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MacBeth
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Dear Friends...
The unimaginable has happened: Trip, my most unschooled child, has chosen to go to high school, and one of the main reasons he cited is.....more structure. Yes, folks. My son-who-nearly-never-is-assigned-anything has decided he needs more structure in his life, and he believes that a strict, Marianist high school is the place to get that structure. Did he ask me for more structure?? NO!  .
Despite the shock to my system  , I am rather proud of him, both for getting into the school (they say they only accept 25% of applicants), and for coming to the decision by logically and thoughtfully weighing the pros and cons of attending this high school.
The Marianist brothers assured me that homeschoolers do well at their school, but it seems that most of the homeschoolers they have accepted in the past had used Seton, and those that didn't used some other curriculum supplier. I don't think Trip has ever opened a textbook, except in German school. They will need an official transcript in June. I wonder what they will think of what I send them. Hmmm...I wonder what I will send them. 
So...I figured I'd open this topic to ask if anyone has this kind of experience. If not, I thought I might post here from time to time in case others want to know how this might work (or not).
We have made it clear to him that he may come home for school at any time, but that he must give it a fair chance. It will mean many changes for all of us. Just the thought of having to follow a school schedule, meet with teachers, make lunch, drive him when he misses the bus, get up in the morning at a time not-of-my-choosing  , check homework (which, nightly, will be more work than he has ever been assigned by me), and, worst of all, be denied the freedom to take a vacation whenever, is making me cringe. Don't ever let anyone tell you that homeschooling is harder than sending them to school.
Trip took all these thoughts in stride, put on his new CHS hat, and smiled at me. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll try not to miss the bus. Oh...and thanks for letting me go."
__________________
God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
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amyable
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Well, I don't have that experience yet, but from your description, I think I know what high school he chose - my dh went there and always sings its praises. If you'd like I could ask him, ummm, whatever it is you'd like me to ask him! It was almost 20 years ago  now that dh went there, but honestly I don't think it's changed that much. 
His experience there is the one reason he really wants our girls to go to high school instead of being homeschooled, fwiw.
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Elizabeth
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It's a sad day in my house. My second child is acting like he's lost his best friend or something.Christian and Trip have been long distance buddies since...I don't know--a long time. And when Christian was first sent the link to the amazing prep school Trip will be attending, he got tears in his eyes.
"He can't do this. He just can't do this."
Then he proceeded to to try to persuade Trip not to enroll. He knew he had very little time before registration. Trip's father turned out to be Christian's ally and provided a sample schedule of Trip's typical day--a day which included plenty of structure, lots of homework and half an hour of free time, between 10 and 10:30 . Trip's dad may have piled it on a bit thick, but Christian ran with it. I was kind of enlightened by Christian's email to Trip:
(Note what he considers the greatest "scoring point" of his argument
Trip,
Ok. wow! thirty minutes of free time:) an indoor pool, gym, debating hall. Cool, but tell me how many days a week do you plan on swimming and working out. Let's just say you plan to do that stuff three times a week for a nine month school year. You really think you could do that? NO. And if you stay at home, instead of a pool you get a creek full of fish just waiting to be fished. Instead of gym, you get a baseball bat, basketball hoop, and a bike (and if you don't like that, buy a few weights).And you get to go skating every Friday with the Gunther girls. Score. You want a gym full of sweaty boys or ice skating? Instead of debating hall, you get your brother and your sisters just standing there ready to argue with. If you go to school, any friends you have now you can play with in the whole half hour you have of free time. Yep, sounds like the life. And what happens when it's a nice day out in January and you're stuck in school wearing a uniform? Sounds like fun. And what if you want to go camping in October or May? As for cutting off a whole year of college, you can take courses at a local college as a homeschooler and get high school and college credit. It's not just kids at that high school who can do that. Michael is doing it now.
Half an hour of free time? Are you kidding? What if you get a great idea for an invention or something?
Christian
I will say that Michael applauded Trip's decision heartily and that everyone here in the Foss household congratulates him on getting in to a very competitive high school  . I think his Mom is to be commended too . And he is also to be congratulated for getting Christian to write passionately not once, but three or four times in last two days. I can't get him to do that .
Oh, and Kudos to Alice for providing such fodder for Christian's argument. Trip addressed every other point in his retort, but mysteriously didn't even acknowledge that one.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Bridget
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I love it! Oh, they're growing up so fast!
