quark
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Posts posted by quark
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Oh I somehow missed the part about scanning and saving as PDF. Like Janet says just save directly to PDF from Excel (File/ Save As/ then choose PDF from the Save As Type drop down menu).
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If you don't mind using smallpdf.com you can compress it through them. It's free and a simple drag and drop interface.
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I think as we progressed more and more into the homeschooling lifestyle, the lines blurred between the days just as they did between school months/traditional holiday periods. So instead of following a traditional academic calendar, we schooled year round and we started some classes in the middle of February (for e.g.) when most other people would have started them in August. That said, we were a small family then and an even smaller family now and don't have multiple kids' schedules or extended family commitments to juggle.
When A started DE, this became more and more unavoidable and soon the days just sort of all merged together. I just made sure that we were aware when Monday was about to start every week so that I could ready myself for all the driving. So yes, my kid did work on weekends. In senior year it was sometimes the whole day on Sat and Sun. But we also took breaks mid day to watch old movies or stayed home to vegetate on weekdays when there were no classes and that might have meant full weekends on some weeks. It sorta worked out okay. Top priority was that sleep time was always protected and I sometimes forcibly pulled the kid out of the chair if the kid was found sitting there for over 4+ hours in a row (as sometimes happens when kids work on proofs).
When my kid first started working on challenging math, it took about 3 years for my kid to learn effective strategies such as not taking 12 hours to write just one problem (thinking time would have been way more than 12 and to be fair part of it was perfectionism). A managed to cut it down and work more efficiently at around 13yo. Now, A uses LaTeX almost exclusively (after butting heads with me about it for a few weeks) and although thinking time can still be long, writing time is considerably shorter. I can now say yes, kiddo, mom IS often right! (No, I did not say "I told you so" to A's face although I was tempted to). Hang in there...it takes a while to find their stride. For me, it meant A working on weekends but my kid was not miserable about it (in fact A is miserable when I insist weekends should be work-free).
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Hmmm. Well that is certainly one of the ones I was looking for (I don't know why it didn't appear in my search results when I searched "testing"!), but it doesn't answer these questions, I don't think. I feel like I've seen threads on age being important when considering testing, at least, though I don't know that I recall ever seeing a thread on bright kids who are average or even later readers (maybe such kids really don't exist, and so all the kids who read later are only moderately bright? That seems unlikely to me, but I have nothing to go off of! :) )
I don't rely on the board's search function because it rarely works for me. Instead I google "well trained mind + search term".
HTH!
About age...what Arcadia said about 8 being a good age to test by. I've not updated my research from years ago but at the time, when I was researching age to test, I repeatedly saw anecdotes about 6 to 8yo yielding the most accurate results. On hindsight, I think I should have tested kiddo at about 7-ish vs 8-ish.
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I'm sorry that she is unhappy! :grouphug: Replies below.
Now, my questions / concerns:
I know that I am not willing to do the type of homeschooling we did when she was younger, when I planned her lessons and taught her. She would have to enroll in an online school or similar and be accountable to someone else. Are there any online programs that you would recommend for a gifted homeschooler who does not do well in a traditional classroom style environment?
I think there are so many wonderful programs for her to try. But you might need to explain your definition of traditional classroom style environment. Julia Denne's By the Onion Sea for example always gets rave reviews as do Lukeion, Blue Tent, and WTM Academy. If she prefers asynchronous classes, we have used and loved Derek Owens but it can be lonely working on your own. I wonder if a mix of live and asynchronous classes might work well for her. Having said that, many classes have already started this year. You might see if PA Homeschoolers still has spots open for any AP classes she might enjoy.
I am concerned about the admissions criteria. Her grades and test scores are OK but not fabulous, and do not reflect the kind of things she gravitates to on her own. (For example, in 9th grade biology she did a lot of reading on her own about prion diseases, and last year her Latin teacher commented on how she was always asking questions beyond the scope of the class. Right now, she's reading the Aeneid. Last year, she taught herself a lot of Japanese.) I think it's basically because she's not currently engaged, so she does the bare minimum. She was accepted into a local gifted program for summer and weekend enrichment when she was in elementary school. Would there be any benefit in having her take an IQ test? We've never done that because of the cost.
You would have to decide the purpose of the IQ test. What exactly are you hoping to achieve with it? She sounds like an autodidact! Might she enjoy home-brewed classes of her own choosing? If you could tell us a little about her interests we might be able to collectively offer books/ course suggestions. Coursera, MIT OpenCourseware, Udemy, etc offer lots of free and paid options to help supplement home-designed studies too.
