Your child has announced that they want to stop homeschooling and go to a regular school. After you have gotten over the initial shock, rejection, and horror, you have to help them decide if school is really the best thing for them. Here are some questions you can ask your teenaged homeschooler who wants to go to school to help them decide their next step. (I believe parents should make the decision for younger children) Just be prepared for the answers.
What is it about school that you want to experience? An acceptable answer might be, “I just want to experience a high school environment before moving on to college”. An unacceptable answer would be I want more friends. You do not need to go to school to make friends.
What do you think school is like? (Have them be specific) If they start describing anything they have seen on TV, then they are being unrealistic about what they think school is like. Try to find a real depiction of what school is like for them to view, or ask a relative who teaches or works at a school to possibly arrange a day or a few hours in their class. Make sure they really know what school is like and do not have a romanticized version of it in their heads.
How do you think your life will be different if you go to school? An acceptable answer might be that they will be better able to relate to kids who go to school. An unacceptable answer would be that they would become popular and have an awesome social life. Few people look back at high school with such memories.
Would you consider homeschooling part time while taking some classes? Sometimes just getting a taste of being in a classroom, or spending a few hours a day outside the home is what the student is looking for. At a certain age and level of maturity, this is very healthy. If this is acceptable to them, then look into local classes for your homeschooler.
What will you want to do if you decided you do not like school? Let your child know that they cannot be wishy-washy about such a decision. If your 10tth grade homeschooler wants to go to school, then he or she should probably stay until graduation. A middle schooler will have to complete the year he or she starts.
If I could change one thing about homeschooling to make you want to continue, what would it be? Your child may want to homeschool because they are unhappy with something in the homeschool. Perhaps they feel like you are babying them. Perhaps they feel they have too much responsibility for a kid. Perhaps they need some time away from siblings to be an individual. In most cases, if the child can pinpoint a problem, the family can make small adjustments that make your child want to continue homeschooling.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?