homeschool ? Please help.

[me4disney]

My 13 yr old son (who will be in 9th grade) and I are battling about school. He wants public school and I want him to homeschool. Last year we did Alpha Omega Lifepacs and he didn't really like them. I'm not sure what to do for high school. Any suggestions would be great.

My next question is-has anyone used James Madison High School or Keystone National High School as a correspondence course for a high school diploma? Any input good or bad would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JustinsMama]

What are your reasons for wanting to homeschool? I can see homeschooling younger kids but I'm thinking at that age, kids need interaction with other kids during the day.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Think about your reasons for homeschooling him through hs carefully. You are his parent and have the right to make that decision. I homeschooled my children when they were younger. When they reached hs they wanted to be in school and I agreed. Academically you can do fine homeschooling him. In fact he may be more advanced then his public school counterparts and can even start community college. However, if he wants to be in certain activities unless you are in a very homeschool friendly city you will not be able to match this. When hs begins most community sports programs end. There are no homeschool football, track, or soccer teams. There are no homeschool yearbook, marching band, etc. There are exceptions if you live in areas with very large homeschool groups but that is the exception.
When I lived in Illinois Wheaton was very homeschool friendly and allowed students to attend a half day at the highschool for advanced courses and extra-curriculars while still being homeschooled.

 

[me4disney]

We homeschooled last year. I'm also homeschooling my 11 yr old DD and my 6 yr old DS. MY oldest had alot of problems with headaches and not bringing home the homework. He very seldom ever brought any notes or info home from school. He just wants to go to school for the social side of things, but he is involved in things outside of school. He is in the church youth group, has been on the Y swim team, and participates in a local preformance company. I'm just trying to figure out what would be best for all of us.

 

[momof2inPA]

Is a different school a possibility? A smaller Christian or Catholic school? Maybe an alternative or charter school?

At 13, I don't think you can force them to homeschool. It will just be a battle for both of you, but if he goes back to public school, maybe you could find a way to track his assignments better. I did homeschool, so I'm opposed to homeschooling, per se.

 

[CraftyMouse]

We use www.laurelsprings.com for our kids' homeschool programs but be forewarned, they can be pricey. We continued to homeschool DD15 through high school because she was two grades ahead of her peers...BUT...it was always her choice. Had she ever wanted to go back to school that's what we would have done. DS also is given the option to return to regular school each year.

We are fortunate that we have a great homeschool network where we live. Both of my kids get a lot of peer interaction (both there and elsewhere) so socialization is not an issue for them. If your son is asking to go back to school please listen to him and discuss it with him. IMO he should have a say about his schooling.

 

[bekkiz]

There's that old saying, "don't mix business with pleasure."

As someone who works with homeschool kids, this might not be a fight worth fighting. Considering how much of a fight most teenagers put up about simply cleaning their rooms...if he's truely adament about being in a traditional school, he may make your life far more difficult than it should be--esp. with other kids in the house who might copy his behavior. It could be doing him a disservice because he won't be truely focused on learning in the home. Plus he'll make you crazy.

However, I think you have a really good motivator. Expect him to maintain a certain grade level, and if he doesn't do it after the first semester, he will understand you will pull him out.

 

[CEDmom]

Are your public schools so bad that going to them would be dangerous? If not I'd strongly consider his desire to go to school rather than be homeschooled. It won't be a successful year if he's not onboard.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't know much about high school homeschool expect for the fact that entrance into college becomes tricker.

Here is a site that may help your direction. Your son will have to take many standardized testing things in order to gain entrance into certain colleges.

Do your homework on the end result first. That may change your direction.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

What does your son want to do for a career? Why does he want to go to public school? Is their a HUGE reason why he cannot go?

I am bitter about it because most "high school homeschoolers" I know do not "graduate".
Parents get in this struggle and then hold all the strings and then the kid loses.

Make sure you are not setting your son up for that.

 

[MushyMushy]

How about a cyber charter school?

My son did palearnersonline.com for a year and it was actually a decent online school. They provide everything, from the computer to the internet access. It is a charter school, so your son will still have to take the PSSAs. I recommended it to a few people in my area and they also thought it was pretty good.

The school is located near Pittsburgh.

 

[lyzziesmom]

I will admit that I know nothing about homeschooling, and that what I'm about to say is not meant to be rude or insulting, but I just couldn't let it go and don't know the best way to say it, so here it is: Besides all the reasons stated above by previous posters, and solely based upon all the misspellings in your original post (including the word "homeschool" in the title) I'm not sure that homeschooling is the best option in your case. I'm sorry and I'm truly not trying to offend, but it bothered me a lot.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Besides all the reasons stated above by previous posters, and solely based upon all the misspellings in your original post (including the word "homeschool" in the title) I'm not sure that homeschooling is the best option in your case. I'm sorry and I'm truly not trying to offend, but it bothered me a lot.

Wow...I have to agree.

 

[PoohnPglet]

not bringing home the homework. He very seldom ever brought any notes or info home from school.

