at the beach
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Posts posted by at the beach
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If she has done her math through algebra 2, you could consider AP Physics B with the exam and the subject test. She seems to have all the background she needs. To prep for an AP Chem or Bio, you could have her do part of a regular chem course this summer and part next summer. I do not think sequence matters, either, but I think taking an AP level Chem this coming year and holding off on the exam seems like it would create unnecessary work, which I would think is best to avoid. It would also result in her having to shift her focus off of whatever science she does in 11th grade. How would she prep for both AP Bio and Chem that year? Perhaps she could but why do it that way if you don't have to? If she can finish an entire chemistry this summer, she could do AP biology this coming fall if you want to avoid her taking the new chem test. But it seems like physics would be a good option and allow her a little more freedom in completing a chem course.
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My dd did MUS Geometry last year in ninth grade. She did all worksheets and honors worksheets. With no additional prep, she got every single geometry question correct on the PSAT when she took it this past fall. We are counting it as a full math credit.
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Homeschooling sometimes feels like traveling in the dark. It's hard to know how something will turn out when we haven't done it before. If the previous Spanish work completed is not what you originally planned, but there is enough there to call it something different like Conversational Spanish and you want or need credit, I think that's fine.
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There was a document online that correlated the new Ap Campbell Biology book with the new AP exam. Hundreds of pages of material was listed as not being on the AP exam. It seemed like well over 500 pages to me but I don't recall exactly. ETA: And thanks, Claire, for sharing so many details about the new exam!
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This may be a dumb question (I have no experience with these schools), but do any of these schools organize and schedule the work for the student, such as offering a daily or weekly schedule, that sort of thing? Or is the student expected to figure all of that out herself and pace herself accordingly?
Which, if any, of these schools offer interaction with an instructor, rather than just grading tests and keeping transcripts?
Which school(s) would you consider if you were in a situation where you needed your student to be able to work mostly independently of your help? (It's not that I'm unwilling to help. Her dad and I will both be available for help and support as needed. But we also need this to be mostly on her shoulders. Circumstances dictate that she needs to work independently as much as reasonably possible.)
Other considerations: adequate preparation for college (both in terms of the actual coursework and also in terms of having a good enough reputation to get her accepted), either secular or Christian is fine but if Christian, we'd probably prefer something more towards the Catholic end of the spectrum (we're Eastern Orthodox), and finally, the more affordable the better, because we need to save some money for college!
I would look at Seton. I think it fits your requirements. They have samples online for some of the high school classes, and they are very helpful if you call them. You could enroll and review everything to see if you think it would work. If it doesn't, they do have some kind of refund policy where you get most of your money back if you send everything back within a certain amount of time. Best wishes!
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The Outsiders by SE Hinton.
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What a wonderful accomplishment! Congratulations to your daughter. :hurray:
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If you do modern history for 9th finishing up this core, you could start your history cycle with modern history and go back to ancient history and move forward from there. With all you have been through and all you'll have going on in the summer, I would not worry about completing anything this summer. And why let half of something you've both really loved so far get rushed through? I would add the second half of a high school world history spine or even some TTC lectures and use the second half of the core for 9th. Best wishes! :grouphug:
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Hi, Ellen,
Lili Serbicki has been very willing to answer questions and give info on how her classes work when I have contacted her. I have heard very good things about both her AP level classes. At this point, we are planning to have my daughter take AP Lit with Lili next year. We were going to have dd take Lili's Creative Writing class this year, but we just couldn't fit in another online class. Best wishes figuring out what to do!
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Thanks to all for welcoming me back into the fold and happily suggesting ideas.
As far as outsourcing, am I tout of whack, or what? Everything I look at seems so expensive (Oak Meadow: $900/course?!?). That's one reason I struggle with this concept, I guess, because I'm un-willing/able to fork over so much money. It may be a totally unrealistic expectation.
We've found for some things it has made sense to outsource but to keep it reasonable. Online classes can quickly get to be too much for us, especially if there are lots of meetings, lectures, interaction. Rolling Acres (A Catholic provider) for German has been fantastic. Lukeion for Latin has been excellent, too. I could have taught German but no way could we have managed Latin the way Lukeion has covered it. My daughter has accomplished a lot, and it was $ well spent. For other courses, we could have managed on our own w/lab sciences at the cc for 11th and 12th. But Derek Owens Physics and Write at Home have been a great fit here and worth the expense. DO is go at your own pace, and it is a solid physics course. WaH is great because it covers writing and it is pretty much totally painless, highly efficient, and leaves me out of the equation.
