Children Getting Too Personal

[feral]

What exactly are you so afraid of about high school? Whatever your concerns, if you raise your child with a solid foundation, make him or her aware that you are always available for questions and will always love and support him or her even when they are wrong, the problems tend to be minimal. It isn't the kids who feel confident who are pressured into drugs, and it isn't those with supportive parents who turn to sex for attention. That makes a difference.

Beyond that...high school is not a war zone. It becomes poor when the community, including parents, neglect it and send the message that whatever goes on there is the teachers responsibility. If you want to take advantage of public education then make a point to be involved. Ask to sit in on the classes. Call the teachers weekly. Attend all conferences and PTA meetings. Network a group of concerned parents to help monitor the hallways and counsel disturbed kids. Moreover, let the kids know you're there watching over them. A kid who brings a gun to school is a scared, desperate kid with no one else defending them. A kid taking drugs is suffering from a reality so poor they desire escape. Make a difference. Don't drop the kids off and pretend it isn't your responsibility. You give birth, you're responsible.

 

[Lions_child]

My first reaction was that if you are really concerned, do home school. Some have said that if you were to home school him eventually he’s going to have to go out and face the world anyway and to the concern:

If ya don't now, I can assure you he will be COMPLETELY blown away by the real world once he leaves homeschooling. ya can't hide and duck forever.

I sincerely object. Now it is true that there are home schoolers who are very sheltered, whose parents do not give them an education that lets them know what's going on in the outside world. But if home schooling is your choice, you can be very concious about making sure that your son does know what is going on so he isn't shocked when he goes to college and is exposed to the "real world"

Some have also said things that make it sound like they think that home schoolers rarely go to college and that universities don't like home schooled students. That is not true at all. In fact more and more colleges and universities are actively seeking home schoolers because they know that home schoolers have made academics their priority. Many schools have info on their applications or portions of their websites just for home schoolers. Obviously they are paying attention to home schoolers!

And yes, home schoolers do succeed in college. Not all people are home schooled because they are introverts and cannot handle social interaction, though I almost get the impression that some in this thread believe that way. Many home schoolers are very independent and motivated and interested in their futures. That helps them do well in college and adapt in a normal way to dorm life and being in classes.

If they are in the right environment home schoolers can very easily develop morals and know what is going on in the world without being directly faced with the problems.

Londongirl, I would love to discuss home schooling with you in more detail if you are interested. Many people say "Oh I could never do that!" especially at the High School level, but there are so many different ways and curriculums that can be utilized. You could definitely find a curriculum which would be very hands-off for you.

 

[flicka]

The only reason I'm on this site is to learn more about christianity because my kids both became christians after getting involved with the christian group on campus at a public high school....ironic huh?

 

[Lions_child]

We christians would say not ironic, but a miracle. That is very neat flicka and I appreciate you saying that. I am not advocating for everyone to be home schooled, but for someone who is a christian parent and worrying about the influences, home schooling is a relevant option. I thouroughly believe that we need good, strong christian kids in public schools (and christian schools too!). Just like we need good strong christian kids in public universities.

 

[feral]

Public schools are not the dens of corruption that some make them out to be. Thank you for your post, Flicka.

 

[Nick_Loves_Abba]

While high school is very raunchy and drug-induced, it's no more so than it was 20 years ago. I watched Dazed and Confused, I should know.

Contrary to popular belief, kids in HS don't escape into caves on the weekends to fornicate and get high.

 

[Light in the Darkness]

Haethurn

I'm in high school right now, and my circle of friends prefer to engage in exciting debates on politics, philosophy, theology, and history.

This goes for me, as well. Sure, my friends and I spend more time discussing more trivial matters, but we do have serious discussions from time to time.

Of course, my old group of friends preferred to hole up in one of the English teacher's rooms and do some light role-playing. Ah, happy times...

Nick_Loves_Abba

...kids in HS don't escape into caves on the weekends to fornicate and get high.

Scratch that.

...Most kids in HS don't escape into caves on the weekends to fornicate and get high.

 

[Doctor PHMG]

I've been concerned about my son moving to the high school because I've been hearing horrible things that are already happening with the middle school kids. My niece (that's very close to me) has told me things she's done & her friends have even confided in me. But it is so bad that these girls that are doing far worse than I would even thought of, are apparently not the worst girls. They consider themselves the good girls. Or at the least better than a lot of others. I know boys are a little worse than they used to be also but girls are the ones after the boys now. I mean, I've even heard a lot of role reversal between them compared to what they both used to do about 20 years ago. What's up? I don't know what to do?

