pehp
-
Posts
1,142 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by pehp
-
-
Sounds a lot like my son! He has spent lots of time with a very good friend of mine who lived in France—reading aloud together and chatting about grammar, etc! Love having that close resource…..
What activities did your daughter engage in when in Charleston? I am glancing through the website….many neat things. Since we are part-timers there, I may look into that chapter, because we do not have one very close to home in VA.
My son would LOVE the experience at Concordia! Even though Minnesota is waaaay out there. 😉 I will look at their options….!!
thank you! 💕
-
I'd love to get a few ideas on French language learning opportunities for my son, who is 14. We live in southwest Virginia but spend about 1/3 of our time in Charleston, SC.
He's a French addict--self-taught for years very casually, then placed into Honors French 2; next year he'll be taking French 3 for a college credit. (He's also going to be in Spanish 3 next year, and may start Chinese in a year or two!) But French is his first love.
My husband and I were talking last night about providing more opportunities for him as he gets older to practice the language AND experience cultural events. Virginia does have a language Governor's School--45 minutes away from us, at one of my alma maters! But we're not quite there yet--probably in 2 years, and that will be a whole 'nother post (trying to figure out how feasible it is to get nominated by the local high school!).
In any case, I'd LOVE ideas that anyone might have here. I think we're looking for "engaging opportunities" to continue immersing himself in language and culture....and also meeting some of his "tribe." So far Francophones with a deep passion for grammar are thin on the ground in our area. ha. 😉
I am looking into the closest chapters of the Alliance Francaise (Charlottesville, 2 hours away, and Lynchburg, 1 hour away).
We are willing to travel and are hoping to to go Quebec sometime (??) in the next year or so (my dad is sick; we're holding off on firm travel plans for a while). Maybe even willing to do an immersion course in Quebec.....for a period of time.
We are willing to try immersion camps, especially of the day variety, anywhere between Pennsylvania-ish and Florida, anywhere east of maybe west Tennessee......
I'd love to take him to France, but lots of moving parts need to be wrangled for that to happen--I'd say that's more of a 2-3 year away plan. I also have a good friend who just moved to Lausanne, Switzerland! So that may be on the distant horizon.
(Also: my husband mentioned opportunities for French exams/contests....he apparently took one at the urging of his French teacher in high school, but I don't know much about that. I know there's the NLE/NGE.....but French? That's another topic to investigate.)
This is my brainstorming session; feel free to throw anything at me that you've got.
Thank you all so much!
-
2 hours ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:
That's great. It sound like he is very diligent.
My kids did find that as they added additional outside classes, it took a little more work to keep track of the different portals and schedules.
Yeah—I’m sure that will be true! We’ll have two online providers, so I think the paper planner will be essential so that everything is “all in one place.” I’d love to use only one provider, but that’s just not going to work for us!!
-
1 hour ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:
It sounds like you have a workable plan.
It might be worth a sitting down with ds and creating a plan for how he will keep you informed on what he's doing and what is upcoming.
My suggestion would be to go through the syllabus for each online class together and also make sure you both know where assignments and grades are posted.
Decide how often he will update you. I might suggest daily the first couple weeks, so you can help him get a good start. That might mean walking you through each course, what is upcoming, and what is graded. Then maybe weekly.
Help him put deadlines and target dates on a calendar. Take note of when in the day assignments are due. 6pm? 11:59pm? Does timezone matter? It's easy to miss an assignment if one class is always due Monday at 6pm Eastern and another is due Friday before midnight Pacific. Try to determine exactly how assignments are turned in. Is there an online answer portal and also a place to upload handwritten student work?
The goal of this is to move back a little bit, but not leave him to just flounder. Setting expectations now make them feel less like punishment later.
Also keep in mind that online classes typically have 1-2 hours of homework for each hour of class time.
Thank you! He excels at this already, fortunately! He has a planner that he fills out on his own every week for his classes, and I am 100% not involved in either Spanish or French (his two outsourced classes this year). I helped him learn the ropes for about 3 weeks at the start of the year for French which is the online course, but he quickly got into the rhythm on his own and has had no issues at all-never a late or missed assignment, ever. With a 100 average in each class! He's super diligent, which I appreciate!!
