Homeschooling High School

I have to admit that the idea of homeschooling through high school intimidates me. I have a seventh grader and although it's still a few years away, I feel the need to prepare. First, I started looking at my options. The schools in my area aren't bad, but I feel like it is important to allow highschoolers a lot of freedom in how they spend their time. It is a time to grow and develop your talents, and I am not convinced that the schools offer that.

In Idaho, we are allowed to dual enroll. My kids may take any classes they want at the public schools. Right now my 2nd grader is taking P.E. and music at the school. This works out perfectly since the school is right behind our house. It's just a quick trip through the fence and she's there (although it's not too fun walking there in the cold). This is another option I am considering for my soon-to-be eighth grader. But this would be mostly for electives.

There is also a homeschool co-op that I am considering for next year. It is very successful and my kids already have friends that attend. The positives to the co-op is that it is only once a week, no daily driving to get my son to class, and he will be around other students like himself. The classes seem to be quite rigorous and the variety of classes is different than the public school offers. But I would still only use it for electives.

So it looks like I will be doing the majority of it here at home. When I first started thinking about it I didn't think I could do it. How can I pull this altogether so that my son is prepared for college? I started researching and found a book by Lee Binz called Setting The Records Straight. The book breaks down how to create a high school transcript and it makes it so easy!! I am actually motivated to get started and plan on making one for this second semester of seventh grade. Not only does it show how to create a transcript but it also shows what classes are required for each year, how to grade, and how to track your students successes. Now I feel like I can do it. I think it will also be helpful with my fourth and second graders. Lee Binz also has a website at www.thehomescholar.com.

What have you found to help with homeschool record keeping?