I recently attended a two-hour workshop called Homeschool High School with Carrie De Francisco of Coffee with Carrie. If you’re home educating a pre-teen, then I hope this review of her workshop is helpful to you!

Carrie De Francisco

With over twenty years of experience in home education, Carrie has two homeschool graduates. She is a coach, author, speaker and host of the Coffee with Carrie Homeschool Podcast.

How a Student’s Learning Journey Changes in their Teens

In her workshop, Homeschool High School, Carrie pointed out that sixteen and seventeen year olds spend a lot of time outside the house. They are gaining work experience, pursuing extra-curriculars and studying independently. Establishing a beautiful morning routine, like a family breakfast and devotional, could become your sweet constant.

It can sometimes feel overwhelming, imagining how our homeschool rhythms may change, but it was deeply encouraging to me that we can establish certain constants now.

What are the blessings when it comes to homeschooling high school?

Carrie has a real heart for encouraging mothers in this area. She shares many advantages to homeschooling teens in her workshop. Some that resonated with me most were – you can chart your own course, learn at your own pace, gain more work experience and focus on your child’s interests and strengths. If you choose to make it so, everything is also Christ-centered and grounded in truth.

Practical Tips for Homeschooling High School

Carrie’s workshop was rich with practical advice as she talked through what home education could look like for a teen, subject-by-subject. Additionally, there was plenty of time for Q&A which most parents will find invaluable. Here are three of my main takeaways:

1. Use eighth grade as training ground! Meet with your student on a Monday morning to discuss their commitments for the week ahead. You can also encourage them to manage their own workload and records. 

2. Plan with the end in mind!  Does your young person want to join the workforce, start a business, go to university or travel? Research what is required for them to achieve their ambitions.

3. Be creative about how they learn! There are so many different avenues – ask people you know to share their knowledge, use tutors or online courses, mentors, youth groups, internships and co ops.

Personally, I found Carrie’s workshop Homeschool High School to be well worth the investment. It left me feeling better equipped to homeschool through the teen years, should that be in my daughter’s best interests. I particularly appreciated the wealth of practical advice that was offered. If you are considering home educating a teen, I would certainly recommend this course.

Carrie also has a book, Homeschool High School, which is available on Amazon and a number of other workshops available on her website.

If you’d like to read more, check out other interviews in my Homeschooling Teens Series.