Homeschooling High School Isn’t As Hard As You Think

May 12, 2026 by Melanie Wilson Leave a Comment

🌿 This episode is proudly sponsored by Eden’s Table — a Christ-centered herbalism curriculum for K-5 homeschool families. One plant a week, woven through Bible, science, history, art, and Latin.

Try a free week →

📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

Does the thought of homeschooling high school make you feel panicked?

Maybe you’re wondering:

- Will my teen be prepared for college?

- What about transcripts?

- What if I’m not qualified enough?

- Will my teen miss out socially?

You are not alone.

In this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show, I’m talking with Rachel Kovac, homeschooling mom of six and author of Their Future is Shining Bright, about the fears parents have about homeschooling high school—and why many of those fears simply aren’t true.

Rachel shares practical encouragement for parents considering homeschooling through the teen years, including transcripts, dual enrollment, career preparation, relationships, and socialization.

This episode sponsored by CTCMath.com

Watch on YouTube

Read the transcript

Sanity Shortcut

Homeschooling high school does not mean recreating school at home.

Instead, think of it as creating a customized path for your teen—one that can include:

- dual enrollment,

- internships,

- certification programs,

- apprenticeships,

- online classes,

- entrepreneurship,

- travel,

- mentoring,

- and meaningful family connection.

You do not need to have every detail figured out before you begin. You just need to take the next step.

In This Episode

In our conversation, Rachel and I discuss:

- The biggest myths parents believe about homeschooling high school

- Why transcripts are easier than most parents think

- How to create high school credits from your teen’s interests

- Preparing students for college and non-college career paths

- Scholarships, AP courses, and competitive college admissions

- Why homeschoolers often have more flexibility and opportunities

- What socialization really looks like for homeschool teens

- How homeschooling high school can strengthen family relationships

- Helping teens process worldviews that differ from your family’s values

Resources Mentioned

📘 Their Future is Shining Bright by Rachel Kovac

🌐 Rachel’s website: RachelKovac.com

📄 Rachel’s transcript template and homeschool resources

📱 Instagram: @RachelStitchTogether

Encouragement for Nervous Parents

One thing I especially appreciated in this conversation was Rachel’s reminder that fear doesn’t mean you’re incapable.

Many of us who now love homeschooling started out convinced we couldn’t do it.

And honestly? Homeschooling high school gave me some of the richest conversations and strongest relationships I’ve had with my kids.

If you’re considering homeschooling through high school, I hope this episode gives you both practical help and renewed confidence.

If this episode encouraged you, would you share it with a homeschooling friend who’s nervous about the high school years?

You might be the reason she takes the next step toward homeschooling with less frustration and more confidence.

Other Episodes on High School

Homeschooling High School Grammar
High School Unschooling
High School When You Don’t Know Everything

Teaching Geopolitics and World Affairs to Teens

April 1, 2026 by Meryl van der Merwe Leave a Comment

366: Teaching Geopolitics and World Affairs to Teens

Teaching teens about geopolitics and world affairs can feel intimidating—but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl van der Merwe shares practical tools and creative ideas for helping homeschool students understand current events, global conflict, geography, and media literacy in ways that feel engaging and age-appropriate. If you’ve ever wondered how to teach world affairs in your homeschool high school, this episode is a great place to start.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Understanding what’s happening in the world is a life skill — it shapes how your teens will vote, travel, and navigate adult conversations. And for college-bound students, being able to speak to current events in scholarship and admissions interviews is a real advantage. In this episode, I share several tech tools for making world affairs come alive in your homeschool, using the Iran conflict as a timely example.

Homeschooling with Technology is part of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, where homeschool families find practical help, encouragement, and trusted resources for every stage of learning. From homeschool high school and parenting to technology, current events, and future-ready skills, UHPN brings together podcasts designed to support families in real life.

If you want to make current events, geography, and global conflict more understandable for your teen, these tools can help bring world affairs to life in a much more visual and engaging way.

Tools and Resources Mentioned

Ground News — (also available as an app and on Instagram) A solid starting point for current events. Free at the basic level. Headlines are summarized and labeled by political lean (left, center, right), making it a natural fit for media literacy alongside geopolitics.

Google Earth — Better than Google Maps for geopolitics because it shows geographic features — mountains, waterways, terrain — that explain why certain locations matter strategically.

VesselFinder — Track real-time ship movement around the world. Right now you can watch the dramatic drop in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (from over 100 ships per day to around five or six). Give each student a different ship to track and check back at mealtimes.

