pehp
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Posts posted by pehp
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4 hours ago, NewnameC said:
To answer your original question, high Point University has come up in conversation 3 times recently in my little bubble (and I don’t live in North Carolina), so I will add it to your list.
I know it is expensive. A friend in my bubble lived/worked in that area once upon a time and mentioned there were a lot more private jets at the local airport when High Point had events. However, it does look like they have merit scholarships.
I'll look into High Point--that's not very far from me.
I had to laugh about the private jets. When I was in law school at W&L, we always knew when the undergrads had returned because suddenly the streets of Lexington sported a lot more BMWs and Range Rovers. Meanwhile back at the law school we were all chugging along in our Hondas and Toyotas. ha.
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Yeah--we don't have a 529. We just put money into a mutual fund because we didn't want to have to commit the 529 to college if we didn't have to do it.
And my head is swimming now!
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7 hours ago, royspeed said:
pehp:
My wife is a superb biology teacher, and her honors-level course is really engaging:
https://hscollegebound.com/Online-Courses-Honors-Biology-With-Lab.htm
Thank you!!
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6 hours ago, fourisenough said:
I responded on your other thread, but I’ll weigh-in here, too. We’ve had great success with Wilson Hill Academy math (Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and AP Stats) and with Blue Tent math and science courses (Honors Pre Calc and Calc AB; Honors Bio and AP Bio). If you look at any of those courses and are interested, lmk teacher options and I’ll give you our assessment of them.
I've been looking at Wilson Hill for Algebra--instructors are George, Church, and Ohotnicky. If you've got experience with any of those teachers, I'd love to hear about it. He really wants a "real" math teacher next year. The Saxon videos we are using are solid and they work fine, but I think he'd like more dynamic teaching and explanations, especially b/c he really does enjoy math.
Thank you!
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10 hours ago, Clemsondana said:
Just as an FYI - if you student wants a live class with interactions then an asynchronous class wouldn't work. But, many asynchronous classes are not self-paced - they have weekly deadlines for most assignments and longer deadlines for projects. Of course, I say that the classes (including mine) have deadlines but they are negotiable if a student asks. Usually it's a rare event (a few extra days if somebody is sick, the occasional big problem around surgery or a concussion), but this year I've had kids randomly out for a week here and there with Covid or helping relatives who are sick so the deadlines feel more like suggestions, even for students in the live co-op class, as everybody tries to get back on track. That was a bit meandering, but I didn't want for you to rule out a class that would otherwise be a good fit if the issue is deadlines and not a desire for live discussion with classmates.
Great point. I think for bio, he doesn't really care about "class discussions" (this is essential in, say, French!! which he loves as a live class!). Really for him for math/science I do think it's more about the pacing and staying on track. Being able to ask questions of the teacher is helpful as well, though.
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27 minutes ago, kokotg said:
I gave my current senior an extra year before high school (he has an end of May birthday, so late-ish, but not super late). I just saw with my oldest that high school is a lot of work and thought he could use an extra year. I also taught college freshmen when I was in grad school and remember thinking that there are very few boys, in particular, who couldn't use an extra year to mature before college. I've never regretted it. He's ended up deciding on a music performance major (on an instrument he didn't start until 9th grade), so between that and covid it's turned out to be the absolute best thing we could have done (there's no way he'd be ready for auditions this year otherwise, although he could always have done a gap year)...but even under more normal circumstances it would have been best.
There are plenty of ways he can "catch up" with math (doubling up at some point, possibly by doing DE), so I don't know that I'd let that be the deciding factor...but it may be a contributing one if there are enough other reasons to give him that extra year.
So cool! Thank you--wow to majoring on an instrument he started in 9th grade!! That is so neat. I love to see how their lives develop and go--sometimes it's unexpected. A friend of mine with a son in public school recently mentioned that she is glad her son is a year "older" than the other kids in his class....that extra year to mature, especially for boys, is a good point.
