July 13, 2022 – Life After High School

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

Well Prepared

Our seventh child, who graduated in June, has a hard time responding when people ask what her plans after high school are. Why? Because they are thinking she is only going to answer in one of two ways (college or career) and she has so many dreams not related to either that it is hard to make it understandable to the outside world. She is full of hopes and dreams and is praying her way through them even now. It is not that she is not prepared for life after high school; it is just that she doesn’t fit the mold of what others (who are not familiar with homeschooled children) think she should be doing next.

There have also been those children of ours who knew exactly what their next steps were to make their goals happen. And they are all well-established and upstanding adults with good jobs and a solid relationship with the LORD. A couple of them are in full-time ministry, and that certainly doesn’t fit the world’s standards of life after high school, but it certainly fits what God had planned for them. Every student is different.

These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine show some of the options students explore as they consider life after high school:

To College or Not to College—That is the Question by Rea Berg
Why College? by Jeannie Fulbright
Exploring Careers by Jeff Ober

Homeschooling trains a child for life by:

• Laying a Biblical foundation from the earliest years
• Providing a Biblical worldview on the big issues of the day
• Teaching children how to learn, and not just what to learn
• Providing a rich atmosphere of good and beautiful ideas
• Providing entrepreneurial opportunities
• Introducing them to the community at large and all it offers
• Providing opportunity to be in ministry with their parents
• Gaining life skills and independent living skills
• Gaining career path ideas through outside activities and electives
• Fully preparing them academically for life after high school

In the early days of homeschooling, you may feel like you are spending time doing things that cannot be quantified by worldly standards. You cannot see the outcome, so you walk in faith as you homeschool blindfolded. Knowing full well Who leads you, and Who you follow. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life as you keep God’s children Home. Where They Belong.

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:2-4).

~Deborah

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Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

The Lessons After High School

I remember when we started this whole homeschooling adventure. My wife was excited, nervous, and inexperienced. Ben and Sam were our only students, and they were excited about starting school. They got their art boxes, number-two pencils, and a few other supplies. Then they spent their morning listening to my wife read wonderful living books, coloring pictures, and painfully copying letters.

Now, they’re both graduated (along with Katherine, Ike, Abe, and Maggie). They are also working, and Ben has been married for over seven years and has three children, and Sam has one. Wow. It went so fast. During the entire process we wondered if they would be prepared to “face the future.” Would they be able to get jobs, support families, and . . . spell a simple word?!!

We plugged away, and the more we plugged, the more convinced we became that what matters most is NOT spelling, math, and “subjects.” What my children needed to know about life after school was what they were learning every day and every waking hour at HOME.

They were learning to trust God in all circumstances and to love their future spouse and children by watching how we loved each other. They were also learning how to be diligent, responsible, kind, and a bunch of other things that they were sure to need once they graduated from Wilson homeschool.

That didn’t take away the fear of  “will they be prepared?”—it just redirected the fear. It seemed to compound when Ben proposed to Rissa. He had graduated and had a job, but now the fear of whether he was ready for marriage gnawed at us. He still had areas to mature in . . . to grow in . . . to learn.

The day came, and I felt happy. He walked down the aisle, kissed his bride, cut the cake, danced the first dance, and drove away for his honeymoon amidst a driveway lined with sparklers. And I felt overjoyed and HAPPY. He was ready to be married, to have his own family, to handle the financial pressures of being on his own, and for all the other things God would bring his way.

And here’s the deal, my fellow scared-to-death parents: he DIDN’T learn it all from his mom and dad or from homeschool. The truth is God has many more lessons for him after graduation and after marriage. Some of the lessons will be painful and embarrassing, but God is going to complete what he started, not only in Ben and Rissa, but also in all my children and in all of YOURS.

That takes a lot of pressure off us as parents. Yes, we need to be diligent in teaching them the things that really matter. We need to show our children how to ask forgiveness from our spouse or how to OFFER forgiveness to our spouse, because one day they’ll need to do that with their spouse. They will learn what really matters by watching you day in and day out. And as scary as that may seem, KNOW this: God is going to complete what He started in your children. And that should make you smile.

Be Real,
Todd

About the author

Todd Wilson is a husband, dad, grandpa, writer, homeschool conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker all across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family. As founder of The Familyman and The Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind moms and dads of what’s most important through weekly emails, podcasts, seminars, and books that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, homeschool four of their eight children (the other four are homeschool graduates) in northern Indiana and travel America in the Familyman Mobile. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Roger Smith

Pillar of Knowledge
Roger Smith – The Afterlife

Is there life after a high school diploma?! Of course! And it can be good, but without guarantee. Much research conducted among the education elite to assess performance of homeschoolers has attempted to quantify success (or failure). The fact remains some students do well, others not so. What makes the difference?

Opinions abound on this subject, and here is mine. It’s not the “three Rs,” but rather the “four Cs.”

A study of leadership and motivation brought me to an understanding of these four things that also apply to the parent-child relationship. If we do not grow in the four Cs, it could be a great obstacle in our child’s “after diploma” life.

Care, Competence, Character, and Consistency are the four Cs. Our care must be felt. Does your child feel you are more interested in them than in yourself?

Is competence part of your growth mindset? We must model growth in our vocation, and our avocation, if we are to promote a growth mindset in our child.

Work ethic, among other things, is character that we must train and live out with consistency. Daily practice of the four Cs can make a difference. With these things, the “after diploma” life should be meaningful, and abundant.

About the author

Dr. Roger Smith is a family doctor in rural Louisiana, where he and his wife, Jan, raised four adventurous children who are all grown, making their own mark in the world. He speaks and writes on parenting issues and produces brief videos that can be found on Facebook @ParentingMattersNow.

What is God’s will for my life? How can I know I am choosing the right path? What’s Next: Discovering God’s Will for Your Life is a six-session course at SchoolhouseTeachers.com in which students receive Biblical encouragement to answer questions like these as they plan their next steps. They will learn from Biblical examples, such as Ruth and Esther, to help them find God’s perfect will for their lives.