Homeschooling and costs?

Question

I am living in Ontario and i started high school 2 months ago and I try to get out of school as much as possible. I dread going to school everyday I thought I would love it but I hate it. I am looking into homeschooling but can't seem to find anything, a lot of it is really expensive. another thing my mom doesn't want me to be homeschooled and I need to know how to convince her.

Answer 1

If you're looking for an easy way out than homeschooling isn't for you. It's not easy if that's what you think, but I don't know what you think so..yeah. haha.

Try looking on K12.com or connectionsacadem.com ... Thsoe are some free online learning sites that may be available to you..but  not sure.. You'll have to check them out.

Oh, and, hslda.com is a site that could give you states laws and such.

And the convicing her part. You need to do alot of research and find things that would make her like homeschooling better. Maybe do a search for the pros and cons of homeschooling and present them to her. And warning, don't rush her into the decision... Parents hate that. Talk to her in a

in an appropiate manner when trying to convice, don't get mad when she says no...That makes it worse. It takes time to convince her and even in the end you might not be able to convince.

Answer 2

go to www.hslda.org to check out your state's laws. There are many different ways to be homeschooled. Your school may have a program or you can teach yourself with books from the library. I used library books for my studies and occasionally bought a $20 book when I wanted to.

Sometimes it just takes awhile to work on parents. They are afraid of what people will say...homeschooling a kid can be scary. She doesn't want to take a chance on runining your life. Just do your research and talk to her about it. Write down the reason why you want to be homeschooled and give her time to make up her mind. Show her that you can be responsible for your education.

Answer 3

The cost of homeschooling depends on you (and your local laws).

I know some people who spend thousands of dollars each year on expensive textbooks and pre-packaged curriculum, computer programs, classes, etc.  

And I know others (us included) who spend very little on materials.  We use the public library system a lot.  We use a lot of free resources (locally and on the internet).  We've gotten textbooks free from our school district that were beaten up but still useable.  We buy used books and things inexpensively at Homeschool Group curriculum sales, yard sales, thrift stores, online, etc.  And we use a lot of creativity in figuring out inexpensive ways to do things that we want to do.

Generally, the expensive stuff tends to be very convenient and already set up for you.  The inexpensive stuff tends to take time to find, organize, or create.  So it will partly depend on how much time and energy you are willing to put into it.  If you are willing to put in the time and energy, you can get a great education with little more than access to a public library.

Convincing your mom will depend on what her reasons against homeschooling are.  You probably need to start by figuring out why she doesn't want you to be homeschooled.  Once you know her reasons against homeschooling, then you can figure out how to convince her that homeschooling can work for you.

If she thinks that you won't get a good education, you could start by figuring out a plan for what you could study.  Plan out curriculum for yourself--topics that you'll study, books you'll read...  Find out about local laws and what you'd need to do to comply.  Gather information about homeschooled students who've gotten into great colleges, or started successful businesses, or had successful careers.  Gather information about local colleges and what they would require of a homeschooled student for admission.

If she's worried that you'll be a social misfit, find articles about homeschooling and socialization.  HSLDA is a religiously based homeschooling organization in the US that has a good article on its website about this issue.  Or search the web for others.  Find out about local organizations where you can get together with other local homeschoolers.  Find out about clubs or organizations that you can participate in, volunteer at, or intern for.

If she's worried that you're giving up on high school too soon, you may need to make it clear what your reasons for disliking high school are.  Make it clear that they aren't reasons that are silly or childish, that you've clearly thought this through, that you have a plan for the future that you want to work on, that you're not just whining.  Show how mature you can be by typing up a plan of what you want to do, the work you'll put into reaching your goals.  Show that you aren't just being a lazy bum by working hard on planning this and in other areas of your home life.  

If she thinks that you won't do any work, show her that you can be mature and hardworking.  Do your chores regularly without waiting to be told.  Set up a plan for what you'll do when; have a written plan or calendar out where she can see that you've got a plan and are checking off things as you do them--without nagging from her.  Look for some extra jobs around the house that you can take on and then start doing them on a regular basis, so that she will see you as being responsible and mature enough to stick with a homeschooling plan.

If she's worried that you'll be limiting your options for the future, show her how you'll work on a good general education while also working on your own specific goals (because parents often realize that goals in life can change over time and they want you to have an education that will work for you even if you drastically change your ideas about what you want out of life).

If she works and can't be home to supervise you, then come up with a plan for someone else to supervise you during the day.  Find a relative that you can stay with.  Or another homeschooling family that you can pay (in money or with work) to watch over you.  Or figure out some other arrangement that will work.

Perhaps consider making a deal with her.  Try setting up a contract with a trial period.  Lay out goals that you'll accomplish through homeschooling within a certain period (say 6 months or a year)--with some goals that are what you'd like and some that will keep her happy.  Agree to go back to regular school if you don't meet the goals by the end of the trial period.

Or consider trying to do both your regular school and homeschooling in the afternoon for a while.  Set up your own homeschooling program and work on it in the evenings and weekends.  Let her see that you are serious about an education and that you would learn without a school standing over you--that you aren't just trying to run away from learning.

Be persistent--don't give up right away; it may take time.  Be polite--usually rudeness will just make a parent mad and quit listening.  Express yourself--calmly, politely explain all of your reasons against school and for homeschooling.   Be sensitive--don't make her feel that she's being attacked, especially when she's tired or in a bad mood, or she'll get defensive and dig in her heels.  If you're religious, pray about it.  Try dropping regular hints--like leaving articles about homeschooling (or the terrible state of the local schools) around where she can find them, or getting books on homeschooling from the library and leaving them where she can see them, or making quick mentions of things you've read recently about homeschooling or about homeschool events locally or about homeschooling students.

Mostly, by this point in your life, you should have a lot of experience in trying to convince your mom.  Think about what has convinced her in the past and what hasn't worked.  Use that knowledge to plan your strategy.   And don't give up.

Good luck.