Course planning for gr 9

[Storm Bay]

This year, for the very first time, I am laying out what my 14 yo needs to do each week in her core subjects and putting it on a calendar. On one hand, I realize that we have reached a point where I need to do this if she's going to get all this work done. On the other hand, I feel a bit frustrated since she's always been a lollygagger. I can't sit and hold her hand, since I have two younger dc and she likes to work independently.

 

I'm really just complaining and looking for some kind of pat on the back, empathy or sage words of advice (but then, I've already read so much of that here.) I don't really know what I want, but this whole high school home school burden is hitting me this week. I have a lab class set up with other teens so that we'll actually get the Chem labs done (we're not the kind to get around to all of them on our own with everything else that goes on in our lives).

 

How do right brain dominated people get their strong willed right-brain dominated dc through high school? Dc that have no sense of time whatsoever and who only want to work hard at swimming or on fun things? She has a watch with a stop watch feature and I feel as though we've tried everything so far, so I'm really just complaining and feeling frustrated even though we haven't even started yet.

[Sumiller]

This year, for the very first time, I am laying out what my 14 yo needs to do each week in her core subjects and putting it on a calendar. On one hand, I realize that we have reached a point where I need to do this if she's going to get all this work done. On the other hand, I feel a bit frustrated since she's always been a lollygagger. I can't sit and hold her hand, since I have two younger dc and she likes to work independently.

 

For my ds, I make up a weekly schedule that lists Mon - Fri across top and all subjects down the side. In each box per day, I break down what he needs to accomplish. This gives him a sense of knowing what needs to be done on a daily basis and for some subjects the flexibility to do them in the order he desires.

 

I have a lab class set up with other teens so that we'll actually get the Chem labs done (we're not the kind to get around to all of them on our own with everything else that goes on in our lives).

 

This is a great idea and one I highly recommend! My ds has a weekly class/lab with another boy. They are responsible for getting all the reading and questions done during the week and then they meet to review and do a lab together. This has kept them both on track and made the lab time a little more interesting and fun! ;)

 

How do right brain dominated people get their strong willed right-brain dominated dc through high school? Dc that have no sense of time whatsoever and who only want to work hard at swimming or on fun things? She has a watch with a stop watch feature and I feel as though we've tried everything so far, so I'm really just complaining and feeling frustrated even though we haven't even started yet.

 

Again, I think a written schedule of what needs to be done will relieve the burden from your shoulders to your childs. Also, if things don't get accomplished during the course of the day due to his/her 'lollygagging', then perhaps night time school work with no swimming/fun things/etc until the work is done will help get them refocused.

 

JMHO,

[Susan C.]

I have had to pull activities so school gets done.... and have refused to add them when there isn't a time slot to do them. We did one paid activity last year, and I was scared how it would play out. It ended up working like this: you get the school work done, if you don't, still go to the activity, but the extra work goes to nights and/or weekends. To my surprise, it ended up ok, and dd is quite the dawdler. She liked having control over when she did things.

 

I wouldn't do the schedule for more than a week at a time. Lollygagging isn't the only reason the schedule changes. Sometimes we don't know how long it takes to do what we have asked, and sometimes another day needs to be added. Then your whole year will be off. The few people I know that do their whole schedules ahead of time have ended up frustrated that the schedules didn't work out, and even more frustrated that the days are "off."

 

Yes, if only doing the schedule actually got the work done :)

[Ruth in Canada]

A week seems like too long.

[Storm Bay]

A week seems like too long.

 

 

That's what we've already done, and I should have mentioned that dd still wants daily checklists. But they were rather vague in that we just did what came next and didn't worry about getting it done by any certain date during the year.

[MamaT]

I have a daily check-off list for my son who will be in 10th grade. I know it may seem like micromanagement on my part, but I know that he will procrastinate/wait until the last minute/work on the weekend (and need my help) if I don't. He is a very right-brained people person. He is not task oriented at all. It is the only way I can make sure he gets his work done.

