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Woodland Mist Academy

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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I have mixed feelings about testing. I'm sure this varies depending on the student's relationship with tests. Depending on the student, tests are a significant stressor,  a nuisance, or an adrenaline rush.

     

    (Ask me again the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of May. I always think tests are absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for during those weeks. ;) )

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    As I've said in other scholé threads:  The missing piece about peace is the hard work. There doesn't seem to be much point in putting a ribbon on chaos or a bow on disorder. 

     

    It's something to ponder...what is a hoop? Is it just something that to us doesn't feel relevant or worthwhile? Forget love...hoops are in the eyes of the beholder.  ;)

     

    Some say hoop, I say ticket.  ;)  (These hoops are tickets my teen needs in order to get where she wants to go. I try to focus less on how I feel about them and more on what benefits they offer. If they don't offer any benefits --why bother? Clearly there is some reason that makes them worth doing -- some end result. Better to focus on that than how frustrating and meaningless they seem.)

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I keep a commonplace book-- for me. Whatever strikes my fancy goes in.  It's just an old notebook, nothing fancy.

     

    My oldest kept one last year as he worked through some lit from ancients and medieval times ;I didn't  dare call it a commonplace book, it was his reading log. ;)   I told him to write down 2 or 3 things each week that caught his fancy, such as a good description, nice phrasing, or even just something that sounded good to his ears.

     

    He put a lot of Homer in that book.

     

    I resisted the urge to turn it into literary analysis.  :)    I think that would have killed it for him.

     

    Sadly, he is not keeping one this year; but he is willing to talk about his lit more, so I think the commonplace book last year helped him be more aware of the *art* of writing.

     

     

    My Dd started a commonplace book in7th grade. She has filled several. It is totally free-reign, never assigned. She loves a couple of her books so much that a few weeks ago she contacted me and asked if I could send one specific one to her at school. Hers are works of art with calligraphy and drawings and annotated with her thoughts.

     

    Thanks! After reading these posts, it occurred to me that my teen has been keeping a commonplace book -- it's just not in a book. It's a more scattered approach.  ;)   If all the writings and drawings were in a bound book, I wouldn't be wondering if a commonplace book is something we should be doing. Interesting!  Another example of how easy it is to miss the forest for the trees.

     

    I'm trying to pin down my visions of scholé and CM in high school in an effort to make concrete goals and plans. The idea of rest is so alluring, but implementation takes effort. The commonplace book realization has reminded me to look at what we're already doing to see if I'm just calling a rose by some other name...  Which raises the question -- Does a rose by any other name smell as sweet?  A commonplace book sounds more worthy than a mass of papers and computer files. Nature study sounds more lofty than digging in the mud.  ;)

     

    Charlotte Mason's schools had exams, but we don't often see that listed as a hallmark of CM education.  ;)

     

    Instead of looking wistfully at what things would be like if we could just do what we wanted instead of jumping hoops, perhaps I should be looking for common ground. I might be a good deal closer than I realize. I might be missing opportunities for tweaking things just a bit to make them closer to my ideal because I'm too busy lamenting what might have been. 

     

    Onward with eyes open. 

     

    Anyone else have updates?

    • Like 1

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    WMA, it is so interesting to see what I wrote a couple of years ago!  

     

     

    I agree! 

     

    A couple questions and a different perspective...

     

     

    We are really struggling over here this year with a calm environment designed for learning.  DS has made an about face in March, and decided that he would apply to American universities as an American citizen, this entailed meeting all the requirements in a very condensed period.  Our peaceful, learning environment has required a switch to a strong testing element (SAT, SAT essay, SAT subject tests, university applications) that we never expected to have to do and were not prepared for.  This in addition to Government, economics, biology, and mandarin 4, which were not required for NZ but are now required for America. In addition, our somewhat unschooling approach has created a massive headache for me when preparing the school/counselor materials.  I've never kept particularly amazing records or really thought too hard about american-style classes as ds had already achieved NZ university entrance through his exam marks. This has led to some serious soul searching as to what constitutes a class, what is 'honors', what is an external requirement by national exams vs what he has done because he wanted to.  I have really struggled to create structure to a somewhat amorphous learning experience.  In the end, we both feel good about what he has accomplished, but the last 5 months have been about hoop jumping, not learning, and it has not been pleasant.  I am really glad that I did not spend 4 years doing this!  We will see soon if he is able to get in to where he wants.  And he is aiming at the top, so he may have overshot what is possible. 

     

    I understand your situation is unique in many ways, but some of what you written still perplexes me. 

     

    In blue...

    In the second blue section you say, "the last 5 months have been about hoop jumping, not learning, and it has not been pleasant."  If I'm understanding correctly, he earned credits in government, economics, biology and Mandarin 4. Those are pretty important subjects, even for a specialist. Having a credit's worth of knowledge in each of those subjects -- government, economics, biology, and an important world language -- seems relevant for life. It's hard to believe no learning took place if he studied those long enough to get credit. (Or if he already knew all the information, the credit would be painless, wouldn't it?)

     

    In red...

    If you had known in advance that applying in the US was a strong possibility,  the record keeping would have been a bit easier than doing it under a tight timeline, right? I'm wondering if doing everything under such pressure was what made it particularly unpleasant.

     

    Which leads me to some thoughts on hoop jumping...

     

     

    What I am finding is that looking at my next boy and wondering if he wants to follow his brother to America has caused me to think about testing, classes, structure, and hoop jumping. And I am not much liking where my planning is leading me.  I don't want my younger boy to spend all of high school hoop jumping just because of the disaster that his older bother encountered by making the decision in March of his Junior year. Seems unfair, but yet my mind can't help going in the direction of more organization, more box ticking, etc.  sigh.  It is never easy. Not when you don't know or when you do know.  I think there is just too much pressure on a homeschool mom.

     
    I am not a fan of hoop jumping. I recently had a mini meltdown on another thread regarding hoop jumping. There are times I want to toss the hoops into the great beyond or crush them into tiny bits...
     
    Regardless, we started jumping quite some time ago and have been jumping and jumping ever since. There have been moments of absolute frustration, but the end result of starting so early is that now we are in a really good position with lots of flexibility, leeway, and options. Payoff. 
     
    I also decided to keep track of how often we were actually jumping hoops. For example, when I feel like there is always a standardized test looming, I count the tests and subtract it from the days in the year. There really aren't that many days spent testing. Test prep? Well, just basic test prep doesn't take long if you start early.  A little here and a little there goes a long way. Learning the material takes time, of course, but that's what education is, isn't it? If I felt a school was asking for something unreasonable or for proof of credit in subjects that were totally worthless, I'd probably mark the school off the list. 
     
    Most professions and trades require ongoing training, certifications, licensing, continuing education, etc. etc. etc. Hoops. Learning to play the game and jump the right hoops is, unfortunately, a life skill worth learning.
     
    As much as I hate hoop jumping, it's worthwhile to keep it in perspective. 
     
    As always, though, much boils down to personality. Deciding what path to take with your younger son won't be easy. Good luck as you navigate the waters! And congrats on seeing things through with your eldest! You have much to be proud of.   :cheers2:
    • Like 1

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

     

    I'm beginning to feel like one key for high school schole is that we should go for a slow burn.

     

    <snip>

     

    I do NOT want to make it sound like I think high school should be easy and relaxing. I think young adults (boys?  :lol: ) should be working hard. The question is on what. Math should be one, but I will probably plan on fewer credits with my next high schooler. 

     

    I like the concept of slow burn. I often think of yoga and finding the edge. Any less would not be enough, any more would be too much.

     

    Finding that edge can be dangerous, though, as there is always the risk of slipping off the edge and falling...   I planned way too much for 9th grade. Way too many credits with lots and lots of extra-curricular activities. Commute time? Perfect for another credit using Great Courses lectures!! 

     

    Fast forward a couple of years...

     

    Fewer credits -- although more this year than we ended up dropping to in 9th and 10 grade. Commuting time is for meditation, quiet contemplation, talking or listening to noise  music of the teen's choosing...  We sometimes listen to NPR or a lecture (not for credit, just for fun/out of interest), but most often we talk.

     

    During a recent commute, my teen asked me to stop my line of questioning about school because I was ruining one of her favorite parts of the day -- just thinking and talking with me about life. There had already been hours of school work in the am, she was headed to hours of intellectual/physical "work" (albeit unpaid), and there would be at least a couple more hours of school work when she got home much later that evening. In the quiet lull, her words sunk in as she stared out the window. A realization came. This, to me, is scholé. This life of solid academics, time both working and playing in nature, hours of deep conversation each day with people from many different walks of life, all with different worldviews and life experiences...

     

    In such moments, somehow the number of credits seems a bit of an afterthought. Perhaps this is why:

     

    Like birchbark, I don't want to give the impression that high school should be easy and relaxing. I suspect many of the scholé talks, lectures, and discussions are actually geared toward those who are already doing the dirty work -- the umpteen credits, the dizzying number of extra-curriculars, the mind-numbing hours of study. The concept of rest is for those who are becoming stressed and exhausted. How can we arrange our lives so there is truth, beauty, and wisdom in all this madness? At some point it seems prudent to say Physical and mental health first. This much and no more. The potential to miss the forest for the trees is enormous. If the price of admission and scholarships to a certain school comes at a cost to truth, beauty, and wisdom... that's one less school on our list.

    • Like 2

    Scholé and Charlotte Mason in the High School Years and Beyond

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    Birchbark, 

     

    Thanks so much for your post! You have some real gems in there!  

     

     

    Birchbark quotes:

    --I've always been a bit perplexed when I hear homeschoolers talk about how bad the public school system is, and then out of the other side of their mouth they are wringing their hands about the competition of college admissions and scholarships. Well, which is it?

     

    --What? Then why am I beating myself up about this?   :laugh:

     

    --You can't have schole when you are a slave driver standing over them!

     

    You've given me lots to think about...successes, regrets, etc...

     

    Thanks!

    • Like 2

    Flylady support Building a control Journal Step 14, Friday Oct. 20...

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I've finally started batch cooking again. Things were in such turmoil for a few months that it wasn't practical. I'm so happy to be getting back into the routine. Working on a few new recipes to add to the rotation...

     

    I now have my school/business file system revamped. I hope to start on my home file system revamp this weekend or the beginning of next week. I'm doing a Getting Things Done version of the Flylady control journal.

     

    Hygge plans underway...

    Flylady support Building a control Journal Step 11, Tues. Oct 17...

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I hope everyone is doing well today!  Let me know what you would like to do after we finish this series. 

     

    I wanted to let you know, if any of you are following Diane in Denmark, you know about Hygge (spelling?). I saw today that there is some essential oil blends that sound that they would be perfect for that this season in a diffuser. https://www.planttherapy.com/fallblends I plan on getting some and that paired with the quilt toppers I hope to get today I should be well on my way to Hygge! :D

     

    Now I must finish my morning routines and clean up. Resource worker is coming this afternoon. I used to panic when I knew they were coming. Now not so much Flylady really helps me feel like I have control over the cleanliness of my house. :D

     

    Do you use one of their diffusers or do you have a different one you'd recommend? 

     

    I hope the Resource worker visit went well. 

    Congressional Award Discussion (questions, updates, etc)

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

     

    ETA: Sorry for the disillusionment on the E/E. I hope what she wants to do can just be tweaked.

     

    Thanks, again. I think the stress of the PSAT was getting to me. Now that it's over, things don't seem quite so overwhelming. Also, there have been some changes with mentors due to serious illnesses and moving, so that's been disappointing and upsetting as well. (Not only for the award, but in her daily life. Losing trusted mentors/friends is rough...)

     

    Onward.

     

    We talked today about how to regroup, and it looks like she's found a way to get back on track and maybe be able to tweak the E/E to make it acceptable. If not, she has a possible plan B.

     

    Thanks, everyone, for the encouraging words.

    • Like 2

    PSAT on Wednesday

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    It is free but under My College Quickstart

     

    “My College QuickStart shows how you did on the PSAT and provides a personalized SAT study plan.

    ...

    Scrolling down the screen, the Your Answers tab shows your response for each test question, the correct answer, and the difficulty level of that question. You can filter your view of the questions by skill or difficulty level as well as questions you answered correctly, incorrectly, or omitted. For example, try viewing the easy questions you got wrong. If you click on a question number, you’ll see the question and answer explanation. You can review the questions you got wrong and see why you got them wrong.â€

    https://www.collegeboard.org/node/6136

     

     

    What Arcadia said . . . Basically, it is included. It will be in their report - available on the CB website once the results are announced. There is a report you can download that has every question - what your kid answered & if it wasn't correct, the correct letter for that question. You just have to get the answer book back from the school where your kid took the PSAT. They should let you pick it up in December once the results are out. 

     

    Thank you both!

     

    Do I need to contact the school or CB about the booklet? Do the schools automatically have them?

    • Like 3

    PSAT on Wednesday

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

     

    Humorously enough, DD's August SAT Student Answer Service report arrived today. (I was expecting the Question & Answer Service - where they list her answer & the correct one. Instead, she got the Student Answer Service which only tells you if she got questions right or wrong.) Kinda too late to be helpful!

     

    Is it possible to request this for the PSAT? I've searched and can't find it anywhere. I can find it for the SAT, ACT, and AP exams, but not the PSAT. 

    • Like 1
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