Woodland Mist Academy
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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy
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It's not really about Oprah but more about celebrity endorsements in general, I think. I also prefer books that don't say "now a major motion picture" on the cover. Just an odd quirk, I guess. :-)
I have the same odd quirk. :)
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Darlin, know exactly how you feel. The majority of my books are chunksters as well. Small books of 200 pages just don't do for me since I read so quickly. Couple hours and poof, all over. Rather sink my teeth into something longer. Poor Don Quixote - give him more love and you'll finish sooner. He's worth it. Really!
:grouphug: OK....I'll do my best.... Thanks for the encouragement!
Oh my gosh I hate that book. :leaving: Sorry. I tried starting it a couple years ago and barely made it a few chapters in. Some friends and I tried to start a book club of WEM books and started with that, of all things!! Only one actually read it. I think I ended up skimming the cliff notes version. :D
It's not that I hate him, I'm just not sure I love him either. Our relationship? Well....It's complicated.... ;)
I finally finished Sense and Sensibility. It was my "on the phone" book and also my "book with antonyms in the title." It truly is a favorite. I identify with Marianne in so many ways and therefore appreciate her growth and maturity through the story so much more. On this second or third reading (can't remember lol), I found so many little tidbits that I appreciated and so many quotes. But I'll only give you my most favorite, "Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby."
:wub:
I should have a book cover on Don Quixote that says: I'd rather be reading Sense and Sensibility.
Hello! I'm back after hanging out here for about 6 months one year, then disappearing for a while. I still get stuck on "52 books in a year" which I cannot pull off at this stage of life. I know in my head it's not a hard and fast rule but, guess I am a rule follower. :lol:
I know the feeling. I tell myself that breaking the "rules" on this thread is my one and only chance to live with reckless abandon... :coolgleamA:
It took me forever to finish that book! According to Goodreads I started reading it in 2012 and finished in 2015. :lol:
I kept putting it aside for long periods, then I'd forget what I already read and would have to start over. Last year (I typed this year, then realized I needed to change that lol) I was determined to finish it. I'm not sorry I read it but it honestly is one of those classics that had me scratching my head to figure out what's so great about it. I admit I saw some devices that are still used today, and I understand it was the first modern novel, but the story itself? :confused1:
That wasn't intended to put you off finishing it, I was just commiserating.
I appreciate your thoughts! I only have 100 pages or so left, so I hope to finish it soon. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure how many people I would recommend it to. Not many people I know would like it.at.all.
The more widely the hive reads, the stronger and wiser the hive mind is, so don,t worry about not reading where everyone else is, either. Outliers make us bigger. : )
Nan
Well said! :cheers2:
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I just want to not still be reading Don Quixote during the December wrap-ups. Is that so very much to ask? :svengo:
What is wrong with me? All my read soon books are chunksters. Is that related to any sort of condition? (Like knight-errancy? :scared: )
Is it fear of change? Co-dependency on certain characters or book sizes? :nopity:
In my defense (and with a twinge of guilt) I also have an anthology of short stories going. Apparently I have no tolerance for the middle ground...
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My son is currently in Mr. Reini's Algebra II class as well as Mrs. Jester's Honors Chemistry class. I do not watch every chemistry lecture but most of them and have not yet come across any religious content at all. The textbook is secular and the standard is high. I can recommend both classes.
Good to know. Thanks!
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You will have priority registration, won't you? I bet your daughter will get a prime slot!
I've decided that if my son doesn't get into a WHA Algebra 2 course, then we will use Derek Owens. My older son has absolutely loved DO (for precalc and calc), but that son is more of a driven, on-task, organized soul. My younger son would benefit from the schedule, structure, and deadlines provided by WHA. Plus younger son is more social and might enjoy the interaction with other students.
Can you give me just a quick idea of what a typical class meeting routine might be?
I forgot about priority registration! That eases my mind a bit.
That's an excellent idea about DO! That might be our backup plan as well. My dd is taking physics with him now. I think she does best in a live class, but DO is a close second. So I guess now I have a plan B. I am feeling much better after reading your post! :chillpill:
For geometry, DD said the class routine looks like this:
Prayer (brief)
Review (30 min?)
Quiz (5-10 min)
New material (rest of class)
She doesn't really keep track of time, so those are sort of guesstimates. ;)
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I was reading past Wilson Hill threads last night and saw you initially were very concerned about religious content in class (I'm pretty sure it was you; my apologies if I mixed up user names). Has that ended up being a non-issue?
Not WMA, but it was something I asked about last year. It has been a nonissue for us. I have no idea how a class like English or science would be, but geometry has been geometry. There have been comments about blessings and being prayerful, but they are made in passing, not lingered upon and not at all obtrusive to the course, IMO. Really, it has been fine for us. It is a good exercise is tolerance and assuming positive intent.
Excellent, thanks. We're Christian, but math is math. I didn't want it to be presented as "Christian math" (which isn't a thing). I expect their science classes wouldn't work for us.
