From FireWest: hey, just to clarify I’m not depressed about this or anything serious I just wanted to talk about it
I’ve been homeschooled my ENTIRE life, since pre-school and I really REALLY hate it. I’m gonna start high school this fall and I already feel like I’ve lost so many core life experiences like dances, middle school relationships, etc. I hate being homeschooled so much, I don’t even go to a co-op or anything, my only friends are at soccer and church. I’m not dumb, I get straight A’s and I’m above average in most subjects, it just upsets me. My parents say they think it’s the right thing but I’ve always gotten bullied for it, and I would give anything just to go to real school. Nothing is changing in high school it looks like either. Sometimes I just get sad about it, I’ll probably miss prom, high school relationships, and all that stuff. I’m just upset about it all, thats all I had to say.
Who has done the bullying? I always thought of homeschooling as a way to avoid being bullied. I’m sorry I’m wrong about that.
I missed out on pretty much everything positive about school, having attended 13 different ones before dropping out in the ninth grade. It’s okay. I eventually graduated college with honors. I missed out for different reasons than you, but perhaps more completely because I was a complete outsider, not fitting into any social group.
If you are starting high school in the fall, there’s no point in anticipating that you will miss out on things. Hopefully, you will connect with someone who can help you understand how high school social structure works. It includes plenty of childish behavior and petty jealousies, but good stuff happens there as well. As I said, I didn’t experience high school life personally, but did work at high school for seven years, and surprisingly, it made up for much of what I missed. I observed a lot about the ups and downs of high school relationships. A lot of kids talked to me about their troubles.
Don’t go overboard trying to be popular. Those who do that usually end up frustrated and often feeling rejected. You’re better off having a few decent friends than having a lot of superficial friendships.
Don’t anticipate anything negative. You will probably have disappointments, but far fewer than you would if you go into the situation expecting it to suck.
Thank you for reaching out here and for sharing with us. This struggle is 100% valid and it’s understandable that you’d be frustrated by homeschooling, particularly given that it’s hard to build up those personal connections that you seek.
While I know that different people certainly like different things, many of the classic high school events (e.g., prom) aren’t as nearly exciting as people make them out to be. At the same time, it still can hurt to miss out on those experiences.
It’s understandable that you’d be sad or upset over this lack of “normal” schooling, so I hope you continue reaching out when these thoughts are more prominent on your mind. Because it is legitimately tough to be homeschooled. We’re here for you.