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Should I Let My Homeschooled Teen Graduate Early?

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The question should I let my homeschooled teen graduate early crossed my mind a few years before high school.

My oldest son was the kind of teen that never needed to be reminded of deadlines and pretty well knew that he wanted to do some missionary type of work after graduation and before he pursued a career.

Too, even before taking his high school courses, he would work into the afternoon without my prodding him to do so. 

In ninth grade, I could have noted the 8 credits he had because we schooled year around and because he didn’t mind working long hours on his curriculum.

If he kept up that schedule and pace, he could easily have graduated in about 3 years depending on the number of high school credits I had planned.

In other words, I just knew he was on the path to early graduation.  Do you know that my plan was for him to graduate early? 

If you have been following me for a while, you know however, that our lives took a significant change when the Mr. had his heart attack during the 10th grade year of Mr. Senior 2013.

Mr. Senior 2013 stepped up and helped me run our business while my husband recuperated and of course, my son’s schooling suffered.

Instead of focusing on the sad time then though, I always like to focus on the good that came out of that for all of my boys. 

Should I Let My Homeschooled Teen Graduate Early @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Though, Mr. Senior 2013 did not graduate early as planned, I realized that he didn’t mind at all because he learned more about our family owned business then he ever knew before.

He has learned valuable skills in customer service because he was the one that had to go with our installation guys to our customer’s homes.

I was very nervous, but like a lot of our mature homeschooling teens he was equal to the task.

Though things don’t always happened as planned, I still see many positives for allowing a mature teen to graduate early.

If a teen knows what they want to pursue, then they have extra time to pursue what interests them.

There are many teens who are mature and already know that they want to pursue a career that requires minimal college time. 

I knew one teen boy in our homeschool group that knew he was going to be a chef and wanted to start pursuing culinary classes.

In his early high school years, he was hosting food parties in his home cooking for people.

He had a true gift for the culinary arts and his parents recognized the need to allow him to pursue his dream.

Many schools encourage a gap year and see the benefit of it.

Does it really matter if your teen takes a “gap” year earlier? 

Only you as the homeschool parent knows if your teen is mature enough to take a gap year and pursue what interests them.

High achieving and mature teens are ready to get on with their life.

Some teens are high achievers and are ready to get on with their life.

On the flip side, homeschooling is about recognizing the different personalities of our teens and some want to be done with the “book learning” part of school so they can get on with doing activities they know will help them be independent adults.

They may never be the bookish type of person but our teen may still be mature enough to have already decided what course he or she will pursue.

Too, teens feel the same satisfaction that we do as adults when it comes to knowing that they can finish early if they have fulfilled the number of high school credits we require.

If a teen is on the college track, then wouldn’t a year head start help him or her to add a internship to the mix, pursue some other goals or just get them ahead in college?

Homeschooling highschoolers can be complicated, but you don’t have to worry about ALL the choices, just concentrate on what your teen needs.

There is nothing wrong with a teen not being ready to finish high school earlier because teens all mature at different rates and there is no rush – really. 

They only have one time in their life to be carefree, independent, yet totally needing your guidance.

There are so many things that affect whether or not it’s beneficial for a homeschooled teen to graduate early, but in the end all that matters is the decision that allows your teen to pursue his or her chosen course when they are ready.

What about you? Do you have a teen you feel may graduate early?

Hugs and love ya,

 

Check out these other posts to help with homeschooled high school teens:

Homeschool High School Readiness?

Homeschool High School How To Prepare THE Transcript

Homeschoolers Who Want More Than College

Homeschool High School–How to Log Hours for High School?

9th Grade Homeschool High School – Avoid the Sock It to Them Attitude

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It feels like starting brand new when your child enters the 9th grade homeschool high school trek. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

This is not going to be another one of those homeschool high school posts.

You know where I share all the future plans for my sons.

Looking back now after having gone through it with my first two sons, I have tips.

I realize that realistic sanity saving tips would have helped me better.

Sure, I found plans for all 4 years of homeschooling high school helpful.

But in reality each child and each family’s goals are different.

Too, I chuckle now that I planned ALL 4 years of high school in 9th grade.

