{"id":1105,"date":"2014-12-02T23:14:01","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T06:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=1105"},"modified":"2015-07-06T11:28:49","modified_gmt":"2015-07-06T17:28:49","slug":"homeschooled-teen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/homeschooled-teen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Homeschooled Teen: Surviving or Thriving?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"hikingDadAmmon\"by Daniel Hopkins, teen<\/em><\/p>\n

Being a homeschooled teenager isn\u2019t always easy. There are many problems that can arise. Some of these may be familiar to you: \u201cAll I do is just sit at home all day\u2014I never get out of the house,\u201d \u201cAll my friends are at school,\u201d and \u201cThis is really boring.\u201d As a teenager myself, I\u2019ve looked at how I\u2019ve dealt with some of these problems and how they\u2019ve worked out. Also, I\u2019ve looked at how and why I enjoy homeschool. Hopefully some of these tips will help you.<\/p>\n

First of all, teenagers need friends<\/strong>. Good friends make the difference between surviving and thriving in homeschool. In a homeschool situation, sometimes the only people you associate with are your family members. Ideally, they should be your best friends, but you also need friends outside the home. Friends make you feel accepted and comfortable, and if they\u2019re homeschooled it\u2019s even better because you have friends that you can relate to. Since I\u2019m not in a public school, I\u2019m not constantly surrounded by kids my age. I have to seek out friends on my own. One of the ways I do this is by going to homeschool activities and get-togethers. If you don\u2019t know of any homeschool activities in your area, plan some!<\/p>\n

Where I live, there are a whole lot of homeschoolers to be friends with and have activities with. In some other states they are more few and far between. But the homeschool movement is growing rapidly, and you\u2019d probably be surprised how many homeschoolers there are in your area. As I help run our family business, I see many homeschooling families in the same city that don\u2019t even know about each other. Many people think that they are all alone<\/strong> and maybe the only homeschooling family in their area when in fact there are other homeschooling families right in their same city.<\/p>\n

Another important aspect of homeschool is being involved in real life, the adult world. You learn skills that will really benefit your own life.<\/strong> On the other hand, if you are taught something out of a book or by lecture, it\u2019s harder to apply the principles learned to life. One of the ways I learn \u201clife skills\u201d is by working for our family business.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Mom interjecting: Daniel has surpassed me in computer skills. I taught him, but now he has to bail me out of problems and is a real help! Daniel\u2019s phone skills are great as you may have experienced if you have called our family business. Customers actually call us from England, Kuwait , Germany, etc., and he is cool and collected. I would feel nervous when a long distance call like that comes in. It also pleases me to see Daniel help our customers because he is courteous and respectful with all ages. That is pretty refreshing to see in a teenager. Daniel handles much of the money for the business, from sales in the store to making bank deposits. Well, enough bragging, I think \u201clife skills\u201d are pretty important!)<\/em><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have a family business, it might be fun to start one. You could even do your own personal business. Another idea is to start an apprenticeship with a professional in a trade you are particularly interested in. For example, if you\u2019re interested in auto mechanics, you could call an auto mechanic and see if you could go maybe a couple of days a week and just help by handing him tools or do some easy jobs around the shop. Eventually, you may start making some money being an apprentice. Many apprenticeships turn into good jobs.<\/p>\n

\"DSCF0133\"Service projects are another good way to get in touch with others<\/strong> and keep your homeschool interesting. As a family or a group of friends you could go visit a rest home, shovel snow or help clean a neighbor\u2019s house. Service projects can be great fun and also an important learning experience.<\/p>\n

All of these things have helped me enjoy homeschool without feeling like I\u2019m missing out on what\u2019s going on in public school or being bored with being home. I know that I\u2019m a contributing, productive young man, and public school isn\u2019t at all attractive to me now<\/strong>\u2014I\u2019m just too busy having fun in homeschool! \u00a0The environment at public school is just too detrimental to my spiritual growth, and I can learn so much more at home. Again, I hope that some of these tips have helped you. Good luck homeschooling!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May I recommend:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\"lifeoflouisa\"
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by Daniel Hopkins, teen Being a homeschooled teenager isn\u2019t always easy. There are many problems that can arise. Some of these may be familiar to you: \u201cAll I do is just sit at home all day\u2014I never get out of the house,\u201d \u201cAll my friends are at school,\u201d and \u201cThis is really boring.\u201d As a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,3],"tags":[97,292,289],"class_list":["post-1105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homeschooling-concerns","category-how-to-homeschool","tag-public-school","tag-teenagers","tag-teens","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/hikingDadAmmon.jpg?fit=320%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IrRN-hP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":953,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/but-what-about-social-life-by-daniel-hopkins-at-age-17\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":0},"title":"But What About Social Life?","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Contributed by Daniel Hopkins (age 17) \u201cBut, what about social life?\u201d This question is one of the most often asked questions regarding homeschooling. It\u2019s the reason many homeschooled teens go back to public school. When I first started homeschool, I was anxious to make friends and be accepted. My Mom\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/studying-703002_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/studying-703002_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/studying-703002_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/studying-703002_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/studying-703002_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1299,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/junior-high-high-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":1},"title":"Junior High Years . . . and on into High School","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Junior high years, the grades 7th and 8th, are usually a \"make it or break it\" for your homeschool. This seems to be the time when most children exit homeschool for that big public school. And it may be\u00a0the worst time they could possibly attend school! Children are easily influenced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"prom2009-10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/prom2009-10-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1040,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/facing-the-first-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":2},"title":"Facing the First Day","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s fall time\u2014back-to-school season\u2014and many mothers are facing the first day of homeschool for the very first time. Talking to a few of these mothers made me yearn to write to any mother who is in that wonderful and overwhelming position! If you are bringing children home from public school\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New to Homeschooling"","block_context":{"text":"New to Homeschooling","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/new-to-homeschooling\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brothers Ammon and Nathan arm wrestling!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/DCP_4899-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":536,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/social-life-the-real-need\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":3},"title":"Social Life: The Real Need","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first began homeschooling, all I could think of was academics. I spent lots of research time trying to find the best books and worrying that I couldn\u2019t teach my children all they needed to know. As the years have filed by and I have gained confidence in my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/campfire1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/campfire1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/campfire1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":282,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/shouldnt-you-be-in-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":4},"title":"Shouldn’t You Be in School?","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What do I say to people who ask my kids, \"Shouldn't you be in school?\" What do I answer my neighbors, friends, and my own mother? I'm ill-prepared for the confrontation or even accusations that may come from some people, thinking me negligent for not sending my children to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"homeschooling-Louisa and Ammon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/homeschooling_1083_zpounce-300x203.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":399,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/a-small-price\/","url_meta":{"origin":1105,"position":5},"title":"A Small Price","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"It's that time of year again! Local stores are advertising 10 cent notebooks, 59 cent pencil boxes, and extra low prices on school supplies. It's time to take my homeschooled children school shopping and buy them everything they want. That might sound a bit unnecessary, and extravagant. After all, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Concerns"","block_context":{"text":"Concerns","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/homeschooling-concerns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soccer player Louisa (8)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/louisasoccer-300x267.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1105"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7401,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions\/7401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}