high school & hating it!

[hmwnick]

My DD 15 has had a very difficult freshman year & we are in the process of looking into home schooling. If you have any experience in this area, your info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am so sorry. There are alot of homeschoolers around to help you, I am sure. {HUGS}

 

[wide awake]

I can help you. I hated school...skipped 2nd grade, teachers recommended I should skip 4th but my parents didn't want that much age distance between me and my classmates...bored out of my mind till 9th grade...the teachers called my parents in and said it was a big waste of time for me to be there...thank goodness...I pretty much quit, then we moved to California and I took the Proficiency Exam as soon as I was old enough...then watched movies and read till college...they didn't have the programs then that they have now. I teach for a charter home school now, the students earn a regular diploma, and our 9th-12th graders get $1800/year for curriculum and music, dance, riding, etc...lessons. I so wish I'd have had the advantage of our school. Even if you do it on your own...people say that kids get lots of social experience out of school...hello, when was the last time you wanted to act like you were in middle or high school ? PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Puffy2]

Homeschooling takes a lot of time, energy and planning.

This is what he will need to be admitted to a decent college (requirements vary, but these are the basics)
4 years English (grammer, comp, lit combined into one course for the year)
(American Lit , British Lit, and World Lit and one "other", you could just call it 9th Grade English)
Also one course (1/2 credit in Advanced Composition)

3 years Social Studies: American Government and Economics are usally 1/2 credit courses, then one year of American History, one year of World History.

3 years of Science Biology, Chemistry and Physics (TWO WITH LABS)

2 years of a Foreign Language (same language)

and additional electives to make up 22 - 24 year long classes or credits.
Classes might include Introduction to Computer Literacy, Health (1/2 credit), Sociology, Introduction to Historical Biblical Analysis, Introduction to Research and Research Paper, Georgraphy, Pre Calculus, Trig., Philophosophy, etc...


Many colleges require that homeschoolers take SAT II tests in addition to the SAT in order to be considered for admission. Some only require 3 tests , some require as many as 7. This is so they can validate that your student really learned what they claimed to learn on your transcript (that you need to provide....there are transcript software programs out there to buy). Many colleges require homeschooler's SATs to be as high or higher than the "average incoming freshman's" SAT.

There are correspondance high schools that might be accredited and may, upon completetion, issue a diploma just like a regular high school.

Hope this helps.

 

[minniecarousel]

Is there another school in your district that she could enroll in? Is it the atmosphere at shcool? - friends? - the classes? What is it about HS that she's having so much trouble with? Maybe a small private HS would be better. I would hesitate to homeschool at the HS level. Getting into college may be a problem.

 

[golfgal]

What would be the problem at school. If he is having difficulty getting along with kids/teachers, homeschooling wouldn't be the best idea. If he is struggling in class, maybe some testing or other evaluations might be in order. Are you capable of teaching all that needs to be taught from history to physics to Calculus to homeschool a high schooler?

 

[Barb D]

We're in the opposite situation...we homeschooled DS up until 8th grade, and now he's loving high school.

That said, if I were to have continued homeschooling him in high school I would probably have done one of these things:

1. NARS (North Atlantic Regional Schools) - you provide the curriculum and send in documentation of what you've done for various subjects, and they turn it into a transcript and eventually an accredited diploma.

2. American School - correspondance home school - they provide the curriculum and an accredited diploma

3. OR a combination of homeschooling and community college classes. (This is what my sister does with her high school age kids.)

 

[MrsPiglet]

We are in the same boat. My DD 14 hates school, but makes good grades. She claims the kids are too immature and act silly. She goes tot he best public school in town. We are thinking either homeschool or private school. Has anyone dealt with Citizen High School, it is a correspondence school?.

 

[grinningghost]

I'm really sorry she's having a rough time of it. My DD16 is a junior and doesn't care for high school much either - she just has no tolerance for all the drama that goes on there.

Unfortunately, she visited a college campus during Spring Break and announced that she was "not going back to high school" she liked it there so much.

Of course, she DID go back - but she's looking forward to moving on in another year, that's for sure.

High school is a very strange place indeed.

 

[barkley]

i think you need to determine what it is she "hates"-is it the other students (social dynamics), the curriculum, the difference in excpectations from jr. high. if it's the social thing then maybe homeschooling is for her, but if it's that she does'nt like the course work or the amount of work entailed neither home nor private school is going to get her away from that (and both tend to be more labor intensive if the student is intent on gaining a solid education from it).

dh did both private and public high school until midway thru his jr. year-then opted to take the CHSPE (california high school proficiency exam). while he then entered college he quickly dropped out and did'nt return for about 8 years (after we married). he was just/is not one who enjoys a classroom learning situation (he opted to go to a bachelor's program for professionals that did the major work morphed into his job duties).

does the highschool offer any independant study programs? if she wants to not interact with the other kids and you are supportive of this (depending on her social skills this can be a good or bad thing) maybe she can do the type of program where she just goes for p.e./electives and the rest is done under the guidance of a once per week meeting with a teacher/counselor.

