I am considering homeschooling for my soon to be 11th grade daughter. What r ur thouhts and recommendations???
I think you’d have a much better response if you posed your question here:
Well, it certainly can be done successfully. First, consider what the goal is. If college is the goal, then you may want to look at what they require to see if you can meet those requirements. There are many ways to meet college requirements, but the question is how you will meet those requirements. We each have different opportunitites available to us.
We lived near to a very excellent community college, so my children all took classes there during their high school years. In this way, they showed the colleges that they were ready for college -level work. OF course, there are also a plethora of on-line options as well. Another option is preparing for CLEP tests.
You may want to look for homeschoolers in your area as a way to discover what options are in your area. There may be a local group that you can join. And this would be a quick way for your daughter to meet new friends. Also make sure that you know the laws in your state regarding homeschooling.
Do you have any specific questions? Have you done some research already?
letshomeschoolhighschool.com would be a very good resource. From ‘considering homeschooling’ to support forums, curricula reviews and recommendations it is a good site. Jumping into homeschooling at this late time can be done, but it will be an adjustment. There are tons of resources out there. The homeschooling community has a large community that homeschool for religious reasons and much curricula is written from that viewpoint. There are excellent curricula designed from a ‘neutral’ or non-religious viewpoint as well. Good Luck!
My thoughts and recommendations will be based upon reasons and goals. Can’t answer without those.
ps Two of mine homeschooled high school and did well through college and beyond. The third attended public school and did fine. He’s finishing his sophomore year of college.
I work in our local public high school (teaching). There are good reasons for different choices. It’s only the recommendations that change.
We gave homeschooling fleeting consideration but viewed high school as an important social experience as well.
Depends on why you want to do it and your ultimate goal. Are you homeschooling because you feel the school she is going to doesn’t do enough? Are you worried about the ton of homework they dump on the kids every day, claiming that is teaching? Do you feel she isn’t prepared for college? Then comes the other side, what do you expect to get out of homeschooling, do you expect it to turn, let’s say, a mediocre student into a good one? How motivated is your daughter, homeschooling in some ways can take a lot more discipline and focus to make it work, depending on the program (some people send their kids to community college, so there is accountability; some do unschooling, which takes a lot of dedication to make work IMO).
My son homeschooled because of the demands of music, trying to maintain what he was doing with music, and going to school X hours a day, then having Y hours of homework, didn’t leave him the time he needed, it was a great school, but it didn’t fit what he needed when he decided to get serious about music (and sadly, the school didn’t have a clue, not unusual with music). We found an accredited high school program that other music parents recommended and it worked out well.
There are downsides to it, some kids end up isolated (though people in homeschooling groups and co-ops don’t have the problem), but I find that the whole ‘socialization’ thing is overwrought, if the kid has other outlets where he is socialized, school socialization is not necessarily the greatest thing, and given the negatives of it (the cliques and the social strata, the nastiness and bullying that goes on, especially if a kid is one of the bright kids or otherwise seen as ‘different’, may be more of a negative than a positive IME). The one factor that makes homeschooling work IMO/IME is that it is tailored to why are thinking of homeschooling, if the current school (or any school) isn’t providing what she needs or is otherwise unsuitable, and then tailoring the homeschool to what she needs (and not, as some do, assume homeschooling, any homeschooling, is the answer)., is the way to make it work…but it takes thought and planning and weighing it out.
There are many different thoughts running through my head about your question, but most of them will be specific to what you’re trying to do and why you’re homeschooling, as well as what state you are in.
One very broad piece of advice when it comes to high school - junior year is THE year for many things that need to happen in order to lay a good foundation for college app season. Therefore please do lots of reading and research early this summer so that you have your game plan in place for next fall.
If you give us more specifics we might have more ideas for you.
My youngest graduates this year (just did his last class today) and got in to 9/10 colleges. We have been at it since 3rd grade. I never planned to homeschool for high school but it just evolved that direction. It has been a great blessing for our kids and our family.
Wishing you lots of clarity and peace!