Search Results for: HSHSP Ep 51

HSHSP Ep 51: Career Exploration for Teens who Don’t Have a Clue

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March 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment

HSHSP Ep 51: Career Exploration with Teens Who Don't Have a ClueHSHSP Ep 51: Career Exploration for Teens who Don’t Have a Clue

“SO, what are you going to do after graduation?”

That’s the dreaded question for many teens. They simply don’t have a clue what they want to do.

How do you help a teen find direction in life? How do you help them get to know themselves or get to know God’s leading?

Sabrina, Vicki and Kym for decades have been mentoring, coaching and teaching homeschool highschoolers about Career Exploration. Join them for an expert discussion on helping teens who don’t have a clue.

Resources:

Case Study: Teen Doesn’t Have a Clue

HSHSP Ep 23: Career Exploration for Homeschool Highschoolers

My Next Move Career Interest Survey

Career One Stop (US Dept of Labor)

 

 

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HSHSP EP 151: Approaches to Teaching Literature in Homeschool High School

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March 5, 2019 by Leave a Comment

This week on HSHSP EP 151: Approaches to Teaching Literature in Homeschool High School.

Different Approaches to Teaching Literature. There's not ONE right way to homeschool high school Literature. Here are some approaches.

HSHSP EP 151: Approaches to Teaching Literature in Homeschool High School

Is there ONE right way to homeschool high school Literature? Of course not! Sabrina and Vicki want to encourage you to have fun with right way for your homeschool high schoolers!

If your teens LOVE reading, you’ll approach Literature with them in a different way from for your teens that HATE reading. Each homeschool high schooler has their own abilities and interests. Not only that, moms have their own interests and abilities (some of us LOVE reading, some don’t like to read anything more than Facebook)!

Here are some approaches to teaching Literature. Hopefully one of the approaches will help you out.

Traditional textbooks.

Covers themes and analysis skills with snippets of novels, short stories and poetry. It is a skills approach, not a literature appreciation or in-depth approach. Textbooks are sometimes a good fit for more literal learners because the reading selections are more short and the instructions are more concrete. However, teens who like to delve into a book will hate this approach (because it tends to kill the book). Teens who don’t like tons of reading comprehension questions or being told the *right way* to interpret a book, this is not a best-fit approach.

Whole books approach for linear thinkers.

This approach is good for literal thinkers or struggling learners. Will BORE a deep-thinking teen. Here’s an HSHSP episode on teaching literature to literal thinkers.

Comprehensive whole-books approach.

This is an in-depth, in-depth comprehension and inferential thinking literature study guide approach. You’ll find these great for teens who like to tear a book to pieces (perhaps future English teachers). However, these HUGE literature guides kill the book for many teens.

The right literature studies for your teens can help them learn to be thinkers, not parrots. Don't turn your homeschool high schoolers off with overkill studies. Here's how to find the right fit.

7Sisters approach.

Our teens tell us that they don’t like to kill the book. They want one or two themes covered per book and mostly inferential questions. The literature study guide should be no-overkill, no-busywork. The guide should also provide suggestions for *leveling-up* if they want more rigor for their homeschool transcript or personal growth. We are hoping to develop our teens’ thinking skills with these guides because we want our teens to become thinkers, not parrots!

And remember: you want your teens, where it comes to literature, to inspired, not tired!

Want more information on choosing the right approach to teaching literature in your homeschool? Check out this post.

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HSHSP EP 151: Approaches to Teaching Literature in Homeschool High School

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How to Enjoy Being a Mom of a Just-Average Homeschool Teen- Special Replay

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May 9, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on How to Enjoy Being Mom of a Just-Average Homeschool Teen- Special Replay

How to Enjoy Being Mom of a Just-Average Homeschool Teen

How to Enjoy Being Mom of a Just-Average Homeschool Teen

Your teens do not have to go to Harvard to be exactly who God created them to be. Most teens are “just-average” in the ways that get big attention like:

  • academics,
  • sports or
  • arts

However, God has given each teen gifts, so even “just-average” teens have areas where they shine. Join Sabrina and Vicki for celebration of average homeschool teens with their giftedness from God!

It is easy to fall into the trap that our homeschool high schoolers must perform extraordinarily in some area that gets big attention…or full-ride scholarships to college. Sometimes moms find themselves almost embarrassed if their teens do not go to college or do not do anything news-worthy. It is an unfortunate thing in “American mom-ness” that we moms feel that we are failures if our teens are not famous.

So really, do ALL teens need to be famous in the world’s eyes? How about our teens fulfilling the callings that God gave each of them individually- no matter how large or small?

SO let’s debunk this myth of the idea that only those teens who are gifted in academics, sports or arts are gifted. NO, all teens are gifted in God’s eyes! God gives each person a gift of something in order to bless His kingdom. Therefore, since God gave our teens gifts of some sort to bless his Kingdom, we can rejoice that:

Just average teens are not “just average” in God’s eyes!

ALSO, let’s debunk the myth that average is bad. If average is bad, then God goofed up because statistically MOST teens are average. That’s what “average” means, after all.

How can you enjoy being a mom of a just-average teen?

So, if you have a just-average teen in your house, enjoy them! Thank God and hold an attitude of gratitude in your heart for them. (Okay, realistically, no one feels grateful in tough moments. However, OVERALL, remember to be grateful for the teens God gave you.)

Now for some practical tips to help you enjoy being the mom of just-average teens.

Join Vicki and Sabrina for a passionate discussion about enjoying being the mom of an average homeschool teen! We love our average teens. God loves them, too.

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How to Enjoy Being Mom of a Just-Average Homeschool Teen

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Planning Homeschool Graduation Ceremony and Party- Special Replay

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May 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Planing Homeschool Graduation Ceremony and Party- Special Replay

Planning Homeschool Graduation Ceremony and Party

Planning Homeschool Graduation Ceremony and Party

Whether it is your first or your fifth homeschool graduation, planning homeschool graduations can be stressful.  You want it to be memorable AND something you can manage. We asked our 7th Sisters in our 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group about graduation events that have worked for their homeschool families.

Planning tips for homeschool graduations:

Start your planning process with this important fact: Just as there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, there’s also not ONE right way to hold a graduation event. For real. You and your teen should have a chat or two. Ask what they need and what do you need (you count, you did a lot to help this homeschool high schooler to get to the point of graduation)!

Decide if you want an event

Some graduates do not want a graduation ceremony. Rather, they only want a pat on the back and maybe their favorite meal.

On the other hand, some would like an event. Hey, some of us moms NEED that event for closure; it’s okay to have an opinion. (I know that for me, I needed that graduation ceremony to celebrate all we had done as a family. My teens were glad that they had that significant event, once it was done.) Come to a workable and respectful compromise.

Decide what kind of ceremony you will hold

There are lots of ways to hold a graduation ceremony:

  • Hold a get together in the backyard or at a local park (I’ve been to a number of these events)
  • Have a big event with your local homeschool umbrella school or co-op (this is what our family has always done)

Choose a date

To help you decide on a date, think about:

  • When can the family come?
  • What are facilities available (if you will go somewhere besides home)?

Do you want someone to film or live stream it?

This is very popular these days. Start looking early for a friend, family member or professional to handle this.

Will you send graduation announcements?

Will you want to send traditional announcements from a local printer? (Grandparents often like these because you can enclose a photo that they can put in their wallets and show their friends?

Will you create your own announcements or post cards?

  • You can create your own notes online with websites like Shutterfly or Canva  (We are not affiliates, btw.)
  • Handmade announcements are popular with many of our local homeschool graduates.

Remember to send the announcements early so that folks can make plans.

We highly suggest you create a diploma (and keep a copy of the official transcript with it)

You can make your own:

  • Buy parchment and an “official stamper” at the local office supply store and create your own. (Check Pinterest for samples.)

You can purchase one online from Homeschool Diploma (we are not affiliates)

  • We have found over the years that graduates occasionally need to show a diploma or send a copy of the diploma to prospective employers, military and even graduate schools.

For the transcript:

Will your teen wear a cap and gown?

There’s not one right way to handle this. I always like to have the visual of my graduate wearing the cap and gown AND the joy of moving the tassel on the cap from left to right (or right to left, there’s no real protocol for that)?

  • If you are ordering cap and gown do so EARLY. Shipping is slow sometimes, these days.
  • Some of our homeschool friends have ordered from Homeschool Diploma or Jostens (we are not affiliates)

Plan the ceremony and afterwards

Join Vicki for a you-CAN-do discussion on how to plan homeschool graduations!

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How to Plan Homeschool Graduations

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Movies for Educational Purposes in Homeschool High School- Special Replay

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April 24, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Movies for Educational Purposes in Homeschool High School- Special Replay.

Movies for Educational Purposes in Homeschool High School- Special Replay

Movies for Educational Purposes in Homeschool High School

Need some fun in your homeschool high school? Think: movies!

Movies and reading can both count for Language Arts assignments? Yes, they can! Reading is fundamental, of course. However, movies can be a wonderful way to teach literature themes (and make a wonderful change of pace from books, books, books…). Our 7Sisters’ teens have loved the years where we took an entire year to study movies through a literature lens. They have also enjoyed years when we added a movie or two to study with literature themes.

Cinema studies for learning literature

Movies cannot always count as books. However, when our teens completed a study guide to accompany a movie we DID count that movie as a book. That’s because they were learning about literature through a movie, while doing high-school level learning.

they can be used to learn themes, plots, characters and other tools of literary analysis. Studying a movie can add some sparkle to a year that is getting bogged down in heavy literature books. However, you want to have good tools (like 7Sisters Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Study Guides).

