This is hard..

[choirfarm]

I am already struggling and we are just on week 5!! Geometry is going ok, but it just takes time to grade and with the answers vary/ proof stuff I sometimes wonder whether I am being too hard or too easy. This is the first year I have ever had to help him. He's always just gotten math. He SO wants to go back to algebra. TT must have done ok, because he breezes through the algebra review questions in Chalkdust. But I miss the automatic grading.

 

Chemistry... We are stuck on chapter 2. I just mark things right or wrong, but hubby must help him because I don't get it at all. He has set everything up correctly, but the answers are wrong because of the significant figures. He's gone over it several times with dad and they are going over it today again, but I just feel lost. Dh is doing the experiments. As I said, the definitions and setting up the equations he gets perfectly but he doesn't get the EXACT answer which I guess is important in chemistry.

 

Logic- We are doing Introductory Logic. I'm having a hard time grading some of this. I'm just guessing if his answers are correct or not if there isn't an EXACT answer. I really don't understand some of this.

 

We are going over Wordsworth poetry. I've got it. I understand, but it just takes time go study and time to go over it with him. We've done Pride and Prejudice, and William Blake Poetry so far. I just have to sit and hold his hand, but he is doing well.

 

Writing. IEW level C.. He is doing fine, but we are only on lesson 7 which is all basically review and we had a fight over a paper today where I wanted him to go the extra mile and fix a few things to make it a GOOD paper rather than just fulfilling the checklist. He would rather leave it as a B paper than fool with it. (He is a math/science kid, which is why he is frustrated since he is enjoying Chemistry but getting lots of problems incorrect and just getting a B in Geometry.)

 

History- He is enjoying the history. I just have to study for our TOG discussions.

 

 

I am used to this kid being completely independent and we are having to discuss A LOT every day.

 

Then I am having to do General Science, Prealgebra with the 7th grader in addition to the TOG list and history.

 

Then the 2nd grader who is still struggling with reading. Sigh. this is just hard. I just had to vent. I'm back to kicking the 7th grader in the pants ( already lost 15 minutes of his computer time yesterday for not doing some of work out of 90 minutes he's allowed on the weekend) and working with my 2nd grader.

 

Christine

[Shelly in VA]

No advice; just sympathy.

 

This year, I have a 9th grader, a 7th grader, a 3rd grader, and a 3yo. Many of the struggles we are having (we are on Week 3) sound very much like yours. We are also doing TOG, 3 separate science programs (first time I've had to do that - uggh!), algebra for the oldest, etc. The discussion time is really hard to manage, primarily because of the younger kids, I think.

 

It is really, really hard. The days are really frustrating. I know it will get better (right?!?!), and we just somehow have to find our work rhythm, but it is a struggle at this point.

 

Know that you aren't the only one dealing with this! If I have any brilliant flashes of insight on making my day run more smoothly and effectively, I will post and pm you to let you know!

 

Hang in there.

 

Shelly

[Michelle in AL]

I can sympathize too. How I cope is to study on the weekend~read over the chapters I need to discuss with them in math, science and history.

 

Use online classes for things I can't teach well.

 

I give some things low priority for teaching/involvement. For example, I've let them do Traditional Logic pretty much on their own. I watch the DVD's with them that's it.

 

History is pretty much on their own too, I just do a quick glance over to see what the week is about and discuss if needed..

 

Literature is tied in with history. I invest most of my time teaching this. Science too this yr.

[choirfarm]

h well.

 

I give some things low priority for teaching/involvement. For example, I've let them do Traditional Logic pretty much on their own. I watch the DVD's with them that's it.

 

.

 

But how do you grade it?? I guess this is my big worry. For proofs in Geometry and the logic problems where they have to write their own examples, how do you grade it if you don't know or understand??????

[Mrs. Readsalot]

Wow you sound just like us from last year.

Geometry we did Jacobs and I did not get DVD's so I had to work with him a lot. I ended up getting a second textbook just so we could each have our own. Don't expect a kid that is good in Algebra to get geometry. Geometry is a different beast. Sometimes I viewed Geometry more of an English/logic course. Encourage him to talk it out before he starts to wirte down statements/reasons for proofs. I told my son to picture a proof like a maze, each step has to lead to the next, some steps might seem unneeded put you can't just jump over the wall to get to the end. For some reason this really helped him.

