Anyone's dc participate at local HS?

[briansmama]

My oldest is only 9yrs, but he's already talking about how he will play HS Football. Even if he isn't, he's very athletic-minded and loves team sports so I'm sure we will look into having him attend HS at least for sports (homeschoolers can do this in our area).

 

My question is this- for those of you who really wanted to homeschool your dc through HS, do your dc find it hard to participate only part-time or on a limited basis? Does the participation increase your dc interest in attending full-time?

 

I'm really interested. I love homeschooling and pray that I have more than 5 yrs left of it with my oldest. As of now, he likes homeschooling too.

[Lori D.]

My oldest is only 9yrs, but he's already talking about how he will play HS Football. Even if he isn't, he's very athletic-minded and loves team sports so I'm sure we will look into having him attend HS at least for sports (homeschoolers can do this in our area).

 

My question is this- for those of you who really wanted to homeschool your dc through HS, do your dc find it hard to participate only part-time or on a limited basis? Does the participation increase your dc interest in attending full-time?

 

I'm really interested. I love homeschooling and pray that I have more than 5 yrs left of it with my oldest. As of now, he likes homeschooling too.

 

 

 

I imagine this varies with every student and every school. Our DSs played on the local high school tennis team, and if anything, it pushed them even farther from wanting to go to public school and closer to homeschooling. They found the language and topics of discussion to get old really fast; they saw how tied down the students were time-wise with their class schedules and homework; and they realized they were able to participate in more extracurriculars of interest by homeschooling than if they had been in a school.

 

However, neither of our DSs is really big into high school socializing, and had plenty of friends outside of a school setting, so that aspect was not a draw to them. As far as scheduling -- the tennis season was 12 weeks; so we went heavier on the academics in the fall, and lighter in the spring during tennis season. You can also school year-round during the summer and do fewer credits during the school year to have more time to schedule sports.

 

BTW -- we had absolutely NO problems with homeschooling and doing sports with the school -- the school was very helpful and inclusive. BUT... tennis is not a very popular sport; it may have been very different if they had wanted to join baseball, football or basketball. Some schools have the policy of EVERY one of their students who signs up is on the play list before any homeschool student -- which means, your student can go and practice, and is "on" the team -- but will likely spend all of every game on the bench.

 

Other families we know have ended up with one, sometimes all, of the children at the high school -- but it was because it worked for them; sports participation was often just one piece of the whole picture.

 

For example: two of the three boys in one family were sad to stop homeschooling, but it was the only way they could play varsity basketball -- the school teams were so competitive they would not accept homeschoolers, so if those boys were going to play, they had to enroll at the high school; they were grades 11 and 12. Their younger brother has chosen to finish high school with homeschooling, rather than pursuing the sports.

 

Another family homeschooled all 4 boys all the way through -- except #2, who absolutely was bucking be at home and wanted some specific classes (his choice was NOT sports-related) available at the charter high school. He did grades 11 and 12 there, which worked great for him, and made home life for all a lot better. That family pursued sports through community soccer leagues, and a homeschool basketball league.

 

By high school, whether you are homeschooling or not, if your student is heavily into sports then you are probably part of a swim team, a soccer league, a softball club team, gymnastics at a gym... something much more intense, and often not even connected to a public high school. Homeschooling can work in your favor if this is the case, as school can be adjusted around the sports schedule and season, and the travel these sports require for regional tournaments.

 

Finally, if you are thinking DS will play sports in college, you'll need to be careful about your sports choices in high school. There are regulations for ALL high schoolers (public, private, homeschool) when it comes to sports eligibility for college. Look for posts by Sue in St. Pete -- she has a DS playing sports, homeschooling, and taking 1-2 classes at the high school, doing some dual enrollment, and doing 1-2 classes at home. She is keeping very careful records for her DS to participate in NCAA college sports.

 

BEST of luck in your sports/high school journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[briansmama]

Lori, thank you!!! Your post is so incredibly helpful to me (and to Dh, I'm sure). Our ds is already competitive in two sports and the other is not as popular as football (and there are teams for it at the local HS). You've given me a lot to think about in terms of benefits of encouraging that one over football, though ultimately, it will be up to ds.

 

I'm so glad I asked because I didn't realize sports choices in HS affect eligibility in college. I will search for Sue's posts to get an idea of what to expect in a few years.

 

Thank you again for sharing this!

 

[snowbeltmom]

My question is this- for those of you who really wanted to homeschool your dc through HS, do your dc find it hard to participate only part-time or on a limited basis? Does the participation increase your dc interest in attending full-time?

 

My oldest took a class at our local high school when he was 14 because he wanted to play on the school's tennis team with a friend from our neighborhood. My son's participation did not increase his interest in attending full-time at all. If anything, it further convinced us all that homeschooling is the better option for us.

 

I know your child is young, but if he progresses in his sports and thinks he wants to play in college, he may not even want to play for his high school team because the level of play will not be high enough. Many of the top players in many sports only play for their club teams even if they attend the local high school.

