homeschooling 16 yr.old-need advice?

Question

Hi everyone, my son has had problems in school since the 5th grade., he is now a sophmore in highschool. He was in the public school system, then the catholic school system, now a christian school system, we have ran out of systems!!!
I have considered home schooling, but to be honest, Im not that smart! I dont know if I could do it, and is it also possible to help my son being that I work fulltime? I am also divorced, so it would be my sole responsibilty.
I think he lacks the dedication and commitment to do a program of this type, but he has missed so much school. And when he is there, he is so nervous hes not learning anyway.
How do I go about determining what homeschooling program is the right one for him??? Thanks !!

Thanks to everyone that responded...some good ideas to follow up on.....my son has social phobia to the extremes....he has been in counseling for 4 years now and is also on meds,he has also been tested for learning disabilites and is supposably ok, but I feel like all of these Drs. have missed something...

Answer 1

is his problem academic, social or behavioral? does he have interests he'd rather pursue? have you considered unschooling?

Answer 2

That sounds tough. If you are not home, how will you know what he does, where he goes etc???

Your options are this:
Online classes, or video classes, with some sort of correspondence school which demand work be submitted on time. This way he will have to do the work, or you would soon be notified.
If you make enough money, hire a tutor for just 2 subjects (his weak ones) to come in. The rest have him do on his own, assign the homework and review when you get home. Allow him his hobbies and his time out of the house, to play baseball, take karate class, go swim or attend a concert.

For a homeschool to work, you have to be organized and in full control of what goes on at any point. You also have to be able to trust your child that he will take this seriously and do the work! Now you are the teacher and principal. If he does not listen now, he will not listen later.

If it is possible take time off to do the first week or two once the curriculum arrives. Introduce him to the routine, be there and answer question, call for help if need be...then go back to work.
Legally, your homeschool can be closed if they know you are a single parent and you are not "home" when the homeschool is in progress.

So get some advise for your situation with the HSLDA.

Other options:
Move! Get a better job somewhere else where the schools are better....or at least where you have new options!

Other option:
Work odd shifts so you can be there in the AM, ie work 2-9PM Mo.,Tue. Thu. Fri. and Sat. this gives you 7AM-almost 2PM free for school with a wednesday and a sunday off.

More option:
Find a job that allows you to work some from home (ie transcriptionist)

Be sure you enroll him in worthy activities in the afternoon so he does not get bored or do "wrong" or get lost in his free time.

Be sure he reads some books by homeschool parents/students that show him that homeschool is not some wiredo thing but a viable solution that can bring success.

Answer 3

Before you ship him off or try to teach him yourself (which doesn't sound like a great idea if you work full time) have you had his eyes checked? Have you had him analyzed for ADS? Perhaps the best thing for him is to find a good public school that's convenient, be open with the School Principal as to your son's history, and also get his Dad and your friends and family to help to reach your son. Finally, does he have other interests that may spur him to at least graduate? When I was a kid, I had a friend that was barely making his way through classes, but when he got home was making very high quality wooden furniture. Your son's skills may not lie in the academic area but may be more of a manual trade which he can be secure in and happy performing. A good public school counselor may be able to help your son realize what he is capable of doing. There may be more help out there than what you thought.

Lots of luck.

Answer 4

I am a hs mom and am extremely pro-home education; however, in this case, I don't think it would work. Your son is behind academically and you work full time and he does not have the commitment to do much of the school work on his own, as he'd have to do if you pull him out of school.

I think that you need to explore alternate high schools. There seem to be those in every place I've ever lived. They work with teens that have had problems in regular schools. Another option is to enroll him in a GED preparation program. Check with your local public high school about these two options; I'd bet they'll be able to help you! Also, why is your son so nervous that he can't learn? Has he been bullied? Does he need counseling or medication for this?

