Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments anyone homeschooling creatively talented kid?

I've moaned extensively on the 2E board so won't go into too many particulars here on DS and his struggles.

Thinking about doing one year (ostensibly eighth)* of homeschool to allow DS13 to relax and detox a little. DS is a classical autodidact (if that is a thing).

He enjoys:
composing music electronically
video-editing
sports (watching, reading, discussing--not playing)
politics
history/current events
creative writing
comedy

He is good at math and will do it without much fuss, but doesn't love it.

He doesn't like anything "academic." <---translation: other people's ideas about what he should be doing.

He games a little but not obsessively. I haven't allowed RPGs for him and won't until he's older. I mention this because my biggest hesitation is that DS might spend an entire year doing nothing but screens. He mostly uses screens productively, so my feelings are mixed.

If he took a year off of public school, what are the most important traditional subjects he needs to keep practicing so he doesn't end up with a skill gap in high school?

I'm thinking math, online, is the only super important one. He reads constantly, writes on his own, and is usually doing something productive on non-school time, if he's not exhausted.

I'm also thinking maybe a coding course. He has taught himself some code, but only in response to needing a Minecraft server to do something he needed. Nothing formal. Where is a good place to start learning code for a young teen?

He says he could see himself doing something music/tech related for a living, but I wouldn't even know what to call that, in terms of what formal education would lead in that direction.

Am I missing important things?

*He will technically not be missing a year of school, because he will have completed the MS curriculum this year, and will have banked some HS credits, as well. So this is a relatively low-risk experiment.

DD started with the Youth Digital class on Minecraft mods, and then took the AoPS Introduction to Programming (Python) class. I agree that coding would be a good subject to introduce if you are homeschooling, especially if he's interested in ultimately doing "something music/tech related" - even without knowing what that might be, I bet it will involve coding.

When you say "no RPGs," are you including the pencil-and-paper sit-around-a-table-and-roll-dice variety? Because those might actually be good for providing a structure for interacting with others and "experimenting" socially in a lower-stakes environment.

No, I was using that loosely. I'm talking about games like World of Warcraft, League of Legends, etc. I have seen too many adolescents become totally addicted to these can easily imagine DS in that situation.

That's a great idea about IRL gaming. He has never played D & D, for instance but might enjoy that. He has liked Pokemon and Magic at certain intervals, too. I'm fine with that sort of game. There are a few local groups, too.

I'll look at the AoPS class. I think he would definitely need some formal instruction. He likes to teach himself, but he has a low frustration tolerance when things become difficult.

DD really enjoyed the AoPS class, any only needed a little bit of prodding to persist through the hard bits. She is going to her second session of a D&D group on Friday, and she loves it.

The only other thing that I think may be missing from your list is PE. If he's going to be home all day every day, I think you're justified in insisting that he move his body regularly in some way.

IF your DS is an autodidact then he may excel with homeschooling and gain a lot of confidence. I think the issue with math, particularly, as kids get older is not losing the momentum with the standard math curriculum (algebra, geometry, algebra II, pre-cal, cal, etc.) while not boring the child to death with rote and kill. There are tons of online math programs, math textbooks or curriculum which don't tend to deviate too much from what is covered in the public schools so you shouldn't have too much difficulty in that area. The trick is finding something that will work for your ds.

On the other hand, homeschooling offers a child a lot of time to pursue other aspects and/or delve deeper, broader into various subjects. It would be a good time to go beyond computational math and the standard math curriculum if there is an interest or something that piques his curiosity. Again, there are tons of stuff online or around, if you look.

Homeschooling can be an ideal environment for those 2e kids who like to be in the driver's seat with their education and prefers teaching themselves.

I would encourage you to look at some MOOCs (udacity, coursera, canvas network are pitched to a more general audience than edX and others; udacity is particularly good for coding, I think). There's Khan which some kids like; others are not so keen on. But really you could also just grab a bunch of textbooks and see what sticks and then works rather than going online.

I've met a number of parents who decided to homeschool a child for a year or two. I've heard that it's more beneficial than anything detrimental. Also, better for a child to find their passion and future interests now than shelling out the big bucks for a college with a child without any direction, I say.

I've been homeschooling my ds10 who is 2e for 4 yrs now. Some days are better than others; and I admit that I've had my share of very bad days with homeschooling where I want to put ds under a bus. Overall, however, it's still the least-worst scenario.

