Help

[Nemom]

I have a 14yr old dd whose learning challenges are centered around her chronic health issues. She does not have dyslexia or ADHD or any of the other learning challenges that is seems are often mentioned in the topic titles on this forum. So for that reason, I'm not sure if this is where I should be.

 

My dd has been dx'd with chronic lyme, EoE, PANS, and an immune deficiency. I pulled her out of public school in 5th grade after it was clear that it was going to be another year of more missed school than attendance. We have made our way through the middle school years doing school when we can around dr's appts and flares. We do what we can when can and haven't stressed over something that may have been missed. I have tried to stay on top of math and made that first priority school wise.

 

It is week two of her Freshman year and without getting into a bunch of details, she is having a flare in her symptoms so a lot of school is not getting done.

 

I feel like I have already made some adjustments over the next four years in our expectations of what she can accomplish. I am planning on concentrating on Math, English, Science & History with only two half credit electives each year for a total of 20 credits to graduate. But because she is now in high school, I am feeling the pressure over the amount of time we spend daily on schoolwork. So I am stressed out this week because it hasn't gone well. I'm not expecting all day school work-about 45-60 minutes per subject. We do school together for the most part without expectations of 5 page written papers weekly or even at all.

 

I am in need of some reassurance and hearing how others handle high school with a nontypical situation. My older son is in public school and my daughter has always had a difficult time doing her school work outside of the public school hours mindset. Quite honestly, it doesn't work for me that well either.

 

Any BTDT advice? Thanks

 

ETA: My expectations time wise come from trying to somehow stay in line with expectations for college admissions regarding hours spent on a subject for credit. Our local public school spends 50 minutes in each class every day.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Nemom

[OneStepAtATime]

First, welcome.  And hugs.  Yes, you are in the right place.  This sub-forum is for anyone that has kiddos with Learning Challenges.

 

Second, I would like to ask some questions, if you don't mind.  It might help myself and others to assist you better with whatever we may have to share.

 

1.  What are you/your daughter's goals?  College?  Is there a particular area of interest she wishes to pursue?

2.  If you/she intends to go on to college, do you know which ones might be an option?  If so, have you looked into their admissions requirements and any services they may provide students with health issues?

3.  Have you/she considered taking 5 years for High School instead of 4?  Many colleges, as I understand it, will accept an extended time transcript if there are documented medical issues.

4.  Are you in the U.S.?  What are your official requirements for homeschooling where you live?  Do you have to report?  Are you considered a private school? Are there specific requirement for issuing a High School Diploma?

 

As for the time spent on each subject, personally I would not worry at all about how the local public High School handles time on each subject.  A classroom with 20-30 students will progress VERY differently than one on one instruction in your home.  VERY differently.  Depending on the requirements where you live for homeschoolers and on requirements for specific colleges, I would not be tracking hours that way.  I would move through the material with overall goals in mind for each year and each month and each week.  Break it down that way and cover whatever can be covered for each day.  If that means 20 minutes, great.  If that means 50 minutes, great.  If 50 minutes is too long for your daughter, maybe break up the lesson into two shorter segments with breaks in between.  Or shorter lessons each day but include an hour on some Saturdays.  Or extend into summer.  The main thing is to focus on completing the goals for the year whenever possible. (Again, though, if you have to track hours for your state or whatever, you may need to change things up a bit but you can also still be more flexible.  Open up to the possibility of meeting those required hours in more non-standard ways.)

 

 For instance, lets say you want her to finish an Algebra I program for her Freshman year (I don't have any idea where she is in math but this is an example).  You lay out the lessons for the year and see what the average number of lessons is that she would need to complete each week before the program is done.  Figure out how many pages of math that would be each day.  Then compare that to how much you think she can actually accomplish.  If that means stretching out the material over two years then do so.  Be realistic about expectations.  Call it Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B. Now lay out the lessons with Algebra covering two years instead of one.  See how much needs to be accomplished per month/week/day for her to finish Algebra 1.  Maybe she moves faster on some days than anticipated.  That's fine.  If she is up to it, let her keep going to the next day's lesson.  If she is already fading and there are more subjects to cover, then let her wrap up for the day, even if the expected goal for the day was finished in 10-15 minutes.

 

The point is that since you are homeschooling you don't have to be tied to an arbitrarily assigned time requirement.  You can be more flexible.  Focus on long term and short term goals.  Another example, DD has grammar lessons daily but the program we use budgets for a student to cover the material in :15 each day.  DD sometimes takes longer but usually she completes an assignment in a much shorter time frame now.  In fact, some days she will finish the entire week of materials in less than an hour and we spend the next day reviewing it.  She then takes a day off.  The day after, if she is interested and we have the time, she will work on the following week's material.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[OneStepAtATime]

I just wanted to add, in a classroom setting there is often a significant amount of wasted time.  I have taught in classrooms, I attended public school all the way through High School, most of my family are or were teachers so I can assure you that usually a student can frequently accomplish a lot more in a one on one setting than in a classroom in the same time frame.  