FlightRadar24 — flightradar24.com Watch how airlines are rerouting around Iranian airspace in real time. A great visual for understanding how conflict ripples into everyday life — and a reminder of how a volcanic eruption in Iceland once grounded flights across Europe.

AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) Instead of a broad internet search, have your teens prompt an AI with targeted questions — Iran’s economy, its allies, its neighbors, why oil prices in the US are affected by events in the Middle East. The real advantage: follow-up questions stay in the same conversation, so learning goes deeper without starting over.

Nation States — nationstates.net A free browser-based simulation where students build and run their own country. No email required. Daily events force real governing decisions — and there’s an alliance system that mirrors actual geopolitical dynamics. Forums are present, so preview for your family first.

Politics and War — politicsandwar.com A more in-depth nation-building simulation. Similar concept, more complexity. Also free, also has community forums — same caution applies.

FundaFunda Academy Fantasy Geography Contest Think fantasy sports drafting — but with countries. Runs April 1–30. Students draft a team of countries and track how world events affect their scores. Prizes: $10, $25, and $50 Amazon gift cards. Entry is $10 (covers the Fanschool platform). Includes a free South America unit study (adaptable for older students). Find the link at fundafundaacademy.com under Contests.

Why This Matters in Homeschool High School

Understanding world affairs helps teens build more than just knowledge. It helps them develop:

critical thinking
media literacy
geography awareness
informed citizenship
confidence in conversations, essays, and interviews

For homeschool high school students, current events can become a meaningful part of:

Previous Episodes Referenced

If you use any of these resources, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you teach geopolitics to teens?

A great way to teach geopolitics to teens is through current events, maps, simulations, and visual tools that help students understand how geography, politics, economics, and global conflict connect.

Why should homeschoolers study world affairs?

Studying world affairs helps homeschool students build critical thinking, media literacy, and a better understanding of the world they’re growing up in.

Is geopolitics appropriate for homeschool high school?

Yes — geopolitics can be a valuable part of homeschool high school, especially in social studies, government, geography, writing, and current events discussions.

Filed Under: Homeschooling with Technology Tagged With: current events for homeschool high school, help for homeschool moms, Homeschool with Technology Podcast, homeschooling high school, how to teach geopolitics to teens, how to teach world affairs in homeschool, Meryl van der Merwe

How to Teach Grammar in High School (Special Replay)

March 28, 2026 by Melanie Wilson 2 Comments

Try a free week →

📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

How do you teach grammar in high school homeschool?

The best way to teach grammar in high school homeschool is through short, practical instruction that connects directly to real writing. High school students are often more developmentally ready to understand grammar than younger students, and they are more motivated to improve because grammar now affects essays, communication, and future academic or career goals.

Do you have a high school student who struggles with grammar? Or do you have a soon-to-be high school student and no idea how to approach grammar at this stage?

This is the Homeschool Sanity Show, the episode where I share a sane approach to teaching grammar in high school.

New Here? Start with These Episodes

Hey, homeschoolers! If you’ve struggled to help your high schooler use correct grammar in writing or if the thought of teaching it in the high school years gives you the heebie geebies, I have good news.

This episode is sponsored by CTCMath.com

The high school years are the perfect time to learn grammar.

First, high school students have the abstract reasoning ability required to truly understand and implement grammar.

As I’ve explained to parents of elementary students many times, these younger students simply aren’t developmentally prepared to master the abstraction of grammar. It’s similar to the abstract reasoning ability required to master algebra. Sure, some students develop this reasoning ability earlier, but most don’t. Up until this point in their development, they were working hard to decode and pronounce words and determine the meaning of words given the context of the sentence. Asking them to determine the role of the word in a sentence as well is extra challenging.

That’s why I made Grammar Galaxy a fun, confidence-building introduction to grammar and other language arts in the elementary years. I didn’t want them avoiding grammar once the were developmentally ready to use it in their writing.

The second reason high school is the perfect time to learn grammar is because they have begun to care about it.

When students are in classes with other students and sharing in speech or writing, they will want to avoid the embarrassment of poor grammar. I capitalized on this peer pressure with my own kids with great results. In the English classes I taught, students read their writing aloud and passed it to a friend to read aloud. This performance pressure rapidly improved my students’ grammar and spelling. High school students also begin to use messaging and email and do not want to have poor grammar and spelling for their friends to see. Some of them will be interested in learning grammar for the first time as a result.

Finally, high school is a great time to teach grammar because these students can learn independently.