[briansmama]

Snowbelt Mom, I didn't know that. That's encouraging- I'm assuming those that do not play in HS but choose to play for club teams can still go on to play in college through NCAA?

 

How do I find out about clubs not affiliated with the local high school for the 2 NCAA sports ds is competing in?

 

Thank you!

[xixstar]

This was one of the reasons dd wanted to go to High School. She played soccer competitively but the options were getting more and more limited as she got older and really seemed to dry up as we looked at having a team for 9th grade. We don't have the option to play without enrolling. So that, along with a desire for more social interaction, were some of the bigger factor for going to school.

[Lori D.]

I didn't realize sports choices in HS affect eligibility in college.

 

 

Hi Briansmama,

I realize I mis-said this -- SORRY!

 

It's not so much a choice of sport that can affect college eligibility. What I meant was that some choices having to do with credits, materials used, etc., that you make during high school can affect sports eligibility with NCAA -- it's that you have to do/not do certain things in the schooling choices, have to maintain minimum GPA, and provide certain information. Public and private schools have to do this, too.

 

Here is a quick eligibility checklist for homeschoolers from the NCAA.

Here's a short article with links on NCAA and homeschoolers, by Lee Binz, of the HomeScholar website that has lots of resources for homeschool high school record keeping, transcripts, etc.

 

 

One thing I can add about choice of sports in high school -- a friend of our DSs went to private high school, and initially was playing one of the more popular sports, but didn't as much play-time and wasn't going to be good enough to play at the college level. Along about the junior year, he switched sports and joined the golf team -- a much less popular sport. By high school graduation, he was doing so well (there's just not as many student playing golf!), that he got a scholarship to a private college in CA based on the golf! So he not only got $$, but gets to play golf while at college. ;)

 

Of course, you want your DS to play the sport he's most passionate about, but... if he's equally enjoying several sports, you might look into your high school and college options for each and see which might be the option that gives him most play-time and possible scholarship $$!

[snowbeltmom]

Snowbelt Mom, I didn't know that. That's encouraging- I'm assuming those that do not play in HS but choose to play for club teams can still go on to play in college through NCAA?

 

How do I find out about clubs not affiliated with the local high school for the 2 NCAA sports ds is competing in?

 

Thank you!

 

 

I am not familiar with all of the sports, but in our area, some of the top kids in baseball, gymnastics, soccer, lacrosse and tennis do not play for their high school teams. I don't know what your son's second sport is, but I'll explain how tennis works in case someone may find it useful. This information I have listed below was received first-hand from college coaches:

 

1. The college coaches do not care one iota about a player's high school tennis season. All the college coaches are interested in is a player's "star rating."

 

2. The star rating is based solely on a player's U.S.T.A. tournament results. Because many states do not permit an athlete to participate in USTA tournaments while playing for his high school team, many kids elect to concentrate on their star rating rather than give up 12 weeks of tournament play. My son has a hitting partner who was not eligible to play for her high school team because she had advanced too far in the US Open and missed the opening of the high school season.

 

3. A player can register online for tournaments through the USTA website.

 

4. There are different levels of USTA tournaments: Local, regional, and national. Anyone can play a local tournament, but the regional and national tournaments are "closed" tournaments and selection is based on a player's USTA ranking.

 

5. There is a website called "tennisrecruiting.net" that all of the college coaches utilize. In addition to listing a player's "star rating" and tournament results, the coaches can access a student's academic page. On the academic page, the player can list his SAT, SAT II and AP test results. Many Ivy and top Div III academic schools' coaches conduct searches utilizing the academic stats. page.

 

6. The website also lets the players see which coaches have been following his tournament results.

 

7. The coaches cannot officially begin contacting students until the summer of their junior year. However, the coaches can contact the parent before then and ask the parent to relay a message to the child.

 

8. The admissions process can be accelerated for an athlete. My son knows a handful of juniors who have already committed to an Ivy league or top Div I school!

 

9. Navigating the whole athletic piece of the admissions process makes the homeschooling part look like a piece of cake.

[AK_Mom4]

Dd19 homeschooled her senior year with all her academics, but took music and German at the high school. It worked out great because she had the time to really concentrate on her music that year. She also played softball in the spring (no fall sport due to knee surgery)

 

DS17 homeschooled thru jr high, but did band classes at the local school. DD11 will do the same thing next year when she starts 7th grade. She may choose to join the ski team, too depending on which team her friends ski on next fall. We live close to both the junior and senior high schools, so it is convenient.

 

Music and foreign language classes have been great - I would end up outsourcing those two anyway and the sports option is nice.

[heritagelearningacademy]

interesting thread. We have a 7th grader and have been wondering how this works. our son plays soccer and it used to be that you had to take 2 classes on campus to be eligible. Now, they have changed things and you have to take all of you core classes there. They have an online academy so if you don't want to come to campus, you do the online. No exceptions.

 

It is very sad to see a limiting of inclusion for us.