Answer 5

What I have always done is had additional lessons for my 4 boys to do. You'd be surprised at what you can teach. Go to the library and get some books on what he is learning. Also see about work books (you'd have to purchase theses). You do the review make out a weekly schedule and put together some work to help him advance. Also how about a tutor, expensive, hey, find your local college and see if they have students willing to help tutor your son. Hey, what about the library programs, where I live they have teenage programs to help them out. Contact his school don't keep tossing him around, my son has a behavior disorder and people are always trying to find out why, maybe he is sad, maybe he is depressed, No, he is not, they are children and they have disorders, my son is 3 grades advanced and gets bored easily so it doesn't help either. First you need to not feel like you can't do it. You work, then you come home and focus. Check out some of the options, Check with the school for any additional programs they offer, check with the colleges, check with the library and if all else fails, talk to friends, family, co-workers, bosses and anyone who knows someone in college who can tutor. Start him out with 1-2 hours a week. you don't want to overwhelm him.

Answer 6

First, talk to him about this. If you can't be there all the time, then he will need to be able to work on his own and have the motivation to do a lot without you there. If he doesn't have the motivation, then it just isn't going to happen.

If he likes the idea, then check http://www.k12.com, your state education site and your district site to find out if they have any online programs. These programs have teachers who can help if needed, plus they are accredited. If those don't pan out, Penn Foster and American School of Correspondence seem to be rather popular.

If he's unwilling or you think truly unable to do an online program, then you need to really address the issues your son has. Moving from system to system isn't going to take care of the underlying issues. Tackle those and things should improve.

Answer 7

For you, homeschooling does not sound like the right answer. You need to be able to dedicate a lot of time to homeschooling to have it work successfully and you really should be able tohelp your son with what he needs to learn. Instead, this is what I would suggest. Enroll your son in school and set up a conference with the principal and some of your son's teachers. Work with them to figure out what the problem is a develop a plan to help your son be successful. If the teachers and administration in that school aren't willing to do that, find a school who is. There are many teachers out there that would be willing to work with you and your son to make him more successful in learning. You must take the first steps and open the lines of communication.

Answer 8

Yes actually I am a sophmore also and I am homeschooled. I am cyberschooled same thing as homeschooled but you use a computer. I think this is something great. They give you books and stuff. Not with all cyber schoolings but the one I am doing does give books I am doing Pa Cyber. If you want anything else like their phone number or any other questions e-mail me at [e-mail]

I can tell you tons about homeschooling and the advantages of it.....Thanks........

Answer 9

I was home-schooled from 7th grade till I graduated. I used a curriculum call A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education) But it was not exactly home-schooled as I was enrolled in a school in another state that used this curriculum so I was able to get a diploma and all. It was very self explanatory I did most everything all on my own. You have to be extremely disciplined as you do not want to get behind but I do highly recommend it. Good Luck to you.

Answer 10

www.americanschoolofcorr.com
www.pennfoster.edu
These are accredited distance education programs. You will have to set up a schedule for your son, and stick to it. You will probably have to be tough, but keep in mind what he can accomplish in a day. And btw for those of you that keep saying this, homeschoolers are not socially retarded...I experienced public and homeschooling, and I was more social after homeschooling.

Answer 11

homeschooling is not the answer, then he will not know how to apply his skills to the outside world. Get him in organizations to make him less nervious. Do not put him in public schools or catholic, christian, think about him. what if he dosen't fancy it. talk to him let him know that you love him, tell him you've been a little busy. don't put you fusturation on his shoulders, it makes him feel like hes getting in the way. also don't ignore him, let him know you care about his opinion. see what he wants. if he is old enough then he is responsible to make his own disision. let him do activities, stay after school, so that he can make friends, let him know it's fine to have friends over, to make him feel that he has something to look up to, making a friend. maybe after he can stay at thier home till you can pick him up and no only will he have a friend, so will you. since your busy maybe after work you can talk to your friend. let your son know that you communicate so that he too will communicate. maybe he dosen't talk because you don't have friends, maybe it's because your not sociable, and you don't communicate with your son. do it see how it goes. best of luck. plz don't take it offensive i say it kindness.