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If you were to outsource one 7th grade class ...


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My current 7th grader has a few outsourced classes. Which subject would you get the most resistance from if you are the teacher would be the one I would prioritize for outsourcing.

He did Romeo and Juliet and enjoyed it. He won't want my husband or me to teach him literature so that was our outsource priority. http://hscollegebound.com/Romeo-and-Juliet.htm

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What is your least favorite subject to teach or what is the subject your 7th grader is the most resistant to learning from you?  I would outsource that.  Or, if you really want it to be something that they are excited about and willing to put some extra effort into, I would sit with them and let them look through some options you have found for topics that they have a strong interest in already.  Getting them fired up about on-line lessons might help in the long run if you then later have to put your child in lessons in a subject they don't like.  They already are o.k. with the format and may find they like it even with subjects they aren't fond of.  There are a zillion providers that offer tons of different classes. (See the link below for many options - still a work in progress so not many reviews yet by the way.)

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/638806-master-list-of-on-line-classes/

 

I do feel I need to put a caveat here.  I'm not sure how much experience your family has with on-line classes but if your student really hasn't done any before please be aware that this is not necessarily taking a ton off of your plate.   On-line classes frequently only meet once a week or maybe twice a week. There is usually quite a bit of material that has to be covered by the student outside of class time.  This means they need to be good at note taking, need to stay very organized, stay on top of assignments, if they have questions they need to be proactive about contacting the teacher, they need to be conversant with the way assignments are turned in and stay on top of getting them in by the deadline, etc.  

 

If your child has never taken an on-line class they will probably need help getting used to that format.  It can be a great learning experience but it can also end up being incredibly time consuming for the student AND the parent, depending on the demands of the class and how independent the student is.  I felt I had to mention this since I know when I first signed up my eldest for an on-line class I was picturing not having to do more than minor checking in and facilitating.  I was dead wrong.  DD was not used to having to plan out how much work to get done each day, she was terrible at note taking from an on-line class,  she struggled with remember dates for turning in her work, she got confused on the format for receiving and turning in assignments, etc.  I had to be very involved and it was not on my schedule but on the on-line schedule.  I couldn't say "Well, we need to take some time off while we deal with that death in the family..." (or whatever).  

 

Now? She does well.  It just took time to develop those skills.

Edited by OneStepAtATime
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What is your least favorite subject to teach or what is the subject your 7th grader is the most resistant to learning from you?  I would outsource that.  Or, if you really want it to be something that they are excited about and willing to put some extra effort into, I would sit with them and let them look through some options you have found for topics that they have a strong interest in already.  Getting them fired up about on-line lessons might help in the long run if you then later have to put your child in lessons in a subject they don't like.  They already are o.k. with the format and may find they like it even with subjects they aren't fond of.  There are a zillion providers that offer tons of different classes. (See the link below for many options - still a work in progress so not many reviews yet by the way.)

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/638806-master-list-of-on-line-classes/

 

I do feel I need to put a caveat here.  I'm not sure how much experience your family has with on-line classes but if your student really hasn't done any before please be aware that this is not necessarily taking a ton off of your plate.   On-line classes frequently only meet once a week or maybe twice a week. There is usually quite a bit of material that has to be covered by the student outside of class time.  This means they need to be good at note taking, need to stay very organized, stay on top of assignments, if they have questions they need to be proactive about contacting the teacher, they need to be conversant with the way assignments are turned in and stay on top of getting them in by the deadline, etc.  

 

If your child has never taken an on-line class they will probably need help getting used to that format.  It can be a great learning experience but it can also end up being incredibly time consuming for the student AND the parent, depending on the demands of the class and how independent the student is.  I felt I had to mention this since I know when I first signed up my eldest for an on-line class I was picturing not having to do more than minor checking in and facilitating.  I was dead wrong.  DD was not used to having to plan out how much work to get done each day, she was terrible at note taking from an on-line class,  she struggled with remember dates for turning in her work, she got confused on the format for receiving and turning in assignments, etc.  I had to be very involved and it was not on my schedule but on the on-line schedule.  I couldn't say "Well, we need to take some time off while we deal with that death in the family..." (or whatever).  

 

Now? She does well.  It just took time to develop those skills.

 

This is exactly why I chose to put my daughter in a couple of online classes next year.  I need her to learn accountability, organization, etc.  I totally expect to hold her hand for a bit and then let her fall a bit, if necessary, so that she can learn these important lessons/skills.  She really struggles with this and I have tried everything I can think of, short of putting her in public school.

 

I have enrolled her in WTMA history (because it is her favorite subject so she is motivated and more likely to succeed) and writing (because I am failing her miserably in this subject :crying: ).

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I have been outsourcing science since before 7th. My dds take science in a co-op class. They do most labs there. They get their assignments there. They do their bookwork and lab sheets at home and sometimes additional labs, whatever is on the schedule. They didn't start actually testing there until 9th grade biology.  I kind of miss some of the fun of being on our own for science and doing science fairs occasionally. We can't really take months off of her science assignments to do a big presentation and experiment like we did when we did the science fairs. They have to keep up with their class. But it took a load off of me for sure. 

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In 6th (this year) it was math, English, and Latin. English and Latin went great; math not so much. Next year, math will be back with me but English and Latin are staying with Lukeion. He is adding in their history too.

 

I think it is rather hit and miss with providers. Ds did not like his math provider. I do not think it was the idea of math with someone else. He liked the Latin, kinda liked the English, so he wants more from them.

 

With my extroverted kid, I knew if he liked any then he was soon going to want much more. Be prepared to add if they get excited about it.

 

ETA: We started piano and music theory when Ds was in 5th grade. I do not know if that counts.

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I think I could still manage pretty much all the core academic subjects with a good curriculum and preparation. Instrumental music and theory, at the level that my daughter is at, not so. I could also do a general health and fitness class but not a specific sport or dance.

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Whatever it is tough for you to get done. 

 

Seventh is early, though. I held off on foreign language outsourcing until 8th.

 

I might outsource writing by then with other children, though, because that's tough for me to consistently get done once they get to the writing-composition stage. Definitely either pick something that is tough for you or they have a real interest in that you can't support them adequately or both!

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Foreign Language. I can teach math through pre-algebra without any additional work on my part. WWS is working great here for writing both for my students and me the teacher, history is a more laid-back content subject, science is under control for the next year, at least. We've got some little subjects like grammar, vocabulary, and spelling that are no big deal.

 

In Spanish, though, they are close enough to my level of fluency that we were starting to spin our wheels. However, I put them into a high school level class, and I'm now thinking that decision. We don't need to rush through the high school levels early. So this year I may move to something a little more informal (and cheaper) and slow down the pace a bit. I LOVE having someone else in charge of assigning daily work and listening to all the repetition. Love it.

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I have chosen to outsource writing.  My kid takes writing class through the WTMA. We started in 5th grade and it has been SUCH a relief.  It's weird because knowing me it should be math that we outsource...and we might in the future. But, getting rid of the arguments over writing, having someone else set the deadlines etc...it's been wonderful. And WTMA uses WWS, which I would use anyway, so it's a win-win. I like the program but I don't have to teach it, lol.

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Writing -- although I agree with a pp about it may not take a lot off your plate depending on the student. My 2nd ds was great. He took charge and without much guidance was good to go. My 3rd ds - not so much. He needs help with everything! It's become more work for me. I'm thinking the class is a bit much for him so we will go with another writing provider next year. I'm determined to make it work because he needs to not depend upon me for his ability to learn.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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