YodaGirl
-
Posts
173 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by YodaGirl
-
-
I think part of the confusion is that directors have to answer to a different set of rules than tutors. Of course, those rules seem to be enforced differently at each campus.
I do agree that more people are becoming aware of what some would refer to as a hidden agenda. I don't foresee us continuing on our CC journey for a variety of reasons.
-
1
-
-
I was also thinking Alpha Omega's Lifepac program. There are about 10 booklets per subject. I'm not sure how they would fit Catholicism, though. Most Catholics I know are Old Earth, and Lifepac seems to be young earth.
-
1
-
-
I think there may be some confusion as to who has to be enrolled. Obviously, directors' children have to he enrolled per the above quote. I will say that's not enforced, given that our director's youngest son was not enrolled despite meeting the minimum age requirement.
As for the children of tutors or non-contracted parents, it is not a requirement at all for all children in a family to be enrolled. However, all children on campus who meet the minimum age requirement must be enrolled. Basically, parents can't enroll one child then have the others sit with them in the back of the class or in the lunchroom.
-
Well, whaddya know? I found this:
It may be a very recent thing, since the article was updated in September of this year. I know two years ago when I tutored no directors or tutors in our area were background checked. The article does not say it's mandatory just that you "must submit to a background check", but it certainly seems like a step in the right direction...
It is weird though that, according to that article I linked above, a Challenge director must have at least one child at or above that Challenge level, and I know at least one Challenge director, new this year, who definitely does not have a Challenge-aged child, so it does make one wonder how much of their own "rules" they are following/enforcing.
I also know a Foundations tutor without a child in Foundations. I think some of it is a "let's see if we can do this withoit being caught" thing. In this particular situation, there didn't seem to be another tutor to be able to step in.
-
^^ my dd would literally have become depressed if she had been told she may only read one chapter per day. Why can’t the student have slower deeper thought another time?
Secondly I don’t know why you assume deeper thought is not possible for these kudos. My dd reads hundreds of pages per day. When she reads true classics maybe that’s less. She engages with the material all day, when she’s not reading, she talks to me about the culture, the plot, vocab words she learned. Often she re-reads the entire book and engages in a new way :)
Not everyone processes the same
This. Absolutely this.
-
Oh! Meant to add that we love readtheory.org. It's a free reading comp website that adapts with the student's ability.
-
We had to do that when i first ordered from them 5.5 years ago. You just have to register as a homeschooler. I think I had to talk to someone on the phone in addition to an email.
-
I'm an extremely fast reader. In elementary school, a Babysitters Club chapter book would take about an hour to read. I don't read words, per se. I see word groups and just know what it says. I assume others do the same when they read quickly. I also detest am being read to. I can do far more quickly. Demonstrating my comprehension is a bit more dicey.
Example: My 6th grade class was reading a chapter silently. I finished way ahead of the other kids, and I asked our sub what to do next. I had read it faster than she had, so she didn't believe I'd read it. She asked me a very open-ended question - "What was the chapter about?" Now, I could've written a paragraph about what it was about, but when answering orally, it takes me a minute. Everything in the story goes through my mind, and it takes me a second to sort out a short answer. After all, lots of stuff happened in the chapter! Because I hesitated (both due to being caught off-guard and trying to formulate a response), she decided that I hadn't read the chapter. Thus, I had to sit back down and re-read. I read the chapter 2 more times before she called time. It was pretty frustrating.
If I had to constantly go back and re-read, or if I was forced to read slower, I would grow to hate reading.
-
2
-
-
Our director does go above and beyond to ensure that our kiddos are as safe as possible. We have strict policies about bathroom usage and adult/student one-on-one interaction.
That said, background checks should be mandatory, IMO. I've been background-checked for a bazillion volunteer positions. There aren't many legit reasons that would explain why they don't have them.
-
-
I really love A Reason for Science. It has a Creationism viewpoint, so you may want to take that into consideration. I have several apologia books, and as much as I want to, I just don't like it.
I will say that watching The Magic Schoolbus (perhaps more than he should) has taught my 1st grader more about science than most curriculum could.
-
Pro tip for everybody else on this thread who has not bought Kindles yet: Get the sort of kindle that doesn't have access to games (that is, one that's not a tablet), and use parental controls to block internet access.
You can restrict game usage on Kindle Fires so that the only option accessible is reading.
-
2
-
-
We've never used Singapore, but we've used MiF 1A/1B - 5A/5B. The TE paces out the work. If you're unfamiliar with it and/or only purchased the HS answer key, it could be difficult to see which lessons should really last 2 or 3 days instead of the typical one. In the event things become too repetitive, I've been known to mark out excessive problems.
But, MiF isn't right for everyone. If you prefer Singapore, stick with it.
-
Netflix parental controls are a lot better than they used to be, but there is room for improvement. Our account is locked down as much as possible, but some shows that I don't approve of still make it through the filter while some shows that are tamer require a password. It's also be nice to password profiles. Before the password was activated on our account, my kiddos just logged onto my profile or my husband's.
-
1
-
-
My first thought is McGraw-Hill Treasures' spelling book pdf. I'm sure there are other options out there.
https://www.mhschool.com/reading/treasure_workbooks/national.html
-
1
-
-
We're a fellow CC family, although my oldest has one more year in Foundations. I'm looking pretty hard at whether to continue, and I've had several discussions with our Challenge A director who happens to be a pretty good friend.
We do more supplementing than CC says is necessary. In fact, it's probably more accurate to say that CC is actually our supplement. There are some excellent things - community, weekly presentations, art, science experiments, etc. Since I haven't quite embraced the classical model, I question how Ch A will translate.
As for Ch A parent experience, the common issue in our community seems to be a disconnect between parents and students. Parents are the true teachers, but several of them seem to be confused about the work hand how best to help their students. The two main curriculum issues were also with Henle and LTOW.
I won't lie - mock trial, debate, and protocol really are attractive. I'm just not sure its worth the time and money in the long run. I'm thinking co-ops may fit that bill.
-
Thanks so much. I feel less alone in this, now. I’d been feeling that a shift of responsibility onto him was needed, so it’s nice to hear that worked for you and will try it out. Another issue for me is that he submits work that is obviously not at the expected standard. I am then caught in constantly sending it back to be re-done, which fuels the drama and saps my energy. Can I ask if this was an issue for you, too? Thanks.
Yes! I've never been one to punish for poor performance, but I've had to change that stance. She's currently grounded from tv until her performance improves.
She might get 100% on one math section and a 50% on one with similar problems the next day. Her writing has been an issue in the past, too. If she's writing for me, I might get a couple of sentences. If she's writing for someone else, she can do 1-2 pages. That's improved. Her other work is still a work-in-progress.
It's frustrating! I've spent money on supplements thinking she needed additional help. In actuality, she knew it, but she didn't feel the need to do her best because "it's just mom." We've talked about how it's disrespectful of the time and effort I put into this for her not to put in effort, as well. That seemed to resonate for her. It's almost like she had never thought about it like that before.
-
I should also add that our interactions sound very similar to yours. I was so incredibly done! I wasn't even sure I *wanted* to homeschool anymore. I was pulling her along while she dug her heels in. It was hard! I would switch things around and do everything possible to make it more fun and engaging. Nothing worked until I made her take ownership of her own work.
-
I went through this with my 10 yr old. It was a constant struggle for her to finish her work. She has a planner with all of her work, but I still had to stay on her to get her work done. I was tired, she was mad, and nothing was getting done.
I told her that she was responsible for her own work. When she was ready for spelling, math, or had a question, she needed to let me know and I would help her. Other than that, it was up to her to do her work. If it didn't get done, she didn't get to watch tv or do anything fun. The first week was rough. She entered the weekend 3 days behind. She worked all day Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night, after I was certain her lesson had been learned, I helped her finish the rest of her work (orally answered instead of writing the answers). There are still some days where she's doing work into the evenings, but turning it over to her and making her responsible for it took a good bit of the weight off of my shoulders. When she's working later than I'd prefer,I don't stress about it anymore.
-
Our public schools use Houghton Mifflin's Journeys.
-
1
-
-
I only have 1 other option for a co-op in my area. In the past, we were members of it. However it got to the point that the classes that were being offered amounted to under-water basket weaving and I just couldn't devote an entire school day to such classes. I wanted more academic support. I wonder if CC could work as a co-op scenario with us doing our own thing during the rest of the week???
Honestly, that's what we do. I've downloaded some things from CC Connected like Trivial Pursuit cards and Fridge Facts, but we really don't use them so much.
I think CC is good stuff, but I just haven't bought into like some. Therefore, with the exception of Essentials, it's more of a supplementary co-op. They benefit from public speaking, art, hands-on science, and some team-building activities via review games. We haven't decided if it's going to be worth the money to continue, especially since we attend another co-op later in the week. My youngest is really wanting to continue, though.
-
I dislike k-3. Saxon 5/4 was good, but spiral doesn't work for us.
-
Our public schools use Math in Focus.
-
I understand that the first year is a lot and we are supposed to go through 2 more cycles. However, my husband and I feel that the EEL is over the top. I am tempted to audit the EEL portion and work through Easy Grammar or Rod & Staff for English grammar study. I actually went through Essentials tutor training this last summer because I offered to be the sub but I ended up backing out after training because this system overwhelms me. I have used IEW before but we used the SWI-A and it went at a much slower pace and was enjoyable. I don't feel that I should have to scribe for him so much. It only puts more on me as the parent. I'd rather he do the easier IEW until he is ready for the other level. Why is it that we have to be fire hosed? Why can't CC structure the program so it's doable for first year families? All these are my thoughts right now. I know that so many reviews of CC on here can be negative but I am also looking for real life experience without the CC filters that happen elsewhere IYKWIM.
It's a group setting. You can have first, second, & third year students in one room. That's why everything is presented with the understanding that the parent is the teacher. The parent scales the material for the student. May I ask what he's having issues with or that feels inappropriate for his age? I would also encourage you to talk to his tutor to ask for suggestions on ways to scale the program to fit his needs as a first year student.
We've also had families audit. In fact, one of the most skeptical moms approached me this year and commented on how her daughter "gets it" this year.
As for the scribing part, that's not a CC thing. Thats 100% IEW/Andrew Pudewa. I was pretty skeptical of it last year, and you're right - it took a lot of parent involvement. However, that's paid off for us this year. My daughter doesn't need my help for anything except typing the final draft. I know that the book this time around is technically geared toward 6-8, but it's really not *that* much more difficult than some of the 3-5 level books I have. (We did IEW prior to CC.) Next year's book will be 3-5th grade level, fwiw.
Again, though, it's completely your call. CC isn't for everyone. You've got to do what works for your family.
-
1
-
Starting a classically minded co-op? Has anyone done this?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
You would need to have other parents who buy into the classical education model. You would also need parents to agree on which type of Latin, history, etc curriculum, as well. History may be difficult since there are a variety of ways of handling it - social studies, 3 yr cycle, 4 yr cycle, etc. If you're doing just sentence memory work, you'd need to develop it on your own or pull from a curriculum (points back to needing to agree on one).
Also, if you've ever been a contracted member of a similar classical education community, make sure that you're legally allowed to create another type of community. Depending on your previous role, that may or may not be a problem.