melissamomof5
-
Posts
268 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by melissamomof5
-
-
We used their math for years before trying anything else. We've done their LA on and off. I like it and I don't like it.
This year we have continued with Math, LA, and added in their reading, Bible, and 5th grade science. It is definitely a get-er-done kind of curriculum. But the grading! Between 4 students...it's too much for me.
So, next year we are going back to what we used before, but will be keeping the Math for my 2 younger students. I am still undecided on the reading.
-
I want to add to all the good info you've already gotten--not doing college would mean missing out on SO much music! I am in awe of what my dd does every day at Indiana. And then there are the contacts that you make in programs at universities that you simply don't make anywhere else. I have a relative who has a HUGE audition later this month--his foot in the door is the program he's in in another city, and THAT program came about because of contacts made as an undergrad. And dd is in the program she's in now because of a summer early music program that led to another one that led to playing overseas that led to her week-long gig next week at Indy Baroque. Her Indy stuff led to 3 Notch'd Road, NC Baroque or maybe it was the other way 'round.
We struggled for several years with a less-than-competent piano teacher as there was no one else available (for dd #4). And one of the main reasons she wasn't up to snuff, was the lack of the degree. While a nice lady, she simply didn't have the base knowledge to share. Someone asked the other day about piano teacher recommendations and I had to say, "What are you looking for? Do you want a warm, fuzzy experience for your child, or at you looking for actual learning? Are you looking for the level of teaching from a nice lady who plays the piano at church on Sundays or are you looking for expertise?" Who I suggested was based on what they were looking for.
Thank you. This is very encouraging. :)
I grew up not far from Indy. ;)
-
Thank you all. You have given us a lot to think about. :)
-
First, congratulations on your DD's giftedness, and also that she has an idea at this younger age of what she'd like to do! :)
Second, no personal experience with the music fields, except watching a friend go through a lot of trials to break into this tough field. Her desire was performance (cello) and to teach in a Music dept. at a university (in a Music-related area). Alas, during her time of studies, funding for the Arts all dried up, and performance jobs with orchestras, and Music teacher jobs at universities, are both virtually non-existent. During the 1980s-1990s, my friend earned a Bachelor's and 2 Master's degrees in different areas of Performance and Music History, and barely could make ends meet by teaching cello to elementary/middle/high school students, and by working in the office of the Music dept. of the University in a part-time student job student. Ultimately, at age 40, she moved on and got her Divinity degree and is now a Lutheran minister.
If anything, jobs in the Fine Arts fields are even MORE limited since the economic downturn in 2008 (and my friend had switched career fields by that time.) So if your DD's desire is to teach piano at the university level, she'll need not only a Bachelor's, but also a Master's, and most likely a PhD, just to be competitive for the very few jobs out there.
On the other hand, if her desire to teach is to teach younger students from home or a studio, and her performance desires are more flexible -- i.e., not necessarily concerts and with a philharmonic orchestra, but perhaps "pick-up" work and part-time performance with a church worship band, or as an accompanist for university student recitals, and other local piano opportunities -- then the multiple degrees are probably not as needed. However, in order to have the training to be able to be an effective and an in-demand teacher, I really do think your DD needs a Bachelor's degree with a teaching certificate.
Some things to consider:
- don't close doors
8th grade is super early to be closing the door on college just because you can't see right now
- what specifically is DD's interest in piano/music
Are you mentioning teaching because that is DD's real INTEREST, or just because that's the only way you're picturing an income right now? This is the time to explore, and, again, don't close doors. What really IS DD's interest: Is it performance? Is it teaching? Is it teaching at a specific level? In the next few years, you and DD should do some exploring; figure out ALL the things DD really DOES want to do (AND NOT do) with piano and music. That can open up all kinds of job possibilities that you may not have thought of previously, and these new interests may have different requirements in education and training than a Bachelor's in Music Performance...
- look for local options for performance
If DD enjoys playing, perhaps she can find ways to not only perform more frequently, but also earn money throughout high school to help with college costs. Hire out to play at a local restaurant, at weddings, or other special events. What about local drama/live theater, or ballet class accompanyist, or Sunday worship services? If she has a portable keyboard, what about "busking"?
