Mom's Summer School
Today marks the first full day of the delinquent's summer. To my utter shock, he did not qualify for the school district's summer school - I can only assume because of budget cuts, not because of his brilliant schoolwork.
Therefore, I have designed Mom's Summer School. First comes the workbook: I found Summer Bridge to be the most useful and least onerous. That didn't save me from the theatrical eyerolls - nobody else's mom makes them do schoolwork in the summer, yanno. Too bad, so sad. The workbook is excellent; three or four lessons a day, including math, reading, English, science, etc. Each day he does a few lessons. Fortunately for me there is an answer key, since I had no way of knowing if his answers were correct. I could never homeschool; my math SUCKS.
Then comes the other stuff. A daily journal entry. Book reports due each week, alternating with essays - he can write an essay about any subject that interests him, as long as it's a full page. We will have a number of educational field trips to historical locations and assignments in places like the Botanical Gardens or the history museum: "Go find me three facts I didn't know." Art projects and creative stuff to keep his brain alive.
I have been doing this the last few summers, since he hasn't qualified for the school's summer school and his grades have been less than stellar. It is sometimes difficult to motivate him. I have devised a points system where he gains points for doing his work, having a good attitude, etc. and loses points for failing to do his work and being a teenage snothead. We came up with a list of prizes he can win for points, beginning with ice cream and going up to a trip to the movies.
I have no idea what I'm doing. I am totally making this up as I go along. But my son is struggling academically (that's the nice way of putting it) and has a serious lack of work ethic. I can only kick his butt for so long; he must learn to kick his own butt. Every educational professional who's ever come near him says the same thing: he's very bright, he's completely lazy and mondo ADHD. He could do much better if he could discipline himself to do the damn work. And I refuse to let him spend the summer exercising nothing but his thumbs.
The only problem: the times he's not with me. He'll spend two weeks at his father's house, a week and a half visiting my mother, a week at Scout camp. I can send the workbook along with him (well, not to camp), but will the work happen when I'm not there?
Let's hope it has some effect on him. I'm running out of ideas.
Therefore, I have designed Mom's Summer School. First comes the workbook: I found Summer Bridge to be the most useful and least onerous. That didn't save me from the theatrical eyerolls - nobody else's mom makes them do schoolwork in the summer, yanno. Too bad, so sad. The workbook is excellent; three or four lessons a day, including math, reading, English, science, etc. Each day he does a few lessons. Fortunately for me there is an answer key, since I had no way of knowing if his answers were correct. I could never homeschool; my math SUCKS.
Then comes the other stuff. A daily journal entry. Book reports due each week, alternating with essays - he can write an essay about any subject that interests him, as long as it's a full page. We will have a number of educational field trips to historical locations and assignments in places like the Botanical Gardens or the history museum: "Go find me three facts I didn't know." Art projects and creative stuff to keep his brain alive.
I have been doing this the last few summers, since he hasn't qualified for the school's summer school and his grades have been less than stellar. It is sometimes difficult to motivate him. I have devised a points system where he gains points for doing his work, having a good attitude, etc. and loses points for failing to do his work and being a teenage snothead. We came up with a list of prizes he can win for points, beginning with ice cream and going up to a trip to the movies.
I have no idea what I'm doing. I am totally making this up as I go along. But my son is struggling academically (that's the nice way of putting it) and has a serious lack of work ethic. I can only kick his butt for so long; he must learn to kick his own butt. Every educational professional who's ever come near him says the same thing: he's very bright, he's completely lazy and mondo ADHD. He could do much better if he could discipline himself to do the damn work. And I refuse to let him spend the summer exercising nothing but his thumbs.
The only problem: the times he's not with me. He'll spend two weeks at his father's house, a week and a half visiting my mother, a week at Scout camp. I can send the workbook along with him (well, not to camp), but will the work happen when I'm not there?
Let's hope it has some effect on him. I'm running out of ideas.
dunno about grandma's and dad's house, but I know for a fact that he'll be exercising more than his thumbs at scout camp! :P
ReplyDeleteHe's not the only one in mom's summer school, either. Tell him Emily's curriculum is 100 books you should read before you get out of high school. She started last summer and kept up all school year. She's almost done.
ReplyDeleteAnd she gets straight A's. I just want to supplement what I think are substandard classes.
He's not the only one. Mom's Cooking School is open this summer.
ReplyDeleteHe could be planning, shopping for and cooking an entire meal once a week, like Oli, Jon and Chris.
Oli also has reading goals, since her reading is weak.