Homeschooling teens with anxiety.
What Is Included in This Post:
Is Homeschooling Teens with Anxiety the Best Option?
What Do Psychologists Say About Homeschooling Teens with Anxiety?
Are There Disadvantages of Homeschooling?
Is Homeschooling Right for Your Teen?
Homeschooling teens with anxiety is often a hot topic with parents and teachers who struggle to find the best help for teens who suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is very real and it hurts many people and it can put a devastating effect on a teen’s mental health and self-esteem. It can also wreak havoc on grades and graduation credits that teens need to strive for.
This topic is personal and near and dear to my heart as I am a mother of two struggling teens who battle these common issues. However, we are discovering the power of homeschooling and how easy it can improve grades and boost their confidence in themselves as they reach their goals independent from the social stress of public middle and high school.
Learn how homeschooling has helped improve my own teenagers’ confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, grades, and self-sufficiency and how it can possibly help yours too!
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Is Homeschooling Teens with Anxiety the Best Option?
The root of anxiety can be difficult to determine. It is important to help your teen find the cause of their anxiety. However, this can be difficult, though there could be signs to look for. You might be wondering if school is causing the anxiety. Middle and high school can be difficult with peer pressure, social fit-ins, and the constant battle of maintaining grades and earning credits on top of everything else.
Overcrowded Schools Can Cause Anxiety
My younger teen told me his anxiety is caused by how crowded and loud his school was to him and he found it overwhelming. I shrugged it off and said that it is normal and my school was crowded too. While going to school as a teen myself years ago, I found it fun and enjoyable to be with my friends. My sons have a different perspective than I once did. They both told me that their school was way too crowded.
I did not think much of it until one day I had to pay for their items at the school office and I decided I would do that when I dropped them off in the morning. As I walked in the school with my teens, I was astonished at how very crowded and full of teenagers the school was. I could not make my way to the office until the bell rang. Once that bell rang, kids were pushing through crowds of backpacks and I just had to wait by a wall. I said to my sons, “Wow, this school is so crowded!” They looked at me as if to say, “We told you!”
Teacher and Staff Shortages Can Cause Anxiety
There has been a teacher and staff shortage at many schools lately. Many say it could be due to the low paid salaries and high college tuition required to be a licensed teacher and that it was just not worth it. This has caused many schools to be understaffed.
I would get text messages from my kids telling me that they are sitting in a classroom full of students without a teacher. With a room full of teenagers without any adult supervision, the room can become chaos rather quickly. My sons are calm and quiet people and this caused them stress and anxiety.
Added stress and anxiety bombarded my sons when every day they were experiencing a different substitute teacher due to the staffing shortages. This caused my sons to feel lost and unconnected to their studies, which ultimately lead to anxiety to build up within them. On top of that, more stress and anxiety was weighing them down when their grades began to slip!
Listen To Your Anxious Teens When They Speak!
I had to connect the dots and really listen to my teenagers who were experiencing anxiety related to school and were telling me these things. As a busy full-time working parent, we often shrug off our kids’ problems and just hope they find a way to deal with it on their own. After all, we survived high school, right?
Well, that was wrong of me to do, so I really took the time to listen to them one day when the school counselor called with concerns regarding their grades and anxiety. The counselor suggested to parents who had well-behaved teens who could be trusted at home alone while parents worked and could do online classes.
This idea could help students with anxiety related to school and failing grades to help them improve. This could also help bring down the population of the overcrowded school and student-to-teacher ratio in the classrooms. It was a win-win for all type of goal. A goal I was willing to try to help my own kids do better in school and feel better overall.
Giving Homeschooling My Anxious Teens a Try
We set out on the homeschooling middle and high school venture for the remaining of the school year. This idea has been the best decision we have made for our kids! Their moods have improved, anxiety has lessened, and their grades were on the high rise. My teens were happy to be at their own private desks in the comfort of their own rooms for school. They attended their online classes and zoom courses without the pressure of social stresses weighing them down.
Our teens were all set up with a huge box of school supplies and their computers. Finally, they were happy to be home and grab a snack from the kitchen in between classes. Oh, they were also happy to be able to play with our funny pets and take the dog for a quick walk during the school day in between classes!
They no longer were stressed about their hair or clothes for each day or the hurrying of getting out of the door to catch the bus. They were able to enjoy their classes and connect with their teachers in a more personal way.
My sons used to struggle to ask the teachers questions during or after class when inside the classroom for social fears or the unavailability of the teacher who was speaking with many other students and they missed their chance. Since they have personal chat options to speak with their teachers privately, this has helped them remain engaged with each of their teachers.
