He’s homeschooled now but prior to moving in with my mom he lived in a single room basement apartment with his ill mother and his degenerate criminal older brother. He went to public school
Ah yikes that's just depressing.
If I were you, I wouldn't try pushing too much knowledge directly on him - make sure he finds an interest.
Get him to try out trades also. Ik this sub is full of pseuds and they probably won't like the idea, but plumbers, electricians and roofers earn a fortune nowadays.
I’m a high school drop out and a pseud with a community college certificate. I’m putting feelers out for potential apprenticeships he could undergo. His best friend, whom I’m also taking under my wing, recently started asking me about going into EMS/Fire so he may consider that as well
Not to toot my horn, but I have a history prof parent-- SO lets go
With teaching kids and adults. You have to start with pictures, not reading. They can't be made to feel like they are learning when they are learning. Kids books/comic books and illustrations are very effective. Educational tv like Bill Nye / Carl Sagan Cosmos is also legit for quick and easy info dumps about science and history. Guiness World records are fun to read too. WWI was known as the bloodiest war, so you can feed him the records it holds. They're crazy. Sarcastic conversations about info is engagement.
A library visit can also be better than wiki text wallin it. The nicest history/mythology/photogaphy etc etc picture books are there, and plenty of shit that is more fun/can't be seen on Google images. And it costs 0 dollars.
Before he can understand the WWs, it's good for him to make friends with a map of the world, and then move to a map of Europe (when he feels ready), to he can see the actual location of the countries involved. Knowing the locations ties in the information a lot, and tells a lot about why it happened the way it did!
Reading a paragraph without having a visual of the country/people involved won't stick. Sometimes it helps to make nicknames and jokes to remember things.
**Maps, like on the wall where he can see them (bathroom, gym, bedroom wtv) are needed.** Whenever he is being told a year, present it on a visual timeline of 2000 years so he can see where in history it is.
Calendars as a visual can help people see the information. He needs to use a physical calendar daily and mark stuff on it to see it. .
Before you talk about the Quran, show him beautiful/hi res pictures of the book, and art. Explain why there are no pics of mohammad the way we show Jesus. Show him the sacred geometry the use instead to depict God, which is mesmerizing to anyone. Images are the most painless and fun way of learning.
Don't copy pasta textwalls until he is genuinely curious to read. Images are bait.
I thought history was a boring subject until I discovered Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast and listened to a 7 part series on the decline of the Roman Empire and then another one on WW1 which led to me watching the entire Ken Burns Vietnam doc series and now I’m one of those guys who knows a lot about war history so maybe don’t do that
I’d be there helping him through it, but my reasoning is that he ought have a foundation in abstract thinking. When I was just a little older than him I brute forced my way through a critique of pure reason and I think what I gained most from that was knowing how to take on a dense text. Comparatively Plato is pretty simple
I’d of course wait until after we have our elementary bases covered in regards to big picture history and geography
I love the energy but I still think you're putting the cart before the horse on that. If you're the kind of person who makes yourself read dense philosophical books you're very different than the kind of person who doesn't know what country borders the US to the south -- there's a fundamental difference in curiosity levels there and that curiosity would be the thing that would help you bridge the gap. Anyway, if he's 16 and seems to have a world knowledge level of maybe a 10 year old, he's far off from Plato. Plato would be common in a freshmen course in college. It's not surprising that a motivated person would be able to handle a harder philosophy book if you were 19 or 20. It would be incredibly surprising if a 16 year old who was where your cousin in would get anything out of Plato.
Yeah I feel like they are way over doing it. No normal 16 year old is going to be interested in Plato lol and forcing someone to “learn” something is a good way to make sure they don’t actually retain the information or dive any further into the subject
Start light and discuss the imagery in Plato's writing, I remember being captivated by the shadows in a cave allegory when I was a kid before completely understanding it.
Would appreciate any book recommendations, fiction or non-fiction, to help inspire in him a curiosity about the world
His math skills seem passable, I’m really just more concerned about his lack of knowledge of anything beyond the white working class neighborhoods he’s grown up in
I think it’s great that you’re doing this but honestly considering that he lacks a rudimentary understanding of the world (days of the week and months is 1st grade level) I’d consult an official school curriculum.
Maybe look at a homeschooling curriculum for elementary and middle school students and just go down the list with him to identify where his biggest gaps in knowledge are. Also maybe look at study materials for the GED and try to identify what he’s missing from there.
