Home Schooling way Of Life 4

Home Schooling - A Way of Life ( part 4)

Home Schooling Through High School

Air Force Improves Recruiting Policy

Home Schooling Through High School

by Sandy Malcolm

Home schooling through high school, although it sounds intimidating, is not as hard as it seems. All home schooling builds on the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In the high school years these subjects continue to intensify, focusing on each child learning to express himself in speech and print, and to interpret and critically evaluate the literary output of others. It takes no special laboratories for parents to teach these subjects; years of experience in living in the world and dealing with advertising, government agencies, and other institutions are good experience.

Likewise, in the study of history, the high school curriculum is similar to that used in grade school except at a higher level of detail. It is in the teaching of high school math and science that many falter. Generally, a college-bound student must be exposed to mathematics of ever-increasing difficulty, from pre-algebra through algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus. If a student is not planning to enter the sciences, some of these can be eliminated. The major problem is not the availability of information, but the personal discipline and commitment of the student and the parent to succeed at this. The use of a curriculum such as Saxon math which is suitable for the interactive teaching style of home school is an advantage. There are also options of taking a course by video, hiring a tutor, or team teaching. What home educators may lack in education they can make up for with creativity and resourcefulness.

Teaching the sciences is challenging. In the high school years a student is expected to progress through general science (earth science), to biology, chemistry, and physics. These subjects are often not well known by the parents unless they have been educated in the sciences. The best suggestion here is to obtain good textbooks such as those published by Bob Jones University or A Beka Books. These textbooks cover the required material from a Christian perspective, and include lists of questions for each section and chapter to use interactively with the student to assure that the material is learned. Personally, I would not worry about not having a full laboratory in which to do experiments. Home school families find creative ways to do experiments, and there are many resources available to home educators. Any disadvantage in the hands-on experience will more than be compensated by the reporting and analyzing ability promoted by excellent humanities skills. In science, an area in which home educators are often criticized for lack of facilities, home schooled students score well above average on standardized testing.

For the non-college bound student, the goal is a good score on the G.E.D. (General Education Development) test. This is just another achievement test similar to the standardized tests that home schoolers take. Some home educators prefer to offer their own diploma and forego the G.E.D. because of the negative stigma some associate with it. If your student is enrolled in a correspondence school, they will usually issue a diploma. If you decide to home school and then return to high school, your student will be evaluated using standardized testing, and placed in the appropriate grade. Be advised that home schools and private schools in Arkansas are non-accredited schools, so our credits do not have to be accepted by public school. Arkansas law states that in order for a home school student to receive a public high school diploma, the student must attend classes for at least nine (9) months immediately prior to graduation before he can become eligible to receive a high school diploma from the local school district. Before you begin your senior year, it is a good idea to find out whether or not your child wants to work in a job, or attend a school, which has a G.E.D. requirement. It is much less stressful to prepare for this test over the course of the year rather than scramble to