Guest Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 After giving it some deep hard thought and prayer, I think I am going to need help for high school. I spent the entire afternoon with him (moaning and whining about hard his life is) walking him through every math problem, every grammar exercise. And that was it! This is not hard stuff, not beyond his reach, not even pre algebra, not even writing a simple paragraph. The local PS is out so I feel stuck. The VA is full and I REALLY do not want to got that route for many reasons. What am I going to do? I wish I had some pre-laid out plan especially for math, science, and LA. Now who is whining? I know I need to 'suck it up', as my brother says, and get back in there but I am feeling at a loss as to where 'there' is. Time to get praying and get to reading the Rainbow Resource catalog again. Thank you for listening to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 A lot of that moaning is the age. It seems that with some you have to be there every few feet to wind up their engines again. Have you read The Well Trained Mind? :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I have memorized TWTM pretty much. he is not heading for a great Books hs. It just does not fit him at all. Perhaps I need to reconsider.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela in VA Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Ds (15 on Sat/9th) has to be coaxed through every subject. I keep thinking it's going to get better. He is intelligent, but totally unmotivated about school. When he chooses to work cheerfully, he can be efficient and turn out a good work product. Most of the time he fights it and it fights him and school is a long, frustrating process. We have always followed a WTM/Charlotte Mason literature-based approach and are currently using TOG. Unfortunately, I am having to re-evaluate whether this "great books" approach (or any other GB program) is going to be successful with ds. He is a great reader, but I'm not sure I see him analyzing and synthesizing on this level. Most of the time I don't think he even sees around the next corner. It is a struggle to decide this because it is so appealing to me. At this point, I am not even sure if college is on his radar, but I know I have to prepare him so that he keeps his options open. What would you suggest in a situation like this? I am tempted just to go the textbook route and make it as straightforward as possible, but that just seems so BORING. Hoping, like the OP, for some words of wisdom. Pamela F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilesonly Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 No words of wisdom, but I can relate.:grouphug: My 14, almost 15yo dd used to be so academic and, even over-achieving in academics. Not now! Her issue isn't the dragging feet and fighting, though. She is a typical gifted under-achiever. She *races* through her school work every day. It's like she is in automatic, full throttle mode! This wouldn't drive me so crazy and leave me sleepless at times if it weren't for her "who cares" attitude that she presents. There is no real authentic ownership put into any of her work at all. She can work diligently but, it's still the auto-pilot way and the attitude of wanting to put the least amount of effort in as possible to keep us off her back. It's my dh who keeps me from putting her in a curriculum like A.C.E. or all SOS. Seriously! She would prefer it, too!;) She is not GB material yet but, we expect her to be well read in the classics and award honored books. She does plan to attend college with talk of being a nurse, physical therapist, speech therapist, nurse practitioner, or whatever!:D She just doesn't comprehend that it will require WORK.:banghead: So, I keep plugging away, with some days having envy for the parents who are totally hands off in the day to day educating of their dc. Truly!:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamajo Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 This is strictly my opinion ...but it seems to me that unmotivated students seem to get motivated when they have to answer to someone other than mom (i.e. online classes, co op classes, correspondence course, etc.) Is it possible to try one of these for any given subject to see if this is true for you dc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 When I first read your post my first thought was, "this kids probably not into the arts...". I love the whole great books idea too but that is not my dd's natural bent. She is math and science all the way. So, while I do want her to be well read and familiar with great books, it's sort of a waste of her time to sit around debating the merits of The Great Gatsby when she would rather be pouring over science journals and turning my kitchen into a lab.:001_smile: My degree is in biochemistry so I completely understand.... I love to read but have no desire to analyze every piece of literature I come across. Yes, there is merit to being able to do a character analysis, but that isn't my focus on learning for my dd (our son, OTOH is the polar opposite...) IMHO, math and science need to be textbooky. That's what my dd wants to major in and it is what's going to give her a firm foundation to prepare her well for college. Please, no judgement here.:D I know some families use living books to teach science, etc. I just don't think the textbook approach is all that bad, and may even be preferrable depending on your dc. Maybe a textbook based curriculum would be just the thing to get him