Jump to content

Menu

A question I've been thinking of for the last several weeks... It seems as though


Recommended Posts

We haven't done any online classes. I don't think that format would work well for my kids. We haven't tried it though.

 

My oldest has taken dual credit classes at the cc. The dual credit classes get her experience in a college classroom setting while she's still at home, give her high school AND college credits, and often teach her things that I cannot.

 

I could have easily done a high school psychology course with my dd, but she took it at the cc and got college credit for it.

 

I could NOT in any way have taught or even assisted her with Japanese or Drawing.

 

She is taking digital imaging this summer, another course that I couldn't help her with.

 

Most of what she is taking next semester at the cc is stuff that I could do with her, but I've found that I need to step back and have somebody else be the bad guy. She is continuing with Japanese (seems to have a talent for it) and will also take English, physics, and statistics.

 

She should graduate high school with 48 college credits. Her #1 choice school is a state school that will take all of the credits and still admit her as a freshman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't do online classes.

 

I had my oldest take one cc college level English class - mainly because I wanted him to improve his writing. As he applied to colleges we also found out that class - even though it was just one - assisted greatly in providing outside verification of grades and gave us a nice "go-to" for reference letters. He has since been granted transfer credits for that class, so it allows him to take an additional class in his major instead of having to redo Freshman English. My oldest is going to a fairly highly ranked Christian College, but it's not super selective nor a difficult to get in to major.

 

We've learned from that experience to assist with middle son. Middle son wants a more selective college and a more challenging major. As I've looked at schools he might apply to (he just finished sophomore year) I noticed MOST successful applicants have either AP, CC or high SAT 2 tests (their words). For his major, he's also going to have to know how to work in science labs that are more high quality than my kitchen or living room. Therefore, even though it's costing us $660 - $880/class, he's starting CC with Microbio and Effective Speaking this fall. He's also doing the work to AP Bio, Chem, and possibly, Stats, this year (IF I can find a school that offers or will order these tests for us - if not, then SAT 2 for Chem and Bio). In the spring we're taking time off from cc classes to concentrate on AP Prep and college visits. Next fall he might take an English class + another of our choosing.

 

We're doing all this so he can be competitive at colleges he wants to get into (not Ivy, but a notch under - science research schools) and perhaps be competitive for merit aid. He has the test scores and GPA, but he needs some of those extras as well as the knowledge he ought to get from the courses. We know none of the science AP nor CC classes will likely transfer credits. Other classes might.

 

Youngest son is heading back to ps for 9th grade next year (his will, not ours). Even so, they allow starting cc classes in 11th grade, so pending his desire for his future, we'll probably do similarly when he gets there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are the reasons we'll be heading in that direction this fall with some online classes, then follow up the next fall with CC classes, too, although listed in no particular order:

 

 

 

  • Saving college expenses. Dual Enrollment is totally free where I live;
  • I don't have time to teach everyone, every thing and still provide richness and quality;
  • I like that they get college experience, but still be home for guidance and support;
  • I don't have to re-visit the long last memories of higher level maths or science classes;
  • to be competitive locally, he'll need the upper level classes;
  • we plan on sending him to the same university for his 4-year degree, so he'll just keep on going!

 

We've waited a long time to get here! I'm so excited the journey is switching gears and we're in the last stage before I can finally say I graduated someone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our local CC has its merits and weaknesses. We knew that there are two reasonably good chemistry profs and a relatively new lab--something which we certainly could not duplicate at home. CC courses will not transfer to the LAC that my son is attending in the fall, but I am nonetheless glad that he had these and some other courses under his belt in order to appreciate various expectations of different instructors.

 

One of the benefits of these CC courses was learning to use technology like Blackboard. When he enrolled in AP Latin through the NC Virtual Public School, he was familiar with the technology while other students were at a disadvantage in the beginning. By the way, I reached the end of the road with what I could teach or help him with in Latin. He needed someone else to guide him through the Aeneid.

 

In retrospect, I wish that I had employed online instruction for writing in 9th grade but I was too stubborn. There are some good online writing programs/instructors that have been mentioned. I think this would have made my life easier...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

when my dd turns 18, min. age to take the culinary classes, she will be attending our local cc culinary school for her associates degree.. Along with the culinary classes she is required to take 7 academic classes at the cc which she can start taking this year. This way, when she turns 18 and can be in the culinary classes, which are 5 days a week for 5 hours for 2 years, she can concentrate on just culinary and not have to also take the academic since she will have completed them before she turns 18. Also if taken while still in high school the classes are 1/2 price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We use dual-enrollment for a number of purposes.

