Homeschool guidelines?? Abuse of System??

Question

My neighbors have decided to homeschool their son. I am not opposed to homechooling. He is in high school. However, there are a couple of factors to be taken into consideration. 1) He would have to go to alternative school when classes began for getting in trouble last year. 2) His mother works during the day and is not really the sharpest tool in the shed. Aren't there any guidelines to keep parents from abusing the system just so they wont have to deal with their child's bad behavior at school? And shouldnt the parent have some form of qualifications before being allowed to homeschool? I really doubt this child is going to benefit at all from this and could possibly be hindered by it.

This is in Tennessee.

The student has attendance issues and his parents didnt really make him go to begin with.

Pugs from your tone, it sounds like you home school. From your grammar and lack of language skills, it sounds like you shouldn't.

Answer 1

Yes, there are laws. They will be overseen by either the local school board or a church-related school if they've decided to school under that. It will be up to the supervising entity to decide if there's an abuse of the system.

For Tennessee homeschooling at the high school level, if done under the local school district, the parent needs to have a bachelor degree or receive an exemption from the commissioner of education. If through a church-based school, only a high school diploma or GED is needed.

In the end, parents make all kinds of decisions that hinder their kids in one way or another. The fact that they weren't making sure he went to school or weren't dealing with problems he was having at school means that the child is going to have issues no matter where he's schooled. It's doubtful that homeschooling would make matters worse. If you are truly concerned about this boy, you might consider taking him under your wing a bit, find out his interests, try to get him involved in projects or even just hearing him out. Many troubled teens like that are that way due to emotional issues and not feeling heard, cared about, etc.

Answer 2

I think when a kid is already having problems in school, it is worth a try. For all anyone knows, it might be the best thing that ever happened to the kid. I dropped out of high school by age 14 because I was having a lot of trouble; it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It took a huge weight off my shoulders and gave me great relief. I was much happier getting a GED and working, and eventually went to college, earning a B.A. degree. Public school is simply not for everyone-- it, too, can hinder kids.

I have no idea who these people are or how they live, so I have no idea how good or bad they'll be at homeschooling. But the bottom line is this: as long as they are complying with the law, they have the legal right to try it, so it's really nobody's business.

Answer 3

The law in TN has three options the parent can follow. If the parent is to be the teacher of a high school student they are required to have a baccalaureate degree or an exemption granted by the commissioner of education. They also have to follow certain subject guidlines. If you find issue with the law, maybe you should take steps to change it. You can check all the state options and the law regarding homeschooling on www.hslda.org.

I really hope these parents are doing as the law states and this child is going to learn whilst homeschooling.

Answer 4

First, TN is one of the hardest states to legally homeschool in, because the parents are required to have a degree to teach high school. So, it's possible that they are not doing this legally, although I have no idea how. If he was having attendance issues, truant officers would be on their backs, you would think. With that said, teaching a child at home is not the big deal it's made out to be. Anyone who can read a book and follow along can teach their children, and often parents 'get' the material right along with their kids, even though they didn't get it during their own school years. Parents teach their children from birth, there's no reason why they can't continue to do so. IF, and I say IF, this mom has the right intentions, her son will benefit from it. There are many reasons why a kid decides not to school, and almost all can be addressed by teaching them at home. My husband refused to stay in school, from kindergarten on. He was not challenged enough in school, hated having to wait for the other kids to learn something that he got the first day, so he decided not to go. When he was in high school, he went into a home independent study program through his school, and completed three years in one, enabling him to graduate on time. Other students, who can't grasp things as quickly as their peers, fall behind, are embarrassed, and don't want to go. At home, he could work at his own pace. I don't know how well you know this family, but it's always possible that he has some disorder that has behavior problems as one of the issues, like my son's autism. If that's the case, the school obviously isn't doing anything about it, so why would it benefit him more to stay there? Often kids with behavior problems improve drastically when brought home to learn. And, you could be right on target, that this mom is simply not wanting to deal with the issues and keep her kid at home. Unfortunately, that does happen,too. Even the best regulations can't do much about this, because the parent can simply lie about him doing work, attendance, etc., and not really care about failing testing. But, those same parents slip through the school system, not to mention teachers who really don't care and are just there for the job. So, really, if she is that kind of parent, it doesn't matter where she has him, does it? But, there's at least a slim possibility that he will learn what he needs to succeed in life now that he is home. She doesn't have to be home to watch over him if she has curriculum for him to do on his own. My sister was homeschooling her daughter while working, just checked over the work when she got home, administered tests, and helped her with any problems she ran into during the day.

Answer 5

Unless his parents have asked for your help (which I SERIOUSLY doubt) then I don't see how it is ANY of your concern.
Yes Tenn. has certain Standards, but that is where the LEA comes in and if his parents don't tow the line they will pay the price as will their son.

FYI even the dullest tool in the shed does good if not great work.

As my beloved 4th grade teacher used to say MYOB. For the record YES I do homeschool AND I hold a CDA in Early Childhood AND I taught for 13 yrs as a Preschool Teacher.

My Homeschooler just KICKED your Honor Students Rear ((((loud rasberry))))).

Get a life and go troll somewhere else.

Answer 6

There are many online high school courses that don't require much parental involvement. As long as they abide by the HS laws in TN, there's nothing to be done. He may be old enough to not be in school. He can always take the G.E.D. exam, or take college courses, too.

It sounds like they just want to HS him in the summer?

Most online courses have actual teachers - at least the good ones do. So a parent's skill or education level doesn't really matter there.

Answer 7

I think that is up to the parent not you how do you know there are not qualified and how do you know of all his business as long as they are register with the state for home schooling theres not much to do. and what do you mean abusing the system? I would say at least he is trying he could have just dropped out. and bad behavior do you really no all about that come know leave them alone they are trying to do the best for there child it may not be the best for you but it is not your decision to come into every ones house and make changes every ones lifestyle is different that what makes up the world maybe he will benefit maybe not but he and his parents must deal with there own choices. we may not think homeschooling moms are qualified but maybe we are wrong give them a chance before you judge

Answer 8

Well, Pug's right: it really is none of your business. Any responsibility for the quality of your neighbour's education rests with the local Dept of Education, not you.

(Pug, one word: punctuation. It makes it incredibly difficult to follow your train of thought if you don't chuck in at least the occasional fullstop!)

Maybe, xcbuffrunner1, you should consider what one of the officials from the Education Board once told my parents: 'You have to provide your kids with an appropriate education but nowhere is it defined what 'appropriate' means'.

Yes it's easy to see it as a cop out when parents don't step up to the plate where their kids' bad behaviour is concerned but at least, if they home educate him, they're the ones who'll have to live with his behaviour. They're no longer inflicting him on the kids at school who do want to get on and learn so in a way they have dealt with it. Plus there's always a possibility that something in the school environment is the trigger for his bad behaviour.

Answer 9

Every system in this nation is "abused" in some fashion at some time or another.
Every state determines what the qualifications are for the home-school teacher.
Anyways, it is not your kid so it's not any of your concern. Maybe you could offer a helping hand to this family rather than a critical heart.

Answer 10

If the child really didn't want to go to school, then maybe homeschooling is the right thing to do.