Welcome to “How To Live as a Completely Socialized Homeschooler”!

This is a guide for all those seventh and eighth graders out there who are educated at home, but still want to be part of the rest of the world. I know from experience that if you lock yourself away inside your house, you are going to feel very awkward when your parents make you go to some social event. Therefore, I am creating this guide to help reduce that feeling of discomfort than many homeschoolers might feel. So let’s begin.

To start out, do not jump into the world of the public school, even part time, thinking that you are ten times smarter than the rest of the kids your age. I am not saying that every homeschooler will do this, but I know I did. It may be that you are smarter than the whole class, but if you go in with that attitude, you aren’t going to make friends very fast. On the same note, don’t go in thinking that you are going to be in the bottom of the class. I highly doubt that is true, but if you act like it is, than other people will assume it’s true.

In my public school career, I have gotten many questions about where I go to school, why I’m homeschooled and if I like it. My answers are I’m homeschooled because I can’t learn well in a public school environment and yes I like it, otherwise I would be in school with you because my parents are just that awesome.

Now that we have the psychological part out of the way, let’s think about how to start to integrate you into the school system. I can’t help if you want to enroll in the school full time, but I can give you some pointers on how to do it part time.

One of the best ways to start is to get involved in a sport. If you’re a boy, this probably won’t be too hard for you, but for all the non-athletic girls I know, this could be a problem. Now I’m not talking about your home school group’s sports group that you might already be in. I’m talking about the school track, cross country, or basketball team. This can get you into the school system without involving your education. If you aren’t really a sports person, another good option is the music or drama department. The band and choral programs are great ways for you to become part of a group, seeing as you have to sing/play with other people as part of the program. The same thing goes for the drama program.

You can also take some sort of class at your local public school. At our school, homeschooled middle school students are allowed to take one curricular class and one co- curricular class. This means that you could take, say, an English class and a sport of some kind. I took an art class in sixth grade and the first half of seventh grade and enjoyed it very much.

Next thing on the list is figuring out how to get you into the school system.

First, talk to your parents and ask them what they think. They almost certainly have more information on the subject than you have. One good idea is to just to visit the administrator of you school. They will listen to your parents and probably give you some information and rules to look at. The reaction we got when we went to the principal of our school was “I don’t know but I’ll look at the rules and see what we can do”.

One thing to watch out for is that, if you choose to take a sport, there might be rules on whether you can compete or not. The state of Wisconsin does not allow homeschooled high school students to compete in any official sports, but other states might have other rules. In Wisconsin middle schools, it is up to the school to decide if homeschoolers can compete or not.

Another thing you can do to integrate yourself into the world of the public school without having to deal with state laws is to join groups at your local library or take a dance class outside of the school system. I take a dance class, am part of a group at my local library and I also am part of my church’s youth group. If you attend a church that has a youth group, I highly recommend you try and go sometime. It is a good way to connect with people your age and, if your parents don’t want you to go to the public school, to find people to hang out with.

Once you are involved in a group, you need to be social in some way. I would not recommend raising your hand for every question you know, especially in middle school. Some kids take that the wrong way. If your teacher/instructor/leader tells you to split into groups, do not just sit around waiting for someone to ask you to join their group. Eight times out of ten, this method works, but the other two times, the teacher/instructor /leader will have to find you a group. This can be embarrassing, so ask someone who you sit next to if you can join their group.

Another thing to do is to respond to people. I have found it gives a much better impression then staying quiet. So if someone asks you something, answer them as best you can and don’t just shrug. If you just ignore them, they have a tendency to think that A: you don’t like them, B: you don’t care or, C: you are just a weird person. This doesn’t help either. What I’m trying to say is “Be you”. What you show on the outside is what people will assume is on the inside.

I have compiled this guide out of my own experience of trying to be homeschooled and still be part of my local community. I am in my freshman year of high school and am still trying to assimilate myself into the school environment, and I wish I had done more when I was in middle school.

I strongly encourage becoming part of a group of people your own age who you feel comfortable with and not to hide away in your room and become the stereotypical homeschooler. Many people see us as kids who are fluent in three languages, play two instruments and wear jean jumpers day in day out. I’m trying to prove to my town that that’s not true. I can’t even master Spanish, I play the piano and that’s it. You would not see me in a jean jumper, ever. I hope you have found this helpful.

written by Miss Martin, age 14, daughter of Patrick Martin
www.getmathtools.com