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Liza Q

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Posts posted by Liza Q

  1. https://www.memoriapressacademy.com/catalog?pagename=thesis-by-subject

    My son took this class and it was a marvelous experience! Dr. Dray is a great teacher. I think I reviews this class last year - I will try to find it.

    ETA: Here is the review I wrote - it's pretty long.

    https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/668703-review-of-memoria-press-senior-thesis-class/?tab=comments#comment-8002626

    • Like 2
  2. @AEC I know he is not thinking research/PhD. Of course, that may change. The more he knows, the more he may want to know and he may want to discover, not just use what he learns. We have considered Stony Brook...my husband has been told (he is a retired cop working in construction management and knows a few engineers from current/past projects) that internships matter more than school...as long as it it ABET accredited. It does seem to me that this is the kind of career that makes a loan more of an investment than a risk. I will show him what you wrote - thanks!

    @8FillTheHeart Music, not research, is on his mind now...but we know that he needs internships, not just coursework. I want him to be free to take those, even if they are unpaid...which makes it hard if he needs to earn for tuition, forget about living expenses. Would he put his music aside to focus on engineering? He needs to think about that - good question. Thanks!

    @Lanny I'm glad that you also mentioned experience/ABET - the more it is mentioned, the more I see that we need to prioritize it! My older girls got full time jobs directly from internships - very valuable. But STEM is so different and new for us! My research told me ABET accredited and a focused, not general, engineering program was what we should be looking for...nice to see that I am on the right track!

    @TarynB Oh my!! I had not considered any of that - again, we don't know what we don't know. Thanks. More info for my pro/con lists!!

    @Calming Tea lol - your post was very calming! That's the route I want him to take. I just need to present him with options he hasn't considered, help him count the cost and borrow with open eyes, calm (lol again!) my husband down, and let my son make a sensible decision based on facts, not emotion.

    I am so glad that this board exists! I am still a homeschooler at heart - researching/organizing/synthesizing info so I can support my children and their education plans.

    • Like 2
  3. I should mention - he really enjoys math and Physics. He tolerated Chemistry and found intro computer programming interesting...but no love.

    He thinks he will like being an Engineer because he can use math and physics and get paid to do it! Civil Engineering struck him as the most interesting of the options for engineering.

    @JanetC I actually don't know how much he can borrow. I need to start researching that!!

    @HeighHo What does he want to get out of college? Excellent question! I need to see if he can answer it!! Music - he wants to increase his knowledge. He thinks he will be a better musician if he knows more, not that he needs a minor or major as a credential. Kwim?

    @FrancesI don't think he wants to get a masters before he is able to work full time, but it is something I hadn't considered.

    @Hoggirl You were the one who asked about the commute! It's a short bus ride, a long train ride, and a short train ride, or a long train ride and then a walk. He could probably read on the train...but studying? I don't know how motivated he will be! Those rides are a drag. He takes the train all the time just to get places, not for school...but not so far north.

    @AEC

     

     

  4. I'm compiling all your comments so we can look at the bigger picture. Thanks so much!!

    @FuzzyCatzI told him what you said about "making decisions just because he likes he current life and doesn't want to change it" and it hit home. He doesn't want to dorm OR commute - he likes his cushy life at home. He likes having plenty of time to rehearse and room in his bedroom - that he doesn't have to share - for his equipment and Mom who cooks and does wash!

    @regentrude What does he want to do? He doesn't know. He does know that he wants to use math every day. He knows he has much to to learn but proofs don't excite him.  He is interested in how the city works. He doesn't want to teach. He wants to stay in NYC - lots of family and friends, hopefully lots of opportunity. He wants to graduate in 4 years and get to work. He doesn't want to be weighed down with debt.

    Can't find it but someone asked about the commute - bus and 2 trains. Awful. The plan was to only transfer there if he was sure about engineering.

    I want him to dorm there, give up playing at church, borrow what he needs (can't get a solid # but the cheapest  dorm price 2 years ago was 12,000, room only - there is no meal plan), drop the PT job when he finds an internship (we're aware that he will need that type of experience while still in college), live frugally, and be prepared to pay it back once he has a solid income.  My husband is against him borrowing.

    Someone else mentioned Stony brook - still a possibility. If he's going to dorm, it has a better program than CCNY and will cost about the same. He's pretty horrified about living in the middle of nowhere, though - he won't even consider Buffalo!