One thing no one has addressed on which I would love to have some insight: motivation, accountability. How do you come up with these things for yourselves, your kids? I don't think school has to be all love and fun, but I suppose the definition of burnout is everyone hating what they're doing and resisting doing it, me included. I'm not "The Joyful Homeschooler" and I want to reclaim that. And I want my kids to walk away from high school feeling proud of what they've done, rather than hateful. Then again, maybe that's asking too much for some kids.
W/re to accountability and motivation, it helps here to have my kids do things they find meaningful. The Write at Home Research Paper Workshop was great for this because the topic is the child's choice. I encourage lots of reading of whatever my kids want. I sometimes forget how beneficial it is to just read. And for some courses, we decide to just keep things basic. My kids can work through a manageable program better than when they are confronted with a giant program that seems never-ending.
I have a great transcript form, and have no problem making one, but I do struggle with the idea of grading. Maybe I should worry less. I worry if I've graded enough, if the grades are "authentic", if what I called "good" really equaled a high-school level course. All that. I thought maybe some of you don't use a transcript, and instead went a different route.
This is why I just opt for the mastery approach and give a grade of "pass" for things we do at home.
TTC courses: From what I've read these are used as supplements, rather than stand alone. Correct?
You can use TTC courses as the basis for a course. We haven't found them thrilling (maybe I am buying the wrong ones?) but they can come in handy when you need a class and don't know what to do. Each guidebook has a lot of suggestions for readings to go with the course.
All your responses are very much appreciated. I don't have support around here, so you guys are my lifeline on this stuff! Thank you.
Best wishes! :)
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Welcome back! :)
BTDT w/Seton with my youngest who's in 7th grade. I finally realized though we need structure we didn't need the level Seton provides. I do think Seton can be a good option, especially for some high school classes. I have enjoyed reading CHC's High School book even to just get ideas but it is pricey unless you can find it used.
For high school, I haven't graduated any homeschoolers yet. My oldest was not homeschooled. My middle daughter is in 10th grade this year, and she's been home since she was 9. We've done a variety of classes, some home-based, some outsourced. We plan for dd to start at the cc in the fall for science. I did a transcript for the cc, and I somehow managed to survive. :tongue_smilie: I try to write our course descriptions at the beginning of the year and then update them if I need to as we go along. We so far aren't using an accredited program. As for grading, I don't really spend much time worrying about how to grade or what grade to give because we work to mastery. I plan to grade our home-based courses as pass/fail unless required to give grades. For outsourced classes, I convert everything to a 4.0 grading scale. I am keeping work in case we need a portfolio, and I do have my kids keep a reading list. There are lots of people who will generously show you samples of transcripts, course descriptions, etc. on this list and others. If you aren't a member of College4CathHS or hs2coll Yahoo Groups, you should consider joining.
HTH!
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My dd is entering 9th grade and has Dyslexia and a math disability.
Will the Key to Algebra be enough? I'm also looking at LoF and TT.
Thoughts?
Linda
I'll add another to your list. Have you looked at Basic Algebra by Brown? http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/0395564808 It is an excellent text IMO. You can get a teacher edition, too, if you need it. Used copies are very inexpensive.
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A link to an earlier thread where I posted info regarding an inexpensive version of ChalkDust statistics: http://forums.welltr...ive +statistics
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Here's the link to an earlier thread giving details on the inexpensive version of Chalkdust that I bought: :)
http://forums.welltr...ive +statistics
For Physics, my 10th grader is doing Derek Owens honors level physics this year (he also has non-honors level), and it has been a great fit. I highly recommend it.
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It's wonderful that you have the time needed to preview all your home educating materials in their entirety. :) I'm going to make a confession, though - I don't. Part of it is a time issue and part of it is that I simply can't be bothered to look over every page of every book we cover at this level. Because of that, I do appreciate the collective wisdom of this group and other entities like it both online and in real life. I fully expect my daughter to sometimes come across ideas that don't necessarily match with her/our own philosphies and I'm OK with that - that's a major part of helping her grow into a mature and independent learner. Many times in life, we (the general "we") are called upon to make decisions without knowing all the facts or without having had a chance to see all relevant first-hand information with our own eyes. We still make the decisions, though. :) We are often helped to reach those decisions partly by second-hand information from others and partly by our own "snap" judgments based on what first-hand information we have been able to access. That's why I appreciate that we can all share information and experiences with one another to help others make more informed choices. I think that was the original intent of the thread - to share information - not to question anyone's reaction to that information.