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God Bless,
Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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Leonie
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Oh, Macbeth, such big changes! How old is Trip?
I'd love to hear out it goes - both with the transcript and his every day experiences.
We had some friends visit over Christmas, from interstate. Hadn't seen them for about four years and they have been total natural learners or unschoolers.
One of their sons is in second year university, studying for a Bachelor of Business with a major in accounting. This was a child who rarely opened a maths book.
One of the girls has chosen to go to high school. She is in year 9 at a private competitive school - and doing very well. Again, in spite of or because of doing very little formal school work. 
She has always been an organized person, though. And now organizes her uniform, her bus timetable, her packed lunch, her homework every day - at 14!
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Cay Gibson
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Something I've often thought about was how hsers (especially unschoolers) encourage their dc to try various experiences.
I guess going to a "real" school is just one of those experiences.
As most of you know, Corey opted to go to back to school for awhile. It was the "friend/socialization" issue. After a couple years, he opted to come back home. He did well and the whole experience assured me that I could not mess up my child's education. One thing I will tell you, MacBeth, if Trip decides to stick it out, you will be relieved of all the paperwork and burden of official papers that I'm fighting (and my best friend is fighting) with our oldest sons.
My oldest plans to go to the local community college. For that he only needs to score a 17 on the ACT but any credits he gets there are considered a college credit if he transfers over.
Our local college (McNeese State University)---my alma mater---is listed as hs friendly and Louisiana's state law lowered the ACT score for hsers from 23 TO 22 this school year. Well, my friend's ds scored a 22 but they have denied him entrance this fall because the college's entrance requirement (for hsers) is a 23. My friend is having to go to a state official to see what can be done. In the meantime, her ds is getting tutored and retaking the ACT in hopes of scoring higher. It has really been discouraging for them. He worked so hard and is denied by one point. The college refuses to budge.
Another hs friend graduated last year. She and her mother had to jump through hoops to get her into the local community college. I'm wondering how Elizabeth got Michael in so easily. My friend and I both sought to get our oldest dc into the community college while a junior (because that's when public schooled dc are allowed to go). We were refused. 
I'm mentioning these examples to show that hsers are "still" having trouble getting into colleges and receiving higher learning...despite what you hear elsewhere. I'm not saying they "aren't" getting in. They are! But it's a lot of work and red tape for the parents and aggravation/frustration for both parents and students.
Right now I'm trying to get diploma, transcript, graduation announcements, etc ready for May. It exhausts me just thinking about it. It's one of those times I would gladly appreciate a school counselor doing the work for me.  My ds will not score high on any tests. He's a hard worker and a good student, but he is not my dd.
I have one like Leonie mentioned. She's in school and she shines. Gets up every morning, fixes her lunch, organizes her uniform, gets to school early (a friend picks her up), has her homework done every day, makes straight A's, is in advanced classes, more than likely will get a scholarship, TOPS, etc. I have never had to brow beat anything into that girl. She is self-disciplined, self-motivated, consistant, etc. She's the apple of every teacher. If only all children were like that. But they aren't, and thank God they aren't all alike. How boring would that be?
But I sigh easy with her. I won't have to do the hoop jumping and paperwork for her.
I am telling myself that either way, it would be a headache with my oldest...whether he's graduating from home or from a high school class of 500+. Either way I would have to meet with the counselor and try to weave him through the system. And I suspect I'll be doing it for my 2nd son as well.
As I began saying, if Trip sticks it out, the road will be paved much easier for you in the end.
__________________
Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Elizabeth
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Cay Gibson wrote:
Another hs friend graduated last year. She and her mother had to jump through hoops to get her into the local community college. I'm wondering how Elizabeth got Michael in so easily. My friend and I both sought to get our oldest dc into the community college while a junior (because that's when public schooled dc are allowed to go). We were refused. |
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He needed a letter from the county proving that he is homeschooled. He took the entrance exam and aced it. And then he met with the counselor. While he gets dual credit, he is officially there as a high school student. He submitted SAT scores but he thinks they were unnecessary. Really, I did nothing. He did all the paperwork. I even had to call him in here to tell me what he did.So, I guess the difference is he's not there as a homeschool graduate, he's there as a current homeschooler.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: Feb 04 2006 at 6:27pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Really, I did nothing. He did all the paperwork. I even had to call him in here to tell me what he did. |
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This is exactly how Kayleigh performs.
Elizabeth wrote:
| So, I guess the difference is he's not there as a homeschool graduate, he's there as a current homeschooler. |
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Our dc were juniors in high school. They were not even given the option of taking the entrance exam. Our dc were hsers. Case closed. Come back when you've got a degree and transcript.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Elizabeth
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Cay,
I feel your pain. I sat through the admissions talk at my alma mater. The dean went to great lengths to talk about the "academical village" (meaning living a lifestyle of learning all the time, not just in the classroom) and to reassure the kids over and over that standardzied tests ranked about 4th in importance of what they looked at in admissions committees. Perfect huh? We live a lifestyle of learning. We don't teach to the test. Wrong. Privately, she told us that because they don't have objective grades and class ranks, standardized tests bear much more weight for homeschoolers.
Trip is a testimony to doing well on a competitive entrance exam. The question for us is "Is he the exception to the rule where home education or unschooling is concerned?"
Or do we need to suck it up and guide our kids through this journey with one eye on the inevitable test?
Everything would have been different in your friend's scenario if he'd just scored a little higher.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Diane
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Wow, MacBeth, I commend you for your willingness to allow Trip to make this decision and your support of his choice, even though it will entail so many changes for all of you. I know this is a key ingredient to unschooling---giving your child the freedom to design his own education---but who’d have thought it would lead him to school? I’d love to hear more of Trip’s reasons for wanting to go.
I’m also curious to know what you would have done if you felt his reasons were not legitimate (?) or if his choice of schools was not quite so excellent. Do others reading this give their children complete freedom to make their own decision regarding high school or is that freedom more conditional (based on the strength of their argument and the quality of available schools)?
I ask because I will be facing this in the next year. My almost-13yo dd has been itching to go to school for some time. Her reasons are primarily social, I think---she’s an extrovert and often restless here at home. I don’t see this as just a superficial need though. I think she’d thrive in a group learning situation with more interaction and challenge. She’s way ahead of the rest of my kids and does most of her learning on her own. We explored the possibility of her attending a small Catholic school downtown at the start of this year but ultimately decided that the changes would be too great for our family as a whole. And I really wanted two more years with her.
Right now in her mind she is planning to go to high school. In my mind I keep saying that it will depend on the available school options, since we don’t know where we’ll be living 18 mos from now. Honestly, part of me would be relieved to send her and another part of me would be heart-broken. The last three years have been rather tumultuous for our family, and I wonder if she would be so driven to go to school if I had been able to make our home a more peaceful oasis of learning and love. She probably would, given her personality, but the doubts are there nonetheless. Pointless to wonder “what if,” I know, still it’s there.
Anyway, of course, I absolutely want to do what is best for her…..and not factor my needs or insecurities into the equation. So what happens if she is determined to go to high school and there is no excellent Catholic high school available? Do I allow her to make that decision on her own, even if I feel that it is not best from a spiritual point of view?
Sorry to ramble, but your post really got me thinking, MacBeth. Congratulations to Trip , and may God bless him and guide him in his education journey. Elizabeth, I was very impressed with the thoroughness and expression of Christian’s arguments. He’s obviously very happy, right where he is, and that must be comforting for a mother to know. Gotta love those Gunther girls!
Thanks too, Cay, for your honesty in sharing some of the other side of the story….
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Peace,
Diane
Mom to five fair lasses and one bonny prince
The Journey of a Mother's Heart
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Rachel May
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Elizabeth wrote:
Trip is a testimony to doing well on a competitive entrance exam. The question for us is "Is he the exception to the rule where home education or unschooling is concerned?"
Or do we need to suck it up and guide our kids through this journey with one eye on the inevitable test? |
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I was wondering if any of you feel that homeschooling/unschooling has helped you listen better to what your teens say, like when Trip expressed that he wanted to go to school? I'm very much looking forward to the teen years (even if they are years away), as much as any other stage, and would love to hear your insights.
Also, Bill was asking me the other day why some kids "don't test well." Is testing a skill that is taught? Do some kids just do better than others? Why? Neither he nor I had problems with that, and we haven't had to deal with that issue yet with our kids.
As you say, Elizabeth, I'm keeping an eye on those standardized tests.
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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lilac hill
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Macbeth,
As you know my dd#2 went back to public school last year. It was in March of 9th grade.
