My son will soon turn 16 and has had a difficult time in our small town school. Seeking info on homeschooling

Question

We live in a small community and my son has had a difficult time with peers. He's "non-traditional"....very bright, his own person and doesn't dress the "norm." Often times singled out or picked on, school has become more of a putdown than a learning experience. He will turn 16 in May and wants desperately to quit school. I'm seeking other options for him to be able to earn his high school diploma. Where do I begin? Homeschooling would be a great option. Is there financial aide available to assist. I'm a single mother.

Answer 1

My suggestion?  Keep him in school.  It will teach him social skills for dealing with life.

Life isnt easy and pampering him and protecting him from life is not always the best way...it shrouds them from learning to deal with it and can damage their social skills later.

The business world is cutthroat and there will be noone there to protect him then.  I strongly encourage you to help him adjust better and keep him in school instead of teaching him to hide and run away from it.

Answer 2

The guy who said, "Homeschooling is very bad for any kid. It does not help a person's socializing patterns. It isolates a person from the world. The child we be looked down by others. No parent wants this to happen to their kids.” is a nutjob.

What exactly is a “socializing pattern”? That is a pathetic attempt to sound scientific if I ever heard one. I took Developmental Psych and hubby took Social Psych. That term does not exist. We homeschool and have NONE of those made up problems. If you isolate yourself, you will be isolated. If you get out and join the fun in your given community, you won’t be. Rather than our kid being looked down on, she often receives complements on her manners, vocabulary, gregarious nature, sense of humor and style. Anyone ignorant enough to judge a child or youth negatively based solely on where they are educated is not a person whose esteem is worth having.

There are many different ways to approach homeschooling. Look up your state laws and then look into the methods and curriculums that will best benefit your son. You can do this. It may not be a cake walk, but it can be done.

People who are telling you to grin and bear the abuse are wrong! That your son is leaving a bad situation is further proof of his strength and intelligence. Don't let him ruin his future by dropping out. Homeschool and maybe even dual enrolment in community college are great options.

Good luck, Mama. You’re doing the right thing.

Answer 3

I haven't heard of financial aid for homeschoolers, but you can homeschool for practically free using library books as your teaching tools.

www.rainbowresource.com has a large selection of books, so you might be able to find some that suit your price range.

You could also try half.com, ebay's textbook website.  It mostly offers used college textbooks, but he might be ready for some college material anyway.

There are also video programs and online homeschooling, but I've never done either of those, so I can't tell you much about them.

He could start taking community college courses, too, and get ahead of the game.  I started community college while finishing a few homeschool subjects during what was technically my senior year of high school.

If you are interested in the legality of homeschooling, go to www.hslda.org.  You can search by your state and find out everything you need to know.

You should also check local newspapers to see if there are any meetings listed for homeschool groups, or call the library to see if there are any homeschool groups around - sometimes they know, or at least know of other local homeschoolers you could contact.

If you do find a homeschool group, try to get him involved with the activities and the kids there.  Homeschooled kids are generally a lot more accepting of people who are a little bit "different" than public schooled kids are.  He might make some friends.

Since your son has already gone through some high school, if you want to keep him on track with his peers, you can ask the school if they would allow your son to rent the textbooks for the year the same way the other students do.  However, he seems like he might be a better candidate to pursue his own interests as far as study subjects go.

I hope this helps you to get a start on things.  Good luck!

Answer 4

depending on where u live u can go online and research on the schools in the state ur in and to let u breathe easier alot of homeschool programs are free.anyquestions let me know i will see what else i can do for u.otherwise keep me updated

Answer 5

I don't now what state your from but write and call to your local state senator. Tell them the same thing...in PA they have funded home schools....they even will give you a computer.

Answer 6

Homeschooling is very bad for any kid. It does not help a person's socializing patterns. It isolates a person from the world. The child we be looked down by others. No parent wants this to happen to their kids. I went to a school where they asked me to wear a uniform do the national anthem in the morning. It is not good. When you come to a place like the states where there is enough resources being spent by the govt to utilize on education. Go ahead & do it. Stop home schooling, stop acting the government. Free the jailbirds. Let them free themselves. Liberty man that is what the states is, no more home schooling!!!!!! American kids go to diff countries and see the world man let it be that way so they know the dangers of lives in other countries. Governments of other countries should not exploit or utilize American children. We should always pride ourselves in what we have.

Answer 7

Start by connecting with a local HS'ing group.  You may have to join one in a larger town nearby.  (Our HS co-op has people from an eight-county area.)

Then find out what your son's learning style is.  You can check out HS'ing books about this.  You'll want to fit the curriculum to his style.

There is no financial aid for HS'ing.  *Unless* you live in a state with a public virtual charter school.  They are "free" (normal cost of school fees) and usually provide you with all the materials, a computer, a printer, and sometimes reimburse your internet fees.  They are *still* a public school, but you as the parent oversee their work and you'll have an assigned teacher from the school to go to for help.  If there are virtual schools, they are probably closed to enrollment this late in the year, but you may be able to enroll in the fall.

Read every book you can get your hands on (may have to do inter-library loan).  Attend a HS'ing convention in your state.  Visit HS'ing activities in your area.  These will help you in your decision.