 

-Fear is one. Fear that I won't do the subject myself and therefore the subject won't be done well. There are some subjects that I don't remember well. My usual approach is to read the material with the child. That reminds me enough that I can then help with the problems if the child gets stuck. Or if it is something I haven't seen before, it teaches me. (Latin is the exception. In Latin, I have to do the excersizes, too, or I don't remember enough to progress.) At some point, though, my children are willing and able to try doing the material alone, with me just supplying discussions or helping only when they get problems wrong. Sigh. Ãt that point, I don't have enough self-discipline to do the reading and keep up with them, and so am unable to help them. At this point, if it is an unimportant subject, I am willing to let them muddle through by themselves, but if it is an important subject, I am not.

 

-Independence. Dual-enrollment is another way for my children to take control of their own education. I want them to be familiar with all the self-education options, from finding a mentor or tutor, to apprenticing themselves, to doing it on their own, to taking a class.

 

-Some subjects require lab equipment and I am unwilling to set up a home laboratory. We have some equipment, but that is different than working in a laboratory, and I want that experience for my children.

 

-Some subjects I just plain don't want to redo myself, like chemistry. I admit that it is more interesting the second time round, but it doesn't stick in my head any better, so I make a poor teacher.

 

-I would like my children to experience a teacher who is enthusiastic about their subject. I am not enthusiastic teacher about any subject. I think various bits are cool here and there, but it isn't the same.

 

-My children need to transition into learning in a classroom, into being in a school, into remembering not to leave their laptop unattended, being taught by someone other than mum, being taught at somebody else's pace, getting help, taking notes, keeping track of assignments that are given months ahead of time, being tested, being graded, and various other things. Other homeschoolers manage to simulate some of these things at home, but we don't and I am unwilling to do it just to teach them to deal with it, especially when we have dual-enrollment as an option.

 

-Some subjects, like calculus, are so important that I would rather somebody else taught them. I could do it. I remember calculus as being easy, and I'm sure if I read the textbook to my son as usual, I would remember it again, but I feel safer doing it this way.

 

-Outside verification of learning. Especially with the older son, who didn't test well, this was important.

 

-Nan

Edited by Nan in Mass
forgot a big reason
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our local CC has its merits and weaknesses.

 

:iagree:

 

By outside classes, do you mean IRL or virtual? Each option has advantages and disadvantages. Here are the reasons we've done outside/dual-enrollement:

 

*to cherry pick excellent teachers (on-line)

*to receive grades from accredited courses (state virtual and DE)

*to pursue more rigorous studies (online and university DE)

*to provide academic stimulation and class discussion (all, but moreso IRL/DE)

*to allow dc to transition to college environment (DE)

*to provide IRL foreign language practice (DE)

 

Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually enjoy teaching quite a bit, and other than Latin, I can pretty much handle the content... but a full schedule of classes for DS is a FULL schedule of classes... and I've really come to empathize with PS teachers' always being short of planning time! When I'm not fully prepared, things tend to fall off the to-do list... and there are a few areas (language...) that get the brunt of that. So first, we really need outside accountability for those things I'm likely to let slide. And second, I need the weekly (and sometimes daily) planning time to really maximize what I do take on.

 

 

 

Next year DS is doing:

  • Latin (online - yay! because I'm really not qualified past the first ten chapters! LOL)
  • Spanish (in person class - accountability)
  • Discrete Math (half outsourced online - I'd love to teach this myself, but it's one we can outsource... Online Number Theory and Counting/Probability, and DH and I will both be teaching him cryptography and programming)
  • Economics (half outsourced in person - plain economics at home supplemented with a finance/investing discussion group)
  • Marine Biology (entirely at home... and possibly a huge amount of time and work...)
  • Lit/Comp with two co-op groups: Lord of the Rings study and Shakespeare
  • History with two co-op groups: History of Science co-op and a Junior Historians club

I'd love to do everything, but I know me... it won't all get done. And that Marine Biology is looming... DS and I have been working out how it's going to go, and while it's extremely exciting, it's a LOT of work, and potentially a lot of "field trips".

 

And on top of that, he has flute, math team, youth group, and a fairly active social life. Not to mention a spring that's frequently full of competitions - science fair and math competitions... And I have work committments, a different math team, and two blocks of Sunday school teaching. And a fairly active social life...

