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Are You Preparing Your Highschooler to Be an Informed & Engaged U.S. Citizen?
As I am writing this post, it’s Super Tuesday 2024 and, like most Americans, my mind is heavy with thoughts about elections, presidents, government and the overall state of our nation.
And, just this morning I realized that my son will be able to vote next year. And, I am not going to lie, that kind of freaked me out a bit.
A teeny part of that was due to the classic “where did the years go?” freak-out that most moms experience 8,000 times while in the throes of parenting.
But, most of this freak-out was based on more specific concerns such as:
- Is he ready to vote?
- Does he understand the process?
- Does he have a clue how to decide how to vote?
- Will he even want to vote?
Don’t get me wrong, we discuss a lot of politics in our home. Politically speaking, our son likely knows more than his fair share of what is currently happening in the country.
And he certainly knows way more than he wants to in regards to what his father and I think. 🙂
He’s even gone with us to vote in nearly every election since he was born.
And he’s completed my Presidential Election Fact Pack for three different elections.
But none of that equates to him being prepared to tackle the responsibility of being an informed, engaged U.S. citizen who can vote in less than twelve months.
How Can You Prepare Your Highschooler to Be an Informed & Engaged U.S. Citizen?
Believe me, we have spent loads of time on American History, but, somehow, I have neglected High School level courses in both Government and Economics.
But, in true Homeschool Mom fashion, I’m just going to pivot by adding in Sonlight’s American Government, Economics and Literature to his course load this spring and summer.
From the stack of 35 Student Books and the trio of thorough Teacher Guides, I can tell this will be a hefty course.
Thankfully, my son loves all things history related and is a great reader so he should eat this meaty course right up.
Unfortunately for him, he has a pretty full schedule with some dual enrollment courses, a new part-time job and a lot of traveling with his mama coming up.
But, no worries. He can take his time and work on this important material at his own pace.
{That flexibility is one of the most beautiful things about homeschooling in my opinion!}
To see which books are included in this course, check out the short video below.
Will Sonlight’s American Government, Economics and Literature Prepare Your Highschooler to Be an Informed & Engaged U.S. Citizen?
This will be our first Sonlight course and I am pretty excited about finally giving one a whirl.
Though I have had several friends use it over the years, I shied away from it because of my eclectic style. But this course will fill an important need and could not be more timely!
But, will it fully prepare my son to be an informed and engaged U.S. citizen in the few short months before he becomes a legal adult and heads off to college?
No, I do not believe it will. Not on its own.
But, what I do hope is that the material in the course will give him some more of the necessary tools so he can turn himself into a young adult who stays informed and chooses to engage as an American citizen.
The selection of books is quite varied (see the video above) and he has already learned to think critically (yay for homeschooling!) So, I feel confident that he will take in all of the new information, combine it with his earlier experiences (see the embarrassing images above,) mix it all in with the conversations he has heard/participated in at home throughout the years, rely on his years of history lessons and then create his own individual thoughts on what it means to be an engaged citizen.
Stay tuned for a follow-up post with a review of Sonlight’s American Government, Economics and Literature.
