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OnMyOwn

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Everything posted by OnMyOwn

  1. Bingo! I know this is what my dd did with algebra 2. She skimmed to get to the how. And then she skipped the practice problems for the new concept because "she already knew how to do it". So maybe we won't have that problem after calculus since we are using the Dive videos with it and I'm staying involved? I've been watching the videos with her and she keeps trying to fast forward even when I'm with her, lol.
  2. I totally agree about Saxon teaching more about the "how" than the "why". When we did DO algebra 2 after finishing Saxon algebra 2, it all came together for my dd in a big way. It only took a couple of months to go through DO algebra 2 because she already knew the "how". When we started DO calculus, she and I both realized she would benefit from more practice than DO has in his Calculus course if she was going to be really solid with the concepts and I asked her how she would feel about trying Saxon Calculus and then following up with DO to pull it all together and she loved the idea because she remembered all those lightbulb moments she had when we had done that before.
  3. My dd likes Saxon. She used Saxon 1/2, algebra 1 and algebra 2 and is currently using Saxon Calculus. She does need me to keep her accountable with Saxon, though. Otherwise, she has a tendency to just glance at the corrections she should make to assignments rather than actually working through correcting her work OR just not correcting her work for days and days and skipping problems that she's not sure about with big plans to come back to them later. We ran into trouble at the end of Saxon algebra 2 because I wasn't involved enough. After that, we went to DO for a quick run through algebra 2 again and then precalculus. We started DO calculus this year, but she wanted to go back to Saxon, so I let her. She's using the Dive videos and I'm being vigilant about checking her work as soon as she's done with it and then having her make the corrections before going on to the next lesson. At the end of DO precalculus, she was planning on taking the SAT math 2 subject test. She was able to get almost everything right on the practice tests, but it was taking her way too long. Now that she's about 30 lessons into Saxon, she can finish that subject test in 50 minutes, so the extra practice Saxon gives is a benefit to her.
  4. I would ask about stepping down to the regular level of physics. You never know unless you ask. If not, the honors physics class is where I would put my energy since it sounds like she’s still doing okay there. Then, I’d switch to TT or DO for geometry. Frankly, I find that math is something better done at home for us. A short lecture on a dvd each day is more helpful than a long weekly lecture once or twice a week. Both times my son tried to do an outside math class, far more time wound up being taken by lectures than working problems and he really needed to work lots of problems to solidify the material.
  5. The homeschool section does cover some of the same information I have in my school profile and counselor letter, but I do have information in my profile that goes beyond what is in that homeschool section. I actually wrote "See school Profile" or "See counselor letter" in a lot of that homeschool section. The one area I wound up completing was the question about how time in outside classes was structured and if there was any additional testing done other than the ACT or SAT. Honestly, I had already addressed the outside classes thing in my school profile, but decided to address it again in case one of the schools didn't read my profile. The way it was worded made me feel that they wanted to hear my kid got out of the house and I wanted to be very clear that he did. Though, if that isn't obvious from the rest of the application, I don't know if anything could make it clear.
  6. I used Math U See for my concrete learner. Yes, it's light, but it covered everything he needed to do well on the ACT and in precalculus. You don't need any of the blocks or other manipulatives that MUS sells in order to do the geometry level.
  7. There wasn't a specific place to upload them with the CA, either, but I've heard people say they load them as a second transcript document. I'm just mentioning that because a friend of mine wrote up beautiful course descriptions as well and then never submitted them because she didn't think there was any place she could do that on the CA. It didn't matter in the end, though, because her dd got into the school she wanted and is very happy there.
  8. I read your post as "Good Grief! We already told you to go ahead and submit." Lol! I'm getting so excited for my son as I see him becoming excited about college that I am also getting to be quite nervous about making a mistake.
  9. I did send the ACT scores, but all of my son's applications should be in by the end of next week, so hopefully that will be okay. Interestingly, the schools he is applying to seem to already know he is completing applications for their schools through the common app.
  10. I'm going to go ahead and take care of submitting our ACT scores. I'm getting close to finishing! Yay!
  11. So, Julie and JanetC, are you saying I don't have to wait until the recommenders all do their part before I submit?
  12. I'm getting excited to hear about where your ds gets accepted. He sounds like an exceptional young man.
  13. Can we submit the application before all recommendations are in? If we do and additional recommenders finish theirs through the common app, will the college get them? Also, can I go ahead and send official ACT scores before we've submitted the application? I've been waiting to do that because I thought I had read somewhere that the colleges will just pitch them if they don't have an application on file. We have one deadline of November 1st coming up that we're going to be waiting until the last minute for one recommendation, but if I wait to request ACT scores to be sent, they may not be at the college by November 1. I have no idea how long it takes for them to receive the ACT scores.
  14. Honestly, I think she was probably just really overwhelmed with everything she had going on at the time and likely regrets her response to me. But that reaction has made me question myself about whether it okay to have my dd miss the class for her Latin stuff.
