Tina

I have a question about our youngest daughter. She is 15 and
failing 9th grade in public school. Technically she is my future
step-daughter, but I have been mom for eight years. If I could have
had it my way I would have pulled her and her younger brother out
years ago, but we were very leary of bio-mom.

Anyway, I am not in a position to be able to do a ton of research
right now due to caring for my dying father. What I would like to
do is put the ball in her court. I have told her that I would back
her 100% if she is serious about un/homeschooling. This is a huge
step, and I know I wouldn't be able to be 100% unschoolish with her
as I am with my son. At least not right away.

What I am thinking of doing is providing her with some books,
firstly THE TEENAGE LIBERATION HANDBOOK, and having her see if it's
something she really could take seriously and would be interested in
pursuing. I have also requested some other books from the library.

More than likely she will have to finish out the school year. Maybe
not, but I have a lot of convincing to do on the homefront. This
will take time to make happen, if she so chooses to go that route.
What insight and wisdom can you all share? What books would you
recommend? What experiences are you willing to enlighten me with?
Anything that you can share from experience, thought or otherwise is
more than welcome. In fact, I'm begging...PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS
WITH ME! :)

Thanks - Tina

soggyboysmom

One thing to check into is what is the maximum compulsory attendance
age in your state - in some states it is 16 (AL, AK, AZ, CO, DE, FL,
GA, ID, IL, IA, KY, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, RI, SD,
VT, WV, WY - but double check, since this can change). If she's
going to finish out this school year anyhow and then turn 16
sometime before the next school year starts, she could simply
withdraw from school without being accountable for any of the legal
hoops there might be for homeschoolers. I know in some states (CA is
one I think) 16 yr olds can take an equivalency test and if they get
x score they are acknowledged as "graduated" if the whole idea
of "dropping out" is a big issue for extended family. Many places it
is also possible to take community college courses at 16 which would
allow her to follow her interests while at the same time
being "reassuring" to same extended bunch that she is "doing
something".