I echo AppleGreen's sentiments. There is a prayer at the beginning and then there is math. My daughter has never mentioned feeling uncomfortable in her math class.
Kand, you are correct. I expressed many concerns about the religious content before registering by dd. Here's the conclusion I came to:
Wilson Hill is a Christian school. They are upfront and open about that. I knew to begin with that was the case, so there would be no surprises in that realm. There are classes I would not be comfortable with in the school. That said, parents on this board whose opinions I respect and whose thoughts I value have students in the school. I thought those students might be good classmates for my dd. I also had some contact with a teacher from Wilson Hill and was impressed. In no way did I feel pressured or that I was being evangelized.
I then decided to sit in on an open house. It was definitely Christian, but not in a fire and brimstone sort of way. I felt at home and even found myself making comments in spite of my prior decision not to. :sneaky2: ;) It was clear the goal is a good education for the students, but there was also lots of relevant joking and fun. It was an atmosphere that seemed to be a good fit for my dd.
My dd is also in a language class with Wilson Hill. There is slightly more Christian content in that class, but it makes sense in the context. Kids describe themselves and their lives, as does the teacher. Christianity is part of who they are, and it's a Christian school. It's expected. :)
I hope that helps!
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Slightly OT question about the time commitment for WHA courses:
For those whose children are in WHA's Algebra 2 (or similar courses), do your students find the twice weekly 1.5 hour class meetings inconvenient in any way? Are they expected to be present at every single class? Could you give me some insight into what goes on during those class meetings that makes that amount of time investment worthwhile?
I am very interested in enrolling my ds2 in the Algebra 2 class next year, but I have to convince myself that it will be worth the lockdown on 3 hours plus per week of our home schedule. Reading that Derek's son likes the engagement and interaction helps, but I want to know more! :-)
Also, what is the approximate time commitment outside of the class time? (This would be for a somewhat quick math learner. My son has a natural mathematical mind; he has excelled with Jacobs Algebra 1 and Jurgensen's Geometry...both done at home with me).
Thanks!
Not Algebra 2, but my daughter is taking Geometry, which is also a twice weekly 1.5 hour course. She's actually adjusted to not only the 1.5 hour course, but to the times when she has back to back classes from various providers which total 2-3 hour stretches. I actually think it's good to work the attention span a bit in this age of constant input and change from one screen to the next. It's also good prep for longer college classes.
Once again not Algebra 2, but my dd spends roughly 5 hours a week give or take on Geometry. That includes class time. Much of it is review for her, so she doesn't need to spend much extra time studying. There is a fantastic board for the kids to post questions and help each other work through problems as needed. (Not sure if that is only for Geometry or not.)
We're looking forward to Algebra 2 with Wilson Hill in the fall. I'm already starting to have nightmares that the classes fill before we can register. ;)
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Edited: My thoughts have changed.
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I appreciate the input about the classes. Thank you! Thus far, I am reassured by what I have heard on this thread and elsewhere.
In regards to my making the decision as to whether or not to continue with the Academy...
I am trying to gather information. Sometimes I ask if classes are workshop model or not. Sometimes I ask if evolution is presented as a given. I ask LOTS of things.
My current question is regarding political commentary in the classes. It is as valid a question as the others. I gather information knowing that it will inform my decision. If ALL the class were workshop model, I would enroll my dd elsewhere. If evolution was presented as one of many equally valid possibilities, I would enroll my daughter elsewhere. If one-sided political commentary is encouraged or allowed in all the classes, I will enroll my daughter elsewhere. I am seeking information. If anyone has a better way of finding out what goes on in the classes than asking the parents of the students in the classes, I would love to hear it!
To be honest, the commentary on how and when I should make personal decisions is a little off-putting and reeks of what I am hoping to avoid in classes.
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(In case anyone else is having trouble...)
DD pastes her work into the box to submit it. She doesn't upload the document, therefore there is nothing to download. Go figure. ;) It seems so obvious now! It sounds like uploading the document might be a better route because it provides more options for feedback. Good to know!
Many thanks, Julia! I appreciate the quick responses!
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Great! Thanks!
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I don't see any way to download the submissions. My screen doesn't look like the one in the linked video. It also sounds like my screen may be different than what is described in the posts here. There is no download button at the top left of the submission. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a special area of Blackboard where the document needs to be viewed in order for the download button to appear?
Thanks.
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It seems hasty to write off the entire Academy if you have not completely followed the process outlined by SWB and have not gotten replies yet. You might want to keep in mind that this is holiday time as far as your expectations on turnaround for replies.
Pardon? I have felt no need to detail the history or timeline of events or what is happening behind the scenes. This thread is mainly to gather information before I decide about future classes. The timeline in which I do so is a personal decision.
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I think my use of the term "discussion" was a misleading one. Discussions would bother me far, far less. This is the history/rhetoric realm; discussions are expected.
