Some parents decide to stop home schooling when their children get to be 12-16 years of age. Maybe you’re one of them. The reasons for this decision are varied.

Some may believe that their children are now mature enough to handle school. Others feel that they may not be able to teach the more difficult subject matter. And some may mistakenly think their children need a public school diploma to get into college (they don’t, by the way).

So why go to the bother of teaching a teenager?
 
The simple answer is: for many of the same reasons you want to teach your grade schooler. For example:
 
* Academic success: As with the younger students, high schoolers
learn more, and learn it faster with one on one instruction.
 
* Variety: Educating your own teens means your child can learn the
things that interest him rather than things he will never again use
in his life. This allows him to get a head start on his future
career. It also gives her time to make mistakes and find out what
she is good at.
 
* Socialization: Your teenager can learn to relate to people of all
ages and backgrounds. He can learn self discipline, respect and
integrity instead of what is currently “cool”. Where did anyone get
the crazy idea that same-age peer groups are the best vehicle to
socialize a child anyway?
 
* Safety:  They are much less likely to be acquainted with criminal
elements in the community, or become victims of random violence.
Sad that we have to list this one.
 
* Family: Teen and parents have time to develop close relationships
while the parents teach the teen to be a responsible member of
society.

Forums are a great place to hang out for ideas and encouragement. At the Home School Enrichment web site forum, you’ll find other parents of high schoolers discussing their experiences teaching high schoolers at home. And Yahoo has a group called HomeschoolingHigh-Schoolers.

If you’ve already been home schooling before HS you probably have some idea of how you’re going to prepare your young person for the real world.

On the other hand, if high school is where you’re starting to home school then you’ll need to do the same thing parents of grade schoolers do. Explore your options… Do your research…

Many parents are taking the road less traveled with their teenagers. These parents are putting less emphasis on books and more emphasis on real life experience.

They encourage their children to find jobs and gain some work experience early. Other youth are volunteering at local charities, missions, animal shelters or zoos.

If this is the way you are directing your children you may enjoy the book, “Real Lives: Eleven Teenagers Who Don’t Go To School” by Grace Llewellyn.

Other parents feel that their knowledge of high school subjects is a bit too rusty for them to teach their children. Some of these parents are enrolling their students in on-line academies.

If your student is heading to college in a few years, this may be a good choice. To find an academy that is right for your child, just do a search for home school academies, or check these out here, here, here, and here. 

Some parents are forming co-ops with other home schooling parents. In a co-op, a group of families will share the teaching of their children. One parent will teach English while another teaches chemistry, for example. This way your child can learn about a subject that is not your specialty.

If you belong to a local home school support group, ask some of the other parents if they’d be interested in forming a co-op.

You may be one of the many parents who prefer to teach their children without any outside assistance. Cathy Duffy’s book “Christian Home Educators Curriculum Manual, Jr./Sr. High School“  should give you some much needed information.

Other resources include Home Schooling All the Way Through High School by Renee Mason, College-prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling Through High School  by PhD David P. Byers and Chandra Byers, Home School, High School and Beyond by B. Adams-Gordon (A Time   Management, Career Exploration, Organization, and Study Skills Course), and Home Schooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis.

Home schooling your teenager during the high school years has it’s own unique challenges, no doubt, but is arguably the most rewarding time to be involved in teaching them as well.

It’s been more years than we care to remember since we were teenagers (hold the dinosaur jokes, please), but we vaguely recall it as being a time of rapid change and challenge in our lives.

So yes, you will undoubtedly hit some rough patches in your home schooling program at times, for both you and your teen. Might even get a little scary. Just be aware that it will happen and expect it.

So the one-sentence summary would be to stay the course if you’re already home schooling your pre-teen, and don’t be afraid to start if they’re already teens. Pretty simple, huh?