Abeka video streaming school

[~Sunny~]

I am really leaning towards this for next year when DD is in 2nd grade. I don't want to spend that much and regret it so would love to get some thoughts about this from other moms that have used it. I just think she would get a better education from it because I wouldn't have to worry about missing something like I do now as well as the teacher can explain things better than I can.

[~Sunny~]

Anyone?

[Old Dominion Heather]

I'm not sure that you will find many moms on this forum that have used this program. Most (but not all) follow a classical or Charlotte Mason type approach. I can say that something video or computer based would be a last choice for me. I think that interaction with the teacher is vital to the learning process.

[Melissa in CA]

I've used Abeka video school...and so have many others. If you do a search you will find several threads.

 

First of all, have you compared Abeka videos with BJU's? We used Abeka in K and 1st. K was great, 1st was awful. Absolutely awful. My ds hated it. We then moved on to SL for several years. Then my older boys reached high school and I was overwhelmed with teaching the higher maths and sciences. I began to look for outside help and stumbled upon BJU's satellite program (no longer available). With the Satellite option I was able to use any or all of the grade K-12th classes for one monthly fee...so I decided to put my then 4th grader into a few while my olders did the math and science. They all loved them! They were so much better than Abeka's had been. My youngest ds especially liked them as they were more fun, more colorful, and the teacher talked to HIM, not a class full of students doing things that he could not participate in like Abeka videos. He learned gobs, and I don't regret using them at all. They truly are a great tool.

 

So, all that to say, before you decide....check into BJU's video program. Also, I do agree, one-on-one is important in the younger grades, but even with the videos you are there for the one-on-one. It's not as if you stick your dc in front of the TV all day while you go out shopping or something. :confused: You are still homeschooling. You're there, you monitor, you administer and help as needed while the BJU teacher's do an excellent job presenting the material in fun and age appropriate ways.

[Hockey Mom]

We use the BJU DVD program (1st and Kindy).

 

We originally signed up for the BJU ONLINE Videos. What a nightmare. Their system was bogged down so much that during "peak" times the videos would freeze, buffer, freeze, buffer. It was awful. And we had PLENTY of bandwidth. The problem was not on our end. After several calls to the BJU tech support, they finally sent me the DVDs.

 

After discussing this problem on the BJU Yahoo group board, I received several emails from parents across the country who had encountered the same problem.

 

The reason I tell you this is so you can talk to the reps at Abeka and find out if they have had any technical difficulties with regard to traffic bogging down the servers.

 

Abeka is a great program. :) We went with BJU instead only because we liked the format of their videos better. Abeka is more like your child is sitting in a classroom with a group of other children answering the questions. BJU looked more current, and the teacher seemed to be teaching more to just YOUR child. My boys love the BJU video lessons (except for Heritage Studies...they are bored to tears with that one).

[Hockey Mom]

It sounds more like you are having a crisis of confidence, rather than actually thinking Abeka streaming school is the best choice out there for your dd.

:grouphug: - I have totally been there. :grouphug:

 

The fact is, you are going to miss something. There is no way we can teach our children everything they need to know. However, We can give them the skills they need to learn. Pop over to the "Why Classical" thread and I think you will find this idea articulated well. As you can see, we aren't trying to teach our kids everything, we are teaching them the most important things and letting them take it from there.

 

You have a second grader. You can do this. The best way I have found to feel more confident is to know my materials well before I work with the kids. Some subjects can be intimidating but if I have read through the material and the Teacher's Guide, sometimes even doing the exercises for things like grammar and math, I feel much better. Preparation has been the key for me.

 

Also, there are some things where I need a lot of hand-holding. For those subjects I get programs that do a lot of the work. FLL, OPG and AAS are all at least mostly scripted. I use MUS for math because the idea behind it is to teach parents how to teach math.

 

Things like history are easier for me and not core skill subjects so I feel better with a more flexible program like SOTW and I am a pretty confident writing teacher so I have found that I ditch or seriously modify anything I buy so I don't worry about that much anymore.

 

Like you noted, The Abeka Streaming is very expensive. The other issues are that the teacher isn't right there and I have heard that those video programs take a lot of time because the child has to sit through the lesson, actually pay attention and then do all of the work. That's a lot for a 7 yo.

 

Kids need to interact with their teachers and you can be her teacher. You can do a great job because you love her enough to do what it takes. This is second grade. You can do this. With the right materials and preparation you can feel great about teaching second grade and have more time and flexibility in your day.

 

:grouphug:

 

Yes, the videos are long. Some of the subjects (language arts) are painfully long (45 - 60 minutes!). BJU breaks it up in sections (composition, phonics, handwriting, reading) and we sometimes take breaks throughout the video.

 

I'm there to help them out when the video teacher isn't getting through. Fortunately, that's only happened once so far. :)

 

In addition to the video lessons, I do unit studies with my boys. Sometimes it's just a lapbook, sometimes it's arts and crafts. This is the time when my boys love homeschooling the most.

 

I chose the video lessons because this was my first year. I lacked confidence that I could do this. Each day, I get more confident in my ability to do this.

 

In May, Dh and I will be going to the hs convention to see what else is out there. My boys prefer Mom being the teacher (as opposed to the video teachers), so we'll be deciding whether to continue on with BJU sans videos (using just the TMs), or if there's something else out there that would work better. I don't want to discourage you from Abeka though. Abeka is a good program.

[~Sunny~]

Thanks for the replies. I will check into BJU as well. :)

[thowell]

My children attended a private school for awhile where they used the Abeka videos. Let me say THEY HATED THEM!! My dd9 was in K through 3rd for this and begged to not have to continue. The videos are long and not always completely clear especially as you get into the higher levels. My older children used them for awhile also. We moved and my kids went to a different school after that with Abeka taught by the teachers and this was much better. I will agree with the other posters that many people have told me they much preferred BJU. Now having said all of that my best friend's daughter is 12 and uses the Abeka all by herself and she loves them. So I guess again it is each to their own.

[Cindyg]

We have used the BJUP video program from 1st through 6th grades, and we are very happy with it. We used the satellite program (HomeSat) for five years. The satellite delivery method is no longer available. Now you have a choice between DVDs, online, and hard drive. It's the same content whichever delivery method you choose! We went with the online option. I know Hockey Mom had some frustrations with the online system initially, but apparently BJUP has worked out the bugs now because we have had no trouble.

 

If you have specific questions about BJUP's video program, please ask, and I'll try to help.

[Ellie]

Girlfriend, I cannot imagine you not being able to teach a 7yo child anything she needs to know. Really. I wouldn't do ABeka's video for a child that young. High school, maybe; second grade...no.

[Cindyg]

Girlfriend, I cannot imagine you not being able to teach a 7yo child anything she needs to know. Really. I wouldn't do ABeka's video for a child that young. High school, maybe; second grade...no.

 

In my case, it's not that I *can't* teach whomever whatever. I really like HomeSat. We really like audio/video in general and we try to work it in wherever we can. So HomeSat (now DLO) has been a great fit for us.

 

Sunny, if you want to try it, please don't consider it a last resort that you would try only if you *can't* handle homeschooling. It's a perfectly legitimate teaching/learning method. It doesn't feel at all like "you're not the teacher" or "you're not involved." It's not that kind of program.

 

P.S. I'm talking about BJUP here; I've never used Abeka.

 

P.S.2 I think a lot of Ellie; it's OK to disagree with your friends. :001_smile:

Edited January 30, 2010 by Cindyg

[LivingUnderGrace]

I am really leaning towards this for next year when DD is in 2nd grade. I don't want to spend that much and regret it so would love to get some thoughts about this from other moms that have used it.

 

I believe if you call Abeka, they will send you a sample of their 'video school'. No, it is not classical, so many here have not used it, but on other boards many have (I have not). Seems folks either love it, or hate it. ;)

 

A mom who used this all through her son's homeschool years did just post recently on another board about how her son, who used this, was just accepted into college at age 17, and his SAT scores are high enough to apply for scholarships, etc...so, it can be a viable option for some, yes.

 

HTH

[Pamela H in Texas]

We used the videos for 2/3 of 7th grade with dd. It was okay. Parts of it was GREAT. We skipped the videos for math.

 

However, I agree with the above that you are very unlikely to miss anything important with a 7yo AND that you WILL miss some stuff by using a program instead of homeschooling her yourself.

 

One consideration is that we ALL miss some things. There is NO program that will make sure your child gets every tiny bit of knowledge that is possible to learn at any given age. School A teaches ABCDFG, another teaches ACDGH, another teaches ABCDE, another teaches ADFGHI, etc....NO school covers it all. NO school, even the best homeschool, can cover it all.

 

And really none SHOULD. Can you imagine if we learned EVERYTHING at 7 or even by 18? What would we do for the rest of our life? The Bible says we could never learn all the works of God. I think that is a good thing. There is plenty to learn for all of eternity :)

 

I think there are times it is good to use a program. But it's rarely.