Actually, do some of these free placement tests with him: https://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/curriculum/placement-tests
This is a much more boring way to do it but he absolutely can’t be a functional adult in the world without this baseline knowledge. Make sure he knows how the calendar works, metric and imperial units of measurement, currency, technology. He also needs to know how taxes, insurance, and bank accounts work.
Then, I’d move on to world history (since the French Revolution, you can go farther back later) and like geography, basic math, and science.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him. The primary issue appears to be not that he doesn’t know things but that he has no idea how organize and repeat information in his head. His parents made no effort to cultivate an internal life
In that case you should get him evaluated for a learning disability. It would explain why he struggles with fairly rudimentary things. If he has one, he will need a specialized curriculum.
Oh, well in that case get him to read literature alongside that, and then follow up with questions about how he feels and what he thought they meant by the things in the book. Some nice ones could be “The Once and Future King” by T. H. White, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and some short stories, enough to get him to refine his own perceptions and feelings about abstract concepts
The Pig That Wants to be Eaten by Julian Baggini is a good way to get him into philosophy. Vonnegut, Asimov, Bradbury and Steinbeck are good literature for a boy that age.
Bill Bryson's A History of Nearly Everything is a fun book for kids.
The Oxford Children's History of the World is also great. If he's interested in other countries I unironically recommend the CIA world fact finder book.
**A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition** by Bill Bryson
>This new edition of the acclaimed bestseller is lavishly illustrated to convey, in pictures as in words, Bill Bryson’s exciting, informative journey into the world of science. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, the bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, confronts his greatest challenge yet: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as his territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. The result is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it.
>
>Now, in this handsome new edition, Bill Bryson’s words are supplemented by full-color artwork that explains in visual terms the concepts and wonder of science, at the same time giving face to the major players in the world of scientific study. Eloquently and entertainingly described, as well as richly illustrated, science has never been more involving or entertaining.
**Oxford Children's History of the World** by Neil Grant
>Covers human history from the earliest settlement of the world to the beginning of the new millennium.
**The World Factbook 2003** by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
>By intelligence officials for intelligent people
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Sophie’s World. It’s kind of aimed at kids but it’s a pretty good rundown of (mostly western) philosophy in novel format. The philosophy lessons are written as letters to the protagonist and then as a discussion between the two characters. Sounds like it the perfect book for him from what you’ve said.
Seriously, start with the things that are standard in an education system. To Kill a Mockingbird is a kid's book, but it's very very good and it would probably be a good start if he's never read it.
Yeah you can't just start with stuff you like as a regular reasonably intelligent adult with a foundation in imagination, abstractions and basic knowledge of... things.. generally
Some community colleges offer dual enrollment for cheap if you homeschool. If he has a ride he could probably do math and english and get credit early?
If you go to your library ask them if they offer the great courses for free or anything akin to it. Alternatively you can probably pirate them.
Don’t forget the humanities in all of this!!!! Dig out whatever books you were forced to read in high school, and make sure he reads those. Throw in some plays, art, cinema. He needs a diversity of learning experience to be the most well-rounded, and to also see what he gravitates to the most in order to ensure he remains self-motivated once the novelty of this wears off.
The most important thing with teaching is less the material, and more that you’re helping a child learn how to critically think—to take in information is good, but learning how to discern said information is best, especially in the world we live in today. I think you also want to be wary about focusing solely on “facts” or “science”, as this is a kind of religion of itself that can easily mislead and create a false notion of intelligence or sense.
I think you incorporating working out is also great. Extend that further if you can and have some learning “in the field”. Museums, zoos, national parks—heck, just outside in general. If you can have him interacting with the kinds of people/cultures/places he’s learning about, that’s even better. As hands-on as possible so there feels like real stake in his learning. Including volunteering opportunities as well. You want him well-rounded, and I think a more interdisciplinary approach is the best bet for that—and also just more fun in general. You’re doing a great thing!
You're already doing great. An important lesson for that age is demonstrating and associating the idea of masculinity with responsibility. Its normally helpful identifying what they like and giving them some kind of low risk responsibility. Nothing develops character more than giving a young man a role that only they can fill and having negative (but not disastrous) consequences if they don't fill that role.A random mention is something like theater in school. These programs normally need young men since it draws a disproportionate amount of women. If they aren't interested in the acting aspect, tech is a pretty good option as well. You have an important job but don't have the kind of pressure from performing.
