Hi Lee,

“I am so glad I found your website. I am planning to homeschool my 15 year old son, while working and going to school partime, and I am a bit nervous. He needs supervision to get his stuff done. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can motivate him to be more of a self learning when I am not here? I have The Robinson Curriculum, as well as a ton of good books, we are planning the year together. I am making him a part of the planning process so that he knows what is expected and where he is going. He is bright at math and science. I have a teen daughter going to the public school, she is doing great there. I have two older daughters who are out of the house now. I used to homeschool everyone from the beginning, but they went to public schools. I pulled him out a couple years ago, but I just want to make sure we do High School “right”. Thank you.”  –Alisha

Hi Alisha,

Do you get my newsletter?  This last issue was on choosing curriculum, and I think you may find some clues within that newsletter.  I think motivation has a LOT to do with matching the curriculum to the student.  Good job including him in the planning!  For a 15 year old, I usually recommend that the parent give the child a choice between a few different curriculum choices.  Here is my blog post with links to different math curricula, so you can compare side by side

And here is my blog post comparing some 3 foreign language providers.

Decide on two or three options for your child, and then have THEM choose which one they like.

That said, Robinson Curriculum can be difficult for kids that don’t love to read on the internet.  If that’s his learning style, that’s great!  But if it doesn’t fit, then try to find a curriculum that meets his learning style better.  If he loves to read, but prefers to curl up with real books, then look at Sonlight Curriculum.

Some children can be motivated by talking to colleges.  Go to a college fair, and see if he can “catch the fire” about studying.  If he sees that his love for math and science could lead to great scholarships (even possibly free tuition!) in engineering schools, then he may be motivated to work harder, since he can see a benefit.

I hope that helps!  With teens, there is no ONE ANSWER that will solve the motivations problem <smile!>

Blessings,
Lee

Check out my page on recommended homeschool resources.  I’ve got links from each selection directly to Amazon, for your convenience.

Filed under: Homeschoolers Curriculum by Lee