Tag Archives: high school

Homeschooling High Schoolers: FREE Webinar with The Home Scholar!

Are you thinking about homeschooling a high schooler, or have you decided to but still have some questions? I’ve been homeschooling for many years—and we have graduated our two oldest daughters, who are now 19 and 21. My husband and I are always telling parents that homeschooling is the “hardest, best” thing we have ever done with our kids.

It’s worth it—but I couldn’t have done it without people like Lee Binz.

A week or so ago, I hosted Lee Binz’s free webinar on “A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts.” I’ve heard Lee speak many times on this topic, and she is excellent! Other parents are benefiting from Lee’s help, too. One mom summed it up this way: “Thank you for all of your time in organizing and blazing a trail for us trying to get through the high school years. You are like a parent’s ‘Guidance Counselor.’”

Lee Binz is not only my friend, she’s a real (I love real!) homeschool mom, who has been there and done that and got incredible results. I know her webinar will educate and encourage you. I joined Lee for a little while too, 🙂 so I hope you’ll take a few minutes and listen if you missed us the first time around.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Here’s more information from Lee:
Dear Homeschool Parent,

Hi, my name is Lee Binz, The HomeScholar. Have you noticed how it is becoming more and more “socially acceptable” to homeschool your younger children? A few years ago, it was not uncommon for parents to feel like sociopaths for denying their children the “academic and social advantages of a public education” (my favorite phrase from the past).

Social acceptance has been slower coming for parents who choose to homeschool through high school. Change is happening, but there is still a lot of hostility out there from public school parents, special interests and government agencies who are dead set against homeschool parents who choose this path.

My goal is to help parents who are committed to giving their teens the best possible high school education and providing them their best shot at college. I want to take away any fear and replace it with the knowledge you need to ensure homeschool high school success.

I want to empower and educate you to be the best high school teacher, parent and guidance counselor possible. That is why I am so excited to be hosting a FREE one-hour educational webinar , exclusively for readers of Heidi St. John.

“A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts” covers all the essentials you need to know to calculate credits, determine grades and create transcripts. In this webinar you learn:

– 5 sure-fire ways to determine high school credit
– How to let go of “grade anxiety” in your homeschool
– The one factor that will give you ABSOLUTE FREEDOM in your high school
– How you, as the homeschool parent, can help the colleges with their “nightmare scenario”…and how helping them will also help you!
– 5 killer advantages of a properly-crafted homeschool transcript
– 3 transcript pitfalls that can cripple your child’s chances for college admission and scholarships.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar helps parents homeschool for high school and is a leading internet home school resource helping parents homeschool to college. She is an expert in how to craft a winning homeschool transcript. She has an award-winning Christian homeschool blog and one of the most popular homeschool newsletters available. Lee is a dynamic speaker at homeschooling conventions as well as homeschooling support groups. Check out her homeschool online free mini-course and training webinar on how to give homeschool credit in high school.

You can find Lee online at www.TheHomeScholar.com and on Facebook.com/TheHomeScholar

Click on the image to hear Jay and Heidi St. John talk about what it’s like to homeschool their seven children.

When It’s All Said and Done

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People often ask our older kids what it was like to be homeschooled through high school. When I was at a convention a few weeks ago, I asked Sierra, one of our graduated daughters, if she would be willing to take questions from parents near the end of the workshop.

She agreed–but I’ll be honest: I was a little worried about what she would say when asked the tough questions from new homeschooling parents. After all, the homeschooling years were not all easy. A lot of them were (and are) hard. Our kids have traveled the country with us as we plant homeschool co-ops, speak and do the ministry God has asked us to do.

That often means 12 hour days in the van, breakdowns (of about every sort), attitude adjustments and yes, “memories.” I wondered, what would Sierra say about all this? Like every other mom, I often wonder how much therapy it will take for our children to recover from their childhood. Can you relate?

2007

As I expected, when Sierra was asked about her childhood, her answers were real. She did’t sugar-coat it. I made mistakes. Yes, there were good days–but there were also hard ones. That’s life, isn’t it? Nothing that’s worth doing in this life is easy.

I saw this post on Sierra’s page today. It made me smile – and then, it made me cry. When it’s all said and done, when homeschooling is over the books are closed for the last time, I want my kids to remember that we loved them. That we championed their childhood by giving the opportunities while we taught them the value of family and home and others.