 

Chemistry we used Spectrum and Teaching Co DVD's OK without the Teaching co DVDs we would have never understood Chemistry. Mr. Mosley is wonderful and so easy to understand. He takes the fear out of Chemistry. We spent a lot of time on chemistry. I did it along with him although he really didn't need me once we had the DVD's He is better at balancing equations and Stoiciometry(sp?) than I am

 

Writing High School essay insentive for IEW worked very well for him

 

History a combination of Sonlight 100 and Sonlight 7 like your son mine also loves history...I think it is a homeschooling thing :)

 

Last year was a lot, A LOT of work and me and for him. This is some of why we decided to send him to public school this year. Although our main reason was the quality of the school and the oppurtunity to take AP courses. I also felt he need to have input as to his writing ablity from someone other than me. Additionally the school offers an engineering club that is first rate. He is doing very well, and I think it was an excellent decision made at the perfect time.

 

My thoughts are with you as you are taking on some very difficult subject matter.

Karen

[Grace is Sufficient]

I'm not sure about the Logic, but as far as the Geometry proofs, I confess I graded them somewhat loosely at times, and sometimes not at all.

 

I didn't assign a ton of proofs to do, but I often gave him the answer book, and assigned him to read through proofs, and explain to me how they were done.

 

Sometimes, I'd compare his answer to the one in the book, and as long as they had most of the same elements, I'd check it as correct. Other times, I'd have him do the comparing, and explain how and why it was different to me.

 

Occasionally, I'd sit down and fight my way through his proof... following each step to make sure it was logical, but frankly, I didn't do that much.

 

Fortunately, in Geometry there were plenty of other types of things to grade, so the proofs were good for him to think through, but I didn't end up counting them as much of his grade.

 

Blessings

[Michelle in AL]

Hi Choirfarm, So far Traditional Logic hasn't asked for any examples in their assignments. I've heard that Intro to Logic is harder to use.

[Sumiller]

Hi Choirfarm, So far Traditional Logic hasn't asked for any examples in their assignments. I've heard that Intro to Logic is harder to use.

 

I used Intro to Logic with my son last year. I realized very early on that I had to not only watch the dvd lessons with him but I had sit with him and go over his lesson answers and have him explain why he came up with some answers and only then if his explanation sounded valid ; ) would I give him a check mark correct.

 

This year I switched him over to Traditional Logic and he is doing a quick review through Trad. Logic 1 before moving into 2. He admitted yesterday that all the hard work he put into Intro really helped because it solidified the understanding of logic for him. He will breeze through the review and is looking forward to TL 2.

 

Just to encourage you . . . it is hard work but it may pay off in the end. ;)

[Cathy in TX]

 

Chemistry... We are stuck on chapter 2. I just mark things right or wrong, but hubby must help him because I don't get it at all. He has set everything up correctly, but the answers are wrong because of the significant figures. He's gone over it several times with dad and they are going over it today again, but I just feel lost. Dh is doing the experiments. As I said, the definitions and setting up the equations he gets perfectly but he doesn't get the EXACT answer which I guess is important in chemistry.

 

Christine

 

Christine,

 

We are in Apologia Chemistry chapter 2, as well. (Since you mentioned significant figures, I am assuming you are using Apologia. Ignore this post if you are using something else. :001_smile: ) Everyone I have asked about Chemistry who has used Apologia assures me this is the most difficult chapter. A friend of my dd told her that everyone in his chemistry class dropped chapter 2's test grade for the one test score they were allowed to drop, because that chapter is just hard. The fact that the kid who shared this info took Calculus 2 at age 16 and is very smart, yet struggled on chapter 2, really made me feel better. Hopefully this will help you feel better about chemistry, too.

 

Cathy

[Storm Bay]

We're in a similar boat. I have a proof dd did and I don't know if she did it right or wrong. She has more steps but gets there, however the reason she gives for the last one is different than theirs is, and since it's a corollary of a theorem, she might have done the same thing with all the steps. I just haven't made the time to learn Geometry yet.

 

She is finding Traditional Logic Boring, although we just started that this week (we don't start everything at once.)

