Levi’s New Plan for Homeschooling High School

It’s been 2 years since I’ve done a “homeschool update” post.

Once we settled on curricula to use for my two oldest son’s high school years, we pretty much stuck with it. (You can read this and this post for a taste of what they did.) You will also find this and more information about curriculum in my book, Becoming Homeschoolers!

I am still a fan of all of the curricula my older boys used! Their homeschool education helped them earn great scholarships to college, and now they have both graduated from college and have landed real jobs in Santa Barbara, Ca. (I am so proud and grateful.)

Before graduating from high school two years ago, Luke (son #3) continued to use the same curricula as his big brothers, except he did squeeze in two Dual Enrollment classes through Liberty University. DE is such a wise choice during the Jr. and Sr. years of high school! It not only allows kids to check off both high school and college credits at the same time, but it is much cheaper to enroll in a community or online college as a high schooler than it is later.

All of this brings us to the topic of this post: Levi, 14.

I have homeschooled Levi since Kindergarten, and he has used most of the same curricula as his big brothers. We have used a lot of Abeka (watching lectures on video and then doing book work, and taking quizzes and tests that I correct.) He also used IEW for writing and grammar the last 2 years. And, beginning in middle school he was using DIVE lectures with a Saxon math textbook.

We were happy with all that he was doing. I looked forward to continuing his education in his big brothers’ footsteps.

At least until recently.

Now everything is changing.
*Gasp*. (I can hardly believe it myself!)

Before I tell you what we’re doing, however, let me tell you WHY we’re changing things. 🤓

Levi has become a very serious golfer.

He has been competing in tournaments for a couple of years and has proven dedicated and passionate. His current life goal would be to play on the PGA tour one day. His current post-high school goal is to play golf at a NCAA Division 1 or 2 college.

Here’s the sticky part:

If you’ve read my book, Becoming Homeschoolers, you might remember my chapter about sports and homeschooling. And, my mention that if your child hopes to play sports in a NCAA D-1 or D-2 college, you will need to do some homework of your own. (see page 169 😉) This is because the NCAA has very strict requirements for homeschoolers. And this varies state by state.

What I had learned while writing my book, and then confirmed this summer, is that Hawaii (alongside New York, interestingly,) is one of the most difficult states to homeschool if your child wants to play sports for an NCAA college.

Ugh.

Now, let’s be honest. We do not know if Levi will play golf in college. We can’t even be sure that he will still like playing golf in two years. 😉 There are no guarantees here, and we certainly don’t want him to feel (too much haha) pressure to continue.

But, if he has the opportunity to play golf in college, I DO NOT want to be the one to close that door. Dave and I want to do whatever we need to as Levi’s parents so that IF he has that chance one day, our choice to homeschool him does not prevent him from following his dream.

With all of this in mind, I reached out to a few people for advice. One was Lisa from Fearless Homeschoolers. (I link to her in my book resource list, btw.) Lisa is super well-informed on all things college prep for homeschoolers, and she has raised and homeschooled a bunch of incredibly bright scholars herself.

Lisa was super helpful (she’s also just the sweetest and I highly recommend her services if you could use some homeschool-to-college advice!) But she regretted to inform me that I “had my work cut out for me” if I hoped to jump through all of the hoops of what it would take for Levi to homeschool as a hopeful NCAA collegiate athlete. (To be fair though, Lisa encouraged me, saying it was definitely possible if I wanted to make it happen.) There would be a lot of meticulous record keeping and a potential issue with NCAA requiring a “true high school diploma” (not the kind mom makes, even if mom is really smart and wrote a book about homeschooling, haha.)

After that conversation I was a little wobbly. I am NOT an expert record keeper. I’m not meticulous, nor do I anticipate becoming that way. And asking the Hawaii state board of education for a complimentary diploma did not sound like a challenge I was up for.

Next I reached out to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA.). If you read my book you know I linked to them in multiple chapters. I am a big fan of HSLDA and gladly pay a small annual fee to be a member of their organization. I am glad I do, too, because part of what they offer is legal advice for all members at no extra charge! With a quick phone call, I was connected to an actual lawyer who knows both the NCAA requirements and the state of Hawaii extremely well. (how cool is that!?)

We chatted for well over thirty minutes and I so appreciated his support.

And, at the end of it all, I was simply not feeling confident that I was in the season or mood to take on this task. 🙂

Dave and I agreed it was time to consider our options. Maybe trying something new wouldn’t be the end of the world? What if this could be good for Levi? And for me? I always encourage other parents to be open-minded and flexible. Now it was my turn…

No, we were not about to send him to school. (I know some of you were gearing up for that! haha). Perhaps if we lived somewhere else or had different options I would have considered it (especially if they had a great golf team, haha.) But for us and for now: NO. We want Levi to school at home and thankfully Levi wants to do school at home too.

But what we decided to consider was an online ACADEMY. A “school” that he could be a part of via our home computer. One where he met with real teachers, and I could play a role as helper and mom, but no more grading or organizing his classes.

Not all online schools are NCAA approved, but there are some good ones out there that are. And, after a lot of online searching, praying, and some communication with advisors, we found one that seemed to be a great fit.

ENLIGHTIUM ACADEMY.

Enlightium is based out of Spokane, Washington (my home state) which is nice because the time zone difference isn’t as drastic as an east coast school. Enlightium offers biblically based classes, amazing support, and it is NCAA approved. In fact, a lot of college-prep athletes choose Enlightium for that reason!

SO! Mid-August we hurriedly went through registration and orientation. There was (and still is) a lot to learn. Logins, placement exams. Student portals and parent apps. The right (and wrong) way to turn in essays, projects, and more. It has felt overwhelming but I have had to laugh because I know this is all pretty normal for many students and families. It’s just new for us.

There are other great online academies out there, but ultimately we had to make a decision before the school year started. So we went for it!

Levi was nervous but he dove in. And by the end of week one:

He loved it!

I think he is enjoying a new sense of independence; he communicates with teachers and has a very clear dashboard with due dates and current grades and what is coming. He has been working ahead and getting excellent grades so far.

And though I have felt a bit of sadness *not to be doing* all of the classes that I feel such a connection to, and have such fond memories of, I also am enjoying a new season. I have sat with Levi through many classes, and assist him when he needs it, but he is independent for most of his work. And because it’s all so clear and objective, I feel like he is tackling it enthusiastically. Maybe this is the honeymoon phase, but overall: I AM THRILLED with how it’s going.

So here we are.

It’s a bittersweet time as I feel like I am wrapping up a chapter of my homeschool life. But I’m also grateful to God for options and opportunities.

Perhaps someone out there needs to also remember: Every child will be unique and every situation is different. How we homeschool one child will likely not be the perfect fit for the next one. There is not one perfect way to homeschool (or do anything else, really!). So, enjoy the ride. Be prayerful and patient. And have fun!

I’d LOVE to hear what curriculum you use if you homeschool your kids(s). If you’ve used an online academy (or Enlightium specifically) please share in comments!

ALSO!! If you haven’t signed up to get my free “SwansonHomeschool Must-Have’s list” and to receive occasional updates and free stuff via email, here’s a link to do that!

AND…If you have not signed up for my BRAND-NEW, WELL-ROUNDED HOMESCHOOLER COURSE, you can check it out and get the grand-opening discount and join HERE.

XO Monica