Homeschooling has many advantages, especially when planning a high school curriculum. Meeting your state's requirements, of course, is your first priority, but many people don't realize how flexible those requirements are. I especially love the flexibility of gearing courses towards what my children are gifted in, not only because they enjoy it more (thus more cooperative), but we've stumbled on surprising interests, too!

How many kids go kicking and screaming to their first music lesson only to discover music as a love of their life? My son resisted learning how to present speeches, only to discover he has a natural talent and now enjoys it! I'm sure you have experienced this in your home, too. The freedom to explore those natural talents extensively is one of the best reasons to homeschool in my opinion.

Homeschools do seem to lagging behind in one area, however, and that's in entrepreneur education. Aside from the course we published, we couldn't find one homeschool curriculum available for teaching entrepreneurship. Now that becoming an entrepreneur is a growing trend, much of that is sure to change! Did you know that a recent poll of high school students showed that 70% wanted to have their own business someday, but 90% of those had no idea how to start?

Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, it came natural to us to make home business a part of our schooling, and we assumed other homeschool families did the same. I found out differently! One announcement of our intentions to start an Entrepreneur's Club to our homeschool group a few years ago brought so many people that we overflowed the room given to us. We were pleasantly surprised to the turnout and the desire of the parents themselves wanting to learn more.

In our own family, we found when our children had their own business, it not only gave them money to bear some of their own expenses for extras, but it opened unexpected doors of learning opportunities. Once, one of our boys had done a job that took much more time and labor than expected, we saw it as a good lesson in business planning and pricing. It was when that same person wanted them to return to do even more to, uh, finish the job,(!) that there was a question of ethics involved that gave us a chance to discuss issues like the difference between Christian good will and allowing abuse. When you attempt to explain issues like that with a life experience bringing it to life, it impresses the lesson indelibly.

We discovered that other school subjects began to take on new meaning when our boys found they need to know how to figure square feet for a job, or to calculate cost per item. Speech, that dreaded subject for so many, is seen in a new light when they know that their business could create a need to speak in front of a group. Learning to research ideas and profitability, writing copy for their website, understanding the chemistry of a product they are inventing are just a few examples how a business will bring new life to learning.

No matter how you look at it, it's a skill that will serve them for the rest of their lives. They will learn that at any point in their life, out of necessity or desire, that starting a business is very possible, and will know the basics that they need to consider before taking the plunge. The more we researched, the more we saw the need to make it an essential part of their education.

There are two common misconceptions about starting a small business. The first one being that starting a business is difficult, and the second is that it's very simple. In a sense, both ideas are correct. It is relatively simple for anyone to start a business, but it's difficult to make it work. Knowing exactly what it takes to start and successfully run a business helps anyone know that it's very possible, yet gives them the tools necessary to make it work.

The Small Business Administration states that over one half of all new businesses fail within 4 years because of a lack of good business training. It's really not surprising that many new entrepreneurs go into business without knowing some of the most important business and financial basics. Every parent wants their child to go into life fully equipped. With just one semester of training, the basics of understanding the importance of a business plan and how to write an effective one could save your grown child thousands of dollars and make the difference in success or failure in a new business. Even if your child never intends to have a business, understanding their job from their employer's perspective will make them a better employee.

That's why as a homeschool parent, the freedom to incorporate entrepreneur education in your curriculum is one of the best tools you could give your teen! There are many resources now available online to get started with and it's an investment with a guaranteed return!



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