Dd wants to be a vet but doesn't like science????? HELP!

[5LittleMonkeys]

Last year I had dd12 try out Apologia General Science and it was a bit much for her especially after having come out of ps where they didn't do much science at all. So, I put it on the shelf and let her just do a lot of reading about animals, documentaries about animals, writing about animals...can you catch the recurring theme here? This year (7th) I have pulled out the GS again and told her she needed to buckle down and get into it. The reasoning being that she is going to be required to follow a heavy math and science load if she is to get where she wants to be in the future.

 

She made it through the first module and made an 86 on the test. She was devastated. I told her not to get too upset about it since the first module is pretty much the history of science and scientist (and there were A LOT of them to remember). Well now we are onto the second module which is talking about the scientific method and such. She doesn't like it. She says she just wants to study about animals and that learning about general science is boring. I explain that it is necessary to learn this information if she wants to pursue the type of career she has chosen. I tell her that if she truly dislikes the study of science (which is more than just learning about animals) then perhaps she should consider some other career that would be working with animals but that doesn't require such a heavy dose of science. Now she is devastated because she thinks she isn't smart enough to be a vet although her desire to follow that path has not diminished. :sad: I told her that she is only 12 and has plenty of time to figure all of that out but in the meantime she still needs to learn xyz in order to graduate and that there are certain subjects that she is required to take in order to graduate. Regardless if she wants to be a vet or not she will have to take General Science.

 

I feel like I somehow let her down because I encouraged her desire to be a vet; I told her it was definitely an attainable goal for her, (which I believe still is.) but maybe I didn't stress to her how hard she would have to work at it. But, I've had the whole setting goals and working hard to attain them speech, in general, many, many times. She knows this and actually follows that work ethic with other aspects of her life. Its just this particular subject that I can't seem to get straight and the only subject that she really complains about. My other concern is that I may be steering her in the wrong direction in my attempt to make sure she is academically ready for the science she will have to do in college. My first instinct is to tell her that vet or not, General Science is the 7th grade course that she will be taking, period. But then, my soft, squishy side tells me to let her pursue science in the way she most wants to. Kind-of classical vs. unschooling?

 

Oh gosh, I'm rambling. So, here is where I'm at. Do I tell her to stop obsessing about being a vet and just worry about getting through middle school right now which includes doing general science or do I let her go for now and let her pursue her passion for animals and worry about specific science courses once we get to high school? Do I have the wrong curriculum for her? Or some variation of the three?

 

By the way, I have posted about curriculum choices for this vet wanna be daughter before so I apologize in advance for re-visiting old subjects. It would be so much easier if she were like other dc who don't decide what they want to be until they get into college.;)

 

Okay, so tell me what I am doing wrong and how to make it right. Enlighten me!

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

We had a similar problem with Apologia. It may not be your daughter. It may be the curriculum.

 

My son is in college now...a science major. But according to his grades in Apologia in the 7th grade and his interest at the time...you would never have thought it. We dropped Apologia and did unit studies that year. Then we went with ABeka for several years (through Biology).

 

Don't let her give up her dream. Just be patient. She is young enough, that she should be able to study animals to her hearts content and still be on track for college.

 

If I were you, I'd go with unit studies. Short and intensive...go back and forth with life and physical sciences. Let her enjoy biology. Watch videos, explore...do dissections.

 

She'll be fine.

[Crimson Wife]

While she will need to have a strong science background as a vet, I don't think she needs to complete Apologia General Science. What about giving The Rainbow a try? That I think would prepare her well for high school science.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

My oldest loves science and always has a science book in hand and wants to try out all of the investigations that she reads about. She comes up with plenty of her own, too. She's only in first grade, but based on the samples I've seen I think she would be bored by Apologia. I'll probably have to try out my creative juices and make up something myself.

[JennW in SoCal]

Some thoughts:

 

She is only 12 and has lots time for her brain to grow and mature. Her ability to handle textbook learning and exams this year in no way predicts her ability to do so in college. My oldest ds is a science guy and we didn't use a single text book until last year for 10th grade biology. He was fine and is going to start taking his science classes at the community college next semester.