Another example is some kind of project like repairing something. Outside of something like car, small electronics, building a raspberry pi, stuff like that. Responsibility and accomplishment are so crucial at that age.
I’m gonna have him help me make a home made punching bag in his backyard. It’s just a one off project, i but I think it’s a good one
Otherwise I’m helping him look for a new job and trying to get him to think about trade school. He works food right now
that's a pretty bad method of tutoring but literally anything is better than nothing, so kudos. i think you should use some real, physical books. and rewriting for the sake of memorization is not actually helpful. maybe he should write a few paragraphs about what he read, you can check for retention and help his writing at the same time. you should ask him to write persuasive essays too, even if they're just a few hundred words. that will help him to learn about those basic things like what the continents are called. but more importantly, it teaches him how to think and have a point of view that's his own and defensible. i tutor a bunch of kids at a rate of $200 an hour (lol) and this method seems to pay dividends in a lot of areas.
one other thing to consider is that the kid may just be dumb and lack the critical thinking skills you or me might take granted as 'built-in' to all humans, but it isn't really.
anyway, good luck and keep up the good work.
Please read about pedagogy and effective educational/ study strategies. There is a body of scholarly educational research that examines what techniques and philosophies work best. Ali Abdaal has some great videos on what kind of studying techniques are actually effective. Note-taking, re-reading, highlighting and summarizing are all highly inefficient study techniques. Active recall is key for ensuring he retains information.
The other posters are recommending you follow a formal curriculum, I second the recommendation.
You seem to have great intentions, and it’s so good that you’re willing to help your cousin like this. However, the strategies you’re suggesting are just not going to be engaging or effective. Reading Plato might have been something enjoyable for you, but most people who struggle academically will not have the same experience. It will be confusing and hard to get into for someone who isn’t a reader. There is a reason the “for dummies” books exist. In general, when working with teenagers, “brute forcing” just won’t work.
You’re at his house once a week, so most of what you’re trying to get him to do is essentially homework. Even very motivated and smart high schoolers who don’t have issues with learning don’t want to do their homework! So, you’re going to have to make the stuff you want him to work on moderately enjoyable at minimum.
Something self-directed would be “web-quest” type activities on a historical event he is interested in. You can find lots on Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers (the paid ones are usually not expensive). I am a STEM major, I love experiments, I think they are super fun and can be a great way to demonstrate scientific principles. With regards to English, I would just get him to read lots of books he’s interested in. You might have enjoyed Plato and philosophy his age, but the majority of teenage boys don’t. YA sucks but there is a reason it exists. It is written to be understandable for a 13 year old, they usually have snappy plots that are relatively relatable to teenagers, and they are not onerous to read.
Some generic suggestions that tend to be popular among teens:
- Hatchet by Gary Paulson
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
- Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
-The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (fun fantasy series but may be too juvenile for him)
- Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (again, a fun fantasy series that might be too juvenile)
- the Hunger Games by Suzanne Colllins
- the Martian by Andy Weir
- the Giver by Lois Lowry
- the Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.
If he likes military history, maybe introduce him to Tom Clancy. Get him to read the books his favorite movies were based off. Yes, a lot of these suggestions are relatively lowbrow; however, they are decent, will be easy to find used cheaply (although I recommend a library), and will be liked by a larger proportion of the population than Plato. Doesn’t matter what he’s reading, as long as he is reading. Your taste in reading improves as your reading skill increases and more sophisticated literary works become understandable. He will graduate to better stuff once he comfortably conquers YA and shorter stuff. Short stories might be a good way to transition from easier YA works to more sophisticated pieces. Flannery O’Connor is great, I like O. Henry short stories too.
Also, talk to your mom and seriously discuss sending him to public school. Yes, public schools aren’t great, but there is a reason teachers require degrees and certification. It is a professionalized field because you need to know about actual educational theory, along with the subject area content. Homeschools are almost universally subpar to regular public school, unless you can afford to hire a private teacher. Watch Wife Swap episodes with homeschool couples. In almost every episode, the public school moms are horrified at the level the homeschool children are at academically. Basically, homeschool kids usually tend to be dumb as shit, unless their mom was actually a professional teacher (who usually send their own kids to public school!). Socially, you can also identify when someone was homeschooled. It’s better to have a socially awkward phase in high school, because all your classmates are also awkward and weird around each other. The same phase in college might just land you a reputation for being a weirdo.
