titianmom
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Posts posted by titianmom
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We're trying to convince her to study in the medical field (she'd make a fantastic nurse, but what do parents know?)
I'll hang onto it for a while. She swears she won't do anything yucky, but you never know.
Kim
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I'm guessing not; we finished up Biology last year and I'm assuming I can sell the 'scope.
Just checking to make sure before I put it up on For Sale.
Kim
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What do you think? I'd like to do a Native American sociology course. Dumb idea? Any suggestions on making it meaty enough? Can you even do a sociology course with a focus on Native American cultures and get credit for it?
I'm guessing if I just list it as a sociology course, no one would be the wiser on its focus.
Kim
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Yes, I think many here understand and have explained it better than I - lots of demo, not much experimenting going on. Thanks for the suggestions of adding some excitement to the labs instead of just doing what is expected to get the check mark on it.
The $300 is for Chemistry this year, thus the extra expense. I try to reuse items as well, but sometimes I only save a few bucks. I only have one child, too. If I had several children, then it would be worth it to me, you know?
Thanks again, Kim
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Am I the only one who feels that science labs are a total sham? Am I the only one out there that knows that kids can learn everything just as easily watching a video?
My husband and I both went through college, BTW; did the lab thing. Even enjoyed the classes and got all A's. (I"m Computer Science, he's an Economics major...)
Both of us felt the labs were a total waste there, too. Learned nothing from the lab that we couldn't have gotten from a book or video. High School? All A's (not boasting, just sayin'). I remember us kids goofing off and not paying much attention and not learning a thing in lab. Don't even remember what we did in Biology, etc. Obviously another waste of time.
But in my family, lecture is very effective--we don't need the touchie-feelie, hands-on stuff, anyway, and our daughter is no different. Yep, we fork out the hundreds of dollars every year and yep, we know its required...which is *why* we force ourselves to fork out the dough every year...
But we can't be the only ones out there who think this is a total waste of time and money.
I'm getting ready to blow another $300 for overpriced, practically nothing useful items, that we'll spend a couple of hours playing with and won't be able to get rid of afterward. Sigh...all to put the lab down on the transcript.
Guess its the price of homeschooling. Bend over and just take it like a mom, ha! :)
Kim
PS: My daughter is considering becoming a nurse. She says to me, "Mom, why do I need to do the lab, I "got it" already...."
My question and sentiments, exactly, child.
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I have a stubborn kid of 14, so I feel your pain. A girl who can be sneaky, too...which isn't good, believe me. She's been caught telling whoppers and we ground on occasion. THis all started at about 13ish. She's very bright and ahead on most things, which she resents because she thinks I make her work too hard in school and around the house. (Any work at all is considered too hard...she does the dishes and has to keep her room up which in her mind is too much, so you get the picture.)
Honestly, I make her do what she's capable of and she always sails through everything with "A's" so obviously it isn't a struggle. If anything I let up because she could prob handle more than she does. She complains because her friends call her "brainiac". I like all the kids, honestly, and I work with them, but I hate to say it but she can sail around most of them and I know it bothers her a bit. I say that God makes us all different and they have their talents just as she does. She needs to do what God has in plan for her and she shouldn't worry about what everyone else is or isn't doing. It's hard for kids. They want to be like everyone else, whether it is right or not, unfortunately. Getting them to be their own person is tough.
And she's been homeschooled since Kindergarten. She learned to read short stories and 3-5th grade novels by the time she was 4 1/2. So again, I can identify.
I don't regret homeschooling at all. It's been a good fit for her because I can see exactly what she's doing and can pace things at her pace.
Question: Where's hubby in all of this? Do you have joint counselling sessions? That helps with mine. If mine sees that it isn't just mom that's expecting her to do her work, she resigns herself to her "fate" and does it.
I don't know if you're Christian or not, but we pray with her, also. A spiritual life helps.
It sounds like his interest is centered on video and movies, which isn't good IMHO. And he prob picked it all up at school. Mine watches her movies and any games she plays has to meet our approval as well. She doesn't complain much on it and sees the wisdom in it, because she's Christian. There have been too many studies showing the bad side of video games and too much TV so I don't need to go into that, do I? :0)
And unfortunately, guys have much more of a problem than gals with this. They become pretty obsessed with it and get so introverted they can't function in the real world (in extreme cases, of course). I have a friend who has a son who is addicted and he won't even leave the house. But she can't handle him so she just lets him do what he wants. The kid became violent and was thrown out of school. He spends 24-7 playing videos, now. Very sad.
I see you're being careful, which is good IMO. I'd hold the line at all costs, and let Dad weight in if necessary. For his sake.
I think it's possible that with some time at home, his attitude may change for the better. Time will tell. And if all else fails you can put him back in brick and mortar school.
