Why do people plan to stop HS in high school?

[summerreading]

I'm just wondering since I hear this so much. Parents plan to homeschool through middle school and then send them to high school.

I can imagine the social needs get more complex at this point. Is this the biggest reason?

[Jean in Newcastle]

The academic needs get much more complex as well.  It's doable.  And it can even be fun.  But it does take focus and planning.  And some would prefer that it comes with a school diploma.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

The academic needs get much more complex as well.  It's doable.  And it can even be fun.  But it does take focus and planning.  And some would prefer that it comes with a public school diploma instead of a homeschool one.

[Mergath]

Obviously we're way, way far away from that, but I've always said I'm going to let dd decide when she hits ninth grade, mostly because the local high school will have more resources for things like science, foreign language, art, etc. than we do, and my high school math skills are iffy.

[Erica in OR]

We're contemplating it in part because they offer free dual enrollment opportunities at the local community college, so there'd be a chance to earn college credit while still in high school.

 

Erica in OR

[Mom in High Heels]

James Bond wants the boys to go to high school.  He feels that it's an important part of growing up, but I have no idea why.  He hated high school.  I think I'll leave it up to Indy.  If he decides to stay home, he'll probably do an online school, because while I know it's doable, I'm not sure I can do it all, PLUS Han Solo will be starting Kindergarten, and that takes up a lot of time.

[Tap]

Accountability, subjects that the parent feels uncomfortable teaching and credits are the three biggest ones.

 

People are often concerned that their teens aren't held to high enough standards in the home school.  Many parents are a bit loose on timelines and making kids do things like run spell check, double space, put their name on a paper, give oral presentations etc.  They want someone else to enforce those standards so that when the student goes to college they are already used to due dates meaning something, proper layout and editing being a vital part of the grade,  and content being high enough quality.  I am not saying that the items are missed in home schools or that high schools teach it better....I am just giving examples that I have heard, from people who make this choice. 

 

Some parents didn't do well in high school are are frightened off by Calculus, Biology, Art or any other of the states requirements for graduation.  Especially if they have a gifted child.  My son outpaced me in 10th grade doing AP Chem, Pre-calc and Spanish 3.  I could have taught him at home, but it would have been straight from a text book with very little to offer him in the form of dialogue.  I couldn't discuss the topics only teach what the book was teaching.  That sounds very boring to me,especially for a child who wanted to be math/science major.  I had stopped at Geometry and Bio in high school, so I had nothing to offer him.

 

 

Others are scared off by the paper work for credits and making sure all the details are in place, so their kid can graduate and go to college.  Some states make it easy, others require a tremendous amount of documentation, portfolio review and have to have a third party oversee the year.  People who may want to move to another state in high school are especially weary because they don't know how the new state will handle the home school transcript. 

 

 

I hear fewer people say this, but I know some who really loved high school and want their child to have a similar experience. 

 

 

 

[Kate in Arabia]

Removed, because the more I thought about it, my comment was more about expat schooling experiences than home school experiences...

 

[amyrobynne]

I'm planning on it (although my oldest is only in 4th) because my husband teaches at a great Catholic prep school (pre-k to 12th) and the reasons we pulled the boys after 3rd/1st don't apply by high school. I know they'll have great teachers, a religious education, and honors classes in a small environment. I didn't like high amounts of homework for 7 year olds but I expect that by 9th grade. From what I can tell, homeschooling high school often involves community college and/or tutoring and/or a different feel than the sit on the couch around your siblings that is important to me with my grade schoolers. Knowing we have an inexpensive private school that fits our needs seems silly to pass up.

[Tap]

.

[Laura Corin]

For us: at that stage Calvin needed to bounce ideas off more people - both adults and children.  He already knew my brain inside and out, and there wasn't any community college equivalent that made sense for him.  He'd done some online courses, but they hadn't offered the back-and-forth stimulation he needed.

