at cc though.  PE I don't care about.)

[Onceuponatime]

I've homeschooled three through high school and they turned out well, In spite of my faults. 😊 The only one I would have sent to public school might have been my daughter, but it wasn't an option at the time. My boys have not been interested in public school at all. They were aghast when they heard their friends talking about the social issues and homework loads. One of my boys ended up graduating with a master's at 21 from a very prestigious college in our area. The other has an associates degree from community college. They both followed their personal interests and are very different personalities. They both have done very well after homeschoolng.

 

My current high schooler also has no desire to go to public school. Like the others, he will start out with the essentials at community college and decide his future course from there. I have a good relationship with all my kids, but the oldest two were the hardest at the time. I know that was my own doing. I'm less demanding and less judgemental than I used to be. My younger sons have a different mother.

[DawnM]

I have three children.

 

The first was homeschooled all the way through.  He is now at community college.  For him, it was the best choice.

 

For ME, homeschooling was never the best choice.  I love working and after 10 years, almost 11, I am just beyond ready to return to work.

 

I am glad I HSed him all the way through.  He has special needs and learning issues, and he would never have survived in school.  But the other two will do just fine.  10th grader is at a charter this year and youngest will be 7th next year and go to school.

 

So, for my oldest's sake, I am glad we did.  The others will benefit from school.  They want to go and I want them to go.

[Night Elf]

Like I said in the other thread, I used an accredited online school. I was too afraid to do it on my own but that's another story. I graduated my oldest two and the youngest asked to go to high school for 9th grade. Yes, I'm glad I homeschooled high school for my oldest two. It gave them both the opportunity to pursue school at their own pace. For dd, that was important because she liked working and by the time she graduated high school, she was already working full time. For ds, he has Aspergers and he wasn't able to handle a full load of classes like a typical peer. Keeping them home certainly didn't hurt our relationships. I was and still am very close to them. I do feel I'm not quite as close to my youngest who is in public school. She has several good friends and kind of goes off and does her own thing so I don't see her a great deal. Having the other two home gave us a lot of time together. I don't regret that.

[The Girls' Mom]

I'm SO glad I didn't quit.  My dh had to talk me into NOT quitting about once a year with my oldest.  But She's in college now and doing well.  She has a great foundation.  My younger two will graduate next year, and both are doing very well.  It really was the best decision for our family.  I wish I could have HSd my niece as well, who also graduates next year.  (she stays at our house a lot and is like another daughter to me).  

I'm very close to my girls.  It did not ruin our relationships, but I also had to learn when to back off and let them grow.  It was very hard with each of them at different times, but looking back, those were the times that they were growing emotionally.  

 

The only regret that I have is that they ever went to public school at all.  (I pulled them out when they were in the 3rd and 6th grades.)

 

ETA:  My younger two are learning pretty independently now.  I check in with them to make sure they are actually doing their subjects, and they take a couple of co-op or DE classes.  My actual teaching days are over.

Edited February 6, 2016 by The Girls' Mom

[marbel]

I don't know yet.

 

My two kids have been homeschooled from the start, with classes here and there.  But they are still mostly homescholled, though  my youngest started taking classes at CC, now taking two per semester.  In her senior year she will probably take three classes so she will be minimally homeschooled.  She and I argue frequently about the things she dislikes (science!  math!) but we probably would have whether she was homeschooled or in school.  I actually did want her to go to public school for high school, but she would not.  She heard too many horror stories from homeschooled friends who started school in 8th or 9th grade. 

 

My oldest had some severe health problems starting in 8th grade that would likely have kept him out of school. He also has some  LDs.  The sickness, which lasted three years, held him back a good bit in his homeschooling too - he is graduating a year later than expected.  The flexibility of homeschooling was a huge plus during that time!  I am not sure how he will do when he attempts full-time CC next fall.  He is taking his first CC class this semester.

 

We have close relationships (even with the fighting over math) and I think they are happy they were homeschooled - at least so far.  It has not always been easy. 

 

I don't think we will ever know if the path we didn't follow would have been better.   If they are successful in their adult lives, I don't think I will be able to say it was because they were homeschooled.   Of course the converse is true too:  if they are not successful, it won't necessarily be because of homeschooling.    I try not to second-guess our decisions.  Even with the long-term illness it might have worked out fine.  Or not.  Who knows?!

 

I think my feeling when both are graduated will be: relief! 