 

What I have decided to do is not to count any grades for Chem & Geometry before the official public school year starts next week as we are doing more than required. To do a semester course of the Chem you only need 12 chapters, and we're going to do most or all of them (there are about 17 chapters) and we are doing a lab along with it (which is not necessarily above and beyond.) We're doing 2 Geometry programs, so we're definitely going above and beyond. The reason for this is that dd has some very bad habits we're getting rid of now. I've known about them, of course, but we had other things to work on and just needed to get it done--I know her retention is far higher than her output shows, and before high school that was my priority because of other things we wer working on and doing (well, some subjects just have to have right answers, such as Algebra, but we were working on her learning to show her work, etc). Not that she's failing, but because I'm a very strict marker and she is really having a wake up call because hitherto she hasn't been graded except in Algebra & in Latin Quizzes. If she wants straight A's she really has to earn them, and she wants straight A's.

[ThelmaLou]

Lots of sympathy from my neck of the woods.

 

Oldest ds is in 9th this year. School came to a screeching halt in April when we had to quickly get our house ready to sell. Oldest ds was 4 chapters short of completing Algebra I. Fast forward to September, we've been in our new house a month, and now he still has to finish his Algebra book and then dive into Geometry. I don't even know which Geometry we're going to use. Add to our math woes an online Great Books course, an online Latin course (Wheelock's), Biology (local co-op), R&S English 8 (which we dropped last year because he was overwhelmed), P.E, and a mom/dad directed Christian Living/Christian Religion course/credit.

 

When oldest ds needs help with any subject, I usually feel lost, because I just can't keep up with all his classes. I'd love to dive back into the Great Books with him (I majored in English), but I also have 4 younger boys.

 

Having to manage Grammar, Math, History and Science for younger boys (7th, 5th, and 3rd), plus some side subjects.

 

Then there's the almost 3-year-old. Can you say 24 hour a day distraction?

 

To top it all off, I'm not anywhere near unpacked, and my parents (for health reasons) are moving in with us, permanently, in a week and a half. Oh, and they're bringing their dog. (I don't do pets that can't be kept in a hamster cage or aquarium.)

 

Did I mention we got our identity stolen right when we moved into this house?

 

Not complaining, though. :glare:

 

Seriously, despite the mayhem, I'm wonderfully blessed with more than I deserve. I'm right there with you on the idea that this is just plain hard stuff!

 

Gotta go now, my youngest is chirping "Hold me, mommy" at my elbow. No advice, but lots of sympathy.

[8filltheheart]

I am already struggling and we are just on week 5!! Geometry is going ok, but it just takes time to grade and with the answers vary/ proof stuff I sometimes wonder whether I am being too hard or too easy. This is the first year I have ever had to help him. He's always just gotten math. He SO wants to go back to algebra. TT must have done ok, because he breezes through the algebra review questions in Chalkdust. But I miss the automatic grading.

 

Chemistry... We are stuck on chapter 2. I just mark things right or wrong, but hubby must help him because I don't get it at all. He has set everything up correctly, but the answers are wrong because of the significant figures. He's gone over it several times with dad and they are going over it today again, but I just feel lost. Dh is doing the experiments. As I said, the definitions and setting up the equations he gets perfectly but he doesn't get the EXACT answer which I guess is important in chemistry.

 

Logic- We are doing Introductory Logic. I'm having a hard time grading some of this. I'm just guessing if his answers are correct or not if there isn't an EXACT answer. I really don't understand some of this.

 

We are going over Wordsworth poetry. I've got it. I understand, but it just takes time go study and time to go over it with him. We've done Pride and Prejudice, and William Blake Poetry so far. I just have to sit and hold his hand, but he is doing well.

 

Writing. IEW level C.. He is doing fine, but we are only on lesson 7 which is all basically review and we had a fight over a paper today where I wanted him to go the extra mile and fix a few things to make it a GOOD paper rather than just fulfilling the checklist. He would rather leave it as a B paper than fool with it. (He is a math/science kid, which is why he is frustrated since he is enjoying Chemistry but getting lots of problems incorrect and just getting a B in Geometry.)

 

History- He is enjoying the history. I just have to study for our TOG discussions.

 

 

I am used to this kid being completely independent and we are having to discuss A LOT every day.

 

Then I am having to do General Science, Prealgebra with the 7th grader in addition to the TOG list and history.

 

Then the 2nd grader who is still struggling with reading. Sigh. this is just hard. I just had to vent. I'm back to kicking the 7th grader in the pants ( already lost 15 minutes of his computer time yesterday for not doing some of work out of 90 minutes he's allowed on the weekend) and working with my 2nd grader.

