Abeka HELP !

by CAROL
(HUDSON,FL)

THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR FOR TEACHING MY 2ND GRADE GRANDSON.I WENT WITH ABEKA. I GOT THE FULL 2ND GRADE CURRICULUM PLUS THE TEACHERS BOOKS.I ALSO HAVE ALOT OF TEACHERS SUPPORT MATERIALS TO HELP ME I THOUGHT. ABEKA SAYS 15 MINUTE PER SUBJECT. IT HAS TAKEN SOMETIMES 1 HOUR FOR SOME SUBJECTS. SOME DAYS WE WIlL WORK 7 HOURS IN ONE DAY. MY GRANDSON IS AVERAGE FOR LEARNING. HE IS BETTER IN MATH. HOW CAN ABEKA SAY 15 MINUTES? HE WOULD NEVER LEARN ANYTHING. I DON'T WANT TO GET BEHIND.

My comments: I am not very familiar with how the Abeka teacher manuals or curriculum is structured time-wise. I DO know that when I hear of people getting bogged down with Abeka (which I hear a lot), I tell them that the curriculum is just a tool. You do not have to do everything it says. You don't have to be a slave to it. It is there to help you.

I have told parents that if the writing and answering questions becomes too time consuming or burdensome, then switch to doing the questions orally or just doing the odd or even questions especially if you feel that the child is understanding the material.

There is no reason for a 2nd grader to have to work that many hours. My children are average learners too. I think Abeka is structured for advanced learners.

Public school teachers rarely finish the textbooks that are assigned to them either. My husband is a teacher and tells me this all the time.

I would highly encourage you to adapt the curriculum you have. It will help your grandson feel more confident and will help your relationship too.

I hope that helps you. Feel free to email me or submit another question if you need any more help.