She never asked for more structure or bookwork, as a matter of fact, she rebelled against more structure at home (hence the March return) .
At first her willingness to accept the work from others was bitter,  but only for a moment. How could she not want unlimited time for focusing on her music and art? How could she not want to select her courses within a loose framework? How could I tolerate the school schedule? (DD#2 makes her lunch and is responsible for getting me to sign paperwork. SHe does her laundry, with a bit of help, so she has the outfits she wants. And if we go on a trip, I have a few people that I can have stay at the house with her . Of course having someone stay with her does not take away from DH, DD#3 and me from missing her--BUT DD#3 needs the same kind of trips that DD#2 had when she was younger
DD#2 has found her stride. My quiet daughter has found mostly acquaintances (still holds tight to her near and dears) , has made the academic transition, is involved in a few clubs and activities, is trying a new sport-hurdling--the coach is thrilled with her long legs, and has access to chorus and art activities. The effort that the art teacher has made at adapting an art class course of study for her is impressive.
Hew willingness to pick and choose what works for her and her tolerence for less than perfect situations (the choral program is not as intense as she would prefer, but lessons help) intrigues me. Weekend are her down time  and she keeps her schedule pretty free except for visits with those "near and dears". She does make an extra effort to spend time with DD#3 which warms our parental hearts. 
DD#1 also went back to public for high school after 2 years of homeschool. In our area they both recommend not sending dd#3 back before, or even IF then.
I am assuming that this is not a co-ed school. DH attended an all boys high school and found it to be the perfect "growing place". He still has a group of friends from those years that we are close to. 
__________________
Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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MacBeth
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amyable wrote:
Well, I don't have that experience yet, but from your description, I think I know what high school he chose - my dh went there and always sings its praises. If you'd like I could ask him, ummm, whatever it is you'd like me to ask him! It was almost 20 years ago now that dh went there, but honestly I don't think it's changed that much.
His experience there is the one reason he really wants our girls to go to high school instead of being homeschooled, fwiw. |
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Amy, my dh wants to know who you are . He, his brother, his father and uncle all went to this school (where the admissions people swear they do not look at "legacy" unless a student is refused admission and the parents ask for special consideration).
I am glad to hear that your dh had a good experience. My dh did not, and always said he would never send his son there. Trip's godfather had an even worse time there, and has been trying to tell Trip not to go. Trip will hear none of it, and the Brothers have assured my dh that this is a kinder, gentler place...dh says the problem was not so much with discipline, as with the arbitrary nature of that discipline. We shall see. I am always hearing that there are many graduates who love this high school. I just don't know many personally, so I am glad to hear your dh's testimony.
I am also impressed by the number of vocations coming out of the school. Trip also applied to the minor seminary here, but it turns out the this high school has more vocations. I think that was one of his reasons for choosing as he did, as he has two friends trying to convince him to go to the minor seminary with them.
Leonie wrote:
| Oh, Macbeth, such big changes! How old is Trip? |
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He's 14. He is admitted for the fall, so he might still back out (but I doubt it!!). And, of course, the sticky issue of a transcript might foil all his plans. I hope not, since he is really excited about going.
Thanks for the story of your unschooling friend. All the little tidbits of information are helping me put a picture of this unknown future together.
__________________
God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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Elizabeth wrote:
It's a sad day in my house. My second child is acting like he's lost his best friend or something.Christian and Trip have been long distance buddies since...I don't know--a long time. And when Christian was first sent the link to the amazing prep school Trip will be attending, he got tears in his eyes.
... And he is also to be congratulated for getting Christian to write passionately not once, but three or four times in last two days. I can't get him to do that .
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No need for that to stop. Christian has until September to talk Trip out of going... .
Bridget wrote:
| I love it! Oh, they're growing up so fast! |
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Tell me about it! I keep telling myself that this is just the begining...soon--too soon--there will be college.
__________________
God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| MacBeth, if Trip decides to stick it out, you will be relieved of all the paperwork and burden of official papers that I'm fighting (and my best friend is fighting) with our oldest sons. |
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This is an interesting case for high school, though I had not thought of it before. Actually, I thought about it as I was reading the high school handbook and saw that college admissions counseling would be done through the guidance office. Honestly, the challenge of getting a homeschooler into the right college was one to which I was looking forward.
