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chilliepepper

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  1. After a year and a half, my (now) 10th grade son has finally completed Mr. D. Algebra 1. Although most of his quiz/test grades are As and Bs (some after several attempts), I'm skeptical of his mastery of the concepts since he only did the written coursework sporadically and all of the quizzes and tests were multiple choice. Recognizing a correct answer (or randomly picking until you get it right) is different from coming up with it on your own. Is there a test I could have him take, to see if he really got it? Maybe just do a Saxon placement test or something?
  2. Oh, that's right. When I posted I wasn't sure which board it should go on, since a lot of kids do Algebra 1 in middle school. I'll post it over there too.
  3. After a year and a half, my (now) 10th grade son has finally completed Mr. D. Algebra 1. Although most of his quiz/test grades are As and Bs (some after several attempts), I'm skeptical of his mastery of the concepts since he only did the written coursework sporadically and all of the quizzes and tests were multiple choice. Recognizing a correct answer is different from coming up with it on your own. Is there a test I could have him take, to see if he really got it? Maybe just do a Saxon placement test or something?
  4. Are you saying that there is a workbook sample somewhere? If there is, can you direct me to it?
  5. "The work." It really all boils down to that. The Mr. D coursework has a LOT of practice problems, and I gather they are repetitious and not very challenging. Farrar you probably remember that based on J's testing, we were advised that programs requiring copious practice problems would not be a good fit for him, but that if he insisted on continuing with Mr. D, he could skip a lot of them. He did, and he does. And I'm honestly just not sure this is a good idea, especially when he has an i-dotting, t-crossing mom like me. I would prefer for him to be in a program that didn't have so much repetition in the first place, or if it did, that the problems be challenging enough to take him down a notch or two so that he sees the purpose in doing them---while at the same time not making him think that he's just not good at math. A tricky balance...but I guess that's to be expected with a tricky kid. In other words, you were right. 🤣 At the time I was trying to balance your recommendations with getting buy-in from him in the midst of a huge transition. At this point, I think I will lay it out on the line...since he's the one asking for a curriculum change, I will give him the options of gutting out Mr. D to the end of Algebra 1 (and revisiting the schedule and sticking to it), or jumping in to DO and embracing the amazing benefit of having someone grade his work. Enough of this in between garbage. For next year, options will include live DO, AOPS (live? I've heard how fast that moves; would be a shock for him), or community college (but dang it's expensive!).
  6. Well, since you pretty much just described my second son to a T, I don't consider this to have derailed my post at all! 🎯
  7. I share your suspicion. Which is what attracts me to Derek Owens. Still...in the scenario of trying to get them on board for switching...if their main objection is that they want to keep self-grading, then we could keep that in place temporarily to give them a chance to see if they like DO's teaching style better.
  8. Not really. He got all angsty about it after being "behind" for a year (that's a whole 'nuther story) and never "catching up." I actually think that there is a math genius somewhere in there but we haven't found it yet.
  9. But I guess they *could* grade their own work if they wanted to compare apples to apples and make it like Mr. D except with a different person presenting and different problems to do. I could also stealth grade it to see if they were being honest (something I wonder about with Mr. D). I'm inclined to have the older guy finish Mr. D. Algebra 1 by the end of April, then enroll in DO and take a month to "try it on" with a view to whether he would be open to going that route for Geometry next year.
  10. Actually, my oldest son (the one who is supposed to be gifted) has been working on Algebra 1 for a full year now. He started in Feb. 2020 with a Mr. D live class. Hated it and it was moving too fast (it was a compressed, one-semester course) so we switched him to self-paced. He has DRAGGED. IT. OUT. He is 15 years old, gifted, yet taking over a year to get through freaking Algebra 1. I am beyond frustrated.
  11. Ouch! But you are absolutely right. I have a history of chronic waffling. My natural tendency is toward authoritarianism, but some reading I have done has caused me to wander over into an unschooling/TJED mentality with some things. Since I haven't embraced unschooling across the board, though, which I don't think I can ever do, the result is that they don't know what to expect and feel empowered to manipulate me. 😕
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