ValRN
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Posts posted by ValRN
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We've used both Jann and Derek Owens. I agree with what ks-sonflower stated about Jann's courses.
Elder DS (now in college) took Jann for alg 1, geometry, and alg 2. After alg 1, he insisted upon taking Jann for his remaining high school maths. He took math at the community college for his 12th grade math. When he took the placement test, he scored into Calculus but could not take it because he had not taken trig. Overall, he scored above average on the math portion of his college entrance exams, but math was his weakest area on these tests.
10th grade DS took Jann for alg 1 and is currently taking alg 2 with her. He took geometry with Derek Owens between the two algebras. Although, I think DO's courses are wonderful, geometry was nearly a disaster for DS. Well, I guess I should not say 'disaster' because he made an A in the course. The format did not work for him at all. He learned NOTHING from the lectures would get almost every practice problem wrong. DS and I would have to go back through the book, lectures notes, and watch videos online before he understood the lessons. DS virtually taught himself geometry because DO offers no tutoring. (BTW, Jann gives FREE tutorials to her students.) Because DS had to do a lot of extra work to do to learn the concepts, he had to work through the summer. DS and I got so burned out on reading and re-reading material and looking for adequate videos online that I ended up hiring a tutor for him to take him through the remainder of the curriculum. Now, let me add this DS was struggling with learning differences that were not diagnosed until late in second semester of this geometry year. He has only taken the PSAT...scored slightly above average, but again, math the weakest area. He'll be taking the ACT in June. I wish Jann taught Pre-calc and Calc.
7th grade DD is taking Jann for Honors Pre-algebra. The course goes a little slow for her, but this is my higher-achieving child. I signed up for Jann's alg 1 course, and I'l probably use her for geometry and alg 2 also.
If you'd like more info, PM me.
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It was a joke. :)
See, that's another problem I have with screen conversations - you can never be sure of the intended tone.
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I'd recommend a virtual sleepover next time. They can chat on Facetime until 2 am instead. And eat their own snacks! Less work for you.
It is more about social etiquette than how much work is required.
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The other parents weren't there...you can't know what they are or are not okay with and giving some kind adult guidance is part of taking on the responsibility of hosting children, Imo.
I can agree that saying that the parents allowed this may have been an assumption on my part. I said that the parents are apparently okay with the behavior because this is not something out of the blue. If these girls were that glued to the screen, it has to be a regular occurrence. Right??? And the fact that their parents allowed them to bring their Ipads/pods??? We have a home phone and a cell phone if a call needed to be made or received.
This thread is making me do what I am complaining about - be glued to a screen. I understand where some of your are coming from, and I respect and appreciate all of the comments (for or against). Specifically, thank you to those who offered suggestions on how to handle or avoid a situation like this in the future.
Merry Christmas!.
Val
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I'm not sure how communicating through/about a screen will help communicating in person. I did not mean to imply that the lack of technology made me the awkward communicator that I am presently or to use that as an example for my point. I was saying that in addition to the shy genes my DC got from me, hiding behind a screen will not contribute to their being able to start or hold a meaningful conversation.
My 19 y/o DS got a basic cell phone at 16 and upgraded to a Iphone a couple of weeks before heading off to college. I think this has allowed him to enjoy being with people screen-free. He and his group of friends in college eat dinner together every day and hang out in the common area of the dorm for a couple of hours 4 to 6 times a week. When they are together, they play cards, board games, watch and converse about movies, and simply enjoy talking to each other. I'm just saying that this is what I desire for my DC. Technology has made life much easier for me, but I still would prefer that my DC choose face-to-face interaction. Guess I'm just an old fart. :laugh: And yes...I tend to overreact about MOST things :lol: ...but I stand by my original sentiments.
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You are, of course, entitled to your feelings, but I think it's kind of sad that you'll let this fairly benign issue prevent your daughter from ever having or attending a sleepover again, especially when she had fun and didn't feel like there was a problem. Unfortunately, I think you should expect to see this kind of behavior at non-sleepover get-togethers, so you'll also have to make decisions about hosting/attending other social activities in the future, particularly as your DD gets older.
