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  1. The OnlineG3 class is using Born in Blood and Fire this year. It is great. I love that the author went out of his way to mention notable women in Latin American history. I'm not much of an audiobook fan, but I really enjoyed listening to the Audible version while on morning walks during the height of the pandemic. The OnlineG3 class is also using the accompanying primary sources book and Ada Ferrer's book Cuba. I haven't gotten around to reading either of those, but my daughter is thoroughly enjoying the reading. (She says the class discussions aren't adding much for her though.)
  2. I can relate, both with watching a long distance relationship prevent full engagement in the here and now, and also with watching a kid struggle to get out of a social rut. It is so hard to watch them going through these things. It is not that I didn't have similar issues, but I definitely wasn't sharing them with my parents. I am glad these kids are more willing to open up to us. Eos, are you a member of or can you join a parent FB group for your kid's school? I've been listening in to parent FB groups at schools my senior has applied to, and parents often post asking for suggestions in this kind of situation. Sometimes responses include another parent saying their kid is in the same boat and eager to meet new people, so they try to connect them for coffee or a workout or just meeting for lunch in the cafeteria. Sometimes responses suggest clubs or activities that might not be as well known, but provide rich social support. Sometimes responses include been there done that accounts, and parents report that things got better sophomore year (esp as students get more engaged with their major departments), or a parent reports that their kid transferred and is much happier now.
  3. With my younger kid I used Jacobs Geometry 2nd edition (ISBN 071671745X) plus the teacher guide (ISBN 0716717484) and test masters (ISBN 0716717476). We absolutely loved the 2nd edition. That text is narrative-style and very funny at times, and it is such a contrast to the visually overstimulating math textbooks that are so common now. If a parent is willing to teach the material with the help of the facsimilie overhead transparencies in the teacher guide, there would be no need for additional video instruction. (I searched in vain for scans of the full-size transparencies, but I was able to make do with the mini versions in the teacher guide.)
  4. I'm a rebel. We've always done DIY department visits, both before and after acceptances. Going via the official channels, it seems the holdup is usually coordinating with the student ambassador, so we leave that part for last, since it does involve the department admin. I have my student directly email the instructor of one or two classes she wants to sit in on (most colleges have a searchable public course schedule), as well as any profs she might like to chat with. Then after those two pieces are ironed out, she contacts the dept admin and asks if there's a student ambassador available during the time she's free to have lunch with, tour the LLC, etc. We also check the department and school webpages and social media to see if there are any events or activities that she might be able to attend, like a foreign language conversation table, student presentations, a movie night, club meeting, etc.
  5. I've heard good things about Breaking the Barrier, so in your shoes I'd be exploring that. You might also look at CMU's Open Learning Initiative French 2 for independent learners. My daughter didn't use it, but I did. I think I could give high school French 3 credit for completion. To it I would add weekly iTalki tutoring. (If you need a tutor suggestion, I can look up who my daughter used when she was at that level of French.) Cost to access it is extremely low at $10 per user. In the menu on the left, click on "Learning Objectives by Module" to see the concepts covered (it will be a lot of scrolling). I will say that it might be best to start at the very beginning with their French 1 and work through that course at a faster pace. It would not be a waste of time at all, because it would help the student develop the necessary oral comprehension (it is not easy, but so satisfying when you prevail!). Also, it would not be a bad idea for a parent (hopefully with some French exposure) to work through it at the same time, so you could support each other as co-learners. CMU French 2: https://oli.cmu.edu/courses/elementary-french-ii-independent-paid/ CMU French 1: https://oli.cmu.edu/courses/elementary-french-i-independent-paid/
  6. Have you talked to Mrs. Barstow about the schedule conflict? You might be able to work out something with her, some sort of asynchronous participation using the recordings plus perhaps a scheduled weekly check-in. Or why not transition to one of the French 3 classes offered by WTMA (MWF at 2pm or 4pm Eastern) or CLRC (TW 2pm Pacific = 5pm Eastern)? My kid transitioned from independent study to WTMA French, and she has taken both Spanish and Russian with CLRC. She was happy with both providers for languages. CLRC's website seems to be having issues right now, so an email or phone call might be necessary to get more info.
