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completely at home? A friend with middle and high school aged children recently asked me this. She is feeling pressured to put them into outside classes because so many people are doing it, but her desire is to continue to teach them solely at home. Her question to me was does anyone actually still do all the schooling at home? She also wonders, are they then able to get into college?

 

Interested to hear responses. TIA

 

Shannon

 

ETA: She was told by her curriculum supplier that it is getting harder and harder to get kids into college unless they have some outside verification that they are good college material.

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Yes, I do - and I feel like a FREAK sometimes! ;)

 

We moved from CT, where other than online resources, there really weren't any options other than do-it-all-at-home. Due to budget and time constraints, I've still kept at it.

 

My eldest got a 32 on her ACTs and has already been offered the top academic scholarship to her #1 college. Of course, I've got 4 more to go. . . . .

 

With that said, I'm not "anti" co-op or outside classes. At all. I can see with my youngest that I may need to take advantage of those resources, simply because I run out of steam. And next year, when ds 14 is ready for Chemistry - well, I'm not doing THAT on my own again.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

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We have seven dc, and homeschooled our two oldest only at home through high school - the others are too young for high school. They did not take CC, online, or co-op classes. They did do some video/CD courses: Chalkdust math, MIT Opencourseware Physics, Nance's Logic courses, IEW, and some TC classes. Our two oldest both got into competitive programs at colleges with no problems. They got social interaction and recommendations from outside activities: Chess clubs and tournaments, volunteering at a wildlife center, church activities, camps, etc. We helped them successfully pass some APs and CLEPs, too.

 

It was a lot of work! That said, it was a good path for our family. High school/AP/CLEP study and college research became an enjoyable hobby for me. We also saved a lot of money by doing it ourselves.

 

I would definitely not say that is the only way to go, and am not trying to brag about it. I am only saying that it is possible and that some families are doing it. I think it is harder sometimes when you live in an area with a lot of other opportunities. The outside pressure is intense. Sometimes others implied that our dc were not getting the proper high school experience. Our two are doing very well at college, and seem happy with what we provided for them in their high school years.

 

Best wishes to your friend,

GardenMom

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I am now, though they make take some community college classes (probably, maybe, I don't know...) We have tried outside co-ops and classes, but the quality was always poor. I would have dd do an online class, but our schedule is pretty full, and I think the online class would take more time than just doing it myself. I also can't see spending the money when I can teach the subject.

 

I have other students into our classes, so they get a group dynamic, but they aren't getting other teachers (besides art, music lessons, and orchestra.)

 

I think an SAT subject test or AP test will work just as well for outside verification, but my dc will also have outside recommendations from their volunteer service. No advice on whether it will actually work, but it's probably where we will end up.

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Guest Cheryl in SoCal

I currently completely homeschool two high schoolers, and plan to do so throughout high school. I know many who do this and have never heard of any of their children having trouble getting into college. One is even at Westpoint (his 3rd year I believe) :001_smile:

Edited by Cheryl in SoCal
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Ds (graduated, doing well in college) only did a few classes w/dvds, the rest at home with me and the books.

 

It is doable, but a lot of wear and tear on mom when the classes go past her knowledge!!

 

With dd, I am doing dvd/online math and online science that I still grade for extra help. We may do dual enrollment, we'll have to see.

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We have never done the coop thing either. Last year we were out of the house more but this year the art classes moved lcoation - they were already 30 miles away - so we gave that up for now. We are far from town and going out of the house some place takes an hour - and that's only if we didn't do anything once we got there! It's not like I can go drop him off at something and then just zip back to pick him up - I have to STAY in town while he's there.

 

We still might do Civil Air Patrol this year - he would not be happy so I'll have to weigh the fight over the benefits for that one. :D

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I'd be interested in knowing who her "curriculum supplier" is. That seems like an odd source for that kind of advice.

 

It is Covenant Home, but I'm paraphrasing though, so they may not have said it exactly that way.

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Guest Cheryl in SoCal
It is Covenant Home, but I'm paraphrasing though, so they may not have said it exactly that way.

I'll have to Google them as I've never heard of them.

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Well both mine that are/were in college did it at home until 12th grade. We then did dual credit through either the CC or the local 4-yr college. We went to the CC so my daughter could take web design to see if see really was interested in it.

 

My son was planning on going to the 4-yr university and if you made a B or higher in two of their dual credit classes, it was automatic scholarship money. He took government and economics through them, even though we had actually already done them at home. I wanted the money.

 

Other than that we did it all at home.

 

My third is now a senior. She is doing dual credit. She needs the outside accountability, but only because she needs to realize no one is going to bend to her will.

 

Linda

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I'll have to Google them as I've never heard of them.

 

I thought it was a strange comment for a curriculum provider too. So I googled them too. :D Here's a link:

 

http://www.covenanthome.com/catalog/16

 

Their 9th grade curriculum costs $690

 

but grade auditing costs an additional $335. Maybe they're trying to encourage use of this? :)

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Guest Cheryl in SoCal
I thought it was a strange comment for a curriculum provider too. So I googled them too. :D Here's a link:

 

http://www.covenanthome.com/catalog/16

 

Their 9th grade curriculum costs $690

 

but grade auditing costs an additional $335. Maybe they're trying to encourage use of this? :)

I was thinking the same thing. It sounds like they are trying to "encourage" their customers to use their auditing service.

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I thought it was a strange comment for a curriculum provider too. So I googled them too. :D Here's a link:

 

http://www.covenanthome.com/catalog/16

 

Their 9th grade curriculum costs $690

 

but grade auditing costs an additional $335. Maybe they're trying to encourage use of this? :)

 

No' date=' she is already using their grade auditing. My understanding of the situation is that one of their advisors told her that so many people are using community colleges now, during the high school years, that those who choose not to are beginning to have more difficulty getting into college. Again, I am paraphrasing here and I don't want to misrepresent the company. This was something said by one person, not a generalization by the company.

 

My purpose for posting was to find out if there are still families that opt to do all of their schooling at home all the way through high school, not to criticize Covenant Home. I was hoping to find encouragement for my friend and maybe for myself as well--though we have done some outside classes and I won't rule it out in the future.

 

Shannon

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Guest Cheryl in SoCal
No, she is already using their grade auditing. My understanding of the situation is that one of their advisors told her that so many people are using community colleges now, during the high school years, that those who choose not to are beginning to have more difficulty getting into college. Again, I am paraphrasing here and I don't want to misrepresent the company. This was something said by one person, not a generalization by the company.

 

My purpose for posting was to find out if there are still families that opt to do all of their schooling at home all the way through high school, not to criticize Covenant Home. I was hoping to find encouragement for my friend and maybe for myself as well--though we have done some outside classes and I won't rule it out in the future.

 

Shannon

Thanks for clarifying, that does make a difference! I was disappointed because other than that they looked like a nice company, especially for those who need/want some hand holding. I haven't seen what the one person said though. Even if it was true my main goal in homeschooling isn't to get my children into college so I wouldn't change what I am convicted to do just to give them a better chance at being accepted to college. Does that make sense?

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My dd is currently doing all academics at home, because things just worked out that way this year and not because I have a problem with a mix of class and course types/places.

 

Having read a number of recent books on college admissions, I think the main point is that there is, ideally, outside verification of homeschoolers' work and more than one perspective on the student, whether these come from a community college or not. I don't think the concurrent enrollment in community colleges is, or will continue to be, the magic answer for university admissions.

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completely at home? A friend with middle and high school aged children recently asked me this. She is feeling pressured to put them into outside classes because so many people are doing it, but her desire is to continue to teach them solely at home. Her question to me was does anyone actually still do all the schooling at home? She also wonders, are they then able to get into college?

 

Interested to hear responses. TIA

 

Shannon

 

ETA: She was told by her curriculum supplier that it is getting harder and harder to get kids into college unless they have some outside verification that they are good college material.

 

We did for our first 3...no co-ops or outside classes. We did do 1 or 2 writing workshops online for essay writing. My 2nd son did online classes for 9th grade and some for 10th grade. It was not exactly successful, extremely expensive and not worth the extra aggravation. We are back to homeschooling...completely...for 11th grade...so far, so good.

 

DD's 1 & 2 & DS 1 went to CC at 18, graduated at 20 and received very nice scholarships as transfer students into their desired schools. Nothing wrong with that route! I also know many homeschoolers who went straight into 4 year universities without outside classes...but great ACT/ SAT grades and some SAT2's and CLEP exams under their belts.

 

HTH

Faithe

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Other than maybe a few families doing Apologia and some writing together.

 

I have 3 finished. Oldest got into a good college, but went a couple of semesters then did a program for Certified Medical Assistant because she was just tired of "school."

 

Second dd is married and going to cosmetology school, which she has wanted to do since she was about 13.

 

Third dd is at CC this fall, having graduated at 17. She is making straight A's and will probably transfer to the larger college in the spring.