Yeah, as sad as it may be to you, I think I'll stick to my guns. DD has not and never will attend a sleepover for reasons other than screen socializing. And if I every do host a sleepover again, I will take the advice of some of the other posters and limit device use to emergencies and a brief period of time for a group activity.
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I think people are misunderstanding my post. I am not saying that technology is bad or that people who use technology are bad. What I am saying is that I am shocked that, for young people (and I'm sure some middle aged and old), interacting on a screen is preferred over face-to-face interaction. I'm also saying that because we choose communicating on screen rather than in person, we lose some of those skills. Practice makes perfect. The only way you become comfortable and adequate at holding a conversation is to ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE in oral exchange of sentiments. You can say anything behind a screen. I'm saying this as a socially awkward conversationalist. I do not want my children to feel nervous and awkward speaking in public like I do, and I feel that always communication through a screen or about what's on the screen can contribute to that...in addition to the shy genes they inherited from me. But I guess that's just my issue and I should not impose it on this upcoming generation of hashtag speakers.
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That would be great, except for the fact that kid was rude regardless. You don't put your phone down for a second and give grandpa a proper hello? I'm sure some kids are being productive on their phones. In my experience, most of them are not. They are frantically checking fb, Instagram, Twitter, sport scores. They are ignoring the people and world around them. They are speaking in hashtags and taking pictures....for the sole purpose of uploading them to look cool/interesting. I have a cousin who even admits that she judges which event she'll go to by how interesting the Instagram photos will look.
OP, I,agree with you. I hate that people are connected to a device all the time. The younger the kids the sadder it is.
I've read every single post on the thread, yet still stand by what I originally posted and strongly agree with this quoted post. I am not lowering my (probably old fashioned) expectations of social interaction just because we live in a technology age.
Watching a movie is a group activity. I'm not sure how most people watch movies, but my family does not watch movies in silence. We interact during the entire movie. This is exactly why we wait for movies to come on DVD/BR to watch them. We also talk and laugh about the movie afterwards.
Being on FB or Twitter together - group activity. I would be fine with this as long as there is no gossiping.
It is not my job to coach other peoples' kids about social etiquette when the parents clearly are OK with this behavior.
I did not get angry at the girls or judge them. I simply said that I am appalled and dismayed that this is what socializing has turned into and that it is considered the norm and acceptable.
Color me naive, but I never thought to collect devices because it never occurred to me that kids spend their friend time doing this. My daughter shares a basic phone with her older brother, her Ipod is not online, and she has no FB, Twitter, etc.
Taking a break from group activities to read a book independently - I wouldn't find this acceptable at a sleepover either. It defeats the purpose of a sleepover. As someone else suggested (and I'm paraphrasing), perhaps if one doesn't want to be engaged with friends for such a long time, one should opt for a short meeting.
Thankfully, my daughter did not feel left out (neither did any of the other girls). DD is a glass-half-full type of gal. She looked over shoulders and made sure to be a part of each group of girls glued to their screens. DD has never been to a sleepover and had no expectations. Besides that, she's very aware of the reliance on and addiction to technology of her generation.
IMO, today's technology and social media is stunting our children socially. I pray that my children never consider it acceptable to choose a screen over face-to-face interaction.
And yes...within 30 minutes of waking up (after having a short pillow fight), every single one of them except my daughter, grabbed her device and began playing (and just so you know, this was after they had texted their parents).
So sad. But I guess since they all had a ball, there was no harm done.
Val
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I am in total disbelief right now. My daughter is in the midst of hosting a sleepover for her 13th birthday, she has 5 girls here and every single one of them is staring at an Ipod or Ipad screen at 1 in the morning. One girl even had the nerve to ask for our WEP key to face chat. My daughter is the oldest here and is the only one that is not using a device. Two of these girls are home-schoolers, and I expect more social etiquette from them. The girl that asked for the WEP key was on her Ipad within an hour of arriving at our home. I just cannot believe that kids prefer looking at a screen to talking with each other. Yes, they've played games, played in make-up, danced around, and sang; but they always revert back to the 'screens'. It's sad that this is what social interaction is turning into. Whatever happened to talking and giggling to the wee hours of the morning?
My daughter has never attended a sleepover and we've only ever had 1 sleepover. But I tell you what, I will NEVER EVER again host a sleepover, nor will I ever allow my daughter to attend one if this is what today's kids do when they get together.
Val
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DS is doing reasonably well. He's adjusted very well socially and has a close group of friends who all live on his floor. His floor consist of visual and performing artists who are all on scholarship, so they share interests and all seem to have a good balance between their academic and social lives.
Academically, DS is doing well: He likes his classes and all but 1 of his professors. He's doing well on quizzes, tests, and papers. However, he's learning the hard way about procrastinating and staying up late...but he does realize that those things are negative and is trying to change.
DS is only 1.5 hours away and has not asked to come home. I miss him so much. :sad:
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My ds is taking Spanish II with Michele Hobbs on HomeSchoolworks4U http://www.homeschoolworks4u.com/webworks/courses/spanish-ii/
The class is only in the third week of the syllabus, but my son likes it more than his Spanish I class with OSU Spanish Online. I sat in on the first class and found Mrs. Hobbs to be very organized, supportive, and knowledgeable of the subject matter. Although she is not a native speaker, she is VERY fluent with the language and has spent years as a missionary in some (cannot remember which) Latin American country. The teacher mentioned that the first 8 weeks of this course is review.
The only con (which may not be a con for some) that DS and I have discovered thus far is that we question whether or not the course moves too slowly. For example: DS was conjugating verbs in the beginning weeks of Sp1 with OSU Spanish Online, but in this Sp2 course, they are just learning to conjugate verbs.
HTH,
Val
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This thread is old, but I found it in a google search. Your schedule is very helpful. Thanks a billion Christine!
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My 15y/o DS has struggled through his 9th grade year. He worked very hard every day (Monday through Sunday) for very long hours to complete assignments and is working through the summer to complete 3 courses. It takes him forever to complete what I would consider the average amount of work for a 9th grader. Long story short - recently diagnosed with learning differences, but high IQ. Many discoveries: ADD, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, weak auditory, slow processing, etc. Neuropsychologist said that ds was able to maintain high grades because of his high IQ.
Anyway. This year, I want ds to be able to take some fun elective courses in addition to the 'norm'. He has chosen robotics and film making. I looked into TPS's & Landry Academy's robotics courses. I listened to a sample class from TPS and was not impressed at all. It seemed that the there was no real instruction going on, that the teacher just kind of felt his way through the class, and that he was just clicking around on the computer program to figure out what to do. Now, I acknowledge the fact that a robotics class would not be taught in the same way as an English or history class, and that this sample class was probably an extension of a concept covered prior and probably was not a good representation of the entire courses. So...I'm open to considering it for ds, but I'm also considering the robotics course at Landry Academy.
DS also requested to take the film making course at Landry Academy.
Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with these courses/teachers? We have used TPS for several courses over the years and LA for biology (when Greg taught all the courses), so I don't really have questions regarding the companies. My inquiry is specifically about the courses and the teachers.
Thanks!
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Another update as of 6/19/13
DS came to me Monday night, put his registration misc. on my desk, and asked, "Mom, can you help me?" Apparently, after all of the emails from his advisor and other music faculty, he needed a second opinion on how to sort things out because what everyone was suggesting left him with 19 credit hours instead of the 17 he started with.
I asked ds what he thought he should do. He had a very reasonable answer, so I allowed him to do it. He contacted his advisor, the composition instructor, the orchestra conductor, and the placement test office to clear things up. He's heard back from 1 instructor and learned that his English placement test has not been graded yet ("check back in about a week"). In the mean time, he dropped 1 of the 300-level courses. DS also sat down with DH and me and looked at all the courses he'll need to graduate and worked out a loose plan for the order in which courses should be taken.
I am confident that DS will be able to work things out with his schedule and other issues now that he understands that advisors can make mistakes and he has to be responsible for choosing the correct courses, knows where to go/who to go to for clarification, and is comfortable coming to us for help when he's stuck. DS and I have always had good communication. I guess he just was not ready to discuss his class schedule (or...I approached it in the wrong manner) after two days of orientation and course selection. When I picked him up that day, he did tell me that he was very tired. As a mom, I should have picked up on that and waited to discuss his schedule until he felt ready. I'm so glad that I was able to give him the space he needed to process everything. As a parent mentioned, I did feel like I was going to burst while hold everything in and not mention it. But, I held my tongue and allowed him to take the lead on it. I'm not perfect. I'm still working out this parenting thing. I'm sure I'll be back for more college advice before the fall semester is over. :huh: Thanks everyone!
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Hive, I need your help. DS (1st semester freshman in fall 2013) registered for his college courses yesterday. The university insisted upon the students doing this with a school advisor and without a parent. So when DS shows me what courses he registered for, he had picked 2 junior (300) level courses (one of which is not even required for his major) that have prerequisites he of course had not met because this will be his first semester there. Also, he did not register for the English 100 course that is required in one of the first two semesters. And on that note, if he did not score well enough on the placement test (everyone is required to take them), he will have to take a remedial English course in 1st semester before taking the Eng 100 in 2nd semester. He did not know his placement test results because they were not available to him on the day he chose his courses. He did not bring this up with the advisor.
When I informed him of the fact that those two courses were not meant for freshman, he eventually blows up and says, "Well, I think the advisor knows more than you about what courses I may take." Mind you, I've read through all of the requirements for his major, emphasis, and for the BA degree in the student handbook. Each time things get heated, I end the discussion because I do not want to argue with him over this.
After trying to broach the subject several times, and it ending up in a shouting match, I've given up.
I've tried to explain to him that he has to be very diligent about completing the required courses in 4 years because his scholarship ends in 4 years, and we will not be able to afford to pay for another year since will have 2 kids in college at that time.
Does anyone have any advice for me on how to discuss this with DS without him feeling like I'm trying to control his course choices? He has made a flashcard for every course he must take to complete his degree, and each card has the prereqs on it. He took the cards for the courses for 1st semester with him when he registered, but somehow ventured away from the decision to stick with that plan. I am upset with the advisor because she allowed him to sign up for courses that have prereqs which he has not met, a course that is not required for his major, and allowed him to not sign up for any gen ed courses. That's neither here nor there. At this point, I need help on how to approach this with DS. Any advice would be helpful.
Val
Update:
First off - thank you for all of your replies. I read every single one of them.
I took the advice to write ds a letter and requested that he contact his advisor. He did so, and she said,
"Yes, you should take both these classes as a first semester music major. To bypass the pre-requisites, you were given a particular permission allowing you to register. We try to keep classes fulfilling music major requirements only for music majors as much as possible, so you'll find many of your classes need our permission.You're all set. It's great that you are keeping track of things yourself - please continue to do so!"
DH and I still have reservations, so I asked ds to contact the actual instructors of those two courses and gave him a suggested wording for the email. He has yet to do so because he just woke up.
In the mean time (this morning), his advisor sent him an email (His account is set up so I get a duplicate of all of his emails. He is aware of this, so it isn't snooping. He uses another email account for his personal emails.) Saying that she does not know his English placement test results AND (this is the kicker) that she received word from one of the composition faculty members (one that my son has been talking with his entire 12th grade year, has taken a trial lesson with, and she is very familiar with my son's music background and future plans) and she said that said comp faculty wants ds to take MUSC224 (one of two of the prereqs for the upper level MUSC311 advisor has ds register for). The advisor then tells him to drop ENG100 to take this course. Mind you now that ds is not even registered for ENG100. DS has not seen the email yet, but I'm sure this will put him back into a kerfuffle.
I really wish ds would just sit down with dh and I to plan out all of the courses. He has made the flashcards for them, but he hasn't not used them to loosely plan out his 4 years.
I'll let you know what happens next in this saga. :confused1:
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Is he 100%positive that he really is registered for those classes, bc I agree w/Sarah that it normally takes overrides via dept signatures, not simply advisors, to get into classes w/o pre-reqs. A lot of times the computer will simply just throw out the registration.
Also, is he not able to access his test results via his student acct? Normally all those things are accessible via their web acct.
Fwiw, I am of mixed mind about how to deal with the situation. I normally take the approach of letting my kids learn via the natural consequences of their decisions. So, we talk, offer our insight/suggestions/strong recommendations but if they insist on going their own way......we let them fail. However, in this case, I might treat him more like our Aspie bc he does not know how to make sound decisions when he is overwhelmed by conflicting messages. With him, I would probably print out the course descriptions, highlight the pre-reqs and then print up tHe pre-reqs course descriptions, and their pre-reqs course descriptions if there is one. Then I would print out the 4yr plan and highlight where those courses would fit (they might fit electives.). Then I would leave them on his pillow with the simple message, "if you would like to talk to me, I am available. If not, please consider calling xxx-xxxx to confIrm your placement before purchasing textbooks." Btw, if I was paying for,the textbooks, I would make the last comment would end .....or you will be responsible for purchasing your own textbooks with your own money until confirmation is made."
I am 100% positive that he is actually registered for those courses. There was family orientation at the same time the students were registering, and they informed us what to do if we felt our children's schedules need to be adjusted. My problem is not that I don't know what to do. It's that my ds is not receptive to making changes. I'm not sure about the department signatures w/prereq courses. My son was not told he needed to do anything further for those classes.
8FillTheHeart - I'm more inclined to take your second approach. Natural consequences, in this case, would affect more than just ds. If it gets to a point where he has to take more than 8 semesters, then it will impact our finances. Unless of course we tell him that anything past 8 semesters, he'll have to pay for. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that, but ds does not seem to be a forward thinker.
I'm so stressed at this point, :cursing: and I'm sure ds is too. I'm done with it for the night. I feel him out in the morning to see if he is receptive to talking things over, but the time is ticking away. All non-honors/scholars students begin to register on Monday. That will leave less wiggle room for him in his choices.
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate them. I had DH read them also.
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They are still somewhat parent tolerant until the kid steps onto campus. Something needs to be done. Are you close enough to take him in for a meeting with the advisor? He's no doubt stressed about college in general. :grouphug:
We are close enough to take him; it's only an hour and a half away. However, DS will not be receptive to this. He thinks that I'm wrong and am trying to control his choices. I do believe something needs to be done, but this seems to be bordering on affecting son's and my relationship. I don't want to contact the advisor without his okay.
I do believe he is stressed and he has never been able to handle too much info at one time. This process was a 2-day orientation, course selection process for all of the honors/scholars students. I strongly feel that at the point of choosing courses, he was on information overload. Also (and to a fault), he is not one to question authority (except for his parents). He is the type of kid that believes that if someone says they are an advisor, then they know all the facts, and he has to do what they say.
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Does he have one advisor assigned to him, or is it just whoever is available when he shows up? If the latter, encouraging a "second opinion" might help.
An advisor (music faculty for music majors) is assigned to him.
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Maybe it helps if it is not coming from you, his mom, but from somebody else?
If so, please tell your son from me that, unfortunately, not all advisors are diligent about their job. As a college instructor, I see cases of poor advising every single semester, when advisors tell students to take a course that is not intended for their major, or tell them to go ahead and take the course without meeting the prerequisite. It happens all the time, and there is nothing the student can do except be vigilant and proactive and question the advice he receives if it does not seem to mesh with how he understands the program to work. A good advisor will take the time to explain the reasoning behind his recommendations and answer the student's questions.
I would encourage your son to contact the instructors of the upper level classes he has signed up for and ask whether it is OK for him to take the course. He can tell them his advisor said it was fine. They might tell him that the prereq is no big deal and exists just on paper, or they will tell him he can not take the class. It would be better if he sorted this out now rather than during teh first week of class.
I am sorry this has happened, and I am outraged about the poor advising he received. Particularly for an incoming freshman, they should be diligent.
Regentrude - I will pass this information on to DS when I get a sense that he is more receptive to hearing it. At this point, we are both still upset. I told DS that it was best for him to address these issues immediately as opposed to waiting until the first week of classes (especially when alternative course choices with be at a minimum). He's not receptive. I am also outraged about the poor advising. I want to email the advisor so badly, but I realize that it would probably do more harm than good.
AngieWinTexas - Are you telling me that this is going to be a 4 year long battle?
