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 Post subject: 8th grade questions...
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:54 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:40 pm
Posts: 1
I have been homeschooling for three years and have a 4th grader and an 8th grader. I am terribly hesitant of my skills as a homeschool teacher even though I taught early elementary in public school for 15 years. It is so different and or the life of me I can't get the public school mentality out of my head. My husband and I are very type A and are both in/have been in the public school system. My questions are: I worry my daughter isn't doing enough for 8th grade. She finishes work in about 3 hours and her curriculum consists of Total Language Plus, Easy Grammar for grammar review, Daily Grams also for Grammar review (she was/is weak in grammar), BJU DVDs for 8th grade science, Mystery of History book 1 for history, Texas History from AIG (twice a week - very simple Texas History course bc she didn't get any history in public school), Monarch (AOP) for Pre-Algebra math (with tutoring help), and free reading of 1/2-1 hour per day. She also does a short devotional twice a week. I know this sounds like a lot but most lessons are pretty short and don't take much time at all to finish. There is some writing with MOH and TLP but I don't feel it is at the level of 8th grade and I am at a loss how to teach 8th grade writing. I guess I am wondering what I might need to add or change for her. She isn't concentrating well on several of them and just does the minimum. She has corrections pretty often and has terrible organizational skills. When I pulled her in 6th grade she was always at the top of her class and worked very diligently because she knew there were high expectations at school. I have the same expectations but I have let her be more independent at home and work at her own pace bc so many have said "that is the beauty of homeschooling". I don't want to have to breathe down her neck all day and make sure she is actually doing all the work ( I check all work at the end of the week and most is done with very little effort and quickly - not best quality for her intelligence for sure). I do work from home part/full time each day. So I am aware of what they are doing in school and monitoring them but not every minute.
My main questions are: how long should she be working each day?
Is her curriculum enough for an 8th grader?
How to motivate her to do her best and work harder?
How to incorporate things she is interested in, in her work? She doesn't have many hobbies/interests other than friends.
How do you monitor your child to make sure they are getting the material and doing their best?

I know this is long and I apologize but I have so many concerns about doing what is best for my children and if I am truly doing what's best for them by homeschooling. I appreciate any advice.


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 Post subject: Re: 8th grade questions...
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 1:55 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
Posts: 8115
Welcome, Jenn! Glad to have you here : )

Reading your post, it sounds like deep down inside you know the answer & are just looking for confirmation.

But, perhaps you're answering the wrong question.

Instead of asking "Is this enough for an eighth grader?" or "Is homeschooling best for my child?" instead ask:

"When I homeschool my daughter, am I offering God my best work?"
and
"When my daughter does her homeschooling, is SHE offering God her best?"

It doesn't matter what other people do, or how other kids perform in homeschool - what matters is God and your family. If you're pleasing Him - everything else is okay.

I think once you fix the question, the answer will be easier.

_________________
http://stuffedveggies.blogspot.com/


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