Homeschooling Teenagers: How it Works


That should answer the question about what to do when the children want to learn subjects you don't know. Some of my children decided to learn Latin this year. I don't know it, and don't have time to learn it right now, so they went to the book store, examined all the books on Latin, and found one they knew they could use alone. (When my time eases up, they can teach me.) My son wants to know if time travel is scientifically possible, so together we are creating a physics course to be studied next year. The library, it turns out, is full of books by reputable scientists who are looking into this sort of thing. Since my son is the family scientist, he will probably have to explain the books to me, but they say it's always the teacher who learns the most. If he can make me understand physics, I'll know he understands it.

What about college? Colleges have discovered homeschoolers. I've been to several college fairs and nearly every college accepts homeschoolers. Stanford especially likes homeschoolers. They say homeschoolers add to the diversity of the school, have good independent study skills, and have excellent socialization (so there!). You have to plan and document your curriculum very well, but it can be done. Check out the links on homeschooling on my links page for more on college. Many colleges list their homeschool entrance requirements on their web pages now.

And as for the prom? Who says you have to be a student to get to the prom? Colleen is going this year. She has friends who are not homeschoolers. She has a life outside the home. In fact, the word homeschooler is probably an oxymoron, because homeschoolers aren't home much. This year, Colleen is president of her church class, attends the church's Young Women's program, plays on sports teams, and writes two columns, one of them here on the Suite. She participates in a teen-run preschool. Jennifer is taking art and technology classes, is president of her church class (homeschoolers really do have leadership skills), attends her Young Women's program, plays on sports teams, runs a volunteer nursery and writes a column for the Suite. Nicholas also writes a column here, is in the Boy Scouts, and belongs to a chess club. In the past, they have belonged to a reader's theater troupe, run church nurseries, volunteered in the public schools,

The copyright of the article Homeschooling Teenagers: How it Works in Parenting Teenagers is owned by Terrie Lynn Bittner. Permission to republish Homeschooling Teenagers: How it Works in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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