By Rebecca Welch

The Money Factor

Expenses generally skyrocket in the last few years with more challenging textbooks to purchase and additional after school activities. Some cities have homeschooling co-ops established to help parents cope with the rising cost of education. Local libraries can be an excellent informational resource and also give other homeschoolers a place to meet or share advice. One of the best low cost options is to join the local home school organization and share textbooks with other parents as often as possible to defray the expense.

Do you have an advanced student?

Teaching an advanced student can be scary, but parents should be proud of what they have helped their child accomplish. Online home schooling resources can be a great help for the advanced student. Many challenging curriculums can be purchased and completed online with tutoring help available when necessary. Online academies often provide textbooks and other home schooling supplies. Virtual classrooms where students can use a web cam to participate in class is another excellent alternative. They may also use lecture based courses online.

Post Secondary Option for Advanced Students

Post secondary level classes at your local university or junior college have some advantages for your student. Your child can avoid the stigma of being the new kid because college faces change every semester. At times you might not be required to pay college tuition for the classes that your high school child takes. Your child can earn high school credit and enjoy socialization as well as mental stimulation that college classes provide.

Transferring your homeschooler to private or public school?

For many parents, home schooling a high school age child can be extremely difficult. Some feel they should transition their child to a private or public high school, however, the stress of the transition can wreck havoc on a teenager. Public high school environments can seem unfriendly, stilted and restrictive to a child who has had theloving support and educational flexibility of being homeschooled. Private school could be an alternative, but there are still the drawbacks of public schools plus the added burden of cost with a private institution. In addition to adjusting to a new environment, if you decide to transition your homeschooled teenager you must also be mindful of the 'new kid' syndrome that so often occurrs. This can be especially difficult for homeschooled children who may be viewed as 'weird' or 'strange' by both students and teachers alike. Weigh your options carefully before plunging your child back into mainstream education.

Are there any additional options?

Feeling uncertain or over-whelmed about home schooling your senior high school student is normal. If transitioning your homeschooled child to public or private high school isnt an option, you might consider the following options. Network with other parents who home school their children. Have each parent discuss what they feel they are best at teaching. Find parents who would be willing to trade skills in order to gain the best education for their children. A parent who is skilled in Math or Science and enjoys teaching high school age students might be willing to teach your child in exchange for teaching one of their children English or a foreign language. In this way, both students will benefit from additional stimulation and extra socialization.

Rebecca Welch is a successful webmaster and freelance writer for Home School Resources. Did you find the tips on help with high school home schooling useful? Learn more aboout home school resources.

By Home School Resource

Although many people question the socialization aspect of homeschooling, research has been done and shows that home schoolers have many advantages in the socialization area. For example, not all children of the same age develop mentally at the same rate, even though they are usually thrown into the same class at school. When your child is home schooled, age barriers are more easily overcome and he or she can develop friendships with other children of the same intelligence and maturity level, regardless of age. Children also can use educational time as purely academic, instead as of social time, as is often the case in school settings. Home schooling removes this distraction.

Because of this, children have more of an opportunity to learn. This is not the only way in which children who are home schooled are able to achieve more academically. Home schooling also allows students and their parent-teachers to specifically build a program based on student needs. Home schooled children work at their own pace for every subject, and so have a better opportunity to fully learn that subject before moving on to the next concept. Home schooling also gives children the chance to participate in unique learning events such as monthly field trips and educational games. Learning can be less of a chore and more fun for home schooled students, which makes this a good option for children who have behavioral problems in traditional school settings.

Lastly, home schooling creates a bond between children and their families. There is less sibling rivalry, and brothers and sisters can thus learn from one another. Students also create a unique bond with parents, who serve as teachers. Home schooled families are often very close-knit. Parents can also teach family values during educational lessons that are not normally instilled into a child during school. This can be very beneficial both when the child is young and as the child enters the tough teen years. Because more time is spent with the family as a whole, home schooling can be rewarding for everyone on every level. These advantages to home schooling cannot be overlooked, and you should research them fully to find out if a home schooling program is right for your family.

For more valuable information and resources for the Home Schooler visit Home School Resource.