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DD graduated last year. We did it all. She got a 30 on the ACT and this is the child that has never gotten over testing nerves (hands shake, vomits before entering the test room, etc.). Without the nerves, well....that's a score I'd like to see.

 

Most of my friends have homeschooled without using co-op or community college for high school. It's definitely do-able.

 

Faith

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If I could afford it, then my high schoolers would almost exclusively or exclusively take outside classes, hand-picked by mother dearest here. I just really think at that stage there is a lot of value in doing so plus the kid at that age appreciates the outside input.

 

I am not saying it is necessary, but to me it would be the preference.

 

About colleges then they do like to see academic letters of reference from outside the family.

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Dd (8th grade) is doing all academic subjects at home.

 

Dd (10th grade) is doing foreign languages at school and the rest at home.

 

Ds (college) did everything at home but AP US Govt (PA Home-schoolers) and Math Modeling (local high school.) We sent in his SAT score and AP US Govt scores for tests and none of the colleges needed any other outside verification.

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This is our 12th year and for the first time, my high schoolers are taking a course each outside the home. Okay, one is taking a chem class from the school at which I teach. The other is taking a French class on-line with Potter's school.

 

I plan to outsource the stuff I truly can't do a good job with.

 

But, we plan on doing the vast majority of our high school at home with just me.

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We don't like the co-ops available here and I, like PP, live too far away to drop off so we chose to do almost exclusive at home. He did take an online class from CC and we did one online German Course. He didn't do well in them, he passed but nothing stellar. He is just not made for online courses. So we didn't do anything more. I got programs that I was confident he could learn from even if it wasn't strong course for me. He loved Lial's and learned a lot. I wasn't much help. He did a lot of courses independently and it wasn't hard to find those kind of courses. He got accepted to every college he applied to. His top choice didn't even care. They treated us just like a public school student. There was one school that had reservations about homeschoolers without outside verification because it was "their observation that homeschool parents pad their transcripts". They said because of that they had a higher requirement for minimum SAT for homeschoolers. It was about 50 pts higher than other students (laughable really). I know many homeschoolers feel more comfortable having outside verification either through CC, Clep or AP but I didn't experience any problem from that angle. IMHO the publisher is just wanting her to stay with them exclusively and are using that comment as a scare tactic. I have not experienced it or heard of a trend toward it.

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We do it all at home, unless you count karate instruction. I'm not SuperMom and I have nothing against co-ops -- we simply do not have any resources nearby for outside instruction, other than karate (and the only reason we're doing that is because the teacher is the daughter of a friend of the family).

 

I don't particularly *like* carrying the responsibility for it all -- but that's our situation, so we make the best of it. :001_smile:

 

(But if you hear about a mom who fled her home and is thought to be lost at sea, it'll probably be me after a really overwhelming day. :D)

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We did, until the last semester of ds' Sr year. That semester, he did 2 CC classes--withdrew from one after being accused of cheating, and got an A in the other one (psychology). We could easily have done the psych at home, but we just wanted him to have the chance to get some credits.

 

He got into VCU just fine.

 

I think colleges want to see some outside verification of grades; CC is one way, co-ops and testing are also good. But it can all come from home, too.

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Her question to me was does anyone actually still do all the schooling at home? She also wonders, are they then able to get into college?

 

Interested to hear responses. TIA

 

Shannon

 

ETA: She was told by her curriculum supplier that it is getting harder and harder to get kids into college unless they have some outside verification that they are good college material.

 

At this time.. yes we are solely schooling at home. If we were to do any outside classes it would be through the Jr College. Figure if I am going to spend $400+ for a high school level course I may as well pay for them to take the college level courses and let them earn college credits (even if they don't all transfer to the college they will eventually go to).

Dd takes private music lessons but her music fundamentals and music history we do at home. Her private teacher sort of helps cement the information and fills in the gaps. He helps me pick out the curriculum to use for Dd at home.

Ds does his aerospace education throught Civil Air Patrol but most of it is done at home also. I have friends who tutor him as needed for math and science.

To help my kids with college admissions, we are using SAT II, CLEP, and AP exams as the back bone of their college application. Figure if they do well on these exams then it won't matter to the colleges how my kids received their high school education.

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Although the plan is to outsource full time by 11th grade, I am keeping an open mind. If ds doesn't mature a bit, I don't think he can handle the course load, so I wouldn't send him to CC classes to fall on his face.

 

In the meantime, we did do Driver's Ed and Health/PE online this year. I will lean to non-academic classes online for sure. I don't think I'll use virtual schools for academic requirements, at least ones that don't offer face time of some sort w/ actual teaching.