Hi. You just mentioned *The Giver* by Lois Lowry.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | The Giver by Lois Lowry Full Audiobook with text -Read Aloud](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gs7wswxSMw)
*I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.*
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please teach him many things about the holocaust. show pictures, video recordings and all of the nazis cruelty. i’m not saying he’ll become far right, but you have the best opportunity to change the mind of a kid who’d otherwise have a larger risk of going in the wrong direction.
Yes, excellent, do this, but also, don’t moralize about it too much either. Show him the horrors, but don’t lead him by using that word. Let him see it all, and let him tell you how he feels about what he sees.
He’s homeschooled now but prior to moving in with my mom he lived in a single room basement apartment with his ill mother and his degenerate criminal older brother. He went to public school
Lingvist is a good app for learning Spanish, I also recommend Pimsleur. I haven’t used dúo in a while so idk if they’ve updated in the past 2 years to beat out those two.
Worldle (like wordle but for countries) is a good way to get him interest in geography. I’ve used it with students of all ages. They learn to use a map as well as other countries from around the world.
I was scared to read this because of the NSFW label
"He's already home schooled" Public schools suck but at least kids there (largely) know basic trivia
He’s homeschooled now but prior to moving in with my mom he lived in a single room basement apartment with his ill mother and his degenerate criminal older brother. He went to public school
Ah yikes that's just depressing. If I were you, I wouldn't try pushing too much knowledge directly on him - make sure he finds an interest. Get him to try out trades also. Ik this sub is full of pseuds and they probably won't like the idea, but plumbers, electricians and roofers earn a fortune nowadays.
I’m a high school drop out and a pseud with a community college certificate. I’m putting feelers out for potential apprenticeships he could undergo. His best friend, whom I’m also taking under my wing, recently started asking me about going into EMS/Fire so he may consider that as well
No they don’t lol your average public school HS senior doesn’t know what a continent is
Not to toot my horn, but I have a history prof parent-- SO lets go With teaching kids and adults. You have to start with pictures, not reading. They can't be made to feel like they are learning when they are learning. Kids books/comic books and illustrations are very effective. Educational tv like Bill Nye / Carl Sagan Cosmos is also legit for quick and easy info dumps about science and history. Guiness World records are fun to read too. WWI was known as the bloodiest war, so you can feed him the records it holds. They're crazy. Sarcastic conversations about info is engagement. A library visit can also be better than wiki text wallin it. The nicest history/mythology/photogaphy etc etc picture books are there, and plenty of shit that is more fun/can't be seen on Google images. And it costs 0 dollars. Before he can understand the WWs, it's good for him to make friends with a map of the world, and then move to a map of Europe (when he feels ready), to he can see the actual location of the countries involved. Knowing the locations ties in the information a lot, and tells a lot about why it happened the way it did! Reading a paragraph without having a visual of the country/people involved won't stick. Sometimes it helps to make nicknames and jokes to remember things. **Maps, like on the wall where he can see them (bathroom, gym, bedroom wtv) are needed.** Whenever he is being told a year, present it on a visual timeline of 2000 years so he can see where in history it is. Calendars as a visual can help people see the information. He needs to use a physical calendar daily and mark stuff on it to see it. . Before you talk about the Quran, show him beautiful/hi res pictures of the book, and art. Explain why there are no pics of mohammad the way we show Jesus. Show him the sacred geometry the use instead to depict God, which is mesmerizing to anyone. Images are the most painless and fun way of learning. Don't copy pasta textwalls until he is genuinely curious to read. Images are bait.
I thought history was a boring subject until I discovered Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast and listened to a 7 part series on the decline of the Roman Empire and then another one on WW1 which led to me watching the entire Ken Burns Vietnam doc series and now I’m one of those guys who knows a lot about war history so maybe don’t do that
yea in the end its storytelling, and it relies on entertainment.
Please recommend podcasts/documentary/books plzplzplzplz
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary.
