planning last two years- warning long

[choirfarm]

Ok, I'm starting to get horribly confused about what he should take his remaining 2 years. I'll show you what he has taken so far. He also plays the piano and particpates in competitions. He plays really well and with such expression, but he would quit in a heartbeat if we would let him. He wants to major in computer science.

8th grade

Alg I- TT algebra I and II

Apologia Biology

 

9th grade

English I- consisted of TOG year 3 rhetoric, Vocabulit, and 2/3 of Analytical Grammar

19th Century World history- TOG rhetoric including church history

SOS Spanish I

Logic- Introductory and Intermediate Logic as well as Teaching Co lectures (loved these classes)

Chalkdust Geometry

Apologia Chemistry

 

10th Grade

English II- consited of TOG year 4 rhetoric, various vocbulary and finishing Analytical Grammar

20th Century World History- TOG rhetoric

Church history- 1/2 credit all year of TOG

C.S. LEwis- 1/2 credit, he has read ALL of his works, listened to Teaching company lectures and written response paragraphs for each lecture( questions I found online), a documented essay and will be doing a research paper. With the exception of the writing, he has LOVED this class. It was his choice to do it. I wasn't sure he could handle it with all of his math classes, but he has.

SOS Spanish II

Driver's Ed= 1/2 credit

Algebra II- Larson's Elementary and intermediate combined course

AP Statistics through PA Homeschoolers

Apologia Physics

 

 

Ok.. so here is what I am looking at. I'm having trouble figuring out what he needs, can handle without overwhelming him.. AP stats has been challenging, but he is holding his own. He made a B+ last semester. He kind of wishes he had waited until his junior year to take this. HOwever, he has enjoyed the class and learned a TON and actually it is the first time he has been challenged or had to work at understanding a subject. See this is what I am concerned about. He is beyond me in math and science and now needs advanced work that I cannot do....

 

Junior Year

English III- my creation of major works from 1800 to the present that we haven't done yet. I would be looking at possibly taking the AP literature exam. I have several resources to help him do that. I placed out of English this way, and it is my field.

AP Government- PA Homeschoolers He LOVES to watch the news and read editorials and is always bringing up things he has read or political cartoons. He listens to political talk shows on the radio. So I think he would really enjoy this class

AP Chemistry- Now, he could do this online with PA homeschoolers, just do the Apologia advanced book at home with me and the AP prep book ( but I won't be much help)

Now he could take some kind of a science his second semester at the CC but it would need to be a science that he wouldn't build on as it isn't rigrorous enough... like Geology...maybe chemistry as it seems most computer degrees have tons of physics not chemistry . ( He hated Biology and would rather not take that ever again.)

Spanish I and II for dual credit at the community colllege- This is a done deal. the teacher is AWESOME and loves homeschoolers. He needs to meet with other people and he needs to speak the language. The grammar should be easy for him after SOS.

PE- 1/2 credit I was going to have him do Bowling or something as his second class

Computer programming- Now, should he go ahead and start this if he wants to do this as a career? He needs a computer credit anyway. He could take a computer programing class at the CC in the spring but Letourneau wouldn't accept it. However, it would give him exposure. He could take the PA Homeschoolers AP Computer class. He could take a class in the spring at LeTourneau but it would be a tough class..

Chalkdust PreCalculus- Can't help him with it. He would probably be fine. He could take it at the CC but it wouldn't be as good content-wise as Chalkdust, but he would have someone to ask questions and interact with...

Health- 1/2 credit using MFW lesson plans

Finances- was considering this but maybe it is too much...

 

Then I start to get really confused after this.. He needs a speech credit. Perhaps he should take a composition class at the CC or LeTourneau. He doesn't have a fine arts credit. He needs economics and the PA class looks REALLY fun. He has all of his stuff entered in money and I think this class would appeal to his geeky math mind. He loves discussing the national budget and such.

 

Although he says he is a math kid, his scores have always been pretty equal in his standardized testing. He will at least be a commended student and might be semi-finalist. He isn't like my middle child who devours books. He loves all Teaching Company lectures, even dry ones. He reads things like Outliers for fun ( or his CS Lewis books). Other than piano his only other outside activity is running the power point/worship stuff for church which he does a lot and for all of the special programs and such. I'm just not sure what he should take and what he can handle next year..much less the next..

 

Christine

[Nan in Mass]

Misery loves company...