 

I go around and around in my mind about CC...I suppose, in the end, we'll have to wait and see!

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completely at home? A friend with middle and high school aged children recently asked me this. She is feeling pressured to put them into outside classes because so many people are doing it, but her desire is to continue to teach them solely at home. Her question to me was does anyone actually still do all the schooling at home? She also wonders, are they then able to get into college?

 

Interested to hear responses. TIA

 

Shannon

 

ETA: She was told by her curriculum supplier that it is getting harder and harder to get kids into college unless they have some outside verification that they are good college material.

 

Yes, we do.

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I think if your friend feels comfortable schooling every subject at home, then she shouldn't feel bad. Some parents seek outside help, especially in high school, for subjects that are more difficult for themselves.

 

We do attend a co-op, but it is strictly enrichment and only 8 weeks each semester. I am the director of it and got it started last year. I only have 2 kids, a boy and girl six years apart in age. I felt like both needed a little more time with kids closer to their own ages. It's been a lot of fun for them.

 

My dd (8th) also attends one class one day a week outside of our home. A retired English teacher offers a free class in his home. They meet around his table, so I think the atmosphere is somewhat laid back. Last year the focus was writing. This year it is grammar and vocabulary development. My dd is very bent toward writing, an area that I do feel somewhat inadequate to prepare her. He is a wonderful man with a true desire to teach. The experience has been wonderful. It has really enriched her whole education.

 

I am also having her do BJU science online. I wanted her to have the experience of listening to a teacher for an extended period of time, taking notes from a lecture, etc. I don't know if your friend is referring to only being at home or teaching all the subjects completely herself.

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Ds is in 12th grade. Did all at home except one time per week science class (and that was really a supplement - most of work was done at home for that class). Ds got a 29 on ACT and has many, many colleges emailing, phoning and mailing him - all wanting him to apply (most saying he has an application for prefered students with no essay . . . It is a joke around here to guesse how many colleges will mail him today! It would be confusing if he didn't already know where he was going (already has been accecpted!) - this actually makes it more fun!

 

It can be done all at home. Not for everyone thought as it means that I have had to do homework too. I joke that I have more high school homework to do now then I did when I was actually in high school myself! Math (all the way to calculus), reading his history texts and literature, ect, ect. ! Takes lots of time. But I wouldn't trade it in for anything!

 

Barb

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My friend schooled her second completely at home using ACE. The oldest was in public schools a few years, then private school one year before they took her out to homeschool -- but after that she was homeschooled completely at home. They tried coop but it did not work out for them. The youngest is 13 and still being schooled completely at home (though I know they have branched out to a different math curriculum this time)

 

Her oldest went to community college and got a Culinary Arts degree and is working as a teacher at HS of the kitchen class, as well as a sous chef at the Newcastle Golf Club.

 

Her second is 18 and at community college now -- wants to major in English.

Edited by vonfirmath
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We've done some years completely at home, others with taking some classes at co op. We tend to go from a heavy at-home year to a heavy co op year, just to mix things up...but we live in an area where we have the freedom to do that.

 

It's completely doable; I have friends, both in our state (where resources are readily available) and in other areas (where co ops are either non-existent or illegal) who homeschool completely on their own. None of them have had trouble getting into college. Yes, colleges like to have outside references...but that can come from a karate instructor, youth leader at church, or just about anyone who has worked with your child.

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I would say it depends on her intelligence, stamina and her children's talents. For me, I could not do high school completely at home because I cannot teach Spanish, STatistics AP. AP Chemistry and Physics, Pre-Calculus and Calculus as well as computer programming. All of these are classes my oldest will be taking or is taking now. As a 10th grader we are doing some online classes now. Next year it will be Spanish and computer and science at a local college. I just can't keep up with learning those advanced classes for the first time ( never took any of the subjects I listed above myself in high school) as well as teach two other children. I just cannot. Also, my oldest needs to start interacting with other people.

 

Christine

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I don't think she should feel pressured. We did do CC classes for things that were beyond our limit. But, I have friends who did it all at home. You may end up taking more SAT II tests,(or equivalent) to prove the student knows the material. And, I would have my student do an outside actiity so that she would have some references beside mom and dad ( as well as expereince) But many students don't tak outside classes.

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It was too late to edit my other post, but it does depend on the child. My middle child will not be taking any of the courses I listed except Spanish and maybe pre-calculus. (If we can survive Algebra first!) He is my history and literature child and I can certainly do all of that at home!!! But AP science, math and computers, NO WAY!!!

