Speed Homeschoolingby Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger 02 Apr 2007 04:32 PM At the end of every school year as graduation announcements are made, there are more and more reports of homeschoolers finishing high school and even college in record time. As homeschoolers are used to learning at their own, and often accelerated speeds, speed homeschooling (especially in high school) is becoming the norm. I first heard about this kind of warp speed homeschooling when we first began our homeschooling journey. I have to admit the prospects of my children finishing their studies in just a few years excited me. It was not long before I realized that I was placing unrealistic expectations on my children. With this, I have to add the disclaimer that as parents we must be especially carefully not to try to force these kinds of results to take place. We have to patiently wait for them to happen. There is a reason why the majority of reports of children shooting through their studies are mostly prevalent at the high school age. It is because before a child can run, they must first learn how to walk. Before you can build a bridge, a foundation must be laid. Therefore, I encourage you, parents to take your time with your kids and help them lay a strong and solid foundation in elementary and middle schools to ensure that your child will have all the skills they need to buckle down and learn higher-level curriculums. Teach them to love reading. Make math fun. Satisfy their curiosity for all things science. Apply social studies and geography to the real world so that they can really grasp it. Create an Autodidact. (A self-directed learner) Teach them to drive, then get out of the car. If you can do this for them without pressure while instilling in them a love for learning, it is very likely that their high school and college years will be a blur. Read: Homeschooling for the long haul Homeschooled Highschooler on your own *Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask. *Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review! Learn more about Andrea Hermitt  Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children. Relevanthomeschooling tags User Comments Nola Redd (7081) 02 Apr 2007 08:21 PMGreat article. At first, I thought you were meaning 'speed homeschooling' like 'speed reading' - short bursts of tight homeschooling. LOL. I was very excited when I learned of all the kids finishing their studies earlier. The sooner my kids enter the workforce, the sooner they can support me, right? ;) But you make some excellent points, and I've had to force myself to be a 'low pressure' mom. My biggest goal is to raise them to love to read and learn. I figure they can take anything from there. Thanks for the great article! Community Tags accelleration, autodidact, homeschool Discuss this article
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