not choosing to do dual enrollment, moms pressuring me

faithmom · **Joined:** Thu May 09, 2013 12:25 pm **Posts:** 3

We've been homeschooling our kids for 11 years. In our city, it is very popular to out-source classes and not homeschool all subjects at home. This is especially true for highschool. It is also very popular to dual enroll.

Over the last couple of years we have asked the Lord to guide us about whether or not we should dual enroll or take out-sourced classes at co-ops for high school subjects. Now that our oldest will be in 11th grade in the fall, homeschool moms are pressuring me about decisions that we have made.

My husband and I truly feel that the Lord is saying we are to homeschool all subjects at home and that dual enrollment is not what He wants us to do. We have been blessed that I have always found curriculum that makes me confident in what we are teaching; my oldest is thriving in his writing lessons, Algebra II, etc. We are all fine with homeschooling all subjects. This also means that we are not doing what everybody is doing. We are college bound, but not until after 12th grade--lol.

We are not some weird or radical family---lol. We are Christians that homeschool and enjoy life together. My kids go on field trips, participate in honor society and participate in church activities. As you can see, we are not hermits. It is almost like I have to stand up with what we are doing in order to not get beat up over the issue of dual enrollment or having someone else teach my oldest a subject. Homeschool moms can't believe that we are doing all of our subjects at home.

Don't get me wrong, I have no issues or judgements against out-sourced classes or dual enrollment. I don't have a problem with them. My son took a CPR class and a note-taking class recently. I don't have a problem with someone else teaching my kids anything.

The support groups in our area are not very supportive. It's like I'm having to be a loner. I don't understand the push to not homeschool all subjects if this is what you want to do. Has anyone else experienced this?

LisaTX · **Posted:** Thu May 09, 2013 1:39 pm

It sounds like you are doing a great job! The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that YOU are the one making the decisions about their education, not other moms or anyone else, other than your dh, of course. My oldest is going into 4th grade, so no high school kids here yet. But I have felt a little pressure to join a co-op. My local homeschool group has a co-op and it is mainly just for socialization purposes. They don't teach anything that I can't teach my kids at home. The co-op is once a week and afterwards they meet at the park for a couple hours for the kids to play. I sometimes go to the park so my kids can play with the other kids, but I haven't done the co-op. The main reason I haven't done (and probably won't do) the co-op is because of the cost. It's $150 a semester if you don't teach any classes, $100 if you teach one class, and $75 if you teach two classes. I have no interest in paying the money and no interest in teaching other people's kids.

Like you, I also feel led by God to not join the co-op. I get people making comments about it all the time. "Oh, I never see you at the co-op" and things like that. I just say, "No, we just do the park". It's free and they get all the socializing they need. I also get pressure to put them in organized sports and do not feel led to do that, either. It's like a sin not to have your kids in all kinds of sports these days. Then I hear all the stressed out homeschool moms complaining about being too busy and I give a big sigh of relief that I don't have that burden.

So, I guess we're "different", too. Nothing wrong with that. Just keep doing what you're doing!

Martha R. · **Joined:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:45 am **Posts:** 2924

I think many mommies like to compare and "one-up." I wouldn't worry about what they say!!!

If your kids are college bound, you can let them take CLEP tests and get the same college credit as all the dual-enrolling people. That would give you the best of both worlds since you would teach the class at home, but they would still earn credit. But this is only if your kids are college-bound and interested in doing it!!

Neesa in FL · **Posted:** Fri May 10, 2013 8:27 am

poo poo what other people are saying. Listen to God and your husband and that's all you need to worry about.

LindaS · **Posted:** Thu May 16, 2013 10:45 am

We lived without one and did fine.

Pam in Colorado · **Joined:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:58 pm **Posts:** 1095

We've done both ways. There are pros and cons of both. I guess I would be more concerned if my child wanted to dual enroll or outsource and if so, to what end. If not, then that is that. There are so many ways of approaching home education and what works best for the individual child and the family as a whole are absolutely more important than what anyone else thinks, does or says.

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