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Feeling overwhelmed, help for High School!
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Hi all, We have adopted 5 children from Russia, three we are still homeschooling.
Due to a move, losing our support system, adopting two teenagers and major trauma, my younger girls have had a difficult journey with their home school.
Two are now 15 and 16 and in the 9th and 10th grade. Part of the problem has been me and “trying” things that did not work for them and not staying consistent with their school. I am overwhelmed and exhausted…yet I want to do right by them and make their high school experience excellent and memorable. I like the CM style but have vacillated between several styles and I think my kids are confused and bored. Please help! I want to plan the next 3 and 4 years of their school (within reason) so we can start this journey fresh and new and enjoy the school years we have left together. They are fabulous children and smart in every way…I read a post that said “They felt new even thought it had been years they had been homeschooling”…gosh, that says it all…I have two different learning styles in my high school girls and want to challenge and help them love learning. Any suggestions are most welcomed. Blessings to all, tjmc
In which subjects do you feel they are behind?
You might need to choose some good booklists for them to complete on their own in some areas. After a Bible study together, get your day off to a good start. Then, those areas that you find needing some extra help can be tackled one on one, or together.
I know He can make up for lost time. I’ll keep you in my prayers and ask that He will show you how to encourage each of them.
Blessings,
Becca<><
I also wanted to mention that using audio books might be helpful every once on a while. You can all listen while doing chores, drawing, folding clothes, or knitting/crocheting, etc.
Music appreciation can be done similarly. We added symphony tickets for our daughter as a “junior” last year. It was expensive for the two of us to go, but we looked forward to it and learned so much. An hour before the performance, the conductor would teach a class on something related to the symphony. Then, he’d introduce the guest soloist(s) for a time of Q&A. Our younger children will do something similar, but I’ll be more careful about spending that much $! We found out halfway through the season that each year benefactors donate to allow students and their parents to attend for free (up to 4 tickets, with additional tickets to be purchased at $5 each)! I’ve also seen one of the Great Courses at our library on how to listen to opera. That includes lectures and parts of various operas.
Our children use Saxon math with the DIVE dcds available if they get stuck. We also have Harold Jacob’s Geometry and the Dr. Callahan’s DVDs. I am actually going to study geometry this year as I barely made a C in it in highschool 25 years ago. It will be a nice challenge! I want the kids to see that even adults can go back and pick up things they didn’t master or never studied at all.
We have friends that have utilized Netflix for all sorts of subjects. That requires Internet now. But, I believe Blockbuster still has the mailing option. I’m not sure of the selection. But there are really nice guides for using movies with your studies. I like the one written by Beth Holland called Learningvwith the Movies: A Guide for Education and Fun.
Apprenticeships are nice and so are jobs, if you keep a handle on the time involved away from studies. Our kids also go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Our eldest 3 took it with us. Our youngest 2 will take it as “freshmen,” if not in junior high.
I will post more as ideas come to me.
Blessings,
Becca<><
Also, check out bravewriter.com and ‘Help for Highschool’ Speaks right to the student and is a great program for Language Arts- right through essay writing and reports, all done in a CM fashion..
Thanks so much. The two things they are behind is Science and Math. They actually did Algebra 1-1/2 way through and got stuck. My husband is a math genius, but also works ALL the time, so not much help there. That is not my strong suit and I can’t help them much. We got teaching textbooks, but they do not like computer based curriculum. They like me to be with them and more instruction. I’ve thought about a tutor, but we are in a bind right now and not sure if we can afford it. They are not “outside the box” thinkers…I think because of the way they were raised or should I say, “held down” in the orphanage.
After 5,7,8 years home, they still ask permission for simple things that they don’t have to…I think a lot of their challenges are also fear based…If I wanted to chart a course for the next 4 years for them…how would you combine textbook, dvds, experience and workbooks? They actually like them (WORKBOOKS), but (for example) Alpha Omega is just over their heads. It is too much because they don’t have the critical thinking part down yet? We have done Learning Adventures, Saxon Math (early on,) Keys To, Apologia Science, SOS (did not like at all…but did finish most of it this year) I long for something rich, yet not so over their heads that they are just doing busy work…that drives me bonkers. I want them to follow their interests all the while doing the required subjects well. Thanks for letting me “vent”…Confidence on my part is also in question…before we adopted these kids, we raised two great children…adding 5 more to a second family…I SHOULD be the most confident person ever…This IS hard work…how do you ladies revive and give yourself a break??? Both mental and physical…okay, I’m done…;o) Blessings, tjmc
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