[Faithr]

I am down to my last two high schoolers.  I definitely think it is worth it.  People focus too much on academics I think.  Really stressing over them.  Yes, they are important, but more important is your relationship with your teens.  And it is lovely to watch them blossom, even if there's a lot of worry and sometimes tension, in the mix.  It's still a blessing!  My oldest two were really gratifying to homeschool through high school, even though there were obstacles and times of contention - growing up is complicated!  My middle son almost burned me out.  He was my most compliant and then suddenly in high school he lost motivation.  Getting him through it was like pulling teeth.  I still am suffering PTSD!  LOL.  But was it worth it?  Would I do it again!  You betcha!  I am also struggling with my youngest son who is 17 and has lots of issues  Still worth it!  I can tell my 9th grader is going to be easier.  She's just got more of a natural academic bent and drive.  Woot!  Really, if I have learned one thing in this life is:  valuing relationship is the most important thing.  Even if the relationship goes through periods of stress, there is such a richness there.  I am so grateful I got to do this thing of long term homeschooling into adulthood.  I wouldn't trade it for the world!

[Harriet Vane]

I homeschooled my daughter all the way through. It was her choice, but I was soooo glad she chose that way. She had been homeschooled as of kindergarten, and I loved teaching her and facilitating academics. I treasure the time we had together. We moved to another state her junior year, and I am both grateful for homeschooling and also sad that it became much harder on her at that point. The homeschooling culture in our new state was much different than it had been when we were in the big city, and it was difficult to make meaningful friendship connections as a junior. (Not for lack of trying!) Dd's friends in our new state ended up being almost all public school teens. Ultimately she and I are glad for homeschooling because of the flexibility and time together, and also because she could indulge her passions for foreign languages and history while taking easier science and math.

 

Ds chose differently. He really wanted to go to a traditional school. It saddens me at times. I miss him. More importantly to me, though, is how little time he gets outside. He has always had a deep, intense need to be outside. He loves gardening and camping, so homeschooling for him was characterized by frequent breaks to be outside. Sometimes he'd do his school work in our backyard walnut tree. When we moved to our current home, he set up his work in the screened-in back porch. He is thriving in a private school and he has no regrets about that choice. I am happy for him and I rejoice to see his enthusiasm and new friendships. But yes, I miss him, and I wish he could still run around the woods and the yard throughout the day.

[Luckymama]

When we pulled dd from school in fifth grade it was with the understanding that she'd be returning for high school. She would be able to choose between various charter and private schools, including the school her older sister attended (her brother attended a boys school lol).

 

Dd loved the freedom of homeschooling the middle school years. She could move as fast or as slow as she wished! She could choose her own subjects! We had a blast.

 

Driving home from a very successful Science Olympiad state tournament with a chest full of medals, dd asked if homeschooling high school was a possibility. I was :eek:

 

We spent the next year researching and visiting all those great options. The options were no longer as great. She would max out their math offerings in tenth grade. No school offered a language other than Spanish, French, or Latin---she wanted Arabic or Russian or Chinese. She discovered that, even at the competitive-entry charter school with all the great offerings, she would not be able to choose any class for herself until junior year. She had no desire to be in lock-step with similar performing students.

 

So here we are :)

 

Dd is taking advantage of all the freedom and flexibility homeschooling offers her (we live in a non-restrictive state so we can set our own requirements for her which match with colleges/programs she's interested in). I allow her to choose what courses she wants; I do all the research/planning/preparation and then the discussion/grading. It's a heck of a lot of work for me, that's for sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I outsouce English (we use Blue Tent Online) and Arabic (The Potters School for one credit; Concordia Language Villages high school four week session for another credit; and now the University of Our State). I do everything else.

 

Dd approached dh and I this fall with a proposal that she graduate early. Cue the :eek:

[kewb]

My ds will be off to college in the fall. My dd is currently a sophomore. I don't regret continuing through high school.

With the benefit of hindsight I do wish I had done some things differently.

9th grade I had a bit of a freak out of "Omg, this counts" and I sucked all the joy out. To the point where he was thinking he wanted to return to school. I adjusted what I was doing. 10th grade was ok. Mostly he struggled throughout hthe high school year with wanting more social opportunities. Junior year there was a girl. First serious girl and she attended the local high school. Cue,I want to go back to school. I could barely tolerate my son for his junior year. We fought over just about everything. Girl broke up with him right before his birthday but it took months to recover from the damage to our relationship. The damage was not the girls fault. She was a catalyst. Senior year has been going well. It got off to a rocky start but we seem to have been able to maintain our groove.

