Not Really "Self-Education"

[3in9th]

A very long time ago I enrolled my kids in a cyberschool. We lasted six weeks before I switched to homeschool. Part of the cyberschool guidelines were that as the kids got older, they'd work more and more independently. By the time they were in high school, they would no longer need much, if any, parent supervision.

 

Here, this board is titled "High School and Self-Education Board." However, I find that the older the get, the more (not less) I have to supervise, plan, teach, grade, etc. Anyone else feel my pain as sometimes I wonder if I'm doing something wrong?

[go_go_gadget]

I don't have a high schooler so I can't speak to that part, but I can say that this board has ''Self-Education'' in the title to refer to parents pursuing self-education, since many topics a self-educating parent will work on would be similar to high school-level material. The title isn't mean't to suggest that all teens should be self-educating.

[3in9th]

Thanks, didn't realize what the "Self-Education" meant. That makes sense now. I've learned more from homeschooling my kids than I ever did in school and I was a thesis away from a Master's degree.

[foxbridgeacademy]

You could start a new thread and ask for ideas on how to make your student more independent.

 

I think one of the reasons that they require so much more time and instruction is that the material is becoming more in depth.  Learning Algebra and Biology require advanced thinking skills that they are just beginning to use.  So they need more guidance and direction.  I would think (or I hope) by the time they get to Junior/Senior grade level there will some subjects that can be self-led.  Another option is to look for curriculum that specifically teaches to the student.(another good thread idea) 

One thing to keep in mind is that they will always need parent input if not direct supervision so working toward that would be a good goal to set.  Asking them to go it alone might cause panic and frustration on their part.

[merry gardens]

Some people simply require more supervision than others. If everyone was capable of working independently, every supervisor would be out of work. Grown ups often require supervision, and those capable of achieving goals without a lot of direct supervision are highly desirable employees.

 

Some of mine have routinely required significant more help from me than others. Others of mine pick up more advanced materials just "for fun."

[Cosmos]

Some people simply require more supervision than others. If everyone was capable of working independently, every supervisor would be out of work. Grown ups often require supervision, and those capable of achieving goals without a lot of direct supervision are highly desirable employees.

 

Some of mine have routinely required significant more help from me than others. Others of mine pick up more advanced materials just "for fun."

 

I don't think it's always about supervision but about interaction. My ds wants to talk over his work with someone. He needs to discuss and bounce ideas off people in order to learn. It's part of his personality and I expect it always will be. He just is never going to be a person who goes off to work by himself for hours on end. It feels very isolating to him. (I love solitude on the other hand!) In some ways, he would be better suited for a B&M school, but he wants to homeschool, so we find ways to make it work.

 

High school is taking more time from me in some ways, just because HE has so much more work to do and thus the interaction required has increased. What we've found helpful is to outsource some courses, carefully chosen ones that have a high level of interaction and discussion.

[3in9th]

That's the case with us, Cosmos. They want to talk and discuss more. When my husband does science with them, they'll spend over an hour discussing and questioning just 4-5 pages of a mid-sized font textbook.

[foxbridgeacademy]

My DS is like that, it drives his sister crazy.  We'll be doing History and he'll want to stop mid reading/listening to discuss something that was just said.  I have NO idea where he gets it from :leaving: .  DD is more of the "get'er done" kind of kid.  She prefers to take her work up to her room and bring it back down when she's done.  With Ds I find that if I'm not sitting next to him doing the work with him then they don't get done right(often we race to see who can get the Algebra problems done first).  He needs interaction. I asked him if in the future was I going to have to sit with him while he does his College homework.... "um,.... maybe".  :banghead:

 

To help alleviate or at least reduce it I'd look into some open-go or student led learning. Another idea to foster a gentle introduction to independence would be to have them do an online class.  Except for a couple questions daily( like: how's class?  Did you have homework?  Is there anything from the teacher I need to look at?......) Let them sink or swim on their own. Maybe an elective, like Creative Writing or a Programming class.