One-sided political commentary and derogatory remarks would have been more accurate. Discussion was a poor word choice. What I'm referring to are brief asides during class which have a loose connection to what is being studied. The comments are not supported with detailed facts, and they are not fully explained to students who don't follow the news. Those students who do follow the news may well have arrived at a different conclusion. It should not be presumed everyone in the class has the same opinion. The derogatory remarks about the candidates AND their supporters are made by the students AND the teacher.
The teacher is supposed to moderate the students, who moderates the teacher?
In many ways little comments here and there are worse than bold speeches because they don't seem bad enough to make a stand against. Yet small derogatory comments over many, many months add up. Students who disagree are put in a position over and over whether or not to go against the flow of the other students AND the teacher. For students who do not know enough to make an informed decision, the decision is well on its way to being made for them as these one-sided comments settle in their minds.
My daughter actually agreed with the first comments she brought to me. She did, however, disagree with how they were presented in class and wondered how students who did disagree must be feeling.
In contrast to her experience in this class, my daughter has a class with another provider in which she has enjoyed the sharing of different perspectives. She has learned not to make presumptions about beliefs because some of the students have opinions different from what she would have expected. She has also enjoyed trying to ascertain the teacher's stance. Thus far, she hasn't been able to. The teacher has neutrally guided and moderated. The students have respectfully discussed. What a gift and what a lesson in what is possible.
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I think my use of the term "discussion" was a misleading one. Discussions would bother me far, far less. This is the history/rhetoric realm; discussions are expected.
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(X post)
It makes perfect sense. Thank you. I agree with you! That said, I am already in the process of following the order you have outlined and will continue to do so as far as needed. I'm seriously considering withdrawing my daughter from the class she is currently in and am concerned about taking more classes through the Academy, thus my question about the experience others are having in their classes.
Thanks, again!
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It makes perfect sense. Thank you. I agree with you! That said, I am already in the process of following the order you have outlined and will continue to do so as far as needed. I'm seriously considering withdrawing my daughter from the class she is currently in and am concerned about taking more classes through the Academy, thus my question about the experience others are having in their classes.
Thanks, again!
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Given that discussions of the presidential elections are forbidden on the boards, I was surprised to find out they are happening in at least one Well-Trained Mind Academy Class. Perhaps I was mistaken in presuming they would be forbidden in the classes.
The political fervor will only intensify as 2016 progresses, so as I make plans for next semester and the fall, I'm curious to know if these discussions will be allowed and encouraged in all the classes. If so, I'll know to make alternate plans.
Anyone else care to share if political discussions are taking place in your teen's WTM Academy class? Feel free to PM me. It would be helpful to know if this is an anomaly.
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Given that discussions of the presidential elections are forbidden on the boards, I was surprised to find out they are happening in at least one Well-Trained Mind Academy Class. Perhaps I was mistaken in presuming they would be forbidden in the classes.
The political fervor will only intensify as 2016 progresses, so as I make plans for next semester and the fall, I'm curious to know if these discussions will be allowed and encouraged in all the classes. If so, I'll know to make alternate plans.
Anyone else care to share if political discussions are taking place in your teen's WTM Academy class? Feel free to PM me. It would be helpful to know if this is an anomaly.
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Good grief. An entire book could be written based on these questions, and I'm thinking that Stanford admissions doesn't want to read my novel. :lol:
Fortunately, Stanford is not our goal. A terrible loss to Stanford. :hat:
:laugh: You gals are a riot!
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I'm not doing this for a school that accepts only 5 in every 100 applicants. :lol: You gotta give me much more hope than that to get me to write that much. :lol:
Seriously, though, I would be truthful because otherwise my conscience will kill me after sending in the apps.
:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:
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Well and then I have to wonder how grueling that all actually is. One of mine sings in a choir. The age range is 9 to 18. There are many high school students in the choir and these kids often talk bout their school stuff. Many of them are cream of the crop students taking lots of AP. Many go onto top notch colleges. They also do tons and tons of extracurricular stuff. I don't know how they could do all of that if these classes were taking a zillion hours per week each. So either they are insanely brilliant, or it's not as crazy as it sounds. Of course they are in school all day and that might be in part the bulk of the time spent working on it. With a classroom filled with students though I imagine this takes longer than a home situation with one student. So you should be able to get through much of the material much more quickly.
I'm not sure what the reality is either. My dd hears so many complaints from brick and mortar high school students about how they are deprived of social lives and sleep, yet they all have considerable online social media presence, are up on all the current movies and TV shows, find time to date, etc....
I see kids from all levels being accepted into various colleges, graduating, getting jobs, and moving on with their lives. Sometimes I wonder what drives all the drama... Is it mainly just surrounding the most elite schools? Are the rest of us safe to just tune out the apocalyptic warnings? :zombiechase:
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Lisa, I'd love to hear an update, if you'd care to share. :)
Online classes - Is the lecture time worth it?
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Well said, Derek.
Challenged, redirected, encouraged, sympathized with (at times)... This has been true for my daughter as well.
We've weeded out some bad fits since the beginning of the semester, but the classes we've kept are gems. Each instructor and group of students has taught my daughter myriad lessons. Certainly together they give her more than I, alone, ever could.