PachiSusan Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I am starting to get nervous about High School!!!! How early is too early to plan? I am already getting the "aren't you EVER going to let her go to REAL school??" and "You're going to home school her all the way until she gets married or something? " I"m so tired of it all already. I can't wait to see what I'm going to hear as we get closer to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 4th grade is too early to plan and too early to get nervous. Just keep doing what you are doing. The two things you can do now: 1.Make sure her math is solid - it will be the one factor that sets the most constraints with respect to high school coursework, since the level of math will limit the level of science she can study. 2. Make sure her reading is solid - because it is the foundation for all subsequent studies and for developing a rich vocabulary. With a 4th grader, I would not worry about anything else and just enjoy the journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 4th grade is too early to plan and too early to get nervous. Just keep doing what you are doing. The two things you can do now: 1.Make sure her math is solid - it will be the one factor that sets the most constraints with respect to high school coursework, since the level of math will limit the level of science she can study. 2. Make sure her reading is solid - because it is the foundation for all subsequent studies and for developing a rich vocabulary. With a 4th grader, I would not worry about anything else and just enjoy the journey. Thank you!!!!!!! Your comments actually brought a tear to my eye. I am working very hard on the math component and she is a great reader. (Oh, as long as she's interested in the book - sigh!!! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I am working very hard on the math component and she is a great reader. (Oh, as long as she's interested in the book - sigh!!! ) Don't sigh - if a 9 y/o is interested in reading anything at all, that's good. My take with younger kids was always: there are so many books that interest my kids and that they could read - why make them read books they don't care about? Now in high school, yes, they have to learn to read certain things they are not interested in, but even now, I let my literature selections be guided by their interests. There is so much literature and you can't read it all - might as well start with enjoyable things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Don't sigh - if a 9 y/o is interested in reading anything at all, that's good. My take with younger kids was always: there are so many books that interest my kids and that they could read - why make them read books they don't care about? Now in high school, yes, they have to learn to read certain things they are not interested in, but even now, I let my literature selections be guided by their interests. There is so much literature and you can't read it all - might as well start with enjoyable things. Thank you for the attitude adjustment. Yes, she's a reader. She will stay up all night with a flashlight if I don't catch her. It's just the school reading that she "has" to do that is a bit more difficult. I give her as many choices as I can. Right now she's BEGGING me for Saige, the new American Girl Doll book. I should use it as a carrot - finish your book report book you HAVE to do and I'll get you the book! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 My general advice to moms who ask is to work hard now on building a healthy relationship with your daughter. It is an investment that pays off as she will soon be going through puberty and questioning a lot of things in her life. Mutual love and respect, doing fun things together--not just school-related, and with a vision for the unique young woman she is (quickly) becoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 My general advice to moms who ask is to work hard now on building a healthy relationship with your daughter. It is an investment that pays off as she will soon be going through puberty and questioning a lot of things in her life. Mutual love and respect, doing fun things together--not just school-related, and with a vision for the unique young woman she is (quickly) becoming. OOh ouch. Thank you for the bolded. We spend so much time schooling that we don't do as much fun things as we used to do together.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I will agree with what has been posted. I didn't start thinking toward high school (in a real sense) until 7th grade. We're in our first year, so just starting the journey. I will also strongly agree about removing the teacher hat and putting on the mom hat. I assume she is an only child? As the parent of an only, it is important that we take time away from school to just be with them. *I'm* excited about school, I could spend all my time talking, planning, doing, more planning, etc. But at 9, they need just mom too. Take time to do nature walks, bake cookies, do fun field trips, have movie days, do a hobby together, laugh together, etc. Ds and I did a lot of those and, now, at 15 we have a good relationship. He has a trust in me when I ask him to do something (most of the time he doesn't fight me). Preserve the love of learning, preserve the relationship, after that everything else is secondary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 I will agree with what has been posted. I didn't start thinking toward high school (in a real sense) until 7th grade. We're in our first year, so just starting the journey. I will also strongly agree about removing the teacher hat and putting on the mom hat. I assume she is an only child? As the parent of an only, it is important that we take time away from school to just be with them. *I'm* excited about school, I could spend all my time talking, planning, doing, more