What are the advantages to having your child homeschooled at home by a licensed teacher..?

Question

I am considering having my son home schooled. He was in the Academically gifted program at school making straight A's until he reached puberty at the age of 13 and now he makes all F's and wants to fight. At the end of the school year he is still able to pass the EOG Test This kid is so smart.... Any advice on what to do or maybe what could be going on in this child's mind........

Answer 1

I did the same thing as your son when I was a teenager.
I was sick and tired of being in the 'smart group'. Wanted to be in the 'cool group'. I know how ridiculous that sounds now, but as a teenager image was everything! And pop culture tells us today that we are nothing if we are not cool.
Bravo that you are putting up a fight for your son. I really regret it now and at the age of 30 am having to go to university for the first time to get a qualification of some sort.
Do something, but be aware that he will put up a huge fight. But it really is in his best interest long term. Probally a long long way off he will thank you!
You could try home schooling but he will really miss the social aspects of school and may possibly still be seeing the 'friends' who are leading him astray presently.
But then again, at least he will be doing his schoolwork.
Is it possible for him to go to a different school? Away from the people he is socialising with now.
What he really needs are people around him that are good role models, focused on their school work, excited about the future. Maybe you could seek out a school, possibly even a religious school, that really condemns this rebellious behaviour.
Rebellion is contagious. And the school he is currently at obviously is tolerating it. I hope they are as concerned as you are at the slide of such a gifted student! Maybe you could ask the school their opinions and advice.
Also, what are his passions? Encourage these and do anything to get him away from the friends and influences he currently has. Sport, horses, whatever. Encourage him in innocent and fun activities
But dont give up. Keep fighting for your sons future. It is so much harder now, as an adult to do the things I should have done as a teenager!
All the best to you and your son.

Answer 2

While it is nice to know you went to college are and a certified teacher, I am in college and I was homeschooled by my parents and neither of them are certified to teach. If I would have wanted to go to school I would have gone to a private school. Most of the teachers there are not certified and yet the students still have some of the highest grades in the state. (Kinda like homeschoolers...) I supppose if my family had been worried about certification we would have gone to public school, but as you can see from most homeschoolers things like that are not really an issue. That being said, 1) I would not want my child homeschooled by anyone but me. When subjects become difficult (and they are bound too) we will find other homeschool parents to help or take classes at the community college. I don't know any homeschoolers/homeschool parents that want someone else doing the schooling. Tutoring in a specific subject for an hour or two a week maybe but nothing full time, everyday. Most homeschoolers are far too busy for something like that anyway. 2) See above 3) - 4) Again, I don't know any homeschool kids/families that could deal with a schedule like that. There are way too many other things going on. 5) - I think you should definitely look into tutoring because you might have a hard time with the other idea, but you never know till you give it a try. I am just letting you know what would happen where I live. It could be different in your area. Good luck to you!

Answer 3

Homeschooling will not "cure" teen angst. I'm not saying it's a bad idea to homeschool (only you know, after doing some research on alternative educational options, whether it's the right choice). But don't look at it as a simple, one dimensional solution.

Here's a few books that would be really helpful for you:

Upside-down Learning
How to Talk so Kids will Listen, and How to Listen so Kids will Talk
Pretty much any book you can find on how to understand your teen
And lastly, about homeschooling a teen: The Teenage Liberation Handbook.

I would say that since your son is now a teen, he is old enough to make the decision *with* you about what is the best path for him. What are his goals? Who does he see himself as? What does he like to do? Where does he see himself 10 years from now? Do you have a strong relationship? While, at the same time, you are the mom, so you have wisdom and understanding that he doesn't have yet. So, be strong, yet understanding and loving.

The teen years are hard, no matter what. Keep your eye on the prize (what's the prize, in your opinion?), and you'll get through this.

Good luck!

Answer 4

It's possible that homeschooling could be just what your son needs. I have known of other kids going through similar circumstances, and being withdrawn from public school to be homeschooled. In those cases, there eventually was a dramatic change for the better in the child.

