At SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the High School Help Focused Learning Center guides families who are homeschooling teens through the new territory of high school and beyond. Resources include high school courses from all subject areas, core and elective, transcript and testing direction, and articles to help parents from start to finish.
What’s Included?
The High School Help Focused Learning Center covers six main topics that relate to homeschooling teens:
- Planning for High School
- Recordkeeping and Transcripts
- Choosing Courses
- Extracurricular Courses and Activities
- the Career Center
- and Planning a Graduation.
Within each of these six, several subtopics are featured, many with links that dive deeply into the SchoolhouseTeachers.com website, which is a treasure trove of homeschooling knowledge. If SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the one-stop-homeschooling-shop, then each of the Focused Learning Centers is a specific department within the store. The High School Help center caters specifically to students and parents who are entering and navigating those final homeschooling years.
Getting Started with Focused Learning Centers
Starting with the basics, the High School Help Focused Learning Center walks parents through finding their state’s requirements for compliance and graduation, with multiple resources to find the correct information for both the student’s state and situation (e.g., special needs, college acceptance). They’ll also find information on local groups and events and how to begin homeschooling in each state.
With their state’s requirements in mind, families can then begin formulating a plan. Picking out courses needed for the next four years, including both core classes and electives. Resources and links help parents with get started in keeping records which are used to create transcripts for graduation. SchoolhouseTeachers.com members have access to the Applecore program. They are shown in detail both how to access and use this recordkeeping system to keep track of grades and report cards. Parents may also access transcript templates, free printables for homeschooling teens, and several options for transcript guides in this section.
Navigating the Homeschooling Teen’s Journey
SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers a plethora of courses. This is the section where parents will learn which ones best meet both their student’s needs and their state’s homeschool requirements. Parents are able to access all of the high school level courses by both grade and subject. There are also pre-made ‘school boxes’ and curriculum guides available. The pre-planned school boxes offer a course of study for each grade, including the scope and sequence, grading requirements, and how to notate it on the transcript. For the more do-it-yourself parent, there are unit studies available. Mix and match the unit studies to create a full-year course and cover specific skills and interests.
In addition to core class information, parents can access extracurricular courses to help homeschooling teens build up their high school resume. Suggestions for resume builders outside of the homeschool classroom are also included such as community service opportunities. There is also the popular Art and Photography Fair for members. And even a calendar of events to help parents keep track of when each opportunity occurs. A certificate library is available, where parents can print out certificates for each course that the student completes as an official record for the homeschool portfolio.
Looking to the Future When Homeschooling Teens
High school is a time for exploring future possibilities and setting milestones to achieve those goals. The Focused Learning Center has resources for parents and students to sit down together, have discussions, and navigate the waters together. There are multiple career exploration options, plus a college exploration guide. For those looking toward higher education, test preparation help is available to boost performance. This section also covers starting a small business, discovering God’s will for the future, finding financial aid, and an entire magazine dedicated to planning for after high school. This magazine is accessible online and includes articles about college, trade school, internships, career options, and tackling the four years of high school, one year at a time.
Finally, as they near the end of their journey, and begin organizing a graduation, parents may consult the High School Help Focused Learning Center for ideas on keeping the event stress-free, simple, and affordable, yet memorable for both the student and family. Homeschooling teens? Visit SchoolhouseTeachers.com to peruse the full scope of resources available in the Focused Learning Centers.
HomeschoolingFinds.com Author
Yvie is a veteran homeschool mom and teacher at Sparks Academy who enjoys helping other families on their homeschool journey. When not teaching, counseling, or managing educational projects, she enjoys reading, spending time in her garden, and traveling the country with her boys.