    I know I'm rambling - it seems really to come down to money. Our oldest and her husband have grad school/law school debt and it is hard for them. It seems foolhardy to accumulate undergrad debt when it may be more necessary for grad school. My husband has raised our 4 to be pretty horrified by debt so our son wants to be absolutely sure.

    • Like 1
  5. My son is considering changing his plans and I thought I'd ask the Hive for some direction.

    His original plan was to do his first 2 years at Brooklyn College (we live about 15m from the campus), which has a 2 year Engineering program designed specifically to lead to guaranteed admission (with good grades) to NYU's Tandon School of Engineering. It's also possible to transfer to one of the CUNYs that have an Engineering Program (City College in upper Manhattan has the better program). He considered two SUNY schools - Stony Brook and Buffalo - but really wanted to stay local. 

    His Freshman year went very well. He made some friends, joined the Intervarsity Fellowship, got excellent grades, found out about the debate club and got excited to join this fall. Since he is still at home, he has been able to continue playing for our Sunday and youth services (he plays electric bass). He joined a band and just played his first professional gig - at The Bitter End (a little Mom bragging here)! Plus he also got a pt job in the neighborhood, joined a gym near school, still goes to the same yoga studio (PT for his scoliosis). He's very happy with how things are going.

    Transferring to NYU (about 45m commute) is not attractive to him as he just doesn't want the debt. We're able to help him considerably with CUNY as it's inexpensive and right now he has no debt and some money in the bank. We won't borrow for him (he's our youngest and we did not borrow for our three older ones either...and we still have one at home that we are helping with a local SUNY). Anyway.

    So he was planning to transfer to City College, which has an ABET-accredited engineering program and is very doable financially. He figured he'd just commute and suck it up - the commute is about an hour and 40m each way. Dorming is...less than NYU would be but still enough that he'd have to borrow. And he'd have to work less, perform less...maybe not at all as time went by. He knows the course work will just get harder.

    But now that it's time to apply to transfer...he is having second thoughts. He suggested that he stay at Brooklyn College, double major in Physics and Music, and keep his church/job/band/social life/etc. But. He's concerned that a Physics major won't lead to a real job, iykwim. He was planning to major in Civil Engineering, stay in the city, and be a part time musician. Now things are up in the air and none of us are sure how to think.

    So. I guess my question really is....I don't know what I am really asking! We don't know what we don't know, so it's hard for my husband and I look at this, pro/con all the options, and give our son wise advice. So any thoughts any of you have would be most welcome!!

    • Like 1
  6. My son used it for Alg 2 and Pre-Calc. He loved myhsmc and thanks me for signing him up for it! He learned solid study skills in addition to the actual math.

    He is a rising college sophomore and I would say that he was well-prepared ...but you may interpret this differently.

    After he was accepted to his college, in the spring of 12th grade, he took a math placement test. He missed placement into Calc 1 by one point. He was annoyed because he knew that if he had taken the same test about 6 weeks later he would have done better, but it was too late. He took Pre-Calc over the summer and aced it with an A+. And we were both pleased after he took the class, as he got used to the college atmosphere and made a few friends.

    He took Calc 1 fall semester, Calc 2 spring semester, and just finished Calc 3 this summer. He got an A in all three classes. He found Calculus fascinating, and a little challenging in the best kind of way. He's torn between majoring in Engineering and double majoring in Physics and Music

     

    • Like 2
  7. He's living home and commuting (only 20m by bus) so it's not too tragic for me. He took a summer class (Pre-Calc) and got an A+ (he just missed placing in to Calculus and the class was all review) so he is feeling pretty confident!

    Today was his first day of the semester and he's already called me twice - once to see if his Chem textbook came in the mail (it hasn't but should be delivered before 8pm) and once to see if I had read the "woke" book he was assigned for English (I haven't). He already knows a few kids in Chem and English and he is currently on his way to the gym.

    • Like 3
  8. Thanks for all of the help. I asked the woman who is organizing it and she said 1. I don't have to speak that long and 2. she wants "inspirational". So I think I'll be fine. I can talk about our family without fear that it will go on too long, since I will keep it to more like 5 minutes - and I can just use some of our experiences as a good example of God's faithfulness.

    • Like 1
  9. Our oldest got married in February of 2017. We did not pay for the whole thing! We gave them some money towards the wedding, they put in money, and his parents contributed a lot. I think they paid for the open bar on top of their original contribution, which I understand was about what we put in. Also...they invited some of their own friends to the wedding, which we did not, so I think they gave more because of that. They also paid for the rehearsal dinner. We would have contributed but they viewed it as their party.

    On top of our contribution we paid some extra towards the dress which was a bit more than she had anticipated. We also had to cover things like our youngest daughter's bridesmaid dress, our son's suit, hotel rooms for us and the kids, the bulk of the shower. The bridesmaids gave it but two of them were our daughters and the girls combined didn't have all that much money so we stepped in.

    All in all - it was a lot of money. We live in an expensive area - NYC - and they got married in New Jersey, which is almost as bad!

    Our second daughter is engaged now. We offered her the same amount and I don't believe that his parents are contributing anything...at least, they haven't offered yet. She and her fiance are putting in a lot. They're planning a bigger wedding and are having a longer engagement becasue of it.

    Basically - our girls have know for years that we could help, but not pay for it all, unless they did something small.

    OH - they cut costs by 1. having a friend of a friend do the photographs. The women is a professional food photographer and she charged way less that a wedding photographer but still did a great job. 2. No flowers in the venue - it was beautiful enough. So only bouquets for the girls. 3. Getting married at the venue instead of their church - the church charged even more. 4. No dj or band  -they made a spotify playlist and the boyfriend of one of the bridesmaids managed it. My husband set up his laptop at the venue so it would go through the speakers and it was perfect. 5. No limos. The venue has a hotel so they were all just there already. 6. The dress was from BHLDN and about $800. iirc. A lot less than some dresses!

    • Like 3
  10. My homeschool Math class (Jann in TX) Pre-Calculus with Mrs. Nowell - Hit. My son learned a lot and really enjoyed the class

    The Potters School Pre-Ap Chemistry with Mrs. Selby - mixed. Solid class that my son disliked. I'm not crazy about TPS compared with other online classes we've used but once we got used to the website it was ok.

    Memoria Press Senior Thesis with Dr. Dray - Hit. My son thinks that Dr. Dray is a great teacher and the writing went quite well.

    Write at home Literary Analysis workshop with....I can't remember the teachers name!! Hit. The amount of feedback was just right for the price.

    Homegrown music  class - Hit. We used the DK/Smithsonian Music: The definitive visual history book with many, many Youtube videos as well as Bass guitar lessons that included some music theory, which led to him doing a lot of independent research. Ge taught himself a great deal.

    Homegrown Govt/Eco - good enough, but I designed it to be good enough, not great, so I guess it was a hit? We used older (like 5 or so years) introductory college texts with lots of current events. Quizzes from the texts, no tests, just short writing assignments.

    Homegrown Lit - overall Hit. Just reading and discussing together.

    Jensen's Punctuation - hit. He did the first half last year and then this year he did a page or 2 of the review section per week. Just the right amount of review.

     

    • Like 3
  11. 19 hours ago, Tibbie Dunbar said:

     

     

    This is not a slam and not snark - I just want to reassure you that the Calvert/ABeka/MFW crowd will identify just fine with what you want to say about diligence, high academic level, and commitment. They have more in common with us (WTM/CM/Neo-classical) than with unschoolers, not-schoolers, ACE/LIFEPACS, etc. Not that I can honestly lump the latter group all together, just if you want to talk about heavy books and a great deal of work, the former group is on board with that. 

     

    I was thinking more of how I tailored each book/program/curriculum to each child for each subject. Even when I reused something, I used it differently. I know that the families that use all one program do a lot of work! But I don't want to emphasize the planning work I put in, even though I would like to. What you said about not giving up was very helpful - thanks!!

     

    • Like 2
  12. at our Homeschool Graduation/End of the year night. My youngest is graduating so I am DONE. We have a service where we give certificates to all of the children, honor the 8th grade graduates, have the 12th graders walk in cap and gown, give gifts and diplomas, pray for the graduates, flip tassels, etc. We always have a speaker give a shortish sermon geared to the graduates and sometimes one of the graduates or parents say a few words. This year they've asked one of the pastors in our group and me. I'll have about 10 minutes.

