My mom asked me the other day about high school with the kids, and with The Boy in [GULP] 7th grade this fall, I can understand her concerns.
In a nutshell, I absolutely plan on homeschooling all the way through. The kids, and M, plan on it too. We've never doubted we could do it!
But then, how? I want the kids to have the skills and ability to attend college if they so choose down the line. So yes, I started researching graduation requirements for California, and they are remarkably simple. Here's what we need for the UC/high-end college "track" (why aim for anything lower?):
English: Four years of approved courses (will have to look into specifics of "approved courses")
Math: Three years, including: algebra, intermediate algebra, and geometry. Four years recommended.
History: Three years of history/social studies, including one year of U.S.
history and geography; one year of world history, culture, and
geography; one semester of American government and civics, and one
semester of economics
Science: Two years with lab required, chosen from biology, chemistry, and physics. Three years recommended.
Foreign Language: Two years in the same language required. Three years recommended.
Visual and Performing Arts: One year of visual and performing arts chosen from the following: dance; drama/theater; music; visual art
Our state also requires two years of physical education, though the universities don't.
Then my mom asked me how I intend to approach these things like science with labs, upper math (though Saxon is very good for this, and there are instructional DVDs these days as well), etc. and that too is simple: we have an excellent junior/community college at our doorstep, one of the most highly rated in the country. And they take concurrent enrollment students in grades 9-12. I plan to encourage my kids to start going there in maybe tenth grade. My kids could knock out lower division general education requirements while finishing high school!
In the meantime, we're focusing on building rigor, and laying a good foundation.
How about you? Do you plan on homeschooling all the way through, or will your child(ren) go to high school outside the home?
We definitely plan on going all the way through, though many others we know are doing public school for high school. I have the same thought as you about using the local community colleges for courses as they get older. I have not researched our state's graduation requirements-probably should think about doing that;)
ReplyDeleteWe plan on homeschooling through high school. I tell everyone that I am not going to waste my time now (he's only 8) researching all the PA requirements...b/c they could change 'til he's ready to enter high school. If they are the same as when I was in school, they are a lot like CA...but I feel like PA might require some sort of senior project or work with a non-profit or something like that, too?!?
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