With the developmental ability and new motivation, students can use grammar curriculum to learn more quickly than they could have in elementary school. With instruction, they will learn to make better use of automatic editors like Grammarly. Like all writers, they will still require another human editor–whether that’s you, an outside instructor, or a friend with good grammar. I have found high school students learn from this editing feedback very quickly.

I hope I’ve convinced you that your teen isn’t behind or incapable of growing as a writer if they still need to master grammar.

But now the question becomes how to teach it.

The first step is to encourage your student to continue reading for pleasure.

Studies indicate that high school students tend to spend more time with friends than reading as much as they did in their earlier years. They also tend to use reading time for study instead of leisure. But reading for enjoyment is the key to developing your student’s vocabulary, grammar, and writing. Invest time helping your student find enjoyable books and making time to read them in their schedule.

The next step in teaching high school grammar is to reinforce the purpose of it.

Reluctant students want to know why they should care. Using prescreened, funny grammar memes and examples is a great way to do this. Because I write grammar curriculum, my high school student loves pointing out grammar errors he finds. You can have fun with this, too. Consider having a competition to find grammar errors.

Many of the principles of teaching high school grammar are the same as teaching younger students.

- First, keep grammar instruction short. I think of grammar like a tennis drill. When I take a tennis lesson, I enjoy doing a short drill on volleys. But doing an hour of it without playing the game would be a buzz kill.

- Make grammar memorable. When grammar concepts are taught using relevant humor, multimedia, games, and with adequate repetition, students will remember it. (Grammar teaching podcast).

- Limit the corrections to a student’s writing. Correcting all the grammar and spelling mistakes at once can be demoralizing for a budding writer. Tell your student ahead of time which grammar issues you’ll be looking for. Consider limiting your first review to the content. Give as much positive feedback as possible. Then go over the specific grammar skills you’re working on. If your student asks for more feedback, then give it. But otherwise limit your editing to those skills.

How to Choose a Grammar Curriculum for High School

When choosing a grammar curriculum for high school, you haven’t had many options. There are worksheet drills indistinguishable from elementary and middle school curriculum. There are the thoroughly dry English curricula that have sentences unrelated to story or to teens’ lives. And then there are brief reviews that are optional. My students didn’t learn anything from these.

The number one request I get from Grammar Galaxy booth visitors at Great Homeschool Conventions is a curriculum for high school. I knew that the Grammar Galaxy story line wasn’t well suited to older teens, so I created a new fictional curriculum. Kirk English, the programming whiz kid in Grammar Galaxy, has developed a program to deal the failure of autocorrect. His Fast Grammar training is for human autocorrectors. These trainees will get to know clients’ intentions so they can correct their grammar in real time through the power of science fiction.

The client in the training is a high school student who has typical teen troubles as well as high school writing assignments. Students who use Fast Grammar correct the client’s grammar while learning it themselves. Trainees will look forward to getting the client’s updates in each lesson.

Fast Grammar is a supplemental, secular curriculum that can be used with any high school literature or writing program. The brief lessons can be completed in one sitting or preferentially, spread out over the week. Like Grammar Galaxy, much of the lesson can be completed with a highlighter. Homophone graphics are included each week because choosing the wrong homophone is a common and embarrassing problem for writers.

The curriculum is completely independent, with the solutions at the back of the student book. At the end of each unit, teachers can administer a test that is available in a separate PDF download. The solutions will help you score the test and give a grade that can contribute to the English grade for the year.

Click here to download a complete lesson. If you’ll be joining me at the Great Homeschool Conventions this year, you can see it in person. The week of this broadcast, the curriculum is 20% off in print or digital.

Whether you try Fast Grammar or not, I hope I’ve given you hope that high school can be the time that your student grasps grammar. Give some of these strategies a try, and I feel confident that you’ll see your high schooler’s writing improve.

Have a happy homeschool week!

FAQ’s

Is high school too late to teach grammar?

No, high school is often the ideal time to teach grammar because teens are more developmentally ready to understand abstract grammar concepts and more motivated to apply them in writing.

Do homeschool high schoolers need grammar curriculum?

Many homeschool high school students benefit from a grammar curriculum, especially if they struggle with writing mechanics, punctuation, sentence structure, or common usage errors.

What is the best grammar curriculum for homeschool high school?

The best grammar curriculum for homeschool high school is one that is age-appropriate, practical, and easy to apply in real writing rather than just isolated drills.

How often should you teach grammar in high school?

Grammar is often most effective when taught in short, consistent lessons rather than long, infrequent sessions.