 

Homeschooling high school for him has been a tumultuous ride but I am glad we had the experience. Things I would do differently: I would start outsourcing classes sooner.I would try harder to give him the social outlets he needed. There are not a lot of homeschooling high schoolers where I live.

 

My dd has been having a very different high school experience. She has yet to struggle with wanting to return to school. Nor does she seem to struggle with the social thing the way my ds does. I am curious to see how the next two years go with her as she will have my undivided attention.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I'm the oldest of 8 siblings and we were all home schooled through high school. (Number 8 graduates in May and Mom's 27 years of homeschooling will be over. :-)) We all have a great relationship with our parents. The oldest 5 of us are happy with our adult lives. The next 2 are in college and doing well. There are a few things the oldest few of us wished our parents had done differently. My parents were open to those comments and changed things up for the younger ones. All-in-all homeschooling high school was a great experience for all of us. It gave us opportunities we wouldn't have had in traditional school, allowed us time to pursue interests, and gave us the ability to work at our own pace.

Edited February 6, 2016 by 2ndgenhomeschooler

[Amira]

I have one in 11th and one in 10th. They both have chosen to keep homeschooling despite dh's very strong encouragement to stop. There have been good things and bad things about it, but the things that are hard for me would still be things I would have to deal with in public school. The thing that is hard for dh- the difficulty of finding social outlets for them- would be better in public school. There really aren't any benefits in dh's mind.

 

Our situation has always been a little unusual because we move so often. My 10th grader will be in three different countries for high school and I don't think it's ideal to require anyone to switch high schools so often. Oldest ds will probably be in two, depending on what he decides to do his senior year. I've always homeschooled the oldest two because it usually has been the only choice and I wanted to provide some educational continuity since they don't get any continuity anywhere else in their lives. I don't regret continung to homeschool even though we now have the option of using international schools overseas. Also, I have really enjoyed homeschooling my 10th grader in most ways, despite his typical teenage boy failings that I try to remember are typical.

 

I desperately hope that in a few years when the oldest two are on their own (they won't have much choice, unless they want to live with us in whatever country we're in at the time, and it's far more like to be a place like Uzbekistan than France) that I won't regret homeschooling.

[FaithManor]

No regrets! I homeschooled dd from 1st through 4th grade, again 8th through high school. Ou nedt oldest for 1st through high school, middle and youngest from K all the way and middle boy, a senior, will be off to college in the fall. I will bee down to only one, sniff sniff, but we have had a great time! I love teens so we have had excellent relationships, and our local ps is very awful providing almost nothing for the higher achieving students so it has been much better for them than the local districts. The two older ones - one in college, one graduated with her BS in chem - have thanked me for homeschooling them which was really nice to hear!

[Jane in NC]

Homeschooling opened up the world for my son.  Here is the oft told tale:

 

Because of the flexibility of homeschooling, my son was able to assist in a "calling all hands" dig at a local historic site, an event held during school hours. There he met an archaeologist who served as a reference when my son submitted an application to volunteer at a college field school.  That was supposed to be for a single week in May.  He stayed for the dig (something that never would have happened in a brick and mortar), developing a solid relationship with another archaeologist who in turn served as a reference for college and for jobs.

 

My son works in Cultural Resource Management for a private company, a job he loves.

 

Sure, not every minute of homeschooling was pretty.  Some things were more successful than others. His friends who attended the local public school all think that he made the better choice by being schooled at home.  Even the relatives who questioned what we were doing have come around.

 

I'll be the first to admit that homeschooling is not for everyone but frankly if I had to choose one time period for homeschooling it would be middle school.  After that, your kid may not wish to go back.  ;)

[katilac]

I have a senior graduating in May and a sophomore, and we're all glad to be homeschooling high school. 

 

It did not ruin our relationship. Of course we have our moments, but we work as a team for the most part, and they still enjoy doing things together as a family. 

 

We have to work hard for social opportunities, and they don't have as much chance for casual hanging out as we would like (no one in the neighborhood, and they aren't super outgoing). Thankfully they have a few core friends they've known for a very long time. 

 

My oldest started dual enrollment at the local university in 11th-grade, and her sister will do the same, 2-3 classes per semester (which isn't quite half, bc we still do literature when they take composition, etc). 

