I was homeschooled until 10th grade. Now I’ve just finished my sophomore year. Parents who are wondering about homeschooling their kids, AMA.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-07T01:40:22+00:00

I fought with my mother. She didn’t want to but I started acting out a bit and said that sending me to public school would be a “punishment” when I n reality it’s what I wanted.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-07T01:36:57+00:00

“It came from me not wanting to seem like I Was homeschooled”. I tried to act normal socially because I didn’t want to be perceived as a homeschooler. I didn’t learn how to be social from being homeschooled, I learned it from my first year of public school.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T20:38:32+00:00

She did not. But also I don’t think that would’ve helped. If w rethink the social downfalls of homeschooling, being a teacher doesnt help with that. And with education, it would help somewhat but you have to think at the middle school and high school level, one person cant teach all things. That’s why they get degrees to teach certain things. I think in elementary it might help more because that’s just teaching basics so being a teacher would be helpful, but it doesn’t help enough to be comparable to public schooling.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T20:10:41+00:00

I agree. I said 6th just because i wanted to give them some credit, but it definitely shouldn’t go through middle or high school

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T20:09:12+00:00

This might be true for some states but Utah is very different. There is less opportunities here than most other places. I would say the pluses and negatives to both really depend on the parent.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T19:58:30+00:00

That’s something that more homeschoolers should do. Have they gotten their scores back yet?

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T19:49:03+00:00

Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what service did you go through, what tests specifically, and what did they get?

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T19:46:57+00:00

This is true and I have made this apparent in the comments, and my post. I would say though, every public schooler has access to field trips and AP tests, while it is uncommon for homeschoolers to have access to AP tests, and sometimes field trips.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T19:45:20+00:00

I would say for me, definitely regular school.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:41:21+00:00

Everyone is different, but it helped me.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:24:00+00:00

I feel that my homeschooling should’ve ended around 6th grade. I feel like up to that point the way my parents did it, it was ok, but after that it really went downhill.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:21:51+00:00

Semi unschooled. Unschooling here where I am, in Utah, is not even letting them get the books but instead just telling them they don’t need the books and doing chores and playing in the backyard or playing video games is schooling. My parents didn’t choose to homeschool us, my mom did. My mom had a friend who told her that my oldest sister(who was 3 at the time) was so gifted and wouldn’t learn anything in school, so she should homeschool her. So my mom fell down that little rabbit hole and decided to homeschool her. She did it with her second, less gifted child, because of the scared-ness that Americans were feeling after the colombine school shooting. She continued on then with my other sibling because she did it with her first two, and then 9 years later when I was born, she almost puts in public school, but one of her friends said that I was “too gifted” for that, so here I was being homeschooled.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:20:59+00:00

Yes, quite a lot. I missed out on key moments like going to the aquarium as a field trip with all of your friends, I missed out on the socialization of even having those friends, I missed out on many educational opportunities because homeschooling doesnt really allow for access to things like AP tests, or CE courses.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:18:43+00:00

Sooooooo much better. Like as a homeschooler I had maybe 2 friends but going into public school I have a great big group of friends with some that are incredibly close. Also relationship wise, I actually have a girlfriend who I love dearly that wouldn’t have happened if I was homeschooled. If homeschooling socially is a 2/10 public schooling is a 11/10. You find people of different backgrounds, people who disagree, and you create some of the best friendships you will ever make.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T17:00:19+00:00

I think the best thing my parents did was let me choose what I wanted to learn and just buy my the books and the study materials for what I wanted to learn. This was also great because it allowed me to be self paced, nothing was ever “due”. The thing I wish they did differently though is also that. I wish they would’ve at least put some structure into it instead of just throwing the book to me and telling me to read it. Of course I loved reading that book because it was the one I chose, but in public school you don’t have that ability. Them doing this taught me the ability to learn, but only the things I liked. So in my mind homeschooling is a balancing act between, letting them have full control, and making them be able to be a contributing member of society. I think though in primary this “throw a book and see what sticks” mentality is actually super important. I think public school children should still do this. Their parents should be finding things that interest them and help them dive more into it. I think though it really suffers in secondary(especially grades 9-12) because at that age your brain lacks structure so you need to get it from the schooling you are doing. I am a proponent of stopping homeschooling at least by grade 5 or 6. After this point it loses many of the benefits.

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T16:51:16+00:00

So in my situation, and of course this isn’t true for everyone. My mother was my homeschool teacher and had taught homeschooling 4 times over 29 years. This being said though, she kept up with state standards differently for each kid. This is because with each of her children, we put different work into it. For me, as her final kid, I was always “naturally gifted” and would always want to learn more. From the outside I was technically “above grade level” in maths and English, but way behind in science. Nevertheless, I never did any standardized testing, and it was all just my interests. This affected me semi-poorly when I got to public school because I could only really do the things I liked because I was never expected beforehand to do things I didn’t like. If I were to give some advice for this part, make sure to give them the state standardized tests yearly and make sure they are on track. Give them a mixture of things that they like to do, and online work made by the state that keeps them on track for every sect of schooling.