- broaden your horizons
What secondary field might DD enjoy? Do some career testing and exploration over the next few years to see what else might be possibilities. Look at the possibility of DD earning an Associate's degree during high school via dual enrollment in a field that could help her pay for that Music Performance degree -- high demand AAS areas are things like assistants or techs in medical fields such as Physical Therapy Tech, Occupational Therapy Tech, Radiology Tech, Diagnostic Sonographer, etc.
- consider a related, more broad degree
What about a degree in Elementary Education, with an emphasis on Music? Schools are always hiring teachers, and if DD can get a degree in a core subject area (English, Math, or Science), she would have the Music in her back pocket to give her an edge as an additional subject she could teach. Or she could draw from the school's student body for teaching Piano
- keep options option
Constantly be on the look-out for local opportunities for DD to perform or to teach or be involved with music, so she can be trying out things all through high school to see what she really DOES like/not like. Have conversations every so often about what she is thinking about piano, music, and other career options:
- Would DD be fulfilled and satisfied to have piano/music as a significant hobby or side job, and so not need to pursue post-high school training and education in that field, and pursue something else as more of a career option?
- Has DD found a specific aspect of music that she really wants to pursue as a career? What training/education will that require? How can she make that happen?
Wishing you both all the BEST as you start thinking and researching for the future! Warmest regards, Lori D.
Thank you for your reply :) She says she wants to teach piano, and from what I have gathered from her, she is meaning like her piano teacher does from her house. Her piano teacher is amazingly gifted and inspirational. ;) I will take in more of what you wrote and talk to her some more about it all. :)
-
My oldest daughter will be in 9th grade this fall. She is very gifted with her piano skills and very driven to do well and succeed with it. At this time, she wants to pursue being a piano teacher.
We have an amazing program in which her major would be Piano Performance Bachelor of Music with a possible pedagogy certificate. I am not sure what scholarships she may be able to get. I am doubting we will qualify for financial aid unless something changes by then. I have no idea how we will afford it.
Having said all that :crying: do you think the degree is necessary?
Piano people, what is the benefit to her having the degree vs not. It is so early to tell, but I am thinking she is envisioning teaching from her home or possibly a music studio.
-
Thank you all for the great ideas :D
-
1
-
-
Do you know what is hanging her up? Is she having trouble with specific concepts? Is she making a lot of silly errors? Are you looking for ways to change how you use CLE or do you want to switch to something else for the rest of the year?
If she is having trouble with specific concepts, I'd spend a few weeks going back and reteaching (and then have her practice just those things for several days). Going back to it might make a light bulb come on.
If she is making a lot of silly errors, she could be overwhelmed. Silly errors can be a symptom of working memory overload.
If you want to switch to something else, the logical choice would be TT Prealgebra so that you can be sure she is prepared for their algebra course.
Thank you :) It is a mix. And there are some things in CLE 700 that I don't even remember how to do and am not sure it's something she needs to do. I think she has come to a point in that math where it is no longer the right fit for her.
-
My oldest has done so well up until this year with CLE math.
She just took test 705 and I think every one so far she has failed. I probably should have done something sooner. :( I just keep helping her with the things she misses, but I think it's time for a change.
What can we do to finish the year out well?
I have Teaching Textbook Alegebra for the fall.
-
What's going to get done?
I had a similar dilemma and went with NG and add on lit. It's been fine, but I regret not using MFW. I'll be switching to it next year. It's not perfect, it's not the most rigorous, but I think it's solid. It gives some room for other things (like harder DE classes, online science, etc). It's easy to implement. And, if it all gets done, then it's solid and enough.
Thank you :) I do have AHL on the way to me and I am going to let her look through it all. Maybe I will schedule some of the Notgrass lit selections for her throughout the year. We are definitely going to do audiobooks on a few of those that AHL schedules.
-
1
-
-
What does your 9th grader think? Which program does the student like? MFW uses the Notgrass books in the AHL program so you'd still have those books. You could swap out some or all of the literature if you wanted.
Honestly, her answer would be, whatever will be as little work as possible and get done as quick as possible.
She is a very smart girl, but would rather be drawing or reading books at her own leisure.
-
1
-
-
So different, I know. :)
I will have a 3 year old, 2nd grader, 5th grader, 7th grader, and 9th grader.
Here are my ideas for the 9th grader. Help me process!
#1 - Notgrass EWH - I like this for the get-it-done aspect. I also like their list of literature. This child doesn't mind textbooks and is a steam engine with her work.
#2 - MFW AHL - I like this because it includes further instruction for writing and literature. However, I am not crazy about their literature choices though.
#3 - Biblioplan year 1 with the rest of the family, but reading the Companion independently. I like this for the aspect we are all on the same time page. However, I am a bit scared by the amount of book choices to make.
If we go with #1 or #3 I will need to add in some extra writing instruction.
-
2
-
-
No, we haven't done it -- I just recently found out about it. My son's guitar teacher used it with their daughter and was telling me about it ! If my kids were interested we would definitely use it! Alas, my son will be in 9th next year. And my DD, who will be in 7th, isn't interested - she is more of a STEM kid. She will be using FATU though lol…… maybe, it's because I want to use Prarie Primer!
:laugh: My kids are actually excited about the thought of it, but I know what you mean! It is something *I* think I would like too.
-
Option 1
:-)
Or see if the 7th grader wants to do FATU, and have just the youngers to Prarie Primer.
This particular child, the one who will be 7th next year, does not like alone work! It is a struggle to get her motivated! Thank you for the feedback! :) Have you done PP? Is there a particular reason you picked that one?
-
So, yes, I am already annoying myself by thinking next year. :laugh: Anyone have any input that could help me along! If I could just get it down to two options, that'd be better even. :crying:
My kids will be 3, 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th.
Option #1
9th grader do Notgrass EWH
Everyone else do Prairie Primer adding Language Arts (that we already do) and Math. I have almost all of Prairie Primer here already so that'd be cheap. I kind of feel like it would be fun to do this before everybody gets too old.
Option #2
Everyone do Biblioplan, having the 9th grader use the Companion alone.
Option #3
9th grader do Notgrass EWH
Rest do Notgrass From Adam to Us
Option #4
2nd grader do HOD Beyond
5th and 7th do HOD CTC
9th grader do Notgrass EWH
-
Can you tell me how it works if you use the same thing for both younger and high school students? What would they do together? What would the high schooler do independent from the younger children?
-
Melissa,
Idea for you. During this year, make sure you get current events. I know mfw has their suggestion on magazine, but you can do it in any way you want.
When you get to week 31 in EX1850, the schedule shifts in history to start the state history report time. So yes, doing state and a report is good. Also during that time, you can have the 8th grade read SOTW vol 4 and finish it up in summer. This will not take long to "just read it" and glean. It will be a nice overview. Additionally, you can have the encyclopedia book used in mfw's 1850MOD out on the coffee table for this student. Doing that will give you an easy way to cover a lot of basics in modern. In fact my middle gal picked up SOTW vol 4 and that encyclopedia book after finishing EX1850 in 7th grade just because she likes SOTW and thought "ooh.. this would be fun". what??? So she had a good overview of the content before 8th grade.
no, Student does not have to finish all of the state sheets from that modern year. again, my middle gal had summer time nothing to do one day and enjoyed the presidents cards in summer before 8th grade.
Based on all of that? I'd do current events all year with oldest and then once week 31 hits, assign sotw 4 as reading time and book basket. I wouldn't worry about assignments. I know when I was in jr high we never did modern history either. I was in public school not private not classical. But my mom had those time line decade in review books and I would glance through those. I felt like I had just enough modern info from the pictures and basics so that when we did get to it in 10th and 11th, it was familiar.
dont' know what you should do. but if you stick with mfw, that's a plan to consider.
Thank you. That is a good idea to consider. I had earlier considered doing Exp to 1850 and tryin to read through either SOTW 4 or the rest of history from MOH next summer. Decisions like this are so hard, when there isn't really a wrong answer, they are all good ideas!
-
I already have MFW exp to 1850 for this fall. It is next for us in the cycle. But, I am only using MFW for history & science recommendations. I have thought about selling it altogether and just using MOH and picking our own science. I will have 4th, 6th, and 8th graders listening to history this fall.
I have MOH vol 3 and I really like to read it. I am not a reader, but as I scan through the chapters I get really interested in what I read!
I know MOH volumes do not line up with MFW timeline and I'd have to use both Volume 3 and 4 to cover what Exp to 1850 cover.