I am concerned about the lack of face-to-face and social interaction if she returns to homeschooling. I had hoped she'd make some friends at the high school, but she really hasn't found her niche there. But if she's not going to a B&M school, I don't know where she'd meet other kids. When she was younger we found it difficult to impossible for her to make significant, lasting friendships with other homeschoolers - we went to lots of events, but there were always different people at them. I think it would be even more difficult now since there are so few homeschooling high schoolers. And I've previously signed her up for art and similar classes but again she hasn't made any friends there in the past. She claims she'll be able to make friends now because her social anxiety is under control.
I would suggest looking into dual enrollment at either a community college or local university. When you say good teachers and engaging coursework, that's what comes to mind. If choosing a public university, class sizes can be huge depending on the course. She might want to avoid lectures with 100s of students though. Any way that she can audit a smaller section in an area of interest?
I would like to see her find some friends with similar interests, and have good teachers and engaging coursework.
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So grateful to have this place to share. Kiddo has good buddies from the homeschool world but none who would actually trade math ideas to and fro on a regular, almost daily basis. Kiddo did not meet anyone like that even at a math program last summer. Now, finally, finally, after years of wishing for a friend like this, kiddo has a classmate who sends texts about math questions and random math thoughts. Since my child is not living in dorms this year, they communicate primarily in class and later, via text. It's so funny to see my usually texting-averse kid furiously typing math ideas on the tiny phone keyboard. I'm so excited for A and am keeping fingers tightly crossed that this will be a long lasting friendship.
So far there has been no need to explain anything else about age differences or why kiddo commutes from home. When math is your language, it's lovely to see that other things don't matter so much.
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That sounds similar to what I did. Just in case your sons are applying to UCs, UC only counts math and FL pre9th. You probably already knew that.
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Done. I gave some details about food groups for the diet question. :laugh:
When I do surveys I usually try to understand the reasons behind some of the questions and I could not guess the reasons in this one.
I hope they get enough responses for whatever conclusions they are trying to make!
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I just went through this process. I set a target to send out at least 2 resumes a day. I was desperate. It really helps if you can brainstorm the process and write down all the things people have said to you that you could use as your strengths. Pay attention to the cover letter. I think that was what brought me the offers I had. And stress on things like looking for a long term fit. People seem to like that.
In the end, it's the women-owned businesses that I have the most good fortune with. Tailor that cover letter. Send it out. Then go back and tweak the next one for a better version of your previous letter. If a career counselor is not working out, don't waste your time with them. Spend that time updating your LinkedIn Profile instead.
Good luck!
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We started with a prepaid "dumb" phone at age 11 when A first began to DE and I stopped waiting on campus. It was so helpful to know A could text me or call me anytime. A few months ago I gave A a hand me down smartphone to help keep up with emails from profs when DEing at multiple campuses. Sometimes, they would email class cancellations 15 mins before class and since we had to drive there we would have missed that notice without A checking email in the car.
I trust the kid but do ask from time to time if I see excessive use.
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I have been so overwhelmed with my new work/ life schedule that I could not check back till today. Thank you all so much!
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But sometimes they do audits, correct? With my luck, my kids will be chosen for it. I feel like it's a risk I don't want to take even if the chances are slim. I will sleep better with test scores or approved classes.
Marking those classes as a-g is not a lie so I did not worry one jot about kiddo doing so in the application. Each class falls into required a-g categories. Kiddo did not claim that the classes were from a-g approved vendors. There is a difference. A-g categories are different from a-g approved. A was very clear about some classes being pure independent self-study. A's *overall* performance more than made up for any perceived lack of a-g approved classes. UCs don't bat an eyelid about out of state students not taking a-g approved classes so why should our in-state, homeschooled kiddos be held at a disadvantage? After a while, you start realizing that you can't worry so much about things like that if you want your child to keep loving to learn. All of this of course, is assuming your child has the test scores. If your child does not have something like that going for them, it's prudent to apply more widely, taking note of the advice to always identify safety, match, and reach schools.
I think people panic a lot about a-g because they worry test scores etc will not match up to what the more selective UCs ask for. Based on what you've mentioned here about your kiddo, I really don't believe you need to worry. Just don't misrepresent yourselves and don't throw away anything for the next 10 years. :001_smile:
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Thank you! You ladies are confirming what my gut is telling me. Do you have any favorite books that help you to feel inspired before a writing lesson? I am slowly expanding my collection. I will check out the books you mentioned, Kai, thank you! I have They Say, I Say but not the other 2!
