Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments More homeschooling questions

Thank you all again for the responses. I did check out the links that were provided. The Well Trained Mind is huge. I could spends days in there.lol

I really feel I want to do this, especially for my youngest. He needs to get out of school. He needs to be able to learn at his speed and not the speed of the class. But, before I can comfortably do this, I need to read and learn how to motivate him.

Can anyone recommend a book on how to motivate a underachiever??

The curriculum we use through the cyber school is K12 and I am quite pleased so far. I do tweak it sometimes, but not very much:) They also use narration and dictation depending on the grade as a way into writing.

Often when a child is allowed/encouraged to learn at the appropriate level and about subjects that interest him/her, underachieving is no longer a problem. Get rid of the boredom, and often (though not always), the problem takes care of itself.

I don't have any books to recommend, I'm afraid.

This is my hope and what DD8 claims will fix her current underachievement issues.

We are doing k12 for DD5 this year. DD8 has attended a private school since K and is in 3rd grade this year. Our intention was just to do k12 for one year and then put DD5 in the same B&M as her sister.

k12 is going very well for our youngest and we don't believe we could put her in a B&M school for many reasons. In the meantime DD8 has been struggling to find challenge in her school and we've been dealing with underachievement issues. After over a month of consideration she has decided to do k12 next year. This wasn't what we had planned, but she's very logical and convincing. We're flexible so we're now planning on schooling both girls at home next school year. Big changes!

DD8 says that next year will be different because she will be allowed to work at her own pace so will always be motivated. She has dropped all expectations of her current school and is focusing on just enjoying being there. She says next year is when the real learning will begin.

Hi Exo - Welcome! So glad you are here! If you don't mind my saying...

6 months seems like a long time to coast. Maybe girls are more tolerant? Seems like the schools should be willing to do something in the meantime...although I totally get not wanting to go through the pain of advocacy. I just know that my son can talk a great line, but in the end, he is still a child, and not so great at 'Know Thyself.'

If your daughter has a better track record, then that's a different story.

Does your DD8 get much homework? If not, and she is just loving the social aspect of school and motivated to finish the year, why not 'insist' on 15 minutes of homework on the nights she doesn't get any from school? Or be very agressive about letting the teacher know that you won't be requiring her to do homework that isn't at her readiness level, but will be substituting your own for your daughter to hand in?

Best book on reversing underachievement is Sylvia Rimm's 'Why bright kids get poor grades' - problem is that there are 250 pages of blaming 'home factors' and then a little paragraph that explains that for gifted kids, just being in the regular classroom is enough to do all these terrible things.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Thanks Grinity. I did find this on underachievement. Duke Strategies to Motivate underachievers

We talked to the kids at dinner about what they thought about homeschooling. I have to say, it was an interesting conversation. We told them it was something we were just thinking about. Oldest worries about everything.

Oldest wants to go to school then have us home school him till dinner time. He wants to learn faster. I feel he can be convinced easily. He's having a hard time with the thought of leaving his friends. We reassured him, he will still have play dates with his friends from school. He's trying to compromise with himself really. He was asking if he could go to school till noon then come home and learn.

Youngest isn't sure. He is having a hard time picturing me as a teacher. He was very quite through the conversation. He needs more time to think about it. Not that it matters, he needs homeschooling the most, but I do want to hear his thoughts and fears. I want him coming into this with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn from me.

Good for you for approaching it as you are. I especially like that you're giving them time to sort through their feelings about it. You are a wise woman!

LOL, Grinity! I think I'm on page 249!

I appreciate the thoughts as we're still trying to figure out how best to handle this year. It's a long and convoluted story really, probably deserving a new post. Overall though it has been more a shift in her focus. Her primary issue is with not feeling challenged in math. This has been an issue since day one at the school.

We have not stopped advocating for her, though admittedly if we were planning on having her back at the school next year we would be doing lots more. She has decided instead to put her focus at school into other areas and not in math. She has been enjoying project studies they have been doing and loves a number of her special classes. It just happens that math is her favorite subject and the one in which we struggle to find challenge for her in school.

It does not help that the school's solution this year is to supply her with at home, optional enrichment. She has enough at home materials already. It only further convinced her she should be learning at home.

Our biggest concern the first few months of school this year was how her frustration with math at school extended to not wanting to do anything else at home for fear of getting further ahead. Since she made the decision to not expect challenging math at school and to school at home next year this has changed. She still has no desire to do the optional work sent home by the school but is going back to doing some of the at home enrichment we have here. She just won't tell her school she's doing them.

It's helped that I've begun doing some of DD5's k12 work in the evenings. DD8 jumps right on in and we have to get creative with her. It's been a nice trial run in a way. I do know that I should push ODD a little more then I do because actually we never really have. She's always been self motivated when it comes to her learning.

Thanks again!

Hi,Kriston! This is good advice, lol. HS'ing has been very expensive for us b/c I keep researching and reading and trying more and more and/or different. I need to chill! Actually, I just need to make a decision, lol!