SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 How can it be that I ask a question about high school and college planning to a local group with over 800 members and I get one response? Rhetorical question I guess, but geesh I just wonder what do these people do? Why is it that NOBODY has anything to offer? And what is with people's standard answers of "you don't need books" when new homeschoolers ask about curriculum. No joke. People don't need books. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinaPagnato Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I don't know the demographics of the group you posed your question to, but I see few people hsing in high school. They take their kids through elementary, sometimes through middle, but almost always place them in the local public high school or choose a private one. I know it's hard to hs through high school (believe me, I KNOW!), but it's discouraging when there aren't many BTDT folks to lend some experience and encouragement. That's why I always try to pay it forward when a mom asks questions about high school transcripts for her grade-4 kid, lol! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 I don't know the demographics of the group you posed your question to, but I see few people hsing in high school. They take their kids through elementary, sometimes through middle, but almost always place them in the local public high school or choose a private one. I know it's hard to hs through high school (believe me, I KNOW!), but it's discouraging when there aren't many BTDT folks to lend some experience and encouragement. That's why I always try to pay it forward when a mom asks questions about high school transcripts for her grade-4 kid, lol! Well, I don't know the exact demographics no, but I do know some there have high schoolers. I suppose part of the problem could just be the nature of Facebook pages. The topics turn over quickly. So if someone is not reading at any given moment it might be poof buried quickly. Of course I get a lot of help here, but it would be nice to get some specific help for the regs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 In our local group, nobody would have had any answer to any of my questions about homeschool highschool with the goal of college admissions either. Several reasons: many families have younger children and are not there yet. The majority of those who have high schoolers opt for American School as a canned option - they could not answer any questions about credits, curriculum, materials etc. Many do not have college as a goal for their children. Those who do go to college start at CC. In the past six years since I started homeschooling, not a single kid from our group besides DD has gone to a four year university after finishing homeschool high school. In contrast, I am homeschooling with the goal of admission to a 4 year university (highly selective for DD, not so for DS) and want to design my own coursework and select my own curriculum without resorting to boxed options where somebody does that for me. Nobody in my local group would have been able to help with anything. You have these boards. That should suffice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Sorry about that. In my area there are very few home schooling parents that choose to do high school. Of those that do, only three - myself, my friend, and her sister in law - choose to do high school with significant academics. The local home school group is rather, uhm, un-academically focused and at the high school level do not even pursue it to a GED level meaning no algebra and geometry, no high school level science, and marginal history...usually some literature, and some grammar, financial or consumer's math, a health type course, and then mostly nothing else. Some of the kids turn 18, remediate through the local cc, and then move on, but many do not. In these cases there is usually a family business for the young adult to work in or a relative with a business willing to train the teen. So asking locally will not net you any good answers if you are thinking about an academically serious high school program or college/tech school. This board is a wealth of good information. You'll get much better advice here than you will from your average homeschool group or conference. While I do love some conference speakers - certainly SWB has been stellar - many just aren't up to date and of course they do not have enough individual state knowledge, but on this board you can usually find someone with very specific knowledge of your state laws, diploma options, state flagships, credit counting, etc. The diversity here is great in that regard. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Absolutely. Just the regs. The regs are a real pain in the arse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 (edited) Gee, I didn't know we were neighbors and in the same homeschool community. Well, at least it SOUNDS the same! You don't need books, just go to the library. College? Well, anyone can go to the CC. You don't need to do anything special to get into college. ACT? It isn't necessary for the CC. AP? <crickets chirping> Really, I wonder if anyone that home schools in this area considers education a priority. ETA: Sorry I hit post accidentally part way though. Edited to finish. Edited January 27, 2016 by Momto2Ns 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Gee, I didn't know we were neighbors and in the same homeschool community. Well, at least it SOUNDS the same! You don't need books, just go to the library. College? Well, anyone can go to the CC. You don't need to do anything special to get into college. ACT? It isn't necessary for the CC. AP? <crickets chirping> Really, I wonder if anyone that home schools in this area considers education a priority. ETA: Sorry I hit post accidentally part way though. Edited to finish. This is honestly one of the very few reasons I like being in the NoVA area! I know many people homeschooling through high school, expecting their kids to go to good and selective colleges, and we commiserate about APs, testing, etc. But after being here for 12 years, I'm really not able to able to deal with the traffic and busyness anymore--and the public schools are really hardcore, so the high pressure is also difficult to deal with. So we're thinking about moving back to Ohio when our second son graduates, since he doesn't want to move for his senior year of high school. Threads like this make me nervous, though! I have a feeling this is how it will be there . . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Threads like this make me nervous, though! I have a feeling this is how it will be there . . . Just plan on getting your homeschool support here. You can still enjoy other homeschoolers socially. It shocked me when I started homeschooling, but it really had no impact on our homeschooling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 This is honestly one of the very few reasons I like being in the NoVA area! I know many people homeschooling through high school, expecting their kids to go to good and selective colleges, and we commiserate about APs, testing, etc. But after being here for 12 years, I'm really not able to able to deal with the traffic and busyness anymore--and the public schools are really hardcore, so the high pressure is also difficult to deal with. So we're thinking about moving back to Ohio when our second son graduates, since he doesn't want to move for his senior year of high school. Threads like this make me nervous, though! I have a feeling this is how it will be there . . . Not trying to make anyone nervous! This is my 9th year. I have gotten pretty much all of my advice here. It would be nice to have some local advice simply to know what locally I can expect in terms of regs and what is out there for high school students. I won't let any of that deter me though. You figure when I started I didn't know a single homeschooler at all. I figured it out and I'm still here. I guess now things are just starting to feel very real. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 The dozen or two families we have homeschooling high schoolers here are not on our local fb group, so it's only 2 of us on the fb group answering questions. That said, the new families starting to homeschool high school don't seem to be asking questions anyways, it's mostly lots of new elem families. Plus, I'm kinda over being the experienced support person locally. I've started answering less & less questions, I'm busy. (not too busy for TWTM forums, you note). I had a long chat at robotics last night with 2 other high school moms but our kids r All in the same spot so we commiserate but don't advise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 The dozen or two families we have homeschooling high schoolers here are not on our local fb group, so it's only 2 of us on the fb group answering questions. That said, the new families starting to homeschool high school don't seem to be asking questions anyways, it's mostly lots of new elem families. Plus, I'm kinda over being the experienced support person locally. I've started answering less & less questions, I'm busy. (not too busy for TWTM forums, you note). I had a long chat at robotics last night with 2 other high school moms but our kids r All in the same spot so we commiserate but don't advise. Right there with you! I chat here and give advice because it is on my terms. But local newbies would call and want to be on the phone for hours, want free tutoring, want want want and unreasonable demand on my time so I made it clear that I am no longer consulting for anyone, and tutoring is $15.00 per hour, only taking high school students for algebras, chemistry, and biology, nothing else. There is only so much time in a day, and frankly, the information they want is pretty readily available online and in book form so they don't need to be knocking on my door, calling constantly, and filling my email then getting testy when I don't respond immediately or have to get off the phone. It sounds harsh, but the newest breed of homeschooling parent locally seems to want a lot done for them instead of taking the bull by the horns so to speak. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 How can it be that I ask a question about high school and college planning to a local group with over 800 members and I get one response? Rhetorical question I guess, but geesh I just wonder what do these people do? Why is it that NOBODY has anything to offer? And what is with people's standard answers of "you don't need books" when new homeschoolers ask about curriculum. No joke. People don't need books. On the new homeschooler question, I confess to having become the person who tells folks that they can ease into things. That doesn't mean NO books (as anyone looking in our windows can testify). It does mean that the new homeschooler with a Kindergartener and a 3 year old doesn't need to buy $700 of packaged curriculum to start homeschooling. On the high school and college planning, I think that some people feel intimidated by high school and don't plan on doing it at all; others get flustered by the idea that they will not be able to change their mind and enroll kids in public school so they go with a charter or a structured, accredited program; others have the idea that it doesn't matter what they do because homeschooling is inherently better than any other option; and others have substituted hope that something will fall into their laps come college time for doing the hard work on foundations in high school. And there are those who are doing solid academics who don't want to answer, because they are tired of being told that they are being overly strict. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Right there with you! I chat here and give advice because it is on my terms. But local newbies would call and want to be on the phone for hours, want free tutoring, want want want and unreasonable demand on my time so I made it clear that I am no longer consulting for anyone, and tutoring is $15.00 per hour, only taking high school students for algebras, chemistry, and biology, nothing else. There is only so much time in a day, and frankly, the information they want is pretty readily available online and in book form so they don't need to be knocking on my door, calling constantly, and filling my email then getting testy when I don't respond immediately or have to get off the phone. It sounds harsh, but the newest breed of homeschooling parent locally seems to want a lot done for them instead of taking the bull by the horns so to speak. I don't know if this is a new breed or not. I remember growing frustrated several years ago at threads on the boards here where people wanted high production quality, open and go, academically rigorous, adaptable to their exceptional students curriculum that was also free or very low cost. Sort of made me roll my eyes. I do understand that people get easily overwhelmed with investigating homeschooling. It is good to do at least a little of your own research. (FWIW, I have a similar issue with students who are interested in service academies. I will get very basic questions about the application process - which has some complicated details - that are addressed on the service academy websites. I have sometimes asked students if they have read the page at USNA.edu titled Steps for Admission. I usually have 50% or more tell me no. This from students who are already well into their application. Makes me wonder sometimes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I suppose part of the problem could just be the nature of Facebook pages. The topics turn over quickly. So if someone is not reading at any given moment it might be poof buried quickly. I will say that I dislike FB pages for conversations like this. It's hard to keep up with a conversation (and to find your place again when other conversations start coming up--and just about forget it if it gets to be a long conversation!) Blech! It's fun for quick things but not so much for serious questions. As for the regs--can you find what you need from HSLDA's site? Or go to some college sites and see what info they have on there for what they require from homeschoolers? That doesn't help with finding local classes/opportunities though, if you are also looking for that... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Sometimes folks don't answer because they simply have different goals for their kids. When I first began homeschooling I was part of a local group at one meeting a parent was asking if anyone in the group planned on teaching their kids Algebra (at any point before high school graduation) and why that might be advantageous. This parent had no intent of teaching math beyond a basic level as they didn't feel it was a necessary skill to pursue a life dedicated to their faith nor did girls require that level of education. This parent and I have very different goals in mind. Which leads to another possibility for why you had no answer. If your question is something that doesn't relate to the educational goals of the group there might be no one to answer it or no one comfortable discussing their answer in public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I will say that I dislike FB pages for conversations like this. It's hard to keep up with a conversation (and to find your place again when other conversations start coming up--and just about forget it if it gets to be a long conversation!) Blech! It's fun for quick things but not so much for serious questions. Ooh, can I join in the FB-bashing? I hate missing a single message, particularly for threads I'm interested in. That's why I love the WTM so much. The linear threads make it easy to read every. single. bit. of wisdom on these boards. Plus, it arrives in my email every day. In contrast, FB has a topic with replies, and then replies to those replies, recursively replying, and it's easy to miss the small font links to actually read those replies. Whew! I hate the feeling that I'm missing something important, if I skip over a link. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 But local newbies would call and want to be on the phone for hours, want free tutoring, want want want and unreasonable demand on my time so I made it clear that I am no longer consulting for anyone, and tutoring is $15.00 per hour, only taking high school students for algebras, chemistry, and biology, nothing else. Similar story here, but I would take calls from people "thinking about homeschooling." I would get excited for them, and extol the virtues with the negatives thrown in to keep it real. I would talk for hours about homeschooling. And now I can't remember a single family that ended up pulling their kids from school. (I must be doing something wrong.) It's happened enough times now that I keep my head down now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 I will say that I dislike FB pages for conversations like this. It's hard to keep up with a conversation (and to find your place again when other conversations start coming up--and just about forget it if it gets to be a long conversation!) Blech! It's fun for quick things but not so much for serious questions. As for the regs--can you find what you need from HSLDA's site? Or go to some college sites and see what info they have on there for what they require from homeschoolers? That doesn't help with finding local classes/opportunities though, if you are also looking for that... I know the regs. I just hate the regs. LOL The difficulty is just jugging all the different requirements with what my kid actually wants to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I know the regs. I just hate the regs. LOL The difficulty is just jugging all the different requirements with what my kid actually wants to do. LOL, ah yes, well...we did get creative with a few :-). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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