  7. I would attempt to explain that because a homeschool high school diploma is recognized as valid in your state, the GED is not appropriate for your student. It is primarily intended for individuals who need to demonstrate the equivalent of a high school diploma. It is not intended for people who have earned or are on track to earn a high school diploma.
  8. My National Merit, 1590 SAT, 4.0 uw GPA, lots of DE, handful of AP older daughter got accepted to VT engineering in 2021, but not to the Honors College. She thought that was kind of hilarious. If they weren't offering her the Honors College, she felt that meant they must not particularly want her, which seemed strange given their gender ratio. OTOH, I also wondered if they prefer not to accept OOS students to the Honors College, since they might want honors-specific scholarships to go to in-state students.
  9. I cannot compare to DO, but what you describe has not been our experience with Thinkwell's Calc compatible with AP Calc AB this year. If we try to redo the exercises that follow a topic, we get the exact same problems in the same order. Same with the practice tests. Chapter tests can only be taken once.
  10. As a homeschooler, there are two ways you are allowed to label courses AP on your transcript. You either get approved to teach the AP course yourself, or you enroll your child in a course whose provider has applied for and received approval (like PA Homeschoolers, CTY, Blue Tent Online, Aim Academy, Art of Problem Solving, etc.). Only courses can be approved, not curricula, which is why Thinkwell calls their calculus materials "AP-compatible." Same scenario for Shormann Math. It may cover all of the AP content, but that does not make it an approved course. In order to use Shormann math as part of an AP Calc BC class on your child's transcript, you would need to pursue course approval (Course Audit) as a homeschool educator. It is a fairly easy process if you adopt the sample syllabus (most do), although you will have to provide proof of homeschool status when you set up a homeschool educator account. Since Shormann Math is not (to my knowledge) one of the approved texts, you will also need to select a text that you agree to have on hand as a resource (even if you do not teach from it). We are using Thinkwell, but I believe I selected one of the Larson texts as our resource text.
  11. You can find pretty detailed info here, including a link to the lab kit: https://help.cty.jhu.edu/support/solutions/articles/43000643323-honors-physics-ncaa-approved-course-materials
  12. I'm using Thinkwell Calc AB (compatible with AP) with my daughter this year, and it is meeting our needs (non-STEM kid). However, it does have issues. The AB class was clearly carved out from their full calculus class. There have been some errors, like problems on tests that require concepts they haven't covered yet. Also, it does not include enough problems for mastery. You'd want to be going through a prep book at the same time, and/or set aside a lot of time at the end of the year for practice/review.
  13. Check scholarship requirements. Some schools have scholarships that are awarded on the basis of test scores. Other schools might require test scores to be admitted to the specific school within the university, even if students can be admitted test optional as undecided majors. (Indiana University-Bloomington is one example.) And is there zero chance the college list could change? There are still some test required schools (including all Georgia public schools). Based on the data schools have been collecting, test optional may become less common in the future. FTR, my current senior's list wasn't finalized until late October, which would have been too late for squeezing in a test. But our plan all along was for her to apply with test scores, especially since our DE options were limited, so she took the PSAT, SAT twice, and ACT once, all during junior year. She did very little prep: just some Khan Academy SAT prep and she took the officially released tests as practice. (In solidarity, one Saturday morning I took a practice ACT with her! 😜)
  14. There was an update a few days ago. It'll open by Dec 31. Colleges won't start getting student info until late January. https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2023-11-15/update-simplified-streamlined-redesigned-2024-25-fafsa
  15. There is a parent group that is open to prospective families. I'm not a member of that group, but I am a member of another that is likely similar (JHU-CTY). Just go into it with a thick skin. Maybe that particular group is more nurturing, but parents of gifted kid groups often have a few blunt/rude participants who appoint themselves gatekeepers. (Like, "If your kid couldn't do X, Y, and Z completely independently by the age of 6, then you should be looking elsewhere." 🙄) https://www.facebook.com/groups/sohsparentsgroup
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