Dropping my third daughter on the bus was less sentimental than I would like to admit. We both transitioned from homeschool to public school more easily than I’d like to admit.
We were at the bus stop first because she was motivated.
No one was there. Not one car. What else to do but wait and hope it didn’t already pass?
We transitioned from homeschool to public school meant I was keenly aware of every moment being the first and only experience of this thing in front of me.
The reason we were early? She was excited. I don’t DO early.
My fifteen-year-old daughter wanted to make sure to be there on time (and she’s also keenly aware of my “I don’t DO early” slogan).
We sat. Waited.
“I hope it’s a great first day,” I coaxed myself into saying.
“Hmmm, sure.” That was her response. I’d already asked her the day before how she felt about school. “Nothing. It’s just school. Not exciting.”
Not exciting. Then why go? This would be her first day of school EVER.
Why even go? I’ve been offering you a personalized education before you were a preschooler. Why go for an institutional approach, and even more so, in a year of the pandemic with precautions that change the whole dynamic anyway?
School is structured radically differently with the pandemic, so five weeks in a Foods class would be her introduction to school. What does that even mean for a homeschooled kid that was taught to cook out of the womb?
The most self-serving aspect of me wants to ask, “Why wouldn’t you want to spend your last three years with ME? We could sit around the fireplace drinking homemade pumpkin spice lattes listening to classical music and reading stories before we do our math workbooks (since you are fifteen, and you don’t need me to hold your hand for just about anything now…)
Sigh, indeed: you’re not needing me to hold your hand for just about anything.
And you’ve been enjoying all these homeschool freedoms for your entire childhood.
You’ve traveled around the world with your family, you’ve enjoyed playgrounds and science centers without bajillions of other school kids, you’ve had part-time jobs since you were six, you’ve learned to cook full meals almost a decade ago, you’ve taken academic courses that were considered well beyond your years, but what does a grade mean anyway?
And yet, it is your next thing. It’s a choice you’re making to experience the world outside my viewpoint, outside our homeschool family’s perspective.
Alrighty then, off you go to learn about the world through your own eyes.
I’ve got some learning too…
- I need to buy some plastic containers for your lunches.
- I need to don early morning, bus delivery outfits: my usual coffee mug and a robe won’t do.
- I need to ask her when she needs a ride home because there is that bus too.
- I need to get her a house key too.
Of course, this is my third teenager.
I still have one homeschooling high school kiddo too, my second teenager: this is a little more about her.
And if you’re worried about her post-secondary options, don’t be. I have done all the research. Ironically, this kiddo is remarkably more academic than either of my public high schooled kiddos.
What’s it like having a high school gal at home? Well, for one, I don’t have to cook as much: bonus! Also all these thoughts.
A little advice about homeschooling high schoolers? Naturally, I’ll share that too…
Homeschooling allows you the freedom to step off the highway of learning and take a more scenic route along a dirt road.
Tamara Chilver
And I totally agree, but sometimes homeschooled teens want to experience the dirt road. So back to driving to the bus, I go.
Deschool your Homeschool Journaling Workbook
Deschool your homeschool journaling workbook that aids in your self-exploration, to get clear on how you can bring freedom & individualization into your homeschool.
Considering homeschooling your high schooler?
- Entering Homeschool High School
- Why Homeschool High School is Better than We Thought with Mary Hanna Wilson
- Having a High School Homeschooler at Home
- High School Options & Post-Secondary School
- Wise Advice for High School Homeschoolers with Vicki Tillman
Teresa Wiedrick
I help homeschool mamas shed what’s not working in their homeschool & life, so they can show up authentically, purposefully, and confidently in their homeschool & life.
