Minimum Requirements for High School

[Cabertmom]

I have a dear friend whose son is now 16. She has been seriously ill but still trying to homeschool for the past couple years. Her son is really not at all interested in becoming an educated human being and fights her every step of the way, using every method at his disposal to get away with doing as little as possible, which is affecting their relationship to put it mildly. He is, however, a talented chef and a hard worker. He just does not like book work.

 

I want to go to her with a suggestion to make it possible for him to get through high school in a way that is legitimate but is as easy and simple as possible. He is not likely to go to college unless maybe community college for a trade. He just needs a way through, and at this point if he were to go to a regular high school, he would probably have to start back as a freshman and would be so likely to drop out before finishing.

 

A big part of the problem is math. He has some learning disabilities but has actually gotten farther than anyone ever thought he would. Nonetheless, I believe he is doing prealgebra at this point. As for English, he probably has enough for 1 solid freshman credit. He was doing Rosetta Stone Spanish, but I think that might have fallen by the wayside. We're in a state that has minimal requirements, so that's not really an issue.

 

Ultimately I have two questions:

1. If you were trying to help this young man get through high school and help the mom not have a nervous breakdown, what would you recommend as a curriculum/course of studies to (hopefully) make it possible for him to do pretty much all of high school in the coming two years since very little happened due to his mom's illness during the last two?

2. Are you aware of any resources or websites that I could point out that might help her?

 

Thanks a bunch!

[regentrude]

 

Ultimately I have two questions:

1. If you were trying to help this young man get through high school and help the mom not have a nervous breakdown, what would you recommend as a curriculum/course of studies to (hopefully) make it possible for him to do pretty much all of high school in the coming two years since very little happened due to his mom's illness during the last two?

2. Are you aware of any resources or websites that I could point out that might help her?

 

Maybe something very scripted and bare bones? I am not personally familiar with it, but I have several friends whose kids do American school and report that it is very easy and takes way less time than four years. A friend of mine completed their entire high school program (college prep) in 18 months. So if he does their basic level, it may be doable.

Maybe somebody familiar with AS could chime in.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I have a dear friend whose son is now 16. She has been seriously ill but still trying to homeschool for the past couple years. Her son is really not at all interested in becoming an educated human being and fights her every step of the way, using every method at his disposal to get away with doing as little as possible, which is affecting their relationship to put it mildly. He is, however, a talented chef and a hard worker. He just does not like book work.

 

I want to go to her with a suggestion to make it possible for him to get through high school in a way that is legitimate but is as easy and simple as possible. He is not likely to go to college unless maybe community college for a trade. He just needs a way through, and at this point if he were to go to a regular high school, he would probably have to start back as a freshman and would be so likely to drop out before finishing.

 

A big part of the problem is math. He has some learning disabilities but has actually gotten farther than anyone ever thought he would. Nonetheless, I believe he is doing prealgebra at this point. As for English, he probably has enough for 1 solid freshman credit. He was doing Rosetta Stone Spanish, but I think that might have fallen by the wayside. We're in a state that has minimal requirements, so that's not really an issue.

 

Ultimately I have two questions:

1. If you were trying to help this young man get through high school and help the mom not have a nervous breakdown, what would you recommend as a curriculum/course of studies to (hopefully) make it possible for him to do pretty much all of high school in the coming two years since very little happened due to his mom's illness during the last two?

2. Are you aware of any resources or websites that I could point out that might help her?

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

The main thing I'm hearing here is that mom has been very ill but she is still expected to homeschool an unwilling young man who is nearly grown. Is that really necessary? Whatever has gone wrong with his education (gaps, missed diagnoses, whatever), she simply must look at where she is right now.

 

Before she makes any decisions about curriculum or very abbreviated-yet-accelerated plans, she needs to know where he is right now, academically, and what his capabilities are. And his willingness is part of the capability question. If he won't, then he won't, and she shouldn't have to try to make him.

 

Without knowing any more than you've shared, I would look for assessment tests for basic skills and then seek community GED programs. If he can get his GED he can go further after that. It really sounds to me as if he needs outside help at this point. He's nearly grown, not a little child willing to sit at his mother's feet after the couple of years that they've had; the dynamic for successful homeschooling is no longer there, it seems. I'd rather see them have a good relationship as mother and son, after her illness, than for her to have to be his teacher again, too.

 

I hope this post isn't discouraging. It's not meant to be. Just...sometimes homeschooling teens who are off course is not the best way for them or for their parents. We do have community resources. At least, in my community we do -- our public schools are absolutely horrible but our GED and adult ed resources are very good. I hope your friend's community has the same.

 

[Cabertmom]

Regentrude, I am not familiar with them either but will look into it or tell my friend about the American School.

 

Tibbie Dunbar, I tend to agree, and she did look into a charter school for him last year, but they had a waiting list and he didn't get in. I agree with a lot of what you said (of course it's not my call), especially about having a good relationship between mother and son for the next 50 years. Regarding a GED, this young man would likely grow up and excel in the military, but it's my understanding that they no longer accept people with a GED. Does anyone know if that's correct? It would be unfortunate for him to miss that possible path by virtue of going the GED route. Otherwise, that might be the best option.

