Graduating By 18

[mycalling]

Since you all are experiencing H.S.-aged children, please tell me if my plans sound realistic.

 

My DsD, who's 12 1/2, does not value education. She came to our family at almost 10 from a family where no one graduated H.S., no men held full-time jobs, and no women worked. We've finally gotten her to a point of wanting a career and she's chosen to join the military at 18. She'd go at 17 if we let her. Even if she changes her military plans, we do not think she will care to stay and finish H.S. as an official adult. I think it's important to get her through all H.S. level work and graduate her. First, is that as important as I'm making it out to be?

 

She's a year behind as far as the PS is concerned and has an early Fall birthday so she would be 19 2/3yo when she graduated if she PSed. This year we got her through her 5th and 6th grade materials hsing. Next year I have it planned for her to finish 7th and 8th grade material to be ready for H.S. the year after next. If she does this, she will graduate at 17 2/3yo and be on target for her goals.

 

My reasoning beyond the grad age, is that 7th and 8th aren't as important as H.S. and I think it's better to hurry through these two and take the full 4yrs for H.S. Does this sound like a do-able or even necessary plan?

 

Also, ideas for what to achieve this 7th/8th year so she's prepared for H.S. level work in a year would be great. She is not advanced but loves to read. I was thinking teaching her how to take notes over the summer then setting her free with lots of TTC courses and books and asking for notes as her main output.

[elegantlion]

My ds isn't in high school yet, he's only 12 1/2. He's not a big lover of academics at this point. IMO I would be cautious about pushing too much. I think graduating from high school is an admirable goal for her and would suggest that over GED, especially is she wants a military career.

 

I was just reading through some posts I saved about middle school. Middle school is a great time to solidify study habits and create a rough game plan for high school. But middle school is not high school and if she is already behind grade level I'm not sure trying to grade accelerate is a good idea. Graduating at 19 is better than not graduating at all. My ds will turn 19 when he enters college. He's behind grade level in some subjects and only progresses so much at a time, kwim.

 

If she is not resistant to school could you try to school year round? That would help you catch up without jumping ahead. You might do a search with some of the tabs for high school.

[Alyce]

I think some things are doable at that pace. Certainly Science and History. But I would not recommend it for English and especially not math. She'll need a good solid basis for English to move forward in High School. Math she definitely needs to be strong. When she hits Alg she will have more theoritcal math which requires a good foundation of her basic math skills and pre-algebra. One things you might consider is just doing a light schedule for high school. That would certainly be doable for her career goals and should be okay if she chooses to go to college later in life. Do 3 maths with her Alg 1, Alg2 and Geometry, then do some kind os consumer math. That will better prepare her to live on her own. Do history in areas she's intrested in. If she wants to go into the military then study some of the great battles in Europe and count that for World History. Concentrate on the Civil War, the war for Indepence, WW1 and 2, vietnam war etc and count that for American History. Have her read non-fiction account of these topics, disuss them and have her write a couple of papers and you have English. See if there is a Sea Cadets, The Air Force also has a similar program but can't remember the name right away. That way she'll get involved in a little bit of the military and really see if it's something she wants to do. You can count that as an elective. Be creative and she doesn't have to do as rigorous high school program as one would do if they were headed for college.

[EKS]

You haven't stated the reasons she is behind a year, but FWIW, it is harder to accelerate as you get closer to high school level, and it would be especially difficult if she has some sort of learning issue impeding her progress. But assuming that isn't the case, here is what I would do in your situation:

 

English: An 8th grade program with a focus on literature and writing

Math: Lial's Basic College Math--it will review arithmetic and go over prealgebra as well

Science: A solid middle school level physical science course--she could do note taking here, but I would also give tests

Geography: Again, a solid middle school geography course--note taking and tests here too

History: I wouldn't do history. In high school, I would do one year of American and two years of world

Foreign Language: I probably wouldn't do this either

[mycalling]

She's only a year behind because her meth addict mother and great-grandmother who raised her didn't put her in school till she was almost 8, then they barely sent her till they left her with drug addicts in another state, who did actually send her the 4 months at the end of 2nd grade before we picked her up in the Summer.:glare:They hid her from DH for 4 years intentionally for money, knowing that he was searching for her and could give her a good stable life.

 

She was diagnosed as Dyslexic before we got her, but she is now a great reader, so I'm not sure if that was partially her lack of education. Her spelling is poor, but she's come a long way in a short amount of time.