I can so feel your pain with a teenager that lacks follow through and organizational skills. My 13 year old went through the same darn thing. He would do his homework then somehow "forget" to turn it in. Important assignments and projects were forgotten or procrastinated over to the point that I thought I just might return him. (Yeah - never did find that return address!! )

My fear was that if I always had to remind him about everything, how was he ever gonna manage when he went off to college. So, we worked with his teachers and came up with a plan to help monitor him and his assignments while gradually giving him the entire responsibility. I can happily say that he is almost 17, a junior with a 3.85 GPA taking honors and AP classes ALL on his own.

You will find that many teachers are very willing to work with you because they really do have your child's best interest at heart. I guess what I am saying is to give him the chance to make those mistakes and to learn from them. Let him go to public school.

 

[LiteBrite]

I homeschooled my daughter all the way through to high school graduation. This is not an easy road, but it was the right one for us. She's now doing very well in college, and I don't regret a thing. She stayed busy during those high school years with lots of activities (sounds like your son is involved in plenty of things that won't be affected by homeschooling, too), and was very social.

It can work. It's not for everybody, but it was a great experience for us.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

MY oldest had alot of problems with headaches and not bringing home the homework. He very seldom ever brought any notes or info home from school. He just wants to go to school for the social side of things.

Then use it to your advantage. Tell him he has to maintain his grades or you are pulling him out.

Write up a contract, be specific on your school expectations, have him sign it and then enforce it.

Tell him staying in public school is up to him.

Anyway that is what I would do.

 

[powellrj]

My DS has a friend who has been home schooled her entire school career. She will be a junior in the fall. All she talks about is going to high school with her friends that go to public school. She has more school spirit and wears more of the schools spirit wear than the kids that actually go to the school.

This year her parents are allowing her to go to public school. She is so excited! She will be able to participate in all the high school activities and classes she was missing by being home schooled. I just wish my own DS was as excited about school as she is.

As a parent, you will make the final choice, but I think you need to listen to what his reasons are and take that under consideration.

 

[LadyShiva]

I will admit that I know nothing about homeschooling, and that what I'm about to say is not meant to be rude or insulting, but I just couldn't let it go and don't know the best way to say it, so here it is: Besides all the reasons stated above by previous posters, and solely based upon all the misspellings in your original post (including the word "homeschool" in the title) I'm not sure that homeschooling is the best option in your case. I'm sorry and I'm truly not trying to offend, but it bothered me a lot.

I agree with this post. Unless there is a security issue, I don't believe the OP's own education level is adequate to be a teacher.

I've noticed excellent grammatical skills from the other homeschooling parents on this thread, by the way.

Brandie

 

[Keli]

I will admit that I know nothing about homeschooling, and that what I'm about to say is not meant to be rude or insulting, but I just couldn't let it go and don't know the best way to say it, so here it is: Besides all the reasons stated above by previous posters, and solely based upon all the misspellings in your original post (including the word "homeschool" in the title) I'm not sure that homeschooling is the best option in your case. I'm sorry and I'm truly not trying to offend, but it bothered me a lot.

Ok, you will now know I have little to no ability to spell since other than the pretty obvious typo in the title (obvious IMHO since it was spelled correctly in the post) I couldn't find any other misspellings.
The thing is, I have a degree (BS), made presidential scholar in college and the dean's list repeatedly. But I can't spell very well at all and it's getting worse the older I get.
I also home-schooled my dd for five years of elementary/middle school. She did go to a public hs and came into the public high school at the top of her class (managed to graduate as an honor student four years later, home-schooling did her a world of good and didn't harm her educationally).

To the OP: You might consider giving your ds another shot at public school with some conditions to help keep him acting responsibly in regards to notes home, homework, etc. There are a lot of social benefits to mixing with your peers at that age and he will develop tools that could help him in his future, especially in the workforce.

 

[LadyShiva]

Ok, you will now know I have little to no ability to spell since other than the pretty obvious typo in the title (obvious IMHO since it was spelled correctly in the post) I couldn't find any other misspellings.
The thing is, I have a degree (BS), made presidential scholar in college and the dean's list repeatedly. But I can't spell very well at all and it's getting worse the older I get.
I also home-schooled my dd for five years of elementary/middle school. She did go to a public hs and came into the public high school at the top of her class (managed to graduate as an honor student four years later, home-schooling did her a world of good and didn't harm her educationally).

Is "Lifpac" the proper spelling of that educational material? And the grammar of the first sentence of the last paragraph also was problematic.

You mentioned you did homeschooling for elementary/middle school. NOT high school (specifically 9th grade!!!), where students are building their CV for college.

I don't disagree with homeschooling as a whole, but I think this mother would be better off (in most circumstances) letting her child excel in public school. Unfortunately, grammar and proper spelling IS important when writing essays for college applications.

Brandie

 

[CraftyMouse]

I don't know much about high school homeschool expect for the fact that entrance into college becomes tricker.

Actually it really isn't difficult for homeschooled students to gain entrance to college these days. Most colleges actually encourage homeschoolers to apply since they are often self-motivated, creative learners. In addition, most colleges have homeschool-specific criteria for admittance which makes it easier for homeschooled students to know exactly what they need to do to apply.

DD (and DS eventually) will have an official transcript from Laurel Springs, which will make things a bit easier for her, but even without that it would be fairly easy for her to apply to any school she is interested in.