 

And she had several great offers to choose from for college, so we didn't mess that up too badly! 

 

 

[Blossom'sGirl]

With my first senior graduating this year, I can now say I am still glad.  There have been many times that I have questioned this because I don't see my oldest having much "fun" as I did during my high school years.  But he is a well rounded mature young man and will be heading off to college next year.

 

I think that with either homeschool or B&M school, an engaged parent can make a big difference.

[amy g.]

I have graduated two kids and my third is a junior and taking her first community college classes this semester. I'm very happy that I didn't quit with any of them. Even though each child had some high school classes outsourced, we have still maintained our homeschool culture of travel and not over scheduling. All three of my older children are thriving in their own areas, but most important to me, they are happy, emotionally healthy, industrious, interesting and just enjoyable people.

 

I would not trade the time that we have spent homeschooling for anything in the world.

[Pronghorn]

My daughter is halfway through ninth grade. I was nervous at first, but this seems like the right path. One big plus for me is that the schoolwork gets much more interesting. I really love her literature class!

[Alice]

Thank you all so much! I can now survive February! :) 

 

I  could have multi-quoted so many of you but my parents are here to celebrate family birthdays so I need to get off the computer. But I really appreciate all the happy stories. 

 

My oldest is definite in his desire to homeschool through high school and we have a good relationship now. I'm think we'll be ok although know enough by now to know it will probably be both more challenging and more rewarding than I expect. But it's still really great to hear about so many people who have had success  both academically and in terms of overall life/happiness/relationship. 

 

 

[KrissiK]

My close friend homeschooled her two oldest (she's still homeschooling her baby but she's only a 5th grader) all the way through and was successful. Her dd was very motivated, she actually put together her own course of study for high school and is now in university and doing well. My sil has a sophomore this year. He is very bright (doing college calculus as a sophomore) and probably wouldn't do well in a school setting. My second DS claims he wants to homeschool all the way through and I am willing to do that for him. I have no problem with a child homeschooling all the way through. But, I think in the high school years, it is more important for a child to be cooperative and buy into homeschooling than it is in the elementary years. It's one thing to be working with an uncooperative 8 year old and quite another to have to deal with a surly 16 year old boy who really doesn't want to do his work,

Edited February 6, 2016 by KrissiK

[ThisIsTheDay]

We are another family who didn't plan to homeschool all the way through high school--but we are SO GLAD we did!!  We never did the hard core academic work that so many here on the boards do. Ours was much more relaxed, although both have taken a few dual enrollment/community colelge courses as high school seniors.  Their schoolwork transitioned over the four years to working independently.

 

My oldest now is a junior away at a upper level state university, maintaining honors college status since freshman year, a fantastic student (as in straight As for the past two semesters).  My second is a senior in high school, accepted at the same college and waiting to hear if he'll earn a merit scholarship at another state university.

 

The college acceptances that the first one received went a long way in reassuring both of us that we were on the right track, we'd done okay.  My second kid is much more relaxed about the whole thing, to him, this is expected and normal.  :)

 

I have never even ONCE regretted homeschooling high school. 

[wintermom]

We're still going strong with homeschooling into high school, and I don't foresee us stopping. There are so many opportunities for high school-aged homeschoolers here, that they'd not have time for where they in an academic-track school program. My dd and oldest ds  have the time to do a co-op (aka internship), band, strings ensemble, music theory and private music lessons, recreational sports, community theatre, Junior Achiever course (young business entrepreneurs), volunteering, along with all the academic subjects they want/need (including reach-ahead university courses). 

 

The best part is that they can pursue all these varied interests and not feel a heavy pressure to constantly "perform" with endless quizzes, exams and reports. Their anxiety levels are definitely at acceptable levels.

[Hilltopmom]

Only half way through, but I think our relationship is better because of homeschooling high school, not worse:)

[Artichoke]

We've homeschooled through high school. The high school years are my favorite since it's more of a time of relating adult to adult and forging a relationship/friendship on a different level. The flexibility of designing an education that fits them and furthers their goals is another huge plus. It wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I think it's by far the easiest stage to homeschool even though the work itself is more intense.

[Anne]

Didn't read the other responses. Homeschooled both my daughters through high school. They were accepted into the colleges they wanted to attend, received scholarships, got into the honors programs, and have grown up into terrific adults.

