Working through the hard parts

Homeschooling is not always cupcakes and rainbows. While it is for us, the better choice, it is not always the easiest choice. I talk a lot in my book about hitting "The Wall" and how to work through it. Sometimes we don't see The Wall appear for months on end. Other days, it seems like we climb up and over fifty times.

My son's particular challenges this year have been coping with math frustration and becoming a better, faster writer. We'll take three steps forward and two steps back each time we try to conquer a new piece of these challenges. I know that we have to persevere through the challenges but there are so many days I think "Maybe I'm not up for this. Maybe he'd be better off with someone who has less invested." 

For math, he's spent too many years in rote memorization and speedy, short problem solving. Even his first semester in a high school Algebra 1 class left him unchallenged and frustrated. When he stopped taking the class in January, we went headlong into an Algebra 1 class from UC Scout. However, since he hadn't really done a full semester in the first class, we had to tackle a full year of Algebra in the spring semester. Math has suddenly become much harder, much faster and requires a lot of patience and plodding to make it through single assignments. He's learning the very hard way that you actually must write down algebra problems and go through each step, piece by piece. If you don't, you get it wrong and have to start over.

One missing negative can destroy an hour in my house. He gets so frustrated by his own inability to just "know it" because it's truly the first time he's encountered math he couldn't do in his head. While I'm sure there are folks out there who can manage the quadratic formula entirely in their heads, this is definitely not a normal expectation. But he *thinks* he should be able to and therefore, is extremely disappointed in himself when he can't. Add in the stubbornness of an eleven year old who doesn't want to do it mom's way, and we're still battling through math every day. 

For writing, it's a double challenge of perfectionism and dysgraphia. We've eliminated the physical load of writing by allowing him to type or dictate whenever he chooses. But dysgraphia also impacts the organization of thoughts on paper. When you combine this with intense perfectionism and a desire to just hurry up and have it over, sometimes he's stuck for hours in the not started phase. He'll see a writing assignment on a lesson plan and do just about anything to avoid it. I decided that it was time to outsource writing, as a method of hopefully getting him over the initial hump and to find a way to just start writing. Success! One semester of Athena's Academy Intro to Academic Writing and he can now begin a writing assignment without too much drama. In fact, we are both currently snuggled up on the couch with our laptops, typing frantically before the ideas escape. It's a huge relief to finally make some progress in an area where we've been stuck for more than two years. 

After Athena's, we've jumped back to some creative writing exercises. While not specifically for homeschoolers, we both really enjoy the creativity and energy in Don't Forget to Write for the Secondary Grades: 50 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons (Ages 11 and Up) . The lessons are well scaffolded and easily modified for one person, rather than a whole class. When we need just a snippet of writing, something quick and fun, he also enjoys Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing. While Rip the Page could be expanded, most assignments only take 10-15 minutes at most.

So our success rate of fighting through challenges is 50% this year. While it doesn't seem like a huge accomplishment overall, it's a huge success for us. I'm still hoping with perseverance and math daily in the summer, we might hit August with fewer math struggles. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get to a place where math only becomes emotionally frustrating once a week. 

Contests and competitions- how to "show what you know"

Homeschoolers, particularly academic homeschoolers, are looking for ways to "show what you know" beyond the mom-required assignments. Several parents have asked me how we find authentic ways to demonstrate knowledge and growth without yet another essay, test or worksheet. For us, we use a lot of contests and competitions! My son loves a good contest and will participate in almost anything I can rustle up. My personal favorites are those that are simply contests against yourself- where you're not beating out anyone else, but just improving upon your previous results. The kid though, he likes prizes and will work for even the promise of a prize, certificate or award at the end!

Some of our favorites:

National Mythology Exam:  This will be our third year and as a mythology junky, the kid has a goal of earning every color medal for his wall. This year, he's hoping for silver to go with his previous gold and bronze. I'm working hard to discourage him from throwing a question just to get a silver!

Sikorsky Helicopter Challenge: Part engineering, part design and a whole lot of imagination required- this contest makes kids really think outside the box for a new idea that solves a problem

Doodle For Google: Answer the question in an artistic way and your doodle could win you a place on Google's homepage, as well as a scholarship!

Scholastic Contests: Scholastic always has an interesting contest cooked up- from skyping with authors, to book related treasure hunts and poetry writing contests, there's something for everyone!

Math League: Several weekends a year, math-loving kids gather in school cafeterias around the country to try their hand at challenging math tests. Even independent homeschoolers can participate!

Math Olympiad: School based teams participate in individual and team based math competitions. Tests are five times a year and problems are novel, challenging word problems.

PBS Writers Contest: For young elementary kids in K-3, this writing contest is a fun way to get kids engaged in writing and brave enough to share their stories.

Google Science Fair: Big ideas, bold research and amazing prizes for kids 13-18 that have a true passion for science.

Test- based opportunities are also available from local talent searches. Students take a standardized test to qualify for merit based awards, scholarships and participation in enrichment and academic courses. Hoagies' Gifted maintains an up to date talent search page if you're interested in these types of opportunities.

Other contests and competitions like Geography Bee, Spelling Bee and Poetry Jam may be available in your local area. Some of these are held at a city or county level and independent homeschoolers can enter. If your local competition starts at a traditional public school, it doesn't hurt to call and ask if your child can participate!