ColleenInWis
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Posts posted by ColleenInWis
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Good questions from the poster above me. :) One newish trend I have noticed that your son might appreciate: MOOCs (massive open online courses). There has been discussion on the forum about some good ones. For two examples: I took a great math course a year ago at Coursera, Introduction to Mathematical Thinking. My 19 yo son has been taking the courses in the specialization, Modern Musician. Whatever your son's interest, he can probably find a MOOC to help him pursue it.
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Struggling, yes and have been for years.
This is OT, but why is it ok that there aren't concrete answers regarding religion? We don't accept anything else (that I can think of) on faith, right? We look for proof to back up claims except for religous ones. That is hard for me.
What about moral truth? Is there such a thing? Or are all moral claims (that have no material proof) just opinions? What about all the philosophers who have taken so much time and breath and paper and ink to expound on what is true, beautiful, and virtuous? Do they have any scientific proof for their conclusions? This article, Why Our Children Don't Think There is Moral Truth, by a philosophy professor on the NY Times blog was very thought-provoking for me.
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That family should move to the country! I know dozens of families in our rural area who have bought a farm, and who let their kids roam and pursue all kinds of intriguing hobbies.
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I think I will try an open-book test this week. Part of my reasoning is that, doing regular practice assignments, she isn't persevering to find the answers to the problems she doesn't immediately get. In other words, she doesn't turn back to previous chapters to review something she has forgotten or to look up a property that she doesn't have memorized--she just leaves the question blank. Might an open-book test provide the motivation to take that extra step to find the answer herself, rather than relying on the teacher to tell her what she needed to know to get it correct? We'll see.
I want her to further develop the ability to search out the problem, to not give up until it is solved (which is one of the reasons I'm using Jacobs in the first place--he makes her think). With previous tests, she toils and toils for hours before turning it in, only to get problems incorrect that she typically got correct on daily homework. If I weren't to test at all, I would say that she is comprehending the material and will be fine for algebra 2, but I do want some objective data to use for a grade on a transcript.
So different than my other kids... Thanks for reading. Helps me think it through.
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What are your thoughts on open-book tests, specifically for algebra 1? I've tutored 5 of my 6 kids through Harold Jacobs' text; we did not do open-book testing. Now, our youngest is using Callahan's syllabus for Jacobs; Callahan recommends open-book tests. I'm thinking of allowing dd to do the upcoming test open-book as a trial--she thinks the idea sounds great, and I would like to avoid some of the angst that has come with past tests. Please share your experiences and philosophy of testing, if you have any! Atdhvaannkcse!
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ChristyH, God will guide you as you give up control to Him. This has been a huge issue for me.
Another option we considered, with our son, was virtual public school. He was very difficult to homeschool--the only son. I would have loved to give up control to a school. He wasn't willing to go with virtual school, however, so we muddled through his last couple years other ways. Now he is still at home, one course left to finish before I will issue a diploma, but he has a job and working on getting a drivers license and pursuing his hobbies and going on some adventures and changing his ideas monthly about what to do next... It isn't what I imagined him to be doing at 19, but we're at a good place relationally. I think he's at a good place spiritually. And I'm learning to live moment-by-moment, praying and trusting in a wonderful and sovereign LORD.
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My DD is in 8th grade this year and I already know I'm going to need more a more independent high school experience for her so I think we are just going with American High School, where I can move into an Administrative roll as well. I graduated from AHS so I'm familiar with it. Since I graduated, there are now college prep courses ..I just like that b/c there is more of a challenge for mine. Someone ELSE grades, is accountable, issues the diploma, sends the books, counsels, ETC. I want more than "get 'er done" but cannot afford the energy/time for the utopia, so I'm hoping this will strike the balance. We do a LOT of different things in our life here and homeschooling is one of them. She will still curl up next to me and read her literature, do her work, ask for help, etc. But the added support from another adult that has been assigned to her sounds very good to me! It might not be for your familiy, but it could be?!?