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Lori D. said:
Sounds like a great plan! 😄
In case you'll be compiling your own list of Literature to align some lit to go with Geography class, below are resources from which you might pull ideas. I just will note that nonfiction, missionary biographies, and autobiographies are super, but there is a tendency to go overboard on those works and then throw in a few fictional literature works written by Western authors -- when there is a lot of good, fiction literature, poetry, and short stories, written by actual inhabitants of many countries around the world (which allows for the opportunity to see the culture and issues through the actual eyes of those living there)... Just a thought for while you're putting together your lit. list. 😉 Have fun! 😄
Literature program:
- Learning Language Arts Through Literature: Gold: World Literature -- literature from ancients to modern, and around the world
Both of these are heavily nonfiction and biography/autobiography, so they may not help so much with fiction literature:
- Guest Hollow High School Geography & Cultures Curriculum
- Heart of Dakota: High School World Geography
Past threads with a mix of literature, nonfiction / biographies, and movies from around the world:
- "World Literature Help"
- "Recommendations for World Literature novels/curriculum"
- "Living Book Geography Course"This is great! So helpful!
Yes—we are big fans of reading native authors. I began a huge Chinua Achebe kick last year. He’s amazing. His prose floored me. And my son wants to read The Art of War! Also am looking at Gabriel Garcia-Marquez; it has been years since I read him so I’m going to preview.
Also The Jade Mountain poetry collection, one of my old favorites….so many good things out there!
For the US, we are going to read To Kill a Mockingbird. There’s so much there we can use for discussions on our country’s history.
THANKS so much for these links! I can’t wait to sit down and compile our customized list.
-
2
-
-
This has been an enormously helpful thread and has really helped me with establishing a more workable framework for next year. Thank you all SO much.
The suggestion to align some literature with the geography class is brilliant—why didn’t I think of that? My son is so enthusiastic about the idea, as it will blend his love of cultures with the literature course. *I* am going to self-pace the HHL literature course *for myself!* ha!
At this point we’re going to outsource French 3, Spanish 3, Biology, and World Geography with live courses. I think we’ll do some sort of self-paced Algebra. And then we’ll pace ourselves with the in-house literature. I still think this will be a lot for my son, but it’s doable but doesn’t rely too heavily on my participation and supervision. (Also Spanish is a cupcake class for him: quite easy, & he adores his two native-speaking teachers.) We considered keeping Biology “in house” but my son really feels he’ll get a better learning experience if he does a class.
I'm going to try to incorporate some writing into our literature class as well.
Y’all, this has been tremendously useful. Thank you!
-
2
-
-
On 3/22/2022 at 8:46 PM, freesia said:
Take a look at Writers Inc.
Thank you for reminding me of this book! I’m going to dust my copy off; I had to purchase it for some class in high school a million years ago, and I *loved* it! I’m going to look into incorporating it into my high schooler’s life. I haven’t opened in in a couple of decades but it was one of those resources I knew I’d always keep. And I have.
-
1
-
-
9 hours ago, Lori D. said:
The main concern I would have is time for doing all of the homework and exercises that would have to be turned in -- and especially time for READING all the material for every class AND the literature. What with also having piano daily, and possible outside-the-home activities, that could mean having to work through the weekends and/or evenings... which does not seem like a very balanced lifestyle and could lead to burn out before even graduating, if you keep up that same pace all through high school. BUT, you know your student BEST, and some students thrive on heavy academic loads.
That's my concern, too. The literature course is very light in terms of reading quantity, which helps. I suspect the World G class will fascinate him and also involve some "busy work," which he would really enjoy but take forever to complete b/c he's a total perfectionist.
We've always erred on the side of "less is more." I worked really hard to not schedule overwhelming academics for my children in their younger years! I think this has really helped because he has an enthusiasm to learn everything, BUT burnout is a real risk! He likes the drama and activity of having Lots to Do, but he also can get a bit overwhelmed from time to time.
