The thought of teaching a high school aged teenager at home can be daunting if sprung upon you unawares. If it has naturally occurred year by year as a committed (as in we are all a bit crazy who do this— crazy cool and crazy joyful and sometimes just crazy!) K-12 homeschooling family you have been growing alongside your child and will feel more prepared. The catch is that we are all prepared no matter what the parameters- God has gifted you with this child which means that He has equipped you for every situation. The only one surprised and doubting is ourselves!
Even experiencing and/or knowing all of the above, it jangles ones nerves all over. Only the most amazing things cause such a core reaction… the first time you saw the person you were to marry….saying, “I do!” and learning the day by day lessons of marriage… finding out you were going to be a parent,,,, holding a tiny precious baby knowing that you also held full responsibility….. and on and on the list of highly electrified jangled nerves continues.
This feeling is nothing new, it is just new in this situation staring you right in the face- literally- as large as life itself. The fear is also one that you have experienced. What if I mess this up? How is it easier to allow another person/teacher/leader mess up one’s child than it is to take the chance ourselves? After all, we are the most vested toward their success which means we will work far more diligently than a 3rd party, and, if it is not working, we will make a switch immediately. I see this time and again. Guess what? The majority of homeschooled high schoolers do go through some bumpy times JUST LIKE THEY WILL DO if they are attending a traditional school. grin. You can’t avoid the growing up process. Remember all of the wonder and frustration involved sorting through who you were vs your parents vs your family vs, well, vs everything and everyone!
Right now, if you are standing on the shore considering diving in you are not able to see the depth and breadth of living, learning, loving, and laughing together. As you dip your toe in what appears to be deep, murky, black water you will notice it is more clear than could be seen from the shores. Once you are fully immersed you realize that it is actually crystal clear and, while not always calm, always worthy of having taken the plunge.
Once you take a step onto the actual path things fall into place. Work begins. Like all wonder-filled lifestyles, you work at learning/living moment by moment, lesson by lesson, day by day until 1, 2, 3, 4 years have miraculously passed, books full of memories surround you, and your child is ahead of the growing curve as he/she is already realizing and practicing becoming/being ‘the best version’ of their future self. Homeschooling is not the only way to get there. As long as a parent is fully vested, focused, and aware ANY approach to education and maturing will work. However, (little secret) it is so much simpler having their education home based!
As a Faithful Scholars member you will have us alongside for guidance, support, planning, locating classes (that’s right- we do not do this all on our own!), documents, documentation, transcripts, (light) college guidance, and whatever else we are able to help with. We adore what we do and are thankful for you!