Has anyone done a 5-yr high school?

[Savermom]

At my wits end, trying to figure out what to do with my ds.  I'm hoping to find feedback on an extended high school of 5 years instead of 4.

 

 

My ds is in 10th grade, and we have had a difficult two years.  Right now he is very behind in several subjects, and spends on average 10 hours a day doing school. He barely gets done with his daily work.  He does have some focus/attention problems, but not ADD.  Recently he told me he is overwhelmed.  I believe that contributes to his focusing issues.  I think he "zones out" because he gets overwhelmed, and feels his load is too heavy.

 

He took the PSAT in October and did pretty well.  He has a B average overall in his schoolwork.  I tried to leave him a few subjects to do on his own this year that were mostly hands off by me, but that didn't work out well.  He is taking 6 credits worth of courses for this year, but essentially has not completed 1/2 of his Biology yet (and it's now April), and we started a Government class 2nd semester and stopped after 2 weeks because he couldn't manage.  So, that's only 4.5 credits for this year.

 

He seemed relieved when we discussed extending high school so that he has less classes per year.  But, I'm worried about how colleges will view that.  (I'm talking your average state college or Christian college.)  And, how do I show that on a transcript?  I would appreciate feedback and experiences.  Thanks!

 

 

[Mom2OandE]

Following. We are already considering this as an option with my son.

[teeterbunch]

same here...feeling for you. : )

[EKS]

You can say that he did his 9th grade courses in middle school.  I'd only do this if they were solid high school courses though.

 

Also, why do you think he's overwhelmed?  Is he doing all of his work independently?  If so, I'd see about presenting some of the material to him to take some of the pressure off.  

[Savermom]

He is only doing one class independently. The rest we do together.

 

He has specifically told me that he feels overwhelmed. I mistook his slow progress and gazing out the window as laziness and lack of motivation. He said that it is his coping method.

[klmama]

Instead of going 5 years, have you considered doing one class in the summer so his regular academic year could be a little lighter?  My concern with doing 5 years of high school is that so many schools request the last four years of coursework on the transcript.  It may not matter at a private college, but the publics we've looked at want the past 4 years.

[OneStepAtATime]

He is feeling overwhelmed but can you get to the bottom of why? Does he have Executive Function issues that need to be addressed? Is reading/comprehension a struggle? Are his math skills weak? Too many outside interests to be able to keep up with the academic workload?

 

I think I would be trying really hard to find out exactly what is making his workload overwhelming and try to find ways to fix the underlying problem.

 

Certainly if doing 5 years instead of 4 gives you both relief then look into that. Others seem to have been able to make a plan like that work. I would really dig into the underlying issues first though, or at least as I was working on how to make a 5 year plan work.

 

Hugs and good luck.

[J'swife]

Is he college bound? or are you pushing him to be college bound?  We've got friends that have never officially graduated their children and they are all successful now, one is in the military, one is self employed and another went into the workforce and has a decent job with benefits.  Is it ideal? Probably not, but her kids did not see going the college route and they did not push it.  I know another family that had their son take the GED and start classes at the community college.  Just saying, it can work with other options.

 

 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

 

 

 

My ds is in 10th grade, and we have had a difficult two years.  Right now he is very behind in several subjects, and spends on average 10 hours a day doing school. He barely gets done with his daily work.  He does have some focus/attention problems, but not ADD.  Recently he told me he is overwhelmed.  I believe that contributes to his focusing issues.  I think he "zones out" because he gets overwhelmed, and feels his load is too heavy.

 

Just because nobody's asked these questions yet:

 

What does his 10 hour day look like, if he barely gets his daily work done? Where are you while he's spending 10 hours over his books? Does he have other activities, sports, a social life? What exactly is his course load?

 

It's possible that he doesn't need a fifth year of this type of schooling. He might need an entirely different, more balanced approach. Can we help you brainstorm options, if you're interested?

 

I've got one son graduated, two teen boys, and a tween boy. I've had to reset and restructure lots of times; I think it's par for the course.

[purpleroses]

DD is turning 19 soon. We decided last year to do a post grad aka 5th high school year. There were still courses she was interested in and wanted to take. She also felt she wasn't really "ready" to graduate. Taking an extra year was very beneficial. Her courses and curriculum(I didn't find out about the classical curriculum until the beginning of our school year) this year really challenged her and actually helped her get into college. Other homeschooler I know is 20 years old and also decided to take an extra year to graduate. She graduates this year and will be attending a very good university.

 

I agree with Tibble. Maybe your son needs a different approach, if he is spending 10 hours on schoolwork.

[Savermom]

Great thoughts! Thank you all. A month ago I scheduled his day hoping that would help keep him on track. For instance, 9:00-10:00 AM English, etc for all of his classes, lunch, and breaks. His last one is Geometry at 3:30. He will finish between 9:00 PM or the next day if we have an evening activity. (Boy Scouts on Tuesdays, and church Wednesdays). We are doing English, Literature, Geometry, Biology (3 months behind), German, Ancients History. We were supposed to do a 1 semester Gov't, but he begged to do it over the summer because it was too much.

 

I am in the room with him most of the time. I have a younger dd I hs as well. I teach him, then he does the related work on his own. Writing essays takes him weeks, and the quality is poor.

 

He loves to play video games, but the rule is that he can play only after he is finished with his school work. You would think that would be motivation enough to finish, but it is not, which is one reason I believe it's not just dawdling.

 

The more I think this over, the more I don't like the idea. But, I don't know what to do. Pushing him through is torture for both of us. Also, he will turn 18 in late August of his senior year, if we stick with another 2 years. I am worried he will be too immature for college, but that could change in 2 years.

 

Also, I graduated my oldest ds last year, and he is doing well at a private college. That just to say that I have homeschooling high school experience.