Filed Under: The Homeschool Sanity Show Tagged With: academics, curriculum, grammar homeschool, Homeschool Sanity Show, homeschooling high school

Working Moms: Homeschooling Your High Schoolers

March 24, 2026 by Vicki Tillman Leave a Comment

📚 Part of our guide: Homeschooling High School

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Working Moms: Homeschooling Your High Schoolers.

Can working moms homeschool high school successfully? Absolutely. Homeschooling high school while working may look different from family to family, but it is completely possible with the right mindset, realistic planning, and flexible expectations. In this episode, we’re sharing practical encouragement and real-life strategies for working moms who want to homeschool their teens with confidence.

an episode from Homeschool High School Podcast

Working Moms: Homeschooling Your High Schoolers

Every single homeschool mom is a working mom!

If we are homeschooling, we are working at it, juggling our kids’ needs, growing, and managing households. Many of us also hold jobs outside the home (or inside the home) to bring in extra income for the family.

As most of our podcast listeners know, Vicki worked as a licensed professional counselor while homeschooling her kids through graduation. It helped pay the homeschool bills, and besides, it was her calling.

If you’ve ever felt unqualified, this encouragement on how to homeschool high school when you don’t know everything may help.

Encouragement for being a homeschool working mom with teens

It can feel intimidating and tiring to hold a job and homeschool high school. Vicki wants to encourage you that you can do this. Remember: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool. Homeschooling for working Moms can look many different ways! You can do this and your teens can do this!

Include your teens in the planning and process

When you are facing high school with your teens, sit down with them. Talk about your priorities (yours and theirs). What are the most important things that you need from them? What do your teens need out of their high school experience?

Remember: you are homeschooling high school in the way that is right for your family. There’s no right or wrong set of priorities.

Some priorities will include:

Meeting their graduation requirements
Completing high school in four years (for most teens, although some graduate early and others need extra time due to illness or other complications)
Doing some career exploration
Clarifying or discovering what their gifts, interests, or their talents
- Building their transcript with lots of electives in their interest area
Being prepared for college, for a vocation, or the military
Discovering the best-fit resources for curriculum, courses, electives, and extracurriculars
- For asynchronous (self-paced) courses, check out 7SistersHomeschool
- Live courses are offered at FundaFunda Academy (the online school sponsored by our fellow podcasters at Homeschooling with Technology)
Looking for good-fit service and volunteer activities
Learning self-directed study skills like using a syllabus

Think about your career and personal needs

Make sure you define your own career priorities and goals. Do you:

Need to advance up the career ladder?
Want to maintain the status quo in your career?
Pay off some bills?
Are you caregiving for an aging relative or for a member of the family who has a chronic illness?
Do you homeschool multiple children?

Remember: there’s no such thing as a Pinterest-perfect homeschool

Perfection is only in Pinterest photos. In real life, you are a real human, and your whole family is full of real humans. Real humans are messy, busy, and complicated! So, do what you can with the best heart you can.

Let go of “perfect”.

You may feel like your teens are not receiving the world’s most amazing homeschool education. However, if you all stay aligned, if you stay together on this, they will get the education they need. And you will get through it.

And, you may be tired, but motherhood’s all about tired.

Someday, they will be all grown up and out of the house. You can sleep in on those days.

Don’t forget to pray

Remember to pray because we need God in on this. (That’s not cheesy.) 7Sisters Kym always says,

“Pray first, last, and always.”

Then you start planning. Check out 7SistersHomeschool’s useful blog post: Authoritative Guide to Planning Homeschool High School.

Find your community

We homeschool working moms need community as much as anybody:

Church community
Family community
Homeschool community (digital and/or in person)
- Join Facebook groups like our friends at Simply Homeschool or Homeschool Mama Self-Care

Don’t forget to join 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group. Ask questions. You matter! We will get this done.

You may need to be working to bring in some income. That’s not a bad thing. If this is what God has given you to do, then it’s the right thing. You can work the process in the way that works for your family. Community can happen in the homeschool world, in digital forums or in person. You can communicate with your teens. They will get educated and be well-prepared well for the next phase of life.

Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing. Hey, would you go to your podcast network and leave us some stars and/or a review? THANKS!!

Keep Listening

FAQ: Working Moms and Homeschooling High School

Can I homeschool high school if I work full-time?

Yes, many families successfully homeschool high school while one or both parents work full-time. High school students are often capable of more independent work, flexible scheduling, and self-directed learning.

Is homeschooling high school harder than homeschooling younger kids?