OTOH, hearing your story has made me pause. Our local community colleges are notoriously rigid about things here, since they do not want to be seen as high schools with ash trays (well, the classrooms are smoke-free now ). I know this may not be the case everywhere, and I have taken courses that are quite challenging at our CC, but they do not want to compete with high schools for students, as it would create some kind of chaos in the public school system, and so they do give homeschoolers--current and graduate--a hard time. I do know a few kids who have taken classes, but I am not sure what hoops they have had to jump through.
BTW, Libby and Trip have both been aquiring college credit since the age of 11 at a local Catholic college. No problem, just a form to fill out...
__________________
God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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At the risk of incurring the wrath of the anti-spam subroutine, I am going to keep posting...I hope you all don't mind these self-indulgent musings...
Diane wrote:
| Wow, MacBeth, I commend you for your willingness to allow Trip to make this decision and your support of his choice, even though it will entail so many changes for all of you. I know this is a key ingredient to unschooling---giving your child the freedom to design his own education---but who’d have thought it would lead him to school? I’d love to hear more of Trip’s reasons for wanting to go. |
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Hey Diane! This is kind of tricky, since Trip never expressed any interest in going until he was admitted. Because my school district has always ignored us (until this year!!), and the kids had never taken a standardized test, we had Libby and Trip take the Catholic high school entrance exam. It seem like an easy way to acclimate the kids to the world of testing. The results stay within the Catholic system, and they don't really matter--or so we thought. Libby, who was preparing to audition for music school at the same time as the test results came in, attended all the open-houses offered by the schools she chose, and decided at the last minute (or, the night before the last minute) that she would rather stay home to have more time for music. I really figured it was the same for Trip. He NEVER said a word about wanting to go, until he got his acceptance letters. The open house at this school was really the clincher. You walk in and they congratulate you, slap you on the back, and say, "Welcome to CHS!" The brochures are colorful, with sports, clubs and facilities in lively photographs. In the auditorium, a power-point show highlights the opportunities to "belong". By the end of the day, he had selected his clubs and a potential team (crew!).
His other reasons included the bio lab, which, for all my knowledge and efforts, is better than I can provide; the weight room (we don't have one); the debate team; and the science fair.
Diane wrote:
| I’m also curious to know what you would have done if you felt his reasons were not legitimate (?) or if his choice of schools was not quite so excellent. Do others reading this give their children complete freedom to make their own decision regarding high school or is that freedom more conditional (based on the strength of their argument and the quality of available schools)? |
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We have the final word, and he knows that. We give him freedom within certain limitations. If this were not an excellent school, or if it were theologically liberal, it would not be considered. Libby, knowing that the local girls' high school was not as orthodox as we like, did not even ask to go to that open house.
Diane wrote:
| I ask because I will be facing this in the next year. My almost-13yo dd has been itching to go to school for some time. Her reasons are primarily social, I think---she’s an extrovert and often restless here at home. I don’t see this as just a superficial need though. I think she’d thrive in a group learning situation with more interaction and challenge. She’s way ahead of the rest of my kids and does most of her learning on her own. We explored the possibility of her attending a small Catholic school downtown at the start of this year but ultimately decided that the changes would be too great for our family as a whole. And I really wanted two more years with her. |
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I think Libby was considering (however briefly) high school primarily for social reasons, but the music school, and our teen group, have fulfilled her social needs.
Diane wrote:
Honestly, part of me would be relieved to send her and another part of me would be heart-broken.
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Yup. and there is no way around these feelings, though I think I would have felt them more strongly if Libby had chosen school, not because I love Trip less , but because he has a different way of thinking about things, and because his decision-making process was so clear (though he was lured by activities, his main reasons were academic). Perhaps I would have taken it more personally if Libby had gone...I am not sure.
Diane wrote:
| So what happens if she is determined to go to high school and there is no excellent Catholic high school available? Do I allow her to make that decision on her own, even if I feel that it is not best from a spiritual point of view? |
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Tough call. For us, public school was not on the table. Everything from the collapse of two classrooms a few years ago (trapping two students, who were rescued but shaken), to the "drug tree" where students can purchase...yeah. I could go on. And this is a nice neighborhood.
