You know how you plan out your year? You have an idea for how the year should go, what needs to be done, you’ve worked out how many chapters need to be completed per week to be done, you are all set. BUT THEN you realize that a subject was missed last year, or the catch up work that needed to happen wasn’t completed over the summer, or…. well, I’m sure you can fill in the blank. How then do you complete your planning with highschool students? These very same students who will have their own ideas about how they want to complete their workload.
Planning with your highschool students needs to take into account how your students learn best and needs to provide them with tools for success in the future. How can we help our students manage their workload and complete everything in an efficient manner?
The work that we provide our students can come from all over the place, sometimes from a single place like SchoolhouseTeachers.com which has loads of courses for highschool and later in this post we’ll be doing a giveaway for them. My link to my most recent review. Other times we’ll pick up courses from places like Apologia, Tree of Life, CTCMath, and such like.
Figuring out what you’re doing
Figuring out what you are doing with your highschool students depends on a few different factors.
- What your students want to do once past highschool.
- What the requirements are in your province or state.
- Needs or requirements for courses down the road. Whether that’s for courses in highschool, or needed on a transcript for higher learning.
- Available electives: make your own if can’t find what you’re looking for, so many options
- What your students are interested in… could a hobby become a job?
Planning with Highschool Students
You need to actually sit down with your highschool students and talk with them. Sometimes those conversations will be easy, and other times they will be hard. Sometimes our teenagers have no clue what they want to do and other times they are hyper focused and can’t see beyond their goals. But just talk, and listen, and try to guide.
- Talk about study habits.
- Working through a course load
- Future plans
- Electives
- Perhaps doing a college and careers class
- Fall back positions if what you want to do doesn’t pan out
- Options for scholarships
- Needs for transcripts
- See if you can combine two things into one… for instance, can they turn a hobby into a workable credit?
For example, my son’s Karate classes and his physical fitness requirements for Army Cadets, plus some smaller health units gives him a physical fitness credit.
When things go awry
Sometimes…. things go awry. Covid might hit messing up how you planned courses to go (outside courses). Sometimes health needs will intervene causes a workload to slow down. Occasionally poor work habits will get in the way and require a great deal of work to catch up. All these things will be part of the conversation about how you manage a school year, and how you get back on track. Maybe, you’ll need to do highschool in five years instead of four! The thing you always need to remember is this….. what’s your long-term goal?
To push through learning as fast as possible in order to start one’s career? Or to fostering a love of learning and developing good work habits? To create faithful servants of the Lord? Maybe, we have to remember it’s not a race. It can sometimes feel a race, when you see all these kids heading off to college and perhaps your child isn’t quite ready for that, or has a different long-term goal, or whatever. We have to keep in mind the needs of the particular student in front of us. If they know how to learn and how to work… NOTHING will stop them if they have the drive to reach for it.
What about you?
Can you tell me what your biggest tip is when it comes to planning with highschool students? What do you do when things go awry? When you forget your long-term goals… or even when a students long-term goals change mid-way through? How do you do with the WHAT NOW??? questions that will arise.
I don’t have all the answers… sometimes it very tough sorting it all out.
DO KNOW THIS.
You are allowed to take your time. Seriouly, you are. It’s not a race and demand or life-threatening need. You can take your time to talk with your students and figure it out. Sometimes it will mean long-hours for your student playing catch-up. Sometimes it will mean changing curriculum (and the expense that brings). You might even find yourself creating something specific just for your child. But it will turn out okay in the long-run. Trust your instincts, look for help when you need it, just do the best you can with where you are at.
On to the giveaway!
The crew is giving away one membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com. Fantastic resource, with a variety of options for all ages through to highschool (and for mom and dad too).
a Rafflecopter giveawayPart of the blog hop
Planning is such a difficult task sometimes and you nailed so many of the reasons why. I have found that addressing the reason(s) you are struggling to plan is the first key. Is it study skills? Give helps there. Is it behind? Does it have to be made up? Answer that and do that first if so. Is it not knowing what is desired? Create some broad exploration to find an interest and then focus in on that. Is college planned? Hit hard those basics.
Really, we put so much stress on the plan but the outcome is where the importance is at. Quality vs quantity. End goals vs the getting there.
And, though it all, keep the focus on the relationships – first with God, second with family.
yes! To all of that! Knowing where to place your emphasis is why conversation is so important!