 

We are in the process of figuring things out for the future.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I wish we could do that in NC. When we lived in WA State, they allowed students to take classes at the high school and participate in sports, etc. In our state, there is a division of departments and no lines can be crossed. In other words, unless you are fully enrolled, you cannot take just a class or two or play sports, etc. :(

[kewb]

My 9th grader participated on the high school swim team this year. It was not easy. Mine is the first homeschooler on the team. I had to battle the school district to allow him to try out. Other then my dealings with administration it was a positive experience for him-he even earned a varisty letter.

 

It has not made him want to go to high school. All of his friends are constantly telling him he should go. Being part of the team met his social butterfly needs and that was the goal for us.

[mckive6]

My DD participated in cc and indoor track, and is in preseason for outdoor track, at the local high school this year. She loves it, and it gives her a reason to finish her schoolwork on time. Of course, there are trade-offs, like 2 to 2and 1/2 hour practices every day and half day meets on the weekends, but altogether it has been a positive experience. In our town, it's not required to take classes there (though she is taking an art class), so that's good for us, plus the girls on the team and the coaches are outstanding- which made our decision easy. Sports haven't affected DD's love of homeschooling either. However, like many other people have said, it really depends on your particular high school and the sport. Your son is still young, but a little further down the road you may want to start looking at the coaches at the school, and the kids on the team-to see if the fit is right for your son. Participating in a preseason might help you decide as well. Hope this helps! :)

 

[Sunshine State Sue]

My question is this- for those of you who really wanted to homeschool your dc through HS, do your dc find it hard to participate only part-time or on a limited basis? Does the participation increase your dc interest in attending full-time?

 

Ds played on the basketball team without taking any classes at the middle/high school in 7th, 8th, 9th grade. He really wanted to take at least some classes in 10th grade and up at PS. He may have wanted to go full-time, but that was absolutely not an option due to the low academic standards at the school. We compromised on Spanish and an elective. I had heard that the Spanish teacher at CC was tough, and I was nervous about how well ds would do in Spanish at CC anyway. Ds also started at CC in 10th grade. It's free here for hs'ers in 10th-12th grade.

 

I think that ds feels a bit "odd man out" on the basketball team, even though there have been 1 or 2 other hs'ers and some of his teammates are in the IB program which is virtually separated from the rest of the PS. I know he has had conversations with a (girl) friend who is on the girl's basketball team but also taking classes at CC. They joke about trying to explain how they are taking college classes while still in high school to not-so-bright high schoolers. They joke about how they can spell. They joke about being the only white kids on the basketball court. They don't notice that they are among the few who live with both mother and father. He says he likes going to PS because there are kids his age. The average age at CC is much older. He says at least the students at CC care (ie. students don't care at PS). The PS teachers absolutely LOVE him.

 

I am grateful that our PS (FL in general) is open to hs'ers in PS sports. It's really really important to ds (and dh).

 

HTH!

[J-rap]

Know that once you get involved at the PS, your schedule will no longer be your free, flexible schedule anymore! We were used to going on family vacations in the fall, driving to visit relatives during the week, etc. We loved our freedom to be flexible! By the time our son was late middle school aged, however, we could see how important it would be for him to be involved with sports. (The social part wasn't important to him, he just wanted the sports part and seemed to really need the challenge of pushing himself in exercise.)

 

So, that's what got us started. Eventually, all of our kids ended up taking a class or two at the PS (once in high school) -- such as choir or foreign language (although some did foreign language at home or online). They were also involved in after school activities such as theater (and sports). It worked out really well for us. But, I think our school system is very, very unique. The PS has no restrictions at all on homeschoolers. My kids can come and go whenever they please, and the school is happy to have them. We are close enough for my kids to ride there on their bikes. We are fortunate that it all worked out so smoothly and easily, otherwise I don't know if we would have done it.

[angela in ohio]

My girls both do. My oldest takes one class so that the school will pay for her CC classes. My middle takes a few classes, because she wanted to play softball. In MI, the rules require 2/3 attendance. We managed to get mostly electives for her (Band, PhysEd - which she loves,) but she does take Chem and Calc there, too. The school lets them participate in anything else they want to, and they have been very nice. They invited them both to the Honor Roll breakfast, dd has gone to dances, and oldest is captain of their quiz bowl team. They have both taken the state tests there, which didn't bother us and made the school happy.

 

The downside is the lack of flexibility in our schedule, though that tends to disappear in high school anyway. :D My girls miss a lot of school for events and travel, and the school is great about that, but our daily schedule is less easy. They were old enough and mature enough that other possible downsides haven't been an issue at all: profanity, disrespect, sexual talk, etc.

 

Socially, they are having a great time. I think they are a novelty of something. Middle always seems to have a crowd around her there, and she has made great friends in band. She tutors many of the students, so that helps, too.

[magic]

I have two in highschool. My sophomore has attended public school since 7th grade and is actively involved in sports and clubs. My freshman wanted to continue being homeschooled but also wanted to participate in sports. Our district allows him to participate in sports without taking any classes at the school. His fee is 150% of the fee for public school attendees and we must fill out required paperwork. It has worked well for us. He is currently in track and enjoying his athletic experience. He lettered in cross country in the fall and received a letterjacket for Christmas. He likes being part of the team.