Homeschooling High School: You Can Do This! (review)

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

A lot of people get really concerned when their kids grow up and it’s time to homeschool high school. Elementary school is easy: read a lot of books, make sure they can do basic math and read, and you’re all set. Middle school isn’t much harder. Keep encouraging them to read; some of their reading time will shift from “fun” books to text books. More intense book reports. But middle school doesn’t seem to scare too many homeschool parents. But high school… that’s a whole other beast, and many parents get really concerned when their kids become teenagers and high school looms. But The HomeScholar LLC is here to help you through this critical planning time with High School Solution.

A lot of the things I have the privilege of reviewing are for my kids (students). But this time, while the product is directly related to homeschooling, it was a course for me. I’ve already gotten Ballet Boy most of the way through high school, and now it’s Scorpion’s turn. I was interested in seeing all of the different tips and tricks this course would give me as we start a fresh journey with my second son. (He will be attempting a more “traditional” homeschool high school experience than his older brother had, complete with a diploma at the end instead of a GED test.) There is a lot involved in this course, and I doubt I’ll even scratch the surface, but let’s go over what I learned from taking Lee Binz’s High School Solution.

The course is available as a streaming video, but you can also download all of the slides and read them instead if you want. Of course, if you do that, you miss out on Mrs. Binz’s lovely presentation. She has an intense passion for older teens, and it shows in this course (not to mention everything else she provides on The HomeScholar, which I’ll touch on at the end of this article). I watched the course while working on non-distracting crafty things to keep my hands busy. The course is quite long; I didn’t personally time it (I watched it over the course of several days), but the initial email said it’s about 4 hours long. The PDF with the slides is 123 pages, so that tells you that it’s a very full courseload. You can also download the audio file and save it to some sort of mp3 device (or your phone, I imagine) and listen on the go.

The main theme of the High School Solution seems to be “don’t be afraid; you can do this.” That concept runs through nearly every slide of the presentation. Mrs. Binz offers many reasons why parents are afraid of the high school years, and solutions for every argument. The main thing she drives home, though, is that you will be successful because you love your child. Think about it like this: you taught your child to read and add because it mattered to you that they learned those things. You taught them because you love them, and you wanted them to be successful in life. The same principle applies to homeschooling high school. You teach them advanced math, economics, music, government, home ec, etc… because those are the things you feel are important for them to know to become functioning members of society. And you want your high schooler to become a functioning member of society because you love him (or her). Keep that love for your child in the forefront of everything you do while you make your high school preparations, and you’ll be fine!

The High School Solution is built around an assumption that your student will go on to college. But what if that’s not in the cards for one reason or another? Well, you should homeschool high school with that assumption anyway, because Mrs. Binz argues that college prep is life prep. What harm comes if your child is ready for college and decides to go straight into the workforce or to a trade school instead? Absolutely none. This was a different way of thinking for me, and I can appreciate the ideas presented with this ideology.

Other things covered in the course are getting your child ready for the “high school tests” (SAT, ACT, CLEP, etc); a breakdown of what you should make priorities in each year of high school (starting with a vague middle school plan); catering your high school plan to your student’s interests (delight directed learning); determining a grading system for your student; awarding credits; writing a transcript; and more.

There’s also a printable workbook that goes along with the course. It lists the main point of each section and gives you space to take notes.

In addition to the prerecorded presentation, there are regular live webinars available with the subscription. (As a reviewer, I received 6 months of access, but if you purchase the program, it’s lifetime access. Even though it’s called a “subscription,” it’s not – one purchase price gets you that lifetime access.) And as I touched on before, The HomeScholar offers more than just The High School Solution.

Do you feel comfortable with teaching high school, and you’re just unsure how to create a transcript that colleges will accept? Get the Total Transcript Solution. Is your student definitely college bound, but you have a strong plan for high school? Try the Comprehensive Record Solution. Need a strong push getting through those final 2-3 years of high school, with an emphasis on college applications and scholarships? Then the College Launch Solution is probably the right answer for you. Members of the Homeschool Review Crew have had access to all of those different options, so make sure to click through to find out more about the Solution you need the most.

Blessings,

3 Comments

  1. Hi Wendy, Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I’m glad my “do not be afraid” of homeschooling high school came through so strong for you. I absolutely want to empower parents that they can and will succeed and be the best possible homeschool teacher and guidance counselor to their teen! Their love will ensure success!

    I will be sharing this review with our newsletter subscribers. Please let your readers know that if they have questions, they can reach out to us on our website via chat or the contact form. God Bless You!

    Blessings,
    Lee

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