One of the things I so enjoy about homeschooling is the ability to give our children an individualised, unique and purposeful education.  Peter and I have chosen not to worry about being equal with a year 12 school leaving certificate, score or whatever marks the completion of year 12 in schools.  Rather we intend to give our son (and each of our children) whatever he needs, for however long he needs till he is ready for whatever comes next!  (Sounds too vague to be intentional doesn’t it!!)  But it does fit with the idea that learning is a life time pursuit – he’ll never be fully ‘educated’, nor will he be ‘done with’ learning but he will move onto other things (like University) and we won’t be so involved in directing his daily studies.

But for now we are directing his studies – studies that will prepare him to be a man who loves God, a man who is prepared to be a husband, father and provider, and anything else God leads him towards.

These are the resources he is using this year and I share these so you can see the diversity that is out there for our year 12 students.  Please note:  This is not his assignment sheet – this is a list of things we have used, or are using so please don’t think he fits this all into one day!

Bible:

Personal Devotions – Josh chooses his own resources should he want anything other than the Bible (which sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t.)

Family Devotions – Reading through chapter a day Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,  and currently, Proverbs

Bible Study:  (Independent study) Wisdom Unit from Heart of Wisdom, includes Walking Wisely by Charles Stanley

Character Studies:  studies together with the family using Character First materials

Joshua also attends a church Bible Study in our home.  He actively participates and has led a couple of times throughout the year.

Discipline  Studies (Studies that require daily drill/practice)

Writing:  IEW

Math:  Math U See

Science:  Apologia

Latin:  Rosetta Stone

World View

Fallacy Detective by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn

Apologetics by Ravi Zacharias

Workshop lessons with family

Public speaking – 1 speech a month

Brainstorming – Mindmapping

Current Affairs – watches news, reads newspapers, blogs – discusses with family

Reading List

(Josh has read more than these books this year, but these are the books I have set aside for learning purposes for him.)

Biography:  Francis Schaeffer-an Authentic Life by Colin Duriez

Spiritual life:  Prayer by Phillip Yancy

Practical skills:  Money Matters for Teens by Larry Burkett

Interest:  God’s Politics by Jim Wallis

World View:  Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy

Life Skills

(He works on many more life skills throughout the day but these are what we are particularly working on, training with)

Cooking

Driving

Book-keeping, personal finance

Time management – setting goals

Joshua works 1 day a week mowing lawns for a local company.

Other than helping out in church with the sound equipment, Joshua also helps coach the junior cricket for 10 weeks of the year (community service).