I am exhausted by "homeschooling" my 7th grader with the "not-a-co-op" we are in.
One of the frustrating things is that my son lacks certain academic skills and although they are required by the "not a school and not a co-op" he does not want to learn or do them.
At present I am teaching him to:
take notes on readings of every kind (fiction books, history books, website articles, and articles)
do a summary statement of something such as a field trip taken
write creative fiction
do research for reports
write research reports
write nonfiction factual pieces of writing
memorize facts for tests
test taking
use special writing formats and rules for papers (double spaced, how to write his name per the requirements, use a title, underline the title, etc.)
follow the procedures for turning the homework in
follow the rules for organizing the paperwork in his folders and binders
writing legibly by hand
Frankly this is such a hard task to do all at once when also doing above grade level work as assigned by the teachers that I am starting to wonder if homeschooling in the past was worth it. Maybe it really is easier to just put them in school early and let the teachers slowly introduce these skills over many year's time.
I am trying to remind myself of why the alternative education was worthwhile because this transition to traditional academics is so painful that I ask myself what did we do all those years and why did I shy away from a gentle introduction to these school skills that are required for success in college?