 

L

[Pawz4me]

We let ours decide, and they both chose to go to public school for high school.  Oldest said he felt he needed the competition of being around other smart kids his own age to spur him to do his best and not get academically lazy.  Youngest never did really give any reason, but I think he was getting very lonely at home.  There are no good secular co-ops around here. We didn't really fit in with the religious ones, plus their academics were a complete joke and field trips were usually for younger kids.  So it was really hard finding social outlets for him.  I think attending high school has been very beneficial for both of them (although youngest is really just getting started, so maybe too early to decide on that).  Learning to be out on their own, deal with multiple teachers, navigate the "system" themselves, etc.

[Night Elf]

My reason? It's hard and the responsibility so great that it's scary. It's fine to screw up in elementary school. There is no room for error in high school. My oldest wasn't even homeschooled until 11th grade. Then she went crazy with the less stringent rules and didn't graduate until she was almost 20. My second child is still homeschooled, but we use an accredited high school program because I couldn't assume the responsibility I just mentioned. He probably won't graduate until late 18 or early 19 years old, and I'm worried that's being generous. My third was too worried she wouldn't graduate in normal time and that doing high school without a teacher and peers would not be good for her. She started public school in 9th grade. I have been homeschooling 13 years now. I have regrets about homeschooling high school. It hasn't and isn't working out the way it seems to do for others. But we're just making the best of it.

[bettyandbob]

This really depends on academic goals, quality of school, individual child needs, etc., etc....What is good for my family may not fit another family. I know families that homeschooled one child all the way and sent others to public school based on the child's needs. Whether you have BTDT or are looking down the road, be careful not to criticize or sound judgemental of a decision.

 

Ds wanted to go.

Foreign language

Science, equipment accessibility

Depth in every subject. I am not a strong writing teacher, I do not have a passion for some literature and history. My son got experts in all subjects areas over four years. Not every teacher was great, but over four years he got to know experts in each discipline.

 

Our cc doesn't allow dual enrollment until age 16. For ds that meant he would not have been permitted to do dual enrollment until second semester junior year. Dual enrollment is expensive (can save you money on college in the long run, but one 3 credit class is over $700. And you've still got to get books and pay lab fees).

[alef]

Removed, because the more I thought about it, my comment was more about expat schooling experiences than home school experiences...

Aw, too bad. I would have liked to read your thoughts about expat schooling experience :)

[plansrme]

Socialization; prom. I kid, I kid...

 

With my oldest, I ran out of topics to teach her at home. The local HS STEM magnet could offer her much more science and math than I could. My alternative was dual enrollment, and I did not think that was appropriate for a 14 year old. She will do 3 years there and, we think, full-time DE at GA Tech for her senior year.

 

With my rising freshman, she and I need a break from each other. I love her and love being with her, but she needs someone besides me to be in charge of her education. Also, frankly, I need her first experiences with boys to be with boys whose parents I can track down and maim (again, I kid; sort of), not boys in college. I like to think of it as the dating version of having a learner's permit: date under my roof and rules for a while.

[G5052]

Most of our local homeschooling friends have sent all or some of their teens to the classroom for one or more of these reasons:

 

• Mom is tired and/or has health problems that make schooling difficult.
• Conflict between mom and the teen that was interfering with school.
• The desire to play team sports.
• The desire to be involved in high school orchestra, band, and/or choir.
• Other academics not available at home.
• Social needs not met in homeschool groups and at home.

We're quite happy homeschooling through high school, and my teens have said over and over that they have no interest.  In areas that I felt weak in, we've been able to outsource to online classes.

[DawnM]

Academics is the main reason many around here say they want to send their children.  For some reason, parents are also intimidated by transcripts and requirements.  I think if they just sat down a while, even with someone in the know, they wouldn't feel intimidated at all by the paperwork.

 

My oldest is 10th grade.  My middle is 8th.  We toyed with the idea of sending them to school but we have some very compelling reasons NOT to and at this time have no plans to do so.

 

We also have a great social group of folks committed to HS through high school.

 

Dawn

[Saddlemomma]

We're contemplating it in part because they offer free dual enrollment opportunities at the local community college, so there'd be a chance to earn college credit while still in high school.