I will share why I feel that way in a minute.

The tips today that I want you to know about are tips I didn’t give enough credit ( pun intended, corny I know).

9th Grade Homeschool High School

Try to remember that over crowding your teen’s schedule in 9th grade can be a new mistake.

Even for the most seasoned homeschooler, it happens.

In our attempt to “do it right”, we can take a sock it to them attitude at the beginning of what can be, at least for us, some of the most memorable times about homeschooling.

I planned way more for Mr. Senior 2013 than he was able to do for his age in 9th grade.

With Mr. Awesome, the schedule and load was just about right.  Then of course Mr. Awesome is my second child to enter high school and you get to expert status real fast.

In addition, a lot of kids at the 9th grade level are taking driver’s education on top of their workload.

This means they are not driving yet and you are still taking them and your younger children to activities, classes and events.

Then there is the period where you have to ride with them when they are learning to driving.

If you have a highschooler, you know what I am talking about because I had claw marks on the car door though Mr. Senior 2013 ends up being a good driver now as an adult.

The point is that extra stress at 9th grade is not needed and because most of us have younger kids to school, you have time to still take a marathon pace.

The beginning of teaching them self-independence as an adult begins here but doesn’t happen in one year.

From Teen to Young Adult, A Complicated Unfolding

Speaking about young adults, another factor that I did not appreciate enough is that there is a noticeable difference of maturity at 14/15 years of age at the 9th grade level and 17/18 years of age in 12th grade.

That can be a good and bad thing, but that is another post.

I want you to know that eventually you stop going the homeschool planning alone because if you have raised your children with independence in mind, which is our goal, then the training continues in high school with them planning their courses.

9th Grade Homeschool High School - Avoid the Sock It to Them Attitude

Though I sat down with both of my older boys to plan out each year and though I consider them both fairly independent for their age, I was still pretty clueless as to the level of maturity and independence that they would grow into as a young adult.

As I planned with my second son as he entered high school, I simply explained to him that at least math and language arts would be done each year and the rest of the subjects we will map out as we went along.

It was a different approach than I took with Mr. Senior 2013 because as Mr. Senior 2013 approached being a junior and then a senior, he had decided to change out some subjects.

For example, I had science planned for all four years, but like me, his first love is history.  Too, the careers that he mentioned to support himself as an adult were not science related.

For his junior and senior year, he planned out his subjects and they didn’t include science but did include some form of history study for all four years.

At first I was hesitant to agree with him to immerse himself in what I thought was lopsided planning, but then I had to question myself because isn’t that the whole reason I homeschooled in the first place.

The beauty of high school is for a teen to pursue his interests and to not be weighed down with subjects that he won’t be using.

Throw Out the 4 Year Homeschool High School Plan

It’s easier to say that than doing it because you are always a parent and want to help your teen make the best decisions in high school.

However, high school is the time for them to start making the decisions for their life.

You can’t teach them how to be self-reliant and make good decisions if you take away their right to make decisions at the first instant they flex the decision making muscles.

A young adult has definite ideas of what his own future should look like and both of my older sons knew which subjects they wanted to focus on.

Like I mentioned, it has been different with Mr. Awesome.  Along with doing basic subjects, he will have 4 years of science and is pursuing more computer related courses in high school.

You can see why now that I chuckle at the fact that I listed all courses for each year.

It’s like planning for an adult without asking them their plans for their life or at least including them.  Crazy notion,uh?

Focus on Homeschool High School Framework

It only took one year of over planning for Mr. Senior 2013 in 9th grade to learn that I needed a framework or guide for the high school years instead of focusing every bit of energy on all four years and the courses.

Understanding about credits, planning either for college or a focus on career or ministry, when and how to include outside classes, if any, and whether or not to CLEP are all easier to find out about if you have a framework to guide both you and your teen.

You are not going to ruin your kid’s chances for having a successful life if you don’t plan all 4 years in 9th grade.

Core Subjects are Key

I know you need a basic guideline, so look at the foundational plan on my blog post Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1 so that you can use this as a jumping off point for planning 9th grade.

