Help with reluctant learner

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  • March 3, 2011 at 11:42 pm
    dward
    Member

    My 14yo has always been a reluctant learner and when I switched to CM this last year, I thought I had found the right way to homeschool.  We have been attempting to hs all along, and I use the word attempting because it doesn’t seem to be too successful from an academic perspective.

    I started using living books (or what I thought were living books) for history, literature and science, narration, dictation, copywork, Easy Grammar, vocabulary workbook, MUS (using this all along), and a writing program from BraveWriter.

    However, with the exception of one history book, she has lost interest in all the other books, groans about narration, grammar and vocab work, has poor handwriting, is a poor speller, has hit a wall in MUS and puts off her writing assignments.  Help!

    I can’t seem to provide the right environment to ignite the love of learning.  I’m starting to really stress out as high school looms ahead of us and my dd is way behind PS peers.  She hates “school” and mom being the teacher.

    A request to attend high school classes next year has been voiced and I am panicking because I fear if I let her attend that she will not be successful. 

    I’m exhausted by the drama, the constant research of trying to find the right books, and the arguments and lack of measurable success. 

    Anyone have any suggestions on how to correct or turn this situation around for us?

    Thanks.

     

    March 4, 2011 at 1:09 am
    suzukimom
    Participant

    I’m afraid I don’t have much of a solution for you… except having her do manual work as that will be the only jobs she can get.

    When I married my husband, he had 3 children of which he had custody.  The youngest did not attend school well at all.  In a 5 day week, she would go maybe 2 days.  The truant officer was at our house constantly… until they gave up too.  The could see that we were TRYING to get her to go to school, but she wouldn’t.  (needless to say, this was not the only issue we had with this young girl… btw, she was 11.)  I am amazed that Child and Family Services didn’t take her away.  The only reason my husband was never fined or sent to jail was because we were trying to get her to go.  At one point I told her that she better get used to washing dishes, as the only job she would be able to get is doing that or something similar.

    She is now only 20, almost 21.  She has a grade 7 education (which is probably being generous…), although she is pretty intelligent and in some areas would test higher than that.  She has had very few jobs, most of which are not fun jobs – and she doesn’t keep them long.  It is sad.

    Anyway just trying to say that if your child won’t work for you, school isn’t likely to help.

    I wish I had a solution for you.  I wish I had had a solution for our step-daughter.

    I think at some point with some kids, you have to stop trying to find something that they like, and say “this is what you are doing”.  she may need boundaries, and is searching for them.

    I hope this helped in some way.

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