I've considered American School several times over the years of high school in our house. With our youngest, I had thought that if she were to do AS, I could plan one other course each year that she and I would do together. We could read and discuss literature and poetry or philosophy or history to our hearts' content if I weren't bogged down with planning and administering every single course. Along with her music and other interests, this would give her a basic high school education plus other food for her mind. What we have chosen to do this year, however, is working, so far. So much easier to plan her courses when she is the only one here.
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I'm trying to learn to see the world in which we, as parents, made the choices that were right for each individual child and our kids got what they needed as our Utopia. It's a work in progress for me. I still have my moments when I feel sad about the high school years I didn't get to have with my kids, but I can't argue with the results so far.
This is one reason I want to rub shoulders (even virtually) with other homeschool parents--we can gain so much perspective from others' experience. Thanks for sharing, Jenny. I firmly believe that a true educational utopia is not a one-size-fits-all paradigm. The beauty of home education is that we can be flexible enough to find what each child truly needs, if only we will slow down, be willing to re-evaluate our own goals, and do whatever it takes to help each find fulfillment and growth.
I could have done a much better job of that with our older children, but I was stuck on my own ideals and also preoccupied trying to work through other issues. Younger parents--take the time now, when you can still listen to your kids and give them an individualized program.
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Good for you (and your husband) for realistically evaluating what you can do for your sons in high school! I can so relate, after having graduated 5 of 6 children and feeling that none of them got an ideal education... I have had to learn to give up the regret and focus on the positive aspects of what we did accomplish.
I love the comments of the others who posted here.
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LaFarge, Wisconsin, is home to Organic Valley. There is also a Waldorf school in another small town nearby, Viroqua. If I were a secular homeschool mom, especially if I were interested in alternative education and/or sustainability and natural living, I would consider that area. There are many inclusive activities there for homeschool families--look up Homeschool Workshops at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve for one example, which was very well-attended yesterday. I could tell you more, if interested.
Wisconsin's homeschool law: We file an online form once a year stating our intent to provide 875 hours of instruction for children ages 6-18 in 6 basic subject areas. The state organization, Wisconsin Parents Association, is very inclusive and very supportive. I attended the conference for the first time this past spring. Wisconsin's homeschool history is that many who began to homeschool here were unschooling types, so there are many families who have continued in that line and thus there is strong support to keep our law just like it is.
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Well, I haven't taught a child to read in 9 years... but I loved the way Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons taught blending It seemed so effortless. None of my 5 kiddos with whom I used that book had any trouble with blending. I don't remember all the techniques used, but I do recall that the rhyming activities were especially helpful. Perhaps you can find a copy in a public library to get the idea. Or borrow from a friend.
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More thoughts: I would say that if there's an entire afternoon or day given to an activity, the schoolwork that would otherwise have been accomplished should be rescheduled someplace else during the week (evenings, weekend). That's just the price of participating in the activity.
Do you give her a schedule for the week (or better yet, have her help you make it), such as a spreadsheet or daily list of items to be accomplished? If things are sliding by, then either (1) you're scheduling more than you find you can accomplish in a particular time period, or (2) she is not being diligent in getting her homework finished.
Thinking out loud some more, if there were any subject for which I'd even consider only 4 days per week, math would definitely not be it. By the nature of the subject, building on itself, it would have a certain priority for me. There might be a smitch more leeway in other subjects, but I don't know enough about high school level scope and sequences in the other subjects to offer suggestions.
Music sounds like the top priority for her, no? Lots of practice time? I would sit down with her and a spreadsheet of the waking hours of the day for the week and lay out what needs to be accomplished. If she is dawdling at various points, maybe now that she's a high school student, she needs to take more ownership of this process of becoming more efficient in getting things done, taking on initiative herself to meet her own goals/priorities (e.g. the music).
Your advice is very sound, and I appreciate the time you, wapiti, and others have given to the topic. It's made me get serious about some of the accountability issues that are playing into this. Thank you!
Warning: I am going to get philosophical now! Sorry--but you've all been warned, so feel free to stop reading at this point! ;) I feel I should let those who have put so much thought into gracious replies know "where I'm at," rather than just dropping the thread.
After home-educating for 23 years, I can say that I have learned that I cannot always reach the ideal. In fact, sometimes other values take precedence over the ideal. Two of my values that are pushing me to want to finish Jacob in one year are: 1) the desire to do 3 years' math in 3 years so that dd will have time for a 4th year of math OR another course that would benefit her; 2) the desire to set a schedule and stick to it, to counteract too many times in the past when I have allowed courses to drag on for one reason or another (some were probably good reasons, but still discouraging even though things "turn out").
I'm not opposed to working in the summer--we usually do. But I have had 5 students go through Jacobs doing all the problems from Sets 1 & 3, and I don't value the thoroughness that resulted as much as I value my daughter also having time for her music, her dreaming, her art, and the other high school courses I have planned for her. My experience is that the early concepts of algebra will be strengthened in later chapters and in algebra 2, so I find it hard to worry about providing a solid foundation. For now, we will take it day by day, finding our way to enough practice without falling into the trap of letting a lesson drag out over 3 or more days. I think I will know if comprehension is suffering--I will continue to work with her on every lesson except perhaps letting her start a new lesson on her own when she gets more confident and disciplined.
I've been influence by a great community of unschoolers here in Wisconsin as much as I have been influenced by any classical model of education. There is great value in individualizing a high school education, and I neglected that with several of my students, so that is another value I'm reaching for. It's a balancing act, and again, I thank each one here who has helped me get a fresh perspective on what my goals are.
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Eta, sorry Colleen, I didn't mean to take your thread off-topic. I can't even find my old link to the syllabus.
That's ok... I'm looking the syllabus over each day as we come to a new lesson, seeing which problems Callahan chooses and experimenting with whether those are enough. I suspect the dvds cover some of the material in the problems Callahan doesn't assign for homework. I don't like that Callahan doesn't include all the Set 1 problems, unless they are also reviewing that material in "class" via dvd. I will stick to having dd do all the Set 1 problems--I know kids forget how to do some of those so I can't see any reason to skip them.
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So many tragic stories of things that happen in families, schools, foster care... That's why I support justyouandme for being willing to put thought, prayer (making an assumption here), energy, and effort into helping the children of this family. While their neglect, if continued, might not turn out to be such a terrible horror story, it will still affect them in negative ways we can't foresee. So, justyouandme, do what you can. May the parents wake up and do their job before it's too late.
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Another thing I do to help things move along is we do the lesson and I have my student do a few practice problems on the whiteboard with me. Then I move to the other side of the room and have him finish the problems. I have the answer key with me (better yet, I understand that there is a solution manual now) and he checks his answers with me after each problem. If the problem is wrong, he reworks it immediately, and if he still can't get it, I'll help him out. Usually he sees his error pretty quickly.
Yes, very similar to what we have done a number of times this semester. I can work in the kitchen with the answer key open on the counter and she sits in the living room, within earshot.
It just seems such a struggle to be consistent with getting a lesson done every single day, and so easy to fall behind and get discouraged. Not to mention the other subjects we are tackling, and music lessons out-of-town that take up a whole afternoon each week. I don't mind having to work on school in the summer, but I am searching for ways to work smarter--get more done in a shorter amount of time. The more I let things drag out, the more we slip into a pattern of just not accomplishing goals each week.
Thanks for commenting, everyone. Discussion helps me sort out the issue.
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(FWIW, I would expect total time spent on math for a ninth grader to be a lot more than 45 min 4x per week.)
I would, too, wapiti. I scheduled the 45 min. as time for me to tutor her in algebra, then I expect that it will take her more time later to finish each assignment. She also has time on the 5th day to finish the "homework," but we still aren't getting 4 lessons done a week. Thanks for your input.
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Thanks to another thread, I heard about the Callahan syllabus. I don't believe we need the dvds, but I'm curious about the free syllabus. Since they pick-and-choose which problems to assign from Sets 2/3, is it thorough enough? I've been through Jacobs 5 times with other children, so I think I'll be able to tell if dd isn't getting it. But, the other students did all the problems (from one set or the other). I also like the fact that they don't test after every single chapter. Any other pros or cons from your perspective? Thanks.
