To say there are different ways of approaching high school would be a gross understatement. Did I do a lot of soul searching? Truthfully – it depended on how that particular week was going. Let me just say – that my kid’s attitudes towards school in general changed after age 13. Many parents choose to leave off home school now, and place their teenagers in public or private school for varying reasons. Some cite access to team sports, insecurity over academic adequacy, the child’s resistance to home school. . .

All teenagers feel a strong need to be accepted and fit in with other teenagers.

Do not be surprised if your teen becomes resistant to home school, especially if you belong to a church that does not have a lot of other home schoolers.

You will need to get down on your knees and seek strength and guidance from the Lord, and look out for help where He might send it – in the form of a friend or home school support group. If you are committed to going the extra mile – and home schooling for high school – here are some pointers:

• Buy and use an accredited curriculum.
• Attend your area home school conventions
• Open your home to your kid’s friends

Some common problems your teenager may develop:

insomnia – about 40% of teens develop insomnia related to multiple causes: hormonal fluctuations, excessive worry, too much on the plate, and irregular schedules. Insomnia can exacerbate these problems and make them seem insurmountable to a kid.

1. Try to keep them on the same sleeping schedule all week. Cramming for tests, and staying up late at night to write reports seems like a good idea at the time to young people – but it always backfires.
2. If your teen is working a part time job, be vigilant about sleep.
3. Watch out for heavy eating and caffeine before bed. Teenagers love coffee drinks.

rebellion – Home schooled kids don’t really rebel the same way that kids in government schools do. But there are cases where it does happen. Unfortunately, most parents are under the misguided idea that their teens are mini- adults, able to make all their own decisions.

1. Be very wary of church youth groups. Carefully sheltered home school kids can be corrupted in these groups.
2. Don’t assume that everyone in your home school group is on the same page you are.
3. Be available to talk with your teen – even if it’s the middle of the night!
4. Kids are always on the alert for hypocrisy from adults.
5. Teenagers need as much attention as a toddler does, even though they act like that is the last thing they want.

apathy – Some home school kids lose their desire. They don’t realize how much they will change over the next few years, and think they will always be the same. This is where parents need to pray and get creative. The important thing is to help your child feel involved with life.

1. If your child is ambitious and a self starter – assist him or her in starting a small business. This could happen as early as seventh grade – depending on the child.
2. An artistic child may enjoy joining a local theater group. Again- this can start quite young.
3. A musical student, if talented enough, can audition for the orchestra of a large church, or even a community orchestra.
4. The tenderhearted child, may be overjoyed to do volunteer work with people or animals.
5. Is your kid academically or technologically exceptional? People will pay for tutoring.
6. People person? Fast food restaurants, love hard working, outgoing teens.

Teenagers need positive feedback from someone other than their parents (though they need that too!) Getting them involved in something “bigger than themselves” will carry them through the toughest time of their lives. They will learn valuable life lessons, and gain life skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

“The truth is hard, but simple. Those who control government schools want your children and your money. They don’t want you sticking your nose into what they consider to be their business, and they don’t want to change. To preempt annoying parental scrutiny and demands for change, school districts make liberal use of the tools of public relations: A steady flow of glossy brochures, press releases, personal contacts, and other forms of communication are used to create an educational Potemkin Village to pacify parents. Like an illusionist’s sleight of hand techniques, pictures of new buildings, reports about the fortunes of the football team, and human-interest stories about students, teachers, and administrators are used to create an undeserved wholesome image and to distract attention from the spiritual, moral, and academic rot endemic to government schools.” [Bruce N. Shortt, The Harsh Truth About Public Schools, p. 323]

Please, please, please read this book before you even consider placing your children in government school at any age.

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Recognize at the outset, that you will spend a great deal of time driving your teens places, and at the same time, teaching them how to drive. Always remind yourself, it is better to drive your teen to play rehearsal, or to their part time job, than to not know where your child is or what they are doing! The fact is – you will feel that your life is not your own for quite a few years. But, guess what? In very short order – school years will be over. And you’ll be planning weddings and college graduations – and then you’ll be like me – mentoring the next generation of home schoolers!

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22: 6 This is a good verse for home school parents to commit to heart. Be in constant prayer, and keep in mind, that though your teen looks and sounds like an adult – they are anything but. They will not finish developing emotionally until the age of 20-21, meaning the decisions they make need careful guidance from you. Please read here about the prefrontal cortex and its influence on your teenager- and you will understand why your teen can seem so unreasonable, and why putting your home schooled child into public school at this time would not be the answer you were looking for.