I am really struggling over homeschooling high school. I do not like our local high school and feel that academically, I can offer so much more at home. But homeschooling is getting so isolating in this age. There is a local charter school that a fair number of homeschoolers have been flocking to, but since it is new, I am quite uncertain about it. We don't have the money for private school as those schools start at over $14K a year per child where we live. Our local high school has over 3100 kids in it, it is a wealthier school with lots of problems like drugs and suicide. Should I just go with what seems logical and homeschool? Any other ideas? Also, extracurriculars are not a possibility at the local high school. They are very elite and have very little beyond football. What little they do have only allow select kids in to them and even the principal told us to not bother to try.
Does that charter school have extracurriculars that you could do there instead of the high school? My friends son has a part time job/volunteers (I think he is 13 or 14) to help get him out of the house and interacting with people.
I'm with the PP --- I'd look into volunteer work & jobs. What about community theater? YMCA/Community sports teams? 4-H? Scouts? Science clubs? Church groups?
Does the local charter offer a part-time option? I think we will be using a local charter high school for part-time enrollment next fall. I also think that we can do better academically overall, at home. However, they do offer some unique classes that might be hard to duplicate. Plus, my dd does want to sit in a room with other enthusiastic learners - so we're giving it a part-time shot.
My friend's daughter has excellent friends through 4-H, extracurricular activities (she took fencing 1x per week), and a church. Those are the things I know about that she did - and she did just fine. She graduated last year and is doing really well in community college so far. So if your child does SOMETHING/ANYTHING I think they'd be fine socially. I actually enjoy my friend's daughter as regular company - I have no issues with her and feel she is more apt at handling herself than some others I have known. Heck - even a part time job is good to meet people!
By highschool age, they still need friends, yes, but they also need to up their study time. The friends/social atmosphere in highschool isn't always very positive. Homeschooling and having a class or two somewhere, or doing the volunteering (some states require a certain amount of hours of volunteering to graduate), and Y classes etc. and if you have a church....those are all social activities with a positive focus!
Well, I can certainly see your point. If I can get my kid in - he's going to a private boarding school (sorta local abouit 65 miles away). I know I could teach him everything he needs to know - but I feel like he needs an "away from home" experience. Of course, that school is a long shot and if he doesn't get in I don't know if I want him going to our local school. It is a good school, we live in a nice upscale rural area, but I don't know. I have a few years left, so I don't think about it much.
Read the book Homeschooling High School by Jeanne Gowen Dennis and be encouraged that you can do it, do it well and that your child will be better for you commitment to homeschool!
THis would be a hard decision for me also. I know some can homeschool throughout highschool years, but it is often a bad experience for many families. I have seen many kids totally reject the isolation and rebell very badly. I would imagine that a good relationship in a church youth group or another such group would be a start. In some areas there are explorers groups. In my previous location we had Sea Explorers who went sailing and studied Marine Science topics etc. There was also a group that did law enforcement related activities. THe Civil Air Patrol and 4H are also good experiences for many. Many HIgh Schools and COlleges offer not for credit night classes in a variiety of topics. Perhaps this would offer some socialization in an area of interest.
My son has PDD-NOS so he has a hard time socializing. I think that is why he likes public school so much. There he is surrounded by lots of kids who are assigned to sit around him and such. At home, when he tries to do outside activities, he never sees to make connections with anyone. It has been suggested that once he has been home a while, he might come around and be more interested in others. The school is so busy and such, I think his mind is generally wrapped around that excitement.
I homeschool for high school. Sd is actually more involved now than she was in ps. Yes she saw more kids in a day but most of them were not kids we wanted her to associate with. She also had a hard time staying on task due to the tempting socializing going on. She was not involved in afterschool activities then but now with co-op and youth group she is around a lot of kids who are also positive influences. They even have a prom at the end of the year. Now the material for high school is really not that bad if you choose your curriculum wisely. Most are very well laid out and have really good teacher resources. You can also see if your local homeschool group has a co-op or group that can help supplement. In our area there is also a seperate organization that offers classes and clubs for homeschool students. Sd has one more year left and we plan on taking dd all the way up through high school too.
I know a lot of families who homeschooled or homeschool throughout high school and none of the kids feel rejected or isolated. Personally I haven't seen any rebel other than what is common around the high school age. In fact I have seen more rebellion in public school students than I have in homeschooled high schoolers. I believe socialization needs are different for all ages. How we acquire friends and fulfill these needs is the same all around. We have to go out and be a friend to make a friend. In high school, there were many students who were alone a lot. Some because people were unkind and shunned them and some because they chose to be alone. Sure the high schools have a lot more students that are the same age. But is this the type of socialization that we want our children to take part of? After all, there are many forms of socialization. All are not good.
Although mine is still in middle school, I've already got him involved with plenty of "teen" activities. He got back into Scouts a couple of years ago, we have a homeschool Jr. Civitan club and our local homeschool group has a "club" day once a month where he participates in the teen group (lead by my pastor...lol!) We also participate in a couple of extra curricular classes where he is with kids his age and older. We have a science lab at the IMax discovery center and an art class at our local museum. Between those activities, church and sports my teen is constantly surrounded by his peers. But school is at home.
My dd is in 9th & ds in 7th and we plan to hs all the way thru high school. They are both active with as many outside activities as they want. My ds prefers just snowboarding, sledding, ice skating and trapping and doing it alone is fine with him. My dd does sewing with the elderly ladies at another church, lap robing at our church (hs girls her age and older), and piano lessons. All are one day a week. Then they have youth group too. They are both happy with their activities. School wise with the right books it's not so bad.
I thought about this a little more overnight and I think my main reason for avoiding public high school is because so far, his entire schooling experience has been special, ya know? He'll have these experiences to look back on for his whole life. Do I really want to replace all those memories with an ordinary old high school experience and have that be the last memory? Nah. If he doesn't go to the "really cool school" where he'll get a once in a lifetime experience, then he'll stay home and go to college early I think.
Don't forget, some states offer dual-enrollment at colleges. Part time jobs, volunteering (#1 choice), church youth groups, local offerings at libraries and parks, (our library has "teen" events) get togethers with friends, co-op and support groups, etc. Look around and see what all may be in your area. You'll be surprised. But, as other's have said, careful that the "socialization" doesn't become more important that the values and morals you are trying to teach your kids.....just my two cents.