How are your finances? I don't know what finished middle school equals for maths but if he has done algebra he could maybe do some of the AOPS courses that go outside what seems to be the US maths sequence. If you have the money there are heaps of optilons. If you don't you need to be more creative. I would require something from maths, science, writing and PE plus reveiw if he has been doing a language. The don't have to all be every day or even concurrent just keep the momentum.

For a variety of answers to this question which may help you and your son craft a personalized plan for the next year's educational and experiential journey, you may wish to check some of these resources:
1) Common Core Standards for 8th grade and for high school
2) Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF)
3) What High Schools Don't Tell You
4) What Colleges Don't Tell You
5) Youth's Highest Honor
6) Taking an out-of-grade-level test, such as taking the ACT or SAT early (through a regional talent search or signing up directly through College Board)

In some places, volunteer "service hours" are increasingly becoming a requirement for high school graduation.

Additionally this upcoming year could be seen as an opportunity to become more well-rounded or pointy.

This may be a great time for him to begin researching. One resource is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, provided free online by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

He may wish to consider entering contests/competitions, for fun, feedback, and possibly earning awards/credentials.

Although his academic accomplishments may presently be 1 year ahead, some may say that if the EF skills are not addressed and improved over the next year, and if he becomes too comfortable doing as he pleases without setting clear goals and making measurable progress toward them, the risk of him not completing high school may be great.

Document, document, document. This may include reading lists, goals & accomplishments, service hours, contests/competitions, etc. You may also wish to keep a printed record of your State's current home school laws to refer to in case they change.

Thanks for all of the encouragement! This made me LOL. If it's any consolation, you'd probably want to put him under a bus some days, even if he was going to school.

I'll check out all of the resources you mentioned. I think DS would feel so much better if he didn't spend so many hours in an environment that is over/under stimulating at the the same time. Then I could see what he is actually capable of doing.


Resources are limited, but could probably pull off a couple of virtual classes. He is supposed to do geometry next year. I am math illiterate so this is the subject that worries me most. He is good at algebra and I have no idea if he will struggle with geometry (I did, but I think I'm LD in spatial relations--not sure about DS). He does have an older brother who would help if he has trouble with geometry. I also asked his current math teacher--who has been a blessing all year--if she could tutor him next year, if we take this option, and she said she'd be happy to do that.

He was supposed to do this through Duke in December, but was too overwhelmed by finals and so I didn't have him go. I do think ACT scores would be helpful for us to see how he compares and possibly help his self-esteem, which is wrecked.

This is something he wants to do, anyway, this summer. I have a plan for the family to do some service this summer (although not for hours)--we could document that, even though that's not the point.
I think pointy might be the right direction for DS. He is academically well-rounded (as far as being grade level, etc.) but he will never be a mainstream, shiny apple student. It's not in his nature to conform (understatement).

This is what I worry about. Not the dropout thing, exactly, because I wouldn't allow that to happen, but just general misery at school for the next five years. His life skills are behind schedule, but he's made a lot of progress this year in hygiene, self-care, etc. I have this idealistic notion that if I weren't spending so much time wrangling him into doing schoolwork, it would open up some space for learning basic self-care, household chores, etc. That might increase his feelings of self-efficacy and improve EF in a non-academic way. Right now he just doesn't have the energy for much of anything.

Really, if he doesn't have stable mental health, the EF isn't going to develop positively, is my thinking. My concept of homeschool for eighth grade is an extended mental health day. For all of us.

Excellent that he wants to volunteer. The Congressional Award for American Youth is a great way to acknowledge a kid's unsung accomplishments. Prior to volunteering, your sons may want to register with a mentor and establish goals. Then document the hours and activities. It is amazing how the efforts can add up... and lead to goals in new directions.

From a cost-reduction perspective, keep in mind that AoPS books are very clearly written and easy to follow, and its on-line community is extremely active and free to join. For a kid who is a natural autodidact anyway, he may do great with the books and on-line access, without needing the actual (quite expensive) on-line courses to keep him moving along. If he has questions, other kids and monitors on the AoPS forum could probably help a ton, even if he doesn't have direct access to a teacher via a specific course. Or he could do one class as a formal course (I'd tend towards the coding, personally), build some comfort and a network, and then do others on his own.

I would expect by now it should even be possible to find some AoPS books in used form.

Awesome you are doing this, eco! I think you and your DS will both benefit greatly. Good for you for being brave enough to try a new path. (And for what it's worth, I suspect there is a vast range of emerging careers out there based on electronic music composition. Though my old-school mind can't conceive of them, I think my DS is busy inventing a few. The intersection with coding could be particularly cool.)