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One of the things my kiddo tried to do at CC was to create an independent study math class. You could check if Canada is open to that. According to kiddo's prof, all that was required was a prof willing to mentor it and about 6-7 students. Kiddo canvassed everyone around, put up flyers on noticeboards etc and managed to find 4 who were interested but of those 4 only 2 really committed (including kiddo) so it dwindled into nothing. But kiddo had other math going on in the background at the time too.
Kiddo's CC did not have passionate math majors but Canada or other peninsula/ South Bay CCs might.
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Arcadia, have you guys already explored Simon's Euler Circle?
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This is for a very bright 9th grader. Her mother is a very dear friend and I've known this kid since she was 4 so I am not charging them any money for it. They private school and the mom needs some help with teaching writing in addition to what happens in school. This school uses PhDs to teach English! But the mom would love for me to work with her DD! I feel so touched.
I will be teaching online. Her DD is interested in journalism as a possible career path and maybe why I feel some pressure. I have some free rein over what to teach although I think the bulk of our lessons will be on literature/ analysis. I get to work with her for an hour a week and she will send me essays for feedback when she needs that guidance.
Given this scenario, what would you do? I am a very haphazard writing teacher. I tried using curriculum with my kid but nothing stuck. We ended up using lots of whole books, classic lit, The Economist, and discussions/ Socratic method to work on my A's writing. My A read widely and deeply and rigorously for years and years. I went hands off in the last 2 years so that our bond would not be affected (I can be critical/ A can be reluctant with writing). But we did a lot of oral lit analysis that definitely helped. A flourished under DE profs and obtained a 5 in AP English Lit and is now taking and loving a writing-heavy literature/philosophy class as a college freshman.
Why do I feel like such an imposter with my friend's kid though? My friend and her DD loved the first session I did with them (comparing two novels that on the surface seem very different but are actually similar in theme). My friend is going to write a review for me so that I can try to get some paying students that way. I know I can do this. I also know you guys would probably do a much better job!
I wish I could use WWS but it drives me crazy. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Right now I am using bits and pieces off Strunk and White, misc. essays, articles from The Economist, and the student's own essays plus books she is reading (typical honors 9th grade English literature).
I feel a little scattered not knowing how to plan it. I did not plan writing with my kid. We were so organic about writing. I'd love to know what you guys would recommend if you were in this situation. Maybe I am just seeking validation from the Hive about being organic?
Thank you!
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Saying this from the PoV of someone whose kid did follow a lot of bunny trails in homeschooling but also validated with test scores and CC classes...plus, we were very cheap until kiddo desperately wanted to DE at the university. To add, I also moderate a small support group of families with UC hopefuls and accepted students...
Follow a-g to the extent you can but please don't let it control everything you do. There have been lots of exceptions among the homeschooling families I know. A-g is one part of the puzzle only. It really is things like test scores and gpa that attract the UC adcoms' attention first. Beef that up with good records, being complete in the application and explaining all the extra stuff in the comments boxes they provide. Provide as much info as your student can. Write good personal insight essays to explain other things that might have prevented them from following actual approved a-g classes. If you look up the application, there is no place to enter anything non a-g so go ahead and enter whatever classes completed as a-g and explain the homeschool scenario in the comments.
Go in and do a pretend application now. You'll see what I mean.
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A huge part of me is grateful that kiddo is commuting from home. Hugs to you guys...it's so hard to be away from the kids when they are ill or in pain. :grouphug: I hope the sprained ankle heals quickly and that stitches if any were few.
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What is SIG?
Summer Institute for the Gifted.
I would not pay that even for one kid. We paid less than $2000 a year for about 8-10 CC classes from the time kiddo started dual enrollment. It really is ridiculously expensive to use those classes labelled "gifted" and not be able to tweak them for the needs of your particular child.
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Did you apply to any CSU campuses? How did you deal with a-g requirements?
The question was not directed at me. I just wanted to share that there are several ways to fulfill a-g as a homeschooler.
- Look up approved courses on the Doorways website. You can perform either an Institution or Course search. https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist#/list/search/course
- Create your own classes and validate them with SAT subject testing or AP (some students self study just for the exams without actually taking a full class).
- Take community college classes. If you plug in the CC's name, the Doorways site will show a list of courses that are a-g approved.
My kiddo used a combination of the above but mostly went through the CC dual enrollment route. Like Jilly, I've heard that CSUs tend to be more picky about a-g.
Anyone else get a weird PM?
in The Chat Board
Posted
I sure could do with some love (and humor) today. :P
Thank you to the mods for being so on top of stuff like this. And very interesting that someone would want to do something like this on a homeschool forum! Weird!