    I have no idea what to say! I'm not at all shy but....I don't want to make it all about me. I want to encourage everyone there. I find myself worrying that I will discourage some of the families if I speak to much about my approach, which has been eclectic, equal parts Charlotte Mason/SWB/whatever seemed right to me, and, honestly, a great deal of work. But many of the families in our group use a program (like ABeka or Calvert or My Father's World) and just use it with all of their children. And I am not sure that I want to emphasize a commitment to not giving up, even though I think that is something that really kept me going, as I don't want anyone to think that putting some or all of their kids in school for a time or even permanently is a bad thing. I don't want to preach - the pastor is doing that.

    I guess I want to emphasize doing whatever they think is best and then trusting God and giving it their all. Really knowing themselves and their children. Being both consistent and flexible.

    Any thoughts or experiences that will help me out?

    • Like 2
  13. Today is our last scheduled day of school - and there is nothing to do but talk some more about our last book, The Brothers Karamazov. He finished most of his work last week and took his final math test yesterday. Our homeschool group does a graduation every year and that won't be for a few more weeks. We're both looking forward to it!

    This morning we registered him for orientation in a month at his college, which is when he'll register for classes, etc. He'll be commuting in the fall so he's not going away and it won't be that big a change. My older girls all lived/are living at home through college so I know what to expect.

    I keep waiting to feel sad but I don't. Twenty-two years of homeschooling four children. I feel...Accomplished. Done. Successful. Pleased. Proud. Free.

     

    • Like 11
  14. Even though he didn't really need to take the writing portion of the SAT, I thought the class was great for my son. He needed the practice in reading directions carefully, making a plan, and getting it written in the time given. Writing on the fly is very difficult for him. And I thought it was great that he got to learn how to approach the ACT essay as well, even though he wasn't going to take the ACT. Switching between the two kinds of essays was a good experience for him.

    • Like 1
  15. 6 minutes ago, GinaPagnato said:

    Once again I find myself wondering how parents of teens can feel safe with guns in their homes. I'm not trying to shame anyone, truly. But I have raised several teens and they have all gone through difficult times (some more than others). I can't imagine having a weapon in my home that one of my dc or their friends may have access to. 

    My husband is retired NYPD and we've always had guns in our home - still do. Two of our daughters dealt with depression/anxiety as teens, one was hospitalized. We keep the guns in a safe to which even I don't have the pw and we later bought a locked box for all the medication.

    I don't know how this boy got to his Dad's guns but I am not going to assume that he - the Dad - is criminally responsible.

    • Like 1
  16. My husband gave me a very nice card, but he didn't do what I really wanted - all of the dishes, even the ones I created - as he had a toothache and went to bed after church. By the time he was up I had cleaned the kitchen - twice.

    My son told me after church "Happy Mother's Day. You are appreciated." I know he used that passive voice to be jokey - we've talked about it enough in his writing - but I would liked something a little stronger. My daughter said nothing till dinner time (we had bought cold cuts so they all could have an easy dinner, minimal mess) and then she and my son brought me a card. I could tell that my husband had bought it for them to give me, which was very sweet of him. We all had a good laugh and it was a great card so it was kind of nice. And my older girls called.

    Overall, it was not bad!

  17. The only thing I request every year is this - I just don't want to cook or do dishes. So we almost always order in. Restaurants tend to be super crowded so I don't want to go out to eat, though we have occasionally had fast food. I prefer KFC to cooking/dishes!! But this year I am still Whole 30ing so I can't even imagine what we will eat. Sadly, I will probably make something in advance for myself and order pizza for everyone.

    This year we may go see my oldest and her husband on Saturday and then my second will come over after church. I will probably get a few cards, perhaps a gift card or a candle or flowers. Always something from someone, but never something big or from all of them.

    • Like 1
  18. Since I've had 5 c-sections my doctor would not do a hysterectomy. I was concerned that an ablation wouldn't be enough but it worked very well. It's been about 5 years and I'm sort of mid-menopause (getting my period about half the time) and while I am eager to be DONE, I am glad that it is happening naturally.

  19. Brooklyn's in the house! Not quite born and raised (I was born in in Manhattan, uptown) but close!

    But I don't live in the funky fresh neighborhoods or in the upscale neighborhoods. By living in what I would call a working class neighborhood, we've been able to live a middle class lifestyle on one income.

    • Like 1
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