I have homeschooled my teenager since he was 15 and entering the tenth grade and it is the best thing I have ever done. He's 17 years old now and basically a computer geek. The downside is that he doesn't socialise much with other kids, but that's exactly how I planned it and exactly the point of homeschooling my boy. I am not only a disbeliever in terms of what our children learn and don't learn in public schools, but believe in isolating my children from the influence of other kids and mass culture.
People have told me this is wrong. But when I look at other 17 year old black males and my own son, I know I have made the right choice. My son is not interested in "trends" or even fashion. He listens to classical music, rap, rock, alternative rock, he's creative and diverse and thinks he's a writer (I have other plans for the boy).
I think he has some issues with proper social etiquette, and can get a little "weird" sometimes, sentimental in social circumstances. I tell him he needs to buckle up, unfortunately our culture does not permit him to show his sensitivity. He loves girls but is very respectful of them. In other words, he never picked up on the whole misogny thing due to the lack of influence of boys his age. The problem is that the opportunity to meet young women is rare because he did not attend traditional high school after the ninth grade -- when he had his last girlfriend.
I think if we as parents, have time to homeschool and the educational/mental facilities to do it, then homeschooling is the best option FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN. Why? Young black men are often the target of violence, gangs and negative social stigmas which serves as a distraction and impedes/limits the opportunity for success. They are also easily influenced by mass culture, the desire to "fit in" with peers who may not accept them if they choose to be different and feel pressured to behave a certain way (This is why not having cable tv is also a good option!).
In public school, children are often treated like chattel because the school system is more of a social program than educational.
I've noticed with my younger children, that the influences of other kids is very hard to resist. They need to look and act a certain way. As soon as they are old enough (they are all but one in junior high school now), I will not permit them to attend a traditional high school.
I feel it is more important to give them a fighting chance away from the negative influences of our society than to worry about whether or not they'll ever experience a "prom" or know what it's like to attend a traditional high school. My family has disagreed with me on this issue.
My son will be attending college soon, we are just waiting for his test results now. Of course, he had to test out to achieve a standard high school equivelency diploma to prove he has to tools to attend college.
I think because he has worked independently for so long, that he has better tools than someone who went to a traditional high school and is better prepared for college. Working independently will not be a stretch for him.
Of course there are challenges. If you are a working parent, you need to have strong trust in your child and your child will need to have a strong sense of respect for you. Otherwise, you would not be able to leave the child to do their work while you are earning a living for the family -- the lack of supervision could be dangerous. Establish trust early in your child if you work day hours, or take a night job and teach your student in the day. If you are an at home parent and feel you can do the job, then you are in a better position to home school than someone who is working. Take advantage of it.
Anything can happen, even to a child who is homeschool. The experiences I've had with the school system and my son who is 13 years old, from how he is perceived by the staff (at his predominantly white school) to how other black students interact (usually violence is a big issue wherever blacks are attending school together even in schools where they are in the minority), I think this will be a good decision for us.
What say you?
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Sunday, October 26th 2008 at 7:11PM
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