Online Public Homeschool...Need your opinions about Trouble?

[savingdogs]

Well some of you probably chimed in and helped me decide to go the online public homeschool route with my 13-year-old son who has the middle name "trouble."
This was our first week with IQ Academy WA, Evergreen School District, a free online public school offered in our county via boundary exception. After an interesting "virtual" meeting in which we sat in our living room and listened to a teacher giving a class lecture via internet, and other students and families were doing the same. We are a computer savvy family so we did not find any of it challenging and my son was able to learn how to receive and send in his work, piece of cake.

So my normally disinterested-in-school son whips through his first "week" in two days. The one-on-one format is working well with him and the curriculum is created to be interesting. For instance, in his introduction to philosophers, they animated the faces of philosophers from the old drawings and made it look like they were speaking their ideas or words. They are making the learning experience much more visual and that is much more how my son learns.

His other challenge was getting assignments turned in and completed, which the internet process made quick and easy. And he didn't manage to get into any trouble at all!

I can see my son is going to have time on his hands we did not expect (although I think they are starting off easy with this program until everyone gets up to speed with the technology). For those of you who did not read my other thread, I'm a hearing impaired person living in the woods, trying to be self sufficient. I do work outside the home. Regular homeschooling was too challenging for me with my medical conditions, but this works.

I'd love to hear opinions/suggestions. How shall I keep Trouble busy without him realizing? He is already our animal care specialist helping with our six/eight dogs, three cats, three dairy goats and 18 chickens.

Calling on you experts for all the ongoing advice you might care to pour on.

 

[tortoise]

I'd just keep advancing him through the levels as he progresses. I was homeschooled and remember having TONS of free time because my parents wouldn't let us progress above our grade levels.

We were in youth symphony, children's theatre, volunteered at a museum, all sorts of things!

 

[tortoise]

You could create a huge project involving math, business, biology and more and let him start his own herd of animals (of your choice). Nothing like making the stuff relevant...

 

[savingdogs]

Well the online program does have a pace set. At this point we are glad he is completing his work and such...he was a poor student prior and had trouble passing. He was just being pushed ahead each year in the public system because they didn't know what else to do with him.

We are starting a dairy goat herd and this son is the more active of the two we have with the goats. He is a little old to begin 4H however (and we had a rather negative experience with a dog 4H group) so he hasn't responded to my suggestions we do a 4H dairy goat project, even though we have a perfect prospect in our goat pen. I wish I knew a cute 13-year-old girl in 4H goats lol.

I did not mention here we volunteer as a family doing humane society dog rescue and this child spends alot of time volunteering already. But none of that is very schoolastic, I need to encourage him that study and learning is interesting so that he will be ........I don't know...a veterinarian as opposed to a dairy goat poop scooper somewhere.

 

[tortoise]

It can be scholastic if you let him into the behind-the-scenes. In rescue, there is technical writing, marketing, grooming, shadowing a vet, budgeting, business, etc.

He is already doing it without realizing. Just make a few projects out of it. Balancing the checkbook is budgeting, finances, and math in one short activity.

In a herd, start with variety and do punnet squares and pedigree analysis to predict future generations. Then see if you are right! That's agronomy and biology.

Maybe set up a bank account just for the creatures. Give him an allowance and have him manage the herd. Planning, budgeting, business, math, biology (nutrition).

Is there a zoo he can volunteer at? Can he shadow your vet? What do you have around for field trips? Maybe find something HE can tutor a younger child. Is there a homeschool association nearby?

Ask him why. Why do goats eat alfalfa? Why is the grass green? Where does dew come from? And when you find a question he can't answer, help him to discover the answer.

I vote for finding a cute 13 yr old girl in 4H.

 

[3nglishteacher]

I'm sorry I have not read your previous post about your son but am just jumping in on this post.

