Tiramisu Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Dd is taking what should be the perfect online class. It has everything I could want and the teacher is wonderful. Unfortunately, dd is really, really struggling with keeping up with the work. She did extremely well on the National Latin Exam so I know she's learned a lot through the class, but is unable to master the material for the quizzes after studying for hours and hours and getting help from her dad, a real Latin teacher, and me. She is falling significantly behind in her other subjects, and, for me, it's taking time away from what I need to do with my other kids, laundry, food shopping, etc. I wanted to continue this class for next year, but now I'm having second thoughts and just hoping we can pull through until the end of the year. I'm wondering if anyone else has had an experience like this and what you did to deal with it. Any advice or sympathy would be appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 My dd did two classes in FLVS. They were a lot of work- much more than what we do for the same credit. THat is because the way the courses were structured, she ended up doing a lot more time on them then she would have in a regular course. So she ended up doing no more courses with them. It was taking away from more important subjects like English. (She did keyboarding in 8th and Fitness for life in 9th). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Can you give more information? Do you think this online provider is giving too much homework? Does the course cover material too quickly? Is the teacher explaining things well? It could just be that things seem rushed because the school year is winding down. She'll have a chance to let the Latin I material settle in her brain over the summer. I'm planning to do a lot of Latin review with my daughter this summer to make sure she doesn't forget anything and can go into Latin II in a strong way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 Can you give more information? Do you think this online provider is giving too much homework? Does the course cover material too quickly? Is the teacher explaining things well? It could just be that things seem rushed because the school year is winding down. She'll have a chance to let the Latin I material settle in her brain over the summer. I'm planning to do a lot of Latin review with my daughter this summer to make sure she doesn't forget anything and can go into Latin II in a strong way. In all honesty, it's hard for me to fairly judge if it's too much homework because I know dd can be a slow worker. In the beginning of the course the instructor told the students to email her if the work is taking more than an hour a day, and that was for three days a week since no homework is officially scheduled for class days. Dd said she has emailed the instructor about this but hasn't had a response. Under normal circumstances, I think I would have been better about keeping on track of what the homework was and how long it was actually taking her but another dc was diagnosed with a serious medical problem last summer and we had a major surgery with a long recovery to get through this year. Things are still not back to normal. I think the instructor is probably explaining things very well, but there is just a lot to cover. The text is being gone through at a normal rate but additional information is added than might be in another course. I know this from dh and another teacher who have taught using this material. Additionally, there are reading on other topics added in order to prepare the students for the national exam. In this way, I do think there really is a lot there. Again, the idea of this is great but it can make it hard to get through. One tough point is the vocab quizzes, especially for verbs. The students have to put in the four principal parts. If even a single macron is missing in one of the parts, the computer marks all four parts as wrong. If you have 30 verbs over about two weeks, that's a lot of principal parts and a lot of macrons to remember. Dd has a horrible time with this. She could literally work at this all day and still do really poorly, but it doesn't mean she hasn't learned anything like the quiz grade would show. KWIM? Her reaction to this has been to procrastinate on the quizzes, admittedly not a great response, and one that could affect her learning. I know if she continues next year, she will probably continue to learn a lot. I want that, of course, but I'm wondering what the price will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 I don't want to be too nosy, but since I'm putting my dc in an online Latin class next year, which is it? (OK, I'm just asking what everyone else is thinking!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohdanigirl Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 I don't want to be too nosy, but since I'm putting my dc in an online Latin class next year, which is it? (OK, I'm just asking what everyone else is thinking!) Yup, I admit I was thinking the same thing..and :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 I don't want to be too nosy, but since I'm putting my dc in an online Latin class next year, which is it? (OK, I'm just asking what everyone else is thinking!) Yup, I admit I was thinking the same thing..and :grouphug: You are both so sweet. I have avoided mentioning the name of the class she is taking because I REALLY wouldn't want anyone to think that there is something wrong with the course when it might just be dd. That's why I put "bad fit" in the title of the thread. It may be a mismatch between the class and who she is as a learner. It would be terrible if I steered away someone with a dc who might excel in this format. It would be perfect for an intelligent, diligent worker with enough time to devote to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Well, it's not Lukeion. Mrs. Barr goes strictly by the Wheelock's text. Lukeion offered a separate preparation class on Roman culture so that Mrs. Barr wouldn't have to use up class time getting the students ready for the National Latin Exam. I keep comparing my daughter's class to what you describe. I don't think her class is that demanding. It's true that they cover the first half of Wheelock's in the first year, which is a lot, but the tests aren't as difficult as what your daughter is experiencing. I'm glad the teacher doesn't demand perfection from them every single week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Computerized testing is tough. It is a good servant but a bad master. Most instructors undestand this and judge accordingly. I think, I'd ask myself how much of her grade depends on these tests before I get anxious about it. If it is 10-20%, I don't think I'd sweat it -- if it counts for the entire grade, then I'd tackle the instructor and go from there. HTH ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlyamom Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 I have been working with a high school student this year who took an online Latin class. The online quizzes were quite a problem. If the word order did not match the answer key in the computer, there was a discount on the grades. I think a teacher-graded quiz would be a nice feature so that the student might have a little help in understanding what went wrong. However, that would add to the cost of the class, too. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in DFW Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 I thought someone was actually having a bad fit (like a temper-tantrum) in an online class... sorry...I just had to respond with this. It made me giggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 My daughter is taking Latin I Henle with Regina Coeli Academy. This course moves slowly, covering only the first three units of Henle. It's been a great fit. My daughter is not overwhelmed, but she is also not bored. She is mastering the material and studies daily during the week. I think it is the right amount of work for her, considering she is in 7th grade. They do have online quizzes but the teacher often grades things personally. My daughter always understands errors either by seeing the answers or by asking the teacher if the answer itself doesn't clarify it for her. We have not had a problem of having her study and not succeed with the material. Her class focuses strictly on the Henle material. That's why we added in a Lukeion workshop, Meet the Romans, to help her prepare for the NLE--and that was a fantastic workshop. What concerns me about your situation is that you said your daughter has emailed the teacher but has received no response. How long ago did she contact her teacher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 One tough point is the vocab quizzes, especially for verbs. The students have to put in the four principal parts. If even a single macron is missing in one of the parts, the computer marks all four parts as wrong. If you have 30 verbs over about two weeks, that's a lot of principal parts and a lot of macrons to remember. My boys' online Latin teacher goes through all of her students' online quizzes/tests and gives back partial credit for situations like the one you described. So a missed macron results in only a slight deduction. If the teacher won't respond to e-mails from your dd, perhaps you should try to contact her. Non-response from someone I was paying to teach my child would drive me crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Dd is taking what should be the perfect online class. It has everything I could want and the teacher is wonderful. Unfortunately, dd is really, really struggling with keeping up with the work. She did extremely well on the National Latin Exam so I know she's learned a lot through the class, but is unable to master the material for the quizzes after studying for hours and hours and getting help from her dad, a real Latin teacher, and me. She is falling significantly behind in her other subjects, and, for me, it's taking time away from what I need to do with my other kids, laundry, food shopping, etc. I wanted to continue this class for next year, but now I'm having second thoughts and just hoping we can pull through until the end of the year. I'm wondering if anyone else has had an experience like this and what you did to deal with it. Any advice or sympathy would be appreciated. Thanks! Yes, we had a situation similar to this. I had taught my dd in Latin from 2nd grade through 7th grade. So I had a pretty good feel for her abilities. She then started an online class in 8th grade, because I felt that she had outrun my ability to teach her. She really struggled in the class. It was hard to watch. It was so discouraging. Dd was really working hard in the class and still getting very poor grades on the quizzes and tests. Something didn't add up. Communication with the instructor was frustrating. Nothing changed. FWIW, I really dislike online quizzes. I have a professor that gives them in an accounting course, and I really think that they hamper communication, and create a disconnect somehow. It seems that the professor is out of touch with the progression (or lack thereof) of the students. Perhaps they can be used effectively, but my experience with Dd's class, and also my college course, has not been great. This year dd took Latin II with Mrs. Hensley at Veritas Press. What a difference! My dd loves latin again. She consistently scores in the 90's on tests, quizzes, and translations. I am so glad that we didn't just quit Latin. I am so thankful that she is with a teacher that communicates well. Dd has to take next year off from Latin, so that she can fit in a required year of Greek. She is disappointed, but is looking forward to taking Latin Readings the following year. Don't give up. The right teacher can make all the difference. Veritas is very open to prospective students (and their parents) "sitting in" on classes. Maybe that would be worth your time?? Warm regards, Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 I thought someone was actually having a bad fit (like a temper-tantrum) in an online class... sorry...I just had to respond with this. It made me giggle. :lol: This really cheered me up! Speaking of fits, this is the only time I ever remember dd getting to the point of tears over schoolwork, though not actually while the class is going on. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Thanks to all who responded. It's very helpful to hear about what's going on in other online classes. With this being so frustrating, we've still had good things come out of it. It has forced me to spend more time studying with her, and that's working out now that life is settling down with our other dc. Dh is also working with her much more, and she really nees that. I think it's important that she knows we support her, and, at the same time, this will eventually help me understand what the real issues are. At least I'm hoping... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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