Woodland Mist Academy
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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy
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Thank you, once again, Lori. You saved me much angst this morning!
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This may not be what the OP is looking for, but I thought someone might find it useful.
Our main chemistry textbook this year was Investigating Chemistry: A Forensic Science Perspective. It was written by a community college professor, so high school is probably the earliest I would recommend it for most students. True crime investigations and the science used in them are the basis for introducing beginning chemistry. It was the perfect chemistry book for us.
We didn't finish it because it covered more than a high school entry level chemistry class. My daughter read most, if not all of it, but she didn't actively study every single chapter.
I contacted the publisher to access online student resources and teacher's manual.
So grateful to have found it! Maybe someone else will find it a good fit as well.
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Yes, two wrongs dont make a right. Walking away was a good thing, and not coming back until the population changed and I was not being perceived as elite was also good. In my community, I am not considered elite as I dont live in an elite area, but in a high school community that draws from areas where urban children came to live with relatives for the better schools, all families not in that situation are considered elite. Big news to me, who grew up on reduced lunch and whose father grew up in a pine shack.
I am not advocating that anyone starts or ends a fight, just that my family walks away unharmed physically. My child was able to take my suggested response and use it in kindy to deflect all but the most desperate child's attacks. I have used it in my home library, explaining that I am a military brat from the era of 'be all you can be' . And luckily this is not a district where children are retained in grades 3 and 8 if not on grade level in reading and the school staff encourages children to not make AR into anything but personal best.
My safety first, your feelings second.
I have no idea of the details and nuances of the OP's situation. I don't know exactly what anyone's intentions or feelings were. I don't know what would have been precisely the right thing to do. This response is speaking more to generalities in the thread.
People on both ends of the spectrum - advanced and delayed - have been victims of hurt feelings and both verbal and physical abuse. Obviously not all those things happened here, but they do happen.
In real life situations young girls, and women in general, sometimes error too often on being nice. I'm not saying anything "not nice" needed to be said in this situation. Most likely not, but I can absolutely imagine a similar situation where rude would have been appropriate. The trick is doing so wisely. I think this is what we need to teach our children - especially our girls. Although they should usually start by playing nicely, they don't always need to continue to do so. We need to teach them how to be assertive, but not aggressive. Next we need to teach them how to be aggressive when needed. Then they need to know how to make the first strike because sometimes that's the leverage one needs to get a split-second chance to run away.
I don't view having enemies as a bad thing. Not everyone needs to be my friend. I don't view being rude as necessarily a bad thing. My safety first, your feelings second. Internalizing the notion of being nice no matter what can be dangerous.
Too many victims look back and say, "But I didn't want to be RUDE!"
YMMV.
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How do you know your student is ready for AP? Would this add stress to my vision of 4 more lovely years together pursuing truth, beauty and goodness in our homeschool? Is it an economic strategy to have our kids get some college credits in high school to shorten time on campus? I always thought AP was for gifted students. Aren't we already tailoring our kids' courses to their academic abilities? As I type, I guess my question is this: Do AP classes rush a student through the high school academic "experience?" Can you tell I'm a high school newbie mom? 😬
Only you can answer that.
We decided to start the AP journey this year as a continuation and expansion of the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness in our homeschool.
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Frankly, if I had a kid competing on the IMO level, these are the kinds of schools I would be targeting for him/her. Now if we couldn't make it work from a financial aspect, that's understandable, but ruling them out years ahead of time before even knowing what kind of scholarships my child might receive seems unfair.
DH and I both went 3,000 miles away from where we grew up to attend college so I don't get all the concern about distance. If the top school for whatever my kid wanted to do was in NZ and the child both got accepted & the finances worked, we'd send them in a heartbeat even though it is something like a 15 hour flight.
I'm glad it worked for you. I know people who transferred out of Ivy League schools not for academic reasons, but because they didn't like the location or something else. Academics are a big part of the puzzle, but not the only piece. Experiences vary. I know some who regret the choice to go to school far away from home. Proximity matters immensely to some families - they enjoy sharing time together throughout various stages of their lives. Perhaps for your family it's different.
I also know families who limit distance to school because of medical issues. There is no one right way to do this. There are many variables at play.
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Thanks. I thought they would be ushered to their rooms straight away after check in. I would have to let my 5' tall DS10 know that there is a possibility of "stand around and be bored before the exam". I think I found your son's question paper on the internet.
He should probably be prepared for either possibility. DD was immediately ushered away after signing in. I thought we would have time to chat a bit, but she was told to step across a line and go directly to her room. (They did permit a quick goodbye as long as she didn't step away. The next year we knew what to expect from this test site.)
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Sorry for phrasing it poorly at first. I'm kind of new to this college choice thing. Sounds like my title also might have confused people. I'm just bumbling in the dark, but I guess we all do with our first.
No need for apologies! We all come to the conversations with different ways of communicating. The important thing is finding common ground eventually.
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No, we would not move to Australia. My sister's highschool where she teaches was paying for her to do the degree and gave her a year off. But then the research took an additional year that she worked on while teaching again at the highschool. So she could not really leave.
Auckland is a 1 hour flight, and there are about 2 flights per hour. The cost is anywhere from $100-300 round trip. ANU has no direct flight to where we are, so we would have to fly through Sydney and then grab a connection. Plus the extra time because of the international aspect. So about 8 hours I would think. There is a good university with an honours program in maths in Sydney that I also want to look into because it is just 3.5 hour flight.
Back when I was in university, my parents had a restriction for university for us -- a 3 hours drive. They wanted to be able to get to us in an emergency. I was in VA at the time, so this left me with quite a few options. But I still think it was a reasonable restriction, and one that I might consider. Auckland flight are every hour, flights to Sydney are not.
Maybe we mean different things by uprooting. No, I didn't think you were moving to Australia. He would be moving, though. Also, even though the family wouldn't actually be uprooting, the ANU option would be considerably more disruptive to your lives. (Which you obviously are already considering. ;) )
Part of my point was that she stayed and got her education, even though it was less than ideal. Maybe she had no option. She made the best of the option she had. 10 years from now will it make any difference for her either way? Does it matter now?
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No, not an option. She was a returning student at age 40, so she went to the local university because she was not uprooting her family for just a masters.
Being a returning student of 40 probably makes her perspective different all around, doesn't it?
It is interesting that it wasn't worth uprooting the family. I think that speaks volumes. There would be uprooting in your situation, correct?
(Obviously not to the same degree, but still worth considering...)
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Definitely worried about encouraging him to look at a university that I am either unwilling to pay for or that is too far away. Sometimes he can get something in his head and it is hard to get it out. I don't want him to feel like he is just settling for Auckland if we go and visit ANU and he loves it and dh and I don't think it is worth the money or don't think he could handle to 'away' part. I want to be about 80% sure that it is something we are willing to consider before we take him for a visit, and get him thinking a lot about it. Does that make sense?
As for peers, I think you ask some good questions. I was only thinking that a university has to tailor the classes to the level of the student. If the students are lower level, then the classes are easier. I assume that is true for math? So if he goes to a harder program, then the classes will challenge him. I think he will want challenge. So my concern is that if he is in the top math kids at age 14, are they actually going to be able to have classes at an appropriate level when he is 18? Will there be enough kids at his level to fill the classes? Or will the classes have to drop to the level where enough kids can pass? This is a small country, there are not a lot of kids that feed into the universities. I am talking straight percentiles. A larger country has more students and so more students at my son's level. It may not be anything an American would have ever thought about. It is a real concern of mine. So when I am talking peers, I am talking about the level of classes. Maybe I need to say it a different way?
Changing the verbiage from peers to level of classes makes a bit of a difference in my mind. Thanks for clarifying. Believe it or not, your situation doesn't sound all that different than the one we are facing. (Albeit the colleges are not in different countries - that is a huge difference!) (edited) Do we want to spend the $$$ for her to go to a college where challenge is guaranteed, or would she be better off where the situation is different. So much depends on the personality of the student. We have talked over and over about percentages of students at various levels at different universities. I do understand. It's on my mind almost daily. Our situation is a bit different in that her interests are somewhat unique and not universally offered. In some ways I'm grateful, it makes the decision easier!
I think being 80% certain before a visit is a good benchmark.
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Something just occurred to me...your sister must have been reasonably happy in the situation, correct? If not, what kept her there? Why didn't she transfer to a more elite school? Was it not an option?
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This is of huge concern to me. It is one of the reasons why I am really kicking this around. I think that as the parent and the guidance councilor, I need to think these things through before I suggest that we go for a visit. My ds also has no interest in debt, so *I* need to decide if *I* am willing to pay, and that decision depends on what he would get beyond what Auckland can offer.
WoodlandMist, Your post made me smile. No I never do anything that is expected!! But I think you perhaps misunderstood my post. DS would not ever even suggest visiting ANU or any other university unless I suggest it. And I don't want to suggest it unless I think it is a realist option - both financially and life-skills wise as the above post describes. If he goes at 17, he will be living in a foreign country before the adult legal age. I am sure there are some repercussions of this.
Finally, I chose KY on purpose. KY has a 4 million person population just like NZ and has good universities just like NZ. In fact, my father has worked there for 20 years and my sister just got her masters there. What she found was a few very motivated students but also a lot of undergrads who were there for the fun ride. It seemed like a reasonable comparison. Perhaps I am wrong, but I picture an honors program at Stanford to be a different situation.
more later...
I'm still not sure how you can make that decision without more information, which might come with a visit. Are you afraid to get his hopes up and then crushed if the visit isn't what you had hoped? Is it the hassle and expense? I would think a visit would be much cheaper in both time and money than finding out after the fact. We faced a similar scenario recently, so I know the trickiness of trying to decide how sure you need to be before taking a big step (which in your case is the visit.) Even with your clarification, I think a visit is the way to go.
I guess what I still don't understand is why the visit is such a big deal. Is it the expense and/or the hassle of traveling to another country? Given what you are considering, a visit seems perfectly reasonable. Is the problem getting his hopes up?
Call me cynical, but I imagine the kind of students your sister describes (there for the fun ride) can likely be found at every university, as can students who are diligent and driven. Yes, the percentages will most likely be different, which goes back to a previous question. How peer driven is your son? Does he need to be surrounded by a high percentage of the type of student you are hoping to find?
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Really though, university is not about us as parents and we should not be the ones making the decisions.
I agree if the student is paying all the bills. When the parent is paying and the price difference is significant, there is no choice but that the parent be involved. It seems part of OP's struggle is deciding if the extra money is worth it.
ETA: This may come down to how a household functions as well. Some families discuss everything. Some don't. Discussing and making the final decision are two different things. The title of the thread and reality are also two different things. I wouldn't take the title literally.
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When did you start doing what everyone else is doing or thinking like everyone else is thinking? ;)
It seems making a visit to a university is a trivial matter when compared to your other recent undertakings. It didn't seem to matter much what everyone else was doing then...
Why is this situation different?
Reread your posts and ask yourself if these are the thoughts of someone unconcerned with fit.
How do you predict how he will do? There are no guarantees. The best we can do is gather all the information available, which probably isn't going to happen if you follow the cultural norms you've mentioned.
Your CA/KY comparison was a funny one to me because I have a friend who made a similar decision years ago. I would have no qualms saying he would likely be your son's peer if they were the same age. My friend left an Ivy League grad school where he was doing well academically because the fit wasn't good otherwise. Where did he go? Kentucky. He finished school there and is now among the top in his field. He wasn't from KY, it just happened to be (and still is) - dare I say it? A good fit. His work is recognized outside of KY and professionally he would be able to do well elsewhere as well, but he has no intentions of moving.
Would anyone even need to know you are visiting? Just walking around a campus recently was enough for us to realize the location, size, and feel of the school weren't a good match for dd. No one had any idea why we were even there. Just visiting the town was a big clue. Probably enough in and of itself.
I think it also matters how peer driven your son is. Attending gifted camps has helped us realize dd is not peer driven. Access to opportunities and professors are a much bigger factor for her. Thinking of situations your son has been in, do you have a feel for how peer driven he is? Remember you are considering a difference of 20 to 75 worldwide. Not 20 worldwide to unranked anywhere.
The more data you have, the more informed your decision will be. Why make the choice to limit access to information that is pivotal in the decision?
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Also check state requirements for yearly testing of homeschoolers. Sometimes the ACT counts, but the SAT doesn't. That may influence your decision.
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I am on my phone, so this will be short, but ((hugs)) to you and your DD. I don't think you were wrong. The woman and her son were free to move elsewhere.
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DD tested with the ACT through Duke then submitted scores for CTY. She wasn't eligible for SET because she didn't take the SAT. Testing through Duke then submitting scores to CTY didn't prevent her from winning awards. (Unless there are different awards than the ones I'm thinking of.)How do you choose between ACT versus SAT for the talent searches? I grew up in CA so it was simply SAT in 7th grade for CTY; I didn't know anything else existed. Now it seems we have a choice of ACT versus SAT.
In addition, we're in a Duke TIP state, but within easy driving distance of JHU. I'd like for dd to be able to access both sets of summer camps. Do we just test through Duke and then also submit our scores to CTY? I assume that means she wouldn't be eligible for awards through CTY. Somehow that seems sad to me, which I know makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is probably just a weirdly nostalgic emotional response.
How did you all decide?
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Double the price to go to a school with a worldwide ranking of 20 as opposed to 75?
Will he get double the return on the investment and double the happiness? Double the number of close friends and opportunities?
At some point the returns start to level. Where that point is will vary from person to person.
Sometimes it's not how many, but which ones. What if the one person or opportunity that could potentially change everything is at the school ranked 75th? So many unknowns...