I had originally thought that we would add in one outsourced class per year so that eventually, senior year, he'd be at about 5-6 outsourced or DE classes. That seemed like a wise and sane plan! This year he's got 2 (both languages). But when my dad was diagnosed, 2 months ago, I began to have doubts about my own ability to "manage" and felt perhaps it would be better if we had more outsourced so that I could "facilitate/support." We are not in a race to the finish line, and I want him to have a balanced life with time to spend with family (especially my dad!), relax, explore interests, etc. I really do value a happy and relaxed child. He's a very curious, academically-oriented person, so I don't want to sell him short and not provide sufficient educational opportunities, but I'm not sure a lot of heavy pressure is a healthy thing for him. Sigh!!!! Where's my parenting manual???!!!!
-
2
-
-
2 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:
@pehp Can you clarify? My understanding was that only French 3 is DE and the rest are outsourced, but not college level, just high school outsourced classes. I don't think 6 classes for a high school student is too many, especially if they really enjoy languages (which I am assuming is true since he has 2 scheduled.)
Yes--correct! Only the French 3 is a college credit. The rest of the classes are high school level outsourced classes. And yes: he loves languages with a passion unspeakable. Currently also learning Thai and Mandarin in his spare time.
-
Thank you all! So much. This is helpful for me as I think through it all.
The languages are French 3 (online) and Spanish 3 (in person), but French 3 is the college credit course. He's gifted at languages. Right now he's doing ONE online course (Honors French 2) and one in-person course (Spanish). Everything else is at home. I am very concerned about him getting burned out with too many online courses, and we have been in Heavy Negotiations over this for a few weeks!!
The World Geography class is a thorn in my side. He saw a sample class and jumped all over it with enthusiasm. He LOVES geography & cultures (that seems to tie into his interest in languages!). He really, really wants to take that class; I'd be very content with him continuing readings in history and/or politics (he loves politics, especially international relations!) like we've done this year for that "social studies" credit. Maybe we could negotiate a delay of a year for that class. He might accept that, but it would put the class (which I consider more of a "fun" one, maybe? not super-rigorous, like AP History) to junior-ish year (not sure how to class his kid; I've written about this elsewhere). But it might be a compromise, especially b/c he insists on taking both languages.
I am casting about for the best way to meet needs for Algebra and Biology in particular. He's in Saxon now & we use an online teaching "lecture" that he watches daily plus the lessons. He really enjoys math most of the time and is pretty good at it, and I feel like having an outsourced class would be fun for him (if he likes it with the dry Saxon book, I feel like he might LOVE it with a decent teacher). We are going through the Miller Levine Biology book together, focusing on the chemistry and physics of biology as a foundational course, plus lots of supplemental readings. I'm calling it "Foundations of Biology" and it's SO interesting, but I'm not able to be super-consistent with it right now due to circumstances. He's on his own a lot, which is okay, but maybe not ideal, especially for a kid who enjoys biology. My lab game is NOT STRONG. I was loosely looking at Wilson Hill Academy for both.
Literature would be the easiest--HHL courses seem to have a pretty light reading load. But that's also the easiest class for us to keep in-house, because we enjoy reading books and discussing them.
It's so tricky to cover the basics AND the other stuff he wants to do, without overloading, and while still honoring his need to have some freedom in his life.
{Thanks for the kind words about my dad. I'm typing this from his living room right now (while my son does a virtual piano lesson, God bless his teacher!). Dad is thriving & active, totally normal, with virtually no chemo symptoms. Amazing!!! If it weren't for the fact that he's got terminal cancer, he'd be in pretty good shape for 73 years old. Whew. But we are trying to carpe diem and live part-time with him in SC, especially while he's still in good shape. Then things will shift eventually to more "caregiving." Hopefully not anytime soon, but this cancer is a wicked one.}
-
2
-
-
Without going into the specific details of what we're looking at for 10th grade, I'd love others' input on whether our plans are realistic. I am asking because my 14 year old is my oldest, and so of course I have no prior experience with homeschooling a high schooler!
We are looking at taking 2 classes/day (1.5 hours each, for a total of 3 hours/day on Mon, Tuesday, and Thursday). On Wednesdays, he'd have 4.5 hours of classes (adding in Spanish 3, which I MIGHT convince him to audit). Fridays are totally off. It'll be 6 classes: math, literature, Spanish 3, French 3 (college credit), world geography, and science. Plus piano--he's advanced intermediate, and needs to practice at least half an hour a day.
I think it's pretty reasonable, but we've never done this many outsourced classes (they will all be outsourced, and the only "lite" one will be literature--House of Humane Letters). Currently my son does Honors French 2 and Spanish 2 as outsourced, and we keep everything else in-house. He has a 100 average in both, so he does just fine! However, they take a lot of time.
He's a very intelligent person and a slow, deliberate worker. Things take awhile! I just don't want him to be completely overwhelmed, but he and I have both agreed that he needs more outsourced classes next year; he enjoys them, and I am helping to care for my father who has incurable cancer, so I need to be Less Necessary than I've been in the past. 🙂 And he just tends to be more motivated to do the work for a "class" than he is for just me--which I don't consider atypical for a 14 year old boy! I can appreciate that!
For a student who works slowly, but steadily, is this an excessive schedule of outsourced classes?
Thank you!
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Algebra 1.5
French 3 1.5
Algebra 1.5
French 1.5
Biology 1.5
Literature 1.5
Biology 1.5
World Geography 1.5 Spanish 3 1.5
+ piano 1 hour lesson 1x/week plus daily practice sessions
-
A little bump (is that allowed?) just in case! Thanks!
-
Hi! I’m wondering if anyone has used WHA’s language arts 1 or 2. I’m considering it for my daughter, who will be in 6th grade next year. This year she’s using LLATL & doing quite well, and she’s a very good reader. I’m just wondering if anyone has any experience with their LA 1 or 2 programs, & what you’ve thought of them. It would be a step up in academics for her, but I think it could be a useful next step for preparing her for more rigorous work in the (distant) future.
-
I think you could try it and see....
I purchased 2 levels a couple years ago (maybe 7 and 3? I think that's right). The lower level really helped my emerging/later reader--we used it for a couple of months, and then she was off and running. So it was quite helpful there. I thought it was very "pretty," but for both levels, I wasn't really impressed with it overall. Some of the stories, for instance, were genuinely poorly-written, to the point that my children and I would read them in order to chuckle at the overuse of certain words or the odd language choices. My older child used it for maybe half the year, and then we just jumped ship.
That having been said, I think you can make anything work, especially in elementary school. I thought it was very "user-friendly." I remember that the mechanics/grammar aspects seemed solid. I think it's perfectly fine for the younger grades; I wouldn't use it for a high schooler--but, to be fair, I didn't purchase any HS level books! I just knew it wasn't for me when I looked at the book lists. I may be wrong about this, and it has been a year or so since I looked, but I think it avoided a lot of the books that I feel are essential for high school (Shakespeare! To Kill a Mockingbird!) & I was underwhelmed by the literature selections. But I suppose one could use it and then add in literature--I just don't love supplementing things. If I buy something, I want it to be pretty much complete "as-is!" We all vary on that point, though.
With those caveats, I think it's worth a try!
-
1
-
-
Although my son is an acoustic purist, I’ve been really impressed by a good friend’s digital piano. It has a nice sound, a good “feel” to the keys, and doesn’t need maintenance! I really like it.
We love our regular piano, but it does require regular tuning to be sure it is perfect—& he has an ear that can hear the slightest imperfection. So there’s that! It’s “one more thing,” which we don’t mind, but there you go.
I tend to agree that a good digital piano is better than a bad acoustic one. Some acoustics are just so out of shape they can’t be brought back, but a good tuner can do wonders. However, they’re not miracle workers!
-
2 hours ago, cintinative said:
My youngest has Thomas Banks for Ancient lit. The class is a lot smaller than Angelina's lit classes (probably 8 students).
He is really different from Ms. Stanford as a teacher--she is really, really lively and enthusiastic. He is enthusiastic--definitely loves the works, but he expresses it in a much more subdued way. You can tell he loves the stuff he is teaching, and he is a good teacher.
