Homeschooling High School

High school is where we really become free-wheeling in our curriculum choices. By the time children reach Grade 9 their likes and preferences for what they study are really coming out and you can tailor their schooling to these desires.

 

So far in Math we have done a general math course and a business math course from Rod and Staff. I cannot recommend the business math course highly enough. It was very thorough and came with a workbook full of ledgers so the practice was really hands-on. My daughter did quite well in that course and math is not her strongest subject. This year we're going to be doing an algebra course from Christian Light Publications.

 

 

English Grammar has been a lot of review and I think it's all finally beginning to sink in. I here my daughter helping her sister and think, "Ah. She's finally getting it." :) Sometimes all the concepts can be daunting until you teach someone else and then it all comes together.

 

Literature is our "fun" subject. One year we did the Iliad - lots of fighting and gore. I'm sure the boys will enjoy it more than my daughter. Last year we did Silas Marner. I love that story. This year we are doing A Tale of Two Cities and Ivanhoe. Next year we're going to do something from Shakespeare and something from John Milton - Paradise Lost or Samson Agonistes. This is by no means a static list. I'm sure our course will vary sometimes according to the student.

 

Our Science has been whatever caught our fancy. One year it was a general look at the universe. Last year was Creationism. This year we are going to look at the science behind the Trim Healthy Mama diet one semester and a study of astronomy the second semester. This study comes from Rod and Staff.

For History we used the Rod and Staff Grade 9 text. In Grade 10 we studied Canadian History up to Confederation. This year we will do Canadian History from Confederation to the present. This course is from Christian Light Publications and is very thorough. We are also going to do a course on "Collectivism" - a study of all of man's attempts to bring about a one-world government. Next year we will be studying Canadian government.

 

For my girls we do some sewing, cooking, baking, etc. Actually, I also give my boys basic lessons in cooking and sewing as well. And my children are all the time doing in-depth studies on the things that interest them. My oldest daughter is a Jane Austen expert as well as all things Les Mis. My oldest son enjoys medieval warfare.

 

What do you do for high school? Do you follow a set curriculum or do you pick here and there according to your interests?