How can I convince them?

Question

I absolutely hate school. I know alot of people say this but I do absolutely hate school. I don't hate it because I have to wake up early or because of the teachers and work I hate it because of the other students there. I've always wanted to be home schooled. Also because I think home schooled kids get a better education. But my grandparents(who i live with) won't even think about homeschooling me or getting me a tutor or something. How can I convince them to think about it?

Answer 1

You may not be able to. People become set in their ways as they get older. Keep in mind that homeschooling was virtually unheard of when your parents were growing up and illegal in most states. They are probably concerned that the academics in homeschool programs will not prepare you for life, or that you won't be able to get into college. They may even be concerned that homeschooling is not really legal.

Your best chance for convincing them is to find out their concerns and do the research yourself. Then present your findings to them.  Include lots of research on the academic advantages of homeschooling and a list of colleges and universities which accept homeschool graduates.

Also, present a plan for your homeschooling program: what curriculum(s) will you use? What activities will you be involved in? What are the homeschool groups in the area and what resources can they provide?

Answer 2

They may not feel ready to take on the responsibility or the work of lesson plans and meeting the state regulations for your education.  Try looking into Connections Academy with them. it is a public school online. You graduate with a degree from a real public school. All the lesson plans and materials are provided and you report to a real teacher.  Your grandparents would just have to monitor you a little bit on timed tests or help you with a few assignments (just like regular school). you may have to travel to another location for the standardized state/national tests a few times a year.

Talk calmly with them about the situation, why you want to do school from home, then listen to what their concerns are and try to address them just as calmly. Show them you can be responsible about doing your work. Don't get angry or in a big fight with them during the discussion. Then let them think about it, don't push too hard or they may close down completely to the idea. Most importantly, respect their decision and do your best in school no matter where you attend. You can do extra learning on your own by, checking out books on topics you are interested in from the library, taking classes from the community college or community recreation program. If they are concerned about your social education (interacting with others) explain that you can get that social education even better at a dance class, or a sports team through community programs, because you will be doing something you enjoy with other people who enjoy the same thing.

Answer 3

I would start researching it and give your gp's the info on what you find. Another great resource if you have one in your state is a Homeschool convention. This is typically where you can listen to motivational speakers, check out homeschool curriculum and lots of other neat stuff. It may be that your gp's either feel like they are inferior and won't be able to teach you. There are some great dvd programs out there. They can be fairly pricey but are worth the investment if they aren't interested in doing the schooling themselves with you. But one very important thing is that when you homeschool 2 people learn, you and the parent/gp/teacher. Also look into a homeschool support group in your area. This may give you the most information as things vary by state.

Answer 4

The only chance you would have at them possibly changing their minds is to understand *why* they're against it, then you might tackle those specific issues. Do know that they may be too old to entertain the idea of something different from what they grew up with or had their children grow up with. They may have had too many years believing in the benefits of public school to ever be convinced otherwise.

If you find yourself stuck in school, just live in your own world while you're there. Pay attention to the teachers and all that, but just block out everything else. It may not be the ideal situation, but learning to be above it is better than doing nothing at all.

H

Answer 5

Do some research online about homeschoolers - how many there are, how much higher they score on tests, etc. You can also find out current test scores for your district, including how many students test below average and what the drop out rates are.

Google famous homeschoolers. Your grandparents might be surprised at who's on the list (including all 4 presidents on Mt. Rushmore).  Homeschooling is NOT a new thing.  It's been around for centuries.

Check out some books from the library on homeschooling (and try leaving some lying around the house for your grandparents to see ;)  Casually drop interesting tidbits into conversations (it worked on my husband).  

Check out some homeschooling groups in your area.  You can find plenty through Yahoo groups (type in your city or state and "homeschooling" and you should get mutliples). Find out what kind of activities they have.  Many have classes, field trips, even proms.  This may help your grandparents to see that you won't be spending your teenage years holed up in your room.

You can also see if there is homeschooling charter schools in your area.  You're enrolled as a public school student, they give you the curriculum and you do it at home.  Many of these also have classes, too, like art, music, science, etc. This may not be your perfect idea of homeschooling, but it might make a good transition for your grandparents. Once they see that you *can* do it at home (and succeed) they may be more willing to let you branch out later on.