If I stick with MFW exp to 1850, my 8th grader would never get through modern history before high school, and then it would be a while.
I thought about just doing MOH (where we left off in MFW around 1600) and finishing all the way through vol 4 so she gets modern history as well. What are your thoughts on that?
-
Not sure if this will be helpful to you or not, just my own experience. I switched to Biblioplan for one year due to finances. It was cheaper and DH was between jobs at the time I needed to buy stuff. It was okay, but I just didn't care for it as much as MFW, so the next year I switched back. We are doing our second go round with the five year cycle. It will be our second time doing CTG this fall. My DD is doing high school and is in her third year and I have been very happy with it.
I have seen this several times and when I added up what we could get by with, all hard copies because I don't want to have to print everything, it was more than what I spent on MFW basic Exp to 1850 plus read alouds! And that included science already. I guess the cheaper factor really comes in if you do e-books.
We have done MFW since my 8th grader was in K, minus 2 years we did HOD. But I don't know if I will repeat the cycle after we get through.
It is a combination of things. First my oldest has autism so the amount of academics would not be appropriate for him and I really enjoy doing history as a family. Also, I had a friend who did MFW all the way through. When her oldest hit HS she ordered MFW for him. It seemed to be so much bible it was overwhelming. And this is a pastoral family so they did not shy away from bible. It was that much. I guess this can be good or bad for some.
Thank you. It is a lot of reading, the whole OT in the 9th grade year. I think my oldest might be up for that challenge, but my 2nd daughter really would probably not do well with that.
-
1
-
-
We are doing this for the sake of variety and we wanted a lighter more flexible schedule and to pick our own choice of science. My oldest has cycled out of the MFW family cycle and I knew I did not want to do the MFW high school program. I love that Biblioplan can be modified for K-12. We did use it prior to MFW.
Can I ask what made you decide not to do their HS? My oldest will be 8th this fall, so we are very close to making that decision as well. :)
-
Looking at the Early Modern year.
What are your reasons for switching to Biblioplan and do you still like it better?
-
Sorry, found my answer and can't figure out how to delete the thread. :)
-
Oh Elizabeth, my distracted one is also a creator and a doer. She would rather spend all day doing a project like coloring or creating rather than listening.
-
1
-
-
My kids are 2, 6, 9, 11 (the distracted one), and 13.
-
1
-
-
We have been doing MFW as a family. My 2nd daughter seems to have such a hard time paying attention during reading time. I have tried different methods...rewarding right answers with an m&m, letting her color or play with something while listening, etc. I can barely get her to get all her work done in a day, so having her read the things on her own may not work for her.
Should I just keep on keepin' on with it? Try something different with her? I think talking to the 3 of them at once and having the 6 year old and the 2 year old constantly being distractions doesn't help either!
Stuck between Notgrass EWH, MFW AHL, or Biblioplan
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Storygirl, thank you for your review. Even though it wasn't your favorite, I think your review helps me see why I think we will like it, but understand how it isn't the best fit for everybody. :) It's always good to hear both sides.
Cbollin, thank you for your input as well. :) Always helpful ;)
Hi :) I have decided to do MFW AHL with her this fall. :) I really think we will appreciate how Bible & History are together and the Bible is used for history. This is the most important thing to us, that our children know the Bible, understand why we believe what we believe, and be able to see the lies from the truth. I appreciate the guide and how it will be easy for us to follow and check things off and be sure we've got everything done. I am sure there will be parts we don't like as much, there always is. ;)
This particular child wants to pursue University for a Bachelor of Music in Piano. I want to be sure she is well prepared and I know she is capable of MFW AHL and its expectations. So with my first, I am going to use an all ready to go curriculum.
I couldn't wrap my brain around Biblioplan. I knew I would probably fail when it came down to all the choices. Plus, my oldest really is ready to do her work independently. My daughter also would have done well with Notgrass EWH alone. She would have appreciated the get 'er done style of textbook, workbook, etc. I would have added in more Bible and I didn't really want them "separate". Does that make sense? I wanted her Bible & History to completely and deeply connect.
I will be having her do Teaching Textbooks and Masterbooks Biology instead of MFW recommendations.
I hope I made some sense. I am one tired mama and have lost the skill of communicating my thoughts.