For various reasons, including financial, we have decided to pull Ivygirl out of private school and homeschool her. This was not a decision made lightly, and it is with some regret we had to do this, but under the circumstances…
I hesitate to call it homeschooling, because her father and I will not actually be teaching her. We found an online high school, Keystone High School, which has been around since the '70s (obviously, not as an online high school, they were a correspondence school) and I’ve found nothing but good things about them.
So, her classes have been picked, the tuition paid (about 1/10 of the cost of her private school) and now we’re just waiting for her textbooks to arrive and her log-in to be set up.
Our plan was to set this up sort of as college. She will decide which classes she will study on what days and the time she wants to spend on them (with our guidance, of course). She’s 7 1/2 credits away from graduating, so she’s taking 6 credits now (discount price for a full load) and will finish up the rest when that’s done.
We plan for her to get up and get dressed like she’s getting ready for school, then she will get on our computer (we have two, but everything will be set up on the “main” computer) and she will do her work, with no IM or music playing on her headphones.
Does this sound like a plan? Oh, and lest anyone fear she will be isolated, one of the things we told her when we pulled her out of school is that she will be involved in two extracurricular activities and can get a job. Right now she’s taking an acting summer camp and is having an absolute ball. She’s also expressed an interest in judo.
Well, welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling! Don’t panic! Unfortunately, I have no experience with online education or high school. So here are some general thoughts.
The great thing about homeschooling is the flexibility. Your daughter should choose the best time of day for her to work (sticking with a schedule is good) and not let anything interrupt that time if at all possible. Interruptions are the hardest thing to deal with. But her school time doesn’t have to be in the morning if she finds that afternoon is better. This will also give her flexibility in the job search–a teenager who is available for hours when other kids are in school has an advantage.
It will take a while to get into the groove. Like, possibly several months. Be patient and let things settle for a while before you freak out about this.
I have little kids still, so this may not apply to you, but I always start the school year slowly. We start off with the basic subjects and add more in as we get up speed; it helps the transition.
Be sure to keep tabs on her progress. Although she is old enough to be largely responsible for herself, it’s easy to let things slide and in general it’s a good idea to have an eye on what she’s doing and if she’s keeping up.
Go get The teenage liberation handbook from the library; everyone in the family should read it. It’s the classic text. The other books linked from that page might also be good.
You might also like to look around for your local homeschooled teens group. There will likely be a secular one and a Christian one. Choose the one you prefer, or hey, try both.
There are lots of good message boards out there for homeschoolers. My personal go-to board is The Hive Mind, which has a high-school forum. PM me if you would like more suggestions, and happy homeschooling!
I guess I should warn you that the book I listed is actually about unschooling, and has a lot of awful things to say about schools, but it should still be an interesting read for you.
So she’ll be applying for college this year? From a “how will this help her with that” point of view, here’s some stuff to consider:
How does this “school” handle that? Is the accreditation up to snuff? (I see that it is accredited; I just don’t know if there’s gooder or badder accreditation.) Do they have college admissions councilors? Will she have enough interaction with any faculty for them to write recommendations? If not, can she get recommendations from her old school?
Or she could take more classes. Unless she can land a really good job, she may be better off with volunteer work or more extracurriculars. There’s plenty of time to make non-highschooler-wages later when her job isn’t to be a student. I don’t really see the advantage of full-time students working unless they really need to or if it’s beneficial in other ways (e.g. I played in a symphony orchestra in 11-12th grade.)
Even if this school’s credentials aren’t super-amazing, the colleges will only be seeing one semester from there on her application, so I’m not sure it’ll be a big deal. It still may not hurt to mention why she switched right before her senior year (since this is usually recommended against AFAIK.)
Anyway, it should be fun. Unless she’s the sort who needs order imposed upon her (and I’m assuming this is not the case), the increased flexibility should be great!
We have spoken to an admissions official via phone, and they do make teachers available via phone or IM, IIRC. Either way, the students have access to further help. Her father and I will also have access to check on her progress.
They also have AP courses out the wazoo…I didn’t know all those AP courses were offered! She’s taking AP English Lit and AP US History.
I do like the flexibility…she will be able to spend more time on a subject that’s more difficult for her.
Ruken, that’s a good point about the job…I’ll keep that in mind.
I will look for local homeschool support groups in my area…thanks, dangermom!
Gosh, I really hate to see this, ivylass. I know you want only the best for your child, and she deserves the best, truly she does, and from your postings I know you are the parent everyone wants if we couldn’t have our own moms. But I really think … and I cannot defend this with any data, and only time will tell … that the trend toward pulling children out of free public shools will go down in history as one of the greatest misguided attempts at improving education ever.
I’m no lover of public schools, believe me. I fought with my sons’ schools over the idiocy of “inventive spelling,” politically correct history, and numerous other sins against real education, so I understand your frustration. But as a hirer of employees and a teacher of college students, I have come to the conclusion that home-schooling is the third-best option out of three. Maybe you’re the exception (and if anyone is exceptional, you are, judging from your recent posts) but I really think you need to re-assess. Are the public schools really that bad? Have they no alternatives – like magnet schools, or charter schools, anything that offers better teacher-student ratios than standard public schools?
Again, I’m not saying you are specifically making an unwise decision, I’m just saying that I think there’s a rush to home-schooling without looking at all of the possible options. I’d really rather see you hold the local school district’s metaphoric feet to the metaphoric fire.
Heh, I just came in to be sure that dangermom had seen this thread. You are in excellent hands with her help - she gave us LOTS of valuable information a while ago. (BTW dangermom, we’ve moved and our son is now in a school that lets him pace himself, so he is much happier - but his cousin is now being home-schooled using some of the suggestions you sent - memory is failing but I think it is the Singapore maths and science curriculum, if that sounds right.)
I haven’t homeschooled, but I have taken a ton of independant study and internet courses. Keeping current is essential - its really easy to “fake it” if you are on the other end of a computer terminal. Self discipline will be crucial - and there is only so much that can be driven from you. Make sure her space is relatively distraction free. If she finds herself not understanding the material, take advantage of the resources the school provides - or perhaps a better idea is to see if a local face to face tutor is available (its really hard for a lot f people to learn in a virtual way).
Sunrazor, the public school Ivygirl would go to is the absolute last option. It is a D-rated school and police have been called out there more than once due to gang riots among the students. That’s why Ivylad and I made the sacrifices to put her in private school five years ago. We can no longer do that.
Discipline will be key. We will work very closely with her the first month or so (the computer is in the living room) to make sure she’s paying attention.
I understand, and I know your decision is based on your daughter’s safety rather than ideology. Magnet and charter schools are usually packed to the rafters. What’s really dispiriting is that public schools don’t have to be in the condition they’re in – it’s not for lack of money, but that’s a discussion for another thread.
Unfortunately, I have no experience with online education or high school. So here are some general thoughts.