 

He has flexibility to do things in whatever order he wants, but I am not available to him after 3:00 p.m. If he is behind, all social activities are cancelled until he is caught up. This nips it in the bud for him. He is very social.

[Storm Bay]

. Also, if things don't get accomplished during the course of the day due to his/her 'lollygagging', then perhaps night time school work with no swimming/fun things/etc until the work is done will help get them refocused.

 

JMHO,

 

 

:) We've done that. We still don't let her do the fun if she's not done, but swimming is her Phys Ed, she has a commitment to the team and without that hard exercise she's nearly impossible to live with right now (needs to burn off stress physically and swimming works best). In fact, I'm trying to figure out what we're doing to do to keep her burning off her steam physically for the 8 weeks between summer swimming and the fall year.

 

We've built in a few review weeks so she can catch up if she's behind. Do you think that that's still going to be confusing? When I was in university I did much better having a calendar laid out with all my due dates so I could plan when to start working on papers, etc. I was never good with cramming or pulling all nighters (I just didn't do it).

 

A lot of this planning is for me. I feel a need to get some control and structure set for this. She wants to do six of her subjects in semester form so that she con concentrate on fewer things per day, but if we can't keep on track, she's going to have to work on all of them or do high school for five years. Okay, probably not five years. She won't be 14 forever.

[choirfarm]

My 7th grader drives me nuts.. I ask, are you done?? Yes...let me see your planner...nothing is written on it. So he fills it in.. Later on, is everything done, I don't see Spanish...Oh yeah...what about literature..you didn't fill that in...well I read the book..what about the worksheets...well, no.. Sigh... Every day is like this. Each course has a syllabus of what he should do. He just won't follow it. Compare that to my 9th grader who sits down and plans out his entire week and has a nice easy Friday as he finishes early and my 7th grader doesn't get to watch the family movie because he is in his room doing a whole week's worth of vocabulary.. GRRR.

Christine

[Storm Bay]

My 7th grader drives me nuts.. I ask, are you done?? Yes...let me see your planner...nothing is written on it. So he fills it in.. Later on, is everything done, I don't see Spanish...Oh yeah...what about literature..you didn't fill that in...well I read the book..what about the worksheets...well, no.. Sigh... Every day is like this. Each course has a syllabus of what he should do. He just won't follow it. Compare that to my 9th grader who sits down and plans out his entire week and has a nice easy Friday as he finishes early and my 7th grader doesn't get to watch the family movie because he is in his room doing a whole week's worth of vocabulary.. GRRR.

Christine

:lol::lol: This is how it can be here. Once my ds is totally resigned to school, I think he'll by like your older one. He has the best ability to see that if he does his work ever day he can have the whole weekend off and it's worth it. My middle one can do it at times. However, my eldest rarely does that. She's had more good days this summer than ever, but it's petered right out (she still has to finish up just a bit in each of her core subjects and I can't sit beside her all day.)

 

I'm thinking about letting the younger ones start a week later so that I can help her get started.

[Kathy in Richmond]

Karin,

 

My teenaged dd is a strong-willed, independent, right-brained child, too. If left in her bedroom with, say, physics homework, she's likely to get distracted and start sorting photos for an album, work on artwork, etc. And don't get her near the internet! Her older brother is the exact opposite - he'd tackle his work as soon as breakfast was over, and work straight through till done. I can't remember once when he wasn't done before dinner (and with a huge courseload).

 

Some things that have helped here over the years with dd include:

 

Scheduling sheets - daily when she was younger and now weekly. She uses colorful highliters to mark off the work as it's done. I think it appeals to her visual senses.

 

Working where I can see her and say something when I she that she gets off-track. We moved her out of the bedroom and downstairs to a quiet corner. Once a week or so, we pack up our work bags and go to the library or even a booth at McD's to work. No phone ringing, no computer, etc, seems to help focus.

 

Eating a good protein breakfast. Eggs especially seem to help her ability to focus. A bit of caffeine seems to help her, too, like a cup of tea or handful of dark chocolate chips.