A few weeks ago, my son got back from a month in Japan. I got emails from him while he was there, and the emails told me that he was growing up faster than I had anticipated and that I needed a new plan for his remaining two years of high school. Instead of spending the month working on my own projects, I spent it immersed in lists. I think I have it figured out now, but it was amazing how long it took me to get it all straight. And, of course, I have no idea whether the new plan is a good one. My son thinks it is, but who knows? Anyway, I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to offer tea and sympathy. : )

-Nan

[Teachin'Mine]

Is your son doing hs in 3 years? If he's doing 4, you might want to add physics as it would definitely be fun for someone who likes math and science. For us, it's hard to plan two years out as our plans have changed even mid-year. What you have looks good, but I'd just keep it as a loose plan and see where he's at at the end of each year.

 

Forgot to add that a speech class is a great idea. With all the things you need to add, would those be in senior year? I can't imagine adding much more to his existing schedule as it looks full.

 

As far as needing to do science independently, Apologia has worked great for that here. I would think he'd do fine with their advanced chemistry, and he could always look online if he needs help in a particular area.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Teachin'Mine

[Musicmom]

Hi Christine!

 

I can so relate to the confusion of planning! My ds seems fairly similar to yours (except he hates politics). He plays piano (and violin) and is currently a freshman at Carnegie Mellon majoring in computer science. He followed a very similar path from 8th-10th, and planning his last 2 years of high school left my head spinning too!

 

Here are some random thoughts which I hope will help:

 

Piano: I'd definitely keep him going on this through high school. Since he's really good, at some point he'll get hooked and it will be a wonderful outlet for him throughout his life. Plus, he could continue it on the side in college (via lessons, ensembles, accompanying, etc), which could provide him with a great diversion from the intensity of Comp Sci. (My ds is applying to minor in music.)

 

For the academics, I made a spreadsheet and tried to think in subject areas for each year in order to help sort it all through.

 

English: What you have planned looks really good. Esp since it's your field, keeping it at home makes a lot of sense.

 

Social Sciences: AP Gov looks like a good fit. You could do that Jr year, then do AP Econ in Sr year. Or if you didn't want to take a whole year of Econ, you could do a semester of it using something like Thinkwell (excellent and college level) and do another semester of history. My ds did Early US history and regular Government (simultaneously) at home in Jr year, then Thinkwell Econ (semester) and the rest of US History (semester) in Sr year.

 

Science: I'd definitely stick more along the lines of the advanced core sciences--chem and physics--rather than something else at CC. Colleges will want to see this. For Comp Sci, Carnegie wanted to see a SAT II in either Chemistry or Physics. My ds actually did MIT OCW Biology in 11th (long story--he doesn't like Bio...), then Apologia Adv Chem and EPGY AP Physics--Mechanics in 12th (in 10th he actually did both Apologia physics books, so ended up a little burned out on physics). We didn't do science at the CC--same considerations you mentioned. So doing AP Chem or Apologia Adv Chem or Physics would seem to make sense.

 

Computer Science/Programming: I think it's a good idea as an elective. It isn't necessary, but it does show interest and the exposure (esp to a good class) would definitely smooth the way in college. My ds did EPGY's Introduction to C Programming course--it was excellent. It's a 3-course sequence (worth 1 full year of high school credit), but he did it over 3 months one summer. Because it was one of the courses that EPGY charges for by the quarter, he was able to do all 3 courses for the price of one--a good deal. Another summer, ds taught himself Java at home. Anyway, this all kind of confirmed his direction/interest in programming and he was able to place out of the initial programming course at CMU. Doing programming over the summer helped to keep ds's school year schedule from being impossibly overloaded. Something to consider...

 

Math: What you have looks good. For Comp Sci, you'll for sure want to do Calculus in 12th.

 

Speech: I think you could wait and do that in 12th.

 

As for the rest (health, finances, art): you could try fitting in what you can and just spread it over the 2 years. If you keep those courses at home, you can easily drop whatever gets to be too much (since he'll already have 5 or 6 heavy-duty courses...) For instance, you could try adding in health in 11th and art in 12th (you could also count piano as fine arts--I did).

 

Hope this helps somewhat! I'm starting to plan dd's last 2 years now, and she's a whole different person from ds, so my confusion is mounting as well with all the choices and how much can she do, when should she do it... etc. :tongue_smilie:You are not alone! :001_smile:

Edited February 17, 2011 by Musicmom
accidentally quoted entire op--removed the quote

[choirfarm]

Thanks everyone for the sympathy.