 

My best friend and I were talking about this the other day.  She had certain subjects that she could whip through required assignments for in a fraction of the actual time requirement for class, but she couldn't go on to the next subject since she was still in the current classroom.  She would read or finish homework from a previous class or twiddle her thumbs while she waited for the class to be dismissed.  Conversely, in other subjects she needed more time.  The class moved too quickly so she frequently had to take material home with her to finish what had been assigned.  She felt it would have been more efficient for her to simply be able to move through the material until her goal for the day had been accomplished.  In fact, she wished that she had been allowed to move faster in the subjects she could move faster and have more time in the subjects that were hard for her.   You can do that with your daughter.  You don't have to stick with the standard classroom time frame.  Your daughter is not in a classroom.

 

Also, quite often the material in the textbooks when I was in school was never finished because the teacher just did not have enough time in the year to cover it all.  In fact, in all the years my DD was in a brick and mortar school there were ALWAYS textbooks that never got finished.  The teacher ran out of time to cover the material and either had to skip chapters or not finish the book.  

 

Figure out what the goals are for each subject each year and work to achieve those goals.  If it looks like she won't be able to complete the material, considering stretching it out or assessing parts that could be cut if they don't seem terribly relevant.

[PeterPan]

Read up on carnegie units.  You mark carnegie units on a transcript, NOT credits, and they DON'T equal the same amount of time as school (50X180).  And you round.  Generously.

 

Lee Binz has some good info on it or just google.  Use audios, videos, round generously, and go for the lower legitimate end of the range.  Let it pan out.  She's learning something.  She's watching TCM every day for 4 hours (I'm making that up, it's what I do when I don't feel well), so call it 20th century history in film.  Make classes to fit what she's really doing.  

Edited August 24, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[Tiramisu]

My DD had health issues and processing issues. I did what you are doing and prioritized her academics. We had a lot of medical appointments and when we were at home she felt sick and exhausted a lot of the time. But we managed. She did well in the SATs, got a scholarship, and is now a college senior. Unfortunately, she still doesn't feel great but she gets by doing what she loves. So I'd make sure your DD has something she really enjoys are prioritize that. Give credit for it. Also take advantage of the Great Courses. See what courses are in your local library's collection. My DD really enjoyed those and learned a lot in a low pressure way.

[Nemom]

First, welcome.  And hugs.  Yes, you are in the right place.  This sub-forum is for anyone that has kiddos with Learning Challenges.

 

Second, I would like to ask some questions, if you don't mind.  It might help myself and others to assist you better with whatever we may have to share.

 

1.  What are you/your daughter's goals?  College?  Is there a particular area of interest she wishes to pursue?

 

Planning on Community College.  She dreams of owning a small breed dog kennel but I'm not sure if this a dream or what she seriously wants to do.

 

2.  If you/she intends to go on to college, do you know which ones might be an option?  If so, have you looked into their admissions requirements and any services they may provide students with health issues?

 

I've called them and it sounds like all we need is a diploma.  Local university only requires 16 credits for admission from home schooled background. 

 

3.  Have you/she considered taking 5 years for High School instead of 4?  Many colleges, as I understand it, will accept an extended time transcript if there are documented medical issues.  NO

 

4.  Are you in the U.S.?  What are your official requirements for homeschooling where you live?  Do you have to report?  Are you considered a private school? Are there specific requirement for issuing a High School Diploma?

 

Yes we are in the US.  Fairly easy state to homeschool.  We are suppose to complete 1080 hours a year but no official documentation has to be sent in showing that we have completed those hours.  No formal reporting after annual paperwork to hs for the following year. 

 

As for the time spent on each subject, personally I would not worry at all about how the local public High School handles time on each subject.  A classroom with 20-30 students will progress VERY differently than one on one instruction in your home.  VERY differently.  Depending on the requirements where you live for homeschoolers and on requirements for specific colleges, I would not be tracking hours that way.  I would move through the material with overall goals in mind for each year and each month and each week.  Break it down that way and cover whatever can be covered for each day.  If that means 20 minutes, great.  If that means 50 minutes, great.  If 50 minutes is too long for your daughter, maybe break up the lesson into two shorter segments with breaks in between.  Or shorter lessons each day but include an hour on some Saturdays.  Or extend into summer.  The main thing is to focus on completing the goals for the year whenever possible. (Again, though, if you have to track hours for your state or whatever, you may need to change things up a bit but you can also still be more flexible.  Open up to the possibility of meeting those required hours in more non-standard ways.)