Sierra and me in 1994

The relationships you are building with your kids matter, busy mom. Long after you close that math book, by God’s grace, you will still have a relationship with your child. Nurture their spirit along with their mind. It’s worth it.

Here is Sierra’s post.

A man asked me a few weeks back, “What was the greatest thing that you could take away from homeschooling through high school?”

Without hesitation I answered: “my relationships.” We definitely put the “school” in “homeschool.” But we also put a fair amount of “home” in it as well. They say “home is where the heart is.” For us, that means Jesus, family and friends. I look back on my life, and that’s all I see. My cup overfloweth with beautiful memories of time “well wasted” spending hour after hour with family and friends- usually at the same time. I look back and think to myself, “Man. My family really knows how to LIVE.”

Rummaging through old childhood photographs today (you know, deleting the ones I took of my shoes, random piles of books, millions of leaves- things I somehow thought I’d want for forever) I found it to be bittersweet–-but mostly sweet. Nothing but smiles, fun (and most importantly) lots of LOVE. My childhood is full of nothing but beautiful, happy memories.

Life has had it’s hardship. But it’s becoming more and more evident to me that when Jesus said, “I have overcome the world,” he really meant it! And when he said, “Take heart,” he meant that, too. “BE ENCOURAGED!” Life was meant to be lived to the fullest, enjoyed with brothers and sisters as we live our purposed lives for our Heavenly Father and Creator! The thirst, need and hunger for relationships that is in us, is there for a reason. God put it there because it’s important to HIM. He loves and cherishes us.

If what I’ve tasted of relationships and love is but a sample of what’s to come in this life… eternity is looking better and better. Thank you, Jesus, for your perfect example of sacrificial, selfless love.

I can honestly say, after undergoing all levels of life with my family (including being stuck in a van for weeks on end) I am SO blessed! I would have it no other way.

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus!” Philippians 3:13

When it’s all said and done, it’s worth it.

Plant with the harvest in mind,

Dear Busy Homeschool Mom {Don’t Worry}

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Joni writes:

I am a 25 year old wife, mother of a soon to be 2 year old tornado! Hubby and I have seriously been considering homeschooling before and ESPECIALLY after recent events… I have nervous/terrifed/happy/awesome feelings about it. I want my son to be able to have to ‘joys’ of school that I had, but the freedom of a flexible schedule and being able to move forward sooner than the norm. I love to teach him, but I am terrified that I won’t be able to handle it once he gets to the harder years (grades 9 and up?). I have so many mixed emotions, but I am pulled towards home-schooling.

From Heidi:
I gotta admit: when we began our journey of homeschooling, the very “idea” of homeschooling through high school terrified me, too. After all, it’s a big undertaking!

But here’s the thing. You’ve got nothing.but.time right now. Part of the beauty of being where you are in your parenting is that you don’t have to worry about high school. Or Jr. High. Or even 2nd grade. 🙂 You get to love on your little Tornado right now.

When the time comes, you will have what you need. I remember when our oldest was entering Jr. High. I panicked. I mean it. I was stressing over everything from math to grammar. Fortunately, a mom who had been where I was took the time to talk me down out of my tree.

Her advice? “Do the next thing.” Don’t let fear of the future keep you from enjoying the present. All you need to do is the next thing. So if you are teaching letters and sounds, the next thing is blending them. If you’re teaching your toddler colors, then the next thing is identifying objects by their color and so on.

The point is, enjoy where you are. Don’t worry. And by the way, homeschooling through high school was one of the best adventures we went on with our kids. It was worth it. When the times comes, you will be ready—and you’ll have what you need. Enjoy that toddler!

Got Teens? It’s the Little Things

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-from a Facebook post I wrote this week-

When I was thirteen years old, these were the “must have” shoes for almost every girl I knew. I wanted them, too. I’ll never forget getting a pair from my mom. It was unusual for her to “splurge” on such a thing for me, as I was one of seven children—but looking back, I get it. She was letting me know that I mattered to her. Right down to my shoes. 🙂

I came across this image today and it reminded me to put myself in the “shoes” of my teens. Sometimes, we need to look at life through the eyes of our kids. What seems important to them right now will likely not be important at all in a few years … but the “messages” we send them every day by our attitudes and actions toward them will make a lifetime impression.