 

Some if it, too, is the enthusiastic teachers that Nan mentions. I can handle economics, but the dad leading the investing discussion is really into that.. and I'm not. So he gets the "meat" of investing with the group and I'll do the "potatoes" of basic economic theory. The history of science group is a co-op we started last year, and we divide up the areas so I get to teach all the math-related lessons (wheee!) and the other moms can handle everything else that I'd tend to glaze over on. I could handle that myself, but I don't have to... and I'd rather throw myself into the Marine Biology than spend the time and energy trying to work up enthusiasm for something I'd rather pawn off on someone else. :)

 

The other part is outside grades... although I'm not tremendously concerned about it (we have competition results to justify all kinds of things...), it is nice to have an outside assessment of routine work and someone who can write a good recommendation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ETA: To summarize my rambling thoughts below, we like online classes because of: 1) accountability to someone else, 2) expertise in subject area, 3) interaction with others, 4) their help with time-management skills, 5) outside verification of homeschooling, 6) being able to feel confident about homeschooling high school and being able to meet this child's academic needs.

 

My daughter is going into 8th grade next year. For 7th grade, she took Latin I with RCA, Meet the Romans (workshop) and Classical Mythology Beta with Lukeion. I started her with Latin because I just knew I could not teach the subject as I did not have the time to devote to learning it myself and I didn't want her to have to learn on her own. I wasn't sure that would work, either. In the Spring, I found Lukeion, and I thought she'd benefit from a lit course and a workshop. The workshop was to help prep for the NLE. The mythology course required a research paper, and I felt that would be good for her as she hadn't done one yet nor had she studied mythology (other than some children's retellings). This summer, she's signed up for AoPS Intro to Algebra course.

 

We've really enjoyed the online experiences so far. AoPS starts tomorrow, so we don't know how that will go, but I have high hopes for it. She has felt challenged in her classes. There's outside accountability. And they get done on schedule.;) We've decided that she will take more courses with RCA in the fall. At least Humanities I and Latin II, not totally sure about the science/math block they have. We plan to start German online with OSU, too.

 

The key for me is to make sure she is happy and well-balanced. I don't want online classes taking three hours a day per class. RCA Latin was great in this regard. She worked at it daily but it was never something that took hours. Yet she learned so much. It was a steady build-up of material and if she did her work, she did fine. She had someone to go to if she was confused about something and did not have to muddle through on her own. Mythology was a lot of work, requiring plenty more than an hour a day for her, but she loved it, too, however I don't know that we could manage the pace year round (it was a 16-week course). She adored the workshop and wants to take more (there's no outside work requirement). :tongue_smilie:

 

She gets something out of the classes that I can't give her. For one, expertise. Then, there's others in the same boat she's in as she told me. That is reassuring to her. It's not face to face, but it's still interaction. It relieves me of some level of worry as to whether I am short-changing her.:001_huh: I know these things will be covered if she stays on top of her work. So, I guess it helps with my homeschooling high-school insecurity. :tongue_smilie: I'm sure it will help some with outside verification. I also think we'll utilize a few cc classes at some point because I think it's important for her to experience a live classroom environment prior to finishing high school. I have found that I can still interact a lot with my daughter in regard to some of her online classes. We sit and do math together, we talked about the books she read in mythology. I have not really been involved in Latin, though, because I could not keep up with her the year before she started the online class.

 

She loves her online classes. However, I am also at a point where I want to make sure she has time to pursue things like cake decorating, knitting, drawing, piano, etc. She has a heavy extra-curricular schedule (dance) so her evenings and part of her weekends are taken up with that. And I wonder how much online time during the day is too much? How much takes away from this fabulous freedom homeschooling affords us? We'll have to just see how it goes if we add more in. We're considering a coop for biology next year. And when I think about it, it would tie up half our Monday. It's forty minutes there and then forty back. So, it sounds like a great class, but it won't be time efficient. Online classes are more efficient in that regard.

 

I did not realize we'd be doing online classes when I started homeschooling. However, it's been a good fit for this particular child so far.

Edited by Violet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am just starting the hs process with my Jr. in HS. I am teaching everything with the exception of an online German class (OSU?). The planning has been completely time-consuming so far, (Pre-calc., AP Bio, Eng. Rhet and Am. Lit, Am. History). The reason why we decided to do this though is so that the dd is actually prepared to go to college. I know that my curriculum will be much more strenuous than ps but, hopefully she will learn more and get on track....she's a bright kid that totally lost confidence in ps this year.