In some ways, yes—but in many ways, no. The material may be more advanced, but teens can usually work more independently, which can actually make homeschooling easier for working moms.

How many hours a day does homeschooling high school take?

Homeschooling high school often takes less time than traditional school because it is more focused and efficient. Many families complete academics in 3–5 hours per day, depending on the student and course load.

What curriculum works best for working homeschool moms?

The best curriculum is the one your teen can use consistently and independently. Online classes, video-based lessons, self-paced courses, and open-and-go resources often work especially well.

Can homeschooled high schoolers still prepare for college or careers?

Absolutely. Homeschool high school students can earn transcripts, complete dual enrollment, prepare for trades or college, and build strong real-world skills along the way.

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Filed Under: Homeschool Highschool Tagged With: homeschool high school, Homeschool Highschool Podcast, homeschooling high school, homeschooling highschool, working homeschool moms, working moms

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian with Dr. Sarah Varnell, Special Replay

March 17, 2026 by Vicki Tillman Leave a Comment

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian, with Dr. Sarah Varnell, Special Replay.

Homeschooler Becomes a Veterinarian, with Dr. Sarah Varnell

Dr. Sarah Varnell is a veterinarian near Cincinnati, OH. Homeschooled through high school, Sarah studies zoology at the undergraduate level, went to veterinarian school, and now specializes in equine medicine: a homeschooler becomes a veterinarian!

How did Sarah handle her time in high school so that she was college-ready for a science like zoology?

Academics for Sarah were heavy in the maths and sciences, both textbook-wise but also hands-on!

Dr. Sarah Varnell. Photo used with permission.

Heavy Sciences on the transcript, completed at honors level:

Biology in 8th grade
Zoology
Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry
Physics

Volunteering, MANY hours:

Horse rescue
Brandywine Zoo (snake handler who walked around the zoo carrying a snake for visitors to meet)
Teaching at a Christian summer camp that specializes in horses (she was also a camper there when she was a child)

Shadowing, MANY hours:

Small animal veterinarian (this steered her away from small animals because Sarah likes being out and about, not stuck inside)

Noticing and developing interests and loves:

Being in the outdoors
Being around large animals

Through college, her networking and shadowing helped guide her in her studies but it took time to clarify that she wanted to be a field veterinarian.

She connected to an equine vet (through a homeschool family that she babysat for- nothing like networking!) and spend many hour shadowing

For college success, Sarah learned to:

Look forward to necessary courses and kept in touch with college advisor for advice on specialized and extra courses she needed to take. (Sarah needed some specialized courses that most zoology undergraduates did not need.)
Visit her professors often during office hours.

Sarah chose a small, Christian college (Malone College) for her undergraduate degree. When choosing her college, she made these a priority:

Small college, so she could know her professors and advisor well
Good college advisors that are interested in the success of their advisees
Opportunities for networking and exploration/volunteering/shadowing

Of all the vet schools in the nation, Sarah applied to the best vet school in the nation: University of California. She chose her graduate program by applying to the average number of programs, not choosing University of Delaware (her local college) since it had no vet program and few opportunities with their reciprocal programs at other schools. Rather, she chose to other nearby colleges and the vet school that her veterinarian of her childhood cats.

After applying, she flew to California for interviews and tours of campus. She liked the way their program was organized. AND it was December with NO snow! She rocked her interviews. How did she do that?

Beginning in 8th grade and all through high school, she was a member of the homeschool rhetoric team, so was comfortable speaking.

Speech 1: Public Speaking for Homeschool High School

This is the curriculum that Sarah’s rhetoric league used.

She was also involved in her college forensics team (public speaking), where she specialized in 5-minute impromptu speeches.

At UC, the interviews were MMI format (Multiple Mini Interviews), which are 5-minute impromptu speeches in a sort of speed dating format. She did so well that she was accepted into the program.

Sarah’s advice for homeschoolers thinking about college?

Make sure you avail yourself of advisors and professors. Network, network, network!
Keep a class listing of what you will need. Keep an eye on when courses are offered (some courses are only offered periodically).

At the University of California, Sarah learned:

At the end of every lead rope there is a human.

So soft skills and speaking skills are important. Sarah began her skills in her homeschooling high school years. Today, Dr. Varnell is treating horses out on the road and in the clinic where she works. Just like James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small, she’s out in the field with people and horses.

Here’s a free resource for helping teens choose a college major. Join Vicki and Dr. Sarah Varnell to find out how a homeschooler becomes a veterinarian.