1. throw away the television
2. put him in a better school or just homeschool

 

[Light in the Darkness]

1. throw away the television

Ok, now I'm curious.

How does this have anything to do with the quality of public schools?

 

[SqueezetheShaman]

Obviously the doc isn' aware of TLC, discovery channel, the science channel. Just to name a few. There is a lot of quality programming on television. And there is a lot of **** too. That is what the remote for.

 

[Haethurn]

Obviously the doc isn' aware of TLC, discovery channel, the science channel. Just to name a few. There is a lot of quality programming on television. And there is a lot of **** too. That is what the remote for.

Hey, what about the History Channel? That's the only thing I watch, besides CourtTV. I used to watch the news, but now I just get the news from Time magazine.

Then again, I have Dish, so there aren't any good movie channels on here. Occasionally I can watch some Vietnam war movie that I've seen a thousand times before, but that's about it.

 

[Lillithspeak]

You can go through a correspondence program which at that point your only responsibility is making sure your son does the work. I used the Abeka video program. My mother didn't have to physically teach me anything. It really works too. It's from the Christian perspective, it was challenging yet fun, and I was able to work at my own pace. I also didn't have to face some of the unrealistic and pernicious social challenges the public schools impose on young people. Ultimately the choice is yours. If you prayerfully decide that homeschooling is the way to go your son may resist at first. You may want to offer a choice of curriculums for him to choose from. You may also want to look into local homeschool peer groups. I had alot of fun in mine. We were all close in age and we would go on field trips and study together. Plus I went to church so I was never socially deprived.

Suspicions confirmed.

 

[pantsman52]

Abeka..isnt that the learning program thats endorsed by that really really really really strict pensacova christian college? Where they have seperate sidewalks and seperate elevators for each gender, DVD's are not allowed, and any music thats not gospel is confiscated, women must wear large dresses and stockings, your not allowed to open the windows in your dorm room, you get written up if your caught holding hands with a member of the opposite sex, or even staring into their eyes, and they consider the drums to be satanic?

 

[Mac6yver]

Obviously the doc isn' aware of TLC, discovery channel, the science channel. Just to name a few. There is a lot of quality programming on television. And there is a lot of **** too. That is what the remote for.

But those channels teach EVIL-UTION!!!!

 

[Lillithspeak]

Sounds like something the religious right would advocate.

 

[Seph]

I dont see anything wrong with highschool just make shure your chiled is not a sheep (ie someone that thoughtlessly copys or follows what outhers do and/or has no self opinion/estem) and he/she will be fine

I am speeking as a student since i do happen to go to highschool right now

 

[Light in the Darkness]

Where they have seperate sidewalks and seperate elevators for each gender, DVD's are not allowed, and any music thats not gospel is confiscated, women must wear large dresses and stockings, your not allowed to open the windows in your dorm room, you get written up if your caught holding hands with a member of the opposite sex, or even staring into their eyes, and they consider the drums to be satanic?

Welcome to hell.

 

[ThePhoenix]

YOU made the decision?

Yes, I did. My mom asked me if I wanted to be homeschooled, and I said yes. If I had said no I would have been in the school system through high school.

 

[ThePhoenix]

While high school is very raunchy and drug-induced, it's no more so than it was 20 years ago. I watched Dazed and Confused, I should know.

Contrary to popular belief, kids in HS don't escape into caves on the weekends to fornicate and get high.

Of course your local high school might not have had the (well deserved) reputation as the drug distribution center for SouthEast PA. That's part of what gave me a great hatred of Republicans, and their "Family Values." Our county was the only one in PA to go republican in 2000, and the school had a drug use rate that surpassed the inner cities'.

 

[Blessed75]

Unfortunately I was a boy crazed twit in high school (shut up Blessed75) but my husband went through the same problems as you. Adults expect all kids to be like the worst ones they know. Just stay a good kid and prove em all wrong

Yes, I can attest to that, she was boy crazed AND a twit! Squeezed turned out alright though I have to say. She ain't no angel (like me of course! ) but she's a great person through and through.