In Lake Wobegon all the children are above average, but in the real world some kids struggle. What is a parent to do?
I have a son with fairly significant learning disabilities. He is dues to begin high school this fall. He is on a sixth grade level in math…so we keep going…do I give him high school level credit for the math we do next year? His writing looks like a second grader’s ~ do we continue on and give high school credit for his English work? He is 15 and says he really wants to go to college and I want to prepare him to do so, which means an intelligible but honest transcript. thanks!
~ Carol
Hi Carol,
Yes, he can be in high school and yes, you can give him high school credit. I have an article about College for Struggling Learners that you may enjoy here.
Your question about high school credits is answered more fully in my free one-hour homeschool training webinar.
I hope this gives you the answer you need!
Play to their strengths 🙂 It’s so easy to focus on what they can’t do.
Try, try again. My gifted oldest has always struggled with handwriting. We’re concerned about the essay portion of the SAT because while she’s fully capable of constructing a whopping good essay, she won’t be able to finish much in the time allotted because of her physical limitation. She types well, but if we can’t afford a laptop for college, or if her laptop is lost, broken, or stolen, she will still need to take notes in class. A tape recorder is something we can provide her with (I used one myself when I was feeling sick or for courses I struggled with), but again – what if it’s lost, broken or stolen? Sometime soon we’re going to try learning (drumroll please) shorthand. Yes, there is still a place for shorthand in this world. That’s what I love about homeschool – we can continue in spite of obstacles and try off-the-wall things like shorthand.
I can appreciate your concerns about your son’s learning challenges. My son has a speech/language disability and is now in college. What’s remarkable is that he’s attending a very selective private college and has a boatload of scholarships! He’s also pursuing a challenging course of study-Meteorology. And yes, he PRINTS like a second-grader, but types beautifully. His essay-writing skills always left something to be desired, but as long as he stays focused, he can get through it. I consider my son a “late bloomer.” Much of this is developmental and unfortunately our society expects a lot from really little children before they are ready. I, myself, have dyslexia, which was undiagnosed. I have returned to community college classes and use their computers with VERY LARGE print, something not available when I got my bachelor’s degree in the 1970’s. This has been a Godsend.
Best of luck to you…..and hang in there.