Just out of curiosity.... If you didn't use the extra money to pay for school, what could he do with it? Could he use it to travel, buy a car, make a down payment on a house, invest in a venture?
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We use The Real ACT prep book. It's the big read book. She does a few questions from a couple sections a few times a week. It takes 5-10 min max. She reads the info about the testing procedures and recommendations each year before she takes the test to remind herself of the actual procedures and rules.
She takes a full math section practice test once every couple months or so to practice timing and refresh her memory on math she hasn't done recently. The first year she took the ACT she did the ACT question of the day from a site online. That was good because she hadn't covered some material yet because we were going deeper with AoPS instead of faster. That put her at a disadvantage for not having covered topics she was completely capable of doing just because of the curriculum she was using. Doing the question of the day and studying anything she wasn't familiar with filled some gaps. Looking back, we should have used a different math program to begin with, but that's a different thread...
I see ACT prep as a great way to review info and keep it fresh. It's useful for reasons beyond the actual test.
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Please do keep us posted!
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I've been thinking about this, and I would like to hear more. To clarify, I wasn't meaning that dd should be able to walk around saying, "Guess what? I taught myself four songs on the piano today!" Or, "I finished sixth grade math!" That's just bragging and...awkward.
The struggles she has been having are more along the lines of talking with people (even adults!) and she makes an educated reference, and the looks and comments begin. Maybe she is trying to explain something and she says, "Sort of like when queen so and so did x." It is hard for her to figure out what is "common knowledge" and what isn't, and she's paid dearly for it. She was playing with another child one day, and got everyone spun up to be kings and queens from different countries in the first century, wrote historically accurate letters in character, and etc. That got awkward pretty fast because the other child didn't know any of these people. So, dd figured out that she's more well read than she thought, and even when she is just playing, it's best to name people after Disney movies, and keep your sociology experiments in your head. She was 8.
I have tried talking a lot about what other people's strengths are, things dd has in common with them or can learn from them. I also prep things that are more neutral and don't lend themselves to too much self-expression (like crafts).
So, with a little more of our background out there, could you elaborate, please?
:)
I presumed you meant the latter (references) and not the former (grade levels, etc.) :)
None of the following may pertain to your situation at all, but I'll give you an idea of what I meant.
A few years ago, we were in a similar place to where you are right now, dealing with people not understanding references, etc. For many reasons we eventually we decided to move, which I realize is not always an option or even a good idea. I'm just mentioning that to give context. Overall, the move improved the situation dramatically - life changing would not be an overstatement. Mentors, peers, opportunities....
On the other hand, some of the original issues remain. Being with peers doesn't always mean references will be understood. There is so much to know. People have different interests and pastimes. For history references, finding people who enjoy history would be the way to go. (Finding people with similar interests has been mentioned by many up thread, but it's worth repeating that having similar IQs doesn't always mean a connection and understanding will be automatic.)
Another thought...Some of the most intriguing people I know aren't only brimming with knowledge and expertise, but they also possess the ability to relate that information to other people in a manner that allows everyone to feel at ease and respected.
What does that have to do with an ten-year-old? It depends on the ten-year-old. For some it may be learning how to best deal with bullying that may ensue in some situations, for others it may mean learning to be comfortable being one's self and not hiding, for yet others it may mean learning to go beyond those issues into learning how to do what I mentioned above: passing on the knowledge to others in a way that enriches everyone involved.
These mentors we all long for and adore were ten-year-olds once...
I think sometimes it's easy to think that if we just find the right group, we will be understood and can relax. (I mean that as a generality, it may not apply to you.) For us that group is much smaller than we had hoped, and in most group settings there is still work to be done and lessons to be learned.
As I said previously, none of this may pertain to your situation at all. I don't have an easy answer or a step-by-step solution. In many ways, we're still in the thick of it.
With that said, I understand your frustration; I remember those days well. They were not easy. I hope you are able to find other children or adults with whom your daughter feels at ease and can more openly be herself. In the meantime, I wish you all the best navigating the waters and absorbing whatever lessons float by.
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Wonderful! Glad to hear it's straightened out! Hope you both have a splendid time!
Hope the cat continues to do well. :grouphug:
High School and Extracurricular Passions
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
If this has been covered, feel free to direct me to links. :)
We've discussed academic passions, but what about extracurricular ones with commitments? I'm particularity interested in ones that don't have a direct academic leaning (science or math clubs).
How many does your child have? How many hours a week total are spent on them? I'm not thinking of passions that the students can just easily skip or walk away from on a given day- such as drawing or video games. I'm thinking more along the lines of someone expecting a student to show up - such as for a performance.
In other words, it's my annual beginning of the school year thread of panic.... ;)