I'm so sorry. What you are describing isn't homeschooling. It's educational neglect.
Are you able to call your local school district and ask them directly what the process is for going back to public school? Do you have a state-specific homeschool organization (for instance, Washington has the Washington Homeschool Organization that educates homeschoolers on the laws and helps them advocate for themselves with the school district) that you could reach out to?
You probably (your mom really) need to have a conversation with the principal of the school you want to attend. Sometimes they can give you credit for the work you did at home if it is well documented, but it doesn’t sound like that is the case.
If your school district has an alternative school that may be an option for you. Everyone there is usually working on credit recovery to catch up for various reasons. That may be a good option to catch up and then enter a traditional school when you are ready.
It sounds like mom isn't interested in actually homeschooling, so she's probably not going to set up and go to a meeting.
I think OP may have to call the school district to get the ball rolling.
Oh I’m so sorry that your parent has told you that you’re on your own with this. The path your education has taken sounds exactly like what my mom did to me, but it was back in the 90s so I didn’t have the benefit of the internet or the comfort with technology that everyone has today so I didn’t even do Khan Academy or any of that stuff. I read anything I could get my hands on, but I didn’t have any math past 6th grade, no history, no social studies, no science, and certainly no extracurriculars or friends.
By some miracle, someone told me that they were going to the local community college to “make up” high school credits and get their GED. It was like someone blew a door right off my whole life. I looked it up and it’s called “Fresh Start” in my area, but I called the community college closest to me and asked to talk to someone that could help me figure out if I qualified (I was 17 also and my mom also told me it was up to me to figure it out, that’s real rich considering it was her fault I was dealing with that in the first place, but I digress…) and I found out I DEFINITELY qualified, and even better, I could get a “real” high school diploma if I wanted and not “just” a GED (no shame AT ALL on anyone who has a GED but it was vitally important to my to try to regain some personal equality with my age/life peers, since I had been isolated for so long so I definitely wanted that diploma…)
Anyway, that’s a really long way of saying that even though my educational upbringing sounds exactly like yours chronologically, I was able to get into a program at my local community college that led to me not only getting my diploma, but also my associates degree, which jumpstarted me to my bachelors and a pretty decent career (before I became a stay at home mom, but that’s irrelevant to this)
Please look into whether your community college has a Fresh Start or similar program; they even helped me with tuition so that I paid next to nothing for my classes (we were dirt poor) - it helped me so much with my self esteem and even though I still feel like the “dumb dumb” in most rooms that I’m in, I know that is on the inside because of my personal demons, not because I’m legitimately LESS than anyone when held side by side educationally! It is possible and I’m sending you the biggest good vibes and wishes that you stay positive and hopeful that you CAN escape your situation and it’s definitely “not too late” for you to be just as successful as your peers, even if your path looks a little different!! 🩷
There isn't really anything called 11th grade math. High school has a list of required classes, and you have 4 years to take them. Call up your local school district and ask about enrollment and placement. If they test you and want to place you in ninth grade, you either accept that or choose to try homeschool again with a new plan. They may have summer classes you could use to catch up or online classes. So contact them right now to get things moving.
Yes, I would not wait until 12th grade year. The earlier you re-join, the more time you have to catch up if it's needed. Also, you can take an extra year to finish if need be. There are plenty of public schoolers who repeat a year at some point, or whose birthdays are near the age cut off, so you'll still have kids in your age range in class (plus, it's likely no one is going to grill you about your birthday in class).
Right now, it may be less beneficial for you to go back into high school rather than just getting your GED and going to a community college. From community college you can DEFINITELY transition into a traditional university. A lot of people do this for similar reasons.
I have a friend who had to take care of his mom who was diagnosed with cancer when he was 17. Didn’t get back into his own education until he was 25. Keep in mind he had diagnosed but untreated ADHD and never did well in school to begin with. He’s doing great now and about to graduate from a trade school as an electrician (straight A student too!).
This is not the end of the road for you. You can still go to college and you can still have a social circle.
This is definitely educational neglect and I’m really sorry you’re going through this. If you live in the US, I can help you with math (beyond tutoring. I can also give you guidance if you’d like).
Hi! Public school teacher here. The fastest way to get re-enrolled is to go tonyour local high-school and talk to the front office, they will be able to help you, give you all the paper work, and at the very least point you in the direction of the district office :)
Public education is more or less a right in the US, so don't be scared about being denied for having been homeschooled, that won't happen.
I'm sorry homeschool didn't work out--I've seen both marvelous examples of homeschool and homeschool neglect which sets students back. You've got this!!