 

Hi Christine!

 

 

Here are some random thoughts which I hope will help:

 

 

For the academics, I made a spreadsheet and tried to think in subject areas for each year in order to help sort it all through.

I don't know how to do a spreadsheet, but I'll ask him maybe to do one for himself. He knows how to do it. ( He went to a spreadsheet class at the local library and he flew through it so fast. She jokingly said, he might come back and teach the class next time.)

English: What you have planned looks really good. Esp since it's your field, keeping it at home makes a lot of sense.

 

Social Sciences: AP Gov looks like a good fit. You could do that Jr year, then do AP Econ in Sr year. Or if you didn't want to take a whole year of Econ, you could do a semester of it using something like Thinkwell (excellent and college level) and do another semester of history. My ds did Early US history and regular Government (simultaneously) at home in Jr year, then Thinkwell Econ (semester) and the rest of US History (semester) in Sr year.

 

Science: I'd definitely stick more along the lines of the advanced core sciences--chem and physics--rather than something else at CC. Colleges will want to see this. For Comp Sci, Carnegie wanted to see a SAT II in either Chemistry or Physics. My ds actually did MIT OCW Biology in 11th (long story--he doesn't like Bio...), then Apologia Adv Chem and EPGY AP Physics--Mechanics in 12th (in 10th he actually did both Apologia physics books, so ended up a little burned out on physics). We didn't do science at the CC--same considerations you mentioned. So doing AP Chem or Apologia Adv Chem or Physics would seem to make sense.

Ok, so AP Chemistry is junior year with a SAT II and AP Physics his senior year with SAT II. I guess the goal is exposure to make sure he has a good base. My question is doing it at home on his own is that good enough or should I have him do PA Homeschoolers classes.

Computer Science/Programming: I think it's a good idea as an elective. It isn't necessary, but it does show interest and the exposure (esp to a good class) would definitely smooth the way in college. My ds did EPGY's Introduction to C Programming course--it was excellent. It's a 3-course sequence (worth 1 full year of high school credit), but he did it over 3 months one summer. Because it was one of the courses that EPGY charges for by the quarter, he was able to do all 3 courses for the price of one--a good deal. Another summer, ds taught himself Java at home. Anyway, this all kind of confirmed his direction/interest in programming and he was able to place out of the initial programming course at CMU. Doing programming over the summer helped to keep ds's school year schedule from being impossibly overloaded. Something to consider...

You know that is what I had wondered about some of those electives. For example we are going to Europe in May and I have the teaching company tapes about the Louvre. Could we do just a little bit more and call it Art Appreciation?? One thing I struggle with is wondering what really counts as a class. I guess they don't all have to be college level type classes. I'm not sure what written work I should require for that. We go to all kinds of concerts as well. He could do Music Ace or something and call it music theory in addition to his piano.. I don't know. I don't want to lie on the transcript, but he has so much exposure to music.

Math: What you have looks good. For Comp Sci, you'll for sure want to do Calculus in 12th.

I forgot to write this down, but yes. He will do Calculus his 12th grade year. Once again the question is how to do it.. I've never taken Calculus. I dropped it right before my senior year because I thought why does a music major need calculus??? Plus that gave me room for drama, show choir and regular choir... though I did have to do showchoir for no credit one semester during lunch because it didn't fit. I had a boyfriend bring me lunch.

Speech: I think you could wait and do that in 12th.

Yes, that is a definite. I'm not even sure I can make him take it. He really doesn't like talking to people he doesn't know much less getting up in front of them. I'm trying to tell him that if he does it at CC it will be much less threatening and he'll get credit for high school and college and won't have to do it again.

As for the rest (health, finances, art): you could try fitting in what you can and just spread it over the 2 years. If you keep those courses at home, you can easily drop whatever gets to be too much (since he'll already have 5 or 6 heavy-duty courses...) For instance, you could try adding in health in 11th and art in 12th (you could also count piano as fine arts--I did).

Good idea and he works so quickly at traditional work. He typically finishes his Chalkdust in February or March. He may not finish this year until April as I have let him not do it on AP Stats really hard days. So if Health is just a traditional easy textbook, I'm betting he could do it in a month. When he was in ps, he never had homework. Ever. I kept asking and he kept saying, no I got it done. I never had to study with him. I don't know how he learned his multiplication tables. I never taught him. But all I heard from the other parents in his same class was how much homework they had. They were spending an hour on Saxon math and driling. Those worksheets took him maybe 5 minutes at school. A girl just brought up the fact the other day about how they played some kind of multiplication game at school and he would always win. They had to take him out of the game to let others win. And I guess it is ok to have fluffy classes when other things like writing are just so hard for him.