Join Sabrina and Vicki for an enlightening discussion of movies for educational process.

Let’s start with another of Sabrina’s famous quotes:

Stories are stories.

So, a story in a movie is still a story.

Stories are stories. Even movies can be literature study tools.

Learning story analysis skills by watching movies is good for all teens.

Studying movies can build literature analysis skills for a variety of teens:

  • Those who have special needs
  • Average teens who need to liven up their literature learning experiences
  • College-bound teens who want to learn literature analysis skills in a variety of ways

Homeschool high schoolers with learning difficulties

These teens will find analysis skills more accessible when they watch and discuss movies. It can be easy to get bogged down in a book while trying to learn literature themes at the same time. Movies are short compared to many books, so there is less likelihood of becoming overwhelmed.

BTW- For more out of the box credit ideas and support for teens with special needs check out these:

Average teens who need more variety in their literature

Average teens, especially those not planning on going to college, do not need excessive amounts of literature analysis for the English/Language Arts credits. While they do need to read some real books and study some literature analysis, they can also liven things up by learning in different ways. Cinema studies for literature learning is a perfect way to do this.

College-bound teens who want to learn literature analysis skills in a variety of ways

Teens who are headed for college need solid literature analysis skills. They can build these skills with books with literature study guides. At the same time, they can add more levels of learning by using literary analysis skills to study movies.

So where do you start?

Choose one or two aspects of the movie’s story to discuss and analyze. This is important. It is wise to limit the ideas being studied for each movie- even if the movie has lots of outstanding features that could be explored. When you don’t over-teach, you don’t kill the movie. Not only that but teens can actually learn and hold onto their learning. We suggest 7Sisters Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Study Guides for this.

Cinema Studies for Literature Learning: Great educational opportunity

When teens learn some concepts from a film story, they can then find those concepts when they read books.

When teens learn literary concepts from movies, they can make connections with those same concepts in real books. Making connections is a necessary facet of education (and an important life skill).

Watching movies as an educational tool, helps teens begin to think that any time they watch a movie, they can use their brains and think about what they are consuming. In other words, when given tools for analysis in a gentle way, most teens will have more critical thinking skills for watching movies any time.

All 7Sisters curriculum is level-able (adaptable for Average- through Honors-level studies.) Homeschool high schoolers who are college-bound Honors level cinema studies will find interesting and meaningful leveling-up activities in 7Sisters Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Study Guides.

The way the Cinema Studies guides work:

  • Students watch the movie.
  • They take notes as they watch the movie on anything that is interesting to them.
  • Then they watch the movie again several days later.
  • Lastly they complete the study guide (questions and a writing assignment).

As an aside, Vicki and Sabrina rabbit trailed onto the topic of audiobooks for books and poetry. They noted that Benedict Cumberbach is one of their favorite readers. Vicki has several pins on her Pinterest Poetry board with him reading a poem.

Join Sabrina and Vicki for a *moving* talk about movies!

For more creative Language Arts ideas, check out A Novel Approach to High School Literature!

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Movies for Educational Purposes in Homeschool High School

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How to Plan Language Arts for Homeschool High School: Special Replay

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March 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: How to Plan Language Arts for Homeschool High School, a Special Replay.

How to Plan Language Arts for Homeschool High School

How to Plan Language Arts for Homeschool High School

English/Language Arts credits are a huge part of the high school process. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to cover and when. Join Sabrina and Kym for some helpful guidelines for covering ELA in homeschool high school!

First off: remember, there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! So remember, these are guidelines. You know what your unique teens need.

How can you know what to plan for when organizing your materials for your teens’ homeschool high school English/Language Arts credits.

  • Reading (Literature)
  • Writing
  • Grammar
  • Vocabulary
  • Public Speaking

Reading

There’s not one right way to choose books for homeschool high school. For students with learning disabilities or career-bound teens they may need more practical reading and/or audiobooks. Think at least one book per month with a literature study guide (follow guidelines for ability level usage in each 7SistersHomeschool.com’s Literature Study Guides). Then fill out the list with Bible reading, magazines, poetry, etc that interests them. Discuss this with you supervisory advisor for exactly what can be counted.

For students who are college bound, you will want to invest in more reading and probably more literature analysis (in the form of study guides). That’s the cool thing about homeschooling high school: you do what is best for your teens!

If you would like an in-depth look at how many books each teen should cover in each year of high school, here is a comprehensive look at how many books by level and by grade. (Remember, these are guidelines, not rules.)

Writing

Writing is as important as reading. Everyone needs to be able to write efficiently. Here are some very basic guidelines.

Of course, if your teen has special needs or other challenges because life happens, adjust this to make it work for your family.

And if your teen is college bound or wants rigorous writing, check out this post on how many papers teens should write (by level and year).