excited about school again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie Q Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 My DS also has times in which he is just a bundle of complaints, and I don't find those times to be good ones for me to be involved with his teaching. I've found it useful to print up a daily list of assignments, with exact info on what he needs to do for each subject. That way, I can leave the assignments completely up to him (with the clock set for the time required for that class) when necessary. When he's in a better frame of mind, we spend time discussing readings and literature together. I've definitely found that a mixture of textbooks and great books works best for us. When the complaints set in, I assign the textbook work and go clean house, instead. I also find that a batch of muffins (chocolate chip, today) helps a lot when DS is moaning about how hard life is ;) I'm learning that teenage boys require a huge amount of both food and patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 When he's in a better frame of mind, we spend time discussing readings and literature together. I've definitely found that a mixture of textbooks and great books works best for us. When the complaints set in, I assign the textbook work and go clean house, instead. I also find that a batch of muffins (chocolate chip, today) helps a lot when DS is moaning about how hard life is ;) I'm learning that teenage boys require a huge amount of both food and patience. Also, some good hard physical labor (here it's chopping wood) makes a big difference in DS15's attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 This is strictly my opinion ...but it seems to me that unmotivated students seem to get motivated when they have to answer to someone other than mom (i.e. online classes, co op classes, correspondence course, etc.) Is it possible to try one of these for any given subject to see if this is true for you dc? :iagree: This is exactly what I was going to suggest. For next semester, or next year, can you sign him up for one or two classes at a coop or on-line? Maybe he needs to see that your expectations are not out of line. In my experience with two sons, that year when they are 14 yo is rough, really rough. My current 10th grader is approaching 15.5 yo, and he's finally starting to come out of that irrational, argumentative phase. I almost fainted when he said this afternoon, "You know, Mom, I think I will try to make the time to study my Latin flashcards every day because I want to improve my vocabulary." I've only been begging and pleading with him to study the cards for years. Finally, he wants to do it for his own gain! An on-line and a coop class this year have really helped to 1) get him out of the house on a regular basis, and 2) make him answer to someone else. He's much happier and motivated as a result. I hope you can find a solution that works for your son and your family! Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Thanks, everyone, for the words of experience and encouragement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 This is strictly my opinion ...but it seems to me that unmotivated students seem to get motivated when they have to answer to someone other than mom (i.e. online classes, co op classes, correspondence course, etc.) This doesn't help here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 (edited) But the thing that keeps pulling me back from the edge of the cliff is the knowledge that, while homeschooling may not be perfect, it's the best alternative we have for this kid. All of that stalling and so on? My kid would pull the same stuff in school. And he wouldn't have his very own adult devoted to really paying attention and making sure he accomplishes anything. I know all too well how easy it is to fly under the radar in group learning situations. Here, at least, he can't hide. Something we're trying this year is backing off from the classical model for several subjects. I'm retaining control of math and English, but pretty much everthing else has been turned over to my son's control. We gave him guidelines for how much and what kind of work needs to be accomplished, but he has a lot of freedom to decide how he wants to meet those requirements. It's too early in the year yet to tell if he's learning more, but our days are certainly more pleasant. I don't want this to be construed as one of those "homeschooling is always better" posts. I don't believe that is true in every case. All I'm saying is that, for this particular child, it's the best choice we have. So, I have to recognize that not achieving perfection doesn't give me permission to walk away when I fall short of that goal. I just have to keep plugging along every day and doing my best. Edited October 2, 2011 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 This is strictly my opinion ...but it seems to me that unmotivated students seem to get motivated when they have to answer to someone other than mom (i.e. online classes, co op classes, correspondence course, etc.) Is it possible to try one of these for any given subject to see if this is true for you dc? This doesn't help here. Yeah, doesn't really help here, either. What I've found is that, in those situations, my son is compliant about turning in work that meets the bare minimum requirements, but he doesn't seem to learn or retain anything. It was actually a year heavy on online classes that pushed us into trying our student-driven experiment this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.