Christine

Hope this helps somewhat! I'm starting to plan dd's last 2 years now, and she's a whole different person from ds, so my confusion is mounting as well with all the choices and how much can she do, when should she do it... etc. :tongue_smilie:You are not alone! :001_smile:

[8filltheheart]

Instead of AP Gov't, how about taking gov't and econ at the cc? That way he would only have 1/semester and yet fit them both in.

 

I think a computer programming course would be a good idea. I think I posted in another thread of yours?? that ds is taking one offered by AoPs starting in Mar. I am looking at the Java programming course though CTY for the fall.

 

What are you considering for his sr yr?

[choirfarm]

Instead of AP Gov't, how about taking gov't and econ at the cc? That way he would only have 1/semester and yet fit them both in.

 

I think a computer programming course would be a good idea. I think I posted in another thread of yours?? that ds is taking one offered by AoPs starting in Mar. I am looking at the Java programming course though CTY for the fall.

 

What are you considering for his sr yr?

 

Yeah, I thought about it but wondered if this might be a possible minor for him. Perhaps he might use his computer science in politics?? So, I wanted his first exposure to be a great, fun class not a get it done class. But then I guess every class cannot be the best possible class. That is what I struggle with...

 

Senior Year

Calculus

AP Physics somewhere

English of some kind- TOG Year 1 ancients, or CC writing course or???

Speech- 1 semester class

Fine ARts- 1 semester credit

Economics AP

AP Computer is he didn't do it his junior year or a computer elective or something

 

I would want him taking 2 classes each semester at either the CC or at LeTourneau. Not sure which those should be... Ancient world history maybe? Freshman English?

 

Christine

[Musicmom]

You might consider doing Calculus at the CC or university.

 

I also just wanted to mention (in response to your response above about AP Chem with SAT II junior year and AP Physics with SAT II senior year)--that I wouldn’t bother with a SAT II at the end of senior year. It’s too late then for the score to help with college admissions, which is pretty much all the SAT II is used for. Definitely do the Chem SAT II at the end of junior year (and I'd recommend doing the Math Level 2 also!). Those will be good for college admissions (and you only need one SAT II in the sciences--Ds ended up doing all 3, but it was overkill.) Your ds could do the AP Physics test senior year if the college he goes to gives credit for AP and/or if he wants the credit and advanced placement.

 

Oh, by the way, the spreadsheet I used is just a table, basically, nothing fancy… You could just draw one on paper to work with. I had 4 columns (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade) and then one row for each subject area (English, Math, Science, etc.). Then I could plug in all my plans and options in each of the boxes and see the big picture.

[Janice in NJ]

Christine,

 

You've done a lot of work here. Tons of research! I know how hard it is, so congrats!

 

Your plans are pretty ambitious. I would start to lay out a daily/weekly schedule to see how well your plans fit in with real life. I would take a look at how well your ds is handling his schedule now. What is working? What isn't? How much time does he spend on his AP Stats course? How does that align with the estimates posted on the course's web site? Does it take him more time or less time than the estimates? That will give you a good idea of his personal pace. Think about his other course work. Is it regularly getting shoved aside to focus on his "tougher" classes. It was a great exercise for me to think about that. "OK. What is this kid going to do if instead of having one or two demanding courses, he has five or six? (Demanding course = shove everything else to the side in order to meet this week's deadline in this "important" class.) What if he has five demanding courses? What then? We can't rob everything from everyone every week. We'll end up academically and emotionally in debt." (NOT a good cycle! Not!)

 

Now sit down with the estimates for the other AP courses. How much time are these classes realistically going to take? You mentioned Spanish at the CC. Commuting time? Class time? Study time? Schedule it.

