Ok so i have been reading some threads here some for and some against home schooling. I attended public school(s) for the first 9 years of my education. Long story short i left public school based on social anxiety. - Although i should, i never will know if i actually was experiencing this or not. That was my excuse for being in a drunken stupor on school campus. Safe to say anyway that public school at the time was not the right place for me. I have Spent the last year & 1/2 in homeschooling, Its going ok though i lack motivation sometimes to complete work. I only have 1 friend and am starting to feel the lack of social interaction bite. I am grateful for my time away from school tho, i have learned alot about myself have a VERY different outlook on life much more positive. So i was thinking today that i would like to attend public school for the last 1 1/2 years and meet some more people. Thoughts? feel free to ask questions
Well, the grass is always greener on the other side, yk? It might be a good move, but realistically, you'll trade one set of problems for another. I'm certainly not discouraging you because I absolutely ENcourage new experiences if someone is feeling stagnate. I guess maybe you might consider whether it would be a lateral choice or one that would achieve positive results. Based on my own experience and that of my oldest daughter, I don't know if it's a good idea. But since I don't know you, I obviously can't make that call; here are my thoughts though. I left school shortly after I turned 16. A few months later I went back. It was a surreal experience. At that point I had left my peers behind intellectually and in regard to life experience. I couldn't relate to them, nor could they to me. I could no longer survive in an institutional environment. So I left again, knowing that this was it, I was a grown up (albeit a young one) and that whatever education I obtained from there on, was solely up to me. My daughter's experience was very much the same. Bottom line, it's not easy to go back once you've left. How much do you have left to go? Would it be possible to get your GED and begin attending college locally? That's what my daughter did. She has thrived academically and made a lot of new friends. She is 19 now and so far ahead of the kids she went to school with. This summer she is going to Honduras with her archeology class. She made it happen all on her own. I think it's because for so long her friends have been older. They're grown ups, out in the world, living life and doing things. I'm only speculating, but based on her personality, I think if she had stayed in public school, she would have been depressed and not had the motivation to do the things she has. The flip side though, is that there ARE opportunities available in public high schools if you choose to find them and use them. If you're not in a position to take college classes yet, these would be great stepping stones for you. There are so many possibilities for you at this point in your life. Sorry for the long reply, but I guess I just wanted to throw some things out there in hope that they might help you with your decision... Good luck!!
I relax homeschool//unschool both my girls... I don't know about where you live, but here in Florida, once you turn 16, you can do dual enrollment and so you get high school completion with a proper diploma AND by the time you turn 18 you not only have that diploma but 2 years of college... because, (and this is the beauty of it), they literally give you double credit AND its free since you're a minor. As far as the "social" aspect... my eldest has a job. Both my kids are in karate and attend church regularly. We are also involved with two local homeschooling groups. My kids have friends, and activities they enjoy doing. I cannot speak for everyone, but personally there is no way my kids will ever go back to public school. Neither of them have any desire to go, at all! They've done public school, and they are glad they're out. I just asked my teen would she want to go back to public school, and she gave me a firm NO... she hated school... it was depressing.. and quite honestly.. soul crushing. I am not exaggerating. I won't bore you with the details.. but she had a super bad time. Once I pulled her out, we had to spend a full year de-schooling.. and I am grateful to say, I got my daughter back. I'd nearly lost her. At any rate... She and I both agree that it's all about that FCAT test... Mind you, I don't know if the other states have that test or not... my teacher friends call it (secretly) Florida's Conspiracy Against Teaching. My daughter does not care a fig about football games, dances, and proms. She goes to anime conventions with her friends and her boyfriend. She does not feel she has 'missed out' at all. She believes that she has enjoyed much happier "teen years" by being herself and doing what interests her.
