My parents have offered me the option of online highschool. Should I do it?

I wouldn’t; High School is where you meet life long friends; quit being so stuck up and meet new people.

I don’t think you should do it either, where’s the fun in that? But if you really want to, it’s up to you.

NO! Motivation is an important factor and I don’t think online high school can offer that.

Sure. I homeschooled for 10 years. Work on yourself, socialize with decent folks (hey, they don’t have to be your own age group, and get educated.

My daughters have a delightful way to look at socializing. They’re 21 now, but they regularly, on their own, choose to participate in an “old folks” Bible study. One of them has a 60 year old woman as her best friend. All three of them are active socially, doing things with folks of all ages, and each is an excellent student.

In short, make your life meaningful in a way that suits you. And don’t believe that the best years of your life are in high school. That’s true for only some folks. I hated high school.

Yes. Do it. Most of these people telling you high school is where you meet lifelong friends are only in their early 20s.

I am pro home schooling, but I think home school can be limiting depending on how it is all handled. I would research a little how active the home school groups in you area are. Most public high schools of reasonable size (I don’t know if you go to public school) offer a variety of science classes, languages, AP classes and more, that might be difficult to replicate at home.

Also, you have to be honest with yourself whether you will be self motivated enough to really get your school work done. I would rather see you get a C average and go through high school and get your diploma, then do a half ass job of studying on your own.

Any chance there is a magnet or charter school near you that might catch your interest more, and have students that are more focused on their studies?

Lastly, you might check and see if you can get through high school fast, graduate early? Most high schools require much fewer credits for graduation than what you get being there 4 years. I doubled up on English in my senior year and got out in December. Since I was not very into HS I was happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If I had known in 9th or 10th grade about the possibility, I think I would have avoided my senior year altogether.

I agree with @davidbetterman that high school is not always where you meet lifelong friends. Especially if you are not really into high school. Generally if you go to college, those are the friends that really stick.

Just to give you a more rounded picture (I don’t know how old you are) but if you are older than 18 and your class has already graduated, you can go ahead and get your GED.

Then if you go ahead and take two years of college, you no longer have the negative stigma of a GED, and you also have two years of college- maybe an associates degree!

@MrGV I give you a big “fuck you” for presuming she’s stuck up because she’s thinking about taking an alternative path in life.

That said, @Foxx, there are many things that you should consider before leaping into something like this. When I was in high school I chose to become home schooled, for various reasons. I didn’t feel that the education I was receiving was good enough, I could not relate to most of my peers, etc.

I know for me, choosing to become home schooled was one of the best decisions of my life. I was horribly depressed at the beginning of high school because it just wasn’t the right path for me. Once I was home schooled, I started to slowly come out of depression. I was learning more than I had in school, I had the option of meeting friends where and how I felt was personally good for me, etc.

That said, if you choose to take these online courses, there are a couple of things you need to know. It probably takes much more self-discipline than regular high school. If this is something that you don’t have, or if you don’t love learning in general, make sure you talk to your parents about it, because if that’s the case, you will need someone who has both the time and willingness to support you when and if you need it. Making your own schedule will be important, because you might get distracted more easily knowing that you don’t have to follow a rigid guideline. This is also something that your parents can help you with.

In terms of being social, making friends, going to the prom and all of the other stuff: Stop. Think. And seriously ask yourself if, years from now, you will regret missing out on those things. I’m 25 now and I have never regretted not going to public school, but it’s not the same for everyone. Just keep in mind if you decide to go through with this, there are always alternatives for meeting people and having fun. If you would like to know some, if you’re worried about not being able to socialize with anyone, send me a private message and I will gladly help you brainstorm ways to meet people that you will be able to value.

Now, the most important thing, above all else, is to listen to your heart. Dive deep, think about what makes you personally happy, and do not make a decision until your heart tells you to. Good luck.

I have a daughter who did the continuation school thing for the last 3 years of high school, and she complains now that she has no friends because of it. She is now 31 years old.
@MrGV is right. HS is where you have the friends that will be with you for the rest of your life.
Stick it out.

@DrasticDreamer she stated that she don’t want to associate with her peers because they are not “bright” if thats not being stuck up what is it? dumbass….

@MrGV They probably are stupid and not worth her wasting her time on them. The stupid morons.

@MrGV You’re a fucking idiot. You have no idea what she meant by “bright”. Even if she thinks they are morons, big deal. I thought the same thing about most of my peers. You enjoy being an asshole, good for you.

@MrGV That is not being stuck up. She is probably bored with them, because she is interested in more than nail polish and boys. Or is foxx a guy?

@MrGV And I don’t have ONE friend from high school. I went to an exclusive private school, and most of the kids WERE stuck up. So, no you’re not speaking for everyone.

@filmfann When we were raising kids, our local high school was not known as being an academic school. Most of the graduates never went on to college, did drugs, couldn’t even read, or were red-necks. My daughter did not want to go there, and said she’d play hookey if we made her. I actually agreed with her. So when she turned 16, we enrolled her in the local community college, and she did extremely well.

@JLeslie Girl. :)

@Foxx What grade are you in now? I think @DrasticDreamer gave you some great advice.

Also, do you plan on going to college?

at 48, i see high school people at reunion. they are still stuck up snobs. I have life long friends, some from college and you meet good friends everywhere.

There is life beyond high school.

@JLeslie Yes. I am thinking about teaching or maybe a more arts focused career.

@Foxx I guess it might be worthwhile to find out if the college you are interested in going to would have any opinion on whether you went to high school or homeschooled? @DrasticDreamer can probably give you good advice on this also. I seem to remember that her field of study is art, but I might be remembering incorrectly and confusing her with someone else.

It’s been several years since we homeschooled, but in general they go by SAT and ACT scores. Most colleges and universities are thrilled to get homeschooled students because they do so very well. (Meaning they tend to be well adjusted, good or excellent students, mature for their age, etc)

Edit: And there are many home school companies that will give you a diploma if you go with them (actually, they won’t GIVE you anything. You’ll work for it, but you’ll get your diploma).

I don’t recommend it. Online college courses are always a pain (especially when you can’t talk to the teacher!), and I can’t imagine high school classes being any easier.
Homeschooling is another matter. You still have classes and teachers and peers (if you do things right), but the environment is different.

@Nullo Actually, there are a lot of courses available with home school for high school. Everything from all paper and pencil based, to video based, to online based, and one I know of that involves a lot of drama, presentations, and so on. Some incorporate a bit of everything. It’s as varied as you can imagine.

Regarding college, it could be online, or perhaps she can find a nearby community college.

Guess what! I’ve done it. Its actually pretty easy :)
I really, really enjoyed it. I did it through the MESA program. I only did this for my senior year of high school, though. Not because I got into a lot of trouble or anything, but I just suffered privately from a lot of social phobias.

It was really nice. The teachers were easy to reach and understanding if problems happened. Do you have any particular answers I could help you wish?

Do it. I hated high school. Some people may meet life long friends, but I don’t believe that is the case for everyone – or a reason you should continue doing something you don’t enjoy. There are plenty of options to further your education. Have you considered perhaps studying abroad?

@snowberry
Like I said, the homeschooling environment is different.

OP, if you’re switching to homeschooling, that’s awesome. But don’t drop school for online courses.