Harmonious High Home Schooling

Home schooling high school students is globally recognized as one of the best ways to prepare teenagers for college. The benefits are great and can be achieved with almost no cost. Some parents however still feel reluctant in making a private high school out of their home because they are anxious it will have adverse effects on their home in general. The key to avoiding such problem is having a healthy and harmonious relationship between home school and the home itself.


1. Designate Home Schooling Space
Allocate an area in your home for you home school activities so as to separate the school area from the rest of the house. Do all school endeavors on the home school area only and do only school endeavors in the school area. Doing so will provide a very natural school ambiance when doing study activities while at the same time giving a “feel at home” aura after school tasks are done.


2. Isolate the Home Schooling Space from the Rest of the House
Make your home schooling space a room that is farm from the noise and other distractions that usually occur in your home. Make sure that after closing the door of the said room, you will feel totally separated from the rest of the house. Feeling in school is a good motivation for learning. Also, make sure to make the room off limits when no school activity is being done. Always remind the family that only the high home school students and teachers are allowed to go in there.


3. Respect Homeschooling Space
Make sure everyone respects the home school premises; hence, they cannot go in and interrupt unless there is an emergency. Tell your kids that the home school is not a playground; it is where their brother or sister is working hard in his/her studies.


4. Make the School Space a Good Place for Learning
Make sure there is sufficient lighting, the chairs are comfortable, school supplies are adequate, and several useful and interesting books are always within reach. Do not forget to set a project area.


Alternatives for Those Who Can’t Provide a Separate Space for Home School
1. Rarely Used Rooms or Rooms Only Used a Certain Times a Day
With little rearranging and resourcefulness, the dining room can be transformed into the perfect high home school space. The dinner table can make a great project table. Just make sure that you will transform the room back to being a dining room before meal time. Not doing so might make the family feel that the home has no dining space. Similarly, other areas can become your daily learning space such as the kitchen, a comfortable basement or garage, or a rarely used guest room.


2. Rarely Used Vehicles
Closed vehicles like vans can also be utilized as school rooms. Just equip them with the necessary supplies and equipment and you are ready to go. An example is to have four small separate bins in the back of the car--one for videos/CDs, one for books, another for basic school supplies, and last but not least, one for nonperishable snacks just in case someone gets hungry. Make everything within reach of the backseat to everything it in reach for the teens. Make canvas storage bags that hang over the front seat headrests into the back seat. Fill these bags with spiral notebook, pens, drawing materials, and whatever books your teens are currently reading.


Never Use the Kids’ Bedrooms to Home School your High Schoolers
Bedrooms are the haven of kids, where they can play and enjoy themselves. Bedrooms should serve as their place of refuge where they can feel at ease, they are like their own little worlds. Avoid placing study things on their rooms, unless they like reading books before going to sleep.


Aim to strike a balance and you will be able to achieve home school success with your high school teens without any detriment to your home.


You may also want to read the HomeScolar's newest book "Setting the Records Straight" which will teach you how to properly document your child homeschooled high school


Lee Binz, the HomeScholar has already helped thousands successfully homeschool their children through high school.