Hello all, I want to thank you all for your insight on my homeschooling journey with my 7yr ds, thankyou My question is about my 15yr old dd, who is in ps high school.. Would it be too late to enroll her in a cyber homeschool at this point in time, when the pschool year is almost over by June 7th?? What options would I have in homeschooling now, almost end year? There is a lot of drama and unnecessary social pressure at high school for our children and this leads to much stress for them.. My dd has asked if I would homeschool her like I am her brother. I am not sure of my options?? Thankyou Mary
First of all, congratulations that a teen would ask her mother to homeschool her! I would think that that is a tribute to your teaching as well as to your motherhood in general. Getting the cooperation of a teen is the first and biggest step to success for his or her high school years. With that, you'll be able to assess the level of achievement and the needs and then choose your goals together. The fun part will be choosing the curriculum and studying together. Our twins (16 now!) are a delight to teach, and I'm having fun learning along with them. I know this didn't directly answer your questions, but I just wanted to give you general encouragement, because the biggest hurdle some parents face is lack of cooperation. (I am somewhat qualified to speak about that because of experiences with our other children.)
I haven't been homeschooling long enough to know how to tell you how it would work to take her out this close to the end of the school year. I will say if one of mine was terribly unhappy in public school I wouldn't wait. If she wants to be homeschooled she will be so much happier at home. I wish I had taken my girls out sooner. I can't believe how mean kids can be to each other. And the pressure to be like everyone else is unbelievable! Maybe just knowing you will homeschool her next year will be enough to get her through the rest of this school year. I hope she loves being homeschooled. Mine have learned so much this year and and so have I. Beth
Mary: I haven't been homeschooling long enough to have teens. However, at this point in the school year, I would remove her from school and allow her to "deschool" for the rest of the year....follow her own interests, read, maybe volunteer someplace that interests her as a future occupation. Then, when the school year starts, she will be refreshed and ready. My 2 cents! Carol
There is no such thing as a "cyber homeschool"! You need to understand the difference between homeschooling and cyber school. Homeschooling is more than the location. As a homeschooler, I make all decisions as far as my children's curriculum. I take nothing from the government, and expect nothing from them. I am not accountable to them for testing, etc. Children that are enrolled in cyberschools are considered public school children (at least in Ohio), and are subject to follow the government's curriculum. They are also required to do all the state mandated testing. You have little to no say in what your child is learning. That does NOT mean that I consider cyberschool a bad choice. You just need to understand why you are homeschooling in the first place. If you can honestly say that cyberschool will meet your goals, then fine. I actually suggested it as an option to a good friend of mine. Her number one concern was not the content of curriculum, but her teen lying, sneaking around, cutting classes, etc. Having said that, I would hesitate to pull a teen out right now. We're entering the final quarter. I don't like making changes that late into the year unless there's a situation at school that is intolerable. Bullying or a group of friends you need to get the teen away from immediately, for example.
I don't have a teen and I haven't been homeschooling that long. I just wanted to offer words of encourgagement. I hope you don't have too much difficculty making this decision. I would see if she can make it for the rest of this year and then start new beginning in the fall. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
IF I were pulling my kid at this point in the year I would take home the school's curriculium so that I was not mixing up the lessons in mid stream I think. Even with public schools you have a right to these in my state, not sure where you live how it goes.
It's a decision you need to make as a family. I think that pulling out this far in the year would be difficult for schooling. Maybe you can use the same books and continue where she is finishing the year, that is if things are really bad. Otherwise I would recommend finishing the year out and starting fresh. This is really a decision you need to weigh- the pros and cons. Good luck on your decision. Lee - Mom to dd12 & ds10
I totally agree with Carol! But like everyone else I haven't got teens yet eaither. Mary, why did your dd stay in school when you started hs your ds? Karen
I agree with Carol also, BUT, I think that if you plan on doing this next year, use this time to assess her and find out for sure where she is at. I actually started hsing due to a high schooler. My dd was supposed to be in 10th grade when I made the decision to pull her. I was blown away at what she didn't know that I, as a parent, felt she should know for her age. It hasn't been easy, she is now 17 and putting alot of drama on herself but I hate to think where she would be right now if she had stayed in school. This year I pulled my 11 yr old dd out of ps. Last year she had a mentally abusive teacher who was also the principal's pet. My dd didn't receive the abuse but she did watch one of her close friends receive it. Several parents made the decision mid year last year to homeschool and I regret that I didn't then. I had the cirriculum already as my sis hands me down my nephews books for summer work. This made it much easier for me to get started and I have been amazed at the change in her.
