Homeschooling younger kids is fairly easy. It gets harder the more advanced kids become. There are reasons why high school and middle school teachers specialize in one particular subject; one subject is complicated enough without having to know everything there is to know about other subjects. If you are undaunted by this fact, you will still need to make some preparations for teaching your teenager at home.
View Curriculum Materials
There are two ways to school your teen at home. The first involves selecting texts and materials that are approved for use in your state. The second is to enroll your teen in an online high school program/academy in your state.
The first option requires that you acquire lists of public school-approved texts and materials. This does give you some choice as to what texts and materials you will use, such as a high school homeschool history text for U.S. history, dating from 1914 to the present, or world history for any period and any continent. You will have to spend a lot of time ordering and viewing texts and materials before coming to a decision about which ones you will use in the coming year.
The second option automatically selects texts and materials. The online public instruction schools choose texts and materials for you. Then, about a week before the online schools begin classes, they will ship the materials to your front door. You will have that week to review the materials and prepare for the first day of class (at home!).
Find a Quiet, Distraction-Free Space to Teach/Attend Class
Your teen will need access to a computer and a desk or table space for class, regardless of whether you are the teacher or the online school is teaching. Working from the kitchen table works, so long as there are no distracting elements on the table. Otherwise, the family computer desk works, too.
Make and Keep a Consistent Routine
Homeschooling does have a nice, built-in benefit; you can skip a class or two for appointments and then return to class when you come home. However, you should not allow your teen to regularly skip classes or avoid doing the necessary work. Make and keep a consistent routine.
If you are the teacher, then this means that you will need to be a stay-at-home parent 24/7, which can get very stressful at times. If your teen is attending an online school, then there is an established schedule, but without your presence and support, he/she might be tempted to skip attending online classes. Choosing homeschooling for any age group requires a lot of dedication and time on your part, but you may find that your child works harder and does better in the long run.
