So I'm about a week and some odd days along in my last year of junior high at the public school that I've been going to for two years. And at this point it just hasn't been going very well for me.
My sister is considering doing homeschooling, and I think that I might too. My mother is thinking about it and I just need to talk about it with my dad now.
I am just not enjoying public school. Half of it is busy work, the students and people there are aggravating, the options very limited. If I did homeschooling I could do this Electronic High School that is available in my state and take some classes that they did not offer at my school. Plus it would give me chance to get ahead and not waste so much time with unimportant assemblies and teacher advisary classes like I'm doing now. I think that it would be an okay choice academically.
My mom is worried about how I'll do socially if I do decide to drop out of public school. I personally don't care, but I don't want to do anything that I'll regret.
So some opinions would be very much appreciated (especially from you folk that are homeschooled.) So what do you think?
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12 comments:
It is possible to have no social life if you're homeschooled, but seriously that's if you make no attempt at it. There are art classes, PE classes, homeschool groups, homeschool websites, and a lot of other homeschoolers out there. It's very possible to get out there and do things, so don't worry as to that 'social life' aspect. Everyone asks about if I dislike "Having no social life and being sheltered" when it's not at all like that.
The very best aspect as to homeschooling is being able to work at your own pace, so it's possible to be way ahead of your average level for someone your age.
So you would be doing school on the computer? That might not be technically homeschooling depending on which state you are in. Here is AZ that's not homeschooling, but it varies from state to state. You'll want to know the requirements depending on where you live. Here there is no required testing and you simply notify the state that you are homeschooling. In Texas you don't even do that unless you are dropping out of a public school. Then you just tell them. Other states though are very, very strict about it. An example is Pennsylvania where there are a lot of requirements. Be sure to do some research on that, too.
But your mom will have to be the biggest factor, of course. If she's going to be doing the teaching it will require a lot on her part, pretty much being a full time job. If you're doing online school, it won't be so much. I know there are many different ways of homeschooling. Our family is very strict and scheduled and supervised where I know some other families are not.
It can also be a financial difficulty as you have to pay for your own curriculum and things like that.
I'm homeschooled and wouldn't have it any other way. I love it and feel I'm getting so much more out of it then I would in a public school, and get those real life experiences I wouldn't any other way. You can also really find a way to do school that interests you and lets you get the most out of it, that suits your personality.
If you want some more info, go to HSLDA.org (Homeschool Legal Defense Association.) It has a map so you can see the requirements of your state, too. My mom says that's the best place to start.
If homeschooling doesn't work out, there are still some great private and charter schools you could also look into.
Best of luck!
I just want to say that I used to live in California and I can totally relate to how you might be feeling, those schools sucked. But then I moved to Minnesota and the schools are so much nicer and have more money to provide better things.
I'm not home-schooled nor have I ever. So, I don't really have an opinion. But good luck.
Yes, it is true that when you drop out of school to homeschool, you have fewer friends. But not necessarily no social life. Rather, you have friends that really matter and will stick with you for the rest of your life. Basically, you find out who your real friends are.
As for the academic side, homeschooling gives you the option of going further ahead in subjects you like. For instance, I am doing Grade 12 English studies, simply because that is what I excel in and like doing.
I am enrolled in a Distant Education program, but then again, I live in Australia so the legal side is probably vastly different.
But anyway, I hope you can work something out that you will be happy with! :)
The trouble with EHS is that you have to buy your own textbooks--you can't just check them out from the school. You also have to be VERY self-motivated--something I have trouble with. If you think you can handle that, though, I wouldn't expect it to be a problem.
Thanks for the advice guys! I'm still not really worried about the social aspect of it, but it was something I had to consider.
Faith: Thanks for the website and all the info! It's interesting how it varies from state to state.
Kelsey: Yeah, Utah just doesn't have a very good public school system since we have so many kids. I'm sure that it's much better in other places. I'm glad the your school is better in Minnesota than in California. :)
Summermoon: Yeah, I think that since I don't even really have very many school friends now, homeschooling would give me the chance to make better ones. Thanks for the well wishes.
A Utah Student: Would you mind telling me who you are and how you found my blog? It's just something I'd like to know. Anyway, thanks for the info. Buying the textbooks probably won't be a problem. And I actually am pretty self motivated as well. So I think that it would work out.
Also remember though, Leanna, that you can still keep all of your friends from public school. You don't have to give them up just because you're homeschooling.
Oh! Oh! Pick me!
Haha. Ok, so I went to private school from pre-school up to 2nd grade, and then I was homeschooled up until 9th grade, and for high school I am in a public college prep high school.
So yeah. My schooling experience is pretty well rounded. I would say that homeschooling is wonderful if you're not feeling academically suited at your school. My school last year was great academically, and not so great at first socially but became more so as I became more open. You can totally have a social life while homeschooling, through many different ways. And now I have to go... to the first day of school! :)
It matters what sort of classes your high school offers.
In high school, I took six or so AP classes (calculus, music theory, biology, US history, US government, English language), and many honors classes (English, history, etc.). I could have NEVER gotten that sort of education being home schooled. EVER. I learned so much, and it was difficult and prepared me very well for college.
I got an amazing high school education in Utah because I took all those AP and honors classes. PUBLIC EDUCATION CAN MAKE YOU SMART! The AP program (and if you're lucky enough, the IB program) makes high school worth it. I really attest to that. I went to public school all of my education, and I ended up with incredibly high grades in college.
You can get a lot more perspective from different teachers in high school. You can also get involved in things like debate, which will challenge you and make you things in ways you don't expect.
And the social aspect is not something just for fun and friendship--it's learning how to work with people you don't like. It's learning to not be afraid. That's a life skill that needs to be learned.
Yeah, there is some wading through the muck. But you can take some of the required classes for high school graduation that are easy and dumb and aren't offered in advanced levels (like health, for example) online, and then take the advanced track and get a pretty decent education.
Also, online classes are not equal to live classes at all. I've done both, and you learn more by being there, taking notes, and asking questions.
Much of it is what you put into it, not matter what you do.
I was homeschooled up until grade 7, and as long as you have a good curriculum, it's awesome. You don't miss out socially at all, in my opinion. I was able to do tons and tons of extra curricular activities because my schedule was so much more flexible. I couldn't keep up any of those because of school, so I lost a lot of good friends. So, unless you lock herself in your house, you'll be fine. There are TONS of homeschool groups and resources. If homeschooling is right for you, it's wonderful. You can work at your own pace and skip the busy-work, which is the BEST part. There is so much crap they make you do in school that just isn't useful at all!
So sorry, Leanna--I'm one of your regular readers but I wanted to give advice without posting my location so publicly.
I've never been homeschooled before. But sometimes I wish I was. And sometimes I'm glad I'm not. I guess there are good and bad things to everything - but anyway, I hope you get to do whatever works out for you, and that it'll be to your best advantage. :)
I tagged you for a meme, by the way :)
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