 

Regarding missing diagnoses, he actually does have some diagnosed learning disabilities from years gone by, and his mom is very tuned in to helping him through those.

 

Any specific suggestions for curriculum that would be in line with this idea? I was thinking of Joy of Science as a science curriculum and Mathematics: A Human Endeavor for math (though he's doing TT now).

 

My heart just goes out to my friend and her family. She has another daughter who is doing just fine with her homeschooling in spite of everything.

[Joules]

What about something like LifePacs?  I got a few sets of math workbooks used and we did some as supplements.  They are Christian, so I don't know how they would work for her in that regard, but they may suffice as a just-get-it-done solution (at his age he should be able to ignore anything that doesn't match his worldview, and the Bible courses certainly aren't required for a diploma).  If he has learning disabilities, I might even consider letting him do the tests open book or some such accommodation.  If he sees a set of 10 slim workbooks for each subject and knows that's all he has to do, he may shift into high gear just to get it done.  

 

I assume that he's already done some high school work that she can count, but the minimum number of courses is usually about 4 English, 3-4 Math, 3 Social Science, 3 Science and a couple other like health and econ.  I'd pick the minimum for the simplest diploma in her state, subtract what courses she feels like are done, and then do LifePacs for what's left.

 

Then I would encourage him to study for the Compass test (or whatever their local community/technical colleges use) and see if he can find a culinary or trade program he likes.

[Joules]

 

 

 

Any specific suggestions for curriculum that would be in line with this idea? I was thinking of Joy of Science as a science curriculum and Mathematics: A Human Endeavor for math (though he's doing TT now).

 

 

 

My thoughts above may be just the opposite of these type titles.  I wasn't thinking of making it interesting at this point, but just getting it done, so she can ethically issue him a diploma.  I was thinking a bit more pragmatically of trying to get him graduated in the next year and on to something he cares about.  Not sure it was helpful.

 

BTW, our public technical colleges now do dual enrollment, so he could be doing these sorts of home classes while working towards a technical degree, if that is something their state offers.

[Mom22ns]

I second looking into American School. I haven't used it, but it is supposed to be a good option for "get it done" high school. Here are some past threads that might help.

 

Can I get your course lineup for American School?

American School enough for Community College?

American School

 

LIfepacs, Ace, or another workbook based curriculum could work for fast credits to achieve a minimum standard for a diploma, but mom has to be the accountability there and I don't know if her health will make that feasible. 

[JanetC]

Even the simplest get-er-done-fast curriculum will not do the trick if the student is not motivated to actually do the work. Also, an independent study program without teacher mentoring and assistance is often a poor choice for a student with a learning disability. You can hand him a textbook and a set of correspondence school assignments, but it would be up to him to do the work and ask a remote teacher for help when needed, right? Do you think he's self-motivated enough to do that?

 

Maybe you need a curriculum, but maybe you need a family counselor to help this young man figure out who he is and where he wants to go with his life?

 

Just a thought.

[Cabertmom]

JanetC, I think you have a good point about the problem of an independent currlculum. FWIW, I think they have been to a family counselor who really did more harm than good, sad to say.

 

To his credit as I mentioned before, he is a very hard worker when it comes to anything outside of school. I think we on this forum tend to be used to kids who are pretty self-motivated, but not everyone is like that. He just doesn't seem able to make the connection between success in his "book work" and success in life. He is in a volunteer organization with my kids and does fine. He does woodworking and yard work very happily. He cooks well. He's a really nice kid whose company I enjoy, but he is sneaky when it comes to avoiding what he doesn't want to do, which is his homeschooling.

 

Above all I want to be able to go to my friend with some solid suggestions for ways to help him through this. I'm worried that he'll just fall between the cracks and never finish high school. He's working part-time now, which is probably a good thing in a lot of ways, but I worry that he'll just sort of stop his education altogether and regret it in years to come. I don't honestly think dual enrollment is a good fit for him right now unless it was in a subject of great interest to him. I'm not sure about an independent study course as he might just pretend to do it and get nothing done.

 

 

 

 

[J-rap]

We had a family situation (health-related) where we had to streamline our youngest daughter's classes.  We were able to go online and look up the state's minimal requirements.

 

So, we did math through Algebra 2 (so, did pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2), English every year (4 years are required here), three years of a lab science, etc.

 

For math, we used Teaching Textbooks, because that can be done mostly independently.  For English, we had basic workbooks to cover grammar, read literature (your friend can even pick ones that her son would be particularly interested in), and write essays based on the literature read.  I would recommend the book, Increase Your Score in 3 Minutes a Day:  SAT Essay.  That covers writing in the essay format required by SAT testing.  It is a great little book that is simple to use. 

 

For history, we used the History of Us series.  I simply had my daughter read through the series, keeping a journal and writing 3 interesting things she learned each day.  To supplement that, we watched great documentaries together.