I, too, would do exactly as you're thinking if my child would be in a public school.  One of the reasons he isn't is that he also marches to the beat of a different drummer than the general PS'ed kid.

Answer 8

HOW TO START

The first thing you should look into is the home schooling laws for your state. Laws vary and you must know what is required of you when you become your child’s educator. We hope you’ve found a local home schooling support group already. Check with them to see what they’ve learned regarding legal issues in your state.

In some places there are requirements that you inform the government of your intent to home school in order to avoid truancy questions. In some areas you may declare your home a private school and thereby be exempt from government interference. In other areas, you must be supervised by a cover school.

There is actually an organization called the Home school Legal Defense Association that can be very beneficial to you as a new home schooler. Check out their website at http://www.hslda.org to get information on legal issues that face home schoolers. Specific state requirements can be found here as well.

If your child has been attending public school, you’ll want to notify the school – in writing – that your child will be switching to home schooling. Notify them as soon as you’ve made the decision. By conveying this information in writing, you’ll avoid any problem with truancy laws in your state.

If your child has never been enrolled in your school district, no notification, registration, or reporting to anyone is necessary. Hard to believe, but true. If you’re uneasy about this, however, feel free to contact your local school district and let them know you are a home schooler.

Once your child has been officially withdrawn from the school system, public education system officials (including the Board of Education, the superintendent, the principal, and teachers) have no jurisdiction over your home schooled child.

School officials have no right, without a court order, to enter your home, or to review your lesson plans, assignments, or curriculum materials. Home schoolers are not required to provide any such materials at any time.

In the event that you haven’t already found a support group, we strongly urge you to make this your second step in the process. Most areas will have at least one local group you can turn to and become a member of.

Generally, support groups offer encouragement and help along the way. They can help with choosing curriculum, record keeping, meeting the state laws, and providing opportunities and activities for your child.

The website about.com provides a great list of support groups by state. The web address is:

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/suppor...

This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a great place to start!

There are so many other issues that need to be addressed in getting started home schooling your child. Each of these is important enough to deserve their own chapter in this book, so we’ll address each issue individually.

After you’ve taken care of the legal stuff, you need to focus on your child and helping him or her make the transition from public school to a home school. In home schooling circles, this is referred to as de-schooling.

Answer 9

This must be very difficult for you, ESPECIALLY as a single mom, ESPECIALLY in a small town, but how about teaching your son to deal with it?  I am all for individuality, but part of becoming an adult is learning to deal with challenges.   If he is being physically bullied, then you should quietly deal with that through legal and school counseling channels.   If he is so bright, he should be able to figure it out.  When he gets to college he'll have more freedom to be himself.

Answer 10

We homeschool our 15 year old son .  He was in public school through the 7th grade.

My husband and I work in the school system.

Homeschool works for us as we use lots of audio/video and leave assignments while we work.

The public schools do not want a 'drop out' on their reports and they are creating all kinds of programs to keep the kids in school.   We have a close friend  who dropped out 2 weeks before his 16th birthday.  His parents got him a job in a furniture factory and now, 3 months after dropping out of school, he is ready to get an education.  The school has contacted him about a new program of alternative school.  He will keep his job and go to school 3 nights a week.

We are so blessed to live in this modern age where achieving a diploma is easy, but more important than a diploma is getting an education.   They do not always mean the same thing.

Answer 11

There are some community colleges that could help him get his hs diploma.  Do an google search on home schooling.  There are sites out there that can  help you set up your school as well as homeschooling families in your area that can give you guidance.

In NC it takes about 30 days for the paperwork to clear the department of Ed.

Answer 12

Honsyley, it just sounds like the normal life of a teenager. When I was in High schooleveryone was picked on and made fun expect the popular kids.

But anyways, I', not sure what state you live in but in Florida  you can finsh all your high school online.

http://www.flvs.net/

Try looking into Penn foster it cost abot $600 to finsh the program. They mail you the books you or your son in this cause take the open book test and mail them back.

http://www.pennfoster.edu/diploma/

Also American Adamey of Pincrest is nice only $300  my husban went this route.

http://www.diplomaathome.com/contact.asp

Try going to goole and typing high school online or distance learning

Good Luck

Answer 13

Well, most schools offer on-line courses, you should first talk to a counsilor about that, then seek options for home-schooling.  There are even ways that a high school student can get high school AND college credit with the same class.  A senior at my school this year made 32 college credit, and this is in this year alone.  He cut the cost of his college educatiion in HALF!  None of those courses cost anything but the cost of books.

Yeah, go see a counsilor at your son's school first, they will help you.

Answer 14

If homeschool keeps him in school instead of dropping out, then by all means do it! First you need textbooks:The books are expensive, but there are plenty of resources for used books. First you can try ebay, you can also go to craigslist.org, and search for used textbooks, you can also go to a local bookstore that sells reused books, there's a chance you'll find them there.The ones I used to use were apologia (for science), saxon (math), abeka, and bju (english) press curriculums. Since your son is in highschool, as long as he is disciplined he should be able to do most of the work on his own. I really recommend looking for textbooks on your local craigslist.org though!

Answer 15

home schooling can be a great tool but not if missused. the thing may make him a bigger target if your town is that small.

  he can get a ged. if he does quit