Yesterday I wrote about the possibility of homeschooled children wanting to go to public school. I also gave you some questions you might want to ask should they bring up the subject. Likewise, many public schooled children approach their parents asking to be homeschooled. I previously listed some questions you will want to ask your teen who wants to homeschool. Here are more questions you will want to ask.
What are your after graduation plans? If your child plans to homeschooling, they need to have an ultimate goal. The goal may be to go to college, start a business, or to go to Europe for a year, and then decide. Regardless of their after graduation goals, you will want your child to integrate a major goal into their homeschooling.
Are you planning to take a job while homeschooling? Even with lots of time dedicated to education, and extracurricular activities, homeschooled kids still have lots of time to kill. Have them consider filling it with a job… but not just any old job, get a job with an educational aspect, like at a museum, or animal hospital. An internship is also a great idea.
How will you make the most out of homeschooling? It the previous questions have provided nothing more than a shrug, which is common with teenagers, this is a question that you should insist that they answer. I realize these are hard questions for someone as young as 13 or 14, but they should begin thinking in these directions. Older kids should be able to answer these questions, at least after some thought, and formulate a plan.
It may seem that I am making it difficult for a child who wants to homeschool, but for a child beginning the homeschool process this late in the game, they have to really be prepared to work to get the best results from it. If your child is interested in homeschooling, and you do not know how to handle the request, feel free to ask questions. I and other homeschoolers at familes.com will be glad to answer.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?