switching to public school?

[makeupshadow]

Sorry if this is long.
so I just found out that the private highschool I have been wanting to go to is switching to uniforms, me and my parents aren't happy about it. So we are looking at our options. I think the highschool isn't an option for me. Besides uniforms it is waaaay too expensive, and most of the kids in my private school wont be going there as far as I know, so I'm not gunna know anybody if I go there. Maybe ill make friends but, I just do better with ppl - years younger idk why I just have nothing in common with any of the kids that are gonna be at that school.
There is homeschooling, it sounds like a great program but I don't wanna feel isolated.
My mom is afraid I think of me being in the wrong crowd if I go there. It upsets me quite a bit. I'm not mad at her about it I'm just sad. I used to be easily influenced but that was when. I was 13. I'm gunna be 16 now, things have changed a lot for me personally, I'm my own person, I know who I am. I drank b4 and it was a horrible experience. I have friends who drink occasionally and I still wont do it as a friend to friend thing. I don't want to tell
My mom about that but I may just to relieve her worrying. I don't smoke weed since I like music and maybe want to improve my vocals so I can seen one day. I have dreamed.of that so much that I would never smoke ever I'm not that retarded. Sex terrifies and grosses me out as well, maybe she thinks Its a phase but I have been this way my whole life so I don't think she should worry about that either. My mom tends to say we will talk about this late until July or August. My point is we couldn't try homeschooling because of our schedule probably, and my parents are smart they aren't teachers. My dad doesn't think it would work out either. Good points I have for going to a public highschool is that I have already been offered drugs at the school I am currently going.g to atleasf 4 times. Said no to every one of them. It was easy too. I will most likely go through the same thing I. College too. I will already know quite a few people there, and I hear they have really nice teachers too, my moms also afraid of bullying, I went through it for 4 years. Went to 2 years of therapy. I find it quite a waste for me to not go public since I have low confidence and it would be a tester for me, I think if I used those tools that I used in therapy it wouldst boost my confidence alot. If I don't go I will never know the experience I would have. My moms clients that go to that school as far as I know have no problems there. I want my mom to check it out but I'm afraid she will be too afraid to do that. What should I do? IS every parent like this at times?

[MadPoet]

Hey Lauren,

I can relate to your situation, somewhat. I went to a private catholic school from fourth to eighth grade, and switched to public school from high school. I had problems with depression that started at the end of eighth grade, and continued through the next couple of years. I didn't have the greatest high school experience at the beginning. I'm not currently going to a special ed school for people with emotional impairments, which isn't so bad. But I did learn a few things about public school while at a normal high school for awhile.

It's very different than private school, mostly in small ways. I was used to kids getting in trouble for swearing. At public school they didn't seem to care. There was a lot more students, which was a bit overwhelming, but that's just me. There is a lot less structure, which I liked and disliked in some ways. It's a different experience from private school, and in some ways the difference can't be explained until it is experienced. There are pros and cons, and all in all I think it depends on the kind of person you are and your own preferences. Some people are more likely to enjoy private school, and some feel more comfortable in public school. Everyone is different.

One thing I do think you should consider is that a lot of the kids at public school are going to know each other already. In my case, the people at my high school went to middle school together, and they were already acquainted with each other. That made it a bit more difficult to make friends, but it's nothing that should be a deal breaker.

As for getting involved with the wrong crowd, my mom was worried about that at first too. But in my opinion, just as much goes on in private school as it does in public school, it's just not as obvious. My sister went to high school at a private school for a year, and it sounds to me like contrary to popular belief, there is trouble that goes on inside private high schools as well. You have to be careful who you hang around with no matter where you go.

So I wouldn't completely rule out public school, and I think it's definitely something to consider. You might like it, you might not. But there's no knowing until your try.

[TheCrowing]

I guess it's totally different where you are.. A lot of the Catholic schools near me aren't much better than public schools on all of those levels.

I went to a public high school, and I loved it. I couldn't imagine myself in a Catholic high school. It's just like anywhere else, you just have to know who you are to an extent, and know who your friends are. There will always be drugs, sex, alcohol, but just like in Catholic school, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. There are a lot more people, but I always liked it, because I didn't see the same exact faces every day. There was always someone new that I had never seen before.