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50 minutes ago, Lori D. said:
First, SO sorry about the stage 4 cancer, and so glad that DH is doing well now!
I don't think you need to make this decision right now. Kids will surprise you at how MUCH they change and mature during the teen years. So trying to decide now at a youngish age 14 whether or not to do a 5th year of high school, especially because it is NOT clear-cut, is not really necessary.
Where is he is his other work? Fully (and comfortably) at high school level? How many full-on high school credits is he comfortably carrying this year? How is his writing? Does he struggle with any of his high school level subjects? How are his high school peer interactions -- does he seem to fit in well with other high schoolers, or does he gravitate toward interactions with younger students?Being at level 2 in TWO different Foreign Languages THIS year certainly does not sound like he's working below grade level. If math is the only thing that is "behind", then I would NOT be considering holding back a student.
Doing Pre-Algebra in 9th is not the end of the world, and is not what I would use as the sole deciding factor for whether or not to do another year of 9th grade. He may suddenly "spurt" with math, and cover Geometry over the same 2 years as doing Algebra 1 & 2, which still leaves 12th grade for Pre-Calc. Or, he may move along at the same pace, and be ready for dual enrollment and do a 4th year of math above Algebra 2 in 1 semester as dual enrollment. Just mentioning all of that to ease your mind about getting 4 credits of math for graduation.
I would wait and reassess at the end of next year, as the only time you really have to "declare" a grade in high school is when your student takes the PSAT -- their 11th grade score is what counts toward possible National Merit Scholarships.
Gosh, this is SO helpful--thanks so much. I really appreciate the tip that the 11th grade score is what matters for the National Merit Scholarships. I'm not far along in this journey through high school and that's useful info.
This year he's killing it in math (pre-Algebra), Spanish 2, and Honors French 2. All As, although math is a little lower--maybe A/A-, whereas he's hovering around 100 in languages. These are his "real" formal classes, and the others we do more casually.
He's doing well with Biology, but he's pokey. He's reading through some British-French literature for English--again, pokey, but enjoying it. A Tale of Two Cities right now! He devours his history books. I wouldn't say he's working at a *high* level in these 3 classes, but part of that is ME, which is one reason I'm looking to outsource more next year--my son needs someone who isn't ME to supervise him! My sweet dad was just diagnosed w/ incurable small cell lung carcinoma, so we are living part-time in Charleston, SC, and, frankly, I've been a little distracted for the past few months.
He doesn't write enough--and again, that problem is maternal. When he DOES write, he is a pretty decent writer, and with more practice, I am positive that his skills will improve. And he is literally the most interested, engaged human I have ever met. This might be his superpower. He thinks deeply about everything, from math to French to politics to Pixar films.
We hope to outsource basically everything next year. He seems to take outsourced classes very seriously and rise to the occasion well, whereas if I'm supervising, he's more "relaxed" in his expectations of himself and his work. Ahem.
I appreciate the assurance that this issue isn't quite ripe yet. I'm sure that is true, and that it will become more clear as things unfold!
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35 minutes ago, Dmmetler said:
Maryville might be worth checking out if they have the right majors. They had decent merit aid for my graduate, and wouldn’t be too far away (Knoxville TN area)
I really like that area, too! So pretty.
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Has anyone here felt murky on their child's "grade level" once they're teenagers, or graduation date?
My situation is as follows: my son is 14 and in 9th grade, on the youngish side for a freshman, but not really young. He's a smart kid. Several years ago my husband had stage 4 cancer and during that year we plugged (limped) along with math and other things, but ultimately he's in pre-algebra in 9th grade. My husband decided that we should lay a strong/firm foundation in math and not try to rush him into algebra 1 for 9th grade, and I'm glad we did this, because he is very good at math. (On his CAT last year, he missed one math question!) Anyhow.
We were surveying the future and decided to allow him to a shadow a kid at our local private Catholic school. After a conversation with admissions, we mutually decided due to his math level that if we were to enroll him, we'd enroll him as a 9th grader *next* year. My son was totally cool with that idea. In fact, he relished it.
When he got into the car after the shadow day my son was 100% sure it was not the fit for him, and we agreed after hearing what his day was like. So that put the private school issue to rest for us.
However, it did begin a conversation with myself, in my own head, about what constitutes 9th grade...10th grade...how do you decide when a child is ready to graduate, and how does this play into making college choices as well as SAT/ACT test scheduling. I've always simply gone on chronology from when I said he began "kindergarten" at the age of 5. But does it make more sense to base it, for instance, on math? He'll be in French 3 and Spanish 3 next year as a "sophomore," but algebra 1. I appreciate the flexibility of homeschooling and the way it doesn't force us to cleave to The System, but obviously we work within The System when it comes to the technical aspects of graduating and going off to school!
I'm sure with some kids this is 100% straightforward. Then there may be some who are ready to graduate at 15. I was in college at 17. But others may need an extra year or two to ripen. I'm just curious as to whether anyone else has needed to make this analysis, and how you decided on "grade level" if it seemed a bit ambiguous. I had never even thought of it until we decided to re-class him in light of the private school/math thing.
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1 minute ago, NewnameC said:
Running the NPC again with a 36 ACT score will show you if they have automatic or expected merit scholarships.
I was unsuccessful at finding a page that showed tuition, housing, and food costs at College of Charleston on a quick look of school website.
It's because they don't want you to know!!!! It costs a fortune!!! 😂
Thanks for that tip on running it with a 36 to show the automatic or merit scholarships. Helpful!
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3 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:
Determining your budget should not be like throwing a dart at a dartboard. For schools that provide need-based aid, you should be able to use a net price calculator to at minimum get a generalized ballpark $$ amt. If you have $ set aside for school, 100% of that will be put toward cost. $$ that you contribute to retirement will be added back into your income and considered eligible for paying for school. If your house is paid off, some schools will consider a % of your house value as eligible for paying for school. Here is an article that will gives a general overview: Expected Family Contribution (EFC): FAFSA vs. CSS Calculations (thecollegeinvestor.com)
FWIW, even with a houseful of kids, we have never been able to have a meets need school be cheaper than a public school. Our expected contribution has always been ridiculously high and we would never have been able to contribute to our retirement.
If your student might score high enough on the PSAT to qualify for National Merit, many schools offer excellent NMF scholarships. High SAT/ACT scores generate automatic scholarships at decent number of schools. Our kids attend on scholarship, so I have spent umpteen hrs researching scholarships and FA. 😉 Unless your student is highly competitive and will stand out for competitive scholarships, automatic admissions scholarships are probably going to bring down your costs the most.
This is interesting. We don't have anything in a college savings-type account, if that's what you mean? We've got a particular mutual fund where we've invested money over the years, and we consider this a college fund if we can't absorb the costs via our annual income. Yikes to a portion of the home value being considered!!!
It's also interesting that the public schools are cheaper in your experience--that's really good to know! We live in Virginia, with a wealth of really good public schools. So I'll turn my attention there to see if any of those might be a good fit down the line.
In your experience, are automatic admission scholarships typically offered by public schools? I've seen them advertised via several small, private schools, but wasn't aware that publics might also offer those types of scholarships.
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2 hours ago, gstharr said:
PSAT is another one of those awkward words here. A high score, 99TH percentile for your state, can lead to a free ride at some colleges. Income not a factor. You dont mention your son's math level. But the psat math at the most is alg 1, and geometry. I would spend the time prepping for psat if he is a strong tester. Psat is also good practice for sat, because it is only a water downed sat. We used sat materials to prep.
He's a year behind due to the cancer nonsense we endured, so he'll be doing Alg 1 in 10th-ish grade! So I figured the PSAT would be out of reach. He IS a good tester, though, and his grasp of math concepts is waaaaay beyond the pre-algebra he's doing now (Dad is an engineer and they love to talk math).
I didn't realize the PSAT was any different from the SAT. I thought it was just the same thing, but administered earlier. See: I am still learning! 🙂
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2 hours ago, regentrude said:
This. And also:
I would recommend researching the colleges and degree programs as much as possible online before bothering with campus visits. You get more out of the visit when you have a catalog of clearly formulated questions.
I handle the department visits for prospective students in my department. The students who visit very early in their highschool years usually have no well articulated questions about our program. Honestly, I personally do not think early visits are particularly useful.
I think it's probably more a "getting the feel for a place" for us; to-wit: do you want a small campus in a rural setting? A larger university in a city? And so on. He isn't quite sure, and I do think visiting a few places would help with that! I hadn't anticipated meeting with admissions at this stage of the game.
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1 hour ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:
For working on financial fit, start by using an EFC calculator to determine your Expected Family Contribution. This is the minimum amount a college would consider your family should pay towards college each year. (It's being renamed Student Aid Index soon to underscore the fact that it's often not a cap on what a student has to pay.)
Then search for the Net Price Calculator for each college you are considering. That will give you a sense of the amount and type of aid you might expect from the colleges. Aid depends on student stats, family assets, and institutional priorities. A college that is trying to expand its national reputation might offer aid to high stat students from the other side of the country. A college that is building a new program might look closely at intended major. A school that is in increasing numbers of underrepresented student groups might prioritize aid to those students. Some public colleges spend most of their aid dollars on in state students, while others are generous regardless of residency. The NPC is just an estimate, but can help you see trends.
Yes! I ran the NPC on the College of Charleston, using an ACT score I literally pulled out of thin air (probably lowballing it a bit--I think I picked like 25-27, but I have no idea how he'll do). I haven't run it on other schools yet.
Our net price was something like $52,000. I can only assume that meant tuition plus all the housing and related expenses....with absolutely zero assistance. Of course, it was a fly-by-the-seat use of the calculator, and may not accurately reflect reality.
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2 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:
FWIW, flagship schools only apply to critical languages. My main pt was that he needs to understand his language goals and whether or not perspective schools will help him achieve those goals. For example, our dd was at a very high level in French before she graduated from high school. (She could watch French movies while multitasking (like building puzzles, etc) and understand. At least 1 U told her she was at a higher level than their college srs. That was obviously not going to be a good fit. 🙂 What are his goals with French? Does he want to be a teacher? French as a degree by itself is a rather ambigious goal. Figuring out what he wants to ultimately pursue might help him narrow down his options, too.
Yes! This is helpful. You're right--he has to figure out his goals. He doesn't seem to have any desire to teach, but is more interested in interpreting, or perhaps even working in the foreign service. Of course, he's also....14. I *highly* suspect he will be just like your daughter by the time he's done with high school--probably within the next 2 years. He already listens to French books on Audible and gets a lot of what is going on without a struggle. Fluency is not too far away!
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1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:
I would start with your budget. I would not visit a single school until you have investigated costs. Unless you have an unlimited budget (since you stated you want to avoid student loans which for your ds max out at $5500 freshman yr, $6500 sophomore yr, and $7500 jr/sr yrs, so the rest are parental costs), understanding financial aid can save you $$ by not visiting/applying to schools you can't afford and save heartache by your student not becoming attached to a school they can't afford.
University-based scholarships are by far the best scholarships. "Hunting down any scholarships you can find" may or may not benefit your student. Many private schools that offer need-based aid swap out scholarship $$ for your need. So, say your ds received a $25,000 scholarship and your family was receiving $30,000 in need-based aid. They MAY (or may not) reduce out the student contribution, but it will not reduce out the parental contribution at all. So, the $25,000 would mostly just replace the $30,000 need-based aid. (So you might see it look something like, student contribution $0, need-based aid $8,000, scholarship $25,000, so a net gain of $3000.)
U's that do not offer need-based aid (by far the majority of Us) will allow that amt to reduce out, but hunting down scholarships very rarely brings in much gain. Admission-based scholarships will give you the greatest benefit.
FWIW, I have a dd who graduated in May with degrees in Russian and French. When we were researching schools, she had a list of questions she wanted answered. Language level at graduation was her top one bc she wanted to achieve superior in Russian (which she learned was impossible outside of a language flagship U which back then there were only 4 and we couldn't afford any of them). She then looked for Us that would support her in trying to achieve the highest level possible. Some were incredibly dismissive saying that intermediate was the highest attainable level. She interviewed the depts until she found one that really matched her goals. You also need to understand how study abroad funding works.
Thank you! I think what I mean by "hunting down scholarships" IS hunting down the best offers he can get from universities.
I honestly am not even sure how to start with considering budgetary issues or "what we can afford" since it seems to vary so radically and widely from school-to-school. In-state tuition here in Virginia is obviously more "affordable," but then again, I'm aware that private schools often can offer better aid, which seems to level the playing field. If I look at the flat-out sticker price of ANY school, it's obviously more than we'd want to pay. I'm working under the assumption that there will be aid available, but what? It's also hard since we don't have a fully-developed high school student (ie, no SAT score that I can at least use as some sort of "benchmark"). We have a generous amount of money set aside for higher education, my husband's salary is comfortable, we have zero debt, and I have the capability of picking up work down the line if needed, so we've got some flexibility. But I still don't want to pay the tuition sticker prices I see! We joke that our pat response to "what's your budget" is, 100% of the time, "as little as possible." 😉 So I'm a bit flummoxed, but trying to figure it out.
I also really appreciate your tip on languages. That's really a whole 'nother thing that I need to post/ask about--what are the language flagship universities, and tips on navigating that whole process. Right now it does look like French will be his thing, and so we're sort of following that route.....
So much to learn and consider!
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18 minutes ago, fourisenough said:
No advice on schools to look at, but I’m hopping on here to tell you that I think prepping and aiming for a high SAT/ACT score seems like a good plan in your situation. There is definitely a you-don’t-need-to-validate-your-homeschool-transcript bias present on this board (really just one or two persistent voices 😉), but if that doesn’t resonate with you, feel free to ignore it and go with your gut.
I think your student who has a history of testing well sounds like one who can benefit from test prep and the resulting high score that he may achieve. My current HS senior was a very strong tester in her early years, invested a good amount of time over the summer before junior year prepping for the ACT, and ended up with a 34. Together with the other components of her application (essays, LOR, EC, transcript), this score has opened doors that might not have otherwise been available to her.
Since he is relatively stronger in reading/writing than math, you might research the differences between the SAT and ACT and consider whether he may do better on one than the other before beginning to prep.
Best wishes on your search!
Thanks! This is really helpful. To me it just *makes sense* to try to do the best we can on the standardized test. And you know, I'm not sure which one to choose there--he's actually really, really strong in math--he missed ONE math problem on his CAT test last year--but he's "behind" his grade level by a year simply due to my husband having had stage 4 cancer a couple of years ago. That was not our finest math hour! 100% the fault of circumstances, and not reflective of my son's abilities in math at all. I am hopeful that the next year or two of high school math plus consistent test prep will allow him to do just fine--maybe even better than "just fine"--on his SAT/ACT. Fingers crossed! Because I do feel like that would help.
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Updated 2/19/24 at the end of the thread below below--just to say, the early-ish visits in 10th grade have been really great, and helpful for developing the vision...I'm glad we've embarked on it!
Hi everyone!
I would be oh-so-interested to hear anyone's suggestions on some college visits for my son, who is 9th-ish grade (I say "ish" because he's racking up credits quickly, yet "behind" in math 😉) and 14 years old. We split our time right now between home (near Roanoke, VA) and home-away-from-home (Charleston, SC), so I'm starting to think about looking in person at some of the schools in our region.
My son is *most* interested in languages (carrying easy, high As in both Honors French 2 and Spanish 2, with plans to continue both throughout high school and probably add in Mandarin or Thai at some point, just b/c he loves them), but also loves philosophy, religion, politics/government, and history. In short, very Liberal Arts-y. He's a solid pianist, but doesn't plan to study music as a major; however, he may still pursue it out of enjoyment in college. He desperately wants to study abroad--likely France, since French is his first love. He's quite interested in comparative politics, international relations...that sort of thing. But: he's 14.
Our plans are to continue homeschooling, and next summer (ie between sophomore and junior years), to start consistent SAT prep. I realize schools are test-optional these days, but I'm hoping a *decent* score could add additional legitimacy to the transcript I will make. I have absolutely no idea how he'll do on the SAT. His standardized test scores on the CAT every year (totally different, beast, I know) are always way, way high. So he seems to test well.
I think we'd all prefer something that is not too far removed geographically from Southwest Virginia. I attended William and Mary for undergrad, Hollins for my MA, and Washington and Lee for law school. We will look at both W&M and W&L, just because I am fond of them both, although I don't know if those will be good choices for him. So much feels unknown, without an SAT score or a "measurable" GPA at this time....
I think we're focusing in on smaller liberal arts schools, although we're by no means limited to that. Good foreign language programs, especially for French, are very appealing, as are good study abroad programs. Quaint settings are a huge plus for this aesthetically-inclined boy. He's a thoughtful, mature, intelligent kid who takes learning seriously--so perhaps an honors college within a college?
Here are the schools I'm thinking of visiting casually over the next year to see if anything seems to strike him, so we can start to hone in on what these schools might want from us over the next few years!
*College of Charleston (his request, not really my thing, but my grandmother graduated from there at the age of 19 and loved it back in the 30s! ha!)
*Roanoke College (15 minutes from home--my sister is an alum and loved it)
*Elon University
*Wake Forest
*W&L and W&M (very different vibes, but 2 of my alma maters)
*Dickinson College (a bit far afield, but my BIL is in administration there and they seem to check some of our boxes! seems like a neat school)
*perhaps Davidson, although I don't know a lot about it. It's halfway between home and home-away-from home. 🙂
........probably another school or two that I've forgotten, as I'm posting rather distractedly.
Like most people, we would like to get as much financial aid as possible. I doubt we'd qualify for much, if any, need-based aid, although I've not investigated that. My husband and I plan to foot the bill for whatever isn't covered, and wish/hope/plan to avoid student loans altogether, so I'm pretty motivated to hunt down any scholarships we can find. I realize they will likely be thin on the ground.
Any schools in the PA/VA/WV/NC/SC/TN areas that aren't on this list but might be a nice fit for a student like mine? Especially rich schools just *dying* to give cash to kids who want to study French and travel the world? (A girl can dream.) Any schools with particularly strong French language/study abroad programs? etc?
I'd love to create a list that we can start to check off with campus visits this year, especially as we do drive around a lot in the VA/SC/NC areas.
Thanks so much for any help you can provide!
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6 minutes ago, Farrar said:
If non-negotiable is a key element, I actually wouldn't do Mr. D's. It has the live class (and Mr. H is really great) but the deadlines are totally negotiable.
This is an interesting point. In reality, I have observed that if my son has a deadline given to him (by someone who is Not His Mother), in his brain it IS non-negotiable. He wouldn't even THINK to negotiate. A rule-follower par excellence! So-"deadline" is probably sufficient, because in his little mind that word naturally equals "non-negotiable." No one has told him that you can, like, ask for extensions and stuff.
I'll tell him when he goes off to college.....maybe.
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2 hours ago, SusanC said:
Dr. Underwood's biology class was great, and the price makes it bargain.
My dd liked Mr Henderson at MrD - although that was Geometry, and Jann is great at My homeschool math class (that was Algebra). In the end we have liked the scheduling flexibility of Derek Owens, but asynchronous does have its pitfalls.
Thank you!
Yeah-my son specifically requested NOT to do asynchronous if we can at all help it. He really does seem to appreciate the structure and *non-negotiability* of a class with strict deadlines. And I appreciate that he can identify this and request it!
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1 hour ago, Farrar said:
Do you specifically want Christian for biology? Because Taylor Made Science would be my pick for good but not overwhelming. Very schooly. But it's secular.
Seconding Mr. D's as a possibility for math, but My Homeschool Math Class and Live Online Math are the two that have multiple meetings per week. Aim Academy's math is also pretty strong without being overwhelming, so that's another option.
Nope, we're totally fine with secular. I'll have to check out Taylor Made Science!
And thanks for the math recommendations! I'll be looking into those as well.
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40 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:
Eric Reini at Wilson Hill is excellent. My Dd is on her third math class with him.
Thank you! Looks like he's teaching Alg 2 next year, but not Alg 1. Shoot!
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I would love to hear any recommendations you have for online biology and algebra 1 courses for my high schooler next year.
He prefers:
*real time/interactive...but we can make asynchronous work if need be, as long as there are...
*deadlines! (ie, not totally self-paced; he is the sort who thrives on deadlines & clear expectations)
*not too deadly-rigorous. This child is taking a fairly heavy workload in other areas next year, and we don't want biology in particular to be super time-consuming. However, he's also my deep thinker, and he doesn't want a class that is too "lite" or lacks depth. I realize this is a fine line to walk! 🙂
*well-taught. We have learned from experience how crucial a good teacher is to the online classroom experience. To that end, specific teacher recommendations would help so much! A teacher who knows how to teach!
*ideally 2+ times per week. One class session a week doesn't seem to be nearly enough for either of these subjects, from our perspective.
We have some experience with The Potter's School because my son is taking Honors French 2 through TPS (fantastic) & will be taking one other course through them next year as well. If we go with TPS, it will be crucial to get a recommendation for a specific teacher for Algebra 1 (they only offer a 1x/week biology class, so we're not inclined to do that; Algebra 1 is 2x/week, which would probably work...). I'm also looking at Wilson Hill Academy & Funda Funda (Dr. Underwood's Biology), but I am open to any and all suggestions. If you've got any courses, particularly with specific teachers, to recommend that might check off all or most of his boxes, I'd really appreciate it. If you prefer to send a private message about specific teacher recommendations or warnings 😉 please feel free to do so. Any info is helpful to me at this point.
Thanks!
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1 hour ago, cintinative said:
Regentrude is really the expert here, but I will tell you what I have consistently heard here--physics makes more sense if you do the math with it. So conceptual physics has its place, but if you have a strong math student, it really doesn't make sense to put them in a conceptual physics class. They would be losing out on the opportunity to understand the "why" of things.
I thought that WHA uses Novare. I am not familiar with their physics. I know Novare has a "physics first" approach and you can read about it on their website.
For us, we did Bio first so that my kids could both have Alg I done before they took physics. That's an option you have. Even with having Alg I finished, there were some trig concepts and trajectory type problems that were introduced in this physics course that were a bit beyond Alg I. It has been understandable only because we had Alg I covered. There is a lot of basic algebra in rearranging equations to solve for a variable also. So it really makes sense to have algebra solid before taking physics, IMO.
This is really helpful! Also the point about the "why"--my son is 100% a "WHY" person who always tries to understand the why behind ev.ery.thing.
Biology it is, I think!
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Help Me Plan: Early College visits
in The College Board
Posted
Including retirement contributions (401K? Roth IRAs?) just seems painfully wrong. We could get hit hard there; we've been pretty aggressive savers. ouch.
And.....47%!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!