

"The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." — Robert M. Hutchins American educator & philosopher
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Finishing strong: College Prep for Students; Training for Adults

A letter to parents of college-bound students

After twenty years of homeschooling — and surviving the college-application process — we realized that parents who are homeschooling through high school have formidable needs.

Homeschooling through high school is a daunting challenge. It is also an awesome responsibility. The stakes are high. Mistakes and missteps can prove costly.

As parents consider high school, options are limited, choices difficult: Option A: Hire tutors? — Option B: Enroll in a bunch of AP classes? — Option C: Enroll in public school? — in private school?

Limited support. As we weighed our choices, we encountered limited help from any quarter:

lots of general advice but little concrete guidance;
good information here and there, a number of valuable resources, but each was like a gem in a mountain of gravel — difficult to find, easily misplaced;
no help with prioritizing or maintaining perspective — the mountain of tasks involved (not to mention their dizzying variety) was driving us crazy;
high school-level courseware that we found increasingly dispiriting — with students' intellectual curiosity routinely sacrificed in favor of test prep.

We eventually managed to figure things out. Our children not only got accepted at their number-one schools — each was awarded substantial merit aid.

But crossing the finish line was a herculean task — and an intense learning process. We found ourselves wanting to share what we'd learned with like-minded families.

This website. This site was created for parents facing all the challenges of homeschooling through high school. Our aims:

For parents — help them navigate the minutiae of curriculum choices, record-keeping, and applying to college;
For students — provide challenging high school content geared not to taking AP exams, but to building skills critical to college-level work.

We're convinced that homeschooling through high school can provide terrific preparation for college. Although some standardized test prep is necessary, we hold fast in the belief that high school content should be engaging and should enlighten the mind. Our aim should be to produce well-educated young adults of character.

We have also been motivated by another conviction: if you can do it, we think homeschooling through the high school years can help cement your relationships with your kids.

And that's a cause worth fighting for.

— Diane & Roy Speed

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now available

2024–25
Course Offerings

To view our entire lineup
of live & interactive online courses,
just click here.

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Training for parents

Homeschooling the
College-Bound Student

Live & online

View course details & schedule > >

Instructor: Diane Speed

Your one-stop-shopping resource of information This program addresses the principal concerns parents have about homeschooling through high school — everything you need to know about the high school curriculum and credits, standardized tests, transcripts and record-keeping, applying to college, pursuing scholarships, and much, much more.

Terrific. Full of information. The materials were so thorough. I now have a plan of action. Also, this workshop is inclusive: No matter what type of homeschooler you are, you will understand better how to prepare your student for college and present him or her in the best light.

—Homeschooling mom

OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

Science Intensives

In-depth, focused learning

Homeschooling the College-Bound Student Our online science intensives are eight weeks long; each delivers in-depth, focused study of a particular topic in science, and they all include labs. Each is a standalone course that may complement nicely your at-home science curriculum. But you may also combine two or more intensives in whatever way suits your student's interests and needs. — You can even fashion a robust year-long science course complete with labwork.

> > > more

Online Writing in 2023–24

— Now open for registration —

Logical Communication

Two semesters of online classes
Two classes per week

Instructor: Roy Speed

View course details, class schedule, and more > >

Traditional approaches to writing are often wrongheaded — students, for instance, are routinely asked to write essays before they've actually read any. Students in this course, by contrast, read closely and analyze dozens of essays by outstanding writers — and then begin to write their own. In addition to enhancing students' appreciation of the essay form, the aim here is twofold: 1) Students learn to write clear, correct English prose. 2) They learn to control in their writing the logical flow of their ideas.

Note: This course serves as a precursor to our course Essay Writing & Appreciation.

Prerequisites: Students in this course should have a strong command of English fundamentals — i.e., grammar, usage, and punctuation.

Shakespeare Intensives

Romeo & Juliet

Ten online classes

Instructor: Roy Speed

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Roy Speed has a wealth of information at his fingertips, as well as a vibrant teaching style that I believe capable of garnering the attention and intrigue of any student. As a freshman in college, I use the skills he taught me in high school every day. The texts I must read demand an aptitude for active reading and critical thinking. Roy taught me how to read difficult texts, analyze what I had read, and express myself clearly on paper.

Matt W., student

These online sessions provide an in-depth study of this play as well as the historical, cultural, and literary background needed to bring the play to life. This course is designed to take students to an advanced level of reading comprehension and analysis, enabling them to tackle sophisticated material across the spectrum of the college curriculum and dissect difficult passages included in standardized tests. Space is limited.

Shakespeare's Hamlet

Ten online classes

Instructor: Roy Speed

For students, Hamlet can seem daunting — it's Shakespeare's longest play, with dark themes, complex ideas, and difficult verse. This course reveals the play's deepest secrets in a series of online sessions. It's an in-depth study of the play some consider Shakespeare's greatest.

Prerequisites: Students should already have considerable familiarity with Shakespeare. Our own College-Bound Intensive on Romeo & Juliet is ideal preparation for this course.

View detailed description, schedule, and more> >

Shakespeare's Macbeth

Seven online sessions

This course in close reading comprises seven sessions on Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. Macbeth shows what happens when a man with a conscience commits murder; it is, accordingly, an astute portrait of psychological unraveling. Students in this course study in great detail not just the psychology of the play's characters, but the remarkable imagery and verse of Shakespeare's later years.

Instructor: Roy Speed

View course details, class schedule, and more > >

Email us at info@hscollegebound.com