Please tell me your thoughts if your were homeschooled as a teenager. My 14 year old has ADHD and the teachers have him targeted as a bad kid and immediately send him to the office for everything. They have even yelled at him for stuff that happened in their classes and he wasn't even there that day! Anyway, we are thinking about homeschooling and/or unschooling next year (8th grade) but would really like to hear from other homeschoolers if they liked it or would have rather have been in school. He is worried that he'll miss his friends to much, but I am worried that the school will expell him. Any recommendations, please tell me :)
2007-07-03 15:26:12 · 11 answers · asked by wickedness_one 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Home Schooling
I know a number of homeschooled teens around your son's age. Some have always been homeschooled and others were pulled out of school at some point. 99.9% of them love homeschooling. We have very active homeschool groups here, plus there are a ton of community activities for kids to get involved with--sports, lessons, clubs, volunteering... There's a lot of life to live when you're not stuck behind a desk all day! :)
Pretend that you were going to move to another city for whatever really valid reason. Would his missing his friends be a reason to not move? Switching to homeschooling is like switching schools (or jobs) or moving: you've got to meet new people and make new friends. That's how life is.
Also, consider talking out the idea of homeschooling for one year and reassessing afterwards if he would prefer to remain homeschooling or return to school. Be very sure to find plenty of social opportunities for him! Of course, you'd also have to make sure that he stays on top of his course work so that he will be able to move back into the school system with no academic issues in case the decision is to send him back at the end of the year.
In the end, your his mom and in your heart you know which is better: being in a borderline emotionally abusive situation where his friends are, or being in a healthy environment having to seek out new friends.
2007-07-03 16:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by glurpy 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I am 14 (almost 15) and I have been homeschooled my entire life, almost. I'm actually a year ahead, so I'm entering 10th, not 9th. I have a year of homeschool highschool behind me. For me, this past year was by far the best, but your son might think it a bit meager. I had more socialization than ever before in previous years, and my mom signed me up for an online class through Veritas Press, so that helped alot. Your son is entering high school and this is when the targeting will get worse. If the teachers think he was bad in 8th grade, they will send him to detention before he even walks in the high school doors. You know, prejudice against teens and all that. I would recommend homeschooling, just because of all the time you (or a tutor) could use for education and learning. It will also help strengthen parent-teen relationships and sibling relationships. What my mom did this past year was she signed me up for an online great-books class that I thought I would hate. I ended up loving it and wanting more. The socialization was in a sort of chat room setting, with the teacher taking the microphone and lecturing, and the students commenting. It was pretty neat. I'm taking the second year of the course come fall, along with three other online classes, Math, English, and Latin. I highly recommend online schooling, but the parent as the teacher homeschooling, not as much. Take advice from the people who have been there, and good luck.
2007-07-04 00:12:57 · answer #2 · answered by Justin B 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My 15 year old has been homeschooled since he was 8.
I can assure you that he need not be lonely and unsocialized like some of these people say. It is up to the child, and the parent, to ensure that social opportunities exist. My 15 year old spends anywhere from 2 to 6 hours a day, five days a week, socializing. With a bit of effort, it is not an issue.
Kids in school spend maybe .. what.. an hour in their day at school socializing? And then homework and family time.. where's the time for friends? If you homeschool, you might find he has more free time to devote to hanging out with friends and engaging in activities that interest him.
As far as homeschooling goes, my son has often expressed how much he enjoys it. he went to school through the second grade and remembers feeling so lost and confused (ADD). He's remarked that coming home was a good choice for him.
2007-07-04 02:01:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Hi!
I am 14 and just finished 8th grade. I have been homeschooled my whole life...I really like being homeschooled but you do miss out on some social stuff. I am considering going to highschool next year( yet to convince my parents). It really helps socially to get involved in extra activities. I do alot of sports, Basketball, Volleyball, softball, and a few extra things at the school like weight lifting and stuff. There is also other stuff he can do wrestling and Football.... Ballet(LOL). In this town middle school is 6-8 grade and High school is 9th grade up. So if it is the same where you live then after 8th grade he can go to highschool and start over( new teachers). If you are looking for a good curiculum I use SOS (switched on schoolhouse). You do it on the computer and it would take alot of work off of the parents. It is really fun, and you learn alot too. You can get the full curiculum for about $200.00...it ius totally worth it though. It includes a full school year of History, science, math, language arts,and spanish. Anyways if you havve any questions E-mail me blackeyedlizzard@hotmail.com
Good Luck!
2007-07-03 23:00:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
My mom started homeschooling me my 8th grade year. I have to say that at first I was not happy with the situation. My mom had a really good strategy. She put the law down and told me, "you are going to do your school work or else......" She also put it to me that once the amount of work that was set for the day was done, the rest of my day was mine. In other words she made it clear that it was up to me. I was going to do my school work no matter how long it took me to do it. I could either do and get it done and have the rest of the day to myself to do what I wanted or..... I could stay up till however late at night it took me and I wouldn't have any time to do what I wanted. There were days I got done at 11:30 in the morning and days i was up till 11:30 at night. The main thing that we did was to keep me busy. I was in a 4-H group for home schoolers that kept me busy. I also had a babysitting business. I was able to make my own money because I could babysit during the day when other kids weren't available. I also still had all my old friends that I still got to do things with all the time. He may be a little resistant to it at first but I think you'll love it in the end. Go online to www.homeschool.com to look up information about curriculum and social alternatives. But to get back to the basic question..... I didn't like it at first but I came to love it and am so glad that my mom did it. I like your son was picked on at the school by the teachers and some kids alike. Research your options for local programs and help. You'll be surprised at what you find.
2007-07-04 21:59:28 · answer #5 · answered by dovesong76 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would say.... Homeschool him.
I was homeschooled all of my life and I did miss some of the socializing.....the BAD SOCIALIZING! Parents need to protect their children not make them fend for themselves.
I have wished I could go to school. But my parents wanted to protect me from all of the possible bad influences. And I believe that homeschooled kids are alot better at socializing than any public schooled kids. They mature alot fast as well. Because they are around adults, this gets them prepared for life as an adult.
It is YOUR child. You make the choice.
He just might thank you when he is older.
2007-07-04 04:08:29 · answer #6 · answered by Jessica A 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I can't answer this question as a student, but as a parent.
Homeschooling can be great. It can also be a challenge. If you decide to do it make sure to help your son stay in touch with his friends, many of whom will be jealous!
You have to take it one step at a time, and see how he takes to it. Also, how does he feel about it? If he is targeted out school, he may be quite relieved to leave school. For younger children I don't hesitate to recommend pulling them from school when they are having trouble, for a 14 year old you really need to take his feelings into account. Ask him what he thinks about it. I am not saying to do exactly what he says, but just to carefully consider his feelings before you, as his mom, make the final choice.
I homeschool my daughter, who will turn 14 in about 3 weeks. She is happy with the situation as long as I make the effort to give her chances to be with her friends.
2007-07-04 00:23:19 · answer #7 · answered by Thrice Blessed 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My kids are just starting grades 8 & 9 and we have always homeschooled, which of course is going to affect their perceptions as compared to someone their age just being pulled from school.
They love being hs'ed. They like spending less time on school and more on their hobbies. I do have to go the extra mile to make sure they have friends - we are in an unusual living situation right now - but they still don't want to go to school. Plus they are SO FAR ahead of the other kids their ages that they just have no desire to go.
2007-07-03 23:05:25 · answer #8 · answered by Cris O 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I didn't realize it at the time, but I was "unofficially" unschooled. I never liked school. I could get good grades when I went, but mostly I hated the school environment. It was too stressful.
I stopped going almost entirely by 14. My parents were working-class people who didn't value education that much; they valued good work ethics. They didn't force me to go to school, they'd ask me to sometimes but never took any real measures to make sure I was going. I was working part time and they were satisfied with this.
They had never heard of homeschooling or unschooling, and really weren't doing anything but teaching me to be respectful, a hard worker, responsible in the house, etc. So I pretty much unschooled myself by indulging in my interests-- reading a lot, writing a lot, doing a lot of art work, etc. When I was 16 they officially signed me out as a drop-out, but I was getting the best education of my life at work and the local library and late at night as I banged away on my word processor and on weekends when I pursued photography.
I ended up getting my GED, going to college and getting a BA in English/Education, and now make a part-time living as a freelance writer and photographer, so it worked out well for me.
I also began to thrive socially once I left school. I was too shy and socially awkward for the big inner-city school I went to-- at school I was always very withdrawn. Once I was out of school I began to make friends more naturally with kids my age at work, in the library and the neighborhood, where there weren't the same social pressures. I began to come out of my shell.
I now homeschool my three kids and it's been going great, though I do take a bit more structured approach than I had when I was a kid. They're 6, 8 and 17 now.
Socialization is really not a problem... the kids have schooled friends they see in the afternoons and on weekends, they also have homeschooled friends they met through our co-op and at library programs and volunteering and such. They're involved in all kinds of activities, from volunteering to clubs to yu-gi-oh tournaments. There's absolutely nothing stopping homeschoolers from going out and joining in all sorts of activities or keeping in touch with friends and seeing them after school hours and on weekends-- not unlike when schooled kids are on summer vacation.
2007-07-04 02:30:57 · answer #9 · answered by MSB 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
hello, i was homeschooled all my life. i loved 8th grade, it was fun and easy to me--he will need self discipline, though. as for his friends, he needn't worry. you should allow him to meet up with him friends once in awhile. and sign him up to some extra curricular classes :) i studied using the A Beka program, which teaches with the aid of DVDs--curriculums and textbooks are provided and you should accredit him for the final four years to get the high school diploma--grades 9-12. good luck and i think homeschooling is a really great idea!!! :D
2007-07-04 23:08:58 · answer #10 · answered by wat_more_can_i_say? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