Grammar

Grammar is necessary for homeschool high school. However, teens who have a practical mastery of grammar rules may find that editing their papers is enough grammar (proof that they understand grammar usage). If your teen is good with simply editing, it might be helpful to have a simple checklist of grammar rules to refer to. We suggest Grammar Granules.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is part of being well prepared for life. All homeschool high schoolers need some vocabulary study each year. However, teens who are headed to college need to lean heavily into vocabulary. 7Sisters literature study guides include vocabulary and more can be added with specific courses or online games like FreeRice.com.

Public Speaking

Public Speaking needs to be part of your homeschool high schooler’s yearly experience. It can be as simply as prayer at a large family gathering. However, for teens who are willing to stretch, they can do a full-year course or a speech team or any variant of that. 7SistersHomeschool.com has a speech curriculum that is popular with speech teams, co-ops and group classes. (Also, free lesson plans for the teachers in co-ops or group classes.)

Join Sabrina and Kym for fun and encouragement about planning high school English/Language Arts!

For more on English/Language Arts for your high school planning:

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Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald

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March 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald.

Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald

Homeschool Grad Becomes Entrepreneur, Interview with Suzanna Fitzgerald

One of our favorite things to do is interview homeschool graduates to see what they are doing with life in the post-high-school world. Join us for a fun interview with entrepreneur Suzanna Fitzgerald!

As parents of a homeschooler, it can be nerve-wracking to watch your child graduate and have to step out into the world on their own. While there is no one answer to the question of what will become of your brilliant kiddo, one bright possibility is that they could choose to become a homeschool entrepreneur. 

With the right support and guidance, your soon-to-be homeschool grad can use their unique experience to create something totally new and go down a path that could lead to long-term success as a homeschool-grad-becomes-entrepreneur!

One example of a homeschool entrepreneur is Suzanna Fitzgerald with Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening. She has always been a driven and ambitious person, so it just made sense that after graduating homeschool high school at the age of sixteen, she chose to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship. Now, at the age of twenty, she is running a successful business alongside her sister and inspiring others with her story. 

In this exclusive interview with Suzanna, we explore her journey from homeschool graduate to successful entrepreneur!

About Suzanna Fitzgerald

Currently residing in Colorado, Suzanna runs a marketing business with her younger sister, Leia Joy. They connect all over the world online and, despite people telling them that they would not even know how to stand in line because they were homeschooled, they managed things anyway – better, even.  Not only can these two sisters stand in line with proper posture, they can also run a business after being homeschool graduates.

Their story is a little bit different than most people’s. Their parents were Arizona ranchers, and they lived miles outside of town on a dirt road, far from any local schools or communities.  Although her mother held a teaching degree, after moving to Arizona to become a rancher, she no longer taught anymore.

At least, not in an institutional fashion.

Instead, she continued to use her teaching skills on her children with their homeschool education. 

Homeschool Life

Suzanna recalls the days when they would gather around the dining room table to do schoolwork. She never spent one day in a ‘regular’ classroom. Instead, she was homeschooled from K through 12.

However, Suzanna and her siblings grew up around business people. When she could independently homeschool herself, she taught herself her business, such as copywriting, marketing, writing, and everything. She is a life-long learner, with a perpetual homeschooling lifestyle: always learning with no beginning or ending.

Suzanna believes all of life is education if we allow it to be. She implores everyone to just keep growing and learning, no matter their age. She adopted this from her mother, who was an awesome teacher because she made learning so much fun.

From the stories she told to the things they have heard from her family, her mom was the kind of teacher that made learning fun for a classroom of thirty students or a homeschool room of three kids. That was due to the fact that she was extremely hands-on and focused. Suzanna credits everything to her mother, who really encouraged them to pursue their dreams and pushed them to excel.

Discovering the Internet and Founding A Business

And then, all of a sudden, the internet happened. And the next thing you know, Suzanna was making a living online, even though she’s never been on a computer previously.

One year, she was asking what a blog and email was. And then the next year, she and her sister were founding an online marketing business. The whole world seemed to open up for them, which was both scary and exciting.

Breaking Into Marketing

Suzanna was initially trying to be a fantasy novelist. When she was seventeen, she had a book published. Then she realized she did not know how to sell nor how to market anything. This became a high priority for her, especially if she wanted to be a successful writer and not a starving writer. 

Although Suzanna tried to pursue her marketing education at a community college, it turned out to not be a good fit due to health limitations. However, she found an advertisement from a company called American Writers and Artists out of Florida who taught copywriting and online marketing, among other things. Their ad fit the homeschool model since you can pay for the courses and do it at home at your own speed. Suzanna figured she could learn about marketing for a while and then go back to writing books.

However, she discovered that she loved marketing just as much as she loved writing books.

(BTW- Suzanna’s creative writing and marketing experiences make excellent electives for the homeschool transcript.)

