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New here - overwhelmed and a little terrified!


Guest skeleigh
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Guest skeleigh

I am new to TWTM, but have been homeschooling my children for two years. Unfortunately, I did not take them out of public school and start homeschooling until they were in the 5th and 7th grade. My daughter starts high school next year and I am wanting to use TWTM as my guideline for her curriculum next year. But reading this board has me terrified! I see comments like, "if you want your child to go to college, they need to finish Algebra 1 in 7th or 8th grade" and I worry that it will be impossible for me to prepare my daughter for college in four years because she hasn't had Algebra 1 yet.

 

Is there anyone else out there who came to TWTM as a guide to homeschooling after their child had already had a few years of education? I'm really worried. I want my daughter to go to college - in fact, she wants to go to art school. I need to get past this fear!

 

Help!

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First of all, welcome. There's a lot of wisdom on this board (speaking of others here), and a lot of generosity too. I'm glad you're here, and glad you're homeschooling.

 

Of course your student can go to college without completing Alg. I in 7th or 8th grade. There are a million ways to "skin a cat" so to speak, and the important thing is that now that you're homeschooling, your dd will be able to get the individualized attention that she deserves in order to prepare for college. Kudos to you for saying yes to this challenge!:001_smile: And it is a challenge, but certainly one that is surmountable.

 

So tell us more. What specific curriculum are you considering? What are your students' strengths and weaknesses? What are their interests?

 

Believe me, you'll do fine. I've been homeschooling my dc from the start, so I'm not in the same boat as you, but I'm sure you'll get plenty of encouraging words from those who have a situation similar to yours.

 

Blessings to you!

 

Jackie

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I took my dd's out of ps at the end of 3rd and 5th grades. I loved the approach outlined in TWTM. However, after 5 years of homeschooling, we loosely follow the recommendations in the book. I spent too many years on these boards feeling totally inadequate because my dd's weren't doing the things other children were. We jumped from curriculum to curriculum because I thought the grass would be greener. Now I have come to realize that I need to do what works for my kids. For example, my 9th grade dd HATES history! For years, I tried to use TOG and Spielvogel because it seemed that was what "everyone" was doing. I now use Notgrass world history and she is doing fine. Of course I worried because posters would say it is not rigorous enough. But I have finally come to understand that my dd is not going to take an AP history exam and she won't be majoring in history at college. And you know what, that's ok! She loves math and science. However, I don't want to burn her out before college. So we aren't using college level science texts. She's using a combination of BJU and Apologia for her jr/sr high school years and that's ok as well. She's a bright girl and she will get into a college. It might not be Ivy League but that's not what she wants.

My advice to you is do what is best for your child. You know her best!Take the advice here with a grain of salt. Realize that the families represented here on this board are at many different places with their dc. Some of them have 9 yo's doing Algebra 2 and others have children who struggle to learn their basic math facts. But we are all her for support and encouragement. Trust me, your dd will go to college even if she hasn't completed Algebra 1 in 7th grade. Many families I know do Algebra 1 in 9th grade followed by geometry and algebra 2. You have plenty of time.

 

Blessings

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I think that is my nature! There was a great post I read yesterday in a Teaching Textbooks math thread about how people's kids are at such different places; there are lots of different kinds of kids. Sometimes it may seem that the uber-advanced are the only ones being discussed here, but they aren't the only ones out there!

 

I didn't even attempt to read TWTM until we'd been h.s.'ing for a while. I knew I couldn't do all that--or even part of--the way it was described. I mainly use the book as a reference, for getting ideas or setting goals--for seeing the possibilities.

 

This board has so many great contributors, and you'll find any amount of encouragement, advice, opinion and sympathy here. It's a wonderful place to hang out and get inspired--just ignore the posts that look scary!

 

Oh, and here's the quote from Marie on the TT thread: "... there ARE quite a few people on these boards who are schooling extremely bright/gifted children. They themselves are extremely bright, but because they are, sometimes their perspective on what will work best for a more typical child is fairly limited. I, myself, have schooled a student who is a globally gifted learner. She was a National Merit Scholar. If I had only ever had that child, my perspective on what constitutes a good curriculum and what is necessary for college admission would be seriously limited. Fortunately, God gave me two more very different students who learn differently from their sister. It's sure made me a lot more humble in the last few years as I have struggled to find materials that address their particular needs.

 

If we only have the perspective of the academically gifted teaching the academically gifted, this board will not have all the voices it needs. All homeschoolers trying to give their children a strong education which allows their children to soar in their strengths, while continuing to grow in their weaker areas, need to be here."

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I'm pretty new to the high school board, as I have never homeschooled high school before. I do have a child in public high school, who has been at school away from home since 7th grade.

 

As far as algebra, I wouldn't worry about it. My oldest (the one in ps) took it last year in 9th, and I'm sure he'll go to college. Most of the students in our ps system take it in 9th. I think your child will be fine.

 

There is alot of wisdom in Chris' post. One of the beauties of homeschooling is that you can work with your child where they are. My second child is finishing algebra this year and is in 7th grade. My third will probably not do it until 9th. But my hope is that they will each know it well.

 

I just wanted to post to encourage you not to compare yourself to others, but to do your research to know what's out there. Then realistically look at your limitations and your children's abilities, and make decisions based on those. I want my son to have a good knowledge of Spanish, so we are going to take that at the community college, because I don't feel I can teach that to the degree I would like. He will also take some other courses there before his high school career is over.

 

Blessings on your endevours!

 

Kim

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Guest skeleigh

Ok, I feel much better now! Thank you for taking the time to reply.