 

Apologia science isn't the be all end all of science. I know many people use it, but there are other text options. More importantly, there are other ways of learning the scientific method and basic science outside of a text book that are perfectly fine for a middle schooler. Or, for now, treat the textbook like a reference tool, and explore the topics outside of the book. Google the topics -- look for lesson plans on lines. Science teachers love to share. And YouTube is a wonderful and unexpected source of excellent material!! Let your dd learn the material for the sheer enjoyment of learning, let her demonstrate her knowledge through projects. Save the tests for later in life.

 

For understanding the scientific method, sign up for and download the homeschool materials from Project Feeder Watch. Project Feeder Watch is setting up a feeding station in your backyard, then submitting counts of the birds that visit from November to April. Great fun, and real science. Observing, measuring, and recording are the basic elements of the scientific method. It is far better to learn it by doing than by reading about it in a text book!!

 

For learning the vocabulary of anatomy and biology, get those biology and zoology coloring books. Get the cartoon guides to chemistry and physics.

 

Focus on math so she has a solid foundation.

 

My favorite YouTube science videos

 

 

 

dissections of large mammals (I haven't watched this, but it was recently recommended to me.)

 

Get one of the Thames and Kronos (???) chemistry sets.

 

And let her have fun because science is supposed to be fun. :001_smile:

[poodlemama]

reread my post and decided it was not helpful. She there a way to delete?:tongue_smilie:

Edited August 24, 2010 by poodlemama

[GoVanGogh]

Do you have a local zoo that has a "junior zoo keeper" program? Or an animal rehab center? Or nature center? I would encourage hands-on exploration as much as possible at this age. Find a way for her to "get in the field" and learn first hand, either by taking outside nature/animal classes or doing some sort of volunteer work w/animals.

 

Do you have a Home Science Tools catalog? (Or any other extensive science catalog.) Let her look through it and see if anything strikes her fancy -- maybe she would like to do some dissections? plant a butterfly garden and raise caterpillars?

Go to the library and let her explore topics on her own.

[Wheres Toto]

I was pre-vet my first 2 years in college (then Biology/Environmental Science). I never took General Science. At my high school (and college), GS was usually for those who were not planning to major in science. Not liking General Science (or Apologia as others said) wouldn't necessarily be a problem. Even in Junior High I took Life Science courses rather than General Science. Scientists were touched on very briefly as they were relevant to each class (Mendel in Genetics for example).

 

In high school I took: Two years of Biology (Biology 2 Honors was Anatomy & Physiology) and two years of Chemistry. Pre-Vet in college was many, many different Biology courses (Zoology, Invertebrate Zoology, Ecology, Microbiology, Macrobiology, Genetics, Botany), Chemistry (General, Organic and Inorganic) and Physics (2 semesters). Math was needed up to Calculus.

 

I also wanted to be a vet from the time I was around 12 and read everything I could about animals.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Thanks for all the responses. I feel a lot better now. I don't know why I thought she HAD to have general science. :confused: I probably saw a list somewhere.

 

Dottieanna29, she can definitely handle Biology and Chemistry and already does really well in math. I don't think Calculus will be a problem at all. I feel really relieved after reading all of the courses you took in Jr. and High School.

 

Cadam, you are right. She asked if she could only do the anatomy portion of GS. The rest doesn't appeal to her at all.

 

Thanks for the youtube recommendations too. I will look into those.

 

I think maybe I am going to have to dump the Apologia. I went with it due to reviews about it being very thorough but its become apparent that it isn't what dd needs right now. I suppose that I will end up having to piece together things for the rest of this year because my funds are gone. I borrowed Apologia from someone so I can't sell it.:glare: Any other recommendations for inexpensive (free would be great) programs, books, resources, etc.?

 

Well, this has been a perfect example of trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Bless my dd's heart...I hope she survives me!

[Crimson Wife]

Any other recommendations for inexpensive (free would be great) programs, books, resources, etc.?

 

Might be a little easy for her but Mr. Q Life Science is available free. She could beef it up with library resources on the various topics.

 

It's secular though so definitely pre-read to make sure you're okay with everything in it.