Planning from the inside, or basic subjects like the 3 R’s that you have been doing all along and moving to the outside, which are content subjects like history, science, geography, foreign languages and electives is the basis for an excellent and superior education in high school.

Not only will 9th grade be rigorous, but it will be spicy, eventful and unique to each child of yours that enters 9th grade.

Remember that producing the transcript, attending a college if they go to college, choosing a career, or missionary work are all done the end of the journey.

Too, by then you will have a young adult that wants a definite say in the direction his or her life takes.

Though it didn’t seem silly at the time to plan all four years, it didn’t hurt because it gave me a measure of security because I wanted to be a responsible homeschooling mom.

I realize now that each of my son’s personalities and strengths were a larger part of determining what we covered.

It is not easy to change hats from teacher to supervisor, counselor, coach and partner in the high school years, but I wouldn’t trade one tear shed for the precious and memorable moments we now have in high school.

I don’t like being sappy either when I talk about my sons growing into young men, but it is hard to not have a few tears.

Somebody told me once that the high school years fly after your kid enters 9th grade. Guess what? It’s true.

Look at these other posts to ease your mind:

The Must Cover Subjects Part 2 in High School

High School–How to Log Hours for High School?

High School Readiness?

Homeschool High School How To Prepare THE Transcript + Editable High School Transcript

Accreditation Removing the Shroud of Mystery

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 2

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have homeschool high school the must cover subjects part 2. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

Planning high school subjects does not have to be a tricky conundrum. 

We may think we want a checklist provided by somebody else, when in fact, guidelines may be of more value. 

Guidelines for must cover high school subjects are more flexible than a checklist.

I tallows you to take into consideration your family’s goals, your teen’s maturing personality.

(I know, some days it doesn’t seem like it, but I promise they do grow up) and it allows you to adjust your plan, which is very common too.

When I shared Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1, my goal in that post was to be sure you knew to build your high school courses .

For example, I want you to have ar frame with the basics and keep a good balance of the core subjects.

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 2

Today, I want to share what I call “glam planning” in high school. 

I call these next round of courses you need to decide on glam planning, because they really embellish or add to the goals you have been working on in the younger grades that will now come to fruition in high school.

Chosen Direction Equals High School Course Selection

The direction your teen chooses to take makes all the difference as to which high school courses are selected.

Too, I think part of the confusion in understanding high school courses is realizing how you can break down course selections and how courses generally fall into larger broad categories.

Master High School Course Descriptions

As you can see from my picture above, American Literature falls under English.  It is not as specific though as say a study of plants which is a more narrow study of Biology, which falls under the broad category of Science.

Understanding both the direction your teen wants to take and more clearly how to articulate your courses, will help you to glam up your high school course selection.

For example, if your teen was going to enroll in a four year university then a lot of universities like to see a broad range of topics being covered.   In other words, was his course selection well-rounded?

If your teen is thinking about taking community college courses and then maybe head to the work field, then you would want to hone in on skills that will help him to accomplish that. 

You would want to be more specific in choosing the course of study. 

As you can see from the picture above that a plant study would be a great choice for your child if he chooses to become a biologist.

The bottom line is that must cover subjects vary for each person according to what are the end goals.  Understanding that you can get a specific as you need to or stay as general as needed will help you to not become stressed by the selection process.

High School Courses  1, 2, 3 Planning

In public schools here in Texas, the high schools have a variety of plans that you can choose to follow. 

I think as parents it is wise for us to have a plan and back up plan too because things don’t always go exactly as planned.  Look at the 3 plans below. 

The plan varies with the goal, but they are all good plans.

College Bound Recommended Minimum
Total Credits : 26 24 22
Remember that you don’t have to have everything planned to a “T” when your child enters high school.   Planning is good to help you reach goals, but just don’t allow your plans to rule when you need to change or be flexible.
If you will focus on keeping the core subjects balanced just like you have all along, you will have some breathing room as your teen decides on his final direction.
Look at this 9th grade course selection I laid out where I keep all the course descriptions pretty general.   Actually, it’s pretty close to what Mr. Senior 2013 did his freshman year.

