very worried about choices

[lorrainejmc]

Sigh:confused:

 

Earlier this week, dd9 and I decided MUS was not a good fit after 2 years. We had almost finished Gamma. She was losing sleep and there were lots of tears. We are trying MEP and have gone right back to yr2 to cover topics not covered by MEP, yet looking at yr4, there is a lot of it she could do already. She has completed 4 weeks of yr2 MEP this week; we have dropped all content subjects until September so we can focus on this over summer. So far, she is enjoying MEP and likes that she does many different topics at once. I'm not so sure. I was planning on trying it with my 2xds 5+7yrs, who have done no formal math yet (7yr old has some delays) I'm worried about the pace. When I look ahead, it seems way ahead of typical schools here (UK).

 

I'm also worried about dd LA choices. This is the end of her 2nd year homeschooling but we have not really got it right. She reads and spells well above grade level. Comprehension, she does well with answering questions if the answers are in the text but not so good at "reading between the lines", as in Wordly Wise. She writes quite well and we do narration etc with SOTW, Apologia and Trail Guide to World Geography. I printed a very large grammar workbook that was free from macmillan/mcgraw-hill and it looks OK, but now I feel guilty at passing her off with free curriculum for both math and grammar. I feel like scrapping the grammar or using it to keep her busy while I teach her brothers, and using FLL as her "real" grammar curriculum.

 

I don't know what do do with math or LA for dd9 or math for 2xds. I also feel like my dd is taking all of my energy and I have nothing left for my sons, and one in particular needs extra help as he has a communication disability and right now he gets nowhere near the time he needs with me.

 

I need some guidance.

Edited May 27, 2011 by lorrainejmc

[boscopup]

So far, she is enjoying MEP and likes that she does many different topics at once. I'm not so sure. I was planning on trying it with my 2xds 5+7yrs, who have done no formal math yet (7yr old has some delays) I'm worried about the pace. When I look ahead, it seems way ahead of typical schools here (UK).

 

Meet your children where they are, and don't worry as much about the number on the page. For example, if they're in MEP year 4 and the schools don't do as much as what's in MEP year 4, and your child isn't quite doing what's in MEP year 4, well... you're child is probably doing what would be expected in year 4 at school, correct? So don't worry about it. Your summer plan sounds good, and you'll slow down when you hit the right spot. Then you can take it at regular pace. That spot *may* not be where you think it is though. Just go with what your kid needs. You'll notice when the slow-down happens. It sounds like this currriculum is a good fit for her.

 

Now if you don't have time for this curriculum, I can understand that. If that's the case, you might check into CLE Math, as it likewise is a spiral format, having different types of problems on each page, and it is more independent.

 

I'm not sure I understand the problem with your sons... Take MEP at whatever pace they need. They obviously wouldn't be doing 4 weeks in 1 week. ;) And you said yourself that the schools around you aren't as advanced as MEP, so don't feel like your kids have to be in the same grade label in MEP as they are in school. Again, if the problem with MEP is that it's teacher intensive, that would be a good reason to look at other curriculum. Do your sons need a spiral format, or do they do well with mastery-ish formats? Do they need a lot of manipulatives, or are they good without? Do they have any special math needs?

 

I'm also worried about dd LA choices. This is the end of her 2nd year homeschooling but we have not really got it right. She reads and spells well above grade level. Comprehension, she does well with answering questions if the answers are in the text but not so good at "reading between the lines", as in Wordly Wise.

 

I'm wondering if maybe she just isn't in the logic stage yet? Isn't "reading between the lines" a logic stage skill? At 9, she's getting close to logic stage, but it's perfectly normal for her to not be there yet. It sounds like she's doing great with LA. :)

 

now I feel guilty at passing her off with free curriculum for both math and grammar.

