Homeschooled Through High School: Julie Fuller
Those of us who homeschool or who have been homeschooled through high school know that IT IS VERY Possible. But how? Many parents and students look towards high school with fear and trepidation instead of being joyous as to how far into the journey they have come. I realize that families homeschool for a multitude of reasons and that each family is unique, but questions still arise when the words high school are mentioned!
Homeschooling High School Can it be done? Most certainly! I do however recommend doing doing co-ops and and class exchanges with other homeschoolers. I grew up in Japan where fellow homeschoolers were very limited, so it could get lonely at times.
How many hours a day or week did you homeschool? There was really no set amount of hours. My mom gave us a certain number of assignments each day to keep us on track. If we got done with those we were done for the day. I was very serious about my music even back in high school so it gave me more time to practice.
What type of curriculum did you use? Was it a good fit for your learning style? Why or why not? We used a home schooling program called Christian Liberty Academy based out of a school in Arlington Heights, IL. It combined multiple programs into one. I think it was great in that it gave us flexibility within the program. I really wish that I had been able to do ABEKA where everything was made to go together.
What type of curriculum would you have liked to try and why? I really wish that I had been able to do ABEKA where everything was made to go together. What extra curricular activities or clubs did you participate in?
What types of service projects or volunteer organizations did you work for? I grew up in Japan and my parents are missionaries, so most of our ‘volunteer work’ was done in church. I grew up playing the piano for my family’s ministry, teaching Sunday School, etc.
What were your favorite subjects and why? Music of course! I always did love science though. =)
What was your least favorite and how could it have become more tolerable? I liked math until high school when they changed my math text book to Saxon. I think it’s one of those things where you either love Saxon or you hate it. Unfortunately for me… I hated it.
Did you talk any unique or non-traditional subjects? I can’t remember the exact number, but I took a TON of extra classes my last two years. Although I wouldn’t say any of them are non-traditional, I would say they were not classes that everyone would take. I obviously had to take English courses that contain creative writing projects, but I actually took a specific creative writing class that was geared towards journalism.
Pros vs. Cons of homeschooling high school I think homeschooling in high school can be a wonderful experience if done right. It is not however, something that parents can just suddenly decide on during their child’s last four years of school and throw them into. It takes cooperation on both the parents and child’s end to make it successful. I think that a student can go through school and then homeschool only for their high school years, but it would take willingness and an understanding that they would have to show respect and appreciation towards the parent teaching in order for the experience to be a success.
What time did you school each day? How many days a week? Did you use a traditional calendar? School year round? Block schedule? We had a summer break, Christmas break, and we were off for any MAJOR holiday, but we only had school four days a week. We worked extra hard on those days so that we could enjoy our Fridays to go on field trips and other family outings.
Co-ops or homeschool support groups? Both sound great to me. I never experienced either so I cannot speak from experience.
Did you help plan your curriculum? I made suggestions. =)
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