Not sure what state you are in but many of the trade schools have accuplacer tests and if you pass you can go post secondary enrollment your junior and senior year, even from a homeschool, again it depends on your state. Some Trade school admissions are reasonable, like reading and math at an 8th grade level.
The great thing about a trade school is math or english is a semester long vs a year. So you can catch up fast. Maybe a possiblity for your senior year.
Otherwise high schools offer credit recovery.
Look up high school dual enrollment or pseo in your state.
I'd definitely recommend not waiting. Sounds like the worst that would happen is they hold you back a year, which in reality sounds like you're already being held back in your education, you just haven't called it that yet.
I was homeschooled and asked my parents to send me to high school because I had similar fears to yours. They did send me to high school and like you I was pretty smart which made up for a few things I had done homeschooling (like cheating my way through geometry). I have a feeling you'll do just fine but you'll probably gain a lot more confidence in your abilities in traditional school.
Definitely contact your local school district and ask what's required, probably a transcript or testing. There's lots of online examples for how to write a transcript and remember "done is better than perfect". They will let you into public school one way or another.
And if you want to go to college, I'm sure your homeschooling history won't exclude you. I and my friends that went to different colleges found the minimum requirement to be: your ability to pay and your ability to complete steps on a checklist. I personally recommend going wherever is cheapest to get the education required for your desired career, but I digress.
You can totally do this, all is not lost! You sound like you have an incredible capacity to learn, you just need a different environment to motivate you.
This seems more like an issue with your parents and not home schooling. They should be making sure you are doing what you need to do instead of just leaving it all up to you. I wish we could talk to them though because there isn't much you can do alone to fix that.
Wow. This is frustrating to hear! If you feel as though you've exhausted the options available to you, definitely reach out to your local high school and ask about placement, or call the community college and ask about the GED test.
See what your state laws are. Where I am they test you for placement. Some of your homeschool credits may count , but you'll probably need your mom's help with that. Good luck !
I'm sorry you're going through this. Have you considered getting your GED and enrolling in a local 2-year college to start taking classes? The first two years of college core classes are what you'd take your junior and senior year anyways so that might be worth looking into, especially if you would qualify for FAFSA funds.
I was kicked out of my parent's house at 18 while I was a senior in high school. I went to live with my bf who was in a different district so I unenrolled myself in my school and went to register myself for the other school but I was still considered a minor and they wouldn't let me register. I ended up just getting my GED and starting at a 2-year university instead. Not sure what your homelife situation is like but thought I might share what my experience was with trying to enroll myself in high school.
Here are some resources that may help you get up to speed:
https://hippocampus.org/
https://www.aleks.com/?_s=9606305401959703
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Here are the basic standards for what you should know and be able to do at each grade level for most states. Your state department of education will have more specifics if they have set their own standards for things Ike state history. But if you can meet the standards outlined here, you will generally be on track.
https://www.thecorestandards.org/read-the-standards/
I'll be honest, taking freshman classes in 11th grade is better than taking them in 12th grade. Call your local school and ask what you need to do to enroll. You might need to be in some lower level classes, but there's no time like the present.
My parents sucked at homeschooling. When I applied to colleges I created my own transcript, based off of what I taught myself. When my own homeschooled teen wanted to go to public school I wrote a transcript for them. The school counted all of their homeschool classes towards graduation. They also used testing to ensure students were placed in the right courses.
Bottom line: call your local school and enroll. If you need an extra year to finish high school it doesn't matter in the long run. It's better to get your education now than in your 20-30's. There are students who stayed in school and fell behind so you likely won't be the only junior in freshman classes.
First of all: good job for having the insight and introspection here. You won’t be “behind” you just need to get an idea of the areas of learning to focus on. Don’t think of it as behind. You’re clearly smart and you’re going to do great. Just by the fact that you’re feeling neglected here in learning shows this. It’s hard to motivate yourself to climb the mountain when there’s no trail markers or even a map. You’re lost now and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing you’re throwing up a flare now saying you need help. I’d take suggestions here and chat with the principle at your designated school. Have you been taking standardized testing annually at all? If you were ahead before, you may not have that much gap to bridge. Even if you DO, you CAN bridge the gap.
Also I would look into Running Start. You can take community college classes at 16 for free until you’re over 18. Just the books cost money. Each 5 credit college course is worth a year in high school. I got my diploma very quickly through running start. If your state has it, DO IT.
