We are doing Co-op this year.† It is the first time Keilee has sat in a room with other students on a weekly basis since she was 6.† I wanted her to start with some ‘fun’ classes but she wanted to take Robotics and Spanish I.† Spanish I is a high school level class.† She is in the 7th grade and 12.† She had to get special permission from the teacher to be allowed to take it.† I finally relented and told her she could take it.
They have had huge amounts of homework.† [It is so funny, every time I type “homework” my fingers automatically type “homeschool”. ]† 6-8 hours a week of homework.† She is very conscientious about doing it and has made nothing but ‘muy biens’ and ‘perfectos’ on it.† The kids in her class are mostly 10th and 11th graders.† I have tried to get her to drop it but she has begged to be allowed to continue.
2 weeks ago they had a pop quiz.† Her first ever test since we do not test.† She made a 66 and was devastated!† Oh you couldn’t have told she was upset in front of her friends, but I know her.† When we got into the car she was so upset.† She didn’t want to take this class anymore!† That afternoon she changed her mind again and begged to be allowed to take it.† I have tried to talk to her about it, making her realize it will only continue to get harder.† The teacher is fluent in Spanish and expects a lot from the kids.† As she should.† But Keilee is 12.
They had a test last week.† I told her that she had to make a 85 or better to stay in the class.† So she studied, and studied some more.† She made note cards, she wrote the words over and over.† Hours of our week was spent studying Spanish.
During the week I had made my mind up that she was going to drop it.† My main reason was because there was no way I was letting her take Spanish II in 8th grade.† We have heard that is a brutal class.† In a couple of years she would forget everything she ever learned in Spanish I. She thought that everyone would think she dropped it because she was too young and did badly on the test.
The test was last Monday.† The teacher was supposed to email their grades.† We heard nothing.† Last Friday her teacher emailed me.† Keilee made a 99 the HIGHEST in the class!† A class of 15, 16 and 17 year olds!† Plus the teacher scaled the grades so she made a 107.5!!† She was giddy. I was proud of her but I had made up my mind.† I told her I wanted her to drop it and that was that.† I think a part of her was glad that I made the decision for her.† She had been very stressed about the the amount of homework they had.
It is hard at times to be a single Mom for many reasons.† One reason is that I don’t really have someone to bounce ideas and things off of.† I did call my best friend and my brother and they both agreed with me.
Now Keilee is taking a cupcake class.† She was a little sad because she wasn’t in Spanish on Monday. But she was proud of herself too.† She knows that she could have done great in that class and it will still be there in a few years.
I have never been a Mother who would say, “If you start it you must finish no matter what”.† Sometimes ‘quitting’ is the smartest thing to do.
Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen
ìQuitting is not giving up, it’s choosing to focus your attention on something more important. Quitting is not losing confidence, it’s realizing that there are more valuable ways you can spend your time. Quitting is not making excuses, it’s learning to be more productive, efficient and effective instead. Quitting is letting go of things (or people) that are sucking the life out of you so you can do more things that will bring you strength.î ~Osayi Osar-Emokpae – Impossible Is Stupid
I agree with the quitting philosophy. When a class or a sport or activity is sucking the joy from your child we must move on to a different one!! Maybe there’s an easier Spanish class somewhere you can find.
I think that was a wise decision. Now Keilee knows she can do the work and what that level of work is like, but she has time for all that. It sounds like that class was taking away from all of the other things that Keilee enjoys exploring and doing, things that are important for her now. I think you did the right thing, Momma!
I think you made a good decision in a tough situation! That’s amazing that she was able to do the work so well. Imagine how great she will do when she gets to high school age!
Our local library offers a program called Mango (online language course for free) that is really working for Chloe (also 12). She logs in from home and does the course (similar to Rosetta Stone). She can work at her own pace and loves that there is no stress attached to it. Maybe your library offers this? Just an idea if she still wants to take Spanish.
I never force my kids to stick with things that are making them miserable. It seems unfair to them much of the time. I guess that’s why they aren’t in school! 🙂
I have nothing but props. You two made the best decision for yourselves and that’s important. While it’s certainly true that Kei could handle it, that doesn’t mean that either of you want her to with the huge work load it entails!
Yay for Keilee! I think you made a great decision. She’s twelve. That’s an intense amount of stress for someone her age. Abby dropped creative writing last year for similar reasons, which was crazy…because she loves to write. The class and teacher were just not a good fit for her. I’m totally copying that quote at the end- I think it shares an important perspective!
You know this has been on my mind this semester as well! Thankfully we have been able to modify how Grace is studying her history class since is it a no-test/no-grade class. If it were the same format as Spanish, she would have dropped it as well. 12 is a funny age. We want to push them to do more, strive harder, go further but at the same time….they are 12! They will have time for high school level classes in two years, when they are in high school! Congratulations on making your decision. Lilah and I love watching for her cupcake pictures to pop up on Instagram! She is definitely inspiring Lilah.
Wow! I applaud Keilee’s efforts in the class…awesome job! BUT, I totally understand where you are coming from…at 12 years old it’s probably not worth quite so much work when it’s a just-for-fun type of thing.
Gosh, it’s so hard to help our kids navigate these choices, isn’t it?!
I have to say I highly, highly appreciate both Keilee’s effort and yours to make the right decisions!! (And YAY for her on her grades!) I was always the kid who pushed myself with classes that were the hardest of the hard, and while there were a few cases where it was the right thing to do, I don’t think 99% of them were worth the frustration. Now, if she wanted to speak like a native speaker by high school for a trip or something – if there were a huge motivation – then, sure! But to do it just to do it, that’s a LOT to put into it!!