The plan for the junior year of high school for my second child looks a little different that her older sisters’ junior year. For one, I am depending on a dual credit biology class through Austin Community College for her science credit instead of teaching it myself. As a science teacher turned homeschool mom, this makes me sad. I always had fun sharing my love of science with my kids. Next year, I will be more of a tutor to her and her older sister as they take Cellular/Molecular Biology in the fall.
We are continuing with the Saxon Advanced Mathematics curriculum and online video subscription with Nicole the Math Lady. Finishing this book will count as “Trigonometry with Pre-calculus” on her transcript, as suggested in the textbook. With her thyroid cancer diagnosis and surgery this past spring her math grades took a bit of a plunge. Her high grades in the fall kept her overall grade for the year at an A, however I am planning to back-track and repeat the last 10 lessons. Not only will this be a good review for her, it will fill in any blanks in her learning and helpfully start her off strong for the year. Math is not her favorite subject, so whatever we can do to help her stay positive about the subject helps her to stay encouraged and apply herself to her work.
We are also continuing with the last year of The Good and the Beautiful ELA, Year 3. Although the reading selections are antiquated and the art projects sometimes bore her, I feel the curriculum is rigorous where it counts. The units encompass all areas of ELA, from writing, vocabulary, and grammar to literary analysis and poetry. Units also include geography and art. Once she finishes all three years, I award one credit of art and one credit of world geography on the transcript, as these subjects are also addressed on the exams, not just in the unit work. I did purchase the literature books for the units from the publisher, but everything else was purchased as a pdf and printed/laminated/bound at home. Since I plan on using this curriculum for all three girls, it made the most sense to do it this way. In case something happens to a resource over the years and I need a replacement, I can just print another one. I pre-print everything needed for the year, including the ten units, the exams, and lesson schedule. The lesson schedule and units will be placed into a binder with dividers, and the exams given once each unit is complete. I prefer the binder to the pre-printed books because I we can add their printed writing assignments for each unit.
As stated earlier, her science credit will come from a dual credit class and her social studies credit will come as world geography once she completes the ELA curriculum, however she may choose to take a dual credit world geography course in the spring, as this would also fulfill a “core 42” requirement for college. For art, she will get one credit from the ELA curriculum, as well as another credit for theater arts from her involvement in theater camps over the summer and productions at a local theater throughout the year.
She has become more involved with sewing recently with cosplay costumes and wanting to make items to sell. Depending on time spent learning about these skill, we may work in a intro to business class or costume design and construction class for electives.
I really love the aspect of homeschooling high school in which the parent and child can decide not only which classes to take but how the class will be learned/taught. I am so thankful we were homeschooling when we received her cancer diagnosis as completing schoolwork was more of a distraction than a stressor. I think she did as well as she did educationally during that stressful time because she was at home, safe and comfortable, working at her own pace and on her own terms. Yes, homeschooling high school takes a lot of planning, resources, time, money, and energy. However, it is worth it to see your child succeed in their own way, in their own time, and on their own terms, and to get to walk with them as they do it.
Hill County Homeschooler 