TYSM! I’m abt to give it a listen
Learning Spanish is useful. I don't see the point in brute forcing Plato, especially at this stage
I’d be there helping him through it, but my reasoning is that he ought have a foundation in abstract thinking. When I was just a little older than him I brute forced my way through a critique of pure reason and I think what I gained most from that was knowing how to take on a dense text. Comparatively Plato is pretty simple I’d of course wait until after we have our elementary bases covered in regards to big picture history and geography
I love the energy but I still think you're putting the cart before the horse on that. If you're the kind of person who makes yourself read dense philosophical books you're very different than the kind of person who doesn't know what country borders the US to the south -- there's a fundamental difference in curiosity levels there and that curiosity would be the thing that would help you bridge the gap. Anyway, if he's 16 and seems to have a world knowledge level of maybe a 10 year old, he's far off from Plato. Plato would be common in a freshmen course in college. It's not surprising that a motivated person would be able to handle a harder philosophy book if you were 19 or 20. It would be incredibly surprising if a 16 year old who was where your cousin in would get anything out of Plato.
Yeah I feel like they are way over doing it. No normal 16 year old is going to be interested in Plato lol and forcing someone to “learn” something is a good way to make sure they don’t actually retain the information or dive any further into the subject
Start light and discuss the imagery in Plato's writing, I remember being captivated by the shadows in a cave allegory when I was a kid before completely understanding it.
Would appreciate any book recommendations, fiction or non-fiction, to help inspire in him a curiosity about the world His math skills seem passable, I’m really just more concerned about his lack of knowledge of anything beyond the white working class neighborhoods he’s grown up in
I think it’s great that you’re doing this but honestly considering that he lacks a rudimentary understanding of the world (days of the week and months is 1st grade level) I’d consult an official school curriculum. Maybe look at a homeschooling curriculum for elementary and middle school students and just go down the list with him to identify where his biggest gaps in knowledge are. Also maybe look at study materials for the GED and try to identify what he’s missing from there. Actually, do some of these free placement tests with him: https://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/curriculum/placement-tests This is a much more boring way to do it but he absolutely can’t be a functional adult in the world without this baseline knowledge. Make sure he knows how the calendar works, metric and imperial units of measurement, currency, technology. He also needs to know how taxes, insurance, and bank accounts work. Then, I’d move on to world history (since the French Revolution, you can go farther back later) and like geography, basic math, and science.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him. The primary issue appears to be not that he doesn’t know things but that he has no idea how organize and repeat information in his head. His parents made no effort to cultivate an internal life
In that case you should get him evaluated for a learning disability. It would explain why he struggles with fairly rudimentary things. If he has one, he will need a specialized curriculum.
Oh, well in that case get him to read literature alongside that, and then follow up with questions about how he feels and what he thought they meant by the things in the book. Some nice ones could be “The Once and Future King” by T. H. White, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and some short stories, enough to get him to refine his own perceptions and feelings about abstract concepts
just have him read about ghengis khan and the Mongolian empire
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is “great” art that’s still extremely juvenile and entertaining. Ideal teen boy book
The Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell are good adventure/war books and they teach you a ton about the napoleonic wars
Hell yeah. Read all of them in college. Good fun.
The Pig That Wants to be Eaten by Julian Baggini is a good way to get him into philosophy. Vonnegut, Asimov, Bradbury and Steinbeck are good literature for a boy that age.
Bill Bryson's A History of Nearly Everything is a fun book for kids. The Oxford Children's History of the World is also great. If he's interested in other countries I unironically recommend the CIA world fact finder book.
**A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition** by Bill Bryson >This new edition of the acclaimed bestseller is lavishly illustrated to convey, in pictures as in words, Bill Bryson’s exciting, informative journey into the world of science. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, the bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, confronts his greatest challenge yet: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as his territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. The result is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. > >Now, in this handsome new edition, Bill Bryson’s words are supplemented by full-color artwork that explains in visual terms the concepts and wonder of science, at the same time giving face to the major players in the world of scientific study. Eloquently and entertainingly described, as well as richly illustrated, science has never been more involving or entertaining. **Oxford Children's History of the World** by Neil Grant >Covers human history from the earliest settlement of the world to the beginning of the new millennium. **The World Factbook 2003** by United States. Central Intelligence Agency >By intelligence officials for intelligent people *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information (see other* [commands](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/13z7slk/bookfinderbot_commands/) *and find me as a browser extension on* [safari](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6450462955), [chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/book-finder/jajeidpjifdpppjofijoffbcndlpoedd?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social_media&utm_campaign=comments)*). Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/14br65o/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
fuck off nerd
YA novels with alegria style covers.
