Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 The military has a program that will pay for spouses to take courses that help them qualify for portable employment. I already have a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in Education. I was thinking that it would be nice to use this toward something in continuing education that would not only help me with topics I plan on homeschooling, but perhaps equip me for a post homeschooling career. I don't know that I'd ever do classroom teaching. But tutoring, reading specialist and curriculum development are all options. I'd also enjoy doing education related work with a museum or historic place. Does anyone have any suggestions? Actual course work (could be undergrad, graduate or CE) or even just recommendations of books or reliable sites that list possible distance learning or online courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 ESL? But I don't know how good the market is for dependents. If you're considering tutoring, I think math is marketable for a longer time in a child's life. (Reading tutoring ends when the child can read, hopefully by age 10; math tutoring just moves on to the next level and doesn't end til they go off to college.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I am doing my second math course through LSU. The price is only $250 for 3 credits. I though it was too good to be true! Anyway, all the homework is hand graded and returned promptly. The books are really good, my current one has a CD tutoring component that is helpful. As the books aren't the newest, I have been able to get the whole package for around $30. (sol. manual, CD and text) (it is a Sullivan text) I have learned something from each CD lesson that I didn't know before- added to learning from the book. The CD lessons are concise and broken down by examples so they're a lot shorter than Chalkdust. I'm studying for the final-it's comprehensive! I pay a testing fee to go to a center--but you could do it at a military center much easier I'm sure. I have found it much easier helping dd#2 this time as the math concepts are easier to explain if you have studied it on your own. So I feel I'm also saving as I can help her more efficiently. I'm trying to decide which course to do next! They have so many! www.is.lsu.edu The teachers are actually available to answer questions on this little online form, which I think is a great value for what I paid for. They also have an accounting prep program through distance ed. I also liked the Indiana U. programs and also U. of Missouri, but they are more expensive. (we used the for homeschooling) HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) Thanks. I did a lot of math in college, but it is always worth brushing up again. I was eyeing some of the courses from University of Oklahoma, since I'd done a course with them years ago. But the offerings didn't really fire me up. I'll look at the schools you mentioned. One thing that I'm noticing is that some of the continuing education courses require that you be a licensed teacher. I have an MS Ed, but never got the certificate. Update: Having looked at the LSU site, there are actually several courses that pique my interest. Thanks again. Edited September 28, 2009 by Sebastian (a lady) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 ESL? But I don't know how good the market is for dependents. If you're considering tutoring, I think math is marketable for a longer time in a child's life. (Reading tutoring ends when the child can read, hopefully by age 10; math tutoring just moves on to the next level and doesn't end til they go off to college.) I disagree with the idea that reading tutoring ends at age 10 or so. Many of my students are in their early teens reading 3 and 4 grade levels below their expected reading level due to language and reading disabilities. They need lots of tutoring because the classroom teachers can't focus on increasing reading levels in a classroom when the remainder of the students are caught up. ACtually at 10 is when many of these reading issues are first identified. I'm going to go after my Masters in Reading this year and I think it is a great degree for keeping you marketable if you aren't interested in a classroom position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvmy4blessings Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I thought this program was only for spouses who had not already completed a Bachelor's degree. If not that is terrific! If you're looking for distance learning check out www.degreeinfo.com Also you might consider taking 18 grad hours in any subject that would qualify you for teaching community college. It also might allow you to teach online or do adult ed. You can get your PhD online too but check out the website above to make sure they are accredited. Walden has an excellent PhD program from what I have heard . My principal last year was in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonshine Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Sorry to hijack here, but I did look up LSU's long distance program. Thanks for the tip, NancyL. I want to ask if you know how the course is represented on the transcript? Is it marked as a long distance learning course? Or does it appear to be a regular college course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hi! Great question-- You might contact them to ask that question. This is in regards to the LSU course I'm taking. I have not requested an official transcript because I haven't had any need of one. All my correspondence does come from the Department of Continuing Education. However the course I'm doing now has the regular college number (1021). You can go online and look at your records and it just says Math 1021 (College Algebra) as the only description. This is a course that's offered for the regular college also, so the actual course is supposed to be the same. However, these transcripts do come from the Department of Independent Learning or Department of Continuing Studies (Indiana) or a similar name seems to be at the top of the title as the Return Address for the grades or transcripts. (this is from my experience with both LSU and IU) I would say that these records come from the actual university, but are identified as the separate department , because you are not required to be admitted as a regular student. That said, I do think that there is more and more acceptance of these kinds of courses, except perhaps not for medical school or something really high level. The professor says that it covers the same exact material, but at your own pace. (you just work out of the book or CD's until you understand it, basically) The comprehensive final ensures that you are actually the one doing the work, as you show ID. When my dd applied to colleges these transcripts were definitely considered just as good as any local High School--but of course it depends on what you need to do with the transcripts. Additionally I know my alma mater, Oregon State University, has just expanded their ECampus, and they have a tremendous amount of online courses, but you have to stay up with the regular classes as they run at the same time. The lectures are done online as a video, so it's more like the regular class. Same teachers, and everything, so it might be these kinds of courses will be closer to the actual "live" class. I have been happy, because I could get this course done for a great price, take my time, and get a good grade. It satisfies prerequisites if you want to take additional courses. I'm not going to be applying to any elite graduate schools!. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.MacGyver Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Hey, I just finished up 2 classes at American Public University which is an online fully accredited school with Master's Programs, and I am using the MYCAA program. This University is part of American Military University, and it caters to the military people...might be something you want to check out just because they have Master's Certification programs for people who already have their Master's Degree (it's like a 1/2 a Master's program that is just very specific to your interest area - if you are looking to bolster a resume or just want to take classes in an area that interests you without having to go through the whole thing again). Who knows, maybe they have something that interests you. But they are all set up for the MYCAA stuff, and it was super simple to get going. (Also, a good friend of mine is also using the program. Her school was not in the MYCAA system to start off with, but they worked with her to get everything set up. So, don't feel confined only to schools that are already in their system.) And, yes, you can use it for more than just a Bachelor's Degree. It can be used for many things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I disagree with the idea that reading tutoring ends at age 10 or so. Many of my students are in their early teens reading 3 and 4 grade levels below their expected reading level due to language and reading disabilities. They need lots of tutoring because the classroom teachers can't focus on increasing reading levels in a classroom when the remainder of the students are caught up. ACtually at 10 is when many of these reading issues are first identified. I'm going to go after my Masters in Reading this year and I think it is a great degree for keeping you marketable if you aren't interested in a classroom position. :iagree: And after learning to read, there's learning to read... harder stuff. It expands to vocabulary, writing using correct grammar, etc. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 This is a good one, thanks. It is hard to muddle through the online descriptions of various schools and try to pluck out quality programs. Especially since I'm not really in need of another degree, so much as some good learning opportunities. I'd love to find a couple good courses on nature study or something that would fit with curriculum development. I may have to take a trip to the library to spend some time with the catalogs of distance learning courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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