Also, find out any other interests that he has. Make it a part of school. Let him weight in on what he studies if at all possible. THis is important with middlers and high schoolers: Start talking about the future and where they want to be in 5-10 years. It helps. Mine decided she wants to be a pilot. Great! We took her flying and she flew a plane and helped to land it. The instructor wasn't kidding when he said she's a natural. So she's excited about private lessons next year and now we have a focus. She may change her mind, but now she has a reason to go to school and work on more math and science skills. We plan to visit colleges next year. Keeps 'em motivated! (And no, we arent weathy. It'll be interesting to see how all of this works out, but we'll manage somehow. We're determined...)
Hope it helps,
Kim
Thanks so much for all the replies so far. I just wanted to clarify that he has been in PS for four years, so it isn't like we are pulling him, putting him back in, etc.
Also, his access to all media is extremely limited, which is one of his complaints. Our children are only allowed to play video games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a max of 2 hours a day. TV is only in the livingroom and the little that we watch is usually as a family. He loves online comics like Manga so we sometimes allow that as well.
I have tried to suggest activities for him and every suggestion is met with an emphatic, "NO!" I really feel torn...
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I'd want Hollywood to stay away from. They'd only change and ruin it.
:001_huh:
Kim
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That's what I did with my girl. She's in 9th, now. I used the library and created my own stuff up to about 3rd grade and mine thrived.
You really don't need anything formal until about 3rdish IMHO.
We used a kid's easel to learn to write and practice her language arts skills. I did use 100 easy lessons and she was reading in a couple of months at age 4. I purchased Core Knowledge What Your __ needs to know books for scope and sequence and the library and mom's own created lined paper for everything else, including math and science.
We loved it.
Kim
If I had it to do over, I have decided that without a doubt Robinson is correct. I wouldn't bother buying a math program before Saxon 54. If I didn't already have them, I would purchase a bunch of manipulatives. Then, I would make my own memory work and daily work. I also wouldn't bother with any sort of schoolish, scheduled curriculum for science and history before 4th grade level. The only classroom-type curriculum I would purchase at the preK-3rd level is CLE LTR and LA1.All that this means is that at this point I am confident that I can do just as well with my home library on my own. I suppose this is different than what do I wish I had done differently. When I first began homeschooling, I felt like I needed more stuff, because I was less confident and more prone to compare what I was doing with what someone else was doing. So, I guess what I wish I had done differently is that I wish I had spent less time comparing what we were doing to the Joneses.
HTH-
Mandy
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I tried the Algebra thing in 8th. Mine sailed thru elementary math and I assumed she'd sail thru Algebra, as well.
All went well until about half-way thru the year and we had to put on the breaks. She wasn't retaining much at all, esp when I went back over the prev months' work.
This year we started Alg 1 all over again over the summer, moved more slowly, and magically in the fall/early winter the light bulb came on and she's back to sailing again in the 9th grade.
Just because they have an aptitude for math in elementary school doesn't mean that Alg 1 will come easy in the 8th grade. That's what we found out.
But every child is different....
Best wishes,
Kim
If there is any doubt then I'd rather see Algebra 1 worked in 9th grade any day over Algebra 1 worked at a B-C level in 8th.That extra year of maturity really makes a HUGE difference by Pre-Calc.
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My little one was about 5 and was in the big ballet recital one year at a large HS in MD. It included Ballet and hip hop and Irish tap and Jazz.
Some of the High School'ers decided to do a rather suggestive dance to "You Make Me Sick" by Pink and apparently it got past the instructors and their parents. (The album has a parental advisory notice on it...) There was absolutely no guessing required as to what the song was about. ??
I don't get it.
We joined another Ballet class that did Nutcracker every year. Much safer.
:)
Kim
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The teacher didn't go into the "whys", just that it is so. The class was on improving your speed and comprehension, etc.
And of course he said the more difficult the text, the less words read a minute, but still the average is the average and it isn't the significant of a difference (text-wise) and our reading skills/speed stops improving by about 12-14 years old.
Kim
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I went thru a few curricula before settling on Lial. Here are the ISBNs:
0321279212 - textbook 8th edition
0321285840 - digital video set (CDs)
0321285808 - Solutions manual
You can get it all for prob less than $28.00 (including shipping) either on half.com or ebay.
Why Lials? It's an introductory course for community colleges; basically high school algebra taught in a way for those who need remedial math before college algebra.
The texts are very well done IMHO. There's a wide margin with practice problems along the side for the student to work out as each concept is taught, and plenty of practice problems to pick and choose from, plus a review every chapter and a test on each chapter's work. The exercises/examples are pretty clearly written so that a motivated student could teach themselves, for ex.