If the curriculum has at least the material you expect it to have at that grade level and it's presented in a way that your child can understand it and you can teach it, what's wrong with using free materials? There are some excellent free materials out there. MEP is one of them. I don't know anything about your grammar choice, but if it works for you and your kid, I don't see a reason to change. You're also concerned about not having enough time for your younger ones, but then you're thinking about going to FLL, which is teacher-intensive. If she's understanding grammar well for her age, maybe this could be one of the subjects you let be more independent, like using a workbook or textbook curriculum that doesn't require a lot of teaching from you. Give yourself permission to do that. :)

[lorrainejmc]

Mmmm, I was rambling a bit when I posted:001_smile: ATM, what I am finding with MEP is that the geometry is almost all new to her so I need to spend a lot of time with her, and we are cramming a bit. I am stunned at her lack of mathematical thinking, though. She doesn't seem to able to solve problems logically, which then brings me back to wondering if this is right for her and whether it is a good fit for a classical education at this stage. I think she may simply do better learning facts/method for now. Knowing how to solve word problems has never come easy to her either.

 

As for LA, I came to the same conclusion about Wordly Wise comprehension having logic questions and realized she isn't there yet. We never really liked that book and would be glad to drop it. I was drawn to FLL as although she does do well in grammar workbooks and using it in her writing, I don't think she remembers definitions. We have the same problem with math facts. She never remembers them, or doesn't trust that she has remembered them correctly, might be a more accurate way of putting it.

 

Something doesn't feel right with my homeschooling of dd and I can't quite put my finger on what it is.:confused:

[boscopup]

Ok, that makes sense (and I ramble ALL the time :lol:, especially when I'm having confusion or a problem with my homeschool).

 

FLL is great for learning those definitions! Perhaps she could sit in on FLL1 or 2 sessions with your younger boys and learn the definitions that way, while doing her own grammar in a workbook format? Just a thought.

 

Check out CLE Math, as it is more straightforward and not so much puzzle-like. It includes drill of math facts (using flash cards). From what I've seen of it (samples and my friend's second grade light units), it seems to teach some of the conceptual things, but it's not done while requiring a lot of logical thinking like MEP does. It's straightforward math. It sounds like it might be a good fit for your DD. I don't know if you can get it easily in the UK though, so that might be a consideration.

[lorrainejmc]

Thanks, I will look into CLE math. Most homeschool supliers ship over, anyway.

 

I should have realized she wasn't a logical thinker yet, she still believes in santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny.......

 

BTW, I don't have a particular problem with teacher intensive curriculum, *if it is working*. She is draining the love of homeschooling out of me at times, though:001_huh:

 

I will rest my poor throbbing brain for the weekend.....

[BriannaG]

If you decide to give MEP a go since she likes it and/or CLE is hard to get in the UK, I'd suggest you join the MEP Yahoo group. They can give you some help and advice for your daughter on how to proceed. There have been several parents that switched over to MEP and dropped down a few grade levels, some even to Year 1(kindergarten) and then just allowed their kids to skip what they knew and worked on what they didn't know to get them up to grade level.

 

It is a different form of math, but some kids love it and others don't. Also, if you can don't skip the teacher lessons, they add to the lessons with activities...pick and choose what you need to do...some of them won't work since it is geared towards a classroom.

 

I can't speak to your other choices, but good luck. It sounds like you're figuring things out for your daughter.

[SorrelZG]

If you decide to give MEP a go since she likes it and/or CLE is hard to get in the UK, I'd suggest you join the MEP Yahoo group. They can give you some help and advice for your daughter on how to proceed. There have been several parents that switched over to MEP and dropped down a few grade levels, some even to Year 1(kindergarten) and then just allowed their kids to skip what they knew and worked on what they didn't know to get them up to grade level.

 

It is a different form of math, but some kids love it and others don't. Also, if you can don't skip the teacher lessons, they add to the lessons with activities...pick and choose what you need to do...some of them won't work since it is geared towards a classroom.

 

 

I just wanted to say thank you for mentioning this. I have considered MEP and these are things to keep in mind as I look over it. :001_smile:

[lorrainejmc]

I did join the yahoo group, but I haven't posted yet. She likes the easy parts of MEP yr2 that she knows how to do and that's when she was saying how much she loved it, but the problems are when we introduce topics that are new. Skipping what she knows is not really an option as she forgets math facts and method very quickly. In fact, I would almost give her a multi-digit mutiplication worksheet from MUS now, in case she has forgotten how to do it this past week.:001_huh:

 

I know now that MEP would never work for my ds7. He is a "focus on one thing till I know it" sort of learner, whether that be school work or not.

 

Oh, bother. I wish this was easier.:confused:

[oleladyintheshoe]

I was going to suggest CLE also as it is so gentle. The only thing is that placement can sometimes be tricky. Doesn't always come out at grade level. Don't be discouraged, this is completely normal.

 

We are playing catch up right now and it's going much better and faster than I thought and looks like we will have covered the material and be on grade level within 6 months. Even though it looked liked 2 years, it really wasn't b/c she knew a solid 65% of that material just not all of it.

[oleladyintheshoe]

I also wanted to throw out there Teaching Textbooks.

 

We are going to do this next year to reclaim some of our joy. Math with my oldest had become very strained (to say the least) between us. Her in tears, me in....frustration. I had originally not planned on spending that much for 1 subject but at the end of the day, I feel it is so worth it for my child to have someone(thing) else teaching her, that can repeat the explanation 100 times, if neccessary, without ever getting aggrivated and making her feel...........whatever that makes her feel like.......less than good.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Have you figured out how she learns best? Her learning "style?" Once you know that, it is much easier to pick curriculum that's going to work. And really, once the curriculum is the right format for the learning style, it's *almost* effortless learning. I am focusing on your remark about how sometimes she is draining the love of homeschooling out of you, and I am wondering if it's because you are banging your head against the brick wall of learning style mis-match. It really can make a huge difference. Is she more visual, auditory, hands on? Does she think in pictures or in words? Does she have to hear herself say things outloud in order to understand them? Does reading silently work better? If you had to give her, say, a Bible verse to memorize, what would get it in her brain permanently the quickest? For my dd, it means creating color pictures and pairing them with the words (in color), and then practicing it outloud. She's a right brain, visual spatial learner. Just to give you an idea of what I mean.

[morosophe]

She doesn't seem to able to solve problems logically, which then brings me back to wondering if this is right for her and whether it is a good fit for a classical education at this stage. I think she may simply do better learning facts/method for now. Knowing how to solve word problems has never come easy to her either.

 

As for LA, I came to the same conclusion about Wordly Wise comprehension having logic questions and realized she isn't there yet. We never really liked that book and would be glad to drop it. I was drawn to FLL as although she does do well in grammar workbooks and using it in her writing, I don't think she remembers definitions. We have the same problem with math facts. She never remembers them, or doesn't trust that she has remembered them correctly, might be a more accurate way of putting it.

 

My son is only in first grade, so he's definitely in the grammar stage of things, but it sounds like you are planning to work on review. Have you tried flash cards? How did you like them? We got the Flashmaster for my son to review his addition and subtraction without taking up my time (since I am often busy wrestling with his two younger siblings) and he loves that. We've also started incorporating the scripture memorization card box suggested by Simply Charlotte Mason here: it could easily be adapted for grammar definitions, instead.

 

Just some thoughts from someone who is actually way, way behind you. Oh, well.

[lorrainejmc]

I'm grateful for the replies I got, but you will never believe that child of mine. She begged to back back to MUS today. MUS has always worked until about 2/3-3/4 of the way through each level, then it gets tougher and she panics. I printed off half a level of MEP already:banghead: but she just does not have the logical thinking skills for it yet. She really doesn't.

 

I'm not decided on LA/grammar yet, but I worry less about that as these skills have always been easier for her.

 

My poor brain hurts.