Accelerating Into High School

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Accelerating Into High School
by Shirley M.R.Minster

Each spring (and summer) parents and students make plans for the next homeschool year. One consideration is if a child should bypass eighth grade and move right into high school in the fall. Recently one parent told me that she heard that junior high is pretty much a review of all the elementary years and teaching eighth grade is not necessary. My experience has been that skipping this grade is often a mistake because children need time to mature mentally and emotionally and this grade gives them time to rest, grow, and play. Once they reach high school, courses become more difficult, the program tends to become more tightly structured, and careers and the future are more seriously considered. It is a tremendous responsibility for both the parents and the children to determine when to start high school because of these concerns.