School Problem..?

Question

Alright.. I have posted this question before.. but I really need it solved, and haven't yet.. I don't want replies like, your just lazy, or mean replies like that...

but...

I want help with school.. I don't need a tutor.. I just need help with Concentrating.. I don't know what to do anymore... I can't get it done.. My mom had me start home schooling in 3rd grade.. so don't say go to public school - it's not an option.. I don't want to blame my mom, but I kind of do sometimes.. It feels like I am not learning.. I feel like I can't remember anything I have learned.. and I feel like if I go to college, I will be dumb, and not know anything.. I am in 10th grade.. and only like half way through the school year.. I look at my questions in school, then look for the answer, and can NEVER find it... I suck at studying for tests/quizzes, as I always forget it as soon as I start to take the test/quiz.... what should I do!?!? Please I will do almost anything..

Answer 1

Reading your question made me feel very sad.  You are suffering and are just asking for some possible answers.

I am wondering if you might be suffering from depression.  One of the symptoms of depression is an inability to concentrate.

I can tell you one thing for sure - you are NOT dumb.  You have expressed yourself very well.

See if you can pay a visit to your doc and get an evaluation for depression.

Hang in there.

Answer 2

Some people get brain fog from the bad air quality in their homes.  Have you ever heard of sick building syndrome.  Have your parents hired a company to clean the air ducts lately.  Carpets should be cleaned every 3 months.  Even black mold could be in your house.  There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in a home also, like in the carpet, laminated cabinets, plywood shelves.  Glutamate is in most manufactured product and it's toxic.  Basically it's a pretty toxic world.

It's hard for me and the other yahooligans to help you, since we don't really know you.  If we were neighbors, then we could figure it out quicker, because we'd  know if you were in a new construction house where chemicals seem into the air and cause a lot of indoor pollution.  We could ask you if you have poor eating habits from your size or acne.  But, here on yahoo you might not think those personal details are important or you might feel embarrassed rambling on... Well, see if you feel better by simply buying an air cleaner.  Sharper Image gives a deal when you buy 2 of them, I own them, they work well.

I'll give you a few things to research on the internet, that could be an underlying cause of all your problems:  

(1.) Food allergies (Monosodium Glutamate)

(2.) Heavy metals that need to be chelated out of your body with zeolite ($10 on ebay from zeolite company).

(3.) Candida- it's possible if you've ever been on an antibiotic, because good bacteria are killed leading to an overgrowth in bad bacteria.  I recently learned that about 80% of people have this condition.  I've never tried this, but it's the best product called Threelac  http://www.123candida.com

(4) Buy the book Feast Without Yeast, to change the way you eat with or without the Threelac Candida Defense.

Good for you, trying to solve your problems on your own, this proves your not lazy. And I hope this saves you some research time, because you need to study so you can get into college.  I'm a busy mom, but you or your parents can e-mail me with more details if you want to. Because there might be another tip I can give you, that I can't think of right now.  I don't know if you need to know about natural herb choices, too.  Or you can look at the http://www.NativeRemedies.com website yourself.

Answer 3

I am really sorry that you are finding things so difficult.  Socialising could be a problem.  Also, perhaps because you don't go to a different environment to learn, home and school merge.  At least when you go to school you know you are there to learn.  Can you set aside a plac or set times to learn so you can enjoy separate leisure and learning times?

Do you sleep and eat enough and properly - these really do help concentration!

Can you 'buddy up' with anyone of a similar age, as doing something alone can become dull day after day.

What do you want to do for a living?  is it possible to have work experience or to work shadow someone in that occupation, as sometimes it is knowing what your goal is that helps you work to achieve it?

As far as remembering and learning - we all have different ways, and you might like to consider using sound or visual methods.  There are lots of useful podcasts now, and even a lot of programmes on channels like the History or Discover channels.  I have taught for many years and I find that almost all students benefit from using mind mapping and in particular the software Inspiration which can be downloaded as a demo version from www.inspiration.com.  you can put notes visually and then glancing at them reminds you of teh points.  picturing the pictorial and colourful mind map in your memory is easier than remembering words.  You can print out small mind maps to carry with you, or stretch them over 2 or more pages so they make a wall display.  Inspiration has tutorials to help you learn to use it - in the schools in which I have taught, children show each other how to use it, and I have even had parents who have started to use it in work because their children have shown them the software.  Lastly, I have had teachers who come to me to learn it because I have shown one of their students how to use it and teh teachers have seen how the students achievements have been raised by teh software.

Answer 4

Get involved in some clubs or activities... Take music/band lessons at a local music studio, take up an art class, take dance, horseback riding, or probably best of all, martial arts or fencing. Join some kind of activity that you simply enjoy doing. Anything you can think of that you want to try, just look in a phone book or ask other homeschoolers where to go for it. I know this doesn't sound like it's related to your problem, but it will make a difference. You need something to focus on besides school, something that gets you out of the house, gets your blood pumping and the gears in your brain turning. It will do a number of things to help you.

a) it will be a change to the everyday. Something to break the mondane routine. Sometimes a change of scenery or something to look forward to durring the week can really make it easier to focus on other things.

b) it will broaden your interests. If you can find a way to relate a subject ins chool to something you're interested in, it's a lot easier to get into it and really absorb it. I did a history project once on the history of fencing, and I learned A TON about world history in general (not just related to fencing) while I was studying, and it was fun!

c) if your problem is depression, a change of pace could help with that as well...get you doing something that makes you feel good and raises the endorphins. When you're happy, it's easy to concentrate and learn.

d) It will get you in touch with a new network of people. Having friends (possibly other homeschooled friends) to talk to about problems, even school related problems, can be a big help towards solving those problems. You might meet someone who had the same problem and overcame it and can offer advice, or maybe someone who can tutor you in subjects you have trouble with. You might even get some new ideas for study habits to make school more interesting.

If that doesn't work, you might consider changing the structure of your homeschooling. There are many options and methods out there. You don't need to sit down with a book or a computer, read, memorize, and take the test all the time. Here's an answer I've been reposting a lot that explains the different methods of homeschooling, in case you aren't sure what else is out there. You can show it to your mom or use it as a springboard for more research you both can do together. Maybe it's time for a curriculum change. That's quite common, especially when one method stops working. If you keep doing something that doesn't work...well...chances are it's not going to start working until you change something.

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It is different for every family that does it, and often even for every individual child. As stated above, some people do online school which means you have teachers you corespond with over the internet. The online school sends you your materials and you complete the work and get a grade, just like regular school, only done on the computer from home or the library or the road if you travel a lot.

Some people homeschool through a private school or school of corespondance that sends them their books and materials for assignments, labs, projects, etc through the mail. With this type of home schooling, you usually send a report to the base school at set intervals.

Some people attend charter schools that let them go in to school once or twice a week, collect work, turn in work, and get help if they need it, though this isn't really what most consider to be homeschooling. Neither is online school to some people.