 

Erica in OR

 

In our state, if your child is even partially enrolled in the PS, he/she is eligible for free dual-enrollment courses. For example, our DD has always taken two PS classes since K.  Right now, in 5th. grade, she is taking Band/Flute at our local elementary school.  So, she is currently enrolled in the PS for 1 class. We plan to continue this into high school as DD really enjoys Flute and wants to also take Drama.  These are things I couldn't provide for her at home (I'm not musically inclined at all).  Therefore, when DD gets to 9th grade, and I enroll her for 2 classes, she is technically considered "enrolled" and is eligible for everything the HS provides -- including free dual enrollment opportunities when she is ready.

 

You may want to check with your DOE to see if this is a possibility in your state if you wish to continue homeschooling into high school.

[DawnM]

You have to be enrolled in the PS in order to attend the CC for free?

 

What about private schools?

 

In our state, you can attend CC for free as long as you haven't graduated from high school yet, any high school.  This includes homeschool, public school, and private school.

 

I

In our state, if your child is even partially enrolled in the PS, he/she is eligible for free dual-enrollment courses. For example, our DD has always taken two PS classes since K.  Right now, in 5th. grade, she is taking Band/Flute at our local elementary school.  So, she is currently enrolled in the PS for 1 class. We plan to continue this into high school as DD really enjoys Flute and wants to also take Drama.  These are things I couldn't provide for her at home (I'm not musically inclined at all).  Therefore, when DD gets to 9th grade, and I enroll her for 2 classes, she is technically considered "enrolled" and is eligible for everything the HS provides -- including free dual enrollment opportunities when she is ready.

 

You may want to check with your DOE to see if this is a possibility in your state if you wish to continue homeschooling into high school.

 

[linders]

I think what Laura said above sums it up for us - a wider universe of people with whom to engage in discussion and learning. Can I teach HS science labs? Yes (I'm a Chem major), but it would not be the same as working through a lab with an equally-skilled (or clueless) partner. Can I discuss classic lit with him? Sure, but it would be from the perspective of my life experience, not peers or adults with other life experiences. And I would really fall down on foreign language - I know enough Spanish to teach from a text, but I am nowhere near fluent, so conversational skills would be severely lacking. I have yet to find the foreign language program that is adequate for home, and local classes with fluent speakers tend to be the one-hour-a-week type at best. Perhaps some homeschoolers have access to well-organized co-ops that meet frequently for all these, but we do not, and the local technical college isn't really appropriate for highschoolers, it is aimed at retraining displaced workers.

 

I also see, even now, that the mother-child versus teacher-child relationship lines have become difficult in terms of accountability. After an exhausting three day swim meet, my mom side just can't make him get up at the usual time and take a midterm at 8 am. My problem? Yes, but not really a service to him in the end. After all, his future college prof or boss won't care. I would rather be on the sideline commiserating about that horrid 8 am test while driving him to school on time.

 

Fortunately, DS has many "schooled" friends already from swim team and scouts, and he is already on the high school swim team as a middle-schooler so he has a "niche," a deliberate choice on our part.

[Laura Corin]

Academics is the main reason many around here say they want to send their children.  For some reason, parents are also intimidated by transcripts and requirements.  I think if they just sat down a while, even with someone in the know, they wouldn't feel intimidated at all by the paperwork.

 

 

I think that the UK system offers more barriers too.  For standard university entrance, you would be looking at standardised assessment in at least eleven subjects, with at least two individual exam papers per subject.  That's a lot of organisation.  

 

I put Calvin through three high school exams before he went to school and I'm glad I didn't have to do more.

 

L

[Joker]

You have to be enrolled in the PS in order to attend the CC for free?

 

What about private schools?

 

In our state, you can attend CC for free as long as you haven't graduated from high school yet, any high school. This includes homeschool, public school, and private school.

 

I

Here tuition is free for all, but only PS students also get their books for free. Private and home school students have to purchase books. I don't know why.

[Wheres Toto]

This is a very long time from now for us but we plan to offer our children the option to attend our local public high school, especially if we still live in the same district. 

 

We homeschool because the kids are very asynchronous - advanced in some things, behind in others, we're almost definitely dealing with adhd and possibly Aspergers.    Our local high school offers enough classes that they would be able to work at the correct level for whatever they are taking, even if it's a hodgepodge of levels.  They also have excellent support systems for both gifted and special needs kids. 

 

Our local CC does offer a lot of options for kids and teens to take classes, as well so that's another possibility.

 

But, if they chose to, we are okay with them staying home for high school.  We would probably rework how things are done - I'm not sure through what level of math and science our nanny can handle, if she's still with us then - but dh can easily handle very advanced math and science.

[Crimson Wife]

We don't have the budget for 13 years of private school x multiple kids but we hopefully will have the money for 4 years of high school. DD is already starting to bump up in 6th grade against the limits of what I can teach her academically. There are definitely times where we are both sitting there looking at the teacher's manual (typically Singapore Discovering Math but sometimes in other subjects) trying to figure out why the listed answer is the correct one.

 

Also, the state of California has set a lot of hoops to jump through in order to earn admission to the UC system. Homeschoolers in my neck of the woods tend to either send their kids to a B&M high school or just enroll them at 15-16 in community college (CC graduates who successfully complete designated courses are guaranteed transfer to either a Cal State or UC school).

 

IMHO, the social aspect to B&M school is most negative in middle school and typically is better by high school.

[Carrie12345]

We don't *plan* to stop after middle school, but it's a possibility.  My oldest is in public high school by his and my ex's choice, so that's a whole other factor.

 

One of the benefits for me, as the parent of 5 (with a high school range of 16 years and 3 years of two at once) would be financial. Homeschooling high school the way I want it done is EXPENSIVE.  I'm also concerned about my own burn out.

[Tress]

I think that the UK system offers more barriers too.  For standard university entrance, you would be looking at standardised assessment in at least eleven subjects, with at least two individual exam papers per subject.  That's a lot of organisation.  

 

That's the situation in the Netherlands, too. 10 or 11 state exams, with both a written and oral examination.

 

I do plan to homeschool through high school (as long as homeschooling stays legal...which isn't looking promising :crying: ), but those exams scare me.

 

[Seasider]

The reasons I most often hear (not to be confused with the BEST reasons!) include not feeling adequate to the task and fearing the increased accountability of transcript preparation/record keeping.

 

I think that moms with many children may also be feeling stretched across too wide a range by the time the oldest reach high school subjects. That was one of the factors in our decisions to send the littlest out, then the oldest out when we brought the littlest home.

[Moxie]

Parental exhaustion. After 9 years of homeschooling, the idea of being in charge of high school while schooling 4 others in elementary and middle school makes me panic.

[Serenade]

My reason? It's hard and the responsibility so great that it's scary. 

 

My older son will be starting high school next year, and I concur.  I'm scared to death.  And he doesn't want to go to brick and mortar school.  I am so worried that he will get enough at home to succeed in college.  Especially with all of this new Common Core stuff.

[LucyStoner]

Another factor I hear about is access to unique or very strong extracurriculars, like the traveling jazz band, drama, top debate team or varsity sport teams. Also science labs and attractive academic offerings. I was home for middle school. By 9th grade I wanted to be at school and I was able to attend a very small magnet school with some pretty amazing and unique opportunities.

[KrissiK]

We're looking at sending our kids to the local Christian School. I attended high school there. It's not for Academics. In fact, a friend of mine told me, "don't worry so much about grammar. Mr. H in freshman English will teach them how to diagram sentences." My jaw about hit the floor. R&S starts that in 3rd grade. It depresses me to think about the academic aspect of sending them to HS. All I've worked so hard for in elementary school will basically be repeated in hs except for math and science. And it's not that this Christian school has low standards. They're accredited. They're normal. But, there are other considerations - yes, social, sports opportunities,etc., pressure from my parents and everyone else around here. We have a decent size homeschool group, but relatively no high schoolers. They all go to the Christian School. So,, it's a tough decision. My heart wants to homeschool through high school, but the decision is not as easy as that.

