A Homeschool Graduate’s Gap Year
This is an inside look at one homeschool graduate’s gap year.
My son officially graduated from our homeschool and from high school on June 14th. As I write, it is September 24th.
His gap year has officially begun.
Gap Year vs. Homeschool Transition Program
Before I share any details of how this gap year is going, I want to define what I mean by gap year.
I am using this term because it is what our culture uses to explain a child who graduates from high school, but is not yet ready for, or sure about, what comes next.
A better, more descriptive title might be Our Extended Learning Year.
Transition Programs In Public Schools
In my state, my son would qualify for an adult transition program through age 21. These extra years would be defined by IEP goals focused on increasing independence and job support.
Some variation of these programs are available through public schools nationwide, with some states offering outstanding resources for students and their families (and others, not so much).
Extending Homeschool Beyond High School Graduation
It occurred to me mid-last school year, in the midst of all the upheaval that we had and were experiencing, that I might need to formalize some next steps beyond graduation (if not for my son than for my own sanity).
Last March, in an effort to alleviate the intense pressure I felt around my son’s future, I defined the learning I thought he might need beyond graduation. I approached it as if I were creating goals for any other school year, but the learning expectations were a lot more relaxed and focused on everyday life. (No more daily academic requirements, for the love. We were both ready to be done with that!)
Our 2024-2025 Homeschool Extended Learning Goals:
- Gaining Employment
- Interview practice
- Resume building
- Job searches: online and in-person
- Attire
- Asking questions
- Employment Obligations (with the hope that he secured a job at some point during the year)
- New hire paperwork
- Tax withholdings
- Work schedules
- Timeclocks
- Requesting time off
- Attire
- Self-Advocacy
- Asking questions
- Household Independence
- Responsibility for daily meds and meds alarms
- Basic cooking
- Basic cleaning
- Grocery shopping
- Ordering items online
- Transportation
- Continue to work towards drivers license if possible
- Learn to use Uber app
- Self Care
- Maintain music class
- Rock climbing training
- Rest days
- Time with friends
- Audiobooks (He loves literature. I want to encourage him to continue listening, now that it’s not just for “school”)
- Caring for Sammy
A Homeschool Graduate’s Gap Year
I am so happy to report that things are going very well.
We are only a month in, but so far, my son has outperformed my expectations for this transition year.
Here is a brief summary of our first month:
Employment
My son applied for several jobs and was called in for two interviews. He navigated the anxiety and pressure, focusing on these being stepping stones without any expectation of actually getting a job offer.
The last interview was the one he was most excited about – working 10-15 hours a week at a gym for children of all abilities, providing personal training, gymnastics classes and “Ninja” classes.
I was in the car, praying, as he walked into the interview. The interview took less than 15 minutes and I tried to hide my disappointment when he got back to the car. No way he got the job.
The next day, they called. They said he was such a perfect fit, they knew immediately that he was the right person to join the team!
After celebrating (and me crying tears of pure gratitude and relief) we needed to set-up a drug screen and background search. (More learning for both of us!)
Long story short, he had his first shift earlier this week and absolutely loves it.
Transportation
My son made the decision to stop drivers ed completely last year. His anxiety was so high with the separation, moving, etc. that he couldn’t handle the pressure.
In the past few weeks, he has indicated that he would like to try again. This will be the next big thing on our list. In the meantime, he now has the Uber app on his phone and has successfully used it 3 times. He does not like doing it, but we both feel good knowing he has a back-up if for some reason I am not able to drive him where he needs to go.
We have made strides in household and self care as well, but some of them are on the more personal side, so I will hold off on sharing for now.
Suffice to say, our year is off to great start!
Resources For Helping Your Child Transition Post-High School
This year would not be going as well if we were not already focused on learning many of these skills all along. Here are a few of the resources I’ve shared in the past about learning life skills in our homeschool:
