Which subject would you spend more time on, if you could do it again?

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

Which subject would you spend more time on, if you could do it again?:)

[Kelli in TN]

Writing.

[Jane in NC]

Writing.

 

That would have been my answer last week. This week my son completed a beautiful paper on the aftermath of the Hundreds Year War. It wowed me and immediately caused me to forget last week's battles when the exercise was declared "impossible".

 

Sigh.

 

OK--I'll second writing.

 

Jane

[Chris in VA]

Me, too. I'm signing ds up for Write At Home because of this failing.

 

Or Latin--I let ds do this too independently and he didn't get a good foundation.

[Kelli in TN]

Me, too. I'm signing ds up for Write At Home because of this failing.

 

Or Latin--I let ds do this too independently and he didn't get a good foundation.

 

I am sending dd to Rising Senior and making her take comp I, and then in the fall she is going to community college to clear up her little foreign language defiency, a result of our Latin failure. Sigh.

[percytruffle]

Research/library skills. I feel we have fallen short of my goals here. We have relied too heavily on the convenience of internet research to the detriment of hands-on fact finding.

[Mandy in TN]

With my oldest ds (16yo) I wish I had done more grammar, found a math tutor sooner, and somehow worked on science reasoning.

 

With my second ds (14yo) I wish I could have figured out a way to have him enjoy reading.

 

Mandy

[gardenschooler]

Writing, logic, typing, art, music, Spanish, history, and geography.

 

There just aren't enough hours in the day, or days in a school year to give everything the proper attention that I want to. Maybe a good idea for me would be to emphasize a little extra time each few weeks or so in rotating subjects.

 

We've done okay with history and geography, I'd just like to spend more time than we do. Writing will be fine. The rest get dropped or are non-existent. I really need something that will weave more subjects in together. Guess I'll go gawk at TOG (again! lol).

[Karen in CO]

My ds is a great writer, but it is impossible for me to evaluate his writing. I shirked it. I think I did him a disservice. I should have outsourced his writing when I started saying 'Wow, this is good" instead of actually critiquing it.

 

Math.. What can I say about math. My ds has always hated it. I have struggled to explain it although I could do it. Once he took philosophy and physics at the CC, he told me that if he took a math class now, he would enjoy it because now he understands why he should study it. He has completed through pre-calc, but I think he could have gotten a lot more from it.

[Michelle in MO]

the more I realize that if we really emphasize the 3 R's with our children---reading, writing, and arithmetic----they really can blossom and teach themselves just about anything.

 

In our family, they've all done well with reading (well, the youngest is still coming along), and we're working on the writing now, through the help of some online courses, and arithmetic---I've fallen down on this subject several times, allowing the girls to work independently first thing in the morning while I tackle some chores around the house. Only later have I found out they've gotten themselves into some serious ditches!

 

I would classify reading as the most important subject, because without solid reading skills, the child cannot fully understand literature, Latin, history, science, and even math (word problems which require analysis and good thinking skills).

 

Math and writing would be a toss-up as to which comes next: solid math skills will carry the child through the deeper levels of science. My oldest is doing chemistry now, and although her reading skills are solid, her math skills are a bit shaky, so she struggles through each of the problems (Apologia).

 

The writing skills are equally critical, because with fluent writing skills, the child can express themself in any subject. My oldest two girls just completed the Intermediate (and a portion of the Advanced) Progymnasmata tutorial with Cindy Marsch. Cindy's husband, Dr. Marsch, is a scientist (a physicist, I believe), yet he wrote an excellent eulogy for his mother's funeral, which Cindy had as an example for the girls for a Praise/Blame piece. So, scientists and mathematicians should know how to write well, too!

[Gwen in VA]

I wish I'd spent MORE time talking about what she is actually learning and LESS time focusing on subject-specific studies. I think talking and discussing and talking and sharing insights, about the "stuff" of life whether about the weather or the War of the Roses or Obama/Clinton, is what homeschooling is REALLY all about.

[Miss Marple]

writing

[Gwen in VA]

Conversation. Talking about life. Discussions about stars, Obama/Clinton, friendship, the Wars of the Roses.....

 

We focused VERY heavily on the academics. I am glad we did -- dd is benefiting enormously from her high school education.

 

BUT for my youngest two kids, I am trying to remember that no one asks about your SAT scores when your 40! (or 30...or even 20!) Relationships, curiosity, learning how to ask meaningful questions.....that's the BIG stuff in life.

 

(Don't get me wrong -- I have a list of AP classes that I want my dd2 to take -- and she is only in 6th grade! I am NOT talking necessarily about lightening up on academics -- but on seizing the moments to talk.)

[Gwen in VA]

I am sorry -- I feel very stupid. When I went looking for the post I did earlier, I couldn't find it, so I reposted......well, guess what! I just can't read this morning.

 

So I am off to get more coffee. :(

[Staci in CT]

There are so many different kinds of writing that it's difficult to cover them all. I found that all AP classes help a ton. AP history really works on 5 paragraph essay writing, AP Language is heavy on research papers and analysis. Creative writing gets rather neglected in our home, but it's the type of thing I don't force - only do it if you enjoy it.

 

The ability to write a precise, concise argument is what I value the most.

 

Staci

[Moira in MA]

I'm generally happy with our time allocation over subjects but I asked my eldest dd and her wish was that we'd spent more time on memorization and she's planning to do more during her last 2 years of high school.

 

Actually, we spent a fair amount of time on memorization during the elementary years -- at least 3 poetry selections, a speech and many Bible verses -- and only pulled back over the last two years as my dd's have been participating in the production of a full length Shakespeare play -- Romeo and Juliet last year, A Midsummer Night's Dream this -- but apparently memorizing her lines -- she was Juliet and is playing Puck -- doesn't count.

[Laura K (NC)]

We covered ancient history, American history, geography, and modern history pretty well, but there are gaping holes where medieval/renaissance and the pre-modern period should go. I would have spent more time on history and memorization all the way through. There's still time for my high schooler to get it all, but I think it will be more difficult for him not having so much of this history before.

 

I also wish my kids had more Bible passages, poetry, and famous speeches stored in their heads, and less Spongebob and Disney quotes. That would make their writing more interesting. :o

[ereks mom]

Writing. Definitely writing.

[Happy]

Writing, math, and foreign language...more emphasis while we were still living overseas. We should have dropped something else and absorbed all the French and Dutch we could.

 

But writing, writing, writing...yes, definitely more writing. IEW several years earlier.

[Ms. Riding Hood]

I should have outsourced his writing when I started saying 'Wow, this is good" instead of actually critiquing it.

 

Karen,

 

Would you explain this statement a little more? I think I'm in this position--critiquing too much in my case. Just curious what your thoughts were, exactly, where you were coming from. Thank you!

[Jan P.]

Latin. It was always got put on the back burner due to the tyranny of the urgent. I really wished that I had found an online Latin course for my ds to keep up with Latin. He talked me into letting him do Spanish which turned out to be a nightmare course for him at our local co-op.

[Laura Corin]

Writing, math, and foreign language...more emphasis while we were still living overseas. We should have dropped something else and absorbed all the French and Dutch we could.

 

 

I am more and more conscious of the importance of learning as much Mandarin as possible while we are here.

 

Laura

[Raders Fan]

I asked my 18yods, a college freshman, this question this morning. His answer surprised me. I thought he would say writing, but he said research skills. He knows how to research but somehow feels that he should be able to do it faster and more efficiently. FWIW, I do not think he is a particularly strong writer, but he says he is really good compared to his classmates.

[Moni]

Which subject would you spend more time on, if you could do it again?:)

 

I'm happy with how we did it the first time ;)

 

Math reading writing vocab Latin.

 

no regrets

 

:seeya:

[Amandamc0017]

Spelling.

[5knights3maidens]

Actually I would have had dd do latin. My ds (11) is really benefiting from this and I believe dd would have. It's ashame I didn't really know of latin courses when she was in elementary.

[aprilinparis]

Writing / Latin / Art

 

Writing & Latin - I agree with what everyone else has shared...

Art - It always gets pushed back, and rarely gets done. I've let it be an extra subject, rather than a priority.:blush:

[Chris in VA]

haven't read the others--

Writing.

Latin.

I'd have outsourced both of them all 4 years.

[Joan in GE]

On the child....

 

as they get older, I see that one has a weakness in conversation while the other is easily offended and needs extra writing attention...

 

we happened to watch a home video from about 11 years ago and there it was already obvious that my son at 4yo was less verbal than my daughter at 1yo. But I missed it then....when a bit older I made sure he was involved in speech groups, etc...but I think now I should have been even more proactive when he was younger....so conversation of all types (including French exposure) for him.

 

He is a good writer and not at all lazy. The WTM has helped him with all the history writing. While my daughter is somewhat lazy with it...so I do need to keep after her writing.

 

I agree with you Gwen, when you talk about the things that will matter later on....there are short term needs (for SAT writing and AP exams) and long term....

 

I am trying to remember that no one asks about your SAT scores when your 40! (or 30...or even 20!) Relationships, curiosity, learning how to ask meaningful questions.....that's the BIG stuff in life.

 

(Don't get me wrong -- I have a list of AP classes that I want my dd2 to take -- and she is only in 6th grade! I am NOT talking necessarily about lightening up on academics -- but on seizing the moments to talk.)

 

Then there is the long term happiness education- how to approach life, what really matters in life, etc - and how to laugh at oneself that my daughter seems incapable of doing....

 

An intern working in my husband's office last summer told him that many of the girls in her college class were on antidepressants! (She attends an American university and was here for the summer and was working on a statistics project as a math major). I didn't get to see her to discuss it...maybe some of you know more about this (but I guess that would be a thread for the college board)? all those high test scores for that?

[Nan in Mass]

"Happiness education". Joan, what a wonderful name for it!

[Kareni]

I could wish that I'd insisted on more handwriting practice when my recent graduate was younger. I also wish we'd covered Geography. However, had we done those things, something that she did do might now seem lacking! I'd say overall that I'm pleased with how things went.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Peela]

Lol, I just asked my two kids what they think we should/should have spent more time on.

 

Dd15, my artist, thinks more read alouds so that she could do more art (she draws and paints while I read.) Umm, we have done a lot of that. She just likes that part of the day best. :)

 

Ds13 said he would like to learn more about modern day places. When pressed further, he said we do so much history, but we never learn about modern things. I think he has a point there!

 

For myself, one of my regrets is that I haven't succeeded with a modern foreign language. I really wanted them to learn French, but I just haven't succeeded, even though I have poured money into programs and classes. I wish I had got involved in Alliance Francais with them, but its a half hour drive and I just could never fit it in. Trying to do it at home just hasnt worked.

 

Writing isn't one of the areas I feel bad about, because right from the beginning I knew it was important. Whether I have done a good job or not is yet to be seen, but I certainly have tried hard and not neglected it.

 

Possibly art and hands on activities have been neglected, because I found I burned out with them. Also, field trips have been minimal. I am very much a sit on the couch and read aloud type mum and I have used my strength to create a style that works for me. Of course, there are weaknesses in it, but the kids don't actually seem to enjoy the hands on stuff much either.

 

I do wish I had been more diligent with nature study from the beginning. Also, artists and musicians. Foudn a way to integrate them better, rather than doing them enthusiastically for a month or two then letting them drop off the schedule.

[Nan in Mass]

If you asked my son which subject we should do more of, he would say great books because he, too, works on his own projects while we read aloud.

 

I wish we'd done Alliance too, but like you, it was a drive and it didn't seem to fit in the schedule.

 

And about doing things and letting them drop- I think that is our natural pattern and I wish it weren't. But in the process of writing it out for an end of the year report, I discovered that on paper it just looks like unit studies GRIN. So maybe it isn't so bad to do a little of something for a bit and then a little of something else?

 

-Nan

[Nan in Mass]

It isn't so much a matter of spending more time on this or that but a matter of using the time we spent on it better, more efficiently, more effectively. I wish we'd spent more time on dictation and narration during writing. The one thing we didn't do that I now wish we had is spend time building visual memory. I didn't realize that that was one of the points of picture study. Mine observe, notice, and describe very well so picture study seemed useless.

-Nan

[bclerkin]

Writing

[bclerkin]

Math for my girls