 

She's been doing research papers and loves history. I was planning a lot of Writing next year. Great ideas about Geography and focusing on what she'll use in a military career. She's doing Pre-Algebra this year but I do worry if she will be able to do Algebra after that. If not, maybe I could find a Consumer Math to do before it, one which doesn't need higher math skills, that can count in H.S..

 

The problem with graduating at 19 is that I do not think she'll continue on after she becomes of age. She will just go into the military taking the GED. I guess there are worse things, but I hope to give her 4yrs of H.S.

[coffeegal]

Have the 2 of you gone to speak to the recruiters? What would they recommend for high school courses, and what are the requirements for joining? It might help your DsD to focus and plan for the next 5-6 years if she has a clear picture of what she's working for. :001_smile:

 

None of my children have hit high school age yet, but I've been 'listening' to locals who have. The children who have a high school diploma, Mommy or accredited, do well. The child who ended up with a GED had to deal with the stigma years later. It was assumed he was a dropout. I would agree with your assessment that your DsD would benefit from having a 4 year high school degree versus a GED.

[Spock]

 

The problem with graduating at 19 is that I do not think she'll continue on after she becomes of age. She will just go into the military taking the GED. I guess there are worse things, but I hope to give her 4yrs of H.S.

 

For the most part, the military doesn't want the GED. They take recruits with a high school diploma first (regular school or home school), and only accept the GED if they can't get enough people with diplomas. So, if she wants to be sure she can even get in the military, she really needs to finish high school.

[mycalling]

I'll let her know about the GED being less desired by the military. I love the idea of talking to a recruiter already for making plans. She wants to join the Civil Air Patrol and thankfully we live 20min from Pope AFB where she can do that.

 

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone!

[vonfirmath]

I'll let her know about the GED being less desired by the military. I love the idea of talking to a recruiter already for making plans. She wants to join the Civil Air Patrol and thankfully we live 20min from Pope AFB where she can do that.

 

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone!

 

I was older when I tried to join the military (after 9/11). But I had not finished college yet and they turned me away, strongly recommending I lose a few pounds (a lot actually) and go ahead and get my bachelor's degree first.

 

Talking to a recruiter is GREAT for planning your future.

[mcconnellboys]

I have a younger cousin who ended up dropping out of high school. He entered the military so I'm sure he had to pass a GED to do that. He has received wonderful training through the military and it has been very good for him. He has been in the military police most recently and is now training for intelligence work. He will be well situated when he finally retires from the military, still at a young age, to go into private sector law enforcement work. Or he may be able to work with the FBI or CIA. This avenue is right for some young people.

 

The only thing I have seen with girls that may hamper them from continuing in the military is that some of them become pregnant and don't have family support to care for their child so that they can continue. If she can avoid this, then she should do well for herself....

[Teachin'Mine]

I would think that more time at home would be better for her than less. She came from what sounds like a difficult situation. It sounds like she's been with you for only a year. Give her time. I wouldn't try to rush her academics especially since she's been behind. Taking the time she needs to get a good foundation is essential for success in high school. She may be talking military now, but she's still only 12 1/2. Plans change.

 

I understand that as of now you don't see her willingly continuing with her education beyond her 18th birthday. And while graduating is important, in my opinion, it's more important that she get as much of a normal and supportive family life as she can. You can make a huge difference in her life. Don't sell her short. Find ways for her to love learning. Go to museums and do lots of field trips. Make it fun. You'll end up with a happier DsD, and she'll probably expand her thinking beyond high school and the military. But even if she doesn't, she'll be a much happier kid. :)

[Storm Bay]

I don't see why she can't graduate by 18. I agree with the poster who suggested doing school year round rather than doubling up grades 7 & 8. Subjects I'd be careful to really do well in are math & English, and it's important to be sure those foundations are very strong. That said, in science & history you have a little more leeway. Perhaps if you did a strong one year world history course, or, if you've already done some of world history, something that will finish it up that could work. Then in high school you could do American history, government & economics and some more world history/social studies. I'd find out what you need legally & what would be good for going into the military.

 

EKS had some great suggestions, and I'll give some alternatives just in case you find that they don't all fit well for your needs. The italics are quotes from her.)

 

English: An 8th grade program with a focus on literature and writing Yes, but in this find something that will ensure that her grammar, mechanics, etc are sound if they're not already or at least give a good review if they are already strong.

Math: Lial's Basic College Math--it will review arithmetic and go over prealgebra as well Lial's is a good, solid program. One thought, though, if she likes to read is to add Life of Fred Pre-Algebra (or Decimals & Fractions if she needs any work there). These are fun to read and help students really think about math--it's also great for showing how math applies to real life.

