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I don't really know why, but when they were giving us options, she was told she could not come back to the high school and finish. She would have to go the GED route. So, I don't think her high school would welcome her back.
Adult school. Most states require there to be free education up to 20/21 provided, but yeah, it won't be at a traditional high school. It will be at an adult high school and will be the GED route. Some people just do not do well in an unstructured environment so that might work better.
GED is fairly worthless alone though. Community colleges are really the only places that actually treat them as equivalent to a high school diploma. Employers don't, four-year universities don't, the military doesn't. They operate in reality and the reality is that the GED is not equivalent to a high school diploma. It's not just academics. Being able to buckle down and complete high school requires a certain amount of discipline that a GED does not and, well, often the people that don't graduate don't have the discipline to do so and if they don't have it they don't make good employees, good college students, or good soldiers. That's not to say don't do it but do be realistic about what doors having a GED opens versus a high school diploma versus a non-graduate.
It's not an intelligence issue for most people. You don't have to be that smart to pass the GED or graduate high school. Like anything not being dumb as a rock helps but most people who don't do well academically it's not because of a lack of intelligence. They're just more like me and lack discipline. Which is probably the problem and how you address that, I don't know. Never tried any therapy, did some self-reflection and read a few crappy self-help books and I bungle along and do okay in life. But realistically getting a GED isn't going to solve anything. It won't open many doors besides community college and why is community college going to go any differently than high school did or studying for the GED has gone? I did slightly better in college than high school just because it was less stupid, but same issues. E.g., I remember one class I particularly did not like. On a whim I decided that really I should go to a lecture since I hadn't gone in weeks or even opened the book. Begged a blue book off someone and, yeah, pretty much bombed that midterm. I avoided failing a class entirely on dumb luck that whim struck on the day of the midterm. I doubt I'm unique, plenty of disorganized people in college, but they do tend to not do well for a reason.
Adult school. Most states require there to be free education up to 20/21 provided, but yeah, it won't be at a traditional high school. It will be at an adult high school and will be the GED route. Some people just do not do well in an unstructured environment so that might work better.
GED is fairly worthless alone though. Community colleges are really the only places that actually treat them as equivalent to a high school diploma. Employers don't, four-year universities don't, the military doesn't. They operate in reality and the reality is that the GED is not equivalent to a high school diploma. It's not just academics. Being able to buckle down and complete high school requires a certain amount of discipline that a GED does not and, well, often the people that don't graduate don't have the discipline to do so and if they don't have it they don't make good employees, good college students, or good soldiers. That's not to say don't do it but do be realistic about what doors having a GED opens versus a high school diploma versus a non-graduate.
It's not an intelligence issue for most people. You don't have to be that smart to pass the GED or graduate high school. Like anything not being dumb as a rock helps but most people who don't do well academically it's not because of a lack of intelligence. They're just more like me and lack discipline. Which is probably the problem and how you address that, I don't know. Never tried any therapy, did some self-reflection and read a few crappy self-help books and I bungle along and do okay in life. But realistically getting a GED isn't going to solve anything. It won't open many doors besides community college and why is community college going to go any differently than high school did or studying for the GED has gone? I did slightly better in college than high school just because it was less stupid, but same issues. E.g., I remember one class I particularly did not like. On a whim I decided that really I should go to a lecture since I hadn't gone in weeks or even opened the book. Begged a blue book off someone and, yeah, pretty much bombed that midterm. I avoided failing a class entirely on dumb luck that whim struck on the day of the midterm. I doubt I'm unique, plenty of disorganized people in college, but they do tend to not do well for a reason.
Thank you for sharing. You said a lot of good things especially about the military, which was contemplated, but not now. She is allergic to discipline. However, as her father, I see the glass as half full when it comes to her fixture. My daughter is a more technical person. She's great in the kitchen( chicken alfredo, smoothies, and soups) and she can do makeup so well that people pay her for her services.
I never had much interest in history in school until I had the chance to get out and see some of the places where it happened. Perhaps seeing it outside of books would give your daughter some motivation?
I know the ladies at one of the community colleges she went to. My daughter said it is a lab environment and they offer no tutoring at all. When I called the school out on it, they told me that students report there and do the modules on their own. If they need help, they can ask us questions. Well, to me, that's not tutoring. I do think we need to hire a private one. It's been two years, since she should have graduated. I'm hopeful she will be open to my suggestions.
Start with a reading tutor. Once her reading comprehension & perhaps vocabulary skills improve, studying & taking tests will be much more rewarding for her. Then you could get a GED tutor.
Years ago I was involved in an adult literacy program. Once they mastered reading, the difference in people was like night & day. It was amazing.
I have my GED, I got it in NC in 2004. As far as I know it hasnt changed that you can take the tests as different times. So if you cant do adult high school and finish the 3 classes she needs ( i would recommend that), focus on 1 subject at a time. Focus all the effort on math and take the test. Then focus on reading and take the test etc etc
Thank you for sharing. You said a lot of good things especially about the military, which was contemplated, but not now. She is allergic to discipline. However, as her father, I see the glass as half full when it comes to her fixture. My daughter is a more technical person. She's great in the kitchen( chicken alfredo, smoothies, and soups) and she can do makeup so well that people pay her for her services.
Does she need a GED to attend beauty school? Why not just enroll at the local esthetician school....sounds like it might be the right path for her.
I don't really know why, but when they were giving us options, she was told she could not come back to the high school and finish. She would have to go the GED route. So, I don't think her high school would welcome her back.
I’m reading this and wondering if you have a legal issue with the school. I believe you mentioned that the cutoff age for HS in your state is 21? I’m thinking they must provide services to your daughter up to that age or even up to the day before her 22nd birthday. It’s certainly worth looking into. I am extremely unimpressed with the online alternative school programs I’ve seen here in Missouri though and they actually make the seniors teach themselves sentence diagramming in English.
Several people have mentioned the possibility of learning disabilities but since you said she repeated sixth grade, I’m wondering if she was already checked for that? Also, you mentioned attention issues and I’m wondering if you have followed up on that? If she’s not breastfeeding, perhaps she could take the meds temporarily just to get thru the test. Or, if you or she is against that route, I’ve found that fish oil helps a lot, B vitamins are good, and I really love a supplement called Sun Theanine...all of these will help with focus.
Also, how are her test taking skills? Is she clear about things like doing the easy ones first? I can’t stress that enough, but after working with special ed students, I realized that some of them just can’t seem to do that but it makes a huge difference. I’m a very strong reader but I always save the long reading passage questions for last because I simply am unable to focus on them until the other types of questions are answered. Answer elimination is really important as well.
One thing I noticed about the GED science part of the test is that it involves a strong familiarity with graphs and she may need extra instruction in that. Things that seem so obvious to us are not always obvious to students.
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