People sometimes as us about our philosophy of education. We informally call it: Goal-Driven Homeschool High School.
What is Goal-Driven Homeschool High School?
Before we even start, I want to reiterate our favorite maxim: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school!
Because I know that sometimes new homeschoolers can be fearful that they are not homeschooling “the right way”. Let me tell you from our decades of experience homeschooling our own teens and helping homeschool others through our local co-op and umbrella school: There simply is not one right way to homeschool! Why?
- There’s not ONE kind of homeschooling teen! They vary in:
- Needs (some need lots of support, some are already independent learners, some are highly driven)
- Interests (some are interested in sciences, arts, literature, fixing things, etiquette, helping others, etc)
- Goals (some are college bound, some will join the workforce or learn a trade, some will join the military, some will take a gap year for service or personal growth)
- Abilities (we believe every teen is gifted, only in very different ways, because God created each child)
- There’s not ONE kind of homeschooling mom! They vary in:
- Needs: (some have multiple children, some have paying jobs outside of homeschooling, some have families with varied needs such as taking care of an elderly parent or disabled child; or managing a recent crisis)
So rather than try to fit all our teens (and ourselves) into one kind of curriculum, we raised our teens and helped our local homeschoolers to understand themselves and set goals. Then they could tailor curriculum to enhance those goals.
We 7Sisters taught all kinds of teens: college bound, workplace bound, some with learning disabilities, some with strong preferences for curriculum styles. We had to create curriculum that was flexible to meet their needs.
That’s how 7SistersHomeschool.com began. Over the years our teens and local teens helped us vet curriculum that adapted to their goals and needs.
Goal-Driven Homeschooling
When teens learn goal-setting in high school, they have an important tool for success. They will need to be able to set goals through college, career, and life in general!
Not only that, teens who give input in setting their goals become more motivated than teens who get handed a pile of textbooks and told what to do.
Teens like to know the plans.
Most of us feel better when they know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Think about it this way:
Homeschooling high school without goals is kind of like deciding to go on a big trip. You and the family pile into your car and start driving but have no plan about where to go for your trip… If you don’t know where you’re going, you end up somewhere you don’t know!
We believe that homeschooling high schoolers benefit by learning to set goals, so we work alongside our teens to help them set 2 types of goals:
Long term goals:
What they want for themselves (along with what we would like for them) by the time they graduate. Ask them questions like:
- What kind of person do they want to become?
- What do they need for graduation?
- Career preparation?
- College preparation?
- Life-skills preparation?
- What special interests, career interests, talents or causes do they want to explore?
- What experiences would they like to have?
- What kind of people would you like them to meet (friends, mentors, apprenticeships, causes)?
Short term goals:
What they need to accomplish each year in order to meet those long-term goals. Help your homeschool high schoolers set goals by teaching them SMART Goals and Scheduling Backwards.
More on goal-setting:
- Our Authoritative Guide to Planning Homeschool High School
- How to Write Goals for Homeschool High School
- Homeschool Highschool Podcast: How to Plan Homeschool High School
Okay, you have the basics. Now, let’s look at the ways 7Sisters can help you and your homeschool high schoolers meet their goals.
How 7Sisters’ curriculum fits a goal-driven model:
Our curriculum is not boring
- Our texts and study guides have been designed for students who prefer reading textbooks that are not stuffy. 7Sisters texts are vetted by homeschoolers high schoolers, and believe me, they have opinions!
Our curriculum is adaptable
- Some homeschool high schoolers simply need an Average-level course. They are not using this course for college preparation. They simply need to fulfill a graduation requirement or explore an interest. (Do you have a “just-average” teen? That is wonderful! Here is a Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode with some tips and encouragement.)
- College-bound homeschool high schoolers need solid College-Prep levels or even rigorous Honors-levels courses for their transcripts. 7Sisters texts include instructions for fun and meaningful ways to level up. This makes learning meaningful and powerful on the transcript.
Our curriculum contains NO busywork!
We want to inspire students to LOVE the things they are learning! 7Sisters texts, literature study guides and writing guides do not kill the topic!
You may have run across curriculum that turns a teen off because it overwhelms them with busywork or unnecessary information. Rather than kill the subject, we include meaningful activities that homeschool high schoolers can choose to extend their learning in a useful way.
- Check out this post about the types of writing college-bound teens make, then check out our no-busywork curriculum!
Our curriculum is affordable
Hey, we Sisters are all on a budget and we bet you are, too! Our texts and guides are all e-curriculum, which means they are downloadable. Many of them are also editable.
This saves printing and shipping costs and keeps the price down. The books and study guides are in PDF format so can be stored on your desktop and shared between siblings (please don’t share outside the family).
We also have a lovely discount for co-op and group-class ordering.
Our curriculum helps prepare students for life
- Whether college or career bound, we believe texts should include some preparation for life after high school. Our curriculum cover subjects
- colleges want to see on the homeschool transcript
- are useful for critical thinking
- generally good for life preparation
Our curriculum is written from a Christian worldview
While NEVER preachy or forced, a Christian worldview is integrated into all of our curriculum. Occasionally a theological concept or Scriptural idea is specifically mentioned. The worldview is implicit but clear.
Our curriculum has a 10-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee
- ‘Nuff said about that. It’s a good guarantee! 🙂
What curriculum does 7Sisters offer?
- English/Language Arts
- History
- Health
- Financial Literacy
- Social Sciences
- Electives
- Arts
- Spiritual Growth Materials
Want some more help with homeschool high school resources and ideas?
- We were honored to be listed in Study.com’s Top 20 Homeschool High School Blogs
- Our friend, Charlene Hess’s Un-Academy Homeschooling
- Our friend, Kat Patrick’s Charlotte Mason-inspired Dreaming Spires Online Learning
Make your plans and download some 7Sisters curriculum and have a great year!
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