My Teens' Self-Directed Study Plans for Their Sophomore and Senior Years

Teaching kids to become independent learners is one of the foundations of our homeschool philosophy. For my two high schoolers, this means that, in addition to our all-together schooling time, they also pursue their own studies independently. Here's a snapshot of independent study plans for 18yo Alina's Senior year and 15yo Ian's Sophomore year.

Scholar Contracts for My Teens

Each semester, I sit down with the kids to develop their Scholar Contracts. The purpose of the Scholar Contract is to document the teen's learning goals, any changes to the overall list of responsibilities, and the plan for achieving the self-directed Scholar goals.

This school year, Alina is aiming for 12 hours of Scholar Time weekly. This is in addition to our morning all-together school time, which includes math, history, physics, etc. Additionally, Alina will be taking a dual credit Spanish class at New Mexico State University.

Ian is aiming for 10 hours of Scholar Time weekly, in addition to our all-together school time. He will also be working on car and machine-related projects.

Below are Alina's and Ian's scholar contracts for Fall 2025. Alina chose to have more structure on her contract, while Ian opted to leave his contract freeform as far as scheduling. There is more about how to create a Scholar Contract in Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning.

Liberty Scholars Program for Local Teens

Both Alina and Ian are excited to participate in my Liberty Scholars program. I created this program for my kids and local teens at the beginning of 2025. My goal with this program is to help kids be prepared for adulthood and leadership, with a solid foundation in US constitutional principles.

Overall, the program consists of:

• Reading two classic books per month (generally one non-fiction and one novel)

• Participating in online discussions about our readings in a private discussion forum

• Attending in-person book clubs twice a month

• Fun group activities such as movies and hikes

Class is full with 10 teens signed up! Here's our reading list for the Fall 2025:

• August: Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare + Whatever Happened to Justice by Richard Maybury

• September: Common Sense by Thomas Paine + Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs Johnson - (this is the original true story that the Calico Captive book is based on)

• October: Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille + All’s Well That Ends Well by Shakespeare

• November: Declaration of Rights (1765) and Declaration of Independence (1776) + Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

• December: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Individual Interests

Each of my teens has specific interests they will be pursuing as well.

Alina loves books and aims to be a fantasy author someday. She set a goal for this year to read 52 books in 2025. She's read 31 so far! She also periodically participates in online writing workshops and competitions. She needs plenty of uninterrupted time when she can read and write.

Ian has a goal to take the SAT in spring 2026, so that he can take Dual Credit classes related to automotive repair or engineering at the university when he's a Junior. Ian will also be pursuing his passion towards all things car-related by working on vehicles here at home and with friends. My husband is teaching Ian how to perform maintenance and repairs on our cars and 4-wheelers, such as replacing spark plugs, changing oil and transmission fluid, changing coolant, changing batteries, servicing carburetors, replacing engine mounts, etc.

I hope this gives you some ideas for successful high school homeschooling!

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