Homeschool High School - When Less is More

I’ve noticed an odd pattern among homeschoolers stressed about high school. In their freshman year they tend to do too much because they aren’t sure what high school looks like, or how much they need to accomplish. In the sophomore and junior year, they will pile on more work as they start to panic about college. In senior year, they hit the accelerator again to compensate for perceived weaknesses from the prior years. Are you trying to do twice as much homeschooling this year?

If this describes you, take a step back and look at what you are expecting. Are you doing too much? It is said that if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Are you beating your children over the head with more work? Is that how you are addressing every homeschool concern?

High school is a time when kids should become increasingly self-taught. It’s also a time when they start to specialize; that is, start to follow their passionate interests. Because of this, consider doing fewer subjects but going deeper in some of them.

Parents who panic about high school will sometimes try to allay their fears by piling on the work. That won’t help. Trying to do too much causes turmoil and strife. Don’t chase after the wind – make sure you only require a reasonable amount from your student. Add up how many hours you expect them to work each day, and make sure it’s reasonable.

Math may take a couple of hours, but EVERY subject shouldn’t take more than an hour. It’s important to allow some down-time, so that your home has peace and tranquility. It’s hard to learn in a tumultuous home.

Strive for a peaceful homeschool, so the kids have the ability to learn MORE because they aren’t stressed. High school isn’t a time to panic and pile on the school work. Add it up, and make sure it’s not too much.

I know what it’s like to pile it on. I really do – I’m not just saying that. I consider it a character flaw in myself, actually. Here is what I initially planned to do for freshman year of high school. I defy you to try to speak this list out loud without taking a breath:

Jacob's Geometry, Patty Paper geometry supplement, Latin Road to English Grammar 3, Power Glide French 1, Apologia Chemistry, Sonlight American History, Teaching Company history supplement, Current events, Spelling Power, Dictation, Analogies, Learn to Write the Novel Way, Sonlight Language Arts Writing assignments, Journal Writing, Piano, Composer and poet and artist each month with reports, Timeline, Mapping, Read-Aloud, Sonlight literature with literary analysis, scripture Memorization, Christian Manhood Workbook and personal devotions.

Nope, I still can’t read that without my heart racing. It took about a month until we did what homeschoolers call a “crash and burn.” No matter how fast and how hard we worked, we couldn’t seem to get it all done! When you look at this list, notice how all those ideas are just wonderful. My plan was simply filled to the brim with great educational opportunities! It was just too much good stuff to actually be achievable.

Look at my plan and see if you can spot all the supplements. What if you eliminate supplements? I could eliminate Patty Paper Geometry. Teaching Company courses and current events were history supplements. English was supplemented with spelling, dictation, analogies, and journal writing. Bible study was supplemented with memorization and a workbook. Composers and artists were supplementing the piano lessons. Poet study was supplementing English.

I had a similar talk with a client this month and we discovered that she actually had supplements to her supplements! That is how she knew she’d gone completely over the top!

Look at my plan and see if anything is unnecessary. By freshman year, many high school students are ready to stop a separate spelling program. We could drop Spelling. My children were already scoring in the 10th and 12th grade in spelling. Surely they didn’t have to memorize every word in the spelling book! It’s possible to correct spelling words during the process of writing, rather than using a separate spelling book.

My biggest “Ah Ha!” moment came when I recognized my duplicate subjects. I was using two complete foreign language programs: Latin and French. I knew in advance that I was doing that, actually. My children WANTED to do both, and we talked about how difficult it might be, but my children were motivated. What truly surprised me was English. I was using two complete English programs: Learn to Write the Novel Way, and Sonlight Language Arts writing. Not only was I using two complete English programs, I was supplementing English more than any other subject!

Once I identified all the duplicates, all the supplements, and all the unnecessary stuff, I started to prioritize. I had to put the most important stuff into our homeschool FIRST. Once the big stuff was working, then I could supplement with the smaller things. My pastor gave a sermon called “Put in the Big Rocks First.” Suppose you want to put some sand and rocks in a glass. If you have a glass that is half full of sand, you can’t add another glass full of rocks – they just won’t fit.

But if you put the rocks in the glass first, and then pour in the sand on top, you will be able to fit them both. In the same way with your homeschool, put the big subjects in first. Then sprinkle the wonderful supplemental fluff on top, and eliminate any of the “sand” that doesn’t fit.

In the beginning of the year I had been concerned about my children’s attitude. I wondered if they were lazy or unmotivated. Why did they work so slowly? My husband and I talked about all the problems we were having. I told him about the duplication, the supplements, and the fluff stuff. We took a marker, and started cutting. We cut some wonderful curriculum and great activities. It was heart-breaking, but you know, there isn’t enough time in a day to do ALL the good stuff. Something just had to go.

The children wanted to do both writing programs (can you believe that?) They wanted to do both foreign language programs (oh, just kill me now!) We had to cut other things. Let me repeat: we cut out some really good things! We eliminated analogies, dictation, literary analysis, spelling, mapping, timeline, Patty Paper geometry, and scripture memorization. Some things we just did “for fun” during lunch, without much discussion. We would listen to classical music or hear talk radio discuss current events.

Here is our revised freshman year plan. Take a deep breath and try it again. Notice how it rolls trippingly off the tongue without causing hyperventilation!

Jacob's Geometry, Latin Road to English Grammar 3, Power Glide French 1, Apologia Chemistry, Sonlight American History, Teaching Company history supplement, Learn to Write the Novel Way, Sonlight Language Arts Writing assignments, Journal Writing, Piano, Composer and poet and artist each month with reports, Read-Aloud, Sonlight literature, Christian Manhood Workbook and personal devotions.

Review and revise your own homeschool plan. Look at your plan with a fresh eye. Is it still too much? Add up the hours you are expecting from your child now. Is it more reasonable? Are you back in balance? I have to warn you, once things settle down and there is a tendency to slip into old habits, and start expecting more and more again.

It’s like when you are very hungry and you pile mashed potatoes on your plate. After a while you realize that your eyes were bigger than your stomach. We homeschool because we love to educate our children – it’s fun! But that can cause us to attempt too much. Watch for the return of the “Do More Blues” later in the year, because it can come back again.

Whenever I see a hummingbird out my kitchen window I scream like a little girl. The excitement I feel when I see these beautiful creatures is overwhelming. But have you noticed that hummingbirds seem to flap the fastest when they are hovering?

Homeschoolers are like that too. Sometimes they’ll try to work so hard and so fast, that they actually get LESS work done instead of more. Make sure you have enough time in your day to actually get the homeschooling done. If you try to get too much done, you’ll end up going even slower through your year.

Another thing about hummingbirds you should know. Although they look sweet, according to the books they are actually pretty violent and aggressive. Could that because all that hard work flapping is stressing them out? I’m not naming names or anything, but if you feel like you’re flapping your wings as fast as you can, and not getting anywhere…. and if that frustrates you….maybe you’re a hummingbird.

Are you angry, frustrated, burned out, and snapping at your kids? Attempting too much can cause them to fail, you know. And their failure will just make you angrier. But they can’t do it all – no one can. If you are feeling frustrated, check to see if you are doing too much.

I was watching a bald eagle fly the other day. Unlike a hummingbird, they really don’t flap much at all. And yet, they really get a LOT done. Maybe this coming school year, consider not flapping so much, but soaring a little more. Relax, and let the delights of your children provide the lift you need for your homeschool.

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, specializes in helping parents homeschool high school. Get Lee's Free Resource Guide, "The 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Homeschooling High School." You can find her at www.HomeHighSchoolHelp.com.