Of course, one of the advantages to homeschooling is the time that the parent and child have together. It could be a time to just "get away from it all," get to know each other again, and build on your relationship. Even with a tutor brought in to teach, you would still have more time with your child without all of the distractions that he must be dealing with right now.

There is the option of homeschooling him yourself for even more one on one time with him. You could find out more on how to get started at www.hslda.org.

Also, there is the accredited American School which is a correspondence school that you could enroll him in. You can find out more at www.americanschoolofcorr.com. I think it starts in high school, but he might be up to the task, and might even appreciate the challenge. It would allow him to graduate from high school early if that would appeal to him.

Ask him about it. Maybe he's bored! Conventional school can be tedious and meaningless to a gifted child. He might appreciate a change of pace.

One thing is for sure: if you don't try it, you'll never know!

Answer 5

the only advantage of home schooling your kid is that they are not influenced to alot of the social pressures in society. Drugs, sex, fighting, vulgor language, etc...

But really, I think that home schooling is bad, because these things should be taught to a child. I dont mean that I condone this type of behavior, I dont at all! But your child needs to know what life is really like. This is now 2007, and things have changed quite a bit. Sex, drugs, and violence are definitely in the media.

You dont really want your kid to be ignorant to the fct that there are bad people in this life, you want them to know that so they can be a step ahead of the game. If they are home schooled, they are blinded to the way people can really be. When they are of an older age, they will feel like they have missed out and start to find the things that they have so called "mised out on."

But at the same time, you want the best for your kid, and you dont want to see them do these things. The best method for this is, telling them what they need to know. So what is that?

1. You will encounter many people in this life, and they will try to persuade you to be leke them only because they feel bad about themselves.

2. Sex is something that people do and it is a natural behavior...this is the reason that you are here. When the time comes for sex, make sure that you use protection because you can get an STD. HIV is the worst epidemic to strike man-kind. For the girls (if you have a daughter) men will tell you all kinds of things just to have sex with you, like they love you, you are attractive, blah, etc...But you should be very considerate that most men really dont want you if you have sex with them when they havent gained reapect for who you really are. ALso, the big penis idea is a lie, is more of a satisfaction taker rather than a giver. After having repeated sex with a big penis, other penis will not work in the same fashion as if you were still a virgin. Dont listen to the media, cherish your body, respect yourself and he will respect you. For a boy, people may make fun of your penis, only because they have a bug vagina...

3. Do not conform to the socail standards of today, they are all lies, and you will not gain happiness from being like everyone else.

4. Drugs kill, hugs heal.

Answer 6

home schooling is silly, besides it costs money! well, if you hire a teacher/tutor, anyway. enroll him in an independent studies program instead. that way he can meet w/ a teacher in a school once a week and do his homework at home. the meetings are once a week and generally last 30-60 minutes each. and you have the flexibility to call your teacher and ask for help during school hours. and best of all, it's free. plus if he's smart, he can take on more work and graduate ahead of time. and if he settles down and wants to return to regular school/go mainstream again, the credits will transfer. i'm sure it's just a phase, though. but if he doesn't mind, go the independent studies route. my sister did that and she's graduating high school 6 months ahead of her friends. plus she works at her own pace and gets one on one attention from her teacher. good luck!

Answer 7

Homeschooling can be ok at times, but think about it. Your son will be living a sheltered life and won't learn the reality of the world or certain things he can learn in High School. Also, being homeschooled cuts down on his social skills with others and he may not make many friends in school.

Answer 8

i m 16 and i went through a similar phase... dont worry too much he is just going through a phase... he is in middle school so relax.. you have two years to get him better and get him ready for high school... i use to get Ds and low Cs in middle school... my mom was very strict and punished me alot when i didnt do my best. and now i m a junior in high school and i take AP classes and honors classes and my GPA is 3.7. only thing i have to work on is the SATs... try to be strict and mean to him dont show him any motherly love. he will realize what you did like i do now.

Answer 9

I got nothing
I'll say 'nice problem to have'
you must be very materially blessed to have such a problem

thanks for the 2 points

reread Tammy T

Answer 10

i dont think he should be home school...he jus need some time...you can enroll him in sex education so he will know wat hes going through and that is very normal