 

 For instance, lets say you want her to finish an Algebra I program for her Freshman year (I don't have any idea where she is in math but this is an example).  You lay out the lessons for the year and see what the average number of lessons is that she would need to complete each week before the program is done.  Figure out how many pages of math that would be each day.  Then compare that to how much you think she can actually accomplish.  If that means stretching out the material over two years then do so.  Be realistic about expectations.  Call it Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B. Now lay out the lessons with Algebra covering two years instead of one.  See how much needs to be accomplished per month/week/day for her to finish Algebra 1.  Maybe she moves faster on some days than anticipated.  That's fine.  If she is up to it, let her keep going to the next day's lesson.  If she is already fading and there are more subjects to cover, then let her wrap up for the day, even if the expected goal for the day was finished in 10-15 minutes.

 

I have already decided that our math goal will be to complete Algebra 1 & 2 & Geometry over the course of the four years at a slower pace based on what she can get done with the time we have.

 

The point is that since you are homeschooling you don't have to be tied to an arbitrarily assigned time requirement.  You can be more flexible.  Focus on long term and short term goals.  Another example, DD has grammar lessons daily but the program we use budgets for a student to cover the material in :15 each day.  DD sometimes takes longer but usually she completes an assignment in a much shorter time frame now.  In fact, some days she will finish the entire week of materials in less than an hour and we spend the next day reviewing it.  She then takes a day off.  The day after, if she is interested and we have the time, she will work on the following week's material.

 

DD is a dawdler.  A 10 minute project on her own tends to take an hour.  

 

[Nemom]

Read up on carnegie units.  You mark carnegie units on a transcript, NOT credits, and they DON'T equal the same amount of time as school (50X180).  And you round.  Generously.

 

Lee Binz has some good info on it or just google.  Use audios, videos, round generously, and go for the lower legitimate end of the range.  Let it pan out.  She's learning something.  She's watching TCM every day for 4 hours (I'm making that up, it's what I do when I don't feel well), so call it 20th century history in film.  Make classes to fit what she's really doing.  

I have not looked up Carnegie units.  I love the advice to round generously.  :laugh:

 

I will research it. 

[Nemom]

My DD had health issues and processing issues. I did what you are doing and prioritized her academics. We had a lot of medical appointments and when we were at home she felt sick and exhausted a lot of the time. But we managed. She did well in the SATs, got a scholarship, and is now a college senior. Unfortunately, she still doesn't feel great but she gets by doing what she loves. So I'd make sure your DD has something she really enjoys are prioritize that. Give credit for it. Also take advantage of the Great Courses. See what courses are in your local library's collection. My DD really enjoyed those and learned a lot in a low pressure way.

Yes-this is my daughter.

 

She is a strong visual learner.  She enjoys watching documentaries and films and always comments that she feels like she learns so much more this way then by reading a textbook.  We use documentaries a lot for history and then read together.  I've been trying to find a basic fact US History book that isn't dry and boring to tie in with movies and documentaries. 

 

We have talked about using the Great Courses but she doesn't feel like just listening will be a good fit for her.  To easy to let your mind wander.  Our library does not have any that we can try for free.  I have been on the fence about ordering some to try.

[Tiramisu]

Yes-this is my daughter.

 

She is a strong visual learner. She enjoys watching documentaries and films and always comments that she feels like she learns so much more this way then by reading a textbook. We use documentaries a lot for history and then read together. I've been trying to find a basic fact US History book that isn't dry and boring to tie in with movies and documentaries.

 

We have talked about using the Great Courses but she doesn't feel like just listening will be a good fit for her. To easy to let your mind wander. Our library does not have any that we can try for free. I have been on the fence about ordering some to try.

The Great Courses are also videos. They offer a streaming service. https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/special-offer?utm_source=US_PaidSearch&utm_medium=PaidSearchBrandGoogle&utm_campaign=119971&mkwid=sS5cf2aQj_dm&pcrid=107568465988&pkw=thegreatcourses%20plus&pmt=b&c3apimn=S5cf2aQj107568465988

[OneStepAtATime]

Agree with Tiramisu the Great Courses offer some really nice Video based courses.  In fact, some of their courses are ONLY in video format because they have extensive visual components.  They sometimes have some impressive sales, too.  Some are specifically for High School but even the ones that aren't can be great for adding to a High School level course.  They also sometimes come with support print material.