 

How about test prep? Junior year is a big year for prep. PSAT. SAT. Is he going to take the ACT? When? Look at the schedule for the AP tests. How will that align or interrupt the SAT/ACT/SAT II test prep schedule? In other words, how many tests can he study for at the same time without sacrificing quality. And remember - you are studying for these tests in addition to course load. It's a LOT to juggle. For us, we needed to make time for it - YUP LONG days. ;) Those SAT/ACT tests count quite a bit. Most schools are interested in rigorous coursework, but they want to see kids nail those tests. Especially if you are looking for scholarship money. It can get tricky. My oldest was obviously moving in the direction of engineering. BUT we needed to keep pushing forward in the humanities during his junior year. He needed a lot of work on his writing, and his reading wasn't strong enough either. (Those SAT/ACT tests really do reveal a lot. Can they read? or do they just read? OK, now can they do it fast - even when they get tired?) My oldest also still needed a lot of work with his time management and organization. So it's an interesting juggling act. You need to set the bar as high as you can, but you need to make sure they can still get their hinder over it. Colleges want to see rigor, but they also want to see excellent results. TOUGH to manage with some teenaged boys. (Sometimes they just want to wax their truck. LOTS of discussion here about academics v. life etc. Lots of choices for each family to make. Sliding scales. Moving target. Kid's goals. Parent's goals. Family goals. You get it. ;))

 

Back to your list: AP Chem. Great choice. Does your son do well in chemistry? If that's the only SAT II they are going to see, you want it to be in a subject he cares about. The AP Physics exam comes in two flavors. The B exam is a non-calculus based exam that is generally for folks not majoring in the sciences. The C exam is the calculus based exam; you need calculus for this one. Most of the engineering schools we looked at required several courses in physics. We decided that ds would be better off taking the sequence at the actual college rather than trying to place out of anything. AND because he would be taking it his senior year, the grade on the AP exam won't show up until about a month before he enrolls - so it's too late to impress anyone.

 

AP Calculus is pretty important for the senior year for math/science folks. PA home schoolers offers a class. Chalkdust PreCalc uses the same textbook series as the Calc class. I would recommend it. BUT that PreCalc book is a looooooooong one. I would recommend that you start it during the summer before 11th grade - especially if you plan to take the SAT II in Math in the spring. Once again - lots to juggle that junior year.

 

Have fun planning it all out. It looks like you have done your homework finding targets. What helped me after I found potential targets was to balance possibilities with the realities of life with my kid. Helping him choose targets that made him feel challenged but not smothered made the difference. A bit tougher than just finding my blue skyin' list. The whole thing is complicated by the fact that they just don't know what they just don't know. I ended up having to rely on my gut more than my kid's gut. Tough to do. It's working out well. It's just a balancing act.

 

The first step for me? Sitting down with a planner and realizing that a super-ultra-motivated kid couldn't possibly nail down the blue-sky list. Scaling back to "my kid" took him quite a long way back from that line. Great experience. Not an easy one. But a great best-case scenario one for our family.

 

Don't get discouraged! The blue-sky list matters. (It was a TON of work. I know! I empathize. You did a GREAT job!) But for our family, it was a first step in a long series of steps. Moving from a "great" education to a individualize "best" education for this particular kid required several steps past that "great" list. It was worth it. But it took a lot of trial and error and personal reflection. Good process! Great results! Well worth the time.

 

I think the hardest part of it was letting go of the list. ;) It took a LONG time and a ton of work to find it. Manage it. Locate classes and resources. Etc. etc. etc. But in the end, much of it was a bad fit, so it had to be chucked. (Depressing! Makes me feel like I'm wasting my life going in circles! Tough to swallow. Oh well. I just had to get over it! ;)) It's a bit like finding all of the "best" third grade curriculum. Once you find it all and you buy it all and you spend your entire SUMMER scheduling it all, it's really tough to abandon it when it doesn't work for your kid! Been there. Done that. Could write the book on that one! But I ended up having to ditch it every time. And then I had to resist wanting to tell everyone all about it - EVERY TIME! Even though I was learning through experience that the best isn't the best if it doesn't fit my kid. We older gals on this board generally stop answering those kinds of questions over on the K-5 boards. The ones that go, "Which math program is the best?" or "Do we have to diagram?" or "Which spelling program is the best?" We know that the best one is the one that YOU have the potential, the time, the understanding, and the ability to WORK WITH at your house. Everything else will just end up being a black hole for your resources (time, money, enthusiasm, and talent). And the list of things you and your kids have the potential to use well is different for everyone. The 3rd grade writing program that will work in your house is the one that you and your child have the expertise and the motivation to USE! That's the best one. The great, best, cream of the crop choice. Period. Same thing here.

 

The best depends on a lot more than "best of." Make sense?

 

Keep on keepin' on, Momma! You are rocking!

