Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Ds14 is now totally beyond me in math and science. He holds his own with the science but sometimes I think he'd go even farther with a good teacher. He mostly holds his own in math but it's getting harder and both dh and I are thinking he needs some actual teaching instead of just teaching himself from the book. Dh could do it if he had the time, but he doesn't have the time. So - what are my choices: Community college? local high school? How do I find out if the math teaching is any good? The school website tells me absolutely nothing and I'm afraid that if I called them up that they of course would tell me that it was stellar. a tutor? How much would that cost? How often should he be taught? Online? How do I find out what is offered and how good it actually is? This kid is my math and science geek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 My math guy did absolutely fine with a tutor once a week. She would just go through the things in the chapter coming up and explain them. He'd come home and do the work. (I think we had the answers so he could check it.) She did it in barter for ds's labor. He worked his way through precalc, LOL! We have also had great experience with math profs at the community college. We had heard through other homeschooled students that certain ones were really good. You can also look at Rate My Professor, a website you can google. Several cc profs were on that website. It was pretty accurate. You can usually tell who is rating low because they didn't work hard. OTOH, my kids both had difficulty with an online math course. Other kids do really well with them. I would not have predicted that my kids would have trouble, but they did. If you start asking around, you can probably get some perspectives on what's available in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 My math guy did absolutely fine with a tutor once a week. She would just go through the things in the chapter coming up and explain them. He'd come home and do the work. (I think we had the answers so he could check it.) She did it in barter for ds's labor. He worked his way through precalc, LOL! We have also had great experience with math profs at the community college. We had heard through other homeschooled students that certain ones were really good. You can also look at Rate My Professor, a website you can google. Several cc profs were on that website. It was pretty accurate. You can usually tell who is rating low because they didn't work hard. OTOH, my kids both had difficulty with an online math course. Other kids do really well with them. I would not have predicted that my kids would have trouble, but they did. If you start asking around, you can probably get some perspectives on what's available in your area. Thank you, Laurie. I spent some time this morning googling. One local college requires me to take the class with ds if he were to enroll at his age! I need to check out some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Can you ask other homeschoolers in your area? Around here we have a local yahoo group and people post stuff like this all the time. Well, not all the time but around the spring and summer to fill classes for the fall. The place where our co-op meets also has a high school group that meets at various times with lots of classes - writing, algebra, sciences, Spanish. Then there is a Christian summer camp that has programs all year long some for homeschoolers (more classes for high schoolers) and then sports for everyone (Upward programs). These 2 are about 45 minutes apart and so serve different groups. There's another church that has several classes and then I've seen posts for people who tutor as well on the yahoo group. But then I've also noticed that my area has more homeschoolers than anywhere else in the state. I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Can you talk to the parents of students who have taken the math and science classes you would like your child to be in. Ask around at church or whatever other organizations you belong to. Word of mouth is the best for high school, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I'm planning on using either my husband or tutors that offer tutoring with Singapore Math for my son. I'm really scared to mess my son up; he's destined to do something that uses at least a high level of math and perhaps Science, too. I plan on him going through Singapore and then some kind of math like NEM? I saw that there's tutoring for different Singapore Math.... I think I saw about $10.00 an hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 I'm planning on using either my husband or tutors that offer tutoring with Singapore Math for my son. I'm really scared to mess my son up; he's destined to do something that uses at least a high level of math and perhaps Science, too. I plan on him going through Singapore and then some kind of math like NEM? I saw that there's tutoring for different Singapore Math.... I think I saw about $10.00 an hr. Ds has been doing Jacobs Algebra and I had planned on doing Jacobs Geometry next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 One local college requires me to take the class with ds if he were to enroll at his age! UGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 UGH! I agree. So that we would have to pay double. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 One local college requires me to take the class with ds if he were to enroll at his age! :001_huh: I imagine the CC would be more flexible once he has been successful. We are able to dual enroll at CC for free in 10th-12th grade, provided the student passes the college placement test. We are also allowed to take up to 3 classes at PS, but no one brags about their academics. We tried a tutor a few years ago for Latin (ds prefers a group). We have done some online/distance learning classes, with varying degrees of success. I recommend Derek Owens for Physics. I have seen positive reviews of Jann in TX's math classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 OK - another thing I discovered - in the two closest community colleges, the math courses are taught by computer. Each student apparently has their own lap top and goes at their own pace. I suppose the teacher is there just for questions? I think this avenue is becoming a dead-end. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Ds has been doing Jacobs Algebra and I had planned on doing Jacobs Geometry next. At that level I would probably consider a tutor or a coop or online class instead of a community college class. Have you considered Jann in TX's class? I hear lots of good things here. :) As another thought, if he's doing well learning on his own, I don't think it's critical to have a teacher at that level, but it can certainly be helpful in geometry especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 OK - another thing I discovered - in the two closest community colleges, the math courses are taught by computer. Each student apparently has their own lap top and goes at their own pace. I suppose the teacher is there just for questions? I think this avenue is becoming a dead-end. . . Another thing to keep in mind is that for a college student, high school level geometry and even algebra II are considered remedial courses, so that will be reflected in the students attending these classes. Some will be serious students bringing their math skills up to speed, but others will be used to slacking a bit, and this may carry through to their participation in the community college course as well. If you wait for higher level math, then he should encounter other math and science geeks and enjoy the classes. This isn't from BTDT experience, but from what I've gathered from others' experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 At that level I would probably consider a tutor or a coop or online class instead of a community college class. Have you considered Jann in TX's class? I hear lots of good things here. :) As another thought' date=' if he's doing well learning on his own, I don't think it's critical to have a teacher at that level, but it can certainly be helpful in geometry especially.[/quote'] I'm checking out her site right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Ds14 is now totally beyond me in math and science. So - what are my choices: Community college? If you decide to enroll your 14 year old at the community, make sure the enrollment policy is fully disclosed. Our cc requires a student to be a high school junior in order to enroll at our community college. My friend's 14 yr. old freshman was working at a high school junior level in math. The admissions person at the cc told her just to declare him a junior so he could take the math class, even though my friend was considering him a high school freshman. My friend followed those instructions, and her son took two math classes last year. This summer when she went to enroll him in the calculus series (the complete series encompasses 3 semesters), she was told that he would only be able to take two semesters since his high school eligibility would end at that point. In order to take any more classes at the cc, my friend would have to graduate her son from high school at the end of his sophomore year. Something she did not want to do. I am not sure if all of the cc's in my state have the same policy or not,and I am sure it varies from state to state, but it is definitely something to look into. How do I find out if the math teaching is any good? The school website tells me absolutely nothing and I'm afraid that if I called them up that they of course would tell me that it was stellar. You may be able to get a little bit of information from the school's various test scores. Ask for the average math SAT score, the results of its AP calculus results, and its AMC scores. The school's AP scores for all tests are summarized every year. The report to ask for is called The College Board Summary Report. Online? How do I find out what is offered and how good it actually is? We love the Art of Problem Solving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 OK - another thing I discovered - in the two closest community colleges, the math courses are taught by computer. :scared::ack2::ohmy: EEK! That is unbelievable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 What math level are you looking for? ETA: I just read the thread and see you're looking for geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Ds has been doing Jacobs Algebra and I had planned on doing Jacobs Geometry next. I would be surprised if the colleges around here (WA) would allow a high school student to take a high school level course. Have you looked at Derek Owens' offerings? He uses Jacobs Geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 I would be surprised if the colleges around here (WA) would allow a high school student to take a high school level course. Have you looked at Derek Owens' offerings? He uses Jacobs Geometry. Is he an online instructor? Someone local? I'm afraid that his name rings no bells for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Is he an online instructor? Someone local? I'm afraid that his name rings no bells for me. Here's a link: Derek Owens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Here's a link: Derek Owens Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Online? How do I find out what is offered and how good it actually is? You ask for recommendations and reviews here. You may see my review of Derek Owens Physics class here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 You ask for recommendations and reviews here. You may see my review of Derek Owens Physics class here. Thank you, Sue. That is helpful. So - you said that you can start the course any time? That's helpful for me to know because ds is still finishing up Algebra I before he starts Geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 So - you said that you can start the course any time? Yes, and you only pay for the months that you are using the course. For example, we started early August, took December off, and finished by May. We did not have to pay for December. If you had a very motivated student, they could finish quicker and save $$$. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Yes, and you only pay for the months that you are using the course. For example, we started early August, took December off, and finished by May. We did not have to pay for December. If you had a very motivated student, they could finish quicker and save $$$. HTH! Cool!:coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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