Anxiety can really take a toll on a teenager’s mental health. When school is causing the anxiety and anxiety is affecting their schooling, it is time to seek help and take some action.
What Do Psychologists Say About Homeschooling Teens with Anxiety?
Most researched studies have shown that homeschoolers score higher test results than public schoolers. However, these results were from homeschools with structured programs only.
Social skills across homeschooled children compared with conventionally school children reveals no dramatic differences. It all is a matter of how each family raises their children in their homes and how much social interactions children are allotted.
Are There Disadvantages of Homeschooling?
When considering if homeschooling your child is the best option, it is best to make a pros and cons list for your family’s situation. While there are many perks of homeschooling your child, there are a few disadvantage view points you may want to consider.
Here are some disadvantage view points to consider while pondering the idea of homeschooling your child.
- Requires discipline on the learning coach’s role (typically the parent).
- No school functions to attend.
- Materials can become expensive.
- The need to keep a well-organized homeschool program.
- Dealing with social criticism from family and friends.
While these disadvantages can seem daunting, preparing for a successful homeschool is actually obtainable. Most of these disadvantages can be replaced with positive well-structured homeschool programs in your community.
Homeschooling allows you and your family to become creative in how you want to pursue this journey together. Let’s dive into each one of these disadvantage view points and think of positive ways to crush these issues with homeschooling.
Homeschooling Disadvantages
Requires discipline on the learning coach’s role (typically the parent). While this may sound daunting as a parent, especially a working parent, there are ways you can manage a homeschooling program. There are apps that can help you keep track of your child’s progress. If possible, you can hire a learning coach/tutor for your child.
No school functions to attend. Get involved in your community for fun youth programs like local churches, clubs, sports, dance/music classes, etc. Research your local homeschool co-ops programs for further support.
Materials can become expensive. There are many free online public school options. This is a great option for high schoolers who need to earn graduation credits and want to learn at home. Your family will have the support of real teachers, progress tracking apps, and free shipped materials. This is what my family is doing and our teens love it!
The need to keep a well-organized homeschool program. Pinterest has a ton of homeschool organization hacks to help keep your homeschool program structured and organized.
Dealing with social criticism from family and friends. To be honest, you have nothing to prove to anyone except how homeschooling is helping your teen improve their grades and manage their anxiety.
Is Homeschooling Right for Your Teen?
Some teens may not do well with the homeschooling option. Each teen will need to be considered on an individual basis considering their learning styles and methods. While homeschooling may help reduce your teen’s social anxiety, your teen may not be motivated enough for independent learning. A teenager who is not motivated may find the work too boring. If you are away at work all day, you will most likely find an unmotivated teen with uncompleted coursework at home.
In this case, hiring a tutor or learning coach may be beneficial. After all, you cannot be in two places at the same time! A learning coach is there to motivate your teen and help them get involved in their studies and the community.
I have two online teenage learners at home who are both different with different learning styles. One is self-motivated and determined to stick with his online learning to stay out of the public schools that he dreads. The other teenage learner needs a bit more motivation and a poke to help keep him on track for graduation. It all boils down to helping your teen stay motivated in ways that work best for them with their eyes on their graduation goals.
Keep in Mind Each Teen is Different
So you see, each teen is different and will require different methods of learning, resources, programs, and goals to obtain. What may work for my teens may not work for yours. What works for one of my own teens definitely does not work for my other teen! The goal is to listen to your teen and determine what motivates them to get excited about their graduation plan and what works for them. Ultimately, helping them cope with their anxiety by providing a good homeschool foundation if possible as well as remaining under the care of their doctor!
My teens are under the strict care of our family physician who is treating their anxiety and mental health with our family’s supportive structural homeschooling online program. Plus, their program is a career driven-path that helps keep them motivated!
Get creative in your homeschool journey to help your teen plan their own graduation goals and best of luck to you! Teen parents understand!
Summary
I hope I have inspired you to discover if homeschooling your anxious teen is the best option for them.
If you were encouraged by this post, I invite you to check out my FREE Self-Sufficiency Academy for fun free printables, planners, and charts.
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Here are some more of my self-sufficiency skills for kids posts to check out!
The Best Activities for First Aid for Kids (Includes FREE printable First Aid and CPR Training Certificate!)
How to Teach Self-Sufficiency Skills to Kids: Prepare Them Now
How to Open A Can of Food With Your Bare Hands
Blessings,
The Off Grid Barefoot Girl
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