 

I outsourced a lot, did co-ops, agonized, prayed and agonized....

 

Homeschooling was absolutely the best choice for us, for our relationships, and for my daughters who wanted to do so many things they would not have been able to do had they been tied to a b&m school.

 

Anne

[StephanieZ]

Me!!

 

1) My oldest hs'ed all the way through and is now doing great at college, on a GREAT National Merit Scholarship package. She's happy, she loves us, she has made great friends and is staying true to herself while exploring the world. 100% happy with our schooling journey.

 

2) My #2, now a Junior at home, has been the only one that i've questioned my wisdom continuing hs'ing into high school. Main struggles have been difficulty maintaining social/peer relationships in a community where the vast majority of hs'ers move to brick and mortar by high school and where the few remaining hs'ing into high school are mostly extreme Christians, which we are not. Also, he was more resistant to Mom-teaching as an adolescent. We've muddled through using online AP classes and with extensive involvement in a fabulous FIRST Robotics team and with volunteering with local environmental education projects. He's succeeding academically, learned to self-teach since he doesn't want mom to teach, is happy socially and with mentors, etc in Robotics, and he scores very well on tests such that we are expecting him to also be a National Merit Finalist, thus opening many doors to free or nearly free college on merit scholarships.

 

3) #3, 7th grade, is a delight and will be surely homeschooling through graduation. She's already able to self-teach high school level courses extremely independently, so much so that I get lonely sometimes. 

 

Some key benefits to continued homeschooling for our family:

 

+ Ability to pursue serious extra curriculars like serious music study and extensive involvement in Robotics, volunteer environmental work, etc. 

+ Ability to travel extensively during the academic year. Even now that oldest is in college, we are glad to be able to schedule trips around just HER academic calendar, allowing for family travel at Fall and Spring break, etc.

+ Ability to pick and choose courses/content to meet the needs of the child.

+ Ability to carefully protect/guide a child who is struggling emotionally or psychologically during a bumpy adolescence or during a family crisis/death in family/etc. It is nice to be able to adjust, tweak, drop/add/delay courses, etc, without the risk of a messy academic record that might mess up college or scholarship prospects. I can adjust things without it looking odd on a transcript or requiring explanation.

[kroe1]

Another vote for glad I homeschooled through high school. We have had a sweet 4 years with a relaxed lifestyle with plenty of time for performing arts. DD15 is a senior this year, but she wants to do a gap year at home before starting college so she can perform one more year.

[Minerva]

These are such encouraging stories! I really appreciate the honesty and the things you'd have done differently (or did do differently) the second time around. 

[SebastianCat]

My oldest is in 8th grade and we always assumed that we would lean towards sending him to high school rather than homeschooling. But now that we are on that threshold, the opportunities available through homeschooling outweigh the opportunities in PS. We will outsource math, science, and Spanish, plus some electives, so that leaves me responsible for fewer subjects at home and more of an administrator. This year, DS has taken much more ownership of his education as he's started taking high school level courses, and he'll have the option to start college level courses in 10th grade.

 

We will decide individually when DD is closer whether she will homeschool through high school or not. I do believe that at this level, there is no "one size fits all" choice.

[Lady Marmalade]

I am SO glad that we are homeschooling high school!  My relationship with my DD is so great- it's nothing like what my mom had to deal with when I was a teen.  While I wouldn't say we are super close and best friends, we do talk about anything and everything. I feel confident that she feels she could come to me with any situation and knows that I have her back.

 

I am also very glad that we homeschool high school when it comes time for finals for all of our friends in PS.  It's insane how much pressure kids today are dealing with because of tests and finals.   DD aced her quarterly Apologia Biology test yesterday, and there was no cramming and stressing and insane studying for it.  She went over her materials thoughtfully and felt that because she'd learned everything so well the first time around that she didn't need to study too much for her test.  She did great!  

 

Our intense pursuit of dance would not be possible without homeschooling.  DD has had so many friends have to make the choice to quit the studio dance in favor of their local HS dance teams- purely because dance team works with the school schedule.  

[fairfarmhand]

Me.

 

My dd has been a pain for most of her life. :) Just not an easy kid.

She does virtual school so while she's home, she's not being taught by me. So I guess technically, I'm cheating.

But the day that she said, "
I used to think that I'd want to go to school. But now Im glad I was homeschooled all the way through."

 

Was one of the most gratifying days of my life.

