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Mom20ne

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Everything posted by Mom20ne

  1. Yes, they do. He's planning to call them tomorrow. For future employment, does a GED matter after you have earned college credit or completed a degree?
  2. Yes, I think he could pass. It's not a lack of ability or intelligence. He definitely would do fine after the 8 week prep course at the community college. I can't in good conscience just make up a diploma for him for life stuff. And unfortunately, he doesn't work well with me. We have a good relationship, but he works well for a teacher in-person. Especially at 18, as a young man, he won't sit with me and let me work with him side by side. He only sees me as mom, even after years of homeschooling. BTDT We've been trying to actively address this since he was 10. Wish he did work with me well! He wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Does the GED matter after you have earned college credit and gotten an associate's or bachelor's degree?
  3. Yeah, I feel overwhelmed myself at the list. I just can't see how how he can get through a traditional course path by age 21, even with the minimum requirements. And I know he does not want to still be completing high school at 22+. He's already afraid that if he quits, he would never go back. Taking a break would probably turn into full-on dropping out of high school. The list of high school credits still needed would be hanging over his head like an ax and I don't know that he could ever face it. That's why I'm hoping a GED would at least get high school off his back, and he could feel "safe" to take a real break. I really have a sense that if he can have a good long break from academics, he will mature and move in the direction of coping with his mental illness where he can survive and maybe even thrive. And then return to community college. As it is, going straight to university is off the table, much less the more competitive schools he wanted to attend.
  4. The minimum requirements are 22 credits. His plan had been the 26 credit path, so going with the minimum would shave off only 4 credits. Do you know of other employment options that would be limited? He doesn't have any interest in the military.
  5. 2 English, 2 Foreign Language, 3 Math, 2 Science, 3 Social Studies, 5 Electives, 1/2 PE Total 17 1/2 credits Projected graduation was 2022. With F's this semester and (in all probability) next semester, that pushes it to 2023, if he sorts himself out by next summer, which is looking doubtful unless he takes a complete break from academics. Even then, I don't think he'd be ready to do school work. So, the best case (unlikely) scenario: he'd be 21 when he graduated high school. That thought depresses him more. He can't seem to get out of his hole and he just keeps digging deeper and deeper. The farther he gets behind, the more he kicks himself because he is capable, but he just can't motivate himself. This is even with very lenient professors during a pandemic!
  6. Quite a few options. Our food bank is desperate for help. I've volunteered there myself since the pandemic and he's old enough. I've also seen hiring signs around town, particular at fast food restaurants and our grocery store because of all the curbside orders. He has a safety net job he could take at a sheet metal fabricator who would hire him in a heartbeat, though my son knows that he won't be exposed to new options there. He's also thinking about certifications for phlebotomy or things like that that he could try out in order to see the health care industry from the inside. I'm not really worried about that part. That part is the hopeful part on the other side. It's the long-term consequences of a GED, if there are any, that I'm worried about. What am I not foreseeing?
  7. Thanks, kand. That's a good point about both work and community service. I am actually thinking that he would start community service immediately and then spend the next month or so looking for work. We wouldn't expect rent immediately immediately, but there would be a a deadline within the year. The community service would get him out of his room and thinking about other people. He's very much in his own head all the time, and spends most hours on his bed in the dark and on his phone, numbing himself. Community service could happen right away, and he'd see areas of life he hasn't been exposed to for possible careers. I just googled youth re-engagement programs. It doesn't look like our community college has anything like that. All they have is High School Equivalency courses and the Dual Credit program, which homeschoolers can take starting in 9th grade and as long as they need. I am actually fine with him going at a slower pace, but he is in a mental place where he just can't see himself finishing. Ever. I can sense the impossibility of it all from his standpoint. Since he can't seem to make himself do it since it seems so overwhelming, I don't know how much longer he can stay in the program. My understanding is he will be dropped after next semester when he fails those classes, too, which I anticipate happening. He hates school. There is no subject that he enjoys or can even seem to tough out just to get through. His response is to not do it and to not care.
  8. Hi all, My 18 year old is failing. He has dealt with anxiety, depression, and learning disabilities all of his life. He has been in and out of therapy, and dips into suicidal thinking on a regular basis. He has been homeschooled except for a brief 18 months at a charter school, and he is currently enrolled in our local community college dual credit program as a homeschooler. He is failing 2 of his 3 classes this semester, and the only thing he is feeling is apathy. His medication and therapy are keeping him from suicide, but he has not been able to muster the motivation to complete his work for this semester. He will definitely be on academic probation after this semester. He has already been held back a year. He is very smart and has great people skills. Despite his learning disabilities, he is actually able to execute quality work when he is mentally and emotionally stable. No one outside of our family realizes that he deals with these demons. He had been doing well with the Dual Credit program until the pandemic hit. Not being able to go in person has had serious implications for him. He also doesn't know what career he wants to pursue. Being directionless ends up feeding his anxiety, creating a vicious cycle. I have been suggesting to him that perhaps he should take High School Equivalency courses at our community college next semester (and drop out of the dual credit program), and then take the GED and just be done with high school. At the pace he is going, his graduation date is getting pushed further and further back; he is further and further demoralized, and I just don't see a path forward for him through high school (home school, or school school). We tried unschooling several years back, for about 18 months, and it plunged him into his first struggle with suicidal thoughts. He and I both know that he won't do anything I ask him to in a more traditional homeschool style either. He has no desire to attend the local high school or any other school, and frankly, he would be even farther behind if we enrolled him in a regular high school. He was planning on catching up and getting ahead somewhat by taking dual credit courses every summer, but he didn't accomplish that. The plan forward, if he passes the GED, is for him to take a break from academics, get a job, pay us rent and living expenses, and put in volunteer hours. I would encourage him to menial job hop and to take courses at our community college that interest him (no more than one at a time), the idea being that he spends the next 2-3 years exploring the adult working world with the hope that by then, he'll have an idea what he wants to do (and therefore motivation), and we'll be past this pandemic, and he can return to community college full-time and then transfer to a university. Is this a terrible plan? What are the cons? Thanks for reading.
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