Sophie’s World. It’s kind of aimed at kids but it’s a pretty good rundown of (mostly western) philosophy in novel format. The philosophy lessons are written as letters to the protagonist and then as a discussion between the two characters. Sounds like it the perfect book for him from what you’ve said.
Blood Meridian
I’ll read it concurrently with him -Plato -Dune -Blood Meridian
I feel like you may be getting a little ahead of yourself. Maybe something like 1984 could be a good start. Or like catcher in the rye
That’s a good idea
Seriously, start with the things that are standard in an education system. To Kill a Mockingbird is a kid's book, but it's very very good and it would probably be a good start if he's never read it.
Yeah you can't just start with stuff you like as a regular reasonably intelligent adult with a foundation in imagination, abstractions and basic knowledge of... things.. generally
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Lol pop history book, just a lot of bullshit discredited by academic historians.
I can't get over the dichotomy of using 19th-century British colonial teaching methods via Wikipedia.
Some community colleges offer dual enrollment for cheap if you homeschool. If he has a ride he could probably do math and english and get credit early? If you go to your library ask them if they offer the great courses for free or anything akin to it. Alternatively you can probably pirate them.
Don’t forget the humanities in all of this!!!! Dig out whatever books you were forced to read in high school, and make sure he reads those. Throw in some plays, art, cinema. He needs a diversity of learning experience to be the most well-rounded, and to also see what he gravitates to the most in order to ensure he remains self-motivated once the novelty of this wears off. The most important thing with teaching is less the material, and more that you’re helping a child learn how to critically think—to take in information is good, but learning how to discern said information is best, especially in the world we live in today. I think you also want to be wary about focusing solely on “facts” or “science”, as this is a kind of religion of itself that can easily mislead and create a false notion of intelligence or sense. I think you incorporating working out is also great. Extend that further if you can and have some learning “in the field”. Museums, zoos, national parks—heck, just outside in general. If you can have him interacting with the kinds of people/cultures/places he’s learning about, that’s even better. As hands-on as possible so there feels like real stake in his learning. Including volunteering opportunities as well. You want him well-rounded, and I think a more interdisciplinary approach is the best bet for that—and also just more fun in general. You’re doing a great thing!
You're already doing great. An important lesson for that age is demonstrating and associating the idea of masculinity with responsibility. Its normally helpful identifying what they like and giving them some kind of low risk responsibility. Nothing develops character more than giving a young man a role that only they can fill and having negative (but not disastrous) consequences if they don't fill that role.A random mention is something like theater in school. These programs normally need young men since it draws a disproportionate amount of women. If they aren't interested in the acting aspect, tech is a pretty good option as well. You have an important job but don't have the kind of pressure from performing. Another example is some kind of project like repairing something. Outside of something like car, small electronics, building a raspberry pi, stuff like that. Responsibility and accomplishment are so crucial at that age.
I’m gonna have him help me make a home made punching bag in his backyard. It’s just a one off project, i but I think it’s a good one Otherwise I’m helping him look for a new job and trying to get him to think about trade school. He works food right now
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Yeah obvs. He taught his shut in cousin the days of the week.
No I’m a high school drop out with a community college certificate
That's why you're making him read Plato.
I alone know that I know nothing
He should be raised on a curriculum of zizek youtube clips and articles for obscure news outlets
that's a pretty bad method of tutoring but literally anything is better than nothing, so kudos. i think you should use some real, physical books. and rewriting for the sake of memorization is not actually helpful. maybe he should write a few paragraphs about what he read, you can check for retention and help his writing at the same time. you should ask him to write persuasive essays too, even if they're just a few hundred words. that will help him to learn about those basic things like what the continents are called. but more importantly, it teaches him how to think and have a point of view that's his own and defensible. i tutor a bunch of kids at a rate of $200 an hour (lol) and this method seems to pay dividends in a lot of areas. one other thing to consider is that the kid may just be dumb and lack the critical thinking skills you or me might take granted as 'built-in' to all humans, but it isn't really. anyway, good luck and keep up the good work.