 

Have fun!

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[elegantlion]

Janice :svengo: Thank you! I needed to hear those words today.

[Capt_Uhura]

Janice....I :001_wub: you. This is going in my high school folder!

[choirfarm]

Christine,

 

You've done a lot of work here. Tons of research! I know how hard it is, so congrats!

 

Your plans are pretty ambitious. I would start to lay out a daily/weekly schedule to see how well your plans fit in with real life. I would take a look at how well your ds is handling his schedule now. What is working? What isn't? How much time does he spend on his AP Stats course? How does that align with the estimates posted on the course's web site? Does it take him more time or less time than the estimates? That will give you a good idea of his personal pace. Think about his other course work. Is it regularly getting shoved aside to focus on his "tougher" classes. It was a great exercise for me to think about that. "OK. What is this kid going to do if instead of having one or two demanding courses, he has five or six? (Demanding course = shove everything else to the side in order to meet this week's deadline in this "important" class.) What if he has five demanding courses? What then? We can't rob everything from everyone every week. We'll end up academically and emotionally in debt." (NOT a good cycle! Not!)To be honest, I'm the one that makes him shove something aside. And he has done really well. He was more than happy to spend an hour and a half on Stats, and hour on Physics and and hour and a half on Alg. II. I just thought it was too much, especially on test days. I mean you are supposed to do Chalkdust lessons over 2 days, right? He seems to think that you are supposed to watch and do a whole lesson in one day. ( which is why he is always finishing his Chalkdust in February or March..this year it will be April) Unlike my middle child, he has his planner and sticks to it. I'll say.. "You can skip Spanish today since we are doing xyz,"and he'll say he'd better not as he really wanted to be in a certain place and he wasn't there.

Now sit down with the estimates for the other AP courses. How much time are these classes realistically going to take? You mentioned Spanish at the CC. Commuting time? Class time? Study time? Schedule it. I guess I'll just have to ask him. Both when he was in ps and now, he does it all on his own. Other than TOG discussions and writing discussions, he just brings things to be graded. I don't know how long they take him... He works from about 8am to 4ish most days now. Some days he works until 5 or 6, others he finishes at 1 or 2. Just depends. He has no social life, so that hasn't been an interest.

 

How about test prep? Junior year is a big year for prep. PSAT. SAT. Is he going to take the ACT? When? Look at the schedule for the AP tests. How will that align or interrupt the SAT/ACT/SAT II test prep schedule? In other words, how many tests can he study for at the same time without sacrificing quality. And remember - you are studying for these tests in addition to course load. It's a LOT to juggle. For us, we needed to make time for it - YUP LONG days. ;) Those SAT/ACT tests count quite a bit. Most schools are interested in rigorous coursework, but they want to see kids nail those tests. Especially if you are looking for scholarship money. It can get tricky. My oldest was obviously moving in the direction of engineering. BUT we needed to keep pushing forward in the humanities during his junior year. He needed a lot of work on his writing, and his reading wasn't strong enough either. (Those SAT/ACT tests really do reveal a lot. Can they read? or do they just read? OK, now can they do it fast - even when they get tired?) My oldest is a fast test taker. He is generally the first one done during standardized testing every year. He always scores int he 99 percentile, though so he isn't hurrying. That said..thos AP Stats tests where you have to write out the answers take him FOREVER. I've never, ever seen him work more than an hour on a test except that one... My oldest also still needed a lot of work with his time management and organization. So it's an interesting juggling act. You need to set the bar as high as you can, but you need to make sure they can still get their hinder over it. Colleges want to see rigor, but they also want to see excellent results. TOUGH to manage with some teenaged boys. (Sometimes they just want to wax their truck. LOTS of discussion here about academics v. life etc. Lots of choices for each family to make. Sliding scales. Moving target. Kid's goals. Parent's goals. Family goals. You get it. ;)) Yeah, this is my middle child. Telling him he cannot go to the youth activitiy until he gets math done, is the only way it does some days. He is so disorganized. He has no clue what he wants to do and doesn't care about figuring it out. I will be happy if he takes Precalculus and survives. It is funny... he has a lot less classes than older one, yet they finish about the same time every day because this one wastes so much time..