It will take several months for your son to "decompress." We pulled our son out to homeschool at 8th gr and it truly took all of 6-8 months for him to slough off his hatred of academics and find something he was passionate about. It was the longest, scariest time of my life as a Mom. Eventually, his natural curiosity returned and his eyes were no longer glazed over and he attacked academics with a hunger. Our hs curriculum was my own creation (approved by local school board) so I could let him spend 3-4 months on chemistry - if that was his new interest. I just made sure to balance his year out with other subjects.

Your son's curriculum can work the same way. Once - or as - he "decompresses" (I swear, when a veteran mom told me about this phenomenon I thought she was batty - but it's true and she was right.) watch for interests he may have and start now to look for used homeschool supplies. The vegsource.com board used to have a huge buy/swap forum. Be alert for something he's passionate about, wants to understand at a deeper level. Boys, more than girls, tend to be single-minded and focused in their interests - sticking with something to the point of saturation or exhaustion.

And more than anything - find your local homeschool group. You don't have to be active immediately, just get in the loop so when something comes up - sports, social events, field trips, classes, etc. - you're not behind before you begin.

sorry this is so long -- I teach in public high school but homeschooling is near & dear to my heart too.

Best wishes!

 

[TanksHill]

So good to hear your homeschooling is going well. Your son must have a great feeling of accomplishment.

I say skip the girls, that's just an invitation for trouble.

How about a job? I don't know where you live but are there some local craftsman in the area. I think learning a trade is such and important thing. Perhaps he could be an apprentice somewhere?

Just an idea.

gina

 

[pioneergirl]

what if he started his own home business? maybe a fundraiser sort of thing, whether it be raising a particular crop and selling it, or even raising a sheep and selling the wool? Something to where he has to plan, project, produce, then budget for the next round. Also needing to advertise, do a little PR, and maybe then donating extra profit to the shelter or to a charity?

Just a thought ......I think my step son would have benefited from internet school, but his mother would have nothing of it. She is a story unto herself. I just know that when he would come to visit, I put him to work on the farm....he grumbled a lot, but would brag later about all the things he did and how proud he was of his accomplishments. As it is, he is constantly in trouble either with his mom/step dad, or at school. I'm just glad he's only got a few months left before graduation. *sigh*

 

[savingdogs]

These are great ideas, I knew I could count on you guys.

Pioneergirl's comment reminds me this child needs to do some community service he has been assigned. We volunteer in dog rescue and so he will be doing some sort of project for them.

I do think it was good for Trouble to have a feeling of accomplishment for his first week. He has had such a hard time with getting everything turned in and being organized.

3englishteacher, your comments were very interesting about decompressing. I think my son thinks he is "dumb" because he has been behind so long. However we see his mind clicking along at an incredible rate and know he is no slacker mentally. I do want him to be passionate about subjects and enjoy learning interesting stuff.

Tortoise I've already implemented some of your ideas, trying to be subtle. We have one dairy goat Molly who is our best quality girl to breed, I've asked him to help me research what would be the best offspring we could create. He knows we are planning on keeping a few female babies.

As dog rescuers, we cannot go the option of breeding dogs. It is kinda against our religion. We believe dogs should be created by experts especially dedicated, at least until such time that there are not so many being euthanized in humane societies. This is why we ran into trouble with our first 4H experience, they were dog breeders who actually knew less about dogs than my son did. Since we are very much newcomers to goats, we would have gotten more benefit from a 4H goat group. 13 is a hard age to start "wholesome" activities however when you child already thinks he should look tough.

 

[tortoise]

"13 is a hard age to start "wholesome" activities however when you child already thinks he should look tough."

Gender studies? lol No seriously. Young boys think of being male as everything that is "not female" according to our culture. So NOT nuturing. Not respectful. etc.

The reason I fell in love with (and continue to be swept head over heels by) my SO is the sensitivity and nurturing he shows towards my 3 yr old son. It makes him MORE of a man, IMO.

So there are some concepts to introduce. It won't change his mindset and he still has to look tough and cool around his friends. But I think it is important for him to know that nurturing, be sensitive and kind, as he is learning with the dogs and the herd, does not make him a sissy.

Sounds like you are really on the right tracks. Have fun!