What I’m Doing Differently Now That I’ve Got Homeschool Grads in College

It’s no surprise that after nearly two decades of consecutive operation (surely I didn’t just say two decades?), our family’s homeschool has changed. A rotating roster of students, ages, interests, strengths, and weaknesses has ensured an evolving curriculum. Add to that the art of accommodating the laws of multiple states over the years, as well as the continuing development and accessibility of resources and tech designed specifically for use in homeschools and well… how I homeschool in 2019 doesn’t bear a huge resemblance to how I homeschooled in 2001.

Aside from the expected shifts, though, there’s been one major factor that has impacted what our the rhythm of our family’s home education: the lessons I’ve learned from the students I’ve already graduated.

So far, we have had two students make the jump from our homeschool to the world of higher education. A third will join them this upcoming spring. I did my best to prepare each one for the path ahead by following the state graduation requirements and also adding in what I felt were essentials they needed to have under their belts before moving on to whatever their next step might be. I’ve been blessed to watch both of my grads not just manage the transition, but soar through it. And now, they share their thoughts with me on what’s been useful, what hasn’t, what they are thankful they learned, and what they wish they had. I have the added benefit of taking their feedback and using it to shape how I homeschool their younger siblings. 

So what do I do differently?

I Don’t Focus On College During High School. The number one lesson I’ve learned from my graduates is that for us, college during high school isn’t a priority. A few years back, there was a massive push in homeschooling circles to accelerate the degree process, with many experts recommending racking up as many Dual Enrollment credits as possible, and plotting an aggressive course of CLEP and AP testing throughout the last few years of homeschooling. I was disappointed when our budget didn’t allow for this forward charge, and was sure that not only were my kids missing out, but even worse… others were gaining a major advantage over them. Imagine my shock to discover that, for these students at least, having just a handful of Dual Enrollment credits in their back pocket when they walk in on day one hasn’t been a hindrance at all. Since we couldn’t do “college at home” in the final years, my kids focused on delving deep into their personal interests, trying out new things, and excelling academically. Those grades paid off big time, too. Turns out, if we had dropped the money on more DE, CLEP, or other credit avenues, we would have increased the overall cost of our kids’ college educations. Academic and merit scholarships have eliminated the financial benefits of early college. In addition, shortening the duration of their degree path would have actually robbed them of some of the most enjoyable and formative years of their early adulthood. God is using this time to mature them in a supportive, godly environment outside of the greenhouse of our home. That’s worth four years for sure!

I Don’t Go As Deep In The Early Years. My best friend— also a homeschooling mom— has always accused me of giving college-level instruction to my third graders. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it turns out, she was right. My homeschool grads walked into their first Western Civ courses and sleepwalked through the semester. Why? Their mom had been impressing the importance of the Hellenistic influences in Roman culture upon them from the time they were old enough to learn the Greek alphabet. Which they did. In first grade. Thanks to those kids growing up and letting me know that no one expected them to be able to differentiate from the Italian and Northern European Renaissance movements in a 100 level class, I feel a bit more confident just giving my younger crew a more gentle introduction to most topics, knowing I have plenty of time to take those deeper dives in grades 8-12.

I Don’t Let Writing Slide. While I believe a slow and steady approach is just right for new writers, once writing skills are established, I require a significant numbers of essays, articles, persuasive papers, literary reviews, lab reports, creative writing pieces, and research papers. My grads have both expressed that having solid writing skills— and the ability to churn out multiple papers per week— has made maintaining their heavy class loads that much easier than their fellow students. I had started to back off on my expectations due to the advice of some well-known homeschoolers, but hearing first hand from young adults in the trenches increased my resolve.

I Don’t Spurn Calculators. Here’s the truth: between them, my two grads will take a grand total of one semester of math during their entire college careers. And that class allows the use of calculators. I have, in the past, only allowed calculators for Calculus and Trig. No more. While I’ll still require my students to exhibit proficiency leaning on their own skills, once we cross over into higher math, they can use calculators. While I might revisit this if I have a child who seems headed for a particularly math-oriented field, I do believe we’ve crossed over as a society and while the ability to perform mathematical calculations is imperative, not availing oneself of the tech that literally sits in our hands all day isn’t any particular virtue.

I Don’t Shun Group Learning. For years, I was adamant that homeschooling was best done exclusively at home; outside activities were fine, I maintained, but I didn’t place any value at all on academic instruction outside the home. And that worked out o.k.— Dual Enrollment classes guaranteed that my older kids have learned how to follow a syllabus, adapt to different teaching styles, flow with differing expectations, and manage group projects. Still, my graduates did have a learning curve when it came to managing hour-long lectures and sitting through review sessions designed for test prep, as well as with managing in-person group presentations. While that didn’t actually throw them for a loop, it did cause me to rethink my tough stance on outside classes. There is value in larger group learning.

My college students have done exceptionally well thus far, and have felt that their home education has been one of their greatest assets. I’m grateful that their feedback is allowing me to fine-tune our family’s homeschooling to be even better. After all, I’ve got 13 more years ahead of me!