swainsonshawk Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 It's so hard to take. I make all these good homeschooling friends and they all quit homeschooling one by one. It makes me sad and makes me want to quit making friends. They are still my friends, but without that BIG thing in common, it's less fun to get together with them. How do I find a group of people to homeschool with who won't quit on me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Maybe it's just a cyclical thing? Of ALL the homeschoolers I have known/met/interacted with...(not online, have no clue what their statuses are)...let me think here...know I've met over 200 families for sure.. one, two, three...that's it and I had to think really hard!! One only homeschooled for one year (it just wasn't her thing) and the other put theirs in for high school, and the last has six children and she's trying a private school where they offered her free tuition if she taught their language classes....I'm not sure she'll like getting all her kids up at 6am every morning! :) So, with that said, I say move to Alabama! Not many seem to get out of it here! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 They are still my friends, but without that BIG thing in common, it's less fun to get together with them. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swainsonshawk Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I guess it's less fun because I have less in common and therefore less to talk about. Maybe people don't do it around you, but parents with kids in public school talk A LOT about what their kids are doing in school and how great it is (I'm sure glossing over the negative things). It's especially hard because a lot of my sisters in law tried homeschooling and stopped, and have a "been there, done that" attitude about it all--they've moved beyond and have found something better and they want me to come too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 It's so hard to take. I make all these good homeschooling friends and they all quit homeschooling one by one. It makes me sad and makes me want to quit making friends. They are still my friends, but without that BIG thing in common, it's less fun to get together with them. How do I find a group of people to homeschool with who won't quit on me? :iagree: We don't have ANY left. All have chosen public school with the exception of the only friend who actually homeschooled all the way to graduation. It just seems that for whatever reason, the confidence to continue for many moms is waning. Or maybe it's just a season...but whatever the reason it really is a bummer :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I have had similar experiences :grouphug: It's not that we like those friends any less, but that the thing that drew you together is lost. When your friends children are in school, there is no chance to squeeze in a get-together during the day where the kids can hang out & the moms can have coffee. I am much less apt to take time out during my day for just myself to get together with a friend while my kids do school work or play. :grouphug::grouphug: I know how you feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am one of those who quit homeschooling. I made the decision a week ago. My daughters are in 11th and 8th grade. Different season in our lives now. They are SO happy to be in public school though. I wish I had my older one start public school in 9th. She has missed out on so many experiences. We NEVER knew a single other homeschooler ever in our area, so we have always been on our own. That is one of the reasons I put them back into school. They were too isolated and lonely. I have such a good outlook on it. I AM happy too for the first time in a few years. I know this sounds selfish, but I have my life back, my kids are happy and it's the best thing for us now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am one of those who quit homeschooling. I made the decision a week ago. My daughters are in 11th and 8th grade. Different season in our lives now. They are SO happy to be in public school though. I wish I had my older one start public school in 9th. She has missed out on so many experiences. We NEVER knew a single other homeschooler ever in our area, so we have always been on our own. That is one of the reasons I put them back into school. They were too isolated and lonely. I have such a good outlook on it. I AM happy too for the first time in a few years. I know this sounds selfish, but I have my life back, my kids are happy and it's the best thing for us now. Thanks for sharing. My oldest is heading to the local public high school as a full-time student in a few weeks. He loved his French class he took there this past year (he worked hard and earned straight A's) and was so apathetic to home-learning, that I feel that it is time for him to go. He is very excited and happy to be going. However, I feel like a failure.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Thanks for sharing. My oldest is heading to the local public high school as a full-time student in a few weeks. He loved his French class he took there this past year (he worked hard and earned straight A's) and was so apathetic to home-learning' date=' that I feel that it is time for him to go. He is very excited and happy to be going. However, I feel like a failure....[/quote'] DON'T feel like a failure! OMG NO! You are doing what you feel is best for your kid, that does not make you a failure. That makes you smart to know what is best for your child. You sound like a very loving mom! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccmom Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I wish I had some homeschooling friends. All of my kids' friends go to ps. Our homeschooling friends are quite a drive from us. My small town homeschooling community stinks, for lack of a better word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am one of those who quit homeschooling. I made the decision a week ago. My daughters are in 11th and 8th grade. Different season in our lives now. They are SO happy to be in public school though. Yowzer, your school starts early! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 :grouphug: I haven't personally had this happen to me, but I do feel a little ill every time someone here on the boards decides to leave homeschooling. I feel like, "If THEY couldn't hack it, what makes me think I can??" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swainsonshawk Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I wish I could find more homeschooling support, here, too. But what I get is: I put my kids in public school, and now I feel GREAT! Where's the support in that? Thanks for all the hugs and sympathy. At least I know I'm not alone. Now, only if you all lived closer. . . . Really, maybe it's bad to try to homeschool high school. It seems like no one does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 In our homeschool group we get a lot of people who do it for a year or less, usually as a response to major school issues. Then there is the crowd who do it in the early years, but once the material gets harder and/or the hormones hit, they bail. At the moment, I know of only one other person who is homeschooling a high school student independently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 :grouphug: This just happened to us today. My middle dd's homeschool girl scout leader just enrolled her daughters in her local middle school. They live quite a distance from us so we see each other at homeschool functions: art co-ops, scouts, field trips etc.. I even kept her girls overnight after the art co-op so she could go to work every single week on Wednesdays. They were that close. It is sad. I know the girls will go their separate ways. I also know that God will provide another best friend for my daughter; it just hurts now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I wish I could find more homeschooling support, here, too. But what I get is: I put my kids in public school, and now I feel GREAT! Where's the support in that? Thanks for all the hugs and sympathy. At least I know I'm not alone. Now, only if you all lived closer. . . . Really, maybe it's bad to try to homeschool high school. It seems like no one does it. :iagree: WE ARE!! Homeschooling high school that is. A few families here too---but not many. I think high school is MORE important than the little kid years for just a multitude of reasons---and you CAN do it at home! You don't have to do CC, obtain a BA or PHd during high school---you can give a solid, college prep high school base at home. So many resources out there too----online, DVD etc. I have 2 wonderful IRL friends who did 100% homeschooling through graduation that I still keep in touch with ( but obviously not as regularly) which is nice. But my main support is online--because everyone else has either thrown in the towel or lost confidence. I think the subtle undermining of homeschooling as the 'best' choice all the way through high school confidence has been very successful and it makes me really sad, because even though high school is undeniably challenging to implement at home---the results are worth every challenging, lonely, exhausting, sometimes boring days ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I know. I feel your pain. But I am doing the same thing you are, just a few states away. And barring death or MAJOR catastrophe (can't even quite fathom what would qualify), I will be continuing through high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Relatively early in my homeschool days I had a really good friend who put her kids in school after we had spent a couple of years doing everything together. I cried and cried, I felt like she was breaking up with me. It was rough. It has gotten somewhat easier since then, because it has become more expected. The older the kids get the more often it happens.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 It usually happens in high school, but often in middle school. It hasn't happened often in elementary school. My oldest did try ps for 6th and 7th grades, but then came back to hsing. My middle dd has never (and will never) be in ps. She's an 11th grader this year. If she went to ps, she'd have to start over as a 9th grader because they won't accept hs credits. High school is an all-or-nothing thing here. My youngest still might try high school, but I really don't know. I can't see it being good for her. She's the one with anxiety and depression. She was going to try ps this year for 8th grade at the charter school that a couple of her friends were going to, but then some stuff happened at that school and she wanted nothing to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) That is hard! I've been very diligent in pursuing friendships for my kids and have done a lot of work to make the time for other moms and their children so we wouldn't be alone. Unfortunately, there seem to be fewer opportunities to meet new homeschoolers as my children get older, and some of our friends will drop homeschooling when high school hits. Part of the problem is that we live in an area where you can't put your child into high school part way through. If you homeschool for 9th and 10th and it doesn't work out, your child has to start out again in 9th grade. This scares people, so they put their kids in school. The other problem is that there aren't enough social activities, IMO. Everything is about academics, so there are expensive coops to join where the kids can basically be in school all day on Fridays, but there aren't many opportunities to just hang out and have fun together. I wouldn't even mind a coop all day on Friday if I could afford it, but then the outside classes will take over our whole course load. I want to tailor my kids' education to their specific needs and not be stuck with what the local coop is offering. I was recently telling my husband that I can understand why people start to jump ship. The efficiencies of elementary school end, so the school day becomes long and it gets more and more difficult to connect with people. We are in it for the long haul, though. My kids both want to continue homeschooling and I'm just going to have to keep reaching out and finding ways to continue making new friends. Lisa Edited August 13, 2011 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (((L2S))), You've shared some of your struggles both on the boards and privately. I'm so glad that this is a good option for you, for your family, right now. It was great while it lasted, it was a blessing to be able to do it when you did and have that time with your girls. This is a new season in your life! I am praying for a continued great transition, along with the other changes I know you have going on. :grouphug: Thanks Kristine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Homeschooling high school around my area is "no man's land" too. Most kids start at high school back at the ps because the school will not accept any credits from homeschooling. It is sad to see them all leave. Sometimes I feel like the last one left at the party... It's late and I'm just feeling emotional tonight. I shoulda just deleted my pity party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 It thins out a bit in middle school. And then the ranks really thin in high school. I really appreciate the high school boards here and of course the K- 8 board for the younger ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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