Course of Study and Your Child
If you have followed the pages in order, then I should have given the impression that you must research what high school courses are required by your state and that I want you to plot out all four years. It's true, that is what I want you to do. I have two forms for that and one is called the Course Checklist and it can be downloaded from High School Course Checklist.
Please look at the very simple, yet clear form that I always used along with the course checklist. It is called: Course of Study 4-Year Plan and it is the first file on this web page: High School Forms. Add the classes by year on the 4-plan. Keep the yearly work-load in mind when placing classes for each year. I usually aimed for no more than 6 year-long classes (or 12 semester classes) per year.
If you are like me, high school requirements might seem restrictive because now, your student must take certain classes whether he wants to or not. To a certain degree the restrictedness is there, but you can work with it. You have choices. You can choose the content of the courses by selecting appropriate books, and you can choose if some classes will be taken outside of the home at a co-op or at a community college.
The Career Path
This part can be a puzzle. How can you decide curriculum content if your children do not know what they want to do after high school? You may not be surprised to discover that not every child knows what he wants to do. You do have something to help you decide, your child's aptitude. If your child cannot tell you, then decide based on his interests, and what areas he excels in. On the other hand, you may not need to worry about career path courses. There is a lot of work to be accomplished in high school and not just the "career path." Your child will have to prepare for college rather generically. He will need to study the core subjects at a higher level. There may be no room for the career path courses, but you can work with it as much as you choose. Do not allow the career path question to get under your skin. Almost any career path utilizes two or more of the core subjects. Instead of fretting that your son or daughter does not know what to do for the next 20-30 years, decide to do well in the core subjects and let the rest take care of itself.
Working With It
Suppose your children show interest and/or aptitude in several areas that could be integrated into a class or be the class itself. I am sure you know what I am getting at. It is obvious. If a child loves math, then make sure he has the opportunity to take the higher maths every year.
In Summary
Your high school student will have to take certain courses. You and your child have options within those required courses. You have choices. Do not fret too much over career path courses. The core classes, English, mathematics, science, social studies/humanities are very important for the child that is heading for college.
Donna Young
October 25, 2008