burnout - sort of--anyone else feel this way?

[Ame E.]

I am homeschooling two ninth graders this year.. my daughter is easy.. she's a self-learner.. you give her the planner, you give her the coursework.. she checks it off...it's done... I am involved only as much as she needs me.

With my son it's JUST REALLY SLLLLLOOOWWW going...

On the good side, his Math and Latin have improved about 900% thanks to a wonderful math tutor and a great online Latin class.. History is an outside class, which I am grateful not to be teaching..
so that leaves religion, literature, and science and writing...
Writing this year has been a disaster... for him. he seems to have lost his ability to form thoughts coherently.... He has to write and rewrite anything and everything to get anything hand-in-able and can I just say that it takes him forever. I have been doing IEW C with him... IEW was great for him when in junior high. It's not as effective now, and I'm not sure why. I really feel that he needs and outside English class. He is reading Uncle Tom's Cabin this year. It is taking him forever and a day to get through it... He is listening to it on audio books.. He is comprehending it..

Also, we are doing apologia physical science.. It's a great course.. but I basically have no science background and cannot help the kids...If the truth be told, my daughter is basically teaching my son science.. If she goes to school next year, which she will providing we get financial aide, he will be up a creek without a paddle because his father and I are useless when it comes to science. I feel like they deserve a science teacher.

What it is is that the kids are at the level of study where either they need to do it on their own or go to school... I just feel that a lot of the stuff they are learning is beyond me...I feel kind of tired and burnt out... Ironically, my daughter can't wait to go back to the private school she went to last year... whereas my son has absolutely no interest and likes it at home. the only way for him to stay home would be to do all online courses and to become a self- learner.. His work (handwritten work) is really sloppy and much of it needs to get redone a second time so that it is decent... this is also a big time consuming thing... .

He is also musically gifted.. and again with the music, for him to get to the next level, he needs to learn how to really focus when he practices.. I feel that he has more time for music at home... but he kind of can be all over the place when he practices.. I hear this "all over the placeness" in his playing, but don't know what to do about it.. except point it out, which he resents.. Again, he needs a teacher, who can bring him to the next level. The teacher he has is very good, but he needs to move to the next level and I'm not sure this teacher is the one to do that for him.. or if he is ready to move to that level. He's gifted in music, but he's not a prodigy... this realization has made me think, should he even compete in these piano competitions etc. since he's not and in piano performance, aren't really only the prodigies the ones that get picked?

so fast forward to next week.. the kid is behind in all of his subjects and he has 2 concerts... Again, homeschool gives us the flexibility of leaving some stuff out until the concert is over... but then he has to pick up the pieces...

so if you are homeschooling high school boys with these kind of issues, let me know what you do...

I know, this too shall pass..

I've probably posted something similar in the past.. so thanks for bearing with me.

Ame

[FloridaLisa]

I am homeschooling two ninth graders this year.. my daughter is easy.. she's a self-learner.. you give her the planner, you give her the coursework.. she checks it off...it's done... I am involved only as much as she needs me.

Yep. Dd is this way as well. I have to make sure not to put too much on her weekly chart because she will do everything if it takes her until supper and then some!

With my son it's JUST REALLY SLLLLLOOOWWW going...
so fast forward to next week.. the kid is behind in all of his subjects and he has 2 concerts... Again, homeschool gives us the flexibility of leaving some stuff out until the concert is over... but then he has to pick up the pieces...

so if you are homeschooling high school boys with these kind of issues, let me know what you do...

Bless their hearts, these boys. I'm sure not all boys are like this, but a large percentage sure seem to be! It can be enormously frustrating. I have one (some?) of these too. What to do? I think you walk the fine line and try to push to their ability but not beyond, encourage them to step up and require the standard with consequences. In the best of all worlds, I try to be the cheerleader/encourager for my boys as they mature into the high school years and allow my dh to be the enforcer. It doesn't always work that way, but we try.

:grouphug: If it makes you feel better, this is a fairly standard refrain from moms of teen boys. It makes me feel better, because I get some perspective that it's inherently boy brain and not just my boy! Next week, he'll do something that will make you puff your chest pride and promise. But just give him a few days. . . it's usually two steps forward and one back I've found!

Lisa

[Kareni]

Ame,

Did you see this thread: To all you people with 8th graders (or there abouts)... (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68058)? You might find it of value.

Regards,
Kareni

[Starr]

Or we could all send you our boys for a week. :)

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

It is the time of year for burnout. The public/private schools are taking a spring break in a couple of weeks. WE are also taking a MUCH needed break.

Plus, boys and girls are just SO very different. Maybe you could tweak the assignments a bit for him.

[MamaT]

My 9th grade son is just like this. I have to stay right on top of him for him to complete his work. It gets old - especially when I'm trying to teach three children younger than he is as well.

I think it's just this time of year. We are tired. I have to just make sure I stay diligent even though I would rather not right now. I'm glad we're taking June and July off!

[Brenda in MA]

my now 12th grader was like this a few years ago. One thing I though to ask is how old is this child relative to the typical 9th grader. Our son with a late summer birthday was quite young for his grade. In early high school, we had to push him a lot. The good news is that he has gotten better about this with age, and taking outside courses has helped too. When he was in ps (until the 4th grade), he was the youngest in his class because it's typical for people to hold boys with summer birthdays back a year.

With my younger one, also with a summer birthday, we are considering now having him do two 8th grade years so the maturity thing can catch up a bit. Academically, he's doing fine, but he works very slowly. I, too, see that he's getting to an age where he needs to begin to do a good part of his work by himself, and he is doing that, but now everything takes soooo looong.

I also agree that it's a time of year for burnout. We'll be taking a much needed break shortly, and hopefully, that will give all of us a shot in the arm.

Best wishes,
Brenda

[Laura R (FL)]

Actually, I have a 9th grade dd like this. My 7th grade has picked up her planner this morning and hit the books because she wants to watch a DVD this afternoon. All of her work will be done to satisfaction and chores, too.

My 9th grader meanwhile is laying on the couch in her pj's moaning about being tired. If I let her, she would watch TV and play on the computer and do her work at 5pm when the little one goes to ballet for 3.5 hours. It drives me nuts! The older has a summer birthday, but I think it's just her style, KWIM?

OK...here's what I did for her to help us both out.

I found that are really very much alike and we will argue about everything. The more I push, the more she will resist. We both have ADD, but she is also dyslexic and dysgraphic. After wrestling with these things for all of her homeschooling years, I decided it was time for her to learn to sink or swim (just a little bit :P). She really wants to be independent, but doesn't want to go to public school. We compromised.

She is the reflective, introverted type, so she needed some outside classroom time. She takes science with a local Christian teacher who is really awesome! We could do science at home, but she likes it this way. Next year she is taking Marine Science with him at sea World. How cool is that?! She also takes Eng I at our umbrella school.

She takes Alg I and Web design on-line with FL Virtual School. That really helped her to take some electives that I couldn't teach (computer stuff) and throws accountability to her with an outside source to stay on track with weekly pace charts.

She finishes up her year with French (Rosetta Stone) and Bible at home.

This has helped us because I can be more of a combined cheerleader and coach instead of the heavy. She has slacked on her French, so yesterday she had to do two days of lessons on one day. I just help her (by nagging, I mean reminding) to stay on pace. I make an assignment sheet for her on Monday for the week and I let her choose when she will complete her work. She has made mistakes and has had to do homework at night when she's sleepy, but that's part of learning, too! But it takes the burden off of me.

Next year (10th grade) will look pretty much the same:
Eng II (umbrella school)
Geometery (on-line)
World History (umbrella school)
Marine Science (private class)
Web Design II (on-line)
French II (home)
Bible II (home)
driver's ed(on-line)

You and your son need to determine how important the music and competitions are for him. It may be a tremendous source of satisfaction for him. If he wants to continue, then he will have to adjust his schooling scheduling. As for the handwriting issue, can he type?

Best wishes for the rest of your year! Sounds like you are nearing the end of the "marathon". Enjoy the few years you have left!

[4wildberrys]

I guess my advice is----never underestimate your abilities to homeschool your kids---even in subjects you are not an expert in!!!!!! I totally, totally understand the slow son thing :D This is my son----his sister works non-stop checking off the boxes, coming to me for discussion and corrections. My son, on the other totally opposite hand, waits for me to hand him each subject, will skip it if I forget it---oh you get the picture. I guess another thought I have is that if your kids are SO different----are they on the SAME academic schedule? Why? Can't you tailor things more to your son's learning style and interests---one of the major perks of homeschooling?? Apologia IS supposed to be independant----why not let it be. Or if Apologia does not click----try a different type of program like DVD. Homeschooling has proven it through the decades----you CAN do it no matter your eduational or expertise level.

[Beth in SW WA]

I guess my advice is----never underestimate your abilities to homeschool your kids---even in subjects you are not an expert in!!!!!!

you CAN do it no matter your eduational or expertise level.

:iagree:
I'm living proof of this.

Ds 13 is doing all high school level work. He has surpassed me in math, science, languages, etc.

THAT is why he will be attending a local private school next year. Yes, I could homeschool him. He is a great self-starter (especially when he wants to go to youth group or lacrosse practice -- or practice guitar for hours).

I don't feel burnt out. I feel like he needs more than what I am offering him in these 4 walls.

Online classes have been cumbersome due to technological problems. Meeting once/wk for a language class isn't productive.

The OP said you feel like your son" deserves a science teacher." That is how I feel.

Rambling now. Sorry.

Anyway, just a different perspective. Granted, anything could change and both my older dc could be home for high school.