Is homeschooling high school really worth it?
Will I really be able to teach them everything they need to know?
After walking through these years myself, I can answer that question with confidence.
Yes. Absolutely yes.
When we first began homeschooling twenty plus years ago, I never imagined we would actually graduate our children. At the time it felt more like an experiment. We took it “one year at a time,” waiting to see how things would unfold.
But somewhere around sixth or seventh grade with my oldest, I heard a homeschool speaker say something that changed my thinking completely.
He said homeschool parents need to “close the escape hatch.”
Instead of treating homeschooling like a temporary experiment, he challenged parents to commit to the long-term vision all the way to graduation.
That moment shifted something in me.
I stopped thinking “one year at a time” and started picturing graduation day.
I am so thankful we did.
Today we have graduated seven of our eight children, and I wouldn’t change a thing. All went on to attend the colleges of their choosing with generous scholarships and pursue their dreams and ambitions. But surprisingly, that isn’t the main reason I’m grateful we stayed the course.
The real gift of homeschooling through high school is something much deeper.
By the time your children reach these years, you’ve already done the hardest work — the long days of teaching them to read, drilling multiplication tables, and navigating the confusing maze of English grammar. High school is our last chance with them. These four short years are the prime time to press in, and really help them know and understand the Bible, to study Apologetics together (the reasons to believe the Christian faith), practice Communication skills (like writing and speaking) and open their eyes to the wonder of Creation through Science all around them! It was tempting to fall prey to the fear of them missing out, my own insecurities, or the anxiety of comparison during these teen years. But I decided to “close the escape hatch” and really go for it!
Why quit just when school finally starts getting interesting?
But even more than the academics, something else happened during these years.
I got to see who they are becoming.
High schoolers can certainly be messy, loud, and occasionally careless — but they are also fascinating young adults filled with energy, creativity, and ideas about the future. Watching them grow into the people God designed them to be is one of the greatest privileges of these years. They are the businesspeople, doctors and nurses, craftspeople, and law makers for the next generation - and I have been given a gift of being the most powerful impact on them now!
I often think about Esther from the Bible.
Her courage to stand before the king didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was built over years of quiet influence from her cousin Mordecai. I imagine long conversations, encouragement, and reminders of who she truly was in God’s eyes.
Those unseen years prepared her for the moment when everything mattered.
The same is true for my children.
These high school years are the final season I have to pour deeply into their hearts before they step out into the world on their own.
And something else happened during those years that I didn’t expect. While I thought I was preparing them for their future…
God was still shaping mine.
I was raising them.
And all along,
He was remaking me.
Blessings,
Renita
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