I need a good argument for being homeschooled?

Can you go to a different public school?

It’s the only public school…

Homeschool does not cost anything. There are homeschool programs that you can buy or subscribe to, but why would you when you can do it all for yourself.

Find out the homeschool regulations for your district, and then just do it. You should have your parents permission, but the rest is entirely up to you, if you are up to it.

I was going to do that using the individual-purchase classes on K12 and I was told that the only way I could do homeschool was by paying for the $7000 admission because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get a diploma.

My parents aren’t home to homeschool me, they both work full time.

I don’t think homeschool would work out very well for me unless it was a program like K12.
I wouldn’t know where to begin to pull information to finish my credits. That’s another thing, I only need 4 credits to graduate…if I stay in public school, I’ll be forced to take 8 more classes that I don’t need next year.

^^^ I was told that by someone who works at K12

You could try penn foster and finish school online…
Or you can call the school district and ask if they have an alternative or charter school in the district, so you would be able to do independent study. All you need to get in (if they have availiable space) is a referral from your principal and your parents permission.

It sounds like you just wrote your own argument for home schooling. There are charter schools that are funded by tax dollars that allow you to do your work online. What state are you in? Check this one out

What grade are you in? and how old are you?

Around here they have something called middle college that offers an alternative to the standard high school program. Is there anything of the sort in your area?

I agree with @Judi, you’ve made your own argument.

The only other things that occur to me are, first, to make contact with any other student, even if there’s only one (and even if not in your grade), who seems to be in the same situation you’re in—someone else who does care about education and is struggling with the same difficulties you are; and second, consider: is there any teacher who might be sympathetic to your plight? I’d say get together and do some brainstorming.

Have you considered the possibility of moving in with other relatives in a different place and going to school there?

You don’t need your parents to be home when you homeschool, you just need their permission to stop attending your highschool. As I said – it’s entirely up to you to do the research and find out the local regulations. It you are already a senior and only need 4 more credits, work out a homeschool plan with the dean of students or counselor at your school.

It’s important that you know alternative and charter schools do not look good on your academic record to Ivy League colleges and a lot of university’s. It might not seem like a big deal now but it will if you end up with community college as your only option.

I can’t think of any good reason to home school, unless your parents are darned intelligent in all subject areas, darned good teachers, and ready to be very strict with you. If they mean well, that’s fine, but unless they can really TEACH you and grade you accordingly so you can pass the PSAT and SAT and various statewide exams, this just an exercise in being spoiled.

And most parents don’t exercise one, two, or all three of the traits I described.

If you have issues with your high school, go to the teacher or the principal or the Board of Education.,

But whining and wanting to be home schooled is NOT addressing the problem, it is running away from it.

Get your GED.

Frankly… getting what you want in this situation (being homeschooled for the remainder of your high school education) might make you happier in the short term, but much unhappier in the long term. I agree with @elbanditoroso here. You don’t have much time left to go – do the tough thing, and go to school regardless of whether you are happy there. And @cheebdragon may also have a point about homeschooling on your transcript. I know that word always makes me raise an eyebrow and wonder if the student learned anything.

Ignore the judgment of your classmates; nothing that they say matters.

Ignore the occasional error your teachers make; if your suspicion makes you want to learn more than what they’re teaching, run with that and learn more.

Ignore the dates in your textbooks. You have the internet and a keen mind. Use them.

Spending time on how to fix a problem that your parents (a) don’t recognize as a problem and (b) have told you they cannot afford to fix is only distracting you from what is important: finishing at the top of your class so that you can make good choices about your life after high school.

Every one of the stories that you told above could happen at any high school. Books being late? Yes, it happens. Teacher made an error? All the time. School rules ignoring your human rights? Yup. It’s unfortunate that you seem to have a “perfect storm” of issues, but you can rise above all of this crap and succeed. You can.

And in addition to all that, be careful how you talk about your problems with your school to other people. Don’t tell them, “But I’m an “A” student!!” This only makes it sound like you don’t want to work for your grade, like you’re just entitled to it. A single mistake by a teacher does not mean that all your teachers are incompetent. Your father not wanting to ask his parents for $7000 to educated his child for a year does not mean he has a “complex”, and their having spent $9000 towards building a house does not mean they have unlimited funds.

Just take responsibility for your own actions, and do your best. Once you have that diploma, you can do whatever you choose, and you’ll forget why all of this bothered you as much as it does right now.

And good luck!

There is no reason for you not to educate yourself outside of class/school while you attend school. I did it before there was an internet or google to reference. I didn’t learn anything in high school that I hadn’t taught myself earlier.

@cheebdragon There are no charter schools in my state, only K-8 and based on their ratings, they’re just as good if not worse than the school I’m in.