[Wheres Toto]

This website - Science NetLinks - has links to all kinds of websites on various areas of Science. If you click on the Resources tab and then choose a specific discipline (probably 5. The Living Environment for your dd's area of interest) and grade range it will give a variety of links - many to museum, college or government websites on relevant topics. My oldest is using it now to find sources for an AP Biology summer assignment. There's also a tab for Lesson Plans but I haven't explored them as much.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Great suggestions guys, thanks. I'm writing all of these down. I told her after I picked her up from horse riding that we were probably going to drop the Apologia and do more of the types of things you all are suggesting and she shouted out "I love that forum!" :D I suggested she start a project something like documenting the life of a horse from birth to show jumper. She was :D:D:D:D:D.

[bbrandonsmom]

I second what some one said about finding a "junior" type class at a zoo or aquarium. Both of those near me offer camps in the summer and I think classes all year for kids of various ages to take-see how to take care of the animals, learn about them etc. I'm guessing the older the child, the more they are shown/taught.

[Guest]

Great suggestions guys, thanks. I'm writing all of these down. I told her after I picked her up from horse riding that we were probably going to drop the Apologia and do more of the types of things you all are suggesting and she shouted out "I love that forum!" :D I suggested she start a project something like documenting the life of a horse from birth to show jumper. She was :D:D:D:D:D.

 

This is wonderful -- and as most riding schools or stables have regular vet visits, perhaps she could take a morning and shadow/observe or even help out?

[Soph the vet]

Advice from a vet here:D.

My best friend and I at the age of 5 knew we wanted to be vets...and he is now practicing exotic medicine in NC and I am here in MN still in practice. I was not a stellar science student in middle school. In fact all I remember about 7th grade is the fruit fly experiment. I did not even take high school chemistry...gasp!! I did get good grades in all my science classes in college...hated...abhorred Organic chemistry and had to take it twice because I partied too much at UCONN in the 80's (we were the #6 party school in the nation at the time). Finally buckled down and got great grades in the classes I really loved: anatomy, biology, anything to do with animals. Got into vet school at the U of MN and never got below a B. Sure it is very hard work, but middle school is not the place to stress over it. Keep encouraging her love of animals. Do not burn her out on middle and high school science courses that may be too much of a drag for her. There is plenty of time in college to shine in her biology and animal science classes in order to get into vet school. And just an FYI, if she wants to do food animal she will be a for sure candidate. There is a shortage of those!

[5LittleMonkeys]

Advice from a vet here:D.

My best friend and I at the age of 5 knew we wanted to be vets...and he is now practicing exotic medicine in NC and I am here in MN still in practice. I was not a stellar science student in middle school. In fact all I remember about 7th grade is the fruit fly experiment. I did not even take high school chemistry...gasp!! I did get good grades in all my science classes in college...hated...abhorred Organic chemistry and had to take it twice because I partied too much at UCONN in the 80's (we were the #6 party school in the nation at the time). Finally buckled down and got great grades in the classes I really loved: anatomy, biology, anything to do with animals. Got into vet school at the U of MN and never got below a B. Sure it is very hard work, but middle school is not the place to stress over it. Keep encouraging her love of animals. Do not burn her out on middle and high school science courses that may be too much of a drag for her. There is plenty of time in college to shine in her biology and animal science classes in order to get into vet school. And just an FYI, if she wants to do food animal she will be a for sure candidate. There is a shortage of those!

 

Thank you so much for this. We will both calm down. (more me:blush:) I'm fairly new to hs'ing and she is my oldest so I get a little freaked out when I think about it being my responsibility to make sure she is in a position to be successful in college. I've heard tons of stories about kids being completely average in Jr. and High school and not even liking school, and then they go on to college to be vets, drs, lawyers, rocket scientists:tongue_smilie:. When it is your own dc you tend to forget those stories. Hopefully as I become more experienced I will learn when to push and when to hold back. Until then I have all of you wonderful people to give me advice!

[kidsnbooks8]

This thread has been very helpful. We have a very similar thing going on in our home.

 

Thank You

[ChemMommy]

And I'm now an assistant professor of chemistry! Never saw that coming.

 

Learning science is NOT being a vet; it's just a hoop you have to jump through. Getting through science classes may require more discipline than love, until you hit the kind of science that truly motivates you in its own rights.

 

Encourage her to be diligent in her studies in math AND science. Consider a new curriculum, if you suspect that it is the text rather than the science.

[simka2]

Right now is 4h sign-ups! My kids are being enrolled in the veterinary science project. I'm not sure if your county 4h has this program, but ours is a great hands on program, where they spend quite a bit of time with a vet!