Sisterly Business Partnership

Her sister, Leia, started working with Suzanna when she graduated homeschool high school, turning into a homeschool-grad-becomes-entrepreneur too, just like her sister.

Their business partnership began with a job that was supposed to only be a summer job that turned into a year-long job, which eventually led to their business partnership. This turned Leia into a homeschool entrepreneur as well. And now she makes custom graphics and custom logos, high-end video editing projects and creative, detailed work for clients. (BTW- more great Career Exploration elective credits!)

Both sisters have different skillsets that dovetail well together for their business. By learning to work together during their homeschooling adventures, it transpired into working well in ‘real life.’ 

Suzanna’s Advice About Homeschooling High School

For Suzanna, the best part of her high school years was when she became more independent. In about sixth or seventh grade, her amazing mom allowed her to pick lots of elements of her own homeschool curriculum. Her mom would show her the magazine she was ordering from. Then they would discuss each type of program, such as which type of grammar she wanted to do and what was next for math.

When Suzanna started homeschooling high school, she was pursuing her writing dreams, so her mom allowed Suzanna to set her own schedule. And as long as she got the work done on time, her mom did not care when she did it. Suzanna learned excellent goal setting and time management in a hands-on way.

Her time in high school was such an adventure. She was able to choose courses and curriculum that helped pursue her dreams and discover what she wanted out of life. For example, Suzanna chose high-end writing courses instead of more science courses. 

Suzanna’s best part of homeschooling as well as her best tip for all parents of homeschool high schoolers and possible homeschool entrepreneur is: 

Just try to fulfill the needs that your children have instead of trying to fulfill something from your past.

The best part of her homeschooling was when that was true. On the other hand, the worst part was when, sometimes,  it would feel like she was trying to live up to her parents’ expectations from long ago.

One of the beauties of homeschooling is all the flexibility. Do what is best for your kids. 

Teens learning entrepreneurship can earn Career Exploration credit.

Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening

The reason Suzanna fell in love with marketing is because it is such an important key to success. One that many people often overlook. You might tend to think of it as something you can just do in your spare time. After all, there are a lucky few who do luck out with a natural gift for marketing that works for them right off the bat.

However, to the remaining most of us, we really struggle with marketing because it costs so much time, effort and energy. Unfortunately, it can make you think it is just sucking the life out of you, causing you to learn to hate your business and hate what you wanted to do and learn to hate your skills. 

Either you know what you are doing or you work with somebody who knows what they are doing and who is trained to do it right. When you find the right fit (on your own work or marketing with an expert) you will look forward to working in your business. You will see money coming in and you will have communication going out.

And that’s the whole reason for Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening brand. They try to teach people how to genuinely connect with their audiences and listen to what consumers are saying. They help you do marketing the easy way instead of the hard way!

You have to create loyal customers. It is such a wonderful feeling when you have the right message going out and the right customers coming in. Listening is such a high value.

Connect with Suzanna at Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing By Listening

You can find Suzanna on her Fitz’n’Jammer Marketing website at fitsnjammer.com and connect with her on their contact page. Or you can email her at suzannafitznjammer.com. She is also on LinkedIn as Susanna the Challenge Queen Fitzgerald. 

Ending tip from Suzanna:

Homeschooling is not perfect, but it is the most perfect thing you are going to find in an imperfect world. It is the best option that you can have for your kids, and it is the best way to build a relationship with them in the future. 

If you want to be friends with your kids when they are in their twenties and thirties and later, if you want to know your grandkids, if you want to know that your kids are going to have your values or any values, if you want to know that they can continue learning as human beings, no matter what  unpredictable course their life takes, homeschooling is the best thing you can do for your kids. So definitely, definitely do it. It is worth the effort. It is worth the sacrifice. And it is a lot of fun.

Join Vicki and Suzanna for an encouraging discussion on homeschooling and her journey to entrepreneurship.

For more on entrepreneurship for teens, check out these podcast episodes:

Thank you to Richie Soares with Homeschool and Humor for writing this blog post!

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Planning Homeschool High School: Special Replay

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.
June 7, 2022 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Planning Homeschool High School, a special replay.

Planning Homeschool High School: Special Replay

Planning Homeschool High School

Homeschooling high school can feel intimidating before you get started! Vicki remembers when her oldest was in middle school, she was so nervous about homeschool high school that she gathered a group of homeschool moms together to have weekly prayer and resource sharing. The confidence they gained from the process gave them the courage to move forward (and some of them ultimately began co-oping together).

One thing Vicki and the rest of the 7Sisters discovered is that they feel SO much better when they get some solid planning accomplished. Join Sabrina and Vicki for a quick, lively discussion about planning homeschool high school.

Here’s the first and most important thing to know:

There’s not ONE right way to plan your homeschool high school year (or all 4 years of high school).

But if we follow this simple journalism-style framework, it will help! WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW!