planning, etc. But at 9, they need just mom too. Take time to do nature walks, bake cookies, do fun field trips, have movie days, do a hobby together, laugh together, etc. Ds and I did a lot of those and, now, at 15 we have a good relationship. He has a trust in me when I ask him to do something (most of the time he doesn't fight me). Preserve the love of learning, preserve the relationship, after that everything else is secondary. I am SO GLAD that I asked. I've become Mom, Teacher, Housekeeper - but have forgot about friend and fun partner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 What is it about our culture, that we can't let kids be kids without always having to see this looming threat of the future? This is exactly why many of us choose to homeschool in the first place is avoiding this trickle down of pressure to where we are making kids in elementary school be tested constantly to make sure they are not behind. Ultimately the stuff that is most important to life success - imagination, hard work, creativity, close family relationships, persistence - the foundation for all of that is in your daily life right now and you don't have to do anything extra to make that happen. Enjoy this time - it is so fleeting and you will be glad for all the time you spent baking cookies, taking walks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I will add that it's not too early to think about middle school or junior high or 6th-8th grade. I am very glad that I stuck with several different curriculums throughout middle school. We used Analytical Grammar, Write Shop, Megawords, Lightning Literature, Math-U-See (K-Algebra), and Science Explorer. By the time ds finished 8th grade, he was solid in grammar, writing, literature, spelling, math, and science. We weren't as successful with history. Tough trying to find a great SOTW follow-up. There was no remedial anything in high school, just quick review of forgotten material. I'm not saying that you have to use the same curriculum. I'm just saying, imo, it's best to find something that will work for several years and stick with it consistently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PachiSusan Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 What is it about our culture, that we can't let kids be kids without always having to see this looming threat of the future? LOL - for me, this is just my Danish side. Worrying before I need to. This is exactly why many of us choose to homeschool in the first place is avoiding this trickle down of pressure to where we are making kids in elementary school be tested constantly to make sure they are not behind. Yes, that is true. Ultimately the stuff that is most important to life success - imagination, hard work, creativity, close family relationships, persistence - the foundation for all of that is in your daily life right now and you don't have to do anything extra to make that happen. Enjoy this time - it is so fleeting and you will be glad for all the time you spent baking cookies, taking walks, etc. Again, thank you. I guess I just needed a good head slap to remind myself to live in the present and enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 My general advice to moms who ask is to work hard now on building a healthy relationship with your daughter. It is an investment that pays off as she will soon be going through puberty and questioning a lot of things in her life. Mutual love and respect, doing fun things together--not just school-related, and with a vision for the unique young woman she is (quickly) becoming. I agree. As a mother of a number of teenaged daughters, I have to say this is SOOOO true. That good relationship is so valuable and helps the other things fall into place so much more easily. (Ok, I just way overused the word 'SO'....never mind, I made my point. :bored: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I was doing a community service project yesterday with a group of young people and a few parents. It was very cool to see the pleasure that some of the parents take in their young teens. Teens are going to push boundaries--there is no way around it. I agree with the others who have discussed having solid relationships although that is no guarantee that parents will be happy with where their kids choose to go. About homeschooling: In general I think it is wise to reevaluate about halfway through the school year and set up rough plans for the next academic year. Around 7th grade or 8th grade, one needs to start thinking longer term. While a student faces one year of high school at a time, there are a number of classes that have prerequisites. This fits in with what others are saying regarding having solid basics. STEM students will probably want to take Algebra I in 8th--some even in 7th. Many students start foreign language instruction in elementary school. (And if you live in a small town, people may wonder why you want your child to be bilingual or at least exposed to other languages. Smile and pass the frijoles.) Enjoy these years (says the Mom of a college student)! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I agree so much with the wisdom stated above! Relationship is the most important thing. Book reports are unnecessary in 4th grade. Don't use books she wants to read as carrots. She is not a mouse to be trained, but a human being exploring this great big world with you as her main guide! Finding curriculum that works for both of you makes life a lot easier but learning isn't confined to curriculum. And any curriculum is just a tool that you should feel free to tweak. Conversations, explorations, field trips (planned or spur of the moment), great read alouds that may or may not fit into your chronological history, all play a big part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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