 

Back to your list: AP Chem. Great choice. Does your son do well in chemistry? If that's the only SAT II they are going to see, you want it to be in a subject he cares about. The AP Physics exam comes in two flavors. The B exam is a non-calculus based exam that is generally for folks not majoring in the sciences. The C exam is the calculus based exam; you need calculus for this one. Most of the engineering schools we looked at required several courses in physics. We decided that ds would be better off taking the sequence at the actual college rather than trying to place out of anything. AND because he would be taking it his senior year, the grade on the AP exam won't show up until about a month before he enrolls - so it's too late to impress anyone.

Yeah, that was my plan. Actually, the same with Calculus. I may have him take the online AP classes, only because there are instructors to help him and grade his work. ( I mean, this weak there was one section in Chalkdust where his answers were in a completely different form than the one in the textbook. I don't understand what either means. I showed him the key and said, "Honey, you have to put it in this kind of form. This is what the key says. I can't grade it if you don't put it in this kind of form because I have no idea what this means..) So he did. But I mean, what kind of math education is that???? That is what scares me so badly. I mean what if I prevent him from doing what he wants to do? He would be doing math competitions, robotic competitions if he were in ps... I want him to be prepared for college so he can do well.

AP Calculus is pretty important for the senior year for math/science folks. PA home schoolers offers a class. Chalkdust PreCalc uses the same textbook series as the Calc class. I would recommend it. BUT that PreCalc book is a looooooooong one. I would recommend that you start it during the summer before 11th grade - especially if you plan to take the SAT II in Math in the spring. Once again - lots to juggle that junior year.

 

Have fun planning it all out. It looks like you have done your homework finding targets. What helped me after I found potential targets was to balance possibilities with the realities of life with my kid. Helping him choose targets that made him feel challenged but not smothered made the difference. A bit tougher than just finding my blue skyin' list. The whole thing is complicated by the fact that they just don't know what they just don't know. I ended up having to rely on my gut more than my kid's gut. Tough to do. It's working out well. It's just a balancing act.

 

The first step for me? Sitting down with a planner and realizing that a super-ultra-motivated kid couldn't possibly nail down the blue-sky list. Scaling back to "my kid" took him quite a long way back from that line. Great experience. Not an easy one. But a great best-case scenario one for our family.

 

Don't get discouraged! The blue-sky list matters. (It was a TON of work. I know! I empathize. You did a GREAT job!) But for our family, it was a first step in a long series of steps. Moving from a "great" education to a individualize "best" education for this particular kid required several steps past that "great" list. It was worth it. But it took a lot of trial and error and personal reflection. Good process! Great results! Well worth the time.

Yeah, I just don't know...

And the list of things you and your kids have the potential to use well is different for everyone. The 3rd grade writing program that will work in your house is the one that you and your child have the expertise and the motivation to USE! That's the best one. Yep, I totally agree... and that also varies from child to child which is really frustrating!! The great, best, cream of the crop choice. Period. Same thing here.

 

The best depends on a lot more than "best of." Make sense?

 

Keep on keepin' on, Momma! You are rocking!

 

Have fun!

Peace,

Janice

 

 

 

Thanks Janice. That was very helpful..because that has been my struggle. I don't know what will challenge him and what will frustrate him.. He was frustrated this year along about November or so... Stats was really hard, but he has figured it out. He's zooming along in everything again. Part of it, is he's never had to really work at something or not understood something... until this year. His third grade teacher told me.. "He's got such a great brain. I hope I can challenge him some this year. " Bless her heart, he had a great year, but it was REALLY easy. I pulled him out at the end of that year, but I feel so much like her. I feel like I've taught him everything I can, but it isn't enough and i have nothing left to teach that he needs to learn other than writing. Hav e to run to church...

[memphispeg]

I would talk to him a bit. Seems like he might end up trying to do too much. Sr. and Jr. year in high school should be more about depth than breadth. What classes does he need to graduate? I would start there and then keep to the basics, done in a way that will maximize his fun and interest. You don't want him burned out by the end of jr. year. Remember, learning is supposed to be FUN (???)! For college, you want him to be able to do critical thinking and writing and know what his strengths and weaknesses are. So, breathe and go talk to him.

[Janice in NJ]

It sounds like your plans are going to work out well. And it sounds like you've moved a LONG way past your blue sky list. Awesome! You seem to be viewing these choices through a clear, balanced, and mature lens. WAY past where I was when my oldest was in 10th grade. I'm jealous. :D But TOTALLY psyched for you!

 

And it looks like your son is completely up for the challenge. He is going to rock!

 

Woo-Hoo! I say "Go for it!!!"

 

Peace,

Janice