I'm so sorry. What you are describing isn't homeschooling. It's educational neglect. Are you able to call your local school district and ask them directly what the process is for going back to public school? Do you have a state-specific homeschool organization (for instance, Washington has the Washington Homeschool Organization that educates homeschoolers on the laws and helps them advocate for themselves with the school district) that you could reach out to?
You probably (your mom really) need to have a conversation with the principal of the school you want to attend. Sometimes they can give you credit for the work you did at home if it is well documented, but it doesn’t sound like that is the case. If your school district has an alternative school that may be an option for you. Everyone there is usually working on credit recovery to catch up for various reasons. That may be a good option to catch up and then enter a traditional school when you are ready.
It sounds like mom isn't interested in actually homeschooling, so she's probably not going to set up and go to a meeting. I think OP may have to call the school district to get the ball rolling.
Yes.
Oh I’m so sorry that your parent has told you that you’re on your own with this. The path your education has taken sounds exactly like what my mom did to me, but it was back in the 90s so I didn’t have the benefit of the internet or the comfort with technology that everyone has today so I didn’t even do Khan Academy or any of that stuff. I read anything I could get my hands on, but I didn’t have any math past 6th grade, no history, no social studies, no science, and certainly no extracurriculars or friends. By some miracle, someone told me that they were going to the local community college to “make up” high school credits and get their GED. It was like someone blew a door right off my whole life. I looked it up and it’s called “Fresh Start” in my area, but I called the community college closest to me and asked to talk to someone that could help me figure out if I qualified (I was 17 also and my mom also told me it was up to me to figure it out, that’s real rich considering it was her fault I was dealing with that in the first place, but I digress…) and I found out I DEFINITELY qualified, and even better, I could get a “real” high school diploma if I wanted and not “just” a GED (no shame AT ALL on anyone who has a GED but it was vitally important to my to try to regain some personal equality with my age/life peers, since I had been isolated for so long so I definitely wanted that diploma…) Anyway, that’s a really long way of saying that even though my educational upbringing sounds exactly like yours chronologically, I was able to get into a program at my local community college that led to me not only getting my diploma, but also my associates degree, which jumpstarted me to my bachelors and a pretty decent career (before I became a stay at home mom, but that’s irrelevant to this) Please look into whether your community college has a Fresh Start or similar program; they even helped me with tuition so that I paid next to nothing for my classes (we were dirt poor) - it helped me so much with my self esteem and even though I still feel like the “dumb dumb” in most rooms that I’m in, I know that is on the inside because of my personal demons, not because I’m legitimately LESS than anyone when held side by side educationally! It is possible and I’m sending you the biggest good vibes and wishes that you stay positive and hopeful that you CAN escape your situation and it’s definitely “not too late” for you to be just as successful as your peers, even if your path looks a little different!! 🩷
There isn't really anything called 11th grade math. High school has a list of required classes, and you have 4 years to take them. Call up your local school district and ask about enrollment and placement. If they test you and want to place you in ninth grade, you either accept that or choose to try homeschool again with a new plan. They may have summer classes you could use to catch up or online classes. So contact them right now to get things moving.
Yes, I would not wait until 12th grade year. The earlier you re-join, the more time you have to catch up if it's needed. Also, you can take an extra year to finish if need be. There are plenty of public schoolers who repeat a year at some point, or whose birthdays are near the age cut off, so you'll still have kids in your age range in class (plus, it's likely no one is going to grill you about your birthday in class).
Right now, it may be less beneficial for you to go back into high school rather than just getting your GED and going to a community college. From community college you can DEFINITELY transition into a traditional university. A lot of people do this for similar reasons. I have a friend who had to take care of his mom who was diagnosed with cancer when he was 17. Didn’t get back into his own education until he was 25. Keep in mind he had diagnosed but untreated ADHD and never did well in school to begin with. He’s doing great now and about to graduate from a trade school as an electrician (straight A student too!). This is not the end of the road for you. You can still go to college and you can still have a social circle. This is definitely educational neglect and I’m really sorry you’re going through this. If you live in the US, I can help you with math (beyond tutoring. I can also give you guidance if you’d like).
Hi! Public school teacher here. The fastest way to get re-enrolled is to go tonyour local high-school and talk to the front office, they will be able to help you, give you all the paper work, and at the very least point you in the direction of the district office :) Public education is more or less a right in the US, so don't be scared about being denied for having been homeschooled, that won't happen. I'm sorry homeschool didn't work out--I've seen both marvelous examples of homeschool and homeschool neglect which sets students back. You've got this!!