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So, what we've been doing is 45 min. of algebra 4 times a week together. If we don't finish Sets 1 & 3 verbally, she is supposed to finish it later in the day. Often, I find out late in the day that she got "stuck," so didn't finish. Then the next day, rather than start a new lesson, we have to get her "unstuck." Sometimes, I have time in the afternoon or evening to give her some help then. She is needing less and less help, so maybe I just need to be patient and keep on. Another idea that I saw in Callahan's syllabus is to make her responsible for checking and redoing her own work as part of each day's lesson. She could sometimes get "unstuck" herself if she had access to the answers and was responsible for correcting her own errors. I think.
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OP, have you seen this site? It may help bolster your knowledge and give you some facts to share with your friends. I don't advocate all the positions this group holds, but they have done a ton of research about educational neglect laws in different states, etc. Coalition for Responsible Home Education
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I will never understand the attitude that the worst homeschool education is still better than the best public school education. That's complete and utter nonsense.
Yes! I believe this is one of the homeschool myths that causes problems like the extreme case of neglect about which the OP is concerned. I heard this statement at a recent support group meeting: If my child never learns his multiplication tables, at least he will know the Bible. Au contraire--it depends on why he doesn't learn his multiplication tables. Is it because of a learning disability which is severe enough that multiplication isn't an option for him? Or is it because he doesn't need to memorize them--he's a math prodigy who has a mind like a calculator? Or, is it because you, the homeschool teacher, are too lazy or distracted or selfish or obsessive about control to take the time to teach your child mathematics?
I say, let's combat the myths while we can. I understand that families have strong, very strong, convictions to not send children to gov't school. We are very close to that ourselves. But, if we say we are going to homeschool, we need to take responsibility to give a decent education. Or send them to someone who will.
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I would be interested in opinions from anyone who has used the Callahan syllabus and tests without the teaching dvds. Thanks.
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I notice Callahan doesn't assign the Summary/Review lesson for any of the chapters...
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Looking at the Callahan syllabus for Jacobs Algebra right now... hmmm...
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Finally, if it is the case that your student is getting the concepts, but just takes a long time to do the lesson, you could condense. Jacobs is laid out so that you do Set 1 and then EITHER Set 2 or Set 3 (they are the same set up, just different numbers, in case your student needs additional practice). Set 4 is an optional "challenger" problem.
Are you having DD do *every.single.problem* of each lesson? I would ONLY do that if she is really struggling with the concepts. If she is getting the concepts, she really only needs to be doing Set 1 and Set 2 OR Set 3, and some of the Set 4 challengers as bonus.
Just brainstorming! BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.
Thanks, Lori, for the detailed reply. I am looking for suggestions on how to condense the material. We only do Set 1 and either Set 2 or 3, with Set 4 being optional. How do other families get through the book in 1 year? Or do they? That's what I'm really asking.
My other children, except for one, took so long to get through the book because of our schedule (heavy focus on some competitive activities) and because of my disorganization. I had really hoped that, with only one at home now, I could "organize us" through it more quickly! Maybe that is going to take more thought on my part rather than expecting a question on a forum to solve it. :/
I am sensitive to how this dd learns--she has had a bit of math phobia, which I am learning to coach her through. Once I told her that learning to write algebraic expressions is like translating a foreign language sentence, she started flourishing with it. Language is her love, and she has quickly warmed to the fun of figuring out the language of algebra now.
I'm not open, by the way, to the idea of changing texts. Jacobs is what I know, and as I said, she has warmed greatly to the subject so I'm confident Jacobs can work for her. So, again, how do other students get through Jacobs in 1 year?
Why are some people in the US with no health insurance?
in The Chat Board
Posted
One group that doesn't need health insurance is the Amish. They have their own ways of covering each other's health needs. I notice that members of federally recognized tribes are also exempt.
And members of a "health care sharing ministry." I wonder if we can switch to that option from traditional, employer-sponsored insurance, any time.