 

Also, I will say this. I am finding as the boys are getting older that they listen to others better than they listen to me. I have preached, preached, preached about labeling graphs and such but suddenly he gets major points off for that in Statistics and it matters!!! ( I take off points as well, btw!) I almost laughed and had to bite my lip when I saw his first test not to say, "I've been telling you that!"

Christine

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We homeschool completely here too---dd is in 12th this year, ds just starting 9th. There are no CC close by and the local high school is not worth even considering :glare: I can say with confidence that anyone who tells you or your friend that homeschoolers that don't follow the current 'trend' of co-ops, CC etc. will/are having a hard time getting into college is giving an opinion and certainly not factual information!! Every single homeschooler I know from this town who hs'd all the way through high school completely at home not only got into ALL of the colleges applied to----but most ended up with full rides :D

 

Outsourcing is an option that should be a decision made according to each family's needs and wants, but it most certainly is not a necessity for academic excellence or college entrance ;)

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Every single homeschooler I know from this town who hs'd all the way through high school completely at home not only got into ALL of the colleges applied to----but most ended up with full rides :D

 

Outsourcing is an option that should be a decision made according to each family's needs and wants, but it most certainly is not a necessity for academic excellence or college entrance ;)

 

Thank you! This is very encouraging!

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She also wonders, are they then able to get into college?

 

 

Yes, and yes a college will accept her student.

There are a lot of colleges. It's really not that hard to get into one.

 

Of course, it depends to what extent the student is going to compete for a highly exclusive seat in college.

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We hs sd from mid 9th -12th grade. The only outside classes she took were at a co-op and none were core classes. She only took art, Bible study, gym and first aid. None of those classes supplied a grade. She is now a freshman in college. I know a bunch of hs kids who did not take any outside courses but still got into college.

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I fully intend to outsource plenty of things through high school, and it has nothing to do with college admissions! Ds is talking about focusing on the sciences. Not only do I stink at most of them, but they're my least favorite subject to teach/prep/supervise. Plus, he's set to surpass me in math by age 15.

 

There are still plenty of subjects I intend to keep at home, but I'm perfectly comfortable with acknowledging my preferences and limitations. ;)

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I think it CAN be done, and certainly you can get into college. I don't think it's "better" one way or the other; it all depends on the student/situation.

 

I definitely plan on a mix of outsourcing and at home studies. Some of the things I want dd to experience are insanely expensive, if not impossible, to duplicate at home. Science labs come to mind.

 

She's also the type to thrive on a certain amount of competition, and loves the challenge of setting herself against other students. So I can definitely see where she might be the type to get involved in things like mock trial, etc, in addition to enjoying the day-to-day competition of a class setting.

 

I also think there is tremendous value in new situations. If I did decide to 'do it all' at home, I would want to make sure that I didn't use the same boxed curriculum from k-12, kwim? I'd want to ensure that my students were exposed to a wide variety of strategies and ways of thinking.

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I would say it depends on her intelligence, stamina and her children's talents. For me, I could not do high school completely at home because I cannot teach Spanish, STatistics AP. AP Chemistry and Physics, Pre-Calculus and Calculus as well as computer programming. All of these are classes my oldest will be taking or is taking now. As a 10th grader we are doing some online classes now. Next year it will be Spanish and computer and science at a local college. I just can't keep up with learning those advanced classes for the first time ( never took any of the subjects I listed above myself in high school) as well as teach two other children. I just cannot.

 

:iagree: I probably *could* handle calculus, German 2, chemistry, etc. with my ds13 ... BUT not all at once. I'm concentrating on chemistry (and having a ball coming up with additional readings & experiments) because I was a chem major in college and it's fun for me. But NO WAY could I keep up with the other classes at the same time; and NO WAY do I know AP Computer Science. I've found fabulous teachers for these subjects and my son is doing them online or with tutors locally. I still consider him homeschooled because, well, he's home most of the day and we're centered here. But I'm more of a facilitator. At one point I thought I would re-learn calculus along with him; now I barely have time to look over the teacher's (very helpful) daily comments to sort of keep up, and to see if my son missed anything.

 

I have friends who do it all at home, and that's the best fit for their family. But it just would not work for us. It's not about college, but about finding the best educational experience for each individual kid.

 

Also, I will say this. I am finding as the boys are getting older that they listen to others better than they listen to me. I have preached, preached, preached about labeling graphs and such but suddenly he gets major points off for that in Statistics and it matters!!! ( I take off points as well, btw!) I almost laughed and had to bite my lip when I saw his first test not to say, "I've been telling you that!"

Christine

 

:iagree: :lol:

 

~Laura

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