Do you homeschooling parents look down on us who send our kids to a public school?
I ask this because I have a very close friend who homeschools her children and she has a bad habit of making rude, snide, underhanded remarks to me about how "her kids will NEVER go to a public school", or how she "don't know how I do it, being away from my kids" or "not knowing who they're hanging out with at school" or what they're "picking up from other kids" etc etc. I understand that there are drawbacks to public school at times, but I also feel there are some drawbacks to homeschooling. I'm not against homeschooling in any way, shape or form. As a matter of fact, I have homeschooled for a year. My oldest son's kindergarten year I homeschooled him. It just wasn't for us at that time. Then, when I put him in public school for his 1st grade year, he was behind. With all this being said, that child is now 7 years old, in the 2nd grade and making straight A's. The lowest grade on is report card was a 98, and that was in hand writing! We were at this same friends house the other day playing some board games, and their 14 year old homeschooled girl was playing and our 7 y.o. was having to read the big words on the card for her because she couldn't sound them out. That was a red flag to me that my friend isn't taking her homeschooling serious enough, and the fact that she has the balls to bash me right to my face really upsets me! So, with yourselves in my friend's shoes, I'm asking you to be honest and tell me if you think us folks on the other side of the fence are lazy, or "putting our kids off" on someone else? That's the only thing I can think of that would give her any justification to care THAT much about how I choose to educate my children....the fact that maybe she thinks I'm lazy or something and just don't want to come out and say it. Thanks!
How do all of the gay kids become friends before they know they're gay?
I think it’s because before they know they are gay, the thing that future gay people are aware of is that they are “different,” and that often has to do with being somewhat gender non-conforming in their behaviour and interests. And since that puts them in a minority, they will tend to gravitate towards each other, just as other minorities tend to do (especially in school, where having friends and being part of a group are so important for survival).There are probably a lot of other gay kids who are not noticeably gender non-conforming who may not be friends with the other gay kids, but you don’t notice them. Because they can “blend in” and have been doing so for their whole lives, they are more likely to come out later. For someone really gender non-conforming, coming out is often not even a choice - other kids will single them out from an early age as different, even if they don’t know it themselves.Some of this is changing, as more and more kids come out younger and are accepted by family and friends. In previous generations, gay kids were even more isolated. I went to very large schools and never knew a single gay person other than myself, because everyone was deeply closeted.
How do you survive high school when you have no classes with your best friend and you're shy and quiet?
I was a quiet kid in high school. I hated talking to people unless they were my friends or I had to for a project. Some years I had a bunch of classes with friends, and other years I didn’t. I survived and made it to graduation.So what do you do? You buckle down and work even harder on your assignments. Make assignments the primary goal for that time, and when the class is over, you will have completed so much. As fun as it is to hang out with your friend and have a familiar face to look over to, it is also necessary to work hard in high school and not be distracted. One year I had a class with my best friend, and I feel like I got in more trouble in that class than any others because we were always goofing off.The nice thing about not having classes with your friend is that you two will have plenty to talk about because you didn’t both experience the same day together. After school or at lunch, catch up with your friend or study together and compare notes. It won’t be so bad, I promise.
There's a kid who may be on the autism spectrum in my school and he's very lonely at lunch, how do I make friends with him?
Like. that’s a nice goal? though, my 2 cents, as an autistic person (especially as one who was very lonely in high school)Have you talked to him before? I guess I’m curious why you want to be friends with him. Some questions to ask yourself:Why do you want to make friends with him? Is it because you feel bad for him? Is it because you have a common interest? Do you usually make friends with lonely people, or is this because you believe he’s autistic?Onto person anecdotes. If you do want to be friends with him I do think it’s a good goal (so long as you aren’t pitying him and, also important, the two of you are getting along together after a conversation or two)I had one main friend in high school who wasn’t my twin. I don’t know why she befriended me, but when we hung out we just did things that we enjoyed. Find common interests. For me and my friend it was exploring in the woods, or sledding when it was snowy. Sometimes we biked to places to spend our allowance.I guess like. talk to him. figure out what he likes. If you have common interests, that’s great! If not it’s possible you could look into what he likes or find a new interest together, if you both want to? But really common interests is my best bet.Also last note, some autistic people are very okay with silence. SO its okay if there’s a silence that seems awkward to you when you’re talking. Sometimes I try to force conversation as I can ‘pass’ allistic somewhat well, but other times its just like I don’t always know what to say. Hanging out reading together and only occasionally talking about books is just as valid as a long conversation. (even though I actually prefer talking with people ((Who I am very comfortable with)) I get the feeling from my other autistic friends that that is not as common)I think I repeated a few notes here but that’s my advice.
There's this kid that keeps following me and my friends around?
HOLY CHEESE! Exact same problem here. She is SO annoying. So now my best friends, (which are closer to each other than they're closer to me), they get together for partner stuff, and I have to be stuck with the loser girl. What we're doing is by sometimes rolling your eyes, and then when she looks, we wait a second, for her to see us rolling our eyes, then we go back to normal. Like fake it. IT works for like whispering, since you're guys, and it'd look pretty gay if you did roll your eyes. Another thing, we do is when she make a joke, we say "That's really not funny." But, I've been the follower. It's hard. Think of how sad the follower must be. THey're a loner. No matter how dorky he is, try to get along with him. It makes their day, like whenever my friends say something to me, it immidetly makes me feel so much more included. You're stuck here, like I am. But think about both sides of the problem. Which part do you want to take advantage of? If he's a guy that can't handle being told that he can't be with you guys, then look on the empathetic side of it. If it's the other way around, it's "Bye Bye" time.
How do I get close with a teacher?
You have to recognize that you can’t just force the relationship, it has to develop naturally. Have patience and genuine interest and it will happen.The most important thing is to take initiative and be proactive. Even if you can’t come up with questions, at least make an effort to pay attention in class. Your teacher will most likely appreciate your learning attitude. Outside of class, reach out to your teacher, whether it be for advice or to chat. An effective way of starting a conversation might be to share articles or videos your teacher might be interested in - for instance, I sent Jimmy Reid’s inauguration speech on alienation to my teacher since they were interested in social commentary.Another way to take initiative is to participate in events, competitions and activities related to your subject, and ask your teacher for advice or feedback on your work and to start a discussion. It helps build the connection further, and can let you exchange views on a certain topic.Offer to help out. If your teacher is organizing an event, ask if you can help promote it or help run it. You don’t have to run and help carry books 24/7, but if you see an opportunity and you don’t have to go really out of your way to give a helping hand, then do it. It also gives you more chances for conversation if you’re having trouble getting to talk to them in private.Be honest and open when talking to them. If you want them to be responsive to you and to have a closer relationship with you, you need to be able to do the same thing. Tell them if you’re having trouble with lessons, school or any other issues. Not only can this show that you’re interested in being closer, but your teacher probably has more life experiences than you and can give you their view on the issue. Even if something may seem trivial, share it but be careful not to go too overboard. If you’ve been tired lately, you can mention that.Remember that communication and being genuine is key. Teachers can see right through you if you’re just trying to be close with them for the grade. Good luck:)