The digital videos are okay and they pause to let a student practice examples given. I'd recommend watching the entire instruction seg first before saying you don't understand, sometimes they don't clarify things until the end before giving examples. But that's the only prob I saw with them, myself. As always, they're taught be students who are good in math and sometimes those types forget that not everyone is math friendly, and they need to slow down a bit and clarify for newbies. But we're managing to get it with the CDs.
There's also a set for Algebra II - Lial Intermediate Algebra. I just picked up a set for $11.00 on ebay. I have to get the digital videos, but that shouldn't be more than about $10.
I've tried LOF and Saxon, also. My student is getting it with Lials. And I can see how someone who is math-friendly could just work their way through Alg I in Lials with no trouble at all.
BTW, mine was very math-friendly until she hit Alg I. Just fyi on that...all the sudden math became work. She was used to flying through math in 20 mins with all 100's scores, then Algebra happened.
Kim
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Thought this was interesting. In a speed reading class the prof said that the average words per minute that people read today is: 150-250
30 years ago: 250-350.
Hmmm..... too much TV? Less challenging texts in school? Interesting.
Just thought I'd pass it on.
Kim
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That *would* be good journalism. Sigh. Not their aim IMHO.
The ONLY good thing about the piece was that the GMA "reporters" admitted their bias. If you're going to talk about unschooling, why not include at least one success case, such as the Colfax family whose children were accepted to Harvard? -
But I personally think the media is often out of touch with some segs of the general pub.
I think that there's a growing number of people out there in the real world who don't believe the media much at all, but will still listen to these types of early morning "of interest to them" programs because it speaks to them personally and sides with their choices in life (most send their children to a PS.)
BTW, I'm not totally against PS nec, there are good ones out there and not everyone can homeschool. I'm a realist, I suppose.
And FWIW, the media may not care one way or the other about homeschooling; they just want to please/attract a following. That's why there are the Glen Becks and RLimbaughs out there. It sells.
Again, I do believe they often aim for what the audience wants to hear. Sorry. It's human nature to watch/listen to someone who agrees with them. Who's watching these programs at that hour? Makes a big diff.
Kim
You know, though, I really think that most of the general public is more fair-minded than that. Of course there are people who refuse to look at the facts, but most people I've met who are non-homeschoolers or even anti-homeschoolers will concede some bias when they meet someone who is homeschooling successfully. They might not fully come around, but I think many people who are vehemently against homeschooling don't know any homeschooling families.So when those people watched GMA this morning, and were told that 1 out of 10 (or more) homeschool families live like this, of course they were horrified and wanted those kids protected.
I think most of the general public has at least some level of trust in the media (or they wouldn't watch these shows) and assumes that facts presented are based in reality. I agree with you that it isn't real journalism. But I think that most people who have limited experience with homeschooling will be misled by some of the information presented on GMA.
I guess I think that when people are expecting intellectual honesty of the media, they have an obligation to give it to them.
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I don't disagree with you. :) Believe me. That's what's so disturbing about this drivel, as we all agree.
FWIW, the reporting on politicians is slanted, too and I imagine they get pretty irate when they do segments on them and twist all the info to sell this time. Both Reps and Dems. I'm not sure why anyone watches the general news bcsts except for the weather.
The weather is just about the only thing on there besides local human interest stories that might actually be totally factual, ha! (And they don't get the weather right much of the time, anyway. Sad.)
Kim
We aren't confusing this stuff with real journalism. But many people in houses around the country will. And they vote. And they will be the ones pushing for new standards that encroach on our freedom to homeschool. -
Media sells to the public, this isn't journalism, it's agreeing with the majority and broadcasting programs that make the majority of the country feel good (or bad depending on what their goals are to sell airtime.)
Please don't confuse this stuff with real journalism, folks.
Kim
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You have to understand that the general media is only interested in pleasing the majority of viewers, not giving you factual information in an unbiased way. The majority of viewers do not homeschool; they send their kids to a brick and mortar.
So, you're not going to give evidence that homeschooling works. You might, on occasion, find *someone* who actually wrote a balanced article saying that the majority of homeschooling situations work (and point out that there are families that fail in homeschooling--fact is, it happens), but they're extremely rare. Again, they're articles, not airtime. Big diff.
Media tries to get a sense of how people view things and run with it, with some slanted stuff from their own personal views. It isn't real journalism, it's salesmanship more than anything else. They want you to watch their programs. They tell you what you (the general public majority) want to hear.
I don't watch the various news programs on the major stations because of this, I watch some PBS and maybe Frontline or something like that because it isn't quite as slanted and I believe they strive more for good journalism vs drivel.
My 2 cents.
Kim
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I love having my daughter read the book them watch the DVD and compare and contrast the two.
I have the set and plan to use in in HS and make it an Honors course using K. Stout's suggestions for such. FYI, one of those "extra" assignments to make it an honors course (one of the options) is the do just that--read the book, view the movie, do a C & C and also explain why they think the producer/writers made the changes, etc.
