An article in Time magazine asks “Are We Failing Our Geniuses?” Often in school systems, children aren’t permitted to learn at their level in each subject. The are put into age-specific classes, and only provided educational material based on their age. The article says, “Many school systems are wary of grade skipping even though research shows that it usually works well both academically and socially for gifted students–and that holding them back can lead to isolation and underachievement.”
If you are homeschooling a gifted child, you aren’t alone. This long article can provide support. Homeschooling is the perfect solution for gifted children.
Some people experience the panic before they begin homeschooling high school. When they first come to grips with this prospect, they cry out, “Me? Homeschool High School? No Way!” Have you ever thought you weren’t qualified? Perhaps you don’t have a college education. You may not even have a degree in classroom instruction! And yet God, in his infinite wisdom and humor, has chosen YOU to do this crazy thing.
Moses knows just how you feel. He was called on to approach a ruler and demand the freedom of the slaves in Egypt. How did he respond to this task? He panicked! “Me? No Way!” He had some great excuses too!
Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said,
“O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”
~ Exodus 4:10-13
Moses thought that his slow speech would make him incapable of the task. But the task isn’t dependent on skill, it’s dependent on obedience. Look at it this way; if God called you to homeschool high school, He WILL give you the skills you need for the job based on your obedience.
Don’t feel like you aren’t qualified. Moses proved that he didn’t need to be a smooth-talker in order to get his job done. You don’t have to achieve a high degree of education to be successful either. Whether you graduated college or not, it’s the love of your child that will ensure success. In fact, check out the statistics on page 2 of this brochure: Homeschool Achievement Statistics
When you feel like quitting, you may call out, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Moses said it himself, and the Lord still seemed fond of Moses! Don’t beat yourself up about panic, just remember that the Lord has always been faithful, and He always WILL be faithful. You can do it!
Senior are beginning to hear back from colleges. I hope you hear wonderful news about acceptances and scholarships.
After the thrill of hearing about admission and scholarships, suddenly the reality of finances comes crashing down on parents. Even with a scholarship, how can you pay for college?
It’s important to remain calm, even though you have heard one an initial message about scholarships. Because the truth is that scholarships come in waves. The first wave of scholarships was based on his SAT scores. The next wave of scholarships will be based on the FAFSA on January 1, tied to your financial “need.” Sometimes there is also a third wave of scholarships. That wave will be based on additional factors other than scholastic achievement or financial need. It could be related to a specific talent (football) or interest (engineering major) or skill (piano.)
You want to be perfectly positioned to ride all three waves.
I’ve recently been connecting with friends on LinkedIn. I invite you to send me an invitation if you want to connect with my business.
Some kids don’t do well on standardized tests. Nobody knows that better than a homeschool parent with a child that doesn’t do well on tests. For college admission, though, it can really help to provide test scores from the SAT or ACT.
Colleges want test scores. It’s very uncommon (although not impossible) to get college admission and scholarships without taking one of these tests. A child doesn’t need to score higher than everyone else. They need to score higher than they would have scored if they either freaked out or didn’t study at all.
Colleges usually use tests to evaluate. When your child gets to college, they likely will face fill-in-the-bubble tests. Giving them practice with bubble tests can help them prepare for the tests they take in college.
I have heard some colleges complain that homeschoolers aren’t well prepared for standardized tests. While they don’t generally complain about the quality of homeschool academics, some have expressed concern that our children aren’t prepared for the tests that ACCOMPANY academics. Teaching your children to take a standardized test can help them be prepared.
How do you teach State History so it’s not boring? And do successful homeschoolers ever completely flop teaching something?
Hi Lee, I would like to know if you can give any information on teaching Washington State History without making it boring. I have a book and an old version of switched on school house that isn’t up to date, because it for 2000-01 school year. I want to make the study interesting not boring.
~Homeschool Mom
Hi there,
I completely failed at teaching State History. Really. I never made it into something that wasn’t boring.
Did you know that State history is NOT a requirement for homeschoolers in Washington State? You don’t have to cover that at all…. boy, I wish I would have known that!
If you want to cover Washington State history anyway, you can do as little as just a research report or a mapping project. As far as Switched on Schoolhouse goes, I don’t think it matters what year it was created, because you’re looking more at the history and geography of the state, rather than current events.
But all in all, I’m completely NO HELP here, except to say you don’t have to teach it I’m pretty sure my readers will have some ideas though.
EVERYONE: Can you please help us struggling homeschoolers with some interesting ways to teach State History?
Isn’t it wonderful that I’m willing to admit my failures, though? LOL!
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The doctors on the show recommended the book as a common sense way to eat healthy food inexpensively. I just thought Clara was adorable! She also had a video filled with more recipes and her stories from the depression. Check it out! Great Depression Cooking with Clara.
Read to what others are saying about The HomeScholar Gold Care Club!
Listen. Learn. Discern. Get guidance. Sounds great! Now if we could just teach our children to have a quiet time and devotional with the word of God, they could listen, learn, discern, and get guidance too!
Proverbs 1:5
Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.
Sometimes kids will gobble it up, and love reading the Word. Other times… not so much. Same kid, just different stages. It doesn’t mean they have made a long term commitment to fighting you on devotions. In general it just means their brain is focused on other things.
There are two things that can help you train a child to have devotions. First, demonstrate a devotional lifestyle, but having a quiet time yourself. Show your children that real adults really read their Bible on a day-to-day basis, and that will become normal behavior for them.
We read it together, and discussed the scriptures we read. I called it “cozy couch time” because I wanted it to be a warm, friendly, non-schoolish environment. My goal was for them to love scripture. Like teaching them to love reading, I thought the best way would be to get cozy with the book.
Later in high school, I bought them each their own devotional. Rather than commentaries, I really liked The One Year Bible NIV
Each day it provides a section from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. It was a good fit for me, because sometimes I get bogged down in some sections (Lamentations and Revelation come to mind…..) and having a mix of Old, New, and Wisdom books really helped me have something each day that would spark my interest and keep me excited about devotions.
People think that dealing with gifted children is easy. Hah! No way! It’s amazingly stressful!
Hi Lee,
I just got a jolt when I read on your website that a rough conversion from PSAT to SAT is to add a zero to the end. So what do I do with a 14 year old who has a PSAT selection index of 201, average percentile of 97, Critical Reading score of 70, Mathematics score of 61, and Writing Skills score of 70?
~ Amazed in Auburn
To be honest, that was EXACTLY the place I found myself when son was 14. He got an 800 in reading, 790 in writing and math, with a perfect score on the essay. That was the moment I realized that I just *might* have to graduate him early. He is a senior at Seattle Pacific University now, and he’s 20 and headed to law school. Here’s a few things that will help.
Homeschoolers should keep high school records. We know that. Still, for parents who have never kept records before, change is hard. How do you change your own behavior, and begin keeping good records? The secret is the same for ALL kinds of change.
Do one simple thing differently. Take just one thing and make a change, and slowly change behavior one task at a time. They say it takes 6 weeks to make a habit. Take one simple thing and do it differently. In 6 weeks, try changing another simple thing. A starting place may be to keep a tub for papers, and throw in some papers, tests, quizzes, or daily work each day.
As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Don’t do the same thing, and keep your sanity. Create an environment that will help you meet your goals. Put a tub for your records in a clearly visible place, as a reminder to put something in it. The first step of record keeping is simply KEEPING something from which you can make your records.
Instead of feeling discouraged about records, take one small step and do something different today.
Sitting there getting my hair cut, I overheard a conversation between two mothers of high school teens. They were talking about how they had moved their children from public schools and private schools, searching for a quality education and yet unable to find it. “They just don’t teach the basics of reading, writing and math anymore!” one mother moaned. The other mom said, “And my child is getting completely lost in the system!”
She went on to describe how her child completed Algebra 1 with difficulty. The following year, the guidance counselor signed her child up for the wrong class. This poor student was sitting in a calculus class for TWO WEEKS before anyone figured out that he wasn’t supposed to be in that class!
I realize that homeschoolers sometimes feel insecure about their ability to advise their children in high school. You have to admit, however, that a homeschooler would NEVER stick their child in a Calculus class after having difficulty with Algebra 1! We may not be perfect high school advisors, but we do truly KNOW our child, and that’s what makes us successful!
Sitting there getting my hair cut, I over-heard a conversation between two
mothers of high school teens. They were talking about how they had moved
their children from public schools and private schools, searching for a
quality education and yet unable to find it. “They just don’t teach the
basics of reading, writing and math anymore!” one mother moaned. The other
mom said, “And my child is getting completely lost in the system!” She went
on to describe how her child completed algebra 1 with difficulty. The
following year, the guidance counselor signed her child up for the wrong
class. This poor student was sitting in a calculus class for TWO WEEKS
before anyone figured out that he wasn’t supposed to be in that class!
I realize that homeschoolers sometimes feel insecure about their ability to
advise their children in high school. You have to admit, however, that a
homeschooler would NEVER stick their child in a calculus class after having
difficulty with algebra 1! We may not be perfect high school advisers, but
we do truly KNOW our child, and that’s what makes us successful!
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I’m pretty sure my readers will have some ideas though.
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