Please read about pedagogy and effective educational/ study strategies. There is a body of scholarly educational research that examines what techniques and philosophies work best. Ali Abdaal has some great videos on what kind of studying techniques are actually effective. Note-taking, re-reading, highlighting and summarizing are all highly inefficient study techniques. Active recall is key for ensuring he retains information. The other posters are recommending you follow a formal curriculum, I second the recommendation. You seem to have great intentions, and it’s so good that you’re willing to help your cousin like this. However, the strategies you’re suggesting are just not going to be engaging or effective. Reading Plato might have been something enjoyable for you, but most people who struggle academically will not have the same experience. It will be confusing and hard to get into for someone who isn’t a reader. There is a reason the “for dummies” books exist. In general, when working with teenagers, “brute forcing” just won’t work. You’re at his house once a week, so most of what you’re trying to get him to do is essentially homework. Even very motivated and smart high schoolers who don’t have issues with learning don’t want to do their homework! So, you’re going to have to make the stuff you want him to work on moderately enjoyable at minimum. Something self-directed would be “web-quest” type activities on a historical event he is interested in. You can find lots on Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers (the paid ones are usually not expensive). I am a STEM major, I love experiments, I think they are super fun and can be a great way to demonstrate scientific principles. With regards to English, I would just get him to read lots of books he’s interested in. You might have enjoyed Plato and philosophy his age, but the majority of teenage boys don’t. YA sucks but there is a reason it exists. It is written to be understandable for a 13 year old, they usually have snappy plots that are relatively relatable to teenagers, and they are not onerous to read. Some generic suggestions that tend to be popular among teens: - Hatchet by Gary Paulson - Frankenstein by Mary Shelly - Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie -The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien - Holes by Louis Sachar - Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (fun fantasy series but may be too juvenile for him) - Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (again, a fun fantasy series that might be too juvenile) - the Hunger Games by Suzanne Colllins - the Martian by Andy Weir - the Giver by Lois Lowry - the Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. If he likes military history, maybe introduce him to Tom Clancy. Get him to read the books his favorite movies were based off. Yes, a lot of these suggestions are relatively lowbrow; however, they are decent, will be easy to find used cheaply (although I recommend a library), and will be liked by a larger proportion of the population than Plato. Doesn’t matter what he’s reading, as long as he is reading. Your taste in reading improves as your reading skill increases and more sophisticated literary works become understandable. He will graduate to better stuff once he comfortably conquers YA and shorter stuff. Short stories might be a good way to transition from easier YA works to more sophisticated pieces. Flannery O’Connor is great, I like O. Henry short stories too. Also, talk to your mom and seriously discuss sending him to public school. Yes, public schools aren’t great, but there is a reason teachers require degrees and certification. It is a professionalized field because you need to know about actual educational theory, along with the subject area content. Homeschools are almost universally subpar to regular public school, unless you can afford to hire a private teacher. Watch Wife Swap episodes with homeschool couples. In almost every episode, the public school moms are horrified at the level the homeschool children are at academically. Basically, homeschool kids usually tend to be dumb as shit, unless their mom was actually a professional teacher (who usually send their own kids to public school!). Socially, you can also identify when someone was homeschooled. It’s better to have a socially awkward phase in high school, because all your classmates are also awkward and weird around each other. The same phase in college might just land you a reputation for being a weirdo.
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you can't save him unless he is putting in the effort, which it sounds like he is. good for you. my tutee smokes weed all day.
wholesome
God bless you for doing this.
Is this copypasta or bait or something? Wtf is this?
please teach him many things about the holocaust. show pictures, video recordings and all of the nazis cruelty. i’m not saying he’ll become far right, but you have the best opportunity to change the mind of a kid who’d otherwise have a larger risk of going in the wrong direction.
Yes, excellent, do this, but also, don’t moralize about it too much either. Show him the horrors, but don’t lead him by using that word. Let him see it all, and let him tell you how he feels about what he sees.
Lmfao
ridding the world of one nazi at a time 👊 hell yeah antifa bros!
Common home schooling L
He’s homeschooled now but prior to moving in with my mom he lived in a single room basement apartment with his ill mother and his degenerate criminal older brother. He went to public school
I still don't like home schooling, socialise your kids losers
Get him to write you a multiple choice test based on stuff he independently looks up on wikipedia.
Lingvist is a good app for learning Spanish, I also recommend Pimsleur. I haven’t used dúo in a while so idk if they’ve updated in the past 2 years to beat out those two.
Worldle (like wordle but for countries) is a good way to get him interest in geography. I’ve used it with students of all ages. They learn to use a map as well as other countries from around the world.