And she also lets her go on Facebook in the middle of the night. I just don't get it. She has the Facebook parental controls set right, but I always felt like Facebook should not be allowed for someone that age, and if it is allowed, to only be allowed in moderation and very limited use.
This part would concern me, especially if she's been bullied in school. The internet is not a safe place for kids and teens, and Facebook (or similar) can easily become a new conduit for bullying. It's also a place where predators seek out venerable kids (and your niece sounds like such a kid). When my kids were that age, I didn't allow them online without supervision -- and that's harder now with the advent of phones and tables.
The sleeping away half the day would also concern me in that she needs to be with people -- and if her parents are keeping what we consider "normal hours", she's absent for a fairly large portion of the family's day. This means she's missing out on conversations, missing meals with family, missing engaging in family life and shared chores. She's already been a bully-magnet; allowing her to isolate herself may make her feel comfortable today ... but it isn't going to help her self-esteem or help her mature and move forward to the point that she can manage difficult social situations. If she were my child, I'd compromise: I'd insist that schoolwork /family life is started by 10:00 four days a week ... and let her sleep in the other three days.
Yeah, we all know about the teen-biology sleeping-in thing, but sleeping 'til noon every day is somewhat extreme; in fact, it can be a way of "hiding away" from the world and can be a sign of depression.
When I try and offer my opinion, the response is "she's getting straight A's, and is reading at a ninth grade level, yada yada".
Eh, what middle schoolers aren't getting straight As? Straight As are also common amongst homeschoolers. The only fact I'm seeing here is that she's reading at a 9th grade level; I'd be interested to hear how that number was measured.
As far as the social stuff, yes I do think it's important to provide social activities to homeschoolers. ARe you sure she doesn't at all? Maybe it's the child's choice and will work into socializing more as she feels comfortable?
None of us know how severe the bullying was and how comfortable /uncomfortable the niece is at this point. I agree that she needs to be involved in social activities (and the internet isn't really "social"). Perhaps a loving aunt would give her a gentle push and support her education by making her next birthday gift a class at a science museum or the zoo. Social activity + education.
Some cases of home schooling aren't schooling at all ...Most homeschooled children do very well ...
I think we all know that homeschooling varies widely: some families are providing an education well beyond the scope of public school, while others are really just escaping public school. None of us
No homeschool is not unmonitored. My DGD has weekly online meetings with teachers. Her lessons are assigned and she has deadlines to meet. Her grades are done by teacher monitoring not her parents.
This simply isn't true. Rules vary from state to state, but ultimately if parents aren't doing a good job, nothing happens. Conscientious parents pay attention to what should be taught and are sure that all the subjects are covered eventually -- but parents who lack conscientiousness really face no consequences.