[Pawz4me]

I wasn't intimidated at all by the thought of homeschooling high school.  Maybe I'm too self-confident sometimes, but it generally takes a LOT more than that to intimidate me.  I knew it would be a LOT of work on my part, but I knew I could do it.  But realistically I also knew that the boys could likely get a better high school education at public school than I could give them at home.  The humanities--yes, I could do very well with those.  But math and science have never been my strong points.  And I think it's hard to teach something well at the high school level if you're not really interested in the subjects.  I had enough trouble injecting any enthusiasm into middle school science.  And I have my doubts about the rigor of most online classes.  Please don't throw any cyber tomatoes at me for expressing that opinion!  I might have felt differently if kids could attend CC at an early age here, but they have to be at least 16 (unless enrolled in an early college high school, as my youngest currently is).

 

So . . . I guess while we really did leave it up to the boys to decide, I was a bit relieved when both of them chose to go to public school for high school since I felt that was academically the best choice.  Our boys have never had any social issues at school, so our decisions have always been first and foremost based on what was best academically.  And for high school that was public school.

[J-rap]

With us, it was for academic reasons mostly, but even then, I would have risen to the occasion (hopefully!  :) and taught everything at home if that's what they wanted to do.  Once they were high school age, we let them choose what they wanted to do.  Actually, none of our kids chose to go back to school full-time, but they all took courses there part-time throughout their high school years.  Mostly, they took their sciences and foreign languages there.  Those were both things I felt they would do better in at school, although certainly I would have figured out something had we done those at home.  I loved the flexibility of them being there just part-time, and the school was terrific about it.  They let us do it any way we wanted to do it.  My kids were in a lot of extra curricular activities there as well, but they could have done that even if they weren't taking any classes at all.

 

Another reason for us is that our public high school has the policy that even if you just take a small number of classes there in your senior year, you can graduate with the senior class.  We chose to do that so that we could have the option of a regular school diploma.  All of my kids had expressed interest in studying abroad at some point, and we thought a regular school diploma might help them on that path more easily.  (I'm not sure if that's true or not though.)

 

 

[MysteryJen]

Like all things homeschooling, this is a very individual choice. Unlike so many of you (a little jealous here), our local high schools are not an option, either academically or socially. We cannot afford private hs tuition, though we might have to down the road. For my ds1, high school was the time that he moved away from the idea of being "taught" and more into his zone of learning for himself. That has been with some classes, some tutoring, and some hard work on his own. With more time and a flexible schedule he has been able to work, do sports, hang out with friends, etc.

 

Each child will present his own problems as they near 9th grade (we are in an "all or nothing" state), but homeschooling high school is stressful and sometime tedious, but very interesting and enjoyable. I see my teens more than my friends see theirs. And I am truly grateful for that.

 

Most people I know put their kids in high school for the social stuff, clubs, extracurriculars.  But, again, they live in very different districts than I do.

[Rebel Yell]

Diamond was homeschooled through high school, and is doing well at college.

 

I plan to continue homeschooling SweetChild through high school for the sole reason that she truly needs to be at different levels and different paces in almost every subject. A lesson-a-day in Math would destroy her, but the pokey pace of some other classes would bore her senseless.  However, i WISH i could send her to PS because:  FREE vo-tech- she wants a Cosmetology license. FREE choir/chorus classes. FREE art classes.  FREE dance team! FREE photography classes!  FREE foreign Language- 4 YEARS worth! FREE volleyball team!  And EVERYTHING is right there at school, where she already is, and can ride a bus for FREE!  Very little driving on my part! The costs of outsourcing (or the heartbreak of just having to say "sorry, it's not possible with our finances") is getting overwhelming.

 

BabyBaby- I'm on the fence for homeschooling through high school.  If she needs more math & science than I can reasonably provide, then she may end up on the big yellow bus. But she actually WANTS to be homeschooled so she can move at lightning speed through those classes and have even more time for martial arts & robotics.

 

Oh, and I know quite a few families who homeschooled all of their older kids through high school, but the baby of the family was then left alone, and needed to be around more people, so the baby of the family ended up in school. Those usually weren't planned, just ended up being what was best for the child.

[Ali in OR]

For us, putting the girls in our decent public school for high school feels like the best way to finish preparing them for life. Dh and I both went away from home to go to a great university; we assume a similar path for our dds. I do not want that to be their first experience "out of the house" socially, academically, etc. I know there are options to do CC, but I don't think putting my 14 yo around 18-20 year old community college students is exactly what I'm looking for. I want them to have classes from other teachers, I want them to manage a workload determined by others, I want them to make friends and learn how to work with people who are a lot different than they are, I want them to take great AP classes from inspired teachers, I want them to experience the fun of performing in band, playing on the soccer team, going to football games and dances, being a young person around other young people, etc. My 8th grader takes band and science at the local middle school and will be a full-time public school student next year. She loves band and enjoys her science class. They do great labs and activities that she wouldn't get at home. I know PS will not be perfect, but we're all excited about it and I think she'll do great.

[AngelaNYC]

My girls both went to high school after homeschooling.  Dd(20) only homeschooled for 8th grade and had every intention of going to high school.  Middle school was a disaster and she looked forward to a new school and new friends.  Also, the school she chose focused on journalism, which was what she wanted to do.  Dd(17) homeschooled from 3rd to 8th grade.  She chose to go to high school - but only a performing arts high school.  Dancing is her passion and she applied and auditioned for 3 p.a. schools.  She made it into the top p.a. school in the country and is now a senior.  Her day includes 4 periods of academics (3 this year), lunch, and 4 periods of dance.  This school has already opened many doors for her.

 

For my girls, high school was what they wanted and they enjoyed it.  Now ds, on the other hand, has homeschooled since Kindergarten and is on the fence about high school.  I still leave the choice up to him, but he sees how much better he has it (socially, academically, even emotionally).  There are no schools that focus enough on his passion (computer science) to be worth it.  There are more opportunities here in NYC to volunteer, apprentice, and work at what he loves doing.  

 

So, for us it depends on the kid, if it seems they will fit nicely into a school culture, and also benefit from what the schools have to offer.  For other parents it could be fear, impatience, needing to return to work, school reputation, pressure from family and friends, not believing they could teach upper grades, etc.  I've heard it all.  

[Erin]

Buck starts high school this fall.  (wow, do I feel old saying that...  :( )

 

Here are my worries:

 

+Credits---those grades have to MEAN something.  Which means I need to give grades.  Which means I need to be on the ball.  *sigh*

+Coursework---I got through Algebra II and Chem in high school.  I'm smart, but the math/science stuff is hard for me.  And these are the areas where the boy is gifted. 

+Socializing---Trap went to a conservative, Christian boarding school for high school.  No prom, no athletics beyond intramurals, etc.  He thinks these things are part of the high school experience and doesn't want his kids to miss out like he did.  I had those things and keep telling him he wasn't missing much.  :rolleyes:

+Diploma--it's usually easier to get into college with a diploma from a known school district. 

 

I'm not sure these things are balancing out the benefits of homeschooling, though.  So, for the moment, both Buck and I want to keep going at home!

 

[Alenee]

For years, I thought I was going to stick with it through high school but as my dd got closer, I began seeing some red flags.  The curriculum choices that didn't require ALL of me were/are horribly expensive and to use them, we'd never get out of the house because I'd have no money left for extracurriculars.  Then, taking into consideration the goals dd has for herself, I realized the best option was to go to high school in town.  She'll have two years there and if she does well, she'll dual enroll at the CC where she'll take all of her classes and earn an AA and diploma by the end of senior year.  I'm not thrilled with some things that she's chosen to do but at least having her home every night, we can discuss it.  I'm glad we chose this way, rather than sending her off to college without this time in ps.

[Joanne]

IMO, it is a very rare parent who can *teach* all of high school adequately. I certainly think it can be facilitated in a by selective outsourcing and the homeschooling orientation preserved.

 

I personally believe teens benefit from discussion, interaction from a wide variety of persons in terms of rich education.

[kewb]

Around here the top reasons are:

Sports

Friends

 

I struggled greatly with the decision to homeschool high school when ds was younger.  There are just not a lot of secular homeschooled high schoolers around here.  Now we are in our 2nd year of high school and he has no interest in returning to school.  I think the fact that I fought to get him on the high school swim team helped with his I want to be around people all the time issue.

 

I will admit, now that I am looking at next year and the costs of the classes I am outsourcing I can't help but think it would be so much easier if I put him in school.  However, we are committed and next year should be great fun when I am homeschooling a Junior and a Freshman.

[Guest]

I'm just wondering since I hear this so much. Parents plan to homeschool through middle school and then send them to high school.

I can imagine the social needs get more complex at this point. Is this the biggest reason?

I haven't read the other replies, but I'll give you my take on this, since I am in that category. 

 

I didn't originally think I would send my kids to high school. Dh was opposed to continuing hsing through high school, though. I did disagree with him at first, but frankly, since we have gone that direction, I am glad. This is also what I plan to do with my next two kids and ds14 will be going to my daughter's school next fall. 

 

1. More varied social interactions. I don't think this is important for little kids, but it does become more important as they become biological adults. I say that even though my kids had things like co-op classes and community sports and did always have friends. I like that B&M school gives dd an opportunity to form friendships through her own decision, not just because that's the other couple girls her age. It gives her opportunity to see that some folks are not ones she wants to be friends with and that is okay. It's harder to do that when there is limited "choice" of whom you can even be friends with. 

 

2. Ease of meeting all academic needs. I have watched enough hs parents of teens scramble all over the county to try and meet needs in advanced language, chemistry, higher mathematics and so on. Although this is a WAY to do it, I don't want to. Many also send their kids to the community college to get these credits - that is okay, and I have no criticism for those who wish to, but it's not what I want for my own kids. IMO, the community college has worse negative social structure than high school does, so if I don't want the negative social structure of the public high school, I don't prefer the CC. I know of what I speak because I attend the CC myself. 

 

3. More opportunity to learn independent life skills. Although I am fond of homeschooled high schoolers I know, *some* of them are so over-managed by the hsing mother, they aren't given opportunity to learn to navigate life themselves. I prefer my children to start practicing these skills while they are still minors, so they are not thrust into all of this fresh at college. Even simple things, like looking at a huge building map to understand where your class is held, communicating with teachers about policies or things you don't understand and so on. 

 

4. Less hat-wearing for me. I'm quite content to pay tuition knowing that the school will plan college fairs, the school will send out dates to take PSAT, the school keeps her transcripts, the school finds the necessary teachers, the school has teams and activities that we don't have to comb the county to find. 

 

Those are my reasons. I do not assume all parents should do it just like I am, but I am content with the path we're taking with our kids. 

[Stacia]

I think what Laura said above sums it up for us - a wider universe of people with whom to engage in discussion and learning. Can I teach HS science labs? Yes (I'm a Chem major), but it would not be the same as working through a lab with an equally-skilled (or clueless) partner. Can I discuss classic lit with him? Sure, but it would be from the perspective of my life experience, not peers or adults with other life experiences. And I would really fall down on foreign language - I know enough Spanish to teach from a text, but I am nowhere near fluent, so conversational skills would be severely lacking. I have yet to find the foreign language program that is adequate for home, and local classes with fluent speakers tend to be the one-hour-a-week type at best. Perhaps some homeschoolers have access to well-organized co-ops that meet frequently for all these, but we do not, and the local technical college isn't really appropriate for highschoolers, it is aimed at retraining displaced workers.

 

I also see, even now, that the mother-child versus teacher-child relationship lines have become difficult in terms of accountability. After an exhausting three day swim meet, my mom side just can't make him get up at the usual time and take a midterm at 8 am. My problem? Yes, but not really a service to him in the end. After all, his future college prof or boss won't care. I would rather be on the sideline commiserating about that horrid 8 am test while driving him to school on time.

 

For us, putting the girls in our decent public school for high school feels like the best way to finish preparing them for life. Dh and I both went away from home to go to a great university; we assume a similar path for our dds. I do not want that to be their first experience "out of the house" socially, academically, etc. I know there are options to do CC, but I don't think putting my 14 yo around 18-20 year old community college students is exactly what I'm looking for. I want them to have classes from other teachers, I want them to manage a workload determined by others, I want them to make friends and learn how to work with people who are a lot different than they are, I want them to take great AP classes from inspired teachers, I want them to experience the fun of performing in band, playing on the soccer team, going to football games and dances, being a young person around other young people, etc. My 8th grader takes band and science at the local middle school and will be a full-time public school student next year. She loves band and enjoys her science class. They do great labs and activities that she wouldn't get at home. I know PS will not be perfect, but we're all excited about it and I think she'll do great.

 

In many ways, both of these posts reflect our family too. (Dd is now a sophomore in high school; ds is still being homeschooled as a 7th grader, but the plan is for him to enter the same high school my dd is in when he is a freshman.) I feel very strongly that in many ways, a school environment for high school is beneficial in that there is exposure to the viewpoints of other teens & adults; a daily, hour-long classroom session is the best set-up for learning another language & for science experiments, imo. I think there's also something to be learned by being exposed to questions that other teens may raise in class -- ideas or questions that might never have occurred to my child to ask or wonder about (& which, as the teacher, I might not thought of to mention) & this also widens the learning experience.

 

(Fwiw, we do have a local secular homeschool group that does offer some high school classes. Otoh, the classes are very small & it is the same, small group of kids taking the classes [& a small number of teachers], so exposure to others' ideas is still pretty limited. It is also limited in the variety & level of classes offered.)

 

Also, I feel like high school is better prepared & has more resources to help my dc run the college/university admission gauntlet than I have to offer. (Similar to what Danielle just said the post before mine.)

 

We never entered the homeschooling journey with the intent of homeschooling high school. Homeschooling was & is great for us in many ways. Public high school has been too. (We live in a great school district.) I think for us it is using the best of both worlds to ultimately have our dc be well-rounded, well-educated, well-exposed to various viewpoints/teaching styles, & ready to head out into the world as they go to college/university.

[trulycrabby]

In our case, there is an excellent public high school that is especially strong in math, science, and engineering. We will still probably homeschool, but it's nice to know this achool is there if something happens to me, or if ds10 wants to attend school.

[Dory]

Up here the reasons that I hear the most often,

 

Different social interaction and the chance to try a little more independence while still at home.

 

Access to better teaching and all the extras that are hard to have at home (lab, language studies, chemistry, higher math and such)

 

Sports

 

Getting an actual high school diploma because it's easier to get into some of the colleges and universities with one.

 

The kid wanted to

 

The parent is tired and feels like they can possibly hand off the education now that they are past the early years

 

The parent realizes that not everyone is able to teach high school thoroughly.

 

 

[Halcyon]

We are considering the local IB program for oldest. Not sure he will be up for the workload of it, which I hear is pretty intense. Then again, we may stay home and homeschool high school. I admit I am very intimidated about the "requirements" aspect for college. Up til now, we study what we want, we follow our own (admittedly rigorous) series of courses, but they are totally OUR decision. I worry about following rules. I am not very good about that. 

[Karen in CO]

I put my ds in highschool because he wanted to be with his peers.  I took him back out because the environment was toxic for him.  Later, I put him in CC classes (which I had to pay for instead of getting free for dual-enrollment) so that he could be taught by teachers that knew what they were doing for certain classes (Japanese, French, Italian, Chemistry) and so he could enjoy discovering topics with others who were also discovering them (philosophy).  

 

 

I think others have already said it better, but after years of being together, he needed more people and new people to share ideas with.  In his philosophy class, he was able to walk through the Allegory of the Cave with people who had never read it before instead of with someone who has read it several times over the last decade and has already seen the sun.  He told me that I had already formed my philosophies and couldn't interact with him the same way as people who were just discovering them.  He was absolutely correct.  

 

Even if you do homeschool for highschool, which I did, I think kids this age really need peers to discover at least some of the subject with.  

 

And don't get me started on how scary it is to get a kids into college as a homeschooler.  My ds has graduated, but the whole idea of it scared me.  I was certain that I had ruined his life by homeschooling him for highschool.  I am pretty sure that the idea of scares a lot of people into other choices.  We, along with many others, made it just fine into college, but it was scary.

[Halcyon]

Oh and we can do CC classes for free as homeschoolers, so that might work, too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I started reading this thread and had to stop. You guys are stressing me out.

:willy_nilly: <---while pulling out hair

Come on over to the high school board - there are many of us who have taken up the challenge of HS in high school.