Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17 ESV
The most daunting aspect of the academic part of this homeschooling journey is undoubtedly HIGH SCHOOL. The first fear that comes charging at me is my own intellectual insecurity. Looking at some of the courses listed in their high school curriculum plan – chemistry, physics, pre-calculus, British literature – my inner voice screams out “I’m not smart enough!” Fortunately, we have options available to us when we are not confident in a subject or two. So thankful for full-course CD-ROMs! We have used Teaching Textbooks, Saxon Teacher, and DIVE with great success. In addition, our local co-op has also been an invaluable supplement to our homeschool, offering classes twice weekly for those tougher courses.
The second fear is preparing the high school transcript for college applications. Still working on how to tackle this, but I have found some basic templates to help me get started (http://heav.org/high-school/). Also, I’m strongly considering using a transcript service (http://store.hslda.org/high-school-transcript-service-p262.aspx). More on that as I figure it out…(my head is already spinning).
The last crippling fear is the post-graduation journey – the kids facing the “real world”. Will they stand firm in their Christian beliefs? Did I prepare them sufficiently enough to succeed in college courses? What if they actually do move away from home?!?!?
Calming…
down…
now…
(deep breath…grabbing cup of mint tea…)
Ok…Let’s just start with the high school curriculum plan. So we are going with a college preparatory program of study, which looks something like this:
ENGLISH – 4 credits (including American Literature, British Literature, Writing & Grammar, Vocabulary)
MATH – 4 credits (Algebra I & II, Geometry, Pre-calculus, Calculus)
SCIENCE – 4 credits (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Biology/Anatomy & Physiology)
SOCIAL STUDIES – 4 credits (including US History, US Government, World History,
FOREIGN LANGUAGE – 4 credits (Spanish)
FINE ARTS – 4-6 credits (including Chorus, Orchestra, Drama)
P.E./HEALTH – 2 credits (weekly workouts)
ELECTIVES – 4 credits (including Bible Study)
(http://www.hslda.org/highschool/HTHS4YearPlan.pdf)
I’m reading more on CLEP exams and possible dual-enrollment courses through our nearby community college. From what I’ve gathered, these are ways a freshman can enter college with some of his first year credits completed. Still trying to find out the difference between these options compared to completing online AP courses and then taking AP exams.
Next comes test preparation – The PSAT/NMSQT (Oct) and The SAT (March). To be ready for the PSAT, we had to make sure they (C & D) completed Alg I & II and Geometry. They also studied plenty of vocabulary words and reviewed writing and grammar skills. They are currently working through the test prep book, Cracking the PSAT/NMSQT 2014 from The Princeton Review.
There is plenty more we still need to dive into – volunteer work, driver’s education, college scholarships/grants applications, campus tours, admissions applications, worker’s permit, part-time jobs – and time is ticking away! With D in his sophomore year and C in his junior year, graduation is in our very near future.
What an accomplishment it will be to see our oldest boys standing in their cap and gowns, holding up their diplomas, and marching into the path the Lord has laid out before them. Until then, we continue working alongside our boys, trusting the Lord the entire way.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Joseph's Arrows 
3 thoughts on “High School”