Science: A solid middle school level physical science course--she could do note taking here, but I would also give tests Yes!!! Or, if she hasn't had enough exposure to all sciences, another option is to get a general science course that surveys all of the branches, but usually physical science is covered in gr 8 as far as I know.

Geography: Again, a solid middle school geography course--note taking and tests here too My dd's did physical Geography here, Runkle's, but it's not quite the same thing as map work. Another option, if you do history as I suggested, is to tie geography & map work into history

 

Foreign Language: I probably wouldn't do this either I agree--if you're trying to catch up, the foreign language study can wait until high school

 

One thing to consider is whether or not the military will pay for college for her should she choose this option later. She doesn't see that, of course, but she could well change her mind later and so it's important to keep those doors open.

[mycalling]

Any ideas for a good note taking unit we can do this summer?

 

She's been with us for almost 3yrs. The 1st year homeschooled (the whole family's first year), the next public schooled (thought they'd do a better job and she'd benefit from "socialization," but it just reverted all the work we had done and she learned almost nothing), then this last year we brought her home for good.

 

This is our Pre-Algebra plan: LoF: F and D&P, Hands-on Equations, then adding in CD. I don't think she could handle CD the whole year and I think she'll enjoy LoF. I want to add in some Math Detective because of the thinking skills used. I'm thinking she might have to do summer with CD before being ready for Algebra.:confused:

 

English: She did much of The Critical Thinking Co's The Language Mechanic and learned a ton, so she'll be finishing that and using Editor in Chief CDRoms (she has learned the most from editing her work on the computer with me, so EiC sounds great). K12 Writing, research papers from her other subjects. I'm still looking for other stuff.

 

She read our entire World History encyclopedia in January so I got her a more difficult one and she's already read a huge chunk of it. She loves history and did 9 one-page research papers on Rome this winter.

 

I've been checking out Physical Science and Geography today per everyone's advice.

[Storm Bay]

Any ideas for a good note taking unit we can do this summer?

 

She's been with us for almost 3yrs. The 1st year homeschooled (the whole family's first year), the next public schooled (thought they'd do a better job and she'd benefit from "socialization," but it just reverted all the work we had done and she learned almost nothing), then this last year we brought her home for good.

 

This is our Pre-Algebra plan: LoF: F and D&P, Hands-on Equations, then adding in CD. I don't think she could handle CD the whole year and I think she'll enjoy LoF. I want to add in some Math Detective because of the thinking skills used. I'm thinking she might have to do summer with CD before being ready for Algebra.:confused:

 

English: She did much of The Critical Thinking Co's The Language Mechanic and learned a ton, so she'll be finishing that and using Editor in Chief CDRoms (she has learned the most from editing her work on the computer with me, so EiC sounds great). K12 Writing, research papers from her other subjects. I'm still looking for other stuff.

 

She read our entire World History encyclopedia in January so I got her a more difficult one and she's already read a huge chunk of it. She loves history and did 9 one-page research papers on Rome this winter.

 

I've been checking out Physical Science and Geography today per everyone's advice.

 

Sounds good. What's D&P? Hands on Equations is on my wish list to get ds next year. Are you adding other books to the history encyclopedia? It sound as though you are.

 

All the best!

[mycalling]

Decimals and Percents. I should have added LoF in front of that one, too. She picks out her own extra history materials. She gets books from the library and watches shows that pertain to the time period she's reading about. She does a lot of her history research online and in our World Book enc. set.

 

I'm going to have to add more for Science. Should I get a Physical Science textbook? If so, does anyone have a good text to recommend? We have the New Encylopedia of Science 9 book set from Oxford University Press she's been reading out of.

[Storm Bay]

Decimals and Percents. I should have added LoF in front of that one, too. She picks out her own extra history materials. She gets books from the library and watches shows that pertain to the time period she's reading about. She does a lot of her history research online and in our World Book enc. set.

 

I'm going to have to add more for Science. Should I get a Physical Science textbook? If so, does anyone have a good text to recommend? We have the New Encylopedia of Science 9 book set from Oxford University Press she's been reading out of.

 

One year I had dd do Runkle's Geography, which is physical geography. The next year, or else later that year, I really can't remember, she did a BJU science course with physical science & astronomy. She said most of the physical science part was a review of Runkle's, but there was additional material. This was before high school and after doing all of her other science with tradebooks & homeschool science classes (she was a science junkie).