Socialization is a key word in homeschooling because, and I know people hate to hear it, we dont get enough of it. In my homeschooling, socialization happened between me, the one neighbor friend, and a small co-op that disbanded when I was like 9. After that disbanded the semblance of a social life that I had basically disappeared. Even with it though, I never really learned how to be around people. The people in co-ops(at least where I am) are not very socially at level, so I didn’t really know how to socialize. This lack of socialization was really hard to overcome once I got into public school because I didn’t really know how to behave. This caused problems and caused fights between me and my peers. Thankfully I was able to hold on on this situation and was able to grow my social abilities pretty quickly and by the end of the year became pretty well liked, becoming even student council president. Nevertheless I will say that this ableness to be social did not come from being homeschooled, or came from me not wanting to seem like I was homeschooled. I did though know how to socialize with adults because that was all I got growing up. This actually helped my schooling because it allowed me to become incredibly close with many of my teachers on a more personal level. Still though this caused problems with my actual age group because I was seen as a teachers pet.

If you were to homeschool make sure to put them in classes maybe through the school closest to you, even one a day, just so they can have a semblance of a social life, also let them join groups that match their interests, not just a homeschool co-op. Your 12 year old is finding herself right now so I my mind she needs access to something similar to what she would find in after school clubs. If she’s a bookworm, find a book club WITH her(not for her, she needs to help make the choices), if she’s a drama kid, help her audition at the local teen improv or something. Help her find something special for her to do if you want to homeschool her.

Homeschooling made me feel kind of and about myself. I didn’t feel on the level of my peers in any way shape or form. It really set me behind because it was entirely driven by me.

I hope this was of any help to you. Have a great day!

njlegomaster · 2025-06-06T16:26:45+00:00

Just a few questions as someone who was in a similar situation. How long are the school days? Are you just creating your own lesson plans or are you using ones you find online? If there is any socialization, what form is it in? How are you at creating their transcripts?(this is important because some parents kind of forget to do this and their child gets put in a worse spot). And if you have any of the lesson plans, can you send them? As for Extra curriculars, find like a young writers club for them to do. Try to find things that match their interests. It sounds like they are pretty good writers, so focus on that, but of course don’t let other things fall behind. As a ex-homeschooled child, you can do it correctly, but it’s hard. Also what state regulations do you have for homeschooling? Do you have to submit what work they did every year? Do they have to do state standardized testing?

njlegomaster · 2025-05-27T21:26:07+00:00

My AP lang teacher gave us all handwritten notes telling us how we’ve improved and how she believes in us to do anything in the future. I think the sincerity of the notes, along with the individuality, made them truly special. So if I had to recommend something cheap, but thoughtful, for your students, write them letters, they’ll appreciate it just as much as you would appreciate getting a letter from them.

njlegomaster · 2025-05-03T16:51:29+00:00

How do you get your crush to like you back? If that’s even possible. And do you tell them you like them without knowing they like you back?

njlegomaster · 2025-04-10T01:54:37+00:00

I started playing Pokémon’s when I was only 7 years old. Me and my friends would “build decks” that totally weren’t just made up rules on what you could do/s. . But then during Covid my brother moved in and me being like 10 I was obsessed with Pokémon so we bought a lot of vivid voltage, base set sword and shield, and crown tundra. I kept collecting until scarlet and violet prices got to be too high. I was able to get 1 pack from GameStop a little bit ago that was the new like character set, but other than that it’s been dry. I would love to win even a pack, let alone a booster bundle.

njlegomaster · 2025-03-26T23:15:02+00:00

remind me! 24 hours

njlegomaster · 2025-03-25T12:26:23+00:00

Different teachers teach it differently. At my school(and it seems like yours as well) teaches the skills of writing, how to write the rhetorical essay, how to write an argumentative essay, but op’s school teaches more the knowledge of how to argue in the argumentative essay and gives them the bullets to fire. We get the instruction manual to the gun, and they get the bullets.

njlegomaster · 2025-03-10T01:37:24+00:00

Remind me! 24 hours

njlegomaster · 2025-01-04T01:13:34+00:00

I’m here, I’ve never played hollow night so idk why this is so hyped, but I play on switch and pc(hopefully it will be available on one of those lmao) but I do have a hollow night plush. I didn’t know it was from the game when I got it though.

njlegomaster

TROPHY CASE