 

[kristen821]

It really depends on what she hates about school. I loved high school (more socially, but still loved it)

 

[azgal81]

I hated my freshman year but then in my sophmore year I got involved I was a football manager through my senior year. I loved it. Maybe there is an activity she can get involved in??

I think homeschooling is a little drastic but then I don't know the situation.

 

[FreshTressa]

My neices did running start at the local community college at age 15. Now, my neice is graduating at age 20.

 

[siouxi31]

I feel for you. I just went through getting alot of support from the Dissers due to my 15 year old failing high school because the structure is just not for him. He loves GOING to school and doesn't want to give that up. It's the structure of class and homework that he has a difficult time with.
I decided not to homeschool for two reasons. 1) I work full time and it would be too much to bear with little support from my family 2) he likes the act of going to school.
If we had a charter school around here I would be fighting to enroll him in it but there's nothing close to us at all.
We're having him diagnosed with ADD so that he can get special assistance at school with a program that's right for him.
You can do a search for my thread called "Other than homeschooling what can be done". Alot of posters were extremely helpful and supportive.
I'm sorry you have to go through this.

 

[hmwnick]

Here is alittle history....sorry it is so long

DD 15 has never been one of those kids that LOVED school. She enjoyed being w/ her friends & her grades (until this year) were ok. Her circle of friends has changed many times. So many of the students are into drinking, sex, & drugs. She is NOT a goody-2-shoes by any means but she doesn't run with the losers either. She seems to be having a hard time figuring out where she fits in. Lately, she has been making some really poor choices ie: sneaking out w/ a friend while spending the night away from home, choosing not to turn in assignments, hanging out w/ kids we have told her to stay away from... & compared to what some kids here are in to it isn't that big of a deal but I don't like where it is heading.

She is going to talk to a counselor that visits the school. We have had many conversations about the choices she is making. Thanks again for your suggestions. Please keep us in your prayers.

She doesn't seem to be learning a whole lot in school. I have tried to get her teachers to keep me informed of her progress or the lack there of, but I haven't had much luck. I met w/ the principal & not alot has changed. DD expresses ther is "too much drama in school".

I am going to visit a private school located in a neighboring town to see if that is an option. I hate seeing her struggle.

 

[hmwnick]

bumping for a few more opinions

 

[Crankyshank]

honestly? having trouble finding where she belongs is a part of being a teenager. Making poor choices is also a part of being a teenager. The teachers have a lot of students to deal with and can't really be expected to provide progress reports because one student doesn't appear to be learning as much as s/he should.
I think the high school experience is a lot more than just academic and learning how to deal with different people and different situations and persevere is a crucial part of growing into an upstanding adult.

I think homeschooling is an incredibly drastic step for this situation. It would be one thing if she had severe developmental and learning disabilties or if she's been homeschooled all along. This sounds like you're pulling her out of school because she's rebelling.

I would look into private school if you want a more structured environment with smaller classes. The "bad element" is still going to be there though.

 

[horseshowmom]

Based on your circumstances, I would explore the private school option first.

That said, we did homeschool (DD is a currently a freshman and was accepted into the early entry pharmacy honors program - which means she is already admitted to the pharmacy shool - and all of her expenses are being covered with scholarships), but we started in 4th grade (the previous years were in a private school).

Switching a high school student to homeschooling could have some difficulties. You would need to make sure that she had some type of extracurricular activities to involve her. In our case, DD was heavily involved in horses (both riding and non-riding activities), so she developed many, many relationships through those activities. She also participated in a lot of volunteer activities.

If you are interested in homeschooling, check into the Abeka curriculum. They have a DVD option. Each class is taught by an accomplished teacher. DD said it was nice being able to "rewind the teacher" when she didn't understand something. They also maintain your student records for you.

Someone had mentioned homeschoolers having to take extra tests. I don't know of any homeschooler who has had a reasonable ACT (which is what most colleges use around here) who has had any problem. Someone with a sub par score would probably find a different situation (but they will if the have a sub par score in school also).

 

[kristen821]

It sounds like she is hanging out with the wrong crowd. It is all part of being a teenager. I have no advice on what to do to stop it. I wish you a lot of luck

Maybe you can try making her stay in on school nights until she gets her grades up.

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

I tried to protect my girls by sending them to private schools. I realized I could not protect them from the world, so I let them attend a public highschool. Both did just fine.They found people that were just like them. I was one of those parents that probably would have homeschooled just to keep them protected but they needed to know what life is all about. I think if you have a good kid and you raised them right they will make good desicions. I would suggest having your child get involved with an activity at school. Kids that have activities usually have less time for trouble. One lesson I did learn was Private Schools and Public are both the same. My daughter attended ninth grade at a private highschool. She said there was all kinds of drug use going on. The difference was these kids came from money and could afford it. I believe it's how you raise them. Teach them to be strong and stand up for what they believe in. That is all you can do. The rest is up to them. PS. Pray alot!