Navigating High School: My Advice for Homeschoolers

Author: Grace

As someone who has been out of high school for a few years, I have had time to reflect on my homeschooling experience. Much of it was good, but it’s also hard not to wonder what could have gone differently. So, I wanted to share some advice for homeschooled teens.

1. Make sure you’re prepared for whatever you want to do after high school.

This is something in which I succeeded. I knew I wanted to go to college (and thankfully my parents supported this), so I completed four years of high school level math, science and writing to be academically prepared. I took SAT prep seriously, because getting the highest score I could would help prove my merit in college applications and make more scholarships available. Extracurriculars such as orchestra and volunteering were also useful. The only thing I regret is not taking any dual enrollment courses. At the time, I was not motivated to do this, but now I see that the practice with time management might have made me more ready for college.

Before you graduate you should:

• Make sure your parents are keeping a record of your schoolwork, grades, and extracurricular activities. No matter what you want to do, you should have evidence of your high school education!
• Look up what the high school graduation requirements are where you live, and what is needed to pursue whatever higher education or training you may want to in the future.
• Consider taking an SAT/ACT/GED test. I was able to register online to take the SAT at a public school. If you want to go to college, you will very likely need one of these.
• Consider taking community college courses or something else (besides a homeschool co-op) that will get you experience in a traditional classroom setting.

2. Learn from various sources

I am grateful to have had access to the internet and the local library. This helped me expand my knowledge beyond my academically sound but sometimes biased homeschool materials. For example, astronomy books I checked out from the library discussed the big bang while my high school textbook didn’t. Everyone has biases, so make sure to explore both sides of issues.

3. Don’t be too isolated

I could have done better with this. During the school year, I attended activities 2-3 times a week but never made close friends. More activities may have made friendships easier, but I didn’t know what else was available. I wish I’d been more outgoing and tried to arrange more get-togethers outside of co-op. There were a few families I knew that actually lived in my neighborhood, but I still didn’t go over to their houses very often. It felt awkward, but I wish I’d tried harder.

It is possible to become isolated as a homeschooler. I’m not stereotyping homeschoolers as weird and unsocialized here; I’m just pointing out that socializing does require more effort when you are not in a traditional school. As a teen, I noticed that my mom never seemed to mind when activities were cancelled, as she was already busy taking care of a large family. She never seemed depressed by an empty schedule of nothing instead of seeing other people and doing fun classes. I don’t think my mom is an anomaly among homeschooling parents either. During the pandemic, my homeschooled pen pal told me that her mom was happy she couldn’t be late for anything. Because there was nothing to be late for! Stay-at-home parents sometimes just want to stay home, but being a stay-at-home teenager is not ideal. You should be in at least a few activities every week that allow free time for interacting with others your age. Only one of my activities (co-op) allowed that.

Once a week is not likely enough time to form close friendships. Advocate for yourself if you feel bored or lonely!

4. Consider your options.

Plan your future! Research colleges and jobs and find out what it takes to apply. If there is anything in your current life you are unhappy about, at least try to find other options. Research extracurricular activities in your area. Some things you could try are libraries, community centers, scouting programs, homeschool groups, youth sports and summer camps. If you have a specific interest in doing something, look it up. If you are interested in switching to traditional school, look up schools in your area, and find out their policies on accepting homeschoolers. Even if you are partway through high school, it is not too late to try something new if that would benefit you. One of my biggest regrets is that I was very passive, and accepted situations that could have been improved to make my homeschool experience even better.

Finally, try visiting the Coalition for Responsible Home Education website to find some information that might be useful to you. They have advice on what to do if you are struggling with academics or your home life.

This is just what I’ve learned based on my personal experiences and research, and hopefully it’s useful to some of you readers. Every homeschooler is unique, but we all get an experience that is different from the mainstream. Homeschool curriculums are not the same as public school ones, and weekly activities are not the same as attending school every day. It is important to take advantage of the benefits of being homeschooled, while minimizing the potential downsides.