@elbanditoroso My parents wouldn’t be teaching me, it’s an online school with real teachers that teach and prepare you for the the SAT and ACT, that’s more than my school can say. Our average ACT score is a 15–17 (highest you can make is 36, I think the national average is somewhere around 21–25).
I did online school before in 8th grade but we moved and my parents decided they didn’t want to pay for it anymore.

@marinelife I moved out of my mother’s house because of abuse and my brother and sisters decided to “disown” me for it. So I can’t go back there.
The only relatives I have are my grandparents in Washington, my dad jokingly told them that I wanted to live there and my grandfather’s wife said, “Well, you know I have a friend that came from your area and her son had a really hard time adjusting to the schools here and ended up moving back home.” Even though she likes me, I took that as a “no” to moving to live with them…even though I get along with them SO much better than I do with my own parents, I’ve only met them twice so it would be weird.

@glacial It’s not just one mistake though…everyday I’m catching misinformation spewing from my teachers’ mouths. My psychology teacher even suggested that all pedophiles be publicly lynched and that Sigmund Freud was an idiot and a pervert for suggesting psychosexual development and that young children get pleasure from masturbation.
For the year at K12 it’s $7000, but if I can transfer all of my credits, then I can finish high school in a semester for only $3000. I know my parents don’t have unlimited funds but it’s how they choose to prioritize their spending (building a house for my stepmom’s family rather than caring for my education). I was told that my stepmom and her wants come first.

The books aren’t late…they’re not coming at all. My Bio teacher said she’s been asking for new books for years and they never order them. My school doesn’t have enough money for books.
I don’t use being “A” student as an excuse not to try. I do try and work ahead, that’s why I get A’s, I pay attention and turn in all of my work and respect all of my teachers…but I’m maybe one of five other students in my entire grade that do that.
And so when I actually do my work, I have to sit in class (sometimes for two days straight) doing nothing while I wait for my class to catch up. Staring at a wall for an hour and 45 minutes is incredibly boring.

And even an accredited homeschool like K12 looks bad when applying for college? I mean like an online school when I say homeschool, not that I will be teaching myself out of books. I think K12 International School actually considers itself a “private school”.

I mean…the school is so bad I actually had a teacher approach me and suggest that I try homeschool because I’m so ahead.

What county do you live in? I know there is an alternative school somewhere near you, even if its not titled as “alternative”. Where do the kids who get expelled go to school?
They can be known as adult schools, or continuation schools, but every state has them. Check your local community college even.

@brie – let’s start by getting a definition straight. If you are considering online learning, then call it what it is. it is NOT home schooling. It is called Distance Learning, which is a whole different thing. Distance learning has been around for decades (although not always online) and it has a far different approach to pedagogy. And it’s also much more effective than home schooling.

That said, do you have the self-discipline to do so?

I’m really sorry you are in this situation. It sounds really unpleasant. Would it be possible for you to graduate in three years? Some schools will let you accelerate.

Why don’t you write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the conditions at the school. Especially the bus situation. Choose one issue to focus on at a time.

Right before I started 9th grade we moved to a really ghetto area, the local high school had an annual average of 2–3 stabbings, 1–2 rapes and 5 assaults (2 on teachers). Alternative school was my only option, I went every Friday morning for 1 hour to turn in assignments and pick up new work and I honestly loved it, I did really well and graduated with a 3.9 gpa (Harvard wont even look at anything below a 3.7 or 3.8). Gpa is only part of what colleges look for.

@brie If you said where you live I missed it when I was skimming. I think you should call your department of education and ask them what options you have for homeschooling in your district. Most public schools are either run by the city or the county, but laws for what students can legally do probably is governed by the state. @YARNLADY probably knows that answer. Also, there are websites for homsschooling probably where you live, and you could get in touch with a homsechooling parent where you live and get better information.

Lastly, check with your ublic school how many credits you need to graduate and see if you can accelerate your education to graduate early. You could double up on required courses and let the electives fall by the wayside.

As far as It’s not just one mistake though…everyday I’m catching misinformation spewing from my teachers’ mouths. My psychology teacher even suggested that all pedophiles be publicly lynched and that Sigmund Freud was an idiot and a pervert for suggesting psychosexual development and that young children get pleasure from masturbation. Many people, oncluding famous psychiatrists challenge Freud’s ideas, and your teacher is not the first to thinkhe maybe enjoyed listening to womens sex fantasies too much. Public square punishment is not a knew idea, and plenty of people think the death penalty is too good for a pedophile. I don’t know how serious her tone was when she said those things. But, it isn’t really that scandalous to say those things necessarily. Although, I am not sure why she called Freud an idiot for saying children get pleasure form touching themselves, maybe she meant she was offended that they might be getting sexual pleasure?

Other than our public school system being the laughing stock of at least a dozen “3rd world” nations, what do you have to complain about? I mean, all you have to do is show up and you’ll pass. I graduated with people who couldn’t read. But they showed up! Anyway, arguing why home school is better than public school is like arguing over rocks falling up or down. It’s really a no brainier… literally.

