Jen in DE Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Does anyone else feel like homeschooling a kid with ADHD is like the movie "Groundhog Day"? (In the movie the same day keeps happening over and over, but the main character is the only one who knows that it is repeating.) I teach things to the kids but they seem to have very little retention. I try all kinds of different strategies, but feel I am pounding my head against the wall. Someone remind me that my kids are better off homeschooling than in public school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I really know how you feel. It can be very difficult and draining. One thing that helps my kids' retention is to have them hop, pace or march in place while reading, memorizing or reciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 :grouphug: Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Are they on the proper doses of the medications? Are you asking them the things at the same time of day? I find that when my medicated daughter learns something while medicating, she doesn't necessarily remember when not medicated but usually does when medicated again. That said, she does have definite memory problems but she is a high achiever anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 If it just FEELS that way, I can sympathize and all you can do is keep plugging away. Progress might be sloooooow, but they are progressing. If they really can't retain anything, I'd start adjusting meds, supplements and diet and see if you can pinpoint something. If it's just in one subject, I'd either back up and reteach for a while and/or switch to a new curriculum. I hate reteaching the exact same stuff. At least a different format keeps me and ds motivated. But, if you don't mind redoing the same thing, it certainly helps the budget. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in DE Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 I guess I've just lost perspective. Both girls can learn and retain things. Here is an example of why I feel frustrated. I taught my DD(13) a lesson about negative and postive numbers. We always do numerous examples, independent work and then she teaches it back to me. This helps a lot. Anyway, all of this went well. The next day she couldn't remember - this is easy peasy stuff! She sailed through the other challenging problems in math and started to CRY when she reached negative and positive numbers. This is a review of third grade stuff! I patiently retaught the information, searching for new ways to help her understand. Now she REALLY grasps it. The next day, you guessed it. No idea. My husband went over it with her. Fast forward to Day 7 of this. My father comes over and teaches her. Today, she completely messes it up again. SHE STILL CAN'T REMEMBER! A negative times a positive equals a negative. A negative times a negative equals a positive. AAACCK! This same child is having no problem handling complicated word problems within the same lesson. It is this way with a lot of subjects; I can never tell what she is going to retain. We have the same issue with telling time on a regular clock. Some days, no problem. Other days, she couldn't tell me the time to save her life. I have two kids like this. They have different strengths (younger one is a wiz at Spanish and Math, older one excels in reading and writing skills) but both fall apart over the little things. Most of the time I keep my chin up and remind them that we're homeschooling so that we can move faster in some areas and slower in others. Recently, I just want to lay my head on the desk or pull out my hair. Thanks for the encouraging words. I really, really needed them today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeDeeMarie0 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 I have four boys, three of whom have ADHD, so I can completely empathize with you. Hang in there!! It will click sometime. My 7th grader still counts up to figure his multiplication tables, but he can figure out very complext two and three step word problems quite easily. I just keep playing multiplication games and doing flash cards and having do them for his younger brothers benefit (or so I say.) I know that if he were in a traditional school setting, he would think that he was stupid....when in fact he is very bright. It just takes a lot of patience and trying different things. There are many days when I throw in the towel. My kids cannot do anything on a systematic basis. Put shoes in a cubby???? I have tried numerous things to get this to happen. I throw the shoes out in the backyard, take money from their allowance (which they are no longer getting), take-away a weekend privelage etc. It just doesn't work. I have to realize that it is truly a disability. I have not given up trying. There are days when I lose it, but what are the options! Not many, so just know that you are doing so much more than anyone else could do with them. My kids are very kind and loving kids who know right from wrong, and I will take that over knowing their multiplication tables or putting their shoes away consistently (although I will not give up). My oldest is in 9th grade and I have seen the fruitions of my hard work. He is doing things that I thought he would never be able to do...like a Great Books course. He is reading Sophocles, Aristotle, Homer and understanding it. We listened to hundreds of hours of Books on Tape and I really think this helped get us to this point along with just requiring him to read so much per day. He was a struggling reader. Anyway, my two cents. I feel your pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Jen, Yes, same here. My almost 11 yo dd wanted to play some music lightly in the background a couple of weeks ago while doing school. My first impulse was to say no, but I used it as a reward. Well, she did surprisingly well. Now, it was on low and it wasn't hyper music, but almost like "white noise". A couple of months ago, before the music/mp3 speaker mentioned above, I took her to the library to do school. It was a very tiny, rural library with no more than 5 people in it at any one time, but she did some of her best work there. I believe a change of atmosphere helped. Also, the "sound/music" offered almost a "natural pace". I will allow her to play music on low now quite often to do her work. Her least favorite subject is math, so I allow her to listen to music while she works on math for sure. Yes, you are doing the right thing. You are their mother and love them and have their best interest at heart. Even the best of teachers can not hold a candle to you from your children's perspective. My dd is on meds, vitamins and a reward/consequence system as well. It's many facets working together. Hope some part of this helps. Sheryl <>< Mungo, Love the new pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbaby Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Haha....I love the analogy:lol: It DOES feel like that. We have been doing first grade math for YEARS!!!! Granted, my dd has PDD-NOS, so more learning disabilities than one with ADHD. But still!!!! That is exactly why hs is better than ps for these kids though. In ps (my dd went up until 4th grade), they just kept plodding ahead even though she never mastered the basics of addition and subtraction. At home we just keep at it....even if it is slowly driving me insane:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I guess I've just lost perspective. Both girls can learn and retain things. Here is an example of why I feel frustrated. I taught my DD(13) a lesson about negative and postive numbers. We always do numerous examples, independent work and then she teaches it back to me. This helps a lot. Anyway, all of this went well. The next day she couldn't remember - this is easy peasy stuff! She sailed through the other challenging problems in math and started to CRY when she reached negative and positive numbers. This is a review of third grade stuff! I patiently retaught the information, searching for new ways to help her understand. Now she REALLY grasps it. The next day, you guessed it. No idea. My husband went over it with her. Fast forward to Day 7 of this. My father comes over and teaches her. Today, she completely messes it up again. SHE STILL CAN'T REMEMBER! A negative times a positive equals a negative. A negative times a negative equals a positive. AAACCK! This same child is having no problem handling complicated word problems within the same lesson. Negative numbers is a very difficult concept for some children. My DD13 and I spent a whole summer working on them before it finally clicked for her. We talked about thermometers, owing money to someone, used a number line, etc.... She just did.not.get.it! We were both getting very frustrated (and shed tears), but it eventually clicked. Sorry I don't have any great advice on how to get the concept to stick, but please be encouraged that it's not easy for everyone and she will eventually get it. :) Best Wishes, Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I really needed this thread. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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