Subject Area

9th Grade

Credit
English I1
Mathematics – Algebra 11
Science – Biology1
Social Studies – World Geography1
Physical Education1
Fine Arts1
Total 6 credits
  

Can you see how easy peazy it is to get 6 credits for their freshman year and I did not add any electives yet or a health credit, which is usually .5 of a credit?

Hint Hint: The rest of the grades follow this same type of layout.

If your teen was doing a foreign language then you would add that to your course study.

As you can see it is not hard to get the required amount of credits that you set up for them in high school. 

Key to determining the credits is being sure that you are within the normal range of most high schools.  

Using simple multiplication of 6 x 4 (number of years we usually equate with high school), your child can easily attain 24 credits for high school.

I have heard all kinds of numbers through the years, but I feel pretty safe in saying 19 to 26 total credits for high school is what you should aim for.

Some folks think 19 is too low, but then again it depends on your goals. 

How to Easily Plan High School Courses

That is not for any person to judge or say, it is your decision alone as a family to make.

Remember, that there is a lot of wiggle room in choosing courses that interests your teen in high school beyond the core subjects.

Just to give you an idea, beyond the core subjects, my son studied foreign languages for a couple of years, fine arts, wood working, ball room dance, public speaking and some volunteer work.

Look at these steps as to where to begin high school courses.

  • Plan each grade by filling in the core subjects, which are English or Language Arts, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies.  Some schools feel that foreign language is part of the basic core subjects.  With our world being more connected than ever before and with diverse cultures in each country, I tend to agree with them.  These subjects are your framework.
  • Determine your child’s direction. This are your glam subjects.  If your child is college bound, the college is the first place to visit and determine what they think is a well-rounded plan.  If you child does not know a direction which is completely fine too, then fill in with courses that interest them and are of importance to your family.  For example, if you child for sure is interested in dance or sports, is it really necessary to weigh them down with a lot of extra history courses?  If your child knows a direction and is work-minded, then give him skills in high school that will help him hone his work skills like courses on communications and computers.
  • Be willing to adjust as you go along.  There is a huge difference in maturity levels between children that are 14/15 years old and young adults that are 17/18 years old.

High School Courses

I will share more on this subject as I plod along too in my blogging, but I wanted to give you an easy starting point.

Plan high school just as you have planned the previous grades.

  In the most basic form, high school really is just a continuation of what you have been doing all along.  Keep on doing it and besides you’ll love “glam planning”.

Hugs and hang in there.  High school truly is fun!

I also found one book particularly helpful when planning:

Home School, High School, and Beyond

You’ll love these other powerful and practical helps from my over 20+ years of how-tos:

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Many of you have asked me what are the must cover subjects in high school.  Guess what? There are not any.  Okay, I just wanted to get that over with so you can be released from all the stress of high school planning and all those rules you have set up for yourself.

Instead of giving you the must cover subjects, I want to give you some must know basic tips that will help you to sail through high school planning.

And okay yes, I’m giving you a guide to what you want to know which is what are some of the basics that you don’t want to overlook.

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1

I assure you this is easier than some books about planning high school make it sound.  Bathe in the thought for a minute that there is so much freedom in high school when it comes to planning.  Free yourself from any predisposed thoughts about what you think you need to cover in high school.

From that freedom, comes the very unique way you want to build your high school courses.  Don’t start high school with fear, stress, and rigid rules about planning.

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects

I don’t want to oversimplify planning high school either. Your fears about high school can be valid if you don’t get the heads up about a few very significant details.

You know I’m a stickler for details.  And I always want my followers to be just a notch above when it comes to understanding homeschooling know how.

Core Subjects Are Key

Most veterans might answer the question about what subjects to cover by saying it depends on your future plans.  Though this statement is very true, it does not give you a specific answer and direction.  I don’t really like that answer either.

Giving you one foundational point to build on will be of much more help and here is the nitty-gritty: stick to the core subjects in your most basic planning.

You have heard me say it before and it’s true.  The 3 R’s are at the very heart of high school planning and they keep every future opportunity opened for your teen.

Follow me on this thought or scenario for a minute.  I don’t care what teen experts say, not all teens know exactly what they want to do at the high school age.  I know many adults who are still not sure what they want to do whether in college or not.  And if they do, they can change their mind on a dime too.  Don’t make my mistake and put extra pressure on your teen to decide now while he is still investigating his options for the future.

