Homeschool Senior Year (Learning to Step Back)

Three months.

(Ok, maybe five months.)

This is the amount of time this homeschool mom has to officially “step back” from homeschooling my oldest.

Three months until she graduates. Five months until she turns 18.

Then, the countdown begins again, with my youngest starting high school next year.

It seems this is a season of letting go and learning to step back. In many ways it has been easier (and I have been more graceful) than anticipated, but in other ways it is just plain HARD.

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Homeschool Senior Year

*An aside: I must say that homeschooling has allowed us to stay somewhat out of the fray of the college admissions mania. I wish I could shout from the rooftops to some of these kids, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be!”.

After you see the inflated costs of college (hello - just calculate the amount they spend on all of the mail you receive in your child’s junior and senior year!), the ridiculous hoops a child must jump through for entry, and the irrelevance of standardized tests, it makes you want to run the other way. I am convinced there is a school for every child, and I am also convinced that you do NOT need to jump through all the hoops. We’re not, and so far it is working out just fine.

Go back to your original goals for homeschooling and apply those to college. Our prayer is for our children to love God and others, use their gifts to the best of their abilities, and honor others above themselves. So much of the college application and acceptance process is teaching our children to make themselves stand out - to do anything and everything to EXCEL. The message is largely on self.

I don’t know about you, but that isn’t a message I want to give my children.

(Had to get that off my chest. Moving on…)

I was recounting to a good friend how this year has just naturally progressed towards high school graduation and getting ready for college.

Most days I barely see my daughter. She is working, taking a few classes, spending time with friends, going to the gym, and keeping up with her special needs volunteer work.

I receive the occasional text such as “What’s for dinner?” and “Do you think dad could gas up my car?”. For the most part I’m very confident she is ready to LAUNCH. (She will have to figure out dinner and the gas situation on her own next year, though.)

This fills me with a lot of relief and pride, but also a sense of emptiness and sadness. Our house will be extremely quiet next year, and my resident fashion advisor will be a couple of hours away. I’m sure it will be a time of adjustment for all of us.

A few things I have learned during her senior year:

• Study.com

  Anna is taking the Chemistry and Psychology prep courses for the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests. It would be marvelous if she could CLEP out of those two courses in college. We were able to download which CLEP tests her university accepts. This is a fabulous way for homeschoolers to earn college credit!

• AP Credit

  Many people told me AP classes were a waste of time. Others had great things to say about them. Anna took two AP courses last year. The Language and Composition class was excellent and she scored well enough on the exam to earn college credit. The European History course was difficult and boring - we weren’t as impressed with this teacher or course. The AP test is one of the hardest of them all. Her score wasn’t high enough to exempt her from that credit.

• Giving her a lighter load in her senior year has helped her transition to the “real world” a bit better.

  She has more time for work, managing her own schedule, and she’s actually having some fun right now instead of being extremely stressed and suffering from senioritis. It is also giving her the time to make mistakes and learn how to recover from them while under our roof.

• Freedom to pursue leadership roles.

  Anna has been given a leadership role within our church’s special needs ministry - she has routinely been leading their Sunday School class on her own (and doing a beautiful job). She has also been playing guitar for my children’s choir, and I’ve been letting her take over with them a little bit, too. All of this prepares her for a career in special education (which, by the way, she declared as her major just last week - we’ll see how that plays out in the next few years.)

• Welcome to College has been required reading in our house.

  It’s good stuff. Trust me. (We know the author very well. He’s an amazing apologist, teacher, and parent.)

• We have to let our children make their own decisions!

  There are quite a few decisions my husband and I have not agreed with, but when you are the parent of a strong-willed almost adult you realize they need to make their own decisions - because if you force your own decision upon them it will just end badly. We can see bumps in the road (some of the potholes, actually), but she needs to traverse the road herself to learn the life lessons. I think this is one of the hardest parts of parenting at this stage.

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Homeschool Senior Year - How I am Preparing

I already have more time on my hands than I used to. Don’t misunderstand me - there is still plenty to do around here (and I still have one more at home!), but this stepping back in the senior year naturally allows mom to have more time.

When my children are both out of the house I don’t want to be left wringing my hands with no interests of my own. I also don’t want to find myself married to someone I haven’t known for the past few years. Know what I mean?

• Date Your Spouse

  I love having more time with my husband. We’ve been intentional about spending time together - time that doesn’t involve our children. We love our children to pieces, but I think we’re also looking forward to the next phase of life as well!

• Cultivate a Hobby

  You know how I love to read. It’s been a true escape for me. I even started a separate Instagram account to keep track of the books I’ve read and connect with our #bookish folks. Fun!

• Find friends OUTSIDE of Homeschool

  This one is hard to do, but I feel like it’s so valuable. I joined a book club this year and none of the ladies in the book club homeschool their children. We are of varying ages. When we get together we talk about a variety of different things. This once a month meeting has been great for me. It gives me a peek at life outside of homeschool!

• Work

  I gave up my job as a teacher when I had my children. Over the years I have slowly dipped my toes back in the water. This past year, especially, my curriculum, SQUILT Music Appreciation, has grown by leaps and bounds. I work sometimes 30 hours/week, and I could definitely work more. As my children grow and leave the house I will be able to devote more time to the business.

• Volunteer

  I went back to teaching children’s choir at our church this year, which brings me such joy. I would also like to start some other type of volunteer work next year. - maybe with underprivileged children in our community.

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I know it’s cliche, but it is so true. It all goes by in the blink of an eye.

It seems like just yesterday we abandoned the idea of traditional school in favor of homeschooling.

Here we are, approaching the end of the road, and I can honestly say it has been the most difficult, joyful, rewarding journey I have ever been on.

We’ve come so far I can’t even imagine what life would have looked like had I sent my children to school each day. I would have missed so much of their lives. Everything would be so different.

I’m immensely thankful for the blessing of homeschool.

Are you in the process of letting go in your homeschool?

Care to share any tips with me?

Organized Sports for Homeschoolers

We’re entering into new territory in the life of our homeschool: organized sports.

If you have younger children you might truly be wondering what your athletic child will do when the days of Little League, Upward, and various other rec league opportunities come to an end. Sports opportunities are abundant when kids are little, but what happens when they get to the middle and high school years?

Quite a few parents have told me they have decided to send their child to traditional high school for the sports opportunities (among other reasons). I believe this is fear talking - or perhaps sports sound like a good enough reason to stop homeschooling your high schooler.

As the mom of an extremely athletic boy, I understand the importance of sports. They provide a much needed physical outlet, a vehicle for a competitive nature, and an opportunity to challenge personal limits.

Then that homeschool mom mindset kicks in. You know what I mean. We tend to be skeptical of “group” anything. We also tend to hold our children’s activities quite closely. We’ve done a lot on our own thus far, right?

As you seek the best sports situation for your child, be sure it aligns with your homeschool vision. What are your ULTIMATE goals for your homeschool graduate? Will these athletics support those goals?

Have you prayed with and for your child about their education? About their athletic opportunities?

Sometimes FEAR begins to kick in as our children approach the high school years. Don’t ever forget we must have faith - not fear.

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Organized Sports for Homeschoolers in Public Schools

First, we need to understand the facts - more specifically the facts for the area where we live.

Many states have passed the Tim Tebow Law. Basically, certain states have given the ok for homeschoolers to participate in public school sports teams. (Here is a list of the states and a little more about the law.)

I imagine that, if you live in one of these states, weighing the pros and cons of participating in a public school sports team is important.

If you homeschool for religious reasons, be prepared for God to be off limits now. You should also understand the INTENSE peer pressure that exists in public high schools today. Some of the statistics surrounding sexuality in public high schools are astounding.

Then again, you may know the exact situation your homeschooler would be stepping into - and if you keep close tabs on the situation all could be well.

Organized Sports for Homeschoolers in Hybrid Schools

Homeschool hybrid schools also provide sports opportunities for homeschoolers. If you aren’t familiar with this term hybrid schools are…

“... a model where children split their time between homeschool and a more traditional schooling environment. This could be three days at home and two days at school, two days at home and three days at school, part of the day at home and part of the day at schools, or a variety of other options.”

— Forbes Magazine

In my area (Atlanta metro) there are an abundance of these schools. These schools give homeschoolers a chance to play on their sports teams, sometimes regardless of their enrollment status.

Organized Sports for Homeschoolers in Private Schools

This option is one we have become acutely familiar with in the past year.

Many private schools (especially smaller schools who might need players for teams or who are trying to increase their revenue) welcome homeschoolers on their sports teams.

My son has been playing basketball for a local Christian school this season (in fact, they just won the state championships - how awesome is that?). The benefits have been TREMENDOUS, and we have loved the emphasis on Godly character and sportsmanship.

Sometimes all it takes is putting out feelers to see if there are schools in your area that allow homeschoolers to play - and it never hurts to make a call to a school to ask about their policy.

And here’s an interesting side note - we actually had a choice of where my son would play basketball this year - a local hybrid school or a Christian school just down the street from us.

I love that we have CHOICE! (Homeschooling is so mainstream now, and the opportunities are endless!)

Create Your Own Homeschool Athletic Team

Homeschool parents are resourceful when there is a need for their children.

We have played on a tennis team that was organized by homeschool moms. They secured two tennis instructors and lessons were offered each Friday morning. Children who were interested could play on a USTA team (easily organized by a parent).

I can imagine the sky would be the limit with the sports opportunities you could create - if you know children who are interested and someone who is willing to lead/instruct the group, you are set.

Homeschool Sports - Use the YMCA

Finally, we have used our local YMCA for many years.

Our branch offers basketball, tennis, swimming, baseball - and probably so much more that I am not even aware of.

Granted, these opportunities tend to diminish once children are in 9th grade.

My children also use the YMCA for simply working out, too. Our membership has been of such value during our homeschooling years. At one point my kids even took a Homeschool PE class at our local YMCA.

(In the same vein, don’t forget about local sports academies that might offer things like soccer, flag football, etc… )

I hope you are reassured about the ABUNDANCE of opportunities for athletics in the upper years of homeschooling. I’m in the middle of it all now, and will keep you posted as life for my sports loving boy continues!

Do you have an older child in organized sports?

Where do they play?

Leave me a comment below and let’s share situations!

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Less is More: Why We Homeschool Classically

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