We're looking forward to using it.
Kim
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I'm thinking of using it as a speech/comp class for HS but not at a freshman level.
If Stobaugh doesn't give much instruction on writing, I plan to further my dd's writing skills, anyway, over the next couple of years (9th and 10th) so by Jr/Sr high, she should be pretty comfortable with writing at that point and it *shouldn't* matter about Stobaugh's lack of anything.
And yes, I know it's supposedly for 7th-9th, but with all that reading and writing, I'd say it would be better for a Jr HS level class, perhaps.
Unless I'm looking at an old book that was more intensive than the current book?
Kim
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Hi all to those who have actually used the course:
Can you give me some ans/input on this course? Is it a stand-alone course? Can it be used for a Jr/Sr in HS vs lower grades? Too weak or ok for a comp & rhetoric course at those grades??
What I'm hearing is people don't like Stobaugh because he doesn't explain things very well, for ex, how to actually org/write the papers, more info on the actual instructions, etc and people get lost trying to use his stuff.
On the other hand, I also understand that people who watch the DVD where he explains how to use the course have no problem with the material (??)
I'm assuming, also, that this is a year-long, 1 credit course.
Thanks~
Kim
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My husband and I have been married for over 25 years.
While all of our other friends were going into massive debt buying houses they could barely afford, we bought a tiny cape cod based on one income, even though we both worked and could have afforded something almost 3 times as much, according to the insane realtor.
We lived there for 11 years. We had a baby and decide to move. We bought again, well within our means (based on one income), and used the profit off the one house to finance the other one, of course.
We worked and fixed it up really nice, and I quit work to homeschool.
We've always paid off all credit cards every month, unless it was an unusually big payment due to an unexpected (small) crisis, like a car breaking down. Still, the cards were always paid off quickly within a couple of months. We only have 2 cards, BTW.
We have always bought used cars, usually paid up front for them. We save money and only buy what we need most months, and splurge now and then for something not very expensive, and we take a simple vacation almost every year that doesn't cost a fortune. (While our friends continue to buy very expensive things and go on several vacations, it seems.)
If you think we're misers, we aren't. My hubby has a secular job, now, and makes less than $100K. Before he pastored a church for 5 years and made below poverty level, back then, ha! Still didn't run up the credit cards and we lived within our means. We couldn't go on vacations or anything, but we were happy.
We have no cell phone, no ipods, and as my daughter's friends say, we live in the stone age. :) We actually bought my daughter a Wii last Christmas and it was a big deal, ha!
This year we put in an air conditioning sys in the house and paid up front for it, and bought a cyclone rake which is a major disaster IMHO (we're sending it back...), so we do buy things that are pricey now and then. But we pay them off right away.
We've always been happy. We feel we have everything we need, because our needs are simple.
I think that's the key. Don't buy into all the commercialism, thinking you have to have all the latest technology and you have to drive new cars and live in a large house. Don't do what everyone else is doing.
You will still be happy. Honest. It pays to be able to sleep at night knowing you aren't up to your eyeballs in debt.
FYI, I'll be praying for your hubby to get a job soon!! Blessings,
Kim
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We bought one and tried it out today for the first time.
What a piece of junk, is all I can say!
First off, we had to drill holes in our tractor to mount the thing on, and for the money I say we shouldn't have had to drill holes in our tractor, but okay...
Secondly, the deck adapter didn't fit. (We have a Craftsman tractor, a couple of years old.) We called and they said the adjust the bolts on top and we should be able to get the adapter closer to the mower and close the gap. Well, it didn't work and we ended up with over an inch gap and we were afraid junk would fly out and hit us trying to mow. So, we called back and they said not to worry, that the suction would take care of it....
Wrong. Stuff was hitting my husband's leg so he Duct Taped the gap!!! Okay, so maybe we could still use it with duct tape (keep in mind this is brand new and cost us $2353.00!)
So he goes about 40 yards and he looks back and gas is flying out of the thing! YIKES...he stops and cleans up the mess and assumes he had done something wrong, like overfill the gas tank on the engine. (NO he didn't, but hey, we assume that it's new and we didn't something wrong....) He starts it back up and goes another 40 yards maybe and looks back and gas is shooting out of it still! Stops the mower, and checks out the engine and the CLAMPS HAD COMPLETELY FLOWN OFF! These are the clamps that hold the engine onto the frame. Unbelievable!!! We had tightened them down as instructed in the manual...??
We look all around the area and find them in the grass, completely stripped. Yes, stripped!
If we've done something wrong, I sure would like to know what it is.
Anyone have one of these things?
Kim
Old Kingfisher history vs. new
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Its $35 including shipping, and its heavy.
Let me know if you want it - titianmom@yahoo.com
I do paypal...
Kim