 

World History is my love, but the state requirement is only 1 semester, so we used the Walch book, Short Lessons in World History, again accompanied by many great documentaries and films depicting the period.

 

Going backwards a bit, your friend can choose literature books that cover World History and US History (for example, A Tale of Two Cities, so those books would count for both English and History.

 

My daughter did do a few classes online with IQ Academy.  That is available in some states.  For gym, we just kept a record of fitness activities that she did on her own. 

 

Science was the trickiest, but we found texts that we liked and watched labs online for the most part.  We did do some simple ones at home. 

 

I have to run, but feel free to PM me with specific questions.  Thanks for helping your friend!

 

 

[goldberry]

Is there a reason he doesn't just go for his GED?  There are numerous GED prep courses if he is anywhere close.

[JanetC]

I don't honestly think dual enrollment is a good fit for him right now unless it was in a subject of great interest to him

 

Does your community college system have a dropout re-entry program? There are some local CC's here that offer these to kids under 21 who have not been enrolled in a public school for at least a year and do not have a diploma. The starter classes are taken only with other kids in the same program and the counseling and advising is more intensive. The goal is to finish the high school diploma and a career certificate of some kind.

[Hunter's Moon]

Tibbie Dunbar, I tend to agree, and she did look into a charter school for him last year, but they had a waiting list and he didn't get in. I agree with a lot of what you said (of course it's not my call), especially about having a good relationship between mother and son for the next 50 years. Regarding a GED, this young man would likely grow up and excel in the military, but it's my understanding that they no longer accept people with a GED. Does anyone know if that's correct? It would be unfortunate for him to miss that possible path by virtue of going the GED route. Otherwise, that might be the best option.

 

 

As I understand it, there are only a limited number of spots open to GED applicants. So while it's not impossible, it's not easy.

[Hunter's Moon]

I guess my question is, what does this young man hope to do with his life? What does he think will happen when he doesn't complete high school or go for a GED?

 

Maybe he can find something that makes him care enough to trudge through his last few years.

 

If his difficulties in math are significant, throwing a textbook his way doesn't seem like it'd be helpful. Is a tutor a possibility?

[PamJBA]

I looked at the Army requirements. Apparently GED isn't an automatic no. Applicants with a GED need a higher ASVAB score. I also saw that 15 credit hours (a semester) of college will put a GED applicant on par with HS diploma applicants. Other branches of the military are more restrictive, but still allow some exceptions.

 

Is it possible he feels isolated? Homeschool, sick mom, and puberty might be zapping any school motivation. When I homeschooled 11th grade I had to take my work to the public library. There's no way I could have sat at home and accomplished anything. I was lonely. You seem to think he's a hard worker. Maybe it's not school work, but sitting at home doing it alone that's the problem. Just a thought.

[Mama Geek]

I would look at taking the GED and then taking a class or 2 at the local community college.   There is a difference between someone who "just" has a GED and someone who has some college credit in most cases.  My brother took 2 years of welding which got his foot in the door for becoming a sheet metal worker.  He didn't go the GED route he did night school and got his diploma after dropping out of high school.  It was a long hard road but her is finally making decent money.

[Cabertmom]

I looked at the Army requirements. Apparently GED isn't an automatic no. Applicants with a GED need a higher ASVAB score. I also saw that 15 credit hours (a semester) of college will put a GED applicant on par with HS diploma applicants. Other branches of the military are more restrictive, but still allow some exceptions.

 

Is it possible he feels isolated? Homeschool, sick mom, and puberty might be zapping any school motivation. When I homeschooled 11th grade I had to take my work to the public library. There's no way I could have sat at home and accomplished anything. I was lonely. You seem to think he's a hard worker. Maybe it's not school work, but sitting at home doing it alone that's the problem. Just a thought.

 

He's actually pretty active socially, but it is possible. As I mentioned, she's not sick now. They are quite busy helping others in the community, at church, and with extracurricular stuff as well as work for him, though it is possible he feels lonely when actually homeschooling I guess.

 

Regarding the GED, I think if he does really drop out (which isn't the case yet), that would be a good thing if and when he is ready for it. As it is, though, he's still a homeschooler but one at risk of dropping out. My ideal would be to help my friend with suggestions for making homeschooling easy, straight-forward, and doable for a young man with little academic motivation.

 

Thanks especially for the info about military and GED.

 

Hunter's Moon, that is exactly the question. He's not thinking about the future and doesn't get what it will cost him not to finish high school. His mom is at her wit's ends trying to get him to do his work.

 

Thanks to everyone for these great insights.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I would suggest Power Basics curriculum as a quick get it done type of thing. It's High School material at a much lower reading level.  My then 7th grader (who's dyslexic) had no trouble with the Algebra(although I did as there is an answer key but not a solutions guide).  I've got the Physics book also and I think my DS could have gotten through it (it's a worktext) in a semester as long as he didn't need to do the workbook as well, but he's a slow worker (which is why we call him turtle).  We didn't end up using it because it was "boring".