Diane wrote:
| Sorry to ramble, but your post really got me thinking, MacBeth. Congratulations to Trip , and may God bless him and guide him in his education journey. |
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Thanks, Diane! I hope your situation is guided as well. Please keep us updated.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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lilac hill wrote:
| I am assuming that this is not a co-ed school. DH attended an all boys high school and found it to be the perfect "growing place". He still has a group of friends from those years that we are close to. |
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Yes, it is boys only, and likewise, my dh has great friends from high school, including Trip's godfather.
Thanks for the input, Viv. I have been wondering how your dd's schooling was going. And Don already had a contingency plan for those vacation times when we want to go and leave Trip behind .
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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Cay Gibson
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MacBeth wrote:
| In the auditorium, a power-point show highlights the opportunities to "belong". By the end of the day, he had selected his clubs and a potential team (crew!). |
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The schools definitely put on the most impressive power-point shows. I'll give them that. And they teach power-point. My dd knows power-point and my 12 yr old and I are learning from her.
Speaking of clubs and teams, my oldest dd told me yesterday she wanted to join a sorority in college. I told her absolutely not and gave her a list of reasons. I told her I would pay for her education, not for her to have a FUN time. She told me she just thought it'd be "neat." I guess I've heard way too much about the college lifestyle to want my dc to get involved. I lived in my parent's apartment (next door) and drove to college each day. I really didn't have a "social" life at college but that's okay. I have no regrets.
MacBeth wrote:
| His other reasons included the bio lab, which, for all my knowledge and efforts, is better than I can provide; |
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Oh, no doubt about that! Certainly the schools provide professional looking labs with all the bells and whistles. It's all that extra money they get. Did you watch "Stupid in America" a couple weeks ago?
But it isn't about bells and whistles! It's about E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N!!!
I still think, MacBeth, that you have given your dc the finest labortory in the whole wide world---hands down---a bigger, broader one than any school could ever afford!!!
MacBeth wrote:
| Honestly, the challenge of getting a homeschooler into the right college was one to which I was looking forward. |
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I take it I'm a little less competitive than you, MacBeth.
MacBeth wrote:
| No need for that to stop. Christian has until September to talk Trip out of going... |
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I was thinking he was starting this spring semester to see how it went. I always encourage parents to start school or take their dc out of school with the new school year or during Christmas breaks. I think it's not as dramatic on the child that way.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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MacBeth
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Elizabeth wrote:
| The dean went to great lengths to talk about the "academical village" (meaning living a lifestyle of learning all the time, not just in the classroom) and to reassure the kids over and over that standardized tests ranked about 4th in importance of what they looked at in admissions committees. Perfect huh? We live a lifestyle of learning. We don't teach to the test. Wrong. Privately, she told us that because they don't have objective grades and class ranks, standardized tests bear much more weight for homeschoolers. |
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As I review test-taking with Trip, I keep asking if I am teaching to the test, and I have decided I am not. I am prepping him for an upcoming evaluation. As a homeschooler, he has not been bombarded with testing as I was in school. Even our Weekly Readers had sample reading comprehension exercises. So, I did pick up a couple of the Spectrum books for him to review, and test-taking skills are making a difference. I wish he had dome some prep before he took the entrance exam, though I am pleased with his net results.
Over this week, I have given him a few sample language arts tests. This kid can write well, and is known as "the grammar police" at our house, but when taking the sample tests, he would misread, rush, or simply make careless mistakes  . With a week of easy-going sample tests, he has stopped making these mistakes, and is scoring 20% higher. So, if the question is, do we prep? Yes. I would still like to think we needn't teach to the test...but the bottom line is, they must be prepared.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| Oh, no doubt about that! Certainly the schools provide professional looking labs with all the bells and whistles. It's all that extra money they get. Did you watch "Stupid in America" a couple weeks ago? |
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I did see the 20/20 Special, but it focused on public high schools. This is a private high school, and the price is quite reasonable, while the facilities are beautiful. I understand the inverse relationship between spending and education , and I am delighted to say that this school educates boys with excellent results for a fraction of the per student cost of the local public high school.
Cay Gibson wrote:
I still think, MacBeth, that you have given your dc the finest labortory in the whole wide world---hands down---a bigger, broader one than any school could ever afford!!!
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Ah...yes. The field experiences will be more limited, but I can provide more of that if necessary. Also, there are so many things he has done and seen, I am hoping it wall all work to his advantage. We shall see how things go in September.
I just wish I could get him to change out of his now 3-day-old shirt... 
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: An Unschooler Goes to High School-Update!