From what I have read colleges, especially the Ivy League, put more emphasis on test scores, outside activities and the essay than they do on grades when evaluating a homeschooler. They don’t trust the grades as much. They also like to know why the child was homeschooled. My guess is not many homeschooled children apply to the ivy leagues, although that might be changing now that homeschooling is more popular. My only point is, if you home school, also try to do some other activities and take the classes to help test better for SAT and ACT.

Most of the kids I know who were homeschooled usually wound up in school for all or part of high school. I only know one person who switched to homeschool in 11th grade and for 12th. He was accepted into a college, a local one to him. I don’t know if they accept everyone or not. The kids who started regular secondary school after being homeschooled did very well. They went to school, because the public school had so much to offer. They were ahead of their peers when they first entered school, but their parents had degrees in things like enginnering, accounting, and masters of business, so they had that in their favor.

My son and grandsons homeschooled off and on through out their schooling.

I didn’t home school them, they home schooled themselves.

During high school, they attended an out reach charter home school. They were given their assignments and took tests during the two class days a week. The school was a public school, and paid for by the taxpayers.

My post about K12, which is the only online school being considered by the OP, was relevant and important, and I don’t think it should have been modded as off-topic. If she is going to spend a minimum of $3000 (which she is having difficulty raising) for tuition at K12, she should be aware that it is being harshly criticized for its business practices, and that its future is in question.

You are, clearly, very bright and it seems this school environment is not up to par for someone such as yourself. Either get your GED and move on, quickly, or…tell your parents that if you remain in this inferior environment THEY are contributing to whatever issues arise with your education. Freaking insane from what you have said, especially the teacher admitting he was only there to collect the health insurance for his offspring.

That’s just mind blowing!
Can’t your parents see the reality of this inferior situation or are they illiterate morons?

Tons of people stay in their jobs for health insurance, I don’t see why that is mind blowing. Do you mean that he actually said it out loud to a student? That is a problem I would agree. Although, in another way I kind of like these teachers aren’t sickening sweet. They seem to talk to the teens like they have a brain in their head and aren’t completely sheltered.

@JLeslie I was thinking the same thing… particularly in relation to the Freud comments. ;)

@JLeslie Yes, the fact that he said it pout oud…jeez, pretty inappropriate even if it is true.
It’s one thing to be “real” and another to basically make it known that your main motive is in the benefits not teaching.

@Coloma Yeah, the teacher probably should not have vented that to a student. I guess the teacher saw the OP as more mature and empathasizing with the situation at the school. Still, I agree that was probably going too far.

” pout oud”...well…you get my drift. lol

I don’t know if it would work, or even if it’s practical, but if after you have presented all your arguments, you could simply refuse to go to school, and study on your own, at home. You would have learning deficits, but if you use the GED manuals available at the public libraries, you’d get along fairly well there. Some libraries also actually carry text books of various grade levels and subjects.

This option definitely would not make you popular at home.

Also, some counties offer the chance to do concurrent enrollment (where you go to a local community college). The costs are paid for by the school district, but you have to get to the school and buy the books.

I homeschooled for many years. PM me if you want to give this a try. I would love to help you brainstorm.

Oes your school have a work study program? Then you can get out after a half day.

Another possible option, I had a two period child development class that I could go to the elementary school near me and help a teacher.

I think @snowberry is on to something. I believe that most states only require going to school up to the age of 16. If you are older, you can strike out on your own to get a GED. To convince your parents, you need to scope out what is covered on the GED test and show your parents a plan as to how to pass it. Along with all your arguments about how awful your high school is, that should make a convincing case for getting your degree through self-study. It will take considerable self-discipline, but I have the feeling that you can do it.

My not good way of dealing with a similar situation was to just shut down. When my mom realized I was skipping most of my classes she agreed to let me go to a HS completion program that was available to me. I graduated at 17.

I asked my daughter to give her two cents. She said to turn the argument around and show your folks how making sure you get decent schooling now would benefit them in the long run.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to attain a decent ACT test score at this school so I can get into get into college (give reasons here). Mom and Dad, if I can’t get into a decent college, I won’t be able to make enough money to take care of you when you get older.”

Try writing it all down so you don’t miss anything, and shoot this to them in an e-mail (so you have a record of it).

@Brie If you have any ambition to go to a university after high school, I beg you to talk to an university admissions officer for advice before choosing to quit high school and aim simply for a GED. This sounds like a terrible idea to me.

I wonder if you talked to a school counselor (not being accusatory but focusing on how you’re feeling) maybe they could work out a home study program for you where you still get school credit but do your work at home. They have a stake in keeping you enrolled as they get finding per pupil.

@glacial Actually she can make up that stigma by getting a GED and then going to a community college for two years. If she has top grades there, she should be able to get into a decent university. A lot of homeschoolers do exactly that.

Does anyone know if she can re-take a standardized test once she’s in college?

wont learn social engagement.