Home School Teen & Bootstrap SaaS
My oldest son is very much like me. He's 15, in his first year of high school. He's a self-directed learner who loves history, political science, and English. He hates math, doesn't understand how it's applicable to him, and because he's failing algebra he's giving up on his other classes.
I get it. I hated math as a kid, and only decided to work hard at it once I decided I wanted to be an architect. I went to the one school I could find that didn't require calculus for engineering math, but it was still too much for me. I dropped-out, and started working at an architecture firm where I discovered (surprise!) architects don't use academic math in their practice.
He was interested in computing but after a few summer courses (game programming, Python machine learning) he knows he doesn't want to be an engineer. That's ok. I took a similar path going from architecture to Product, Marketing & SaaS. It will be a good foundation for anything he chooses to do in the future. But, the question is, how do my wife and I set him up for success?
We live in Washington, which has a flexible home schooling program, and lets high school kids take college courses if they pass an English class. Our plan right now is to home school him for the remainder of high school. My questions to the group:
- Has anybody else been through this, and home schooled their older child while indiehacking?
- Do you have suggestions for non-algebra math that we would make part of his curriculum? I'm considering Formal Logic, Probability and Statistics.
It's been a while. How's he doing?
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Would love to have kids like yours on this platform
We are a complete non-profit organization supporting students through corporate sponsorships and mentoring them throughout their jounrey
some fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6ZY0aAPvDU
This is very impressive and unique idea I am also working on the same type of idea you can click pantry labels to see some different ideas.
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Hey! I'm home schooling (unschooling) my (5!) kids, whilst indie hacking and now also working here at IH, somewhat meta!
I don't have answers on the math, sorry.
My two eldest are 14 and 16. I go between 'wtf am I doing' to 'I know I'm doing the right thing'. I
comfort myself with the fact that (I feel) the education system is a big experiment within itself. And also the fact that I lack qualifications and my husband got a degree late in his 20's...and we've done alright in the end.
I think my eldest will end up indie hacking. He's dived into programming, YouTubing, 3D modelling and more, all on his on steam. He's more into gaming right now, which is annoying. However, he also practices what we preach every single bloody day, he works out to a pretty consistent schedule and is so good with making his own food which he makes 95% of it himself (as long as the ingredients are provided, hah).
Both of my teens are very different characters though, they also mostly reject anything that is curriculum/school based. Mostly it's far too boring and lacks meaning for them. My other teen just isn't so clear on passions/things he wants to do yet, that has it's own challenges. But I'm the kind of person that likes to focus on the positives.
No clear answers, but I think part of the problem with society these days is that we feel we need to have too/so many things mapped out from an early age, when maybe what we need to do is explore the things that peak our interest without all that pressure of it needing to lead to an artificial qualification.
@rosiesherry - I recognize the kids are all on their owns paths, and it's helpful to hear that others are working to figure out how to best raise, enable and empower their kids. I wish mine were as motivated as your appear to be, but I take that as a challenge that he hasn't found what interests him enough.
Thanks for sharing your story - it's helpful just to hear other folks are figuring out indie hacking and doing the right things for their kids, vs. the standard things. I deepluy appreciate the moral support.
Hey @tela - I'm a now 26-year-old product manager and I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school.
I took a similar path to what you're describing - taking college courses throughout my high school years. I also hated math despite having been raised (and primarily taught) by a mother who was a computer engineer and a math lover.
I can't help you much with curriculum, but I just wanted to pop in and say that I think what you're doing can be a great opportunity for your son. I've always been very entrepreneurial and homeschooling allowed me time to experiment with tons of business ideas and creative outlets.
While I don't think homeschooling is a good fit for everyone, for anyone who has exhibited an interest in technology and/or entrepreneurship, I think its a fantastic alternative to traditional schooling.
-Andrew
Heya @andrew_dougie - I appreciate your perspective and words of support. Landing in Product makes so much sense for a background like yours - bringing together varied interests and experience together to create context and provide clarity. If building or entrepreneurial work sparks his interest, I'll steer him to it. I didn't discover Product Management was a thing until I was in my 30's!
My other two kids are likely not a good fit for home schooling, and we're ok giving each the environment they need. Cheers, and thanks again!
The only downside I have encountered by allowing my kids to pursue their interests by taking college-level courses is that they have zero interest in the highschool level stuff that they are expected to know. I have slowly been easing back on my expectations though. If one of the kids needs a class that they skipped in high school, they can get it.
@Parker_Content that's a valid concern, and I hadn't thought about that. I'll keep my eye out for those situations, but agree, they can infill specific skills we identify they are missing and actually need. Thank you =)