Struggling Child

[lovemytea]

I am homeschooling my two daughters. One is 14, the other 15. I've decided to keep my 15 yo in 9th grade. My 14 yo makes As and Bs, some Cs. My 15 yo struggles with all subjects and makes Cs and Ds. I don't know what to do for her. We tried PS when they were young and because they were homeschooled, the school wanted to do some testing on them. My 14 yo scored high to high superior in all subjects. Her IQ was high. My 15 yo scored average to low average, with one high score. Her IQ was average to borderline low average. I know it's been a struggle for her her entire educational years and I feel so bad for her. I make her do the same work but I do cut back on tests. She does very well with SOS and all lessons are pretty much As or Bs, with an occasional C, D or F. She can't remember all that she needs to on her tests. She has major anxiety when it comes to testing. I would love to hear from others with struggling teens that can help me to know what to do for her. My worst fear is that she won't be able to go to a technical college. She has to be able to take care of herself when she moves out and I'm so worried about her. Her everyday life things are no problem for her. She isn't autistic or anything like that. It's just that school is so hard for her. HELP, please!

 

Thank you.

[Moni]

She can't remember all that she needs to on her tests.I would love to hear from others with struggling teens

 

If they can't remember all they need to for the tests...quickly enough, I just don't give them the test until I "know they know" all they need for the test.

Otherwise the test shows us that they didn't memorize everything yet, and we already knew that. So why give the exam yet? :confused:

 

So it kind of depends on what your goals are.

If you want to stick to an exam schedule and test scores be as they may, then that's fine too, if that's the goal.

 

If you want the student to learn and memorize well enough to pass a test, then that is fine too.

 

What is an example of what she is studying, in what manner, and when you give the tests, etc., for each subject area? Perhaps with specific information we can comment.

 

:seeya:

[lovemytea]

My goal is to have her finish high school and go onto a technical college and finish with a degree in anything. I know how hard it will be for her to get a decent job without an education beyond high school. I really don't care if she does the tests or not. Actually, I'd rather her not, which is why I deleted them from the SOS program. When she does well, she's excited, but when she doesn't, which is more often, it really gets her down and she feels like she can't do anything. So, I just deleted them all. I would rather she felt like she accomplished something by doing the work, than to feel like a failure by not doing well on tests. Currently we are doing Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra and she is having trouble. My other dd is doing well. When she realizes this, it embarasses her so I try to work with her alone while my other dd is doing SOS.

 

Thank you.

[Moni]

First of all, it's okay for the academids be difficult, to go back and review and repeat. That's the idea. To find out where the student is lacking and remedy that.

 

My student struggles all the time and ahs for years and I never knew it was noteworthy until I joined the homeschool discussion forums. ;) It doesn't mean I am going to put him in an easier book so he doesn't have to learn this stuff.

 

Anyway, if you want her to finish a trade training program, then I would focus on basic skills now.

 

Reading.

Read well, read more, read with comprehension. So read for the content areas (history, science, literature, religion, math, etc.)

And then write "about what you just read" types of writing assignments. This way the student's brain will grapple with making sense out of what she just read... the brain's grappling is the goal, the though processes before the pencil his the paper. The finished writing product in inconsequential.

 

Composition

Put That In Writing Books 1 and 2.

 

Math.

Math facts mastery.

And then build up from there.

Maybe her math facts are weak. If the academics are that much trouble for her at this age, I would highly suspect she doesn't own mastery of her math facts.

O-10, plus, minus, times, and divide.

http://www.GarlicPress.com math facts, basic facts package.

She needs to pass each sheet in under :05 minutes.

If you find she can do that, great.

If she is in the correct math book for her skill level, then just keep on keeping on.

She does her assignments, makes her own corrections. Must score a 90% on the daily work or else she repeats the lesson tomorrow. Or do 3 math assignments in a row. Then see which ones she scored under 90% on on the first try. Repeat those before moving on. It may be all three. That's fine.

After she repeats all 3 math days, see which of those repeated assignments she didn't score 90% or better on the first try. Repeat those if any before moving on. She will get better as she goes along.

Make sure she is self-correcting any missed problems.

 

Vocabulary

So she can understand what she reads, have reading comprehension.

Flashcards daily, repeating the onces she doesn't know, regular review throughout the year.

 

You may be interested in the PASS books, ever for her to "just read"

http://www.pass.leon.k12.fl.us/default.aspx

They are free downloads, but frankly it may be less expensive to just purcahse them.

They don't cost that much money at all.

So she can "just read" for her content area. And/or "write about what she read."

 

Otherwise, just move along with what materials you have, at student's pace. Don't move on until she knows whatever it is that is being studied.

 

I'd be more inclined to use printed materials than SOS though.

 

:seeya: