High School Work Plan

Legoboy and I have had a few life experiences in the last 3 years. These experiences have ranged from absolutely amazingly wonderful to the most terrifyingly horrific.

Needless to say, schooling had to work around and through life, as it always has for us: fully integrated and meeting our family's unique needs.

Legoboy and I worked together to develop his high school work plan. Way back when, we started with a daily work plans, moved to a weekly and a monthly. Now, we can start looking at mapping out a multi-year education plan.

Legoboy was looking at college studies in architecture and started his high school plan with what those kinds of colleges were looking for in a potential's student's history. Together, we then compared those to the local high school requirements and developed a personal transcript form.

We then went through it and filled in names of courses and resources used for each. He organized which items he wanted to do in each year, if there was a preference or an order, so he could get a feel for where the non-preferences would naturally fit in.

A notebook contains our notes for each course, which flesh out the names of the resources on the transcripts, describe the required areas of study in each subject, desired areas of interest in each subject, final project for each subject and any other pertinent information.


Legoboy finished up all but one of the final 9th grade requirements in October of 2019, having already begun some of his 10th and even 11th grade plans. The plan was to take the month of November off, with the exception of finalizing his research paper which was more for fun than for academics.

He took the resources he was going to use for 10th grade and organized them out by the months of the school year. This wasn't a perfect document because some of the bolded main headings didn't make it onto the printed page from the Excel made he had created.

He really wanted to organize things into something akin to a block schedule. Fewer areas of focused study, more intensely, then swap it up. Just a few things were every month, including literature and apologetics.

Each month we were to read together at least one book of extra-cultural origin, with the goal of reaching around the world, with representative samples from each continent.

He was also continuing with his taekwondo (working towards second degree black belt) having started discussing 28 hours earlier about opening a school with his first instructor. Service projects and involvement in our church community as well as the community at large through various venues.

He had started applying for jobs and would have started driver's education in December.

The specific resources don't matter at this age as much as the planning, the organization - the personal responsibility and integrity.


But for those interested, here are some highlighted resources that suit Montessori educated students:

• Cover Story and One Year Adventure Novel
• Mike Waski's Algebra and Geometry resources
• Life of Fred
• Ramsey Solutions - Foundations in Financial Peace
• Generation J Camp

His plan of study, regarding faith? 

• Theology of the Body through Ruah Woods Press - two courses each year (6 or 8 weeks each?)
• They have resources for ages Kindergarten on up. Their work is AMAZING! 
• Apologetics topics from Catholic Apologetics
• recap all of Level 3 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd; take the level 1 formation course for himself
• Our parish's youth group and other resources. Given our priest, these things are top-notch. When visiting another parish's youth program, he commented, "It's not worth going." When prompted for more details, he said, "With Fr. Meyer, you know you'll get good food, good fun and GOOD theology!"
• Serving with the Altar Boyz, two church's mission trips, visits to the archdiocese seminary
• Church history (course developed by me)
• Study the Catechism of the Catholic Church - one section each year of high school. 
• Psalm Art
• Studies on specific books of the Bible (we had already covered Revelations in DEPTH! among others)
• living it

One thing he was REALLY looking forward to and we were starting to case out a few options: 

Speech. Read: DEBATE. He wanted to master the fine points of debate. ;) 

I wish he had lost the final debate of his life. 

Adolescent Montessori Discussion Group

Erdkinder refers to the farm school for the adolescent Montessori child; and there is even more to it!





With so much growth at the elementary level, we have more and more families looking to do Montessori at the adolescent ages at home as well.

I am putting together a small online discussion group specifically for this age, with reading assignments on a suggested schedule, discussion topics and sharing of ideas and resources. Everything will be from a homeschool perspective, but classroom teachers are welcome and encouraged to join in as well.

If you are part of our Keys of the Universe discussion board, you are already in! I will begin the official group June 21 in the adolescent section and Keys of the Universe participants have full access as part of their regular participation.

If you are not part of the Keys of the Universe discussion board, join us here:

Keys of the Universe Individual Album Support - Adolescent Montessori Discussion Group Access

One-time payment; life-time participation

We will begin June 21 in earnest; but join now so you're ready to go when I post the first discussion topic.

The ideal participant:

• you have a child age 10-16 right now, with or without elementary Montessori experience


• you have an older child and would like to contribute from that perspective


• you have Montessori adolescent experience


• you have extensive other experience working with the adolescent group and you are familiar with Montessori principles; and want to apply those principles to the adolescent group

Anyone with any age child can be participate, but the earliest stages of this group will be better suited for someone in the field right now or very soon; or who has been there and can provide some insight, as we are going to share ideas, insights and develop resources as we go.

If you are looking for something totally put together with all the answers handed to you - we're not there yet! This initial group is for those who want to explore and share, together.

Goals - Main Topics:

• establish foundation of understanding of the adolescent age


• including their needs, tendencies; how to meet them


• difference between societal expectations and reality of needs and tendencies


• What if we provide all that Montessori suggested? What will happen?


• Compare our own experiences and work through personal barriers.


• Establish the universal principles of an adolescent Montessori homeschool


• Lend support to filling in the specifics for each individual home


• Establish collection of resources for use by homeschooling families for this age

Already part of Keys of the Universe: no cost

Join separate from Keys of the Universe: $15 - permanent access




Outline of the discussion group is coming soon, but a general overview of each week follows:

• Reading assignment will be posted to the group


• During your reading, note your reactions.


• For the next day or so, observe around you and consider your past experiences - how do your experience match or contradict the reading?


• Respond to the discussion board with whatever you are comfortable sharing.


• Also respond with how you might respond to what you have explored in the reading and reflection.


• Develop conversations on the adolescent age, such that we are working out the practical how-tos and what does it look like.

Reading assignments: some will be posted on the group; and some will come from the book Childhood to Adolescence; other reading sources will be listed as soon as possible. You will want to purchase this book if at all possible.

Come join us!

Keys of the Universe Individual Album Support - Adolescent Montessori Discussion Group Access

See you there!