The “Who” of planning homeschool high school

While this may seem obvious. You are homeschooling your teens, that’s who! But, as you know, in homeschooling, the entire family is involved or affected. As Sabrina says, “There a multi-dimentionality to homeschooling high school”.

Ask yourself:

  • Who all will be homeschooling this year?
  • What is each family member’s educational experience?
  • Next: What are their strengths and weaknesses?
  • And: What are their learning styles?
  • Then: What are their interests?
  • Plus: What are the parents’ strengths and weaknesses?
  • Also: What are their teaching styles?
  • Finally: What are their interests?

The “What” of planning homeschool high school

This is the bulk of your planning! Give yourself time to pray and sort this out. Make sure to include your teens in the process.

Remember:

There’s not ONE right way to teach the subjects in high school. The joy of homeschooling is teaching in the order and with the curriculum that best suits your family and your teens. Here’s a helpful post with no-fail steps to choosing curriculum.

(You will also love this encouraging episode of Homeschool Sanity about choosing curriculum.)

What do you want to teach this year?

  • There’s not one specific order that you much use to teach History and Language Arts/Literature.
  • Also, there is flexibility in the order of Sciences (although many people teach Biology before Chemistry, often 10th and 11th grades).
  • On the other hand, there is only a little flexibility in the order of Maths (Algebra 1 comes before Algebra 2, unless you use an integrated math).

What curriculum do you like to use?

What works for your teens learning styles? Are their curricula that you can’t stand (Vicki has a difficult time with books that have no photos…she needs entertainment! SO even though her teens might be ok with a bland-looking text, Vicki goes for those that include pictures.)

What courses will you need this year for the transcript?

These will get priority in your planning.

How much academics can your teens handle. Non-college-bound teens don’t need to do overkills on numbers of courses or levels of rigor. College-bound teens (especially if they are aiming for competitive colleges) will need more courses and more rigor. Be sure to leave unnecessary stuff out but don’t over stress you and teens.

When planning homeschool high school ask: Who, what, when, where, why?

The “When” of planning homeschool high school

There’s totally not ONE right way to handle the homeschool academic schedule. What works best for your family this year?

Choose the best schedule to fit your family’s needs. Homeschooling is a lifestyle choice! Ask yourself these questions:

  • Is mom working full time or part time? If so when? Working at home or out of home?
  • Or is a family member on shift work? Does the house need to be quiet so dad can sleep on some days?
  • Are you morning people or night owls?
  • What extracurriculars will your homeschool high schoolers be involved in? (How much car schooling will you need to do?)

Sit down with a calendar. Write in the musts. Fit the curriculum around it. (Really…but just make sure it gets done, of course.) Include your teens in the process!

Get some GREAT tips for scheduling in this interview with Melanie Wilson of Homeschool Sanity Podcast!

The “Where” of planning homeschool high school

The location-style of your family’s homeschooling is important in your planning. Remember: There’s not ONE right location for homeschooling high school. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you have a dedicated school room? Do you have a dedicated homeschool space? (Vicki and Sabrina both found out that no matter what they planned for *education location*, the entire house was the school room. Their houses are full of bookshelves mixed with other stuff, couches laden with school books, sprawling teens and guitars. That was right for their families!)
  • You MUST remember this: There is NO such thing as a Pinterest-perfect homeschool house!
  • Where are you connecting with other homeschoolers for group learning (online, none, local)?
  • Also, where are your teens doing internships (if any)?
  • And, where will mom *sit with* on courses that need one-on-one time?
  • Think about: where will a tutor work, if needed?
  • Who needs privacy and space?

The “How” of planning homeschool high school

The *How* refers to record keeping: How are you tracking your homeschool high school credits?

There’s not ONE right way to keep records, of course! Here are some ideas:

  • Sabrina uses plastic file box for ongoing projects and ungraded papers. She moves completed papers and projects to a master portfolio.
  • Vicki uses yearly portfolios to keep important papers, tests, log sheets for credits, certificates, etc.

Important records we recommend keeping include:

The “Why” of planning homeschool high school

If you don’t know WHY your are homeschooling high school, you shouldn’t be planning! Clarify your WHY! Here some of our WHYs:

God is leading in this direction and we have weighed the costs and are ready for the sacrifices. (At least as far as we can know at the time. The rest is trust in God.) Carefully and prayerfully examine your WHY so that you will have confidence in God’s direction.

WHY shouldn’t be: I want to have perfect kids. As our friends the Fletchers, of Homeschooling In Real Life, say: God is in charge of the outcome, not us!

We have found that homeschool high school years are the best years yet!  Go and be empowered after you enjoy this discussion with Sabrina and Vicki.

Your teens will enjoy 7SistersHomeschool.com’s curriculum. We share the curriculum that we’ve designed and homeschool high schoolers have vetted for years. It is NO-busywork, adaptable to varying interest levels and abilities. We aim for teens to LIKE what they study in homeschool high school!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our Apple Podcasts page.
  2. OR take this IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in “…your favorite podcast source”
  3. This will take you to Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast source and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*

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Special Replay: Homeschooler, What About Socialization? How to Answer!

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.
April 19, 2022 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast a Special Replay: Homeschooler, What About Socialization? How to Answer!

Homeschooler, What About Socialization? How to Answer!

Homeschooler, What About Socialization? How to Answer!

Do you ever get tired of the question about socialization? Homeschool high schoolers and their parents hear it all the time!

“Homeschooler, what about socialization?” is THE most often-asked annoying question that we homeschooling parents get. However, you do not worry about it, though. We have got some great information to equip you to help your teens to handle it graciously.

So, let’s teach teens how to answer this annoying question!

First off, people do not even know what socialization means. Therefore, you should start off clarifying the definition!

Definition of socialization: Passing on the norms, customs, ideologies and skills from one generation to the next.

Then, remind them to answer the question with this question:

Isn’t homeschooling the BEST way to accomplish socialization??

However, when your homeschool high schoolers encounter someone who asks the annoying question: “Homeschooler: What About Socialization?”

  • Ask them put themselves in the questioner’s shoes.
  • Then think about what they are worried about.
  • After that, answer

Definition of socialization: Passing on the norms, customs, ideologies and skills from one generation to the next.

Here are a few common worries, along with good answers

Often, your teens will find that their “What about socialization?” question is really about something else. With that in mind, here are some things they actually might be worried about:

People are often worried our teens will not learn how to interact with peers

Therefore, help your teens answer back:

  • You only learn how to communicate with peers from other peers?
  • Our teens are not isolated. Homeschool parents very intentionally exposing their kids to different social situations such as:
    • church
    • sports
    • homeschool groups
    • service
    • drama productions
    • community classes
    • dual enrollment classes
    • Civil Air Patrol
    • dance programs
  • Our teens are usually well trained in:
  • manners
  • communication and
  • social intelligence

We make these part of our life skills curriculum (in other words, we practice socialization in real life).

People are often worried our kids will not learn how to communicate with anyone who is not an adult

Therefore, ask them back, do kids learn to communicate with all kinds of people in:

  • Age segregated classrooms
  • Classrooms who aren’t allow to experience discipline, thus are often chaotic

Rather, they learn the skills best in a loving, supportive, age-integrated atmosphere where communication skills and politeness are modeled and practiced.

People are often worried our kids will not learn to have self-esteem because they are not around peers in a classroom

The truth is, homeschoolers score better on tests of socialization and self-esteem. (Check out Vicki’s graduate research publish in National Home Education Research Institute.)

Remember: There’s not ONE right way to socialize our kids. You handle socializing your family in the way that meets YOUR family’s goals.

Sometimes, though rarely, someone worries that homeschooling is actually a dangerous setting for children and teens.

This, we know, is ridiculous! However, several years ago, a Harvard professor wrote an article with unfounded concerns of the safety of homeschooling. For an intelligent answer to her article, check out 7Sisters Response to Harvard Magazine’s Risks of Homeschooling.

However, we should be sure to cover a few socialization tasks with our teens, so they are well prepared for life

This is because there are certain settings our teens are going to encounter without us as they grow through adolescence that they will need specific, intentional training! Therefore, these are some good socialization tips for your teens.

Teach your teens:

  • Not to ask questions to people who are not interested or qualified, teach them to ask who to ask.
    • Just think visiting your local Motor Vehicle Administration building.
  • To handle crowds going through college tours and the mall at Christmas,
    • As in: teach them to line up or walk on the “driving lane” as they navigate mall foot traffic
  • How to follow directions.
  • Tips to help form a circle.
    • This is  a tough one for homeschoolers, sometimes!
  • How to take one paper and pass the rest.
    • Really, if they are not in a co-op or group classes, you can practice this important skill with them at home!
  • To laugh at themselves (not take themselves too seriously).
  • VERY important: how to be gracious to people who have other ideologies.
  • To be curious and how to ask questions about all kinds of things.
  • Teach them the 10 basic social skills.
  • Teach them to model the walk of grace (and model it ourselves).
  • For more ideas on socialization, check out our interview with Dr. Rachel van der Merve on how to be ready for college.

What about socialization? Here’s a simple answer to that annoying question:

“Homeschoolers are socialized and successful, now tell me all about your kids.”

For more ideas for homeschooling and socialization, check out this episode of Finish Well podcast.

Join Sabrina, Vicki and Kym for an intelligent and FUN discussion on the answers to the annoying question: What about socialization?

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Homeschooler, What About Socialization?

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Special Replay: Conversational Homeschooling

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.
April 12, 2022 by Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast is a Special Replay: Conversational Homeschooling.

Conversational Homeschooling

Conversational Homeschooling

We all know that there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! With that in mind, we would like to share a valuable tool for homeschooling success. Sabrina is here today to share ideas about conversational homeschooling. While Sabrina made up the phrase, it fits Sabrina’s style of homeschooling her high schoolers. You will be SO encouraged by Sabrina’s ideas for teaching teens.

What is conversational homeschooling?

Real learning for teens often occurs during conversations. Have you ever noticed that? Moments of true insight will occur during a formal or even, informal chat with your homeschool high schoolers. (Actually, the same thing is true for adults, we bet you have noticed.)

This episode is aimed at:

  • New homeschool high school moms
  • Current homeschool high school moms
  • All homeschool moms, actually

During homeschool high school, moms often become less a teacher and more a resource manager as our teens gain independent learning skills:

These are all important and vital for learning but we sometimes loose some of the fun of homeschooling. However, we can remember that really cool learning happens in discussions.

You may have noticed this yourself. Think about when you have been learning a new hobby or skill; or studying a new topic in Bible study. You will probably have studied and practiced and feel pretty good about what you are learning. However, if you have coffee with a friend and tell her about what you are doing, it will truly cement the information.

Think: Data in, learning starts—learning happens when the data (words) come out!

As teens articulate what they are learning, it becomes much more "theirs"!

Where can I use conversational homeschooling?

There are many situations where conversational homeschooling will increase your teens’ educational success.

Organizing Research Paper Material

The idea of conversational homeschooling is useful for helping teens with their first research papers. Many teens feel overwhelmed by the process. They need help organizing their data and capturing it in a proper research-paper format. Study guides can really help ease them through the process but discussions with mom can be invaluable in helping teens organize their thoughts about what they are learning.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Over the years as many of us 7Sisters have taught research writing in homeschool co-ops and group classes, we have noticed the challenge teens have in organizing their thoughts. Teens who cannot organize their data and thoughts sometimes fall into the problem of plagiarism. They cannot figure out what to say and where and sometimes end up cutting and pasting from a useful website. (Here are some tips to help teens avoid plagiarism.)

Moms can help with this! They can hold check-ins with their teens and allow then to talk about the things they are learning and then talk through outlining their papers. If carried on in a friendly, chatty manner, teens can come away feeling confident in what they have learned and more organized for their writing.

Writing Transition Sentences and Editing Papers

Transitional sentences are needed for MLA research papers and editing skills are needed for all research papers. Help your homeschool high schoolers by holding a conversation about transition sentences and editing. Give them some good examples and

  • Ask, “What makes this a good transition sentence?”
  • Then have them figure it out themselves and tell you what they think.
  • Did you check your paper using your rubric?

Learning about Literature

Another place conversational homeschooling can be useful is in Literature. Try having a conversation with your teen about the characters or themes in the books they are reading. One easy way to facilitate this is to look through their Literature Study Guides and find some inferential questions (questions that do not have a single “right” answer, but instead, ask the student to think things through, perspective take and infer meaning from information given).

Have a discussion together about those inferential questions. This helps teens to truly grow in their critical thinking skills!

Conversational homeschooling for Science or History

  • Ask you teen to explain something that has captured their interest about what they are learning?
  • Or: ask them what was confusing?
  • Ask them what made them want to explore more about the topic?

When is it a good time to practice conversational homeschooling

  • The dinner table, if everyone is sitting around the table together. (Sometimes not so easy for busy teens.)
  • Car rides. It is totally amazing how much teens will chat in the car (if you tell them, no earbuds for this trip). Have some questions in your mind to ask your teens about their various courses.
  • One on one time, anytime.

Be sure to avoid slipping into correcting and criticizing if you see faulty thinking. Instead ask questions such as:

  • Hmmm. Tell me more about that.
  • Interesting thought. What brought you to that conclusion?

Good questions for conversational homeschooling:

  • What is your favorite thing you worked on this week?
  • Or: What surprised or interested you about this?

As teens articulate what they are learning, it becomes much more “theirs”!

Remember: You will never say to yourself: Boy, I am really upset I wasted that fifteen minutes in the car talking with my teen about their research paper.

Also remember: there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! Find your own favorite ways to homeschool high school.

Join Sabrina for an inspirational chat about conversational homeschooling!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HSHSP VIA COMPUTER

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our Homeschool Highschool Podcast logo, click on View in iTunes
  3. This will take you to iTunes and our own podcast page.
  4. Click SUBSCRIBE.
  5. Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. (Please take a minute and do this. It helps others find us. Thanks!)
  6. Thanks!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE VIA iPHONE

  1. Tap the purple Podcast icon on your phone
  2. Tap the search icon on the bottom-right of your screen
  3. In the search bar type: Homeschool Highschool Podcast
  4. Tap the Homeschool Highschool Podcast icon
  5. Tap *Subscribe*
  6. Please tap *Ratings and Review*

Conversational Homeschooling

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