4kids4me Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 My almost 14yo son is in gr. 8. He has LDs and ADHD, predominately inattentive subtype. Working memory is terrible. Expressive skills terrible. Spatial skills and working with hands, great. My eldest is in gr. 10 at home and I've homeschooled all four children from the beginning (though I don't post here often anymore, I've been here since I've started schooling!). She's a great textbook learner, test taker, memory skills great, etc. A dream to teach. I'm just not sure what to do with my son next year. It doesn't help that I run with two high school guidance counsellors that feel that school would be *so* much better for ds, even though the psychologist that tested him said both in gr. 4 and now in gr. 8 that he's done as well as he has because he's been home. He said if he were to stay home in high school he should take one class/year outside of the home to get used to advocating for himself, get used to a classroom setting should he choose college, and get used to solid deadlines. My dh is a plumber and jack of all trades. He could teach my son lots, but we don't have extra money for renovation projects now so extra-curricular around the house fix-it jobs are few and far between. This is where school and tech classes would be great. Plus, we're feeling the effects of not being in a homeschool group - lack of friends for after-school, even though kids are involved in hockey and youth group. What to do, what to do. Does anyone have a son like mine? Did you homeschool him all the way through? If I keep son home, what can I do to give him the "school" that he so desperately wants...less seat-work textbook stuff and more hands-on stuff that lights his spirit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I don't have a teen yet, but could he go to Home Depot and Lowes and do the "Do it yourself" workshops? Not the ones for kids which mostly involve learning to use a hammer and a screwdriver, but the ones involving things like learning to set tile in your kitchen, replace a toilet, and so on? Maybe tie those together to make a "Home repair" elective or something, and tie writing or math into it? You also might want to check into what is offered at local community colleges. Ours have some trade skills type programs that are more hands on and would be eligible for dual enrollment for high school students. That would give him the outside classes/deadlines/etc, but in an area where he's strong, and let you continue to support his academics. It also might help him to figure out what direction he wants to go in later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Do you have 4H clubs around you? They are run through the cooperative extension offices, associated with your state's land grant university. http://www.4-h.org/ 4H does much more than agriculture. Even if clubs do not already exist in your area, you can ask about getting one started and get support for starting and managing a club. They have a wealth of info on various hands-on projects from rocketry to building dog training courses. It is a great way to partner with the community and develop a variety of skills for young people. I admit, when I first started looking into 4H, it did not appeal to me. Plus, I found it hard to figure out exactly how to get involved. Now I run our local robotics club and they have provided all the equipment needed. SO fun! Does the local school happen to offer Project Lead the Way engineering type courses? DS took one at the ps last year and loved the hands on projects. Every subject area had a project to implement the ideas. They build marble sorters, bridges, wrestling robots, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Can you send him to work with Dad one day a week? My dh is like your son, he's a carpenter. He hated school and did poorly in a traditional classroom. He has a wonderful sense of visualizing construction. If you gauged his ability just off his academic record it wouldn't look like much, as a carpenter he's brilliant. We've been toying with the idea of sending ds one day a week or every so often with dh to learn construction. It's a long story, but he went for his first day yesterday. It went well and it was good for both of them. Outside of that, I would not send him to school. I believe if he's doing well at home then you can homeschool high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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