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I've been trying to convince my dad that distance learning(basically just online school) is a lot easier and better for me than regular school. I can work at my own pace etc. However, he won't let me enroll in one next school year. I can't stand the social game anymore, or waking up at 5 AM. And it doesn't take 7 hours to do work for each subject. I'll only have 2 years of school left, he should just let me do it online. Grrr
I've been trying to convince my dad that distance learning(basically just online school) is a lot easier and better for me than regular school. I can work at my own pace etc. However, he won't let me enroll in one next school year. I can't stand the social game anymore, or waking up at 5 AM. And it doesn't take 7 hours to do work for each subject. I'll only have 2 years of school left, he should just let me do it online. Grrr
You can work at your own pace????? Are you sure???? I've never taken an on line class but everyone I know who has has had deadline after deadline to get things done. The advantage isn't going at your own pace, it's being able to download and listen to the lecture at non traditional times of day. Online school is really for people who, simply, can't get to class because of time constraints. It's not an easy way out.
If you are not VERY self motivated, on line school probably isn't for you.
It sounds like you're near the end of your sophomore year of high school. I've never heard of people doing high school online (I know people that took 1 class online, but not every class). If your dad won't let you do it, just wait until high school is over and go to college online. The time will come faster than you think. I am now in college but I can remember 10th grade like it was just yesterday. Junior/senior year are way better than the first half of high school so just stick with it. You would be missing out if you switched to online.
After reading your post I think your dad is right - you shouldn't be enrolled in any online courses at this time. It seems you are more upset over the fact you have to wake up at 5 am and that it doesn't take 7 hours.... Online education is NOT about working at your own pace, but being mature and responsible enough to do the work on your schedule. Welcome to the real world.
When you get out of school and have to wake up at 4 am to drive for over an hour to work at a job that you may or may not like, deal with the "social/political" games at your job, then drive home another hour in rush hour traffic... just to find out your behind in your mortgage, the baby is screaming and you have a wife/husband nagging you about xyz....
I fully agree with your ideas that school should NOT take seven hours per day for a motivated and bright student.
Maybe you can start next year with taking an online course from your local college. This way, you can start earning college credit, and can show your dad that you can handle it (and can prove it to yourself as well). He may be more amenable to letting you finish your last year of high school online.
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When you get out of school and have to wake up at 4 am to drive for over an hour to work at a job that you may or may not like, deal with the "social/political" games at your job, then drive home another hour in rush hour traffic... just to find out your behind in your mortgage, the baby is screaming and you have a wife/husband nagging you about xyz....
"Real life" does not have to be this way, at all. It's not the way I live, and it's certainly not what I'm encouraging for my kids. Completing the required schoolwork in a couple of hours per day, as opposed to wasting seven or eight hours per day going through the motions frees one up to pursue their passions, maybe making it less likely that one will end up in the rat race as described above.
My guess is the social issues are what is driving this. If so, it is my opinion that you stay in school and get through them Most people, to some extent, have social issues as adolescents. By avoiding it now, you may be keeping those problems as an adult.
Overall, Mintleif, I have not been particularly impressed with the quality of distance education programs I have seen. I cannot claim to have seen an exhaustive list of everything out there, but in the ones I have personally experienced, they're essentially a textbook and a list of work with very little actual teaching or interaction -- or substantive feedback.
You will have to play the social game for the rest of your life. It isn't something that ends with high school. And you've got to accept your challenges and master them, not run away from them. Whether the challenge is getting up early or sitting through dull tasks and assignments.
If you really are as bright as you claim you are, talk to the school about skipping a year so you can get done earlier, or about taking AP classes that will challenge you. Both of these options are ways of resolving the problem as you perceive it, without running away.
Mintleif, there is a really good book out called The Teenage Liberation Handbook and you can probably get it thru interlibrary loan. I'm with you on this one--sometimes it can be bad and a couple of more years of learning on your own won't hurt. If you want to get this past your dad, you'll have to make a good case for yourself, and that means you have to have a plan. Write down exactly what you plan to do and to study, even if you're not sure yet--you can always tweak the plan later. Make a list of resources from the library--plan some papers and how you'll get them graded or have him look at them. Treat him like you respect his intelligence and his opinion (because of course you do) and it might just fly. Balance your education and have a plan for how to get help for stuff like math--remember, the reason parents have a problem with helping you on algebra is b/c they're coming in on the middle of it--maybe you can sign up for a class or 2 at the local community college. In other words, act mature, and you'll be treated like an adult. Hopefully--I can't speak for all parents, but this would work for me. (and I have 2 teenage girls)
You know OP, you could always go to Court and have yourself declared emancipated. That way you legally be an adult and can do what you want. You're 15/16 and ready to make all those decisions.
In reality, on-line classes are only a good fit for a very small number of high school students, in my experience about 1 or 2%. It takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline to take classes on-line, better time management skills than going to school takes and most state education departments have an approved list of on-line providers which aren't cheap if you're paying for it yourself, and if you don't use the approve provider you don't get credit. You don't work at your own pace with most of them and have to be on the computer at the class site for a fair amount of time. You have deadlines for work submission and certain benchmarks you have to hit or receive a zero.
A lot of kids think on-line classes are like being on Facebook or World of Warcraft, they're not. I found the on-line classes I took, which included my certification to be an on-line instructor, the most difficult I've ever taken (excepting the engineering courses in USN Flight School, I'm not a Math person).
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