[lllll]

nm

Edited February 22, 2016 by _ oq?"

[Lolly]

All four of mine. All but the last have thanked me for  homeschooling them. It isn't in his personality!!! The eldest tried/wanted to go back to bm school in 8th grade. I made it 5 weeks before I couldn't put up with it any longer and brought her back home. She basically unschooled from that point. People here would not have approved of her "schooling". She is about to graduate from college with a 3.8something and has an extremely good job lined up. We have an exceptional relationship that most likely would not exist if she had stayed in bm school or if I had pushed high school on her. The next two are both doing extremely well in college. They were more conventionally educated, and to be quite honest, easy to deal with. Ds was a little resistant in high school, but nothing major. He decided to attend the tech school for welding and will be graduating in May. He should be working immediately following graduation if not before. He's technically finished all requirements other than just hours needed in the school. (They may place him into a part tiem job where he is allowed use the hours for graduation.

 

I am not sure I would do anything different if I were to have a do over. Academically, the only outside sourcing I used was a semester of composition. DD#1 I would definitely do high school the same way. I might should say not do since I didn't really do much of anything with/for her. Dd#2 I think I would have remained the same. She has some learning difficulties that I would have had retested (didn't see the need since it wasn't giving any immediate benefit) more often for ease of accommodation on standardized testing. I would have tried applying for that earlier. We ran out of time. Dd#3 I would not have had work her sciences and math as early as she did. She started biology in 8th for high school credit. She would have been better off in college if it had been done in a more traditional time frame. She is the only one that I feel would have done just as well if she had gone to ps. Ds...I sort of regret allowing him to DE at the tech school his senior year. But, he needed something outside the house. He would probably be in engineering if he had not. He is probably my smartest kid and isn't attending college. He absolutely fell in love with welding. Part of me wonders if he will work several years and go back to school. I guess mostly I am just nursing a little wounded pride because...well...you are supposed to go to college. A little of me feels a slight failure because he is not. Then again, he may come out the most financially well off from his choice. He has a huge nest egg of college money in the bank which we will keep until we are certain he isn't going to want to attend college one day. It will just continue to grow until then. It will buy him a nice house or could start up a business of his own one day. It is a little hard to let my dreams for him die as he pursues his own dreams. But, that is what HIS life is supposed to be--him chasing his own dreams.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Lolly

[Catherine]

I haven't read any of the responses. I allowed all three of mine to choose brick and mortar high school.  For the first (who had only started home schooling in seventh grade) it lasted a year and he chose to come home.  Teaching him in 7th and 8th was a bear.  But he has already told me, before finishing college, that he wants to home school his own kids.  Second child-it was a big mistake for him to go to high school.  I didn't even realize it when he was starting.  But now that he is done, we are trying to figure out next steps as he is not ready for college but wants to go...probably he will start in the fall.  

 

Youngest just started high school.  Knock wood, it seems to be going very well. He is happy and doing well.  So he may be the only child who has a good, and useful, high school experience.  

 

I think allowing the choice was not a mistake for us...but I wish I had known better how to help my middle child.  

[AppleGreen]

Just wanted to say "thanks" for this thread. I am one of the posters on the "I wanna quit" thread (I know it was more eloquently titled). It was helpful to read the other perspective. 

[speedmom4]

One of mine is now in college with another six months away. I am SO thankful that we stuck with it and never gave up. We are definitely not perfect but homeschooling has worked quite well for us. I think the major benefit is that my kids have been able to figure out who they are without an intense peer circle dictating those ideas. Although there are times I wish my kids weren't so independent in their ideas, it has worked well for them. They are strong individuals who have good relationships with one another and their parents.

 

I wish I had known about the online options when our oldest was in high school but the second one has benefited from outsourcing. My last two have already begun some outsourcing and that will only increase as they progress through high school.

 

Good luck!

[sparrow]

We're in the thick of it now. We've homeschooled from the beginning, with the intention of revisiting our commitment to it each and every year. Each year our family agrees it's still working and we carry on. I don't know what next year, or two years from now, will bring, but I suspect we will homeschool until the end. 

Ultimately, we ended up with night owl kids, with varied interests and talents, and far more confidence than their father or I had at the same age. Late at night, dh and I marvel at the cool people they're becoming.  I am loving the conversations that come from homeschooling these later years and I selfishly admit to enjoying the education *I'm* getting!