 

Christine

 

I have found the easiest solution is to simply to do the math, too. That way I know exactly what they are doing and what steps they need to get there. Today that meant sitting and doing an hour and half of matrices. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Here is a link with a good explanation on significant digits:

http://www.fordhamprep.org/gcurran/sho/sho/lessons/lesson23.htm

 

I understand the exhaustion. I have not been able to muster any enthusiasm for this yr and we have been at this for over 7 weeks. High school takes huge amts of time and energy. I love teaching my younger kids. But, personally, I don't enjoy teaching most high school subjects. (though I do love some of our theology and history discussions.) My days are a constant fluctuation among the needs of all the kids. Add in a little pregnancy exhaustion and an emotionally impaired 17 yo and by the end of the day I'm ready to climb into bed!

 

I will say that my best coping mechanisms are dinner in the crockpot in the morning while I still have energy, laundry going as soon as I get out of bed, and as FloridaLisa pointed out in one of her posts recently.......looking at the visible evidence of my efforts as demonstrated in my children daily. I had been so consumed with simply getting through the day that I had forgotten to simply look at them and go, yeah, this is worth it.

 

And honestly, sitting and doing a lot of the work right beside my high schoolers has made a huge difference as well. It lowers their frustration level and seems to boost their confidence (as speed!!) in getting a lot of the work done.

[Susan C.]

Significant digits: If the answer is close, give it to them :) Continue to teach significant digits, but don't obsess over it.

 

Proofs: If you are doing Chalkdust, email them to Dana Mosely, he will correct them for you! If you bought your geometry used, you can pay for support, well worth it.

[Jane Elliot]

But how do you grade it?? I guess this is my big worry. For proofs in Geometry and the logic problems where they have to write their own examples, how do you grade it if you don't know or understand??????

 

Are you putting "Logic" class on the transcript? I do not, so I simply don't worry about grades in that course. We consider logic something extra that they do for the benefit of having learned the basics of that subject -- kind of like an extracurricular enrichment activity.

 

I don't know what to say about geometry. Dh handles that.

[TravelingChris]

I am of the opposite bent. I don't mind correcting Logic,Math and Sciences. I mind correcting papers. Which is why I outsource writing most of the time. This year, my dd will do British Lit with no writing and a separate writing course with someone else. Her first year of high school she did her English altogether with someone else. Last year, she did write papers which I corrected to some degree but she wrote other stories, poems and other writings which were critiqued online, in contests, and in a separate class she took

[Storm Bay]

I am of the opposite bent. I don't mind correcting Logic,Math and Sciences. I mind correcting papers. Which is why I outsource writing most of the time. This year, my dd will do British Lit with no writing and a separate writing course with someone else. Her first year of high school she did her English altogether with someone else. Last year, she did write papers which I corrected to some degree but she wrote other stories, poems and other writings which were critiqued online, in contests, and in a separate class she took

 

 

I'm hoping to do something similar with writing by pairing up with a friend; she'll teach writing and I'll teach math once a week to each other's dc. She loves teaching writing and I loathe it. I also loathe grading it because I have a hard time doing this with kids' writing. I once the introduction of a book about editing and I have the right set of quirks to be an editor (not that you'll see that in my posts because I'd never post if I worked on it that way) and that's not fair to my dc who are not college grads.

[Joan in GE]

for the geometry load on the shoulders...

 

that was my hardest subject last year (most time consuming I mean)...going over the proofs and trying to figure out if his logic was correct or not...usually it was but not always...sometimes it could be done more efficiently...one trick is to be fully focused...which if you are short of time is even harder to do...

 

Any college math majors in the neighborhood who could correct the proofs? they might be able to do them faster too...

 

with sympathy,

Joan

[mama25angels]

I can relate to everything you're going through (((hugs))), just know that you're not alone

[Chris in VA]

High school was hard--but one blessing that comes from working closely with your son is that you are building the relationship. Trust me, you will look back at this time and, no matter if you are at each other's throats some of the time, you will know you gave it everything you had, and you both will be grateful.

I miss my college student! :001_smile:

 

And, he will be slightly more independent as time goes on. Also, I really encourage you to let go of the math and just let dh handle it completely. I see you are "absorbing" some of your son's frustration--it's difficult, but try hard to separate your feelings from his. It will help him to see you brimming with confidence in his abilities, and it will help your husband to have total responsibility for the math teaching.

 

Hang in there. Take a break if you can.

 

As far as the second grader, just remember that small things, done well over time, lead to great accomplishments. Just keep swimming. She'll take off when she's ready, and she is blessed to have you giving her the time to really learn to read well.

 

:grouphug: