Q&A: What to do when your high school student begs for a change!

"My mom won't let me!"

"I want to be homeschooled! I'm a freshman honor student in a public school. There are no problems at school and I have great friends! I've tried private school and honestly I'm just so sick and tired of getting up in the morning to go and learn nothing! I just want to be homeschooled. Any suggestions as to how I could convince my mom? She said that homeschooling is for people with problems..."

The Real question here is - What do I do when my older student is bored and thinks that the grass is more interesting in the other school's fields?

Wow... this highschooler's argument has alot of the major issues that we homeschool moms bring up. Except this time the voice is not ours but a young highschool student who is bored and sick of the system.

This is normally an argument that some homeschoolers would be tempted to join: Pushing for her homeschool rights, yelling about the injustice of making a child be part of the system when they so clearly don't want to be. However, what about her parents? Why would they drag their heels on this type of decision? Wouldn't you? This is a major decision that will effect her life and education. A child that is bored at school may think that homeschool is her only option. Well, what about honor classes, community college courses, extra curricular activities, an interesting internet course, or maybe even a part time job? These are all options for a bored student and that includes public, private, and homeschooled students! So, what now?

• "Sounds like you have a tough case on your hands. Homeschool is for parents and their children, unfortunately you can't do it alone. If you're bored and it sounds like you are, then why not add an aggresive internet course to your schedule. I'm not sure what you have available in your area as far as a community colleges go, but the internet is an option.
  
  "What's the real issue here? Is it your school? Your boredom? What part of homeschool appeals to you?
  
  "Your mom also needs to realize that her point of view on homeschool is not realistic. Do a little research on homeschoolers and show it to her. There are over 2 million homeschoolers in the United States alone. I am not religious and I homeschool because I can. I can offer my son more than any teacher could and I don't waste his time... or mine. Good Luck!"
  -Katie Hay



• "I'm the same. I'm 15 and even though I go to a school that's in the top 15 in the UK I am just so fed up with the way things are taught and the speed we learn at. Every day is the same pointless routine. In the end I was starting to get really depressed about school, so I just had to accept that it was boring and realise that I only have three years left, which I'm sure I can cope with. It might be a good idea to start an internet course, learn a new language (I did Latin, very good if you are logical, or sign language is good to learn by yourself) or volunteer with other kids. Learning how other people learn helps you to work out how you learn best. Hope that helps!"
  -Guest



• "I am kind of shocked at these messages and the fact that you both have talked with your parents and hopefully counselors at the school and still nothing. I too was an overly bright student and mostly overly bored as well. I had to fight to get placed into all honor classes and finally took on extra curricular activities to fill the spaces. I understand why your parents may feel that homeschool may not be best... honestly you're asking them to participate in your education and they have been sitting on the side lines for a long time now. They may feel like you're just going thru a phase... Parents just try to do what's best for their children and sometimes they tend to take the slow route because they want to be sure that the big decisions they make regarding their children's education are the right ones.
  
  "Hopefully you both will take the initiative and join some type of club or group and maybe even add an internet course to your schedule or look into community college classes. I got bored in highschool and joined the spanish club and also started doing Taekwondo. That, combined with an after school job, filled the hours. I eventually graduated with honors, way too many credits, and extra money in the bank with college just around the corner.
  
  "Homeschool is the perfect education choice for thousands and thousands of families and children; however, it is not a desicion to be taken lightly. Take what opportunities you both have in front of you and run. This is the true lesson you're meant to learn. Good luck and I wish you all the success your world has to offer."
  -Sandy Brown

Resources to Curb the Boredom

• Academic Competition Resources
  
  
• Foreign Language Resources
  
  
• Sign Language Resources
  
  
• Gifted Homeschool Resources

Share Your Ideas about this question or next month's:

"I'm a stay-at-home-homeschooling Dad! Yes I said Dad - not mom! I'm the stay at home homeschooling parent and I know that there aren't a lot of homeschooling dads out there, but can you send me some resources and supportive sites to help find more dads like me."