Some people take full responsibility for their own/their child's education by doing more traditional homeschooling. The parents and children choose their own curriculumk, text books, work books, lab equipment, videos, software, and any other materials they wish to use. They also choose their own subjects based on the child's individual interests and goals, for example, if the child wishes to go on to university, they will study the important core subjects that universities look for on transcripts as well as a variety of electives based on individual interests, needs, and goals. I personally am interested in robotics, animation, creative writing, and music, so this year I've been studying Programming and Robotics with various books and robotics/electronics kits for labs, 3D Animation with computer software, and creative writing with a textbook and books frokm the library. I also takek music lessons in the community and I am a member of a band. In this form of homeschooling, the state may require that you take a yearly standardized test to show that you are performing at or above grade level. In the states that are a bit more strict about homeschooling, your parents may need to send in a quarterly report, just like a report card in a way. Your parents may also give you tests at home if you all agree that this is what will be best for you, but it isn't required.You may also get grades like you do in school, or you may be on a Pass/Fail system, or you may have a totally unique grading system, or no grades at all. I take tests, but not for grades. When I take a test in a subject it is only to determine how far along I've come in that subject. The "grade" is never final because I homeschool to learn, not to just get by with a passing grade. If, for example, I took a test on a chapter I did in Algebra and I didn't do well on a few questions, instead of just going on to the next chapter, I go back and review the stuff I didn't get right on the test and then take the test again before moving on. For me, all tests are for is to tell me when I can move on to something more challenging. For me, and many others, tests aren't always in the same format as they are in public school. Sometimes in certain subjects, I'm tested by being given an extensive project or presentation to do to show my understanding of the topic cover, or asked to write a paper on it, or give a mock lesson on it as if I were the teacher. You know you truly understand something when you can accurately and confidently teach it to someone else. Often my mother, adult friends, or friends closer to my age who are in college or who have already mastered te subject will act as audience durring presentations or re-teaching activities, checking me if I don't seem to understand something. I only do this for certain subjects and topics though.

Homeschoolers sometimes do a lot of the things you may do in public school, but sometimes they do more as well. Many homeschoolers do a lot of hands-on activities like labs in science. This year, I am taking Chemistry, and I have all the same lab equipment you would use in a public high school chemistry class, just on a smaller scale, and with lab instructions specific to homeschooling (not requiring large groups of students, or very-hard-to-obtain chemicals). It was the same in Biology and in Physical Science. I have homeschooled friends who take thier science classes in a co-op group (kind of a homeschool class where parents and community volunteers act as teachers for each subject), and still other homeschool friends who take all of their highschool science classes (and some other classes) at the local community college as duel-enrollment students (just like regular highschool duel enrollment).

Homeschoolers don't miss out on the social aspects of school either. They certainly do not spend all of their time inside the house. Homeschoolers spend a lot of their time is spent out in the community, learning and experiencing life in the real world instead of in a house or in a classroom alone. Many homeschoolers take classes offered in the community such as art classes at an art studio or museum, musical instrument or voice lessons as well as band or chorus classes for homeschoolers at local music stores or schools, fencing lessons, swimming lessons, horseback riding lessons, classes and programs offered through local childrens museums, science museums, or history museums, classes or programs offered through the library, community/youth center, YMCA, or other Parks and Rec programs, dance class, and so on. Naturally, these are great opportnities for homeschoolers to interact with others of all ages, homeschoolers and public schoolers alike. There are also clubs outside of the regular public schools such as riding clubs, clubs offered through libraries and community centers, drama clubs at local theaters, boy scouts, girl scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, youth group for those who are into the church scene, OM, academic teams, community sports, individual sports like martial arts, tennis, fencing, swimming, etc, and much much more. Many cities or counties also have homeschool organizations or co-ops where, as stated above, homeschoolers can take classes with other homeschoolers as well as go on frequent feild trips (though any homeschool parent or group of parents can arrange a feild trip when they want to), join clubs sponsored by the group (as many as can be thought of and started by the members), work on a yearbook or newspaper staff, attend dances or holiday parties (most groups have something along the lines of a Not-Back-To-School party each fall where the homeschoolers may go to a theme park or some other sort of outing) volunteer service projects, prom and graduation ceremonies for older students, outings on weekends, park days where younger kids meet up to spend an afternoon playing and pic-nicking in the park (uwsually weekly or monthly) and so on. Some even participate in private school sports competitions as well as regional and state science fairs and spelling/geography bee. There is no lack of social interaction.

The last form of homeschooling I can think of is unschooling. In this kind of home education, there is no structured school day

Answer 5

If your problem is concentration, the fault doesn't lie on anyone.  This is a memory issue, and that could be caused by a medical problem.  

Ozboz has a good point, it could be depression or something else.  

You may want to take a break from the way you homeschool because if it isn't working anyway, and it's distressing you, what's the point of continuing?  There are many options for learning, so consider a different method.  Or just take a break altogether until you get this issue resolved.

Good luck :D