  15. Thank you, Julie and Yvonne! I have been really torn about this, feeling like it makes the most sense for my dd to participate in the Latin competitions, but also feeling like we had already made a commitment to the class. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and let the teacher know she will be participating in the competitions and that I am sorry about her missing those days because I know how much she has put into making it a great class.
  16. I'd drop Latin and not pick it up again until 6th grade. If I was going to do anything at all before 6th, it would be to just memorize the conjugations since little kids love to memorize, but you'd have plenty of time for that even if you started slowly in 6th. I'd also cut Science in the Beginning. I'd get the SOTW audiobook and listen to it while you are traveling to your various activities.
  17. I have been taking a more active role in trying to help my high school senior develop good study habits this year. I've read through thread pretty quickly, so I'm not sure if the problem is mostly being distracted by the internet and not focusing or if there is more going on. We had problems with device distraction and focusing and I spent a number of weeks sitting in the room my son works in to get him back on track. He was taking all day every day of the week to "do his schoolwork", but with me sitting in the room, he has been able to get everything done in 4 days a week, working from about 9:00 - 3:00 without a problem and had his weekends and evenings free from school. I have given him a lot more independence over the last couple of years with his work and he always got his assignments done on time, so I just thought he was a slower worker. It has been eye-opening for me (and him!) that he is not really a slower worker, but more of a distracted by the internet unfocused worker. He'll go off to college next year and I won't be there, but I hope I am helping him to form better habits and that as he reaps the benefits from those habits, he will want to continue with them. And I'm no longer sitting in the room with him all day, but just part of the day and checking in with him every couple of hours. I also start the day with him by watching the dvds for our personal finance or economics class and then I ask him what his goals are for the day. I also encourage him to remember those goals and to stay focused so that he uses his time well.
  18. One of the four schools my son applied to specifically required them. Otherwise, I would have been highly tempted to consider them overkill. ETA: Of course, now that I have spent hours writing them, they seem to have more value and I am seeing them as a marketing tool even for colleges that don't require them. I've read a few comments recently about colleges that would like to admit more home schoolers, but the schools don't feel they receive enough information from them to be able to make a decision. If nothing else, my course descriptions show the level of effort that has been put into my son's education.
  19. Thanks! I think I will go with 150 hours for an average credit. World religions is an elective for him, so if it's a bit less, I think that's okay. He's already got all the credits he needs -- 27 -- even with spending so much time on math, so I'm just going to stick with one credit for each level. Part of the reason for the extra time in math was simply because I did multiple programs with him some years to make sure he would be really solid on the concepts. Plus, we usually did math all summer just so he wouldn't forget.
  20. Quite a few of the school profile examples that I am using are stating that a credit equals 120 hours. I know my son has spends much closer to 180 hours on each class because it's a rare day that he doesn't spend an hour on each subject. And some years for math, we've probably spent 320 hours, lol! What did you use for your school profile? I don't want to seem ridiculous to say 180 hours, but really, it is the truth for most of the classes he has taken. On the other hand, I guess there is some variation as well. Math - 320 hours, World Religions this year may be closer to 120. WWYD?
  21. My dd is taking AP Latin with Lukeion right now, but we didn't start using their classes until halfway through last year. We actually started with a local coop that moved very slowly through Latin 1 (they offer options to do it over 2 years or 3 years) and then my dd switched to Lone Pine for Latin 2, which actually wound up almost entirely repeating the material she had already covered with a tutor over the summer. She was frustrated with the repetition in Latin 2, but I often wonder if the reason she is so strong in Latin now is because we really took our time with the basics in the beginning and let it all sink in. So, I definitely think you should take a look at some other options if this class is too much for your son right now. He can still reach the same end goal. He may just need another approach.
  22. Thanks! I wîll take a look at some of smaller private schools. It seems many of the public schools that offer great aid are top schools and my niece does not have those kinds of stats. She's very bright, creative and a unique out-of-the-box thinker, but also scattered and undisciplined. I wanted to give her something to aim for, that she would know she could afford, if she did well at the CC. She wants to be a technical education teacher, if that matters. She spends every extra minute of her time among multiple robotics clubs and the tournaments that go with them and she is great with children.
  23. I was really drawn to CLRC's Great Books class as a follow-up to AP Lang, but we didn't get to try it because my dd wanted to resume the local GB class series she had been taking. I liked that CLRC seems to really put an emphasis on writing in their GB program. My dd was also interested in the Russian lit class mentioned above, and might have chosen that over the local one if we had heard about it earlier.
  24. I am looking for my niece, and the family income is about $50k in a high cost of living area. I was quite surprised to see when I did the NPC for University of Mary Washington that she did qualify for about $10,000 in grants, but was still expected to pay $16,000/year. There is no way that is happening. Though, I guess the reality is that the $16,000 is all room and board, books and personal expenses. She will likely start out at the community college, but are there schools in Virginia that would be more affordable for her? She would really like to go away for a couple of years rather than commute the whole time.
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