 

Exercise - On the days when she's not at the dance studio, we try to work in a brisk walk mid-morning.

 

None of these things has changed her completely. It's an ongoing struggle. In a sense it's just the way she's built. She's pretty much accepted that her work day will be longer than others' due to her breaks.

 

I sympathize! :)

 

~Kathy

[Etkids]

Karin,

Once a week or so, we pack up our work bags and go to the library or even a booth at McD's to work. No phone ringing, no computer, etc, seems to help focus.

 

~Kathy

 

Oh I LOVE this idea!!!!

[kpupg]

A week seems like too long.

 

We do daily lists, too. I check up/grade the work to make sure things got done to my standard. I also put required chores on the list, not just school work. Kids get no privileges until all requirements are complete.

 

If it turns out that my schedule is unworkable, we are flexible in rearranging things, but we all contribute to how we can get things done "by the end of the week" or whatever.

 

I hope I can ease up to a weekly schedule in a couple years, when ds will begin taking a couple classes at the local college. But for 9th grade, we're still looking at daily FWIW.

 

Karen

[Julie in MN]

My 7th grader drives me nuts.. I ask, are you done?? Yes...let me see your planner...nothing is written on it. So he fills it in.. Later on, is everything done, I don't see Spanish...Oh yeah...what about literature..you didn't fill that in...well I read the book..what about the worksheets...well, no.. Sigh... Every day is like this. Each course has a syllabus of what he should do. He just won't follow it. Compare that to my 9th grader who sits down and plans out his entire week and has a nice easy Friday as he finishes early and my 7th grader doesn't get to watch the family movie because he is in his room doing a whole week's worth of vocabulary.. GRRR.

Christine

 

7th grade is just beginning the process towards "real" independence, IMHO. In fact, I think most public junior hi schools would solve all their behavior problems if they went back to the elementary mode with a "teacher/mom figure" rather than so much independence. (In fact, my pastor had just that experience in a Christian school.)

 

Last year, I just gave my 7th grader a limited amount of complete independence such as in grammar & literature study, a bit larger amount of partial independence such as in math & science, and some still very teacher-led learning. The brain of most 12/13 year olds I know doesn't truly discern deeper lessons in values and life-application yet (even when they are very mature & kind-hearted) -- so we did history and Bible together.

 

In 8th, there's another big step up in ability to follow a schedule, but in 9th I think most kids are ready to really learn stuff on their own. That's why I think your 7th & 9th graders are behaving so differently. Age 12 and age 15 really are far apart.

 

JMHO,

Julie

[Storm Bay]

Karin,

 

My teenaged dd is a strong-willed, independent, right-brained child, too. If left in her bedroom with, say, physics homework, she's likely to get distracted and start sorting photos for an album, work on artwork, etc. And don't get her near the internet! Her older brother is the exact opposite - he'd tackle his work as soon as breakfast was over, and work straight through till done. I can't remember once when he wasn't done before dinner (and with a huge courseload).

 

Some things that have helped here over the years with dd include:

 

Scheduling sheets - daily when she was younger and now weekly. She uses colorful highliters to mark off the work as it's done. I think it appeals to her visual senses.

 

Working where I can see her and say something when I she that she gets off-track. We moved her out of the bedroom and downstairs to a quiet corner. Once a week or so, we pack up our work bags and go to the library or even a booth at McD's to work. No phone ringing, no computer, etc, seems to help focus.

 

Eating a good protein breakfast. Eggs especially seem to help her ability to focus. A bit of caffeine seems to help her, too, like a cup of tea or handful of dark chocolate chips.

 

Exercise - On the days when she's not at the dance studio, we try to work in a brisk walk mid-morning.

 

None of these things has changed her completely. It's an ongoing struggle. In a sense it's just the way she's built. She's pretty much accepted that her work day will be longer than others' due to her breaks.

 

I sympathize! :)

 

~Kathy

 

 

THANKS! I'm going to do as much as I can of this. Some of it we've done somewhat, but the combination of all this might help. If only she'd stop groaning when I remind her to get back to work (just sometimes).