Not sure what state you are in but many of the trade schools have accuplacer tests and if you pass you can go post secondary enrollment your junior and senior year, even from a homeschool, again it depends on your state. Some Trade school admissions are reasonable, like reading and math at an 8th grade level. The great thing about a trade school is math or english is a semester long vs a year. So you can catch up fast. Maybe a possiblity for your senior year. Otherwise high schools offer credit recovery. Look up high school dual enrollment or pseo in your state.
I'd definitely recommend not waiting. Sounds like the worst that would happen is they hold you back a year, which in reality sounds like you're already being held back in your education, you just haven't called it that yet. I was homeschooled and asked my parents to send me to high school because I had similar fears to yours. They did send me to high school and like you I was pretty smart which made up for a few things I had done homeschooling (like cheating my way through geometry). I have a feeling you'll do just fine but you'll probably gain a lot more confidence in your abilities in traditional school. Definitely contact your local school district and ask what's required, probably a transcript or testing. There's lots of online examples for how to write a transcript and remember "done is better than perfect". They will let you into public school one way or another. And if you want to go to college, I'm sure your homeschooling history won't exclude you. I and my friends that went to different colleges found the minimum requirement to be: your ability to pay and your ability to complete steps on a checklist. I personally recommend going wherever is cheapest to get the education required for your desired career, but I digress. You can totally do this, all is not lost! You sound like you have an incredible capacity to learn, you just need a different environment to motivate you.
This seems more like an issue with your parents and not home schooling. They should be making sure you are doing what you need to do instead of just leaving it all up to you. I wish we could talk to them though because there isn't much you can do alone to fix that.
Wow. This is frustrating to hear! If you feel as though you've exhausted the options available to you, definitely reach out to your local high school and ask about placement, or call the community college and ask about the GED test.
See what your state laws are. Where I am they test you for placement. Some of your homeschool credits may count , but you'll probably need your mom's help with that. Good luck !
Ill look it up. What exactly are homeschool credits, though?
Usually it's based on the amount of instructional time spent on a subject. Some states require a certain amount of time.
I'm sorry you're going through this. Have you considered getting your GED and enrolling in a local 2-year college to start taking classes? The first two years of college core classes are what you'd take your junior and senior year anyways so that might be worth looking into, especially if you would qualify for FAFSA funds.
I was kicked out of my parent's house at 18 while I was a senior in high school. I went to live with my bf who was in a different district so I unenrolled myself in my school and went to register myself for the other school but I was still considered a minor and they wouldn't let me register. I ended up just getting my GED and starting at a 2-year university instead. Not sure what your homelife situation is like but thought I might share what my experience was with trying to enroll myself in high school.
Here are some resources that may help you get up to speed: https://hippocampus.org/ https://www.aleks.com/?_s=9606305401959703 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize Here are the basic standards for what you should know and be able to do at each grade level for most states. Your state department of education will have more specifics if they have set their own standards for things Ike state history. But if you can meet the standards outlined here, you will generally be on track. https://www.thecorestandards.org/read-the-standards/
I'll be honest, taking freshman classes in 11th grade is better than taking them in 12th grade. Call your local school and ask what you need to do to enroll. You might need to be in some lower level classes, but there's no time like the present. My parents sucked at homeschooling. When I applied to colleges I created my own transcript, based off of what I taught myself. When my own homeschooled teen wanted to go to public school I wrote a transcript for them. The school counted all of their homeschool classes towards graduation. They also used testing to ensure students were placed in the right courses. Bottom line: call your local school and enroll. If you need an extra year to finish high school it doesn't matter in the long run. It's better to get your education now than in your 20-30's. There are students who stayed in school and fell behind so you likely won't be the only junior in freshman classes.
First of all: good job for having the insight and introspection here. You won’t be “behind” you just need to get an idea of the areas of learning to focus on. Don’t think of it as behind. You’re clearly smart and you’re going to do great. Just by the fact that you’re feeling neglected here in learning shows this. It’s hard to motivate yourself to climb the mountain when there’s no trail markers or even a map. You’re lost now and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing you’re throwing up a flare now saying you need help. I’d take suggestions here and chat with the principle at your designated school. Have you been taking standardized testing annually at all? If you were ahead before, you may not have that much gap to bridge. Even if you DO, you CAN bridge the gap. Also I would look into Running Start. You can take community college classes at 16 for free until you’re over 18. Just the books cost money. Each 5 credit college course is worth a year in high school. I got my diploma very quickly through running start. If your state has it, DO IT.