For the folks that have been doing this for a while. I would go with some outside classes, in order to get some nice academic accountability and some "non-mommy" teacher recs. I realize that by doing things the way that we are we sill lose those things but, it is better than a kid losing all heart!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we like online classes because of: 1) accountability to someone else, 2) expertise in subject area, 3) interaction with others, 4) their help with time-management skills, 5) outside verification of homeschooling, 6) being able to feel confident about homeschooling high school and being able to meet this child's academic needs.

 

Two other benefits --

 

1) I don't have to work so hard switching my "mom" hat and my "teacher" hat. As the kids get older, I have found that there is more of a difference between being the mom (providing guidance, support, love, etc.) and being the teacher (enforcing deadlines, requiring work of a certain standard, etc.). At the high school level, I prefer "just" being the mom.

 

2) While I do have the background to teach my kids advanced high school subjects (AP chemistry, etc.), I would need to spend a lot of time relearning the material, planning the course, and going over the work. I have other commitments besides homeschooling my older kids -- like homeschooling my younger ones, maintaining a home, supporting my hubby, and being involved in my community. My time available is not infinite. Outsourcing high school subjects helps me to be able to focus on the areas that I can't outsource!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just skimmed the other responses, but didn't see my reason. I think that having a few outside classes "validates" a homeschool transcript. My oldest son took several courses through Seton, and I plan to have my next oldest take English through them. I really like their English courses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't done any online classes. I don't think that format would work well for my kids. We haven't tried it though.

 

My oldest has taken dual credit classes at the cc. The dual credit classes get her experience in a college classroom setting while she's still at home, give her high school AND college credits, and often teach her things that I cannot.

 

 

:iagree: This is the route we have taken also and for the same reasons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AoPS starts tomorrow, so we don't know how that will go, but I have high hopes for it.

 

Off topic, but you can tell your dd that the primary TA for that class is also a homeschooled WTM girl:). My daughter will be answering questions during class and helping out as needed. She's excited, too! And the second TA is a nice guy - a former homeschooler who's in college now.

 

Hope it goes well for her. AoPS is challenging, but well worth it!

 

~Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My older did two classes online so far. Both were with FLVS. One was a middle high class (keyboarding) and the other was a high school class. They took a lot more time than the classes would have if not in a virtual school. The pros are that she learned to type very well. Her younger sister didn't want to take the time. We found that the logistics of the class made the whole thing take more time than 5 hours a week.

 

I will be looking at the older taking an online cc class simply because the local option is too expensive (over 300?credit).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Off topic, but you can tell your dd that the primary TA for that class is also a homeschooled WTM girl:). My daughter will be answering questions during class and helping out as needed. She's excited, too! And the second TA is a nice guy - a former homeschooler who's in college now.

 

Hope it goes well for her. AoPS is challenging, but well worth it!

 

~Kathy

 

Thanks for letting me know, Kathy. I'll tell her. She really wants to succeed in this class. We'll see how it goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have done online classes and ds16 will take classes at the local college next year. My reasons:

 

1. Some areas are beyond my area of expertise. I could muddle through elementary school Latin, but I cannot teach it. I do not have time to completely learn iy, become an expert in it, and then teach it. Having them learn from an expert teacher is important to me. If I had only one child, I could probably keep ahead of the sciences for one of the children, but my oldest inhales science (he surpassed me in junior high and I am a mathy/sciency person.)

 

2. Having input from an outside instructor. Kids to benefit from other mentors besides me.

 

3. Having to learn to adapt to other people's schedules and deadlines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
ETA: To summarize my rambling thoughts below, we like online classes because of: 1) accountability to someone else, 2) expertise in subject area, 3) interaction with others, 4) their help with time-management skills, 5) outside verification of homeschooling, 6) being able to feel confident about homeschooling high school and being able to meet this child's academic needs.

 

 

 

All of those reasons plus (and this one carries more weight than some of those) 7) I'm just not that good at staying on top of it all. I envy those homeschooler's who can! Every year we had dropped Latin part way through the year. So last year Dd 9th took high school Latin 1, and ds 7th took J.H. Latin 1, both with the Potter's school. They loved it, I loved it.

 

This year they are both continuing Latin with Potter's, and I'm considering online great books discussions for both.

 

Rhea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My older son was ready for more rhetoric level discussion but I couldn't get it in live classes locally at the time. He was extremely resistant to going on campus somewhere for classes, too, so an online option (it was actually still a correspondence course back then, but it was changing over) was my only option to get him the level of work that I felt he was ready to do. I would choose a live class every time if I knew that I could get a good teacher who would make it worthwhile....

 

At that age, he had been with me so long that he knew what I thought. I wanted him to be able to discuss ideas from the differing perspectives of others in the world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...