W/re to previewing all materials, yikes, I never meant to say I previewed everything we use. If it sounded that way, no, that's not what I do. Not by a long shot. :tongue_smilie: What I intended to say was that if I had such immense concerns about certain material and if that sort of material would bother me that much, I'd make sure I checked over the material myself first. That's really all I was saying. :) In 7 years of homeschooling, I can't recall a time where I've been nastily surprised by what's in a curriculum or a time where I was so concerned I felt I needed to read the material first. I knew in Apologia Biology there would be stuff I didn't agree with. I looked it over and found suitable additional information to use instead.
Also, I totally agree with you that we need to rely on the wisdom of others. My initial post in this thread was that if I had these kinds of concerns, I'd have asked the teacher because I felt that reading about his Christian background on his website was a tip-off that there might be Christian material in his courses. But perhaps others wouldn't see it that way. Obviously, everyone is different in how they perceive things. And I totally appreciate learning from others on boards like this. My only point was that I think I personally could only end up feeling irked with myself if I was surprised by content I didn't agree with if I hadn't previewed it myself. I would not feel irked with the teacher if I hadn't asked him first about my concerns. I would not feel irked with those whose wisdom I relied on even if those comments later turned out to not be accurate. And probably for me personally I wouldn't be irked at all. :)
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A few thoughts for you:
Yes, it's typical behavior. Kids this age are often trying to pull away from parents, so when they are homeschooled, it makes it all the harder IMO. :grouphug: That's why I don't think it's helpful in this type of situation to try to exert authority over teens. It's better to work with them to come up with a plan for what they want their education to look like. And to try to accommodate them (within reason) even if it means lowering expectations.
I would be reassured by the fact that your daughter is doing well in the Spanish course and the library staff loves her.
I would not take away the theatre experience.
As for writing, I would find a way to outsource this and remove myself from the equation. Write at Home is an excellent resource. One of the best we've found.
You comment that you are concerned she is not reaching her potential. I don't think many of us do that across the board. It would be too stressful for me anyway. :tongue_smilie: It's okay to do some things in a less rigorous manner. You don't talk about your daughter's future goals, but I would be looking at that. I'd allow some classwork to be lighter in the areas she is less interested in.
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I think if the tables were turned and a curriculum was presented as non-secular on this board, and you dropped $500 for the course only to find a statement or two that were strongly anti-Christian, a few on this thread would be irked. Yes, you could work around the statements, but maybe there was a better place for your money. That's all.
Yes, I would be irked at myself if I found something unacceptable to me in a curriculum product that I had assumed wasn't there. Because ultimately, as a home educator, it is up to me to preview materials. Teachin'Mine is right when she says children will be exposed to all kinds of things from outside teachers. But in this particular case with Derek Owens materials, the content in question could have been discovered in advance by previewing the materials. That takes time to do. But that's the responsibility I have assumed as a home-educator. :) ETA: I definitely do not preview all materials. Sorry if that's how it sounded! I'd only consider doing that if I had serious concerns about potential content, which has never yet happened. What I should have said was that *if* I were going to be irked about something like this, I personally could only be upset with myself for not looking into it thoroughly enough. But that's just my opinion on it.
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My non-Christian 8th grader is taking Derek Owen's physics class this year. Before I signed my son up, I read the DO webpages referenced in a prior post. It was easy for me to deduce that Derek Owens is a Christian. His webpages state that he taught at a Christian school and he also lists theology as one of his hobbies.
These boards have stated that the Derek Owen's physics course is secular. Derek Owen's has never made that assertion. The OP simply started this thread to refute what had been stated on these boards. I don't know if anyone actually thinks that Derek Owen's pulled a fast one,but in my opinion, that is an absolutely ridiculous claim.
The Derek Owen's class has been outstanding. As a mom with non-Christian kids, I highly recommend it.
I agree.
The physics class has been outstanding for us, too. And I am thrilled DO offers these classes.
It was also apparent to me that Mr. Owens is a Christian before signing my daughter up for his class based on the information on his website. I don't view the inclusion of that kind of information (what church he attends and the fact that he taught in Christian schools) as non-relevant. To me, that signaled there might be some religious content of some sort. If I had been concerned about religious content, I would have asked Mr. Owens whether his course was 100% secular before signing up.
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In your shoes, I would ask myself what my child's interests are and go from there, choosing to spend more time in areas of interest and allowing some courses to be more basic. But obviously, YMMV.
When I look at your 9th grader's proposed schedule, I would drop formal vocabulary and logic right off the bat. I would probably also drop CLE Language Arts. You've also chosen a math program with long lectures from what I understand. If you like it and it works for you, great, I would not change it. I can tell you Lukeion Latin certainly involves more than one hour a day here, and it is a much-loved class. All JMO.
When I look at your proposed 9th grade schedule, the question I have is how realistic is it that you can get those things done in the time you list? Are you really going to be able to cover all that LA stuff for your 9th grader in 1.5 hours? Can you really do CD Geometry in one hour a day, including the time it takes to listen to the lecture?
For your 7th grade, I would probably not bother with an Essay Workshop from WaH yet. But that's just me and again, I'd be ditching the formal vocabulary work and the logic stuff there, too.
If you read all those books on your list and discuss, you are giving your kids SO much just with that! :)
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Some things should not matter, in my opinion.
Race. Gender. State of residence. Parents' income. Whether one of the ancestors attended the school.
None of these have anything to do with the student's ability and should not have any bearing on the admissions process. Yes, I can dream.
Can the admissions process ever really be fair to everyone? What's ever fair? How do you determine who has the most promise when most kids who apply look very much like they have promise?
As for family income, if a student's parents are in poverty and have never went beyond high school diplomas or have no diplomas and live in a high-poverty rural area with poor schools and that child has an SAT score that breaks 2000, that potentially seems to says something significant. Does the child with a 2300 who lives in Manhattan and attends a top tier private prep school show more promise/ability?
My questions are purely rhetorical, of course.
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I like Angie's suggestion of doing regular physics next year with AP Environmental Science. Dd 10th grade is doing DO Physics this year. It's an excellent course. Also, I think AP Physics B is changing after next year--I think it's going to be split into two courses. That might make it harder to do without a previous course in physics. Another option you could consider is AP Physics B for 10th if your daughter has the math background, which it sounds like she does.
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What does her sister's job or alma mater have to do with any of what she wrote?
I mentioned her sister's alma mater only because *to me* that implies Suzy Weiss is probably not w/o some college options. My original post indicated that I thought the the essay was purely satirical. My later posts were simply an effort to support that conclusion. :)
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If you reread the article, you'll see that she never said that she did those things. She listed them as an example of a "low achiever" in contrast to her example of a high achiever; I believe both examples are hypothetical and meant to be snarky.
I doubt she would have have chosen to work in a pizza joint when she admits that she has relatives (like her sister?) she could have arranged to work for, and she mocks the very idea of "Work experience!" And since she says she didn't last a week at karate or one lap on the swim team, I'm kinda doubting she was a member of the cross-country team.
Jackie
Suzy Weiss does indeed participate in cross country. http://www.athletic....spx?AID=1557995 http://pa.milesplit.com/teams/1423
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I imagine it's a lot easier to get published in the WSJ if your sister (Bari Weiss) is an assistant editorial features editor there. ;)
WSJ also did a feature on her parents' lovely $700,000 custom-built house, complete with Modernist Italian furniture. Funny how the one group she doesn't rail against in her article is students who exploit family connections.
Her high school, BTW, is highly rated: "Allderdice is considered a high-achieving school by the district. It was awarded a Silver Medal by US News & World Report in their 2009 Best High Schools issue.... Allderdice was presented with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the US Dept of Education, the highest award an American school can receive."
I vote "whiner."
Jackie
Seems like Suzy's sister used to work for the WSJ. She now appears to work here: http://www.tabletmag.com/about. Suzy does appear to lead a relatively charmed life if we decide that sort of thing based on the trappings. Digging a little deeper reveals that her father is diagnosed with MS, so I'm sure like the rest of us her life hasn't been without some difficulties. http://www.post-gaze...-site-319099/��
Lots of people use their connections to their advantage. Based on Suzy's essay, I bet she can hold her own, too, if need be.
I'm now really impressed she's working at a pizza place and willing to tolerate being the slow one on the cross country team. Oh, wait, maybe that was all planned to impress colleges? :huh: LOL.
And FWIW, Suzy's sister Bari graduated from Columbia. http://topics.wsj.co...bari-weiss/5476
What to do after a fair Biology Course?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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If you are open to outsourcing, I highly recommend Derek Owens Physics.