This is not the time for our teens to know exactly what they want to do, but it is the time for them to bask in the wealth of opportunities opened up to them.  Diligently investigate the opportunities while they are a teen.

On the other hand too, the teen years are about exerting some positive pressure on your teen.  They need to taste the weight of adult decisions, but you are the only one to know how much positive pressure to exert.  It truly is a balancing act in high school not just about planning subjects, but because you are dealing now with a pre-adult.

There is not another time in their life that they will be free of financial responsibility and not responsible for taking care of a family yet.  High school is about preparation for adulthood and they are not quite there yet.

Some teens have an idea of what they think they want to do and others do not.  It is all in the realm of normal.  Do not think you are the lone homeschool mom who has a teen that does not know what he wants to do yet.

How does all of this help when planning subjects?

Because high school courses reflect the direction your teen wants to take.  Sharing that fine, but significant point with you helps you to see that they are inextricably link, which is why it can seem like talking about muddy water when talking subjects in high school.  A set of courses or subjects that works for one family might not work for another family with different goals.

Again, the backbone of your planning, whether you are planning for the known or unknown future is to be sure the foundation of their high school is built on the basic or core subjects.  From there,  you can add specific subjects to it.

You want your teen to have every option available to him when he finally decides on a route.

A Teen With No Plan While You Plan

Whether your teen goes to college, joins the workforce right away, takes up a gap year, goes to missionary service, or don’t know what they are doing the next day, lay a good foundation by sticking to the basic subjects like math, language arts, history and science.

These courses will give them the edge they need for any future options.

My basic high school plan looked like this:

  • 1 Math each year = 4 years or 4 credits.
  • 1 Language Arts each year = 4 years or 4 credits.
  • 1 Science for 3 years= 3 years or 3 credits.
  • 1 History each year= 4 years or 4 credits.

Bam, 15 solid credits were planned immediately for Mr. Senior 2013.

Now, I said this was my plan.  I realized soon enough that planning for a young teen prior to high school is quite a different thing than when he inched closer to adulthood in his junior and senior years.  Now, he wanted to make more of his own educational choices too.  And rightly so.

Plodding along throughout the high school years with the basic core subjects is a solid plan because it keeps all your teen’s options open.

But, what else do you want to add to his high school courses?  Well, next comes the glam part of planning as I call it.  I will share in Part 2 how to round out the rest of your high school subjects.

Does this sound like a plan? Click on Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 2 if you’re ready for the next part.

Hugs and love ya,

Did you miss these posts?

Homeschool High School Readiness?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool high school readiness?  What is that?  Many years ago I read an article that said children are going to school longer and are learning less each year. That thought has resonated with me during my year of homeschooling.

So from the time my sons were young, I have used both online informal testing and formal testing to determine not only what I think they should know, but to determine their state of readiness for ALL grades.

Homeschool High School Readiness

We hear the term readiness associated with preschoolers entering formal schooling. Rightly so researchers put so much emphasis on a baby’s development, preparation or readiness, and a parent’s influence on their toddler.

However, readiness is more critical at the high school age when our children are getting ready to take on more responsibility beyond just academics.

So just what is readiness? How concerned with it should we be as we homeschool during the high school years?

Readiness is defined as preparation for what comes next.  Breaking this down further, it is not just about how  academically prepared they are to take on high school level work, but it is also about the level of maturity in their social and emotional development.

What I have learned from homeschooling one son through high school and having my second son in high school now is that readiness means that signs are present that they are ready to take on a high school course load. 

And homeschooling has advantages because sometimes it means they are ready earlier than high school for a high school load and may even show readiness for college courses too. 

You certainly do not have to wait until high school to start high school courses and you can also delay formal high school work for another year.

What it does not mean is that the year they become a freshman something short of a miracle happens and they have suddenly gained some maturity or advanced insight. It also doesn’t mean they have instant mature decision making ability, but can still be unsure about their goals including career choices and college.

I have one son who was ready for high school level courses or the academics earlier in junior high and another one who is not ready for a larger academic load until his Junior year in high school. 

Start looking for high school readiness signs early so you can determine when you begin. You do not have to wait until the formal high school years to begin with high school.

Also, there are advantages to waiting for a heavy course load until later in high school when they are ready and will move along quicker making up for a slower start to high school. 

Looking back, it is just as important to look for those tell-tale signs to begin high school as it was when I started formal kindergarten with them.

High School – Ready or Not?

Homeschool High School Readiness - 5 signs to look for in your teen's development. Check it out at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Below are 5 signs that helped me to determine when both of my sons were ready for high school level work regardless of when they actually started.

  • One son demonstrated not only an interest in academics, but a desire to move ahead in more rigorous subjects.  The other demonstrated a need to have them done or a goal to completing academics.  I have sons with two different personalities, but both sons realized this is their future and wanted to complete their goals. They now have intrinsic motivation to complete their goals.
  • Both sons were motivated on their own to begin their school day {this actually can happen quite young}, but the difference now was that they study at times of their own choosing that were not our regular school hours.  This comes from knowing that a goal is in sight and it now becomes their goal too.  It’s like having a true partnership with them in their education.  Teens can be a bit obsessive or is that motivated about everything they do from visiting with their friends, to working out to studying.  That same inspiration is now channeled to their future.  So yes they may be ready younger academically or ahead of their peers academically, but there is a certain maturity in reasoning that starts to appear too.
  • One of my sons started researching opportunities to be more involved in the community. This goes straight to the issue of wanting to interact with people and it demonstrates a maturity of understanding social issues.  My other son is more shy, but our private conversations demonstrated not only an awareness of social issues, but a maturity realizing that people make choices we can’t control.
  • Both sons argued with me {yep comes with the territory and you have to be padded with kindness and gentleness} over the curriculum I had selected.  Again, the I-am-not-sitting-back-and-letting-mom choose my curriculum marked another significant trait.  Like starting their day on their own, some children can reach this milestone early too.  The big difference demonstrating high school readiness is that it’s almost like your discussing with another adult why something would be beneficial for them.  It’s very different than explaining to a young child the benefits of why you chose a certain curriculum.
  • One son began to use an organizational system that suited him and sometimes that included using my curriculum planner after his student planner.  His system grew more advanced as he was cognizant of deadlines and I had to help him with a hanging file folder system that he much more preferred over my system.  My other son struggles in organizational areas, but has his own reasons for meeting deadlines like wanting to be completed with school.  He uses his phone as part of his organizational system.  Both of them have good systems, they are just different.

Transitioning from Teen to Young Adult

I know I mentioned it earlier, but it really bears repeating when understanding this age and that is regardless of how they look {it’s almost like two grown men have moved in with me and my husband} and act mature at lot of the times, they are still changing from childhood to adulthood.

Noticing a few of these readiness skills for high school and adulthood has helped me to avoid some of the arguments in my house. 

Completely avoiding arguments is not even realistic and we have had our fair share of them.

Remember that your teen is in transition to adulthood and he will alternate back to childish behavior. 

Keeping that in mind every day has helped me to keep those ugly blow ups to minimal.  In the best calm voice I can have when I feel my worse, I tell them we can discuss this at a later time.  I try not to resort back to treating them childish, but try to use adult to adult tactics with them.

Looking at the positive, if your teen never questioned you about decisions, then will he accept what anybody that comes along in his life tells him without question? 

Teens are honing their decision making ability and trying it out on you first.  I am glad my teens question my decisions because they will not be so easily convicted when something goes against the values they have learned in our family.

I wish I could completely conquer the desire to want to lash out at both of them, but realizing that I don’t want to get caught up in any childish arguments does help.

As you can see, high school readiness is not just about academics, but it is about the exciting time when your teen stands on the threshold of adulthood.

Homeschool High School Readiness - 5 signs to look for in your teen's development. Check it out at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Embrace that thrilling time while you look for signs of high school readiness. 

And remember though your teen may not say it or act like it, your guidance is more essential than ever as they seek to find their way through the challenges of entering adulthood.

Also, you’l love these other tips: