College bound or Not? (Highschooling)

The abbreviated days of earlier years will tend to get longer studywise.  I’d say, even if you don’t see him attending college, insist that his study skills will allow for it if he decides to later on down the road.  Our older three are not attending college at this time (they’ve all graduated from home.)  But, they have the skills it would take for them to attend should they choose to.  Our younger son will be in 9th grade and plans to attend college.  He will have a very similar education, but his science studies will be a bit more rigorous due to his interests/goals.  He will complete higher levels of math than his older siblings, again, due to his interests/abilities.

Solid reading, writing, and math skills are important.  Certainly teach study skills, but that tends to come along with a CM education.  I’d say, if he’s trades bound, have him begin researching trades, consider apprenticeships, and find out about the financial planning it will take to pursue any route he intends to take. 

All of our kids study economics, personal finance, homesteading type skills, etc.  These will be extremely important for their generation, as will logic imo. 

Above all, solid, deliberate time in the Word is the best bet for developing the wisdom he will need to carry him through life.

I DON’T SEE ANY REASON THAT THE EDUCATION OF THE NON-COLLEGE BOUND SHOULD DIFFER IN ANY APPRECIABLE WAY FROM THE EDUCATION OF THE COLLEGE-BOUND.

There.  I said it.  🙂

I think our kids need to be educated to the fullest extent possible–and that includes traditional formal academics, and lots of time pursuing interests–ways to make a LIVING and ways to make a LIFE.  There are a few t-s to cross and i’s to dot if you have a reasonable belief that a child will go to college, either right away or in the future.  But they don’t really make the EDUCATION different, they just involve tests, scholarship prep, ways to make a kid attractive to a college.  

And not every kid will end up in the exact same place at the end of twelfth grade or whenever you decide to “graduate” him or her.  And that’s OK.  I mean, who really cares which kid walked at 8 months, which at 12, and which at 15?  I think a critical part of each child’s high school should be a nice long session with mom and dad and possibly a trusted mentor and assess what that child might be capable of and what he or she might be needing.  Can the child make it through calculus?  Great!  Would a better goal be the end of Algebra II?  Great!  All children should have a meaningful relationship with literature, with history, with music, with art–this is how to make that LIFE as opposed to the LIVING for most kids, but these things not only make one a better, deeper person, but they give one “something to think about while doing the ironing.” 🙂 EVERY kid should explore skills and interests that might help him or her with possible desired occupations.  Technical education.  Apprenticeship.  Compiling a book of good and healthy recipes for feeding a family.  Part time jobs.  Economics and financial education.  Shadow a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, an engineer, a nurse, a teacher.  Work part time in one of these fields.  Volunteer!  Become well-rounded–learn to fly an airplane, throw a pot, hike the Appalachian Trail, learn to play electric guitar, serve others in a service or missionary capacity, design a dress, decorate cakes, learn to fix a car, install drywall–whatever!  The specifics don’t matter nearly as much as whether the young person is fully engaged in the life of his or her mind, body and spirit and is looking toward the future in some way, knowing these years are preparation, and the more and better the work done now, the better will be the future.  This does not necessarily mean the future will be richer in material ways–but there should be adequate preparation, since we can’t really do WITHOUT material goods entirely!  But what we really want is the richest possible life for our children in the ways of satisfaction.

Very well said!

When we began homeschooling one of my goals for my children to accomplish before they graduated was to start and run a small business.  My dd is going to start working next year as an archery coach…not exactly an entrepreneur, but she will be a contractor so I will have to content myself with that.

I had no desire to go to college – even into 12th grade.  I wanted to be a wife and a mommy!  That dream was shattered when the boy I thought would marry me decided to take a different path after high school.  My parents wanted me to go to secretarial school and go to work on Capital Hill.  My father would be able to help me find a good job there. But that was not what felt at all natural to me.  I ended up going to college – against my parents original wishes. But, they were proud of me when they saw me excel in college.  The girl who took the general track, wanted to be a homemaker, and never took geometry got into college and graduated cum laude, summa cum laude in my major – education.  I went on to teach until finally becoming a mommy 10 year after I thought I would!  Anyway, all that to say that I think leading our children as much as we can is good, but we must be rational about their giftings. And, if they really want to go to college, they can make it happen.

When I looked at requiring highschool subjects such as geometry, my husband and I discussed whether each subject had merits for non-college students. Geometry is very practical, even for a construction worker or playing golf! I do not require Algebra 2 for non-college or two years of the same foreign language or physics for now. I hope that my kids get a good general understanding of physics even if I don’t require an actual high school curriculum. Other than that, the rest looks the same but the actual curriculum may look different for struggling learners, gifted, etc.