Homeschooling High School | Preparing Your Child For Their Future Callings and Careers

One of our focuses is having teens choose a major from a young age. We do this so they can focus on building the skills needed for their future careers and callings. Fun-Schooled teens who choose a major can graduate High School having already started their own business- or with an impressive portfolio to jump right into the work world. Last month, we talked about homeschooling college-bound teens. Today we will focus on homeschooling High School when your teen plans to enter the workforce after graduation.

Top Tips for Homeschooling High School

We said this last month, and it’s worth repeating today. Ensure you know the legal High School requirements for where you live. The HSLDA is an irreplaceable resource for understanding your local laws. Also, check out our comprehensive guide on assigning credits to journals.

If your student is not already actively selecting their school materials, now is the time to start. Let them select some, or all, of their journals and the resources they’ll use alongside them. It works well to offer 5-10 choices for your students to select from if they get overwhelmed by too many options. You can do this with journals and book selections.

Get help from your community as needed. This track focuses on the skills kids need to step into their future careers and calling. You may not know exactly what they need to know and that’s ok! Give your child a chance to interview a few people in their desired field to get answers. Shadowing and internships can provide valuable information and build skills.

It’s okay to repeat a journal completed at a younger age. Because students combine journals with academically appropriate materials, they will get a different experience. High Schoolers can go more in-depth than they did when they were younger. Plus, we know there will never be 100% retention on any subject of study. Repeating a journal will allow your student to get closer to mastery and pick up things they missed last time.

FAQs for Homeschooling High School

What if my student has no idea what they want to study?

Parents often tell us asking the question, “What is your future career or calling,” elicits a lot of “I don’t know” answers. It’s a huge question and can feel heavy for a lot of teens. We suggest asking “What do you want to do?” and “What do you want to know?” This can apply to things they want to do and know right now at this stage in life if needed. As they hone their skills, they’ll think through what they’d like to do later in life. Here are a few more tips for using these magic questions to jumpstart learning.

How do you select materials that are High School level appropriate?

Many Fun-Schooling families like to pursue Charlotte Mason-based book lists to select materials. Ambleside Online, Wildwood, Simply Charlotte Mason, and Sabbath Mood Science are popular options. From 7th grade up, these programs use High School and College level materials. Simply Charlotte Mason also has a great book finder that allows you to narrow down books by grade and search for a specific subject or keyword. You can also search “living books + (subject)” to find more.

Other families head to the library and ask librarians for help. If you do not live near a library, most libraries have a free option to chat with a librarian online and get suggestions- or you can call. They’ll be able to help you choose age-appropriate materials and provide lots of great suggestions.

You may also get support from your local public high school. Some public schools are more supportive than others of homeschoolers. We’ve heard of teachers being willing to sit down with homeschool families and offer suggestions for materials.

As mentioned above, interviewing someone in the student’s desired field is a wealth of information. They likely have books and resources they’ll lend your student- or can provide plenty of titles and websites.

What about learning gaps?

Don’t fear “gaps.” All students come into life with gaps; learning everything we are taught is impossible! Once they’re in the workforce, they are so well equipped to know how to learn that they’ll be perfectly capable of filling in any gaps. Students can take courses at a community college if there’s something specific they have to know for their future career or calling that they can’t teach themselves. Check out this post for a few other thoughts on gaps.

How does Fun-Schooling help a student prepare for their future career or calling?

We have written several blogs about this which I will reference below. The short answer is that Fun-Schooling lets students dive deep into their field of study. It teaches them how to learn and gain skills. Students are set up for success for a lifetime no matter what career path or calling they choose- or how many times they change their path throughout their lives. The skills they will develop at home will help them find success no matter what they hope to do one day.

How and Why to Choose a Major at a Young Age
Choosing a Major & Why 13 Is the Magic Number
Transitioning Toward Adult Life
Raising Employees?

What are the top journals for High School students to use?

Find out the most popular journals High Schoolers preparing for their careers and callings in this post–

More tips for high school homeschoolers

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.