The other thing I have noticed, and this may be different for the modern lit class which my oldest is taking next year, is that in the ancients class he likes to read passages in class and then stop on occasion and talk about them. Ms. Stanford does a lot of reading/sharing content from various commentaries like C.S. Lewis' and Banks does not do that.
Since Banks has a background in the Classics he is well steeped in history and can put things in their historical context really well.
The only other comment, which is not a negative, is that perhaps he is a bit less aware of some of the popular fiction as Angelina is--for example, he has not read Harry Potter in years, etc. Sometimes the kids will bring up something in a series they have read like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter and he doesn't know anything about it. Again, not a negative, but I suspect Angelina would have read those out of curiousity. 😃
This is so helpful! Thank you. I do feel like the pacing of those courses might be a better fit. My son is going to be hopping next year with two higher-level language classes and I’m just a little afraid WHA’s GC course might be Too Much.
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, ScoutTN said:
HHL will have a much shorter reading list and require almost no output. Angelina’s classes will be all fiction. Idk about Thomas Banks’ courses. Lots of thinking, though, at least for my student.
Schole might have something to suit your son. They go deep, but keep the pace and workload reasonable.
CLRC might be another option?
We have not done WHA GC because of the long reading list and the fact that there are a good many non fiction works. My student is the opposite of yours in her affection for fiction.
Good luck finding a fit!
Thank you!
I was wondering how Thomas Banks is as an instructor; I've heard so many people raving about Angelina Stanford.
HHL's pacing seems imminently doable. It's hard for me to figure out whether the pacing is WHA's Great Conversation classes is going to be Too Fast or Just Right. The booklists are hefty, but of course, I believe they're a literature *and* history credit--so that would make sense.
I'll look into Schole and CLRC; thank you!
-
1
-
-
Hello! I would like to hear input or suggestions on good courses for my son, who is in early high school (ha--see my other thread for my dubious interpretation of his grade level).
This child is a thinker--a deep thinker. He's a slower processor. He's quite gifted in music and languages (including grammar in foreign languages and English). In his spare time, he studies languages or reads about cultures around the globe. (ie, he isn't curled up with a work of fiction, which was MY default in high school; his sister and I are the ones who can't get enough fiction in our lives. My son enjoys and appreciates fiction, but he's not bananas over it.) He loves politics, Big Theological Questions, and philosophical conundrums.
I'm really puzzling over what to choose for him for English/literature next year. This year we're working our way through British Literature together--very slowly, a course of my own devising: A Tale of Two Cities, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, lots of poetry, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, a Robert Louis Stevenson (yet to be decided). And The Hobbit for fun. 😉
Next year he's going to be doing some heavier lifting in languages and math.
I have a friend who raves about WHA's Great Conversation courses. These look so tempting! They are just what I would have loved as a teenager! The blend of history, theology and literature seems excellent. But I'm wondering if the reading workload would make him wilt. I don't know if he'd feel like he's being thrown into the deep end. He's also a slower processor, so I'm not sure he'd be a top-notch class participant; he tends to think and ponder, and then come up with the most brilliant insights! But they don't happen quickly.
I have another friend who raves about Angelina Stanford at the House of Humane Letters. This reading list looks much more doable, I think. The pace seems slower and deeper, which may be a better match for him.
Or I could keep it in-house, because this is very much a subject in my own wheelhouse; however, I'm really busy these days managing my life and spending time with my father, who is kicking the butt of an incurable cancer right now, but the tide could turn at any time. We likely have good months, not years, left, although I'm hoping he grabs the golden ticket and beats those odds magnificently! So I don't think that's the right choice, at least for next year.
I'd really like for my son to have a rich experience with great books, but I don't want it to turn into a stressful box-checking experience that demoralizes him. And I don't want to under-serve him, either.
Does anyone have thoughts on the WHA workload and whether that would be a good fit? Or shall we venture into HHL instead? Or other options that would fit a guy like this one? Thank you!
-
1
-
-
My son is 14. He has two totally outsourced classes (French and Spanish); I do absolutely nothing. He is completely in charge of these! Same with piano, actually—except that I do sometimes remind him to practice. He’s been playing for years now, so it’s not a big deal.
For math and history, which he does on his own, we check in and discuss. Usually daily—but sometimes just a few times a week. He knows he has to do these every day. I work directly with him on literature and Biology, so I always know what’s going on there.
He has a paper planner and is responsible for filling it out and checking things off. I definitely ask if I think he hasn’t done something, but otherwise I do not create a schedule. He’s in charge of the work and figuring out when to do it, but I’ll give him guidance if he asks. The exception is that I call the shots on when we sit down to do Biology or literature together, because I’m very busy and he can work around me!
Next year we are outsourcing more, and I fully expect him to be responsible for those classes. He’s done great with the outsourced ones so far (much better than he does for anything I am “teaching,” ha). It’s a process, but he’s learning the consequences of procrastination and the benefits of getting after things. ✅
-
1 hour ago, Bootsie said:
I think there can be a great benefit from visiting a few college campuses just to see what a campus feels like without doing an official tour. If there are local colleges where you can visit for a music concert, stop for a cup of coffee, visit the library for a research project, etc. I think it helps a student get a feel for a college campus even if you know that will not be a specific college of interest (because of expense, degree offerings, or any other reason). It helps students know what types of questions to ask when they do seriously begin looking for a college.
You might consider looking at summer programs on the college campuses. Many colleges offer everything from a week-long day camp experience to month-long residential experience, where students can take classes in their interest area (sometimes for college credit). Some even offer study abroad experiences for high school students. For example, University of Dallas has a program where high school students visit their Rome campus and study Shakespeare or Latin. Those types of programs can give students a feel for the school and can be a transcript booster for home school kids without many outside coruses.
This is a great idea!
Back in the day, as a rising junior in high school, I attended a month-long summer Governor's school program in Biology at William and Mary. That sealed the deal for me! I applied early decision and never looked anywhere else. I absolutely loved that month, and I absolutely loved my 4 years at W&M. 🙂
-
1
-
-
Whew, I have been through this also, and I want you to know I'm thinking of you and cheering you on!
My husband had cancer in 2018 and we had to live in North Carolina for a couple of months for treatments. Plus there was a brutal recovery period and three surgeries, one of which was extensive and involved a week-long hospital stay.
During that time, I wrote this. The next year I was asked to give a talk on this topic at a homeschooling conference. My primary tips are:
*stay consistent with math. I wish I'd done this better! But, live and learn. I'd say this is the one thing to keep on with as steadily as possible.
*simplify and make things easy on yourself in every way possible. Accept all the help you can get. Give yourself lots of grace. Don't expect perfection. It'll be alright.
*audiobooks and lots of other books! Books, books, books. And those documentaries are great, too. 🙂 I was surprised at how much learning my children did during that year of our lives. Impressive!
We are going through a similar situation now with my dad who has been diagnosed with incurable extensive small cell lung carcinoma. My approach has changed a bit because my children are older, but with younger children, I definitely stand by the above advice.
Sending lots of love and healing to you.
-
2
-
1
-
-
The big hit for my son (14/9thish grade) is Honors French 2 through The Potter's School with Madame S. Great teacher, great course. LOVE!
We're also enjoying the British Literature course I crafted myself--I'd say it's a hit. I appreciate that we/I set the pace, too, because he's got some intensive hours devoted to his languages, piano, and math this year!
We had a bad miss earlier this year with an online science course, but bailed before too much damage was done. We're using the Miller Levine Bio text and reading through together, supplemented with The Way Life Works, some online resources, and some cool books (like Microbe Hunters). That online course was the only miss.
All in all, we're having a mighty nice year!
-
3
-
-
4 hours ago, GoodGrief3 said:
I have not read through all replies, so my apologies if I repeat something said later.
I'm about to graduate my third, and the older two have both completed undergrad and are in grad school now. Both studied a language in college (Turkish was a primary focus for one, the other earned a minor in Mandarin), though they are not doing that in grad school.
I think early visits are a great idea if one can swing it, primarily for seeing different types of schools. It gives some students a chance to reflect and they still have time to change some things around in their high school plans if desired. High school flies by quickly, and it's tough to change gears as senior year is starting. That said, because of our geographical location, we did not do much in the way of early visits.
As far as scholarships, I don't find the NPC helpful, because I already know we are not getting much for aid past the loan. I do find looking at the list of scholarships offered quite useful generally. It gives one a sense of automatic scholarships for certain stats and if there are competitive scholarships that might be a possibility. The exception to my NPC philosophy is certain selective schools known for exceptional need-based aid (a few Ivy schools and Stanford). They offer quite a bit more to the typical middle class student (though obviously, the difficulty there is admission.)
I will say, based on my experience with my current applicant, that I am finding that schools seem to still be relying quite a bit on test scores for merit allocation. My daughter is getting a fair amount based on top GPA, but I'm seeing the students with the test scores are being offered more., even in situations where scores are optional.
I do believe that essays and speaking skills can change the course a bit, so if that's a strength of your student, I'd encourage him to hone his writing and interviewing skills in the coming years.
Try not to stress too much about any of this. In the end, these things do work themselves out.
Turkish and Mandarin--that's so neat! My son enjoys dabbling in Mandarin, but I don't think he's ever done much looking at Turkish. What interesting languages to pursue.
Useful info about the test scores. I have a lot of optimism about my son's abilities in that department. 🙂
And as for your last sentence: YES! I agree 100%. I am really not worried about getting into or paying for college (although the latter makes me cringe a bit), because I trust that the right place/situation will unfold. I think it's good fun to do campus visits when we go places so that he can get a vision for what the colleges are like. That was the whole reason behind this thread--to get a list going of places geographically feasible for us, that might be interesting visits for him. I do think that it can be too easy to fixate on the competition aspect of this game, and, in so doing, lose the joy of what we are actually doing together day-to-day. We'll prep for college, but I'm not going to rob my child or myself of the next few years by looking at everything through that lens, or worrying over it unnecessarily. I feel like my whole life has been one big repetitive demonstration of the idea that approaching things with a peaceful and confident (dare I say joyful!) attitude really does create something that is more than the sum of its parts. And so far my son is the most interesting person I know, as well as being sweet-natured, deeply engaged in life and learning, and exceedingly polite and thoughtful. The diploma, wherever it comes from, doesn't guarantee any of that. It'll be fine.
-
2
-
-
44 minutes ago, Farrar said:
Mine met the kindy cutoff here by three days. I didn't think anything of it and registered them as homeschoolers and told them it was kindergarten.
Fast forward to freshman year and I would have said one could need another year of high school and the other probably wouldn't, but that I sort of wished they could have it.
But fast forward again to now, as they're graduating... One of them is ready ready to go away to college. Not like I've taught him everything, but he got into all the schools he wanted, he's going to be super happy, he's mature and responsible and just needs to be out of the house now after two years of pandemic life. And he's the one who I was sure would need more time. The other one - we talked about giving him another year because he needs it. But I just cannot. I have no patience for it. He's doing fine. He's taking a gap year to keep dancing and then maybe he'll just keep dancing or maybe not. I have no idea. He says now that he's going to college and leaving dance. But also, he fanboyed at the principal and got his shoes signed during Swan Lake and the whole company (this is a major, top tier American ballet) gathered around as the principal guy gave him and his three fellow bottom rung trainees a pep talk about how inspiring they all are and... I don't even know what he's going to do. Regardless, he's graduating. I'm done.
So this is just to say... you don't have to know NOW. You really just need to know before he applies to college so he can do that in the fall/winter the year before.
So helpful! It is amazing how what we THINK might happen evolves and changes, even in the course of a few years.
As the mother of a ballet dancer, I totally get that excitement. My daughter's dream is to dance the role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake! She's in her first year (at 11) of our local ballet company and in her sixth year of classical ballet instruction, with absolutely no signs of stopping. I love that your son is taking his gap year to dance. What a great idea.
-
1
-
French Language Learning (esp Immersion) Opportunities
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Great! Thank you--I'll look into the news site. He has already asked for a subscription to Le Monde for his birthday. How to get that delivered into the boondocks is my next problem to solve, ha. He LOVES the podcast "One Thing in a French Day" and has listened to it for years!