This post is sponsored by Uzinggo.
“I‘m just not qualified to teach high school.”
Have you ever thought this? When someone says these words, they often carry in their minds an image of the stereotypical high school, believing they must duplicate every aspect of it from pre-calculus to biology lab.
It’s enough to make a homeschooling parent wave the white flag of surrender before even getting started.
But thankfully teaching upper level grades is not at all like this anymore! A TON of resources now lie at our fingertips–incredible options like online math and science, foreign language with native speakers via Skype, and early enrollment in community college.
I haven’t reached the high school years yet, so I asked for backup on Facebook from those of you who have. Many of you chimed in with the resources you’ve found most useful along the way, creating an excellent thread to bookmark for later reference.
As you approach the high school years, here are a few resources that can help you teach with confidence.
Uzinggo
Uzinggo is an online science and math program for middle and high schoolers. It’s like having access to a private tutor, but at a fraction of the cost.
Each of the lessons feature real-world examples, so that students never have to ask that infamous question “When am I ever going to use this information?” Lesson also contain plenty of interactivity to reinforce learning, including the ability to earn cool points and badges they later redeem for prizes.
Uzinggo can be used as a supplement to current studies or as a core curriculum. You can check out the scope and sequence of each grade to see how it can best meet your needs.
Screenshot from a physics lesson on atomic structure
The Internet has changed everything when it comes to upper-level studies, and I love how options like these support visual and auditory learners who struggle with traditional teaching styles. With Uzinggo parents can also access detailed reports highlighting their child’s progress and time spent in lessons.
Uzinggo offers a free three-day trial so you can fully check out all they have to offer (and you don’t have to enter any credit card information to do so).
If you like what you see, they are also offering all Simple Homeschool readers 15% off through the end of October 2013 – just use the code “SimpleHS15″ at checkout.
The HomeScholar
Lee Binz’s website, The HomeScholar, is a treasure trove for those gearing up to homeschool high school. Lee homeschooled her two sons all the way through high school (they both received full scholarships to college, too), so she has a wealth of experience–and she shares it all with her readers through the information on her site.
Posts on the blog cover everything from transcript writing to choosing curricula, and she offers a host of free webinars on popular topics (like SAT/ACT prep) as well.
Brave Writer
Julie Bogart, a professional writer and editor, started Brave Writer after several of her friends asked for help in teaching writing to their homeschooled children. What started out small has blossomed into an online business featuring many resources parents can use to unleash the writer in their kids.
For older students Brave Writer offers a wide variety of online classes. (Find the fall schedule here.) Within the online platform, which students check daily as it fits their schedule, students post their writing assignments for instructors and peers to read and give encouraging, constructive feedback.
Photo by dok1
Rest assured: High school at home doesn’t have to be daunting.
You don’t have to be qualified to teach every subject successfully. You just have to be aware of the resources out there and help your teens connect with the ones that are the right fit for them.
What are the most helpful high school resources you’ve used?
Thanks to Uzinggo for sponsoring today’s post. All Simple Homeschool readers can get 15% off Uzinggo through October 31, 2013 with the code “SimpleHS15” at checkout.
When your children’s dreams are different than your own
So as homeschooling, high school teacher, I really want to chime in that the skills I use in a high school classroom are SOOOO different from what I need in a homeschooling classroom. They don’t actually transfer very much. In a classroom I have set instruction I need to cover and I need to get it to be accessible to a variety of intrests and abilites. I need crowd control and discipline. It’s not the same as the one-on-one teaching that happens at my kitchen table and in the garden and in the car on the way to field trips. When my mom started homeschooling she didn’t pull my older siblings out of high school because she thought she couldn’t do it, and I know that is one of her great regrets in life.
You can do it. Fostering a love of learning and the teaching how to learn is so much more important than specific content.
Oh goodness no I’m not qualified. 😉 I stopped being able to help with math when my oldest hit 6th grade.
Thankfully there is Teaching Textbooks for algebra and pre-calc, Apologia for biology and science, SWB’s History of the Whole World, Khan Academy, etc…
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As a certified grades 5-12 science teacher who taught 13 years of high school science, I’d like to agree that there are tons or resources available for parents to help their children learn high levels of Math and Science. If you know your kids, you can instill enthusiasm for learning and accomplish lots. However, current trends in science education are emphasizing science practices over concepts. Many online resources are great for learning facts and concepts, but fall way short at the high school level of getting students engaged in inquiry-based science. I would recommend that the best way for anyone to learn science is project-based inquiry in which students are answering a question by designing their own experiments. This is where you as the teacher become a partner in learning with your child.
Steve – do you have some resources for how to go about doing a project-based inquiry? (From a mom who enjoys the concepts of science, but feels woefully inadequate when it comes to practicing science.)
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