 

I've been homeschooling both of my kids for two years now, but I have to say, quite often, I've taken more of an unschooling approach to teaching than I would have liked. I decided to homeschool my children after both of my kids were physically assaulted in public school in Texas. Also, my daughter did not do well in 6th grade; she seemed to be "lost in the shuffle" of having six different teachers in a day.

 

My decision to homeschool was further secured when my son was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. We are a military family, and already had orders to move from TX to Washington, DC at the time. There are NO good public schools in DC, nor are there any schools at all on the base we live on, so homeschooling was a given. But with my ds's chemo schedule, as well as physical therapy appointments, a lot of times we were doing history or social studies in the car on our way to/from appointments. A lot of our history studies have been through weekend field trips to the wonderful museums and monuments here in DC. We haven't done history on a timeline like we should have because we haven't had the time to spend at home, at the table, studying history in that way.

 

My goal is to get both kids on more of a TWTM-like schedule next year, but it is going to take some serious discipline and motivation because we haven't been that regimented before. But I know my daughter needs it. She's very artistic, loves math, hates history, is ok with language arts and reading. She LOVES reading if she can pick the books. I don't know how she'll do with the Great Books concept, but I think it is important to round out her education. I plan to use TT for Algebra 1. I'm still up in the air on history and science.

 

Ok, that got longer than I had planned. Sorry! Again, I appreciate the replies and look forward to "hanging out" here more.

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Skeleigh,

 

I have a dd that is a bit slow with algebra. We started algebra this year (9th grade). She has worked hard even though she hasn't covered much territory, so I'm calling this year of algebra -- Algebra 1A. Next year (10th grade) I will call her algebra class -- Algebra 1B. Then hopefully her junior year she'll cover geometry, and finish up with Algebra 2 her senior year. I am trying not to worry about the math. I guess if Einstein flunked algebra, then there's some hope for my child down the road (she's getting it, but it's taking forever!).

 

Jan

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Wow, Skeleigh, it sounds like you've got a lot on your plate right now. Homeschooling can be overwhelming anyway, because we love our children and want to give them the best possible education, but to handle a major move AND cancer/chemo would be daunting to anyone! I have not been through what you are going through, but I am sending my best wishes and prayers for you and your family. ((hugs)))

 

We have homeschooled from the beginning, but we are only in our second year of classical homeschooling. You will probably find as many ideas, schedules, and curricula choices around here as you find posters. Don't be intimidated! None of us have all the answers; we are all learners together, learners alongside each other as homeschooling parents, and learners with our children as we prepare them for life. Part of your job will be to evaluate your kids, decide what they need to get to where you want them to be by the time they graduate, and plan and teach accordingly. That will mean a lot of evaluation, planning, and work on your part (and your kids'), but it is a journey I believe is definitely worthwhile. :)

 

P.S.: My husband was a college math major. In my view, how well your child learns Algebra will have a much greater impact on his/her college attendance than the grade in which the subject was taken. :)

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Welcome! Please do not let this board intimidate you! It can be very daunting and, yet, I think you need to keep a couple things in mind. First, some may tend to post in their strong areas. We have resident math and science experts; writing, Latin and logic gurus; but none of us are experts in everything. The collective whole however can be quite impressive! (And my comments are not to meant to detract at allfrom the solid work most are doing in their homes. It's just easier for me to realize that we all have strengths and weaknesses. Okay, maybe not all, but most!)

 

Second, you have four more years (and five summers) with your oldest and 6 years (and 7 summers) with your youngest. That's a lot of time to map out a plan and see real accomplishment. You have four years to work through the Great Books with your oldest and cycle through history. Four years to invest in a foreign language. Four years for the sciences. You get the idea.

 

Have you mapped out a rough high-school plan yet? I would encourage you to do it. I think you'd be surprised how much your dd will get in those four years. Take math (since that seems to be causing some of the turmoil):

 

9th: Alg. 1

10th: Alg. 2

11th: Geometry

12th: Pre-Calc

 

I mean, you could even double-up Alg. 2 and Geometry in 10th and get to Calc in 12th! FWIW, I took Alg. 1 in 9th (took in 8th but long story), never made it to Calc. in high school and graduated from law school just fine, TYVM. :o) The only problem now is that I could really use that Calc. to teach my own kids!

 

Hope this encourages you. It's getting late and I'm dragging.

Lisa

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We are in TX and I pulled my kids out of public school 2 years ago at the end of their 2nd & 5th years...didn't even wait for the school year to end!

 

Don't stress over math! My "advanced" 5th (now 7th!) grader has taken 2 years to work through Saxon's Algebra 1/2 (which is where the Saxon placement test placed her - not me!)....because I had to UNTEACH the weird method she had been taught! They had to draw pictures & write sentences, etc BEFORE they were allowed to solve the math problem!! :ohmy: She will finish this book at the end of August...and start Algebra 1 in September. One thing I am planning to with each of my kids is a math lesson every day that is a "school day"...meaning all year round except for school breaks. They will do math all summer with a few weeks "off". This is mostly just because I seem to remember (and my dd just confirmed!) all the first 6 - 12 weeks of each new school year was review! Why waste that time?

 

I am using the WTM as a guide! Here is good link to an article on the main WTM site: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/schedules.php

 

It has taken me 2 years to unteach (is that a real word?!) what the public school system where we were taught our kids. I know some ps are really good! (I'm not bashing ps!!) My sister is a 3rd grade teacher in a great ps - she is how I know that we did the right thing in pulling our kids out!!

 

What works well for one child may not work well for the other and it may take a while to figure it out! After 2 years, we are just now getting into a good rhythm. Which is how I found this forum! I feel comfortable enough in what we are doing to look around and get other ideas. I am currently laying the ground work for highschool...which is why I'm on this forum and not the K-8.

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