A Big Day
May 1, 2009
I brought my son to register for high school this week* and had a couple of thoughts.
1) Am I really this old that I have a high school aged child?
2) When did high school kids get so adult looking? The boys with facial hair? The girls with big boobs and tight shirts? Where are the skinny, awkward kids with braces that are hunched over by the weight of their bookbags? Not that I know anything about that…
3) I really am this old.
* Yes, I really did. After being homeschooled for his entire life my son is venturing out to “real” school. He is excited. Nervous, but excited.
Posted by Chris @ 10:36 am
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I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I always figured you’d homeschool through high school because you always homeschooled to begin with. How different this will be for all of you! Wishing you all a smooth tranistion!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:45 amHow exciting for your son! I hope he has a great time and meets some great friends. I’ll be anxious to hear about his experiences. My friends home-schooled all of their children through high school. I was wondering if you decided to send him to this high school or if it was his idea.
My 15 year old son is 6 foot 4 inches tall and would grow a full beard if I didn’t make him shave every morning. (He gets that from me..LOL..just kidding) And yet, he is still so much a little boy I wonder when he’ll really mature…
May 1st, 2009 at 10:59 amI did exactly the same thing - was homeschooled K-8 and then went to public school 9-12. It was terrifying, but once I actually started I realized it wasn’t that big a deal. Good luck to him!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:04 amWow! Great for him. I know that kids look “older” than we did back in highschool. The girls seem um much more developed - I blame hormones in meat products! Still a very exciting time for him and you~!
P.S. has he found a new “slouchy lean on place” in the new house?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am1.) Just wait until you bring him to college.
2.) Really? They all look so young to me and the girls so much skinnier than we were at that age.
3.) You really don’t look your age though.
Congratulations, I’m sure he’s going to have a lot of fun at school.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:09 amI’m curious, is the choice between homeschool and “real” school something you give your kids each year? Or is this a new thing because it’s high school?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:14 amI feel the same way! My oldest is graduating high school, this just blows my mind.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:17 amCongrats to both of you. And EGADS that looks like college course descriptions-not High School! I feel really old and out of touch. My oldest is only in 6th grade this year and has signed up to take Spanish 1 for HS credit as a 7th grader. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:17 amGood luck to him! I bet he will love it. Sports are so big in Texas. Since he’s athletic he’ll have the chance to make a lot of new friends through football and baseball. Are you doing public or private? Is that too nosy?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:18 amThose “skinny, awkward kids with braces that are hunched over by the weight of their bookbags?” They are in the third grade, that’s where.
But really, get an old year book from the 40s or 50s. Those juniors and seniors look old.
And I know what you are talking about: Mine turns 18 this summer and I cannot believe it.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:20 amPerhaps you’ve already thought of this, but two reminders… My husband started public school in 8th grade and nobody told him when the bell rings, change classes. Also, I just found out recently he was always afraid to get sick at school because he didn’t know where the nurse’s office was.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:22 amAnd how is the mom holding up? Are you also nervous, but excited?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:22 amIt’s not just in high school, Chris. My daughter is a seventh-grader in middle school and some of the kids there dress and look like they’re adults! I totally remember being that age the way that you do. It’s a different world these days, I tell ya.
Good luck to your son! I hope he has a great experience and really enjoys going to “public” school.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:28 amWow - big day! Hugs to you, you’re the one who will be going through the bigger adjustment!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:40 amOh my gosh! I bet you’re just as nervous as him! Your baybee! At high school!
Sorry. I’m not helping, am I?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:42 amHad to comment again- I don’t know why I’m positively shocked that your sending your child to school! Will the rest start going to school for high school too? Or did he just want to go? I’m so curious.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:44 amWait until the next 4 years pass and you drop him off at college - THAT was what made me feel old. Plus the fact that my youngest starts high school this fall as well. Just put me out on the ice floe now and let me float away.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:49 amMy son is in his first year of high school. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for a bumpy ride. And yeah, most of the kids don’t look much like I remember HS kids looking a couple (3???!!!) decades ago. Word of advise - don’t check insurance rates for teenage drivers unless things are going well - if they’re not, it’ll push you over the edge………
May 1st, 2009 at 11:49 amBest of luck. What an adventure! Has he already made some friends that will be going to that school.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:00 pmSo exciting!!! It’s amazing how much younger the girls are getting the big boobs! I’ve got a second grader who got in trouble for teasing a fellow classmate as she’s starting to develop. UGH!
Do you think his foray into public school will make some of his siblings want to give it a spin?
May 1st, 2009 at 12:04 pmNot just the big jump into high school but also a bigger jump into a brick and mortar public school… both you and your son are brave.
I’m sure he will very well. He already has the teen attitude down pat (and I thought they taught that in gym class).
May 1st, 2009 at 12:17 pmIt looks like that course catalog is open to IB classes. My oldest 2 (of 7) are in an IB program here in MI and it has been great! They still have time for sports but there is tons of homework. Our school was named the best public open enrollment high school in the country by Newsweek so you can’t go wrong with the IB program. Good luck.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:21 pmSeems like perfect timing being in a new location and all.
I agree that the kids are WAY more developed than we were at their age. Heck, some of them are way more developed than I am at MY age. My 12 year old niece has already outgrown my sister, mother, and I. Granted, none of us are over 5′3″ so it’s not too hard.
I also agree that it is because of what is in our meat and dairy products. That, or our generation is creating some sort of superior race!
May 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pmOh the bad language, bad dress style and bad the attitudes he will copy from others … BUT Oh the places he’ll go and the people he’ll meet!
How exciting - for both of you.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:53 pmGood Luck to oldest. And to you also. I am sure you will both do well in your new adventure.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:16 pmIf he’s registering for the classes in that picture, he’s sure to find the skinny awkward kids hunched over with their books - of course it will totally be worth it to find them though.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:24 pmIkes! Those years went by fast.
I’m sure he’ll have a wonderful time and I’ll bet he’ll do great academically having been home schooled. I’ll be curious to hear how the social scene goes. My son is in 7th grade and goes to a little private school and my neighbor’s daughter is in the big public high school and the cultures are so different. My son will be going public in 9th grade and I’m wondering about the upcoming culture shock (for both my son and me).
May 1st, 2009 at 1:36 pmWow, a big day indeed! Good on you for letting your kids be who they are and not forcing them into things. It’s one of the many reasons your blog always rings so true to me.
Good Luck!!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:50 pmWow, and wow again! I am so excited (and a bit nervous) for both of you! This is what a friend of mine did too, home schooled up until high school age. Many other friends seemed to get their children home schooling once they hit high school as it was such a worldly experience - too much so. Not sheltering families at all - but the world in H.S. is a very different place then I even knew in the 80’s - which was VERY strange, even WAY back then.
ALL the best in this new adventure!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:50 pmHA! I still have years to go before I cross THAT bridge! I just registered my oldest for kindergarten. That being said, you don’t LOOK old enough to have a high school kid - and that’s really what counts - right?
May 1st, 2009 at 1:51 pmAs a fellow homeschooling Mom facing High School this coming school year, I’m wondering how you came to the decision to enroll in the public schools.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:27 pmI’ve been brooding over this issue myself.
He wants to stay with homeschooling most days, but there are the dances, the girlfriends and the all the “normal” high school drama that leads him to wonderment.
Was this a decision made or led by you or was this something he’s been asking to do for a while?
They just don’t grow em like they use to do they? My little sister is 17 and she looks like an adult. I think it’s that they are far skinnier now and wear tighter clothing. When I went to high school which wasn’t all that long ago no one wore tight reveling shirts like they do now and skinny jeans were what freaks wore. No one wore heals to school and they defiantly didn’t worry about diets and such.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:09 pmMy son was in a very small private school grades K-8 and went to a very large public high school (2000 kids) in 9th grade. He did GREAT. There were so many opportunities for him there and he really took advantage of them. He just finished his second year of college (!) and I do think going to a large high school helped prepare him a little better for life on a college campus. (He had always been so sheltered…)
It is very strange going back to high school as a mom versus as a student. I remember thinking the same things you are thinking. And I soooo wished that someone would make the girls cover their chests. Very distracting for a 14-year-old boy, especially if the boy happens to be on the short(er) side and he has those chests staring him in the face all day long. (Of course, I didn’t hear him complaining, but it drove me nuts!)
May 1st, 2009 at 3:46 pmWow. I imagine, in some ways, that’s harder than signing him up for kindergarten would have been.
Chris says: Yes, and I don’t think he will let me take a photo of him getting on the school bus the first day either.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:47 pmI would happily send my kids off on the high school bus, but that would mean I would have to deal with the condescending school bureaucracy; and really, my younger kids deserve to have their mother at home and not in jail for assault.
I checked one of my high school yearbooks because I too wondered why the high school kids now look so blase and worldly and old. Was I misremembering my own teen years? Nope. We looked like a bunch of gangly dorks. I don’t know what caused the change.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:52 pmGood for you…both for following your heart and homeschooling (I saw your reason for homeschooling the BackTalk Blogher episode) AND letting him branch out and try regular school.
Good luck to both of you!
May 1st, 2009 at 5:04 pmOh I still take those pictures no matter what grade they’re going into. And if I could I’d go to our daughter’s college town and take her picture the first day as well. She graduates May 2010..I’m sure it was yesterday she started kindergarten.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:36 pmGood Luck! My cousin did the same thing with her son he was homeschooled until 9th grade..He did just fine,only reason she let him go was because he asked too..
May 1st, 2009 at 5:54 pmGood for you to have your son go to public school. I think they do need the social life high school gives them. I am sure he will do GREAT! You have laid the foundation and now it will be up to him to make choices. It will be fun for him to come home and tell you what went on during the day. The girls are more forward now then we would have ever thought of being. Have you seen the posts on Facebook? The “F” word isn’t so shocking anymore just another word to them.
May 1st, 2009 at 6:10 pmwithout doubt,
your amiability,
rubbed off,
they’ll be fine,
whatever,let them grow. no??
Chris says: I’ve tried stopping the growing, but they keep on doing it…
May 1st, 2009 at 6:45 pmHa! I have a picture of my oldest on his first day of high school. I had to drive him to his bus stop at 5:45 a.m. The scowl on his face is priceless (the picture is of him waiting for the bus, not actually getting on it). And in a few months I’ll be sending him off to college….
May 1st, 2009 at 8:19 pmChris, I have BTDT. Homeschooled from K-8th with the oldest 2- who happened to be in the same grade. I felt inadequate to teach high school, so off to PS they went. I learned, during those 4 years, I could not do any worse teaching high school at home than the local PS did.
The two oldest boys set off for college, and were ahead of their peers… but always said it was due to their early home school foundation.
Like you, I have 6 boys, 1 girl. I am down to just my youngest 2 at home… I homeschooled the next 3 through high school, and each “proved up” on their education by passing their GED’s easily.
Good luck on your oldest as he enters PS High school. If he hates it, You CAN do a wonderful job at teaching a high schooler!
May 1st, 2009 at 9:53 pmregarding school bus pic. take one when he’s not looking it will be priceless
May 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pmMy son is turning 15 on Tuesday and he started high school this year. I was just like you saying when did high schoolers get facial hair, when did the girls get such big boobs etc. It was not easy for me. We homeschooled our son in 5th & 6th grade and loved it. He went back in 7th grade but since we are moving to another state in October, we will be homeschooling until January. I know that your son is excited but it will be a tough year. All the way around. It is a big adjustment but he will do great. Do you mind telling us why he is going to go to school next year?
May 1st, 2009 at 10:25 pmI just saw a bunch of high school girls hanging outside our local ice cream shop, and I kept wondering how the boys can possibly pay attention in school because HELLO! They wear the skimpiest clothes and are so much cuter than the girls I remember from high school. What happened to awkward?
May 1st, 2009 at 10:34 pmFrom the photo it seems he is registering at an International Baccalaureate program school. I teach at an IB school and it is a great curriculum/program. Very challenging and enriching for the students…and teachers! Good luck to him!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:00 pmDid you also find out how much a free public education costs, or is that in the fall? I end up shelling out a couple hundred every fall for book fees, materials fees, ID fees, and AP texts (2 kids). At least we get to keep the AP texts.
Best wishes to both of you! I’m sure it will be an interesting journey.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:48 amA big step! My 14 yo wants to stay home still, so we will be venturing into homeschooling high school. It’s scary too! And ditto on the big boys with facial hair, and the girls with big boobs. I’ve been teasing mine about his voice changing, but honestly I was surprised it started already! I thought that would be around 16. Too fast *sigh*
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 amWow, I am really surprised to tell you the truth. I can imagine if he is not happy you would bring him home again though.
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:58 amWhat will you do if the other children all want to go now too?
My two daughters went to public school this year (as a sophomore & freshman) after homeschooling all their lives. It’s been a GREAT experience for both - they were well prepared, social, and are having a wonderful time. I miss them - but not the school work.
The only hard part was the sensory overload of the first few days. They loved it, but came home utterly exhausted just from being around so many people. I hope your son has a smooth transition and a wonderful time.
May 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 amwow! I hope both of you (because I guess it is not just him who is nervous) the best! it will be a big step and of course he is nervous. I wish it turns into a great experience.
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:47 amYou know, I have the same question about high school kids. Earlier this year my daughter’s elementary school held their Terry Fox run up at the nearby high school. Part way through the run the boys’ football team and the girls’ soccer team came out to cheer the little kids on. I swear that every girl on that team looked like they had just stepped out of a magazine photo shoot.
I can tell you *I* did not look like that back then. I don’t think I have EVER looked like that.
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 amLast year, my daughter went from the 60-student k-8 school she’d always attended to the public high school of 600 students. I was worried about her transition; she said, “I’ll just be nice to people and I’ll make friends.” I thought she was being naive, but it’s worked out for her. Good luck on that transition– I hope it’s even smoother than you think it will be!
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:03 pmI just wanted to add in what I have learned about the earlier development of teens/kids (esp. girls) - it started before they started adding hormones to foods and most scientists/nutritionists believe that it began because more fat was introduced into childrens’ diets which was around the same time that kids began exercising less. I teach jr. high school Spanish and it amazing the variety in development and maturity of kids at that age - keeps things very interesting to say the least!! Good luck to your son!
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 pmps - I really enjoy your writing and humor-thanks for sharing!
How very exciting for both of you.
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 pmOh wow! That’s a little scary - but exciting! Good luck!
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 pmHave you discussed your reasons for homeschooling on your blog somewhere? Interested to know your rationale and also how you came to the decision to use the public high school.
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 pmI registered my son for high school a few weeks ago and a whole breathe in the bag moment when I went to the high school. Then they handed us a “getting ready for college pamphlet and encourages us to sign him up for the PSAT. Already?
My kid has facial hair - well wisps of it any way.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 pmI had big boobs in 7th grade. Don’t hate me.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:33 amIf it makes you feel any better, I will be 40 when my younger child *graduates* from high school.
I am dealing with it by telling myself that I will only be 40, and both of my kids will basically be grown, so I will be able to go out and do all the stuff I’ve wanted to do but have put off because of the kids. And its still easy for me to believe it because its another 9 years away.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:49 am