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Hive, I need your help. DS (1st semester freshman in fall 2013) registered for his college courses yesterday. The university insisted upon the students doing this with a school advisor and without a parent. So when DS shows me what courses he registered for, he had picked 2 junior (300) level courses (one of which is not even required for his major) that have prerequisites he of course had not met because this will be his first semester there. Also, he did not register for the English 100 course that is required in one of the first two semesters. And on that note, if he did not score well enough on the placement test (everyone is required to take them), he will have to take a remedial English course in 1st semester before taking the Eng 100 in 2nd semester. He did not know his placement test results because they were not available to him on the day he chose his courses. He did not bring this up with the advisor.
When I informed him of the fact that those two courses were not meant for freshman, he eventually blows up and says, "Well, I think the advisor knows more than you about what courses I may take." Mind you, I've read through all of the requirements for his major, emphasis, and for the BA degree in the student handbook. Each time things get heated, I end the discussion because I do not want to argue with him over this.
After trying to broach the subject several times, and it ending up in a shouting match, I've given up.
I've tried to explain to him that he has to be very diligent about completing the required courses in 4 years because his scholarship ends in 4 years, and we will not be able to afford to pay for another year since will have 2 kids in college at that time.
Does anyone have any advice for me on how to discuss this with DS without him feeling like I'm trying to control his course choices? He has made a flashcard for every course he must take to complete his degree, and each card has the prereqs on it. He took the cards for the courses for 1st semester with him when he registered, but somehow ventured away from the decision to stick with that plan. I am upset with the advisor because she allowed him to sign up for courses that have prereqs which he has not met, a course that is not required for his major, and allowed him to not sign up for any gen ed courses. That's neither here nor there. At this point, I need help on how to approach this with DS. Any advice would be helpful.
Val
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There is a mom I know casually with whom I am friends on Facebook. Her child is graduating from high school this month, and they have set up a page on one of those fund-raising websites, asking people to cover his college expenses. I have to admit this makes me squirm. As with registries, I can see such a thing might make life easier for friends and family who approach the graduate or a parent asking for gift suggestions. But the idea of promoting it to all and sundry on Facebook as though it were a business or a charitable endeavor feels . . . odd.
The thought of this makes me very uncomfortable. I agree that there may be special circumstances for some students, but I do not feel that something like this should be extended beyond relatives.
Wouldn't we all like for someone else to fund our children's educations?
DH and I feel that it is the parents' responsibility to pay for their child's undergrad degree and the student's responsibility to assist in that funding by earning scholarships. Grad school is the student's responsibility, however, we are committed to helping in whatever capacity we are able to help.
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http://www.wkyc.com/...s-The-new-trend
It does look like this is a relatively recent innovation, although I remember getting promotional materials about a graduation gift registry from Target when my daughter was prepping for college.
I don't have an objection to registries in general, but I do know that one is never supposed to put such information on an invitation or announcement. Instead, you just pass it along informally to any guest or well-wisher who asks. If it's done in that way, I don't have a problem with it, since it avoids Mom or the graduate, himself/herself having to get on the phone and verbally suggest items to anyone who calls asking for ideas.
Bolded - Yes, I can understand this, but it was not done in this manner. I guess I'm just a behind the times.
Heigh Ho - It was not an graduation party invitation or an graduation announcement. It was simply an email to say "this is where I'm going and how I'm trying to raise money to get there. Oh, and by the way, I'm registered here and there."
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I just received an email today from a homeschooler who will be graduating and going off to college in the fall. In the email, the student includes that the student has registered at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.
I've never heard of such a thing a high school grads registering for gifts. Is this a common practice? Am I prude in feeling that this goes against social etiquette and demonstrates that this student EXPECTS people to buy her gifts? I was a bit taken aback by this, but I've been known to overreact to things. Is this a new thing and I'm just behind the times?
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I have just a minute here but we went with meds for our youngest and she went from struggling to focus and get things done to being able to focus and get her work done in a very timely manner. The difference was amazing./
Ottakee - thank you for responding despite being busy. While your youngest was on meds, did she she suffer any negative side effects? Did meds make her feel differently? I've heard that meds can squelch creativity or even change personalities.
BTW - do you mind sharing what med was prescribed for your youngest? Ds's neuropsych recommended something from the methylphenidate class (Concerto or Focalin).
Have you tried anything else for your DC - changes in hs, diet, etc.?
What were your favorite (meaty) Progeny Press guides for middle school and high school?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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:bigear: