How is homeschool high school different from P.S.?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Or I should say "how can it be" or maybe even "how should it be"?

 

I'm a homeschool high school newbie because ds14 is only in 9th grade but we're struggling a bit. It feels like we've transplanted the stress and pressure of p.s. (or maybe a really good college prep high school with good quality classes) to our home. I guess I'm asking what high school ideally should look like at home. I want rigor, not for the sake of having rigor, but because rigorous classes are more interesting and stretch our brains. (Ds14 isn't a slouch, I don't think. He's reading Oedipus Rex, doing chemistry and Algebra, Logic, Latin, Classical guitar and finishing up Analytical Grammar.) But how can we have the rigor without the stress? Or is stress ok? Or are we wimps to be stressed at all? Sorry for the angst in this post - today ended with ds14 having a meltdown after only getting 5 problems done in chemistry after working for 75 minutes. I have a tutor for him so we're addressing any actual instruction issues with it taking him so long. But if it isn't chemistry, then it's Latin that's causing the headaches or perhaps it's Classical guitar. The stress is from trying to get 7 subjects done excellently every day. Is there another way to do this? Is it ok to do it another way?

[snowbeltmom]

The stress is from trying to get 7 subjects done excellently every day. Is there another way to do this? Is it ok to do it another way?

This quoted comment resonated with me.

My oldest just turned 15, so I am only one year ahead of you and far from an expert. My son does not work in each subject each day. Instead, he sets weekly goals for each subject. He may concentrate one day on completing most of the week's chemistry assignments, the next day may be devoted mostly to math, etc. We have found the high school subjects to be more time consuming than the lower grades, and trying to fit in each subject on a daily basis is too inefficient and stressful.

[8filltheheart]

Or I should say "how can it be" or maybe even "how should it be"?

 

I'm a homeschool high school newbie because ds14 is only in 9th grade but we're struggling a bit. It feels like we've transplanted the stress and pressure of p.s. (or maybe a really good college prep high school with good quality classes) to our home. I guess I'm asking what high school ideally should look like at home. I want rigor, not for the sake of having rigor, but because rigorous classes are more interesting and stretch our brains. (Ds14 isn't a slouch, I don't think. He's reading Oedipus Rex, doing chemistry and Algebra, Logic, Latin, Classical guitar and finishing up Analytical Grammar.) But how can we have the rigor without the stress? Or is stress ok? Or are we wimps to be stressed at all? Sorry for the angst in this post - today ended with ds14 having a meltdown after only getting 5 problems done in chemistry after working for 75 minutes. I have a tutor for him so we're addressing any actual instruction issues with it taking him so long. But if it isn't chemistry, then it's Latin that's causing the headaches or perhaps it's Classical guitar. The stress is from trying to get 7 subjects done excellently every day. Is there another way to do this? Is it ok to do it another way?

 

You are actually asking multiple different questions and all have different answers depending on perspective and personal goals.

 

My high schoolers do have stress b/c our high school is very academic oriented. Some of my students have far more stress than others b/c they push themselves and take more credit hrs than the others or take more demanding courses than the others. But, that stress is in line w/their personalities and their personal goals.

 

The major advantage of homeschooling over ps is that how we meet credit hr requirements for specific subjects is completely up to us.....we have freedom to meet the requirements in a way that suits our individual children. For example, my kids have "designed" their own history courses. One selected a course that focused on 20th century history and the conflicts between the West and communism. She loved it. I have had kids take world history while others wanted western civilization.

 

Literature courses can take whatever mold we want. The 2nd semester of 2 of my kids' literature course last yr we went completely atypical: they studied the movie Inception and read Plato's Allegory of the Cave, mythology on Ariadne and the minotaur/labyrinth, Labyrinth of Reason, Through the Looking Glass, and Fahrenheit 451 (I can't remember what else off the top of my head.) They loved it.

 

They can accelerate at their pace w/o restriction. We can ease on other subjects that we find less vital to their personal goals. They can take courses that would not be found at a typical high school (my 10th grader is on his 2nd college level astronomy course.)

 

Conversely, most of the homeschoolers I know IRL are not academic-oriented and their high schoolers are taking loads very dissimilar to ours.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You are actually asking multiple different questions and all have different answers depending on perspective and personal goals.

 

My high schoolers do have stress b/c our high school is very academic oriented. Some of my students have far more stress than others b/c they push themselves and take more credit hrs than the others or take more demanding courses than the others. But, that stress is in line w/their personalities and their personal goals.

 

The major advantage of homeschooling over ps is that how we meet credit hr requirements for specific subjects is completely up to us.....we have freedom to meet the requirements in a way that suits our individual children. For example, my kids have "designed" their own history courses. One selected a course that focused on 20th century history and the conflicts between the West and communism. She loved it. I have had kids take world history while others wanted western civilization.

 

Literature courses can take whatever mold we want. The 2nd semester of 2 of my kids' literature course last yr we went completely atypical: they studied the movie Inception and read Plato's Allegory of the Cave, mythology on Ariadne and the minotaur/labyrinth, Labyrinth of Reason, Through the Looking Glass, and Fahrenheit 451 (I can't remember what else off the top of my head.) They loved it.

 

They can accelerate at their pace w/o restriction. We can ease on other subjects that we find less vital to their personal goals. They can take courses that would not be found at a typical high school (my 10th grader is on his 2nd college level astronomy course.)

 

Conversely, most of the homeschoolers I know IRL are not academic-oriented and their high schoolers are taking loads very dissimilar to ours.

 

See, your "design your own courses" thing sounds like one of the things I dreamed about when deciding to homeschool way back when. But in actual life, I'm finding it extremely difficult to let go of what I did in my College Prep private school. Was it easy for you to let go? Do you have fears that it will bite you in the rear when it comes to college? Did you feel like you had to have certain courses nailed down and then you could do what you wanted above that? (And yes, I can see that I'm asking multiple questions! They just seem to bubble out of me as I try to sort all this out. . . )

[AK_Mom4]

OK - I will take a shot at this one.

 

DD17 had knee surgery a month ago. She's been a month recovering and is now doing PT. She would have missed a minimum of 10 days of public school, if not more, and would have been miserably behind. Additionally, being in school 7-2pm would limit the amount of time she has to focus on her music.

 

Instead, she is keeping up nicely with school work, has time to practice her multiple instruments daily, and is involved in more activities than ever. Being able to move at her own pace thru the material (she is going much faster than her friends at school in the same subjects) gives her more free time to concentrate on her music and knee recovery.

 

And she is happier and less stressed. A Win-Win for everyone!

[beachnut]

I follow the grad. requirements of our local high school as far as choosing core courses to take. My 9th grader takes math, science & Latin thru FLVS, so I don't have any input into the course, but I like the pace and flexibility offered thru these online courses.

 

I do teach world history & English. I make it more "homeschooly" by varying the kinds of assignments the kids do by incorporating things they like -- art, music, cooking, field trips, games, geography, etc. (I've got 2 boys -- a middle schooler & a high schooler). I do not want my high schooler writing an essay, doing worksheets & taking tests for every history chapter. And I don't want him to analyze every book he reads or he would start to hate reading. So we do creative projects like making a poster to promote the book, writing music/lyrics to summarize the story, drawing a comic strip to illustrate a key scene in the book, etc.

 

For electives, I think, that's where even greater "course customization" comes into play. We can do the typical things that high schoolers do -- art, music, speech, etc. But we can also feed into the interests of our teens -- starting a business for an entrepreneur course or allowing your teen to tap into his writing/artistic talent by creating a "Graphic Novel" course. To me, THIS is where homeschooling really shines.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Jean, our first 6 weeks of homeschooling high school felt like they were straight from the Bad Place. I wondered if that level of rigor was really sustainable or if I was going to burn out my son (and myself) with such relentless pressure. I kept stalking the public school's website and crying in closets. Son was having nightmares about assignment sheets.

 

That was then. We're in the middle of week 8 right now and we're fine. :D Here are signs I've observed that show me we're OK:

 

1. I am making time for my husband again instead of staying up at night preparing for the next school day.

2. I'm getting the housework caught up between lessons. (Good thing. It was getting pretty bad.)

3. Son is relaxed enough that he brought home three library books on string theory to read in his spare time, and decided to add Spanish studies to his school day. He also agreed to be in charge of aerospace and character development at Civil Air Patrol, and that's going well.

 

So my first thoughts were correct: We really can study at this level and be happy. We just had to survive one hellacious and brutal learning curve.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Jean, our first 6 weeks of homeschooling high school felt like they were straight from the Bad Place.

 

We're on our 5th week. Perhaps it will get better. . .

[dhudson]

My ds is in week 8 of high school and I think he is finally getting the hang of it. It has been stressful, there has been pressure and I have wondered if I was going to send him over the edge. We are trying to give him a classical rigorous education and I think he needed a little time to get used to it.

 

I also have told him that I want high school to be a bit stressful so that he can learn to handle the pressure that college will bring. If we have to push him a bit to prepare him to best of our ability then so be it. I would rather it be tougher in high school so that he can be prepared for college.

 

He has also had to be far better at time management which was a bit of a learning curve. He has also had to deal with some hard and fast deadlines both from us and from a couple of outside classes. He struggled with these but within the last week or two he has gotten everything in on time and done well. I think these are all appropriate developmentally and will better prepare him for his future.

 

I think he'll survive our high school...:001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

Literature courses can take whatever mold we want. The 2nd semester of 2 of my kids' literature course last yr we went completely atypical: they studied the movie Inception and read Plato's Allegory of the Cave, mythology on Ariadne and the minotaur/labyrinth, Labyrinth of Reason, Through the Looking Glass, and Fahrenheit 451 (I can't remember what else off the top of my head.) They loved it.

 

No wonder. That is TOTALLY cool.

[jamajo]

I agree with snowbeltmom - 7 subjects daily? Way too much.

 

My curriculum has lesson plans all done for World History, Bible, and Literature. They are weekly plans broken down into daily assignments. I add in Math and Science (done at coop weekly) is broken down into daily assignments as well.

 

I allow my daughter to have the freedom to do the work in whichever order suits her fancy as long as it is all done by the end of the week (Sunday). If she needs Saturdays and Sundays to do it so be it. This is how homeschool is different from PS. Unlike PS, I don't have to cram academics in between 7 -2 Mon.-Fri., go to extracurricular activiteis from 3-6, eat dinner, do homework until 11 pm then wake up at 6 to catch the bus and do it all over again. That is stressful!

 

My DD wakes up around 7:30 am starts her studies around 8:30 am works steadily and takes a break for lunch for about an hour then gets back to work until approx. 3 pm. Extras includes coop 1x/week for 2 hours for Science, Volleyball 1x/week for 2 hours, and Art 1x/week for 2 hours. She using evening to read literature selections or her own reading selections.

 

I had a college prep high school experience as well. I went to a boarding school for my junior/senior years in high school. The studies were more rigorous than my PS for 9th/10th grade but it really helps to live where you go to school (homeschool, boarding schools, etc). Not having to commute can actually add 2 hours to your day which makes it possible to get it all done without the added stress of time constraints.

 

If my DD gets behind I know I have the flexibility to extend the school year, play catch up or hone skills during the summer, or cut vacation time.

 

I love the flexibility and the stress-free feeling of not teaching to a test (with the exception of the SAT :D

 

Bottom line - relax, keep your standards but give yourself and you DS some wiggle room.

[Trilliums]

DS (9th grader) and I are beginning to wonder the similar things.

 

He takes two classes at the ps (chem honors and intro to engineering). After those classes he is exhausted and needs down time. Then he perks back up later in the evening, which I suspect makes it harder for him to fall asleep and be ready for at home learning in the morning. Seems like a bad cycle. We were discussing it today when some after school club possibilities arose. He said he didn't want to add anything else to his schedule as he felt it would over extend him. Made me wonder if he should cut back on academics for now. But, he has a schedule he likes where he gets all of his subjects completed before leaving the house for his ps classes at 1. And 4 afternoons a week he already has activities scheduled. This in itself worries me though because I wonder how well he will be able to incorporate longer writing assignments to his schedule.

 

For my son, being more in charge of scheduling his home learning does help him cope with the work load. But I was thinking...it is almost as though he is already going to school full time! However, if he was in ps full time, he would not be taking as demanding of a course load. So perhaps we are pushing them harder. Or around here, it would be that DS is pushing himself harder, as he does choose his courses and course load.

Edited October 6, 2011 by Trilliums

[Jean in Newcastle]

However, if he was in ps full time, he would not be taking as demanding of a course load. So perhaps we are pushing them harder.

 

That's the thing. When I ask ds14's friends at tae kwando what they are taking, they list 3 or 4 things max! When I look at our local high school website, it looks like you have to have 5 credits to graduate from 9th grade. So I assume 5 classes a semester? Actually less because I looked and some of his core classes (the math, science and history) are all 1 credit per semester. The others are only .5 credits per semester. But somehow it is ingrained in me since they were small that we do a bit of math, science, history, arts (guitar), logic, Latin and English every day! So perhaps I could stretch things out longer in the non core subjects? I don't want to stretch out the cores because then we won't get them done in the year.

[regentrude]

The stress is from trying to get 7 subjects done excellently every day. Is there another way to do this? Is it ok to do it another way?

 

We are academically oriented and my kids have rigorous coursework, BUT we pick our battles. We strive for excellence in the five core subjects (math, science, history, english and foreign language), and we have some electives which are of lower priority and where we do coursework of only average difficulty and do not go above and beyond; we save the extra effort for the subjects we have identified as important for us. This prioritizing will look differently in each family.

In our family, we spend the most time and effort on math and science, and quite some on history and literature. Foreign language is currently troubling us a bit, but needs to be improved. We also want to have German (our family language) in our curriculum. Electives such as art history and music history do not get the same level of academic rigor as math and are fitted in when time permits. we aim at a cumulative credit, possibly over several years.

We also find it important that DD has several hours each day to pursue a non-academic interest, horses, which keeps her well balanced, grounded, provides her with a physical outlet and satisfies her need to socialize. She could work on academics during this time, but to us, the benefits of the time at the barn outweigh the benefits of another academic credit.

With these priorities, we are sometimes stressed, but not overwhelmed. DD spends 5.5-6 hours on school work per day.

Edited October 6, 2011 by regentrude

[MtnTeaching]

The stress is from trying to get 7 subjects done excellently every day. Is there another way to do this? Is it ok to do it another way?

 

Your question is timely in my household as well. My ds14 is in 9th also and he literally had a meltdown tonight over a paper he needs to turn in by tomorrow. I know he is overloaded and I am feeling the pressure right along with him.

 

With me, he is taking:

- World History- Ancients to 1600s (Oak Meadow with additional reading from SWB's books & my own Art History study)

- World Lit and Comp. (Great books Ancient and Middle Ages) (Currently also finishing up an online Brave Writer course)

- Biology (2010 Miller Levine) with labs

- Health (Oak Meadow)

- Math (AoPS Counting and Probability online class, but also reviewing Algebra 1 in preparation of taking AoPS Algebra Intermediate in winter.)

 

On Fridays- he goes to a P.S. based school from 8:00a to 3:15p. There he takes:

Latin 1 (homework 5 days a week)

French 2 (homework 5 days a week)

Speech and Debate (tough teacher, definite homework during week)

3D Art (no homework during week)

Teacher's Assistant to 2nd & 3rd Grade Science class (Some class prep)

P.E.

 

He was also taking Classical Guitar until his teacher imploded during a divorce. We haven't found another teacher, so he and I play together some when we can. I know he would love to continue taking lessons, but I am just not sure where to fit it in.

 

He is also an aspiring road bike racer. He trains and competes in time trials.

 

Just writing this makes me realize that he is completely overbooked, as am I. My dd13 is dyslexic and has her own needs of my time. I think we are going to have to let something slide some, but I am not sure what. He absolutely adores the school he attends on Fridays and the other courses are required. (Health only takes him about 1 to 1.5 hours total per week).

 

I just wish there were a few more days in each week...

[KJB]

A couple of things:

 

First, for some perspective, at our public Dept of Defense high school, students must have 6 credits per year to advance to the next grade (6 to become a soph, 12 to become a junior, 18 to become a senior). It takes 26 total credits to graduate. The breakdown is:

 

4 Language Arts

3 Math (including Alg, Geometry, and Adv.Alg/Trig)

3 Soc Studies (including 1 World History, 1 US History, and .5 credit Govt)

3 Science (including Biology and either Chem or Physics)

2 Years same Foreign Language

1 Fine Art

1.5 PE

.5 Health

2 Prof Tech Studies (including .5 computers)

6 electives

 

I am listing this for anyone who is curious about what a public high school requires.

 

Regarding your experience with your son, I suggest you follow more of a university model when it comes to course scheduling. I would require math and foreign language every day, but let the other subjects alternate every other day or even every two days. Then have a block of study time in the evening for homework allowing for unstructured study and homework completion of the subjects not planned for the day.

[8filltheheart]

4 Language Arts

3 Math (including Alg, Geometry, and Adv.Alg/Trig)

3 Soc Studies (including 1 World History, 1 US History, and .5 credit Govt)

3 Science (including Biology and either Chem or Physics)

2 Years same Foreign Language

1 Fine Art

1.5 PE

.5 Health

2 Prof Tech Studies (including .5 computers)

6 electives

 

I am listing this for anyone who is curious about what a public high school requires.

 

.

 

:iagree: In our state the minimum required for graduation is 26. Most students are graduating w/28.

 

This is what is required here:

 

English 4

Mathematics 4

Laboratory Science 4

History & Social Sciences 4

Foreign Languages 3 or 2/2

Health & Physical Education 2

Fine Arts or Career & Technical Education 1

Economics and Personal Finance 1

Electives 3

 

This is quite a bit different than TN's graduation requirements that our oldest met. (Here is a list of their current requirements which have changed since he graduated.)

 

Total Credits Required: 22

 

Math: 4 Credits - Including Algebra I, II, Geometry and a fourth higher level math course

Science: 3 Credits - Including Biology, Chemistry or Physics, and a third lab course

English: 4 Credits

Social Studies: 3 Credits

Physical Education And Wellness: 1.5 Credits

Personal Finance: 0.5 Credits

Foreign Language: 2 Credits

Fine Arts: 1 Credit - May be waived for students not going to a University to expand and enhance the elective focus

Elective Focus: 3 Credits - Math and Science, Career and Technical Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB)

 

I think that 24 credit hrs is a general avg across the country which is 6 hrs/yr. I think the key is making sure that the workload is a appropriate for the class.

 

See, your "design your own courses" thing sounds like one of the things I dreamed about when deciding to homeschool way back when. But in actual life, I'm finding it extremely difficult to let go of what I did in my College Prep private school. Was it easy for you to let go? Do you have fears that it will bite you in the rear when it comes to college? Did you feel like you had to have certain courses nailed down and then you could do what you wanted above that? (And yes, I can see that I'm asking multiple questions! They just seem to bubble out of me as I try to sort all this out. . . )

 

I am not worried in the slightest. Really.

 

There is no "required" way to meet many of the listed courses. When you list the coursework on their transcript, you list the generic title: 20th Century History; Literature and Composition; etc. In the course description you write the description and list the books used. The Inception study was fun and interesting, but it was no slouch in load. There was some heavy reading in there w/ a good dose of philosophy. I don't think any admissions officer is going to say reading the list that they did for a semester course (it was in reality a 8 or 9 week course so they still had the rest of their yrs worth of lit listed for that yr as well) was anything other than "strong" compared to most public schools which are simply reading lit anthologies.

 

As a matter of fact, I think that most admissions people want to see that homeschoolers utilized their unique opportunities. You don't necessarily want your student to simply be another cookie-cutter applicant. What makes your applicant more appealing for admissions than the transcript sitting next in the pile?

 

Anyway, my personal philosophy is that I want their academics to be solid and challenging, but it doesn't mean we can't make tailor-make them. When it comes to areas of interest/electives, I definitely let them explore their options. Next yr my ds is going to spend a yr on a black hole study reading Black Holes and Time Warps, The Search for Dark Matter, The Extravagant Universe, and ?? (can't remember). It is a course he designed himself b/c I know nothing about the subject and he is deep into it. I'm sure the schools that he is applying to with his desired major (physics or astrophysics) will appreciate how he has been creative in really exploring his passion. His electives are definitely not cookie-cutter. ;)

Edited October 6, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart

[Jane in NC]

That's the thing. When I ask ds14's friends at tae kwando what they are taking, they list 3 or 4 things max! When I look at our local high school website, it looks like you have to have 5 credits to graduate from 9th grade. So I assume 5 classes a semester? Actually less because I looked and some of his core classes (the math, science and history) are all 1 credit per semester. The others are only .5 credits per semester.

 

Our local public high school has converted to a block scheduling system where the students take four courses per semester. This translate to eight credits per year for those on the college prep track.

[KarenC]

My dd is taking 6 classes and one of those is P.E. She is required to have 0.5 credits of P.E. Here are the subjects she is taking.

 

Chemistry -4 credit hours at local college and is time consuming

Algebra II - min. one hour a day

English - min. one hour a day

Human Geography

Spanish

P.E. -she plays competitive soccer and we just keep track of practice and game time. When she reaches 75 hours, she's done.

 

In January, her P.E. credit will be done and she will have a music appreciation class, Broadway Musicals. It will not be a very academic class.

 

I don't think my dd could handle 7 academic classes.

 

Karen

[Jane in NC]

Question to the OP: You stated that your 14 year old is taking Algebra and Chemistry. May we assume Algebra II? If not, this may be the source of the time problem in chemistry.

[at the beach]

I know the course loads at our local schools (including the private Catholic high school) are not as heavy as what I see some posting in this thread. Some of the schedules posted here are intense IMO. My daughter recently shadowed at a Catholic private high school. She realized she is definitely not "behind" as she'd been worried. Yes, kids are there about 7 hours a day, but a lot of that time is not spent intensely focusing on academics. In fact, my daughter felt that they got so little done and that there was so much wasted time. But there are positives to it, too. It can be enjoyable to be around a lot of kids your age and have a lot of different teachers to interact with. She liked the pep rally, watching band practice, etc. They take--one science, one math, one foreign language, one English (and in 10th grade, honors English consists of a single speech/debate course for the whole semester), one history. There is still room for an elective or two but those are usually light or fun. PE or cooking, for example. Also, my experience with my oldest (who graduated with honors and is in pharmacy school now) is that many kids figure out how to make use of time in school by doing their homework in class, etc. My oldest rarely did any sort of homework at home. So, her day was fairly relaxing. No real pressure felt at school (and she was in honors and AP classes), evenings spent hanging out with friends, having fun.

 

Stress in our homeschool is a bad thing for us. We don't like feeling like we are rushed to get everything done. We need to have free time and down time, time for my kids to do things on their own just for the fun of it--and that can be considered learning time, too. My daughter does two foreign languages--she wants to. They take a lot of time, especially Latin. She is doing two instruments again, which is a lot IMO. I have realized we have to be realistic with other stuff. We're trying Excellence in Lit and a history textbook now because we just couldn't manage to feel good about the history/lit program we'd bought and it wasn't even hard, just overwhelming as far as time. I felt it was a bad thing to constantly feel the pressure that we can't keep up.

 

So, yeah, homeschooling is way different than school IMO, and it should be. But I know that all the time kids spend in school is not spent "working." So, IMO having a kid sit for 7-8 hours a day doing serious academics at home is not the same as what kids in school do--and I'm not saying you shouldn't do that if it works for you and your kid. But if you're feeling pressure and stress (and we were), maybe there's no harm in trying to lighten up a bit. Spending a week doing something a bit different in an attempt to reduce the stress level can give a fresh perspective--or at least it did for us.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Violet

[GailV]

I'm currently reading Cal Newport's book on How to Be a High School Superstar. It's really thought provoking for me.

 

He advocates jettisoning the stress (he's assuming we're working within the public or private school system) of overscheduling. He gives advice on how to fit all the schoolwork necessary for a handful of AP classes plus decent prep for the ACT/SAT into a smaller time per day ... suggestions on how to select classes to accomplish this ... how to most effectively study ... how to trim activities ... a huge amount of "yoohoo, you can't do it all, so you need to get rid of the 'good' to allow for the 'best'" (wait, where have I heard that before? oh, that's right, here on this forum).

 

I don't know if it has the answer to what you're asking, but it's an interesting read. You'd think that we, as homeschoolers, would be perfectly poised to take his advice to develop "interestingness" (his theory of the best way to be admitted to top schools -- develop a unique, world-class interest/skill), but as you say, we seem to be simply mimicking the flaws of PS, particularly the drive to be really good at a everything rather than excellent at a few things.

 

And our school system requires 24 credits to graduate, so I'm figuring 6 per year. We're trying to mix it up with a combo of rigorous and easier classes each semester.

[G5052]

Yes, it takes all day. My oldest does 3 languages plus all of the "regular" subjects. Of late he's reading a book a week and writing, so that takes some time too. I was recently out of town for 10 days, and DH was very impressed with how self-motivated they were and the quality of work. They had assignment sheets and worked out some of their own assignments for paid classes, and asked DH for help when they needed.

 

What is different is that they are up at 6am and done by late afternoon. Friends with kids in public school complain that they never see their kids. They're always off doing homework when they're home, and weekends are sometimes taken up with more homework.

[angela in ohio]

We are academically oriented and my kids have rigorous coursework, BUT we pick our battles. We strive for excellence in the five core subjects (math, science, history, english and foreign language), and we have some electives which are of lower priority and where we do coursework of only average difficulty and do not go above and beyond; we save the extra effort for the subjects we have identified as important for us. This prioritizing will look differently in each family.

In our family, we spend the most time and effort on math and science, and quite some on history and literature...

Electives such as art history and music history do not get the same level of academic rigor as math and are fitted in when time permits.

 

:iagree:

 

Jean, I freaked out in about November last year, and we called and toured all of the local schools. :001_smile: Dd did same shadow days at a few. What we realized was that she would not have as rigorous of a work load, but that she would have *more* busywork, and she would sit in class for an hour or two, and then have to do the busywork at home in the evenings. So that is how our homeschool looks different: it is 10 times more efficient. That allows dd free time to pursue her own interests, something she wouldn't get in a less rigorous school environment.

 

We don't do every subject every day. I teach (discuss, lecture, explain, whatever is required for the course...) 1-2 times a week, and dd usually does the work the next day, so she doesn't hit every subject every day. The only exception is Latin, which I ask her to do every day for retention. We are even thinking of going to "block scheduling" semesters next year, with only 4 subjects at a time for a half a year, but done at a double pace. It's hard for me (and one of my dd) to do many little things in one day, because we like to work in big chunks.

[regentrude]

What we realized was that she would not have as rigorous of a work load, but that she would have *more* busywork, and she would sit in class for an hour or two, and then have to do the busywork at home in the evenings. So that is how our homeschool looks different: it is 10 times more efficient. That allows dd free time to pursue her own interests, something she wouldn't get in a less rigorous school environment.

 

:iagree:

We may spend less total time on school than if she went to ps, but she learns a LOT more, because every minute is time-on-task. There is no time lost for discipline, classroom management, busy work, and we spend minimal time on testing; all assignments are meaningful.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Question to the OP: You stated that your 14 year old is taking Algebra and Chemistry. May we assume Algebra II? If not, this may be the source of the time problem in chemistry.

 

He's at the end of Jacob's Algebra I with the hope that he'll also do Jacob's Geometry this year. The chemistry problems are not difficult (I've never taken Algebra II and I can do them) but they require plugging numbers into formulas - mainly formulas that use fractions. Ds is not really strong on fractions. The math/chemistry tutor is helping him with this but in the attempt to not get too far behind, we're still trying to push ahead in the book.

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

I am not worried in the slightest. Really.

 

As a matter of fact, I think that most admissions people want to see that homeschoolers utilized their unique opportunities. You don't necessarily want your student to simply be another cookie-cutter applicant. What makes your applicant more appealing for admissions than the transcript sitting next in the pile?

 

 

 

I hope you know that my questions about your worry level were reflecting my worries and not suggesting that you should worry!

 

That is a very good point about homeschooling's unique opportunities and cookie cutter applicants. I have to ponder this. . .

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm currently reading Cal Newport's book on How to Be a High School Superstar. It's really thought provoking for me.

 

 

 

 

I just popped over to my library website and put a hold on this. Thank you!

[Jean in Newcastle]

:iagree:

 

Jean, I freaked out in about November last year, and we called and toured all of the local schools. :001_smile: Dd did same shadow days at a few. What we realized was that she would not have as rigorous of a work load, but that she would have *more* busywork, and she would sit in class for an hour or two, and then have to do the busywork at home in the evenings. So that is how our homeschool looks different: it is 10 times more efficient. That allows dd free time to pursue her own interests, something she wouldn't get in a less rigorous school environment.

 

We don't do every subject every day. I teach (discuss, lecture, explain, whatever is required for the course...) 1-2 times a week, and dd usually does the work the next day, so she doesn't hit every subject every day. The only exception is Latin, which I ask her to do every day for retention. We are even thinking of going to "block scheduling" semesters next year, with only 4 subjects at a time for a half a year, but done at a double pace. It's hard for me (and one of my dd) to do many little things in one day, because we like to work in big chunks.

 

You're the second (or is it third?) person in this thread to mention not scheduling things every day. I think today ds14 and I will sit down and look at how we can rearrange our schedule.

[creekland]

Wow, I could count the ways - if I had time. ;)

 

There is a LOT of time wasted in an average school. Those who could move quickly or go into more depth are held back by those unable to do those things. They have their As, but they could know so much more. Those who can't keep up are SOL and get grades that reflect it.

 

If time runs out, whole sections/topics get skipped. If you get on a fun rabbit trail, it has to end when the bell rings - too bad.

 

My youngest is currently getting all As, yet even he realizes it's way too easy for him, but he loves the other aspects, so we continue to supplement what we can at home.

 

What we do/did in homeschooling? We had no schedule. We worked on what we wanted, when we wanted, and had no stress at all (except for standardized tests once in a while). Our goal was to cover it all (all planned in each course that is) and enjoy the learning. Rabbit trails were fine and encouraged. We did run into summer fitting in some courses, but others were finished early. It all worked out. There's no way we would have done 7 subjects in any one day. We usually covered 8 each year, but some were PE, Woodworking, Art History, etc, (easier stuff).

[clementine]

We are in our first year of high school too - after homeschooling from the beginning, I thought the year wouldn't feel too different. Wrong-o. We feel the pressure - this is the real deal.

 

I researched our local (and not so local) public and private school scope & sequences. We are covering what they are or more - we will have 7 credits at the end of this year.

 

Here's a run-down of our week:

 

Biology - We complete 1 module every 2 weeks. She reads the chapter, does the On Your Owns while reading. She completes the labs, writes the lab reports, does the Study Guide and Test within that 2 weeks. When she does them is up to her as long as they are done. She probably spends 1/2 hour to 1 hour per day on this. (1 credit)

 

Algebra - She does one lesson per day or takes a test. (1 credit)

 

Foreign Language - she studies for about 1/2 hour to 45 min per day. (1 credit)

 

Computers - She does this about 3 hours per week - (.5 credit)

 

Health - She does this about 3 hours per week - (.5 credit)

 

Art - She does this about 4 hours per week - (.5 credit)

 

PE - She does this more than the required hours - (.5 credit)

 

History - She does this 3 days a week for about 1 1/2 hours per day - (1 credit)

 

English - She does this 3 days a week for about 1 1/2 hours per day - (1 credit)

 

These are all done how she wants to do them. No allotted time per day, she is responsible for completing it on time.

 

Does that make sense to you? Writing it out makes me second guess it all. Aaaahhh, the pressure!!!!

 

I like this thread. :001_smile: :bigear:

[snowbeltmom]

That is a very good point about homeschooling's unique opportunities and cookie cutter applicants. I have to ponder this. . .

I just had a conversation very similar to this thought last week with one of my best friends.

 

My friend lives less than 20 minutes from me in one of the best school districts in our state. She thinks I am putting my kids at a disadvantage by homeschooling, and she doesn't understand why we don't move into her school district.

 

All of her kids graduated high school with at least 13 AP credits and many extra-curricular activities. They all were accepted to Ivy and other top-tier schools. However, her kids were usually up until 2:00 a.m. each day working on their homework and up the next day at 6:00 a.m. These hours are very common for the top kids in this school and are viewed positively by many of the parents as an indication of the rigor of the school's academic programs.

 

While I want all of my kids to have a rigorous education, I want them to have balance in their lives. I also want them to have the freedom and time to explore their interests, something that I don't think is possible in a traditional school setting where the top group of kids is up until 2:00 a.m. working on homework.

 

I could, as my friend also recommended, have my kids take 13+ AP classes at home. We decided not to take that route. (I am in no way criticizing anyone who does take that path.) My kids will have some AP credits in their areas of interest, but they will not take an AP class purely to show "rigor" on the college application.

 

For my oldest, he will have AP credit in math and sciences. My middle son's high school years will be vastly different than his older brother's - I don't think he will take a single AP science level class.

 

I do make sure that my kids study all of the core classes that they would study in a traditional setting. However, the rigorous classes are in their areas of interest.

 

This philosophy, as my friend suggests, may prevent my kids from getting accepted to some of the colleges that they would otherwise. Since my oldest is only a sophomore, I don't know whether my friend is correct or not in her assessment - however, that is a gamble we are willing to take.

[8filltheheart]

I guess we are in the minority. We do do every subject every day. However, my kids get up really early (my 10th grader starts daily at 5 am.) They work steady all day long. He takes a 3 mi walk w/me mid-morning and we discuss lit/history/and whatever he wants. And then he jumps back into his seat work.

[at the beach]

This philosophy, as my friend suggests, may prevent my kids from getting accepted to some of the colleges that they would otherwise. Since my oldest is only a sophomore, I don't know whether my friend is correct or not in her assessment - however, that is a gamble we are willing to take.

 

:thumbup:

 

GailV in a previous post mentioned Cal Newport's book. I love that book. Newport's advice is excellent, for sure. Balance and free time shouldn't be underrated.

 

And snowbeltmom, the kids in the school you refer to sound like the kids Alexandra Robbins talks about in her book: The Overachievers: The Secret Life of Driven Kids. Also, a worthwhile read.

[Jean in Newcastle]

So, ds14 and I had a meeting this morning. Basically, he likes all his classes and the rigor/content. He wants to keep it all. We did target some areas in a couple of classes to tweak so that hopefully it will go smoother and without as much stress for both of us.

[KarenC]

So, ds14 and I had a meeting this morning. Basically, he likes all his classes and the rigor/content. He wants to keep it all. We did target some areas in a couple of classes to tweak so that hopefully it will go smoother and without as much stress for both of us.

 

We have found highschool to be more difficult and time consuming so far. I keep telling her we are trying to prepare her for HER future so she can meet HER goals. Therefore, her input is essential. I make it clear that as long as she is putting forth a good effort, we will work around difficulties as needed.

 

Karen

[snowbeltmom]

:thumbup:

 

GailV in a previous post mentioned Cal Newport's book. I love that book. Newport's advice is excellent, for sure. Balance and free time shouldn't be underrated.

 

And snowbeltmom, the kids in the school you refer to sound like the kids Alexandra Robbins talks about in her book: The Overachievers: The Secret Life of Driven Kids. Also, a worthwhile read.

 

I'll have to check out those books. Thanks.

[mjbucks1]

Thank you for this post. I knew before we even started school this year that 9th grade was going to be challenging. Ds is taking Alg II, chemistry, Latin II, history(TOG), english (TOG, Lively Art of Wrting, and R&S), computer science, and piano. Ds starts his work at 7:30, takes a 1/2 break for lunch, and then works until 3:30, when we have to leave for swim practice. Ds gets home a little after 7:00, eats dinner, and then works on more school work until 9:00 or 9:30. And, he has been spending a good part of his weekend doing schoolwork (usually TOG assignments). I really want him to have more free time, but he has chosen to continue with swim team which takes up a lot of time. I guess I am glad to know that other children work just as long. I did tell our son he could go to school (private), but he said he wanted a rigorous education. I am trying to watch for signs of too much stress. I also make sure he has a least 30 minutes of "down" time in the evening, where he can "play". We are almost done with week 5, and I am hoping he gets a little more efficient.

[Aquinas Academy]

I guess we are in the minority. We do do every subject every day. However, my kids get up really early (my 10th grader starts daily at 5 am.) They work steady all day long. He takes a 3 mi walk w/me mid-morning and we discuss lit/history/and whatever he wants. And then he jumps back into his seat work.

I'm glad you said this because I was starting to feel like a freak. :tongue_smilie:We do all subjects every day as well, but we don't start so early (I can just imagine the look of utmost horror if I told my 10th grader to start her work and 5 am). DD 15 does work well into the evening and, while I found her school hours weird at first, I've discovered that they suit her very well.

So, my only bit of advice is to find what works for you. :grouphug: You can do it!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm glad you said this because I was starting to feel like a freak. :tongue_smilie:We do all subjects every day as well, but we don't start so early (I can just imagine the look of utmost horror if I told my 10th grader to start her work and 5 am). DD 15 does work well into the evening and, while I found her school hours weird at first, I've discovered that they suit her very well.

So, my only bit of advice is to find what works for you. :grouphug: You can do it!

 

I suppose we would have to do a poll;) to see if you were really in the minority or not. The thing that was so tough for me is that it was/is (today was a bit better) a stressful situation and I know that prolonged stress isn't good. But besides that, I do want to find and "exploit" those unique opportunities found in homeschooling high school.

[Aquinas Academy]

I suppose we would have to do a poll;) to see if you were really in the minority or not. The thing that was so tough for me is that it was/is (today was a bit better) a stressful situation and I know that prolonged stress isn't good. But besides that, I do want to find and "exploit" those unique opportunities found in homeschooling high school.

I completely understand wanting to eliminate the stress. I've got six more children to get through highschool :svengo::eek: and I know that each of them will have different wants and needs that I'll have to work with. I also know that I couldn't ask for a better student than DD 15. Some of my other children will be much more challenging and the stress issue will come up more. I'm saving this thread for future reference.

[8filltheheart]

I completely understand wanting to eliminate the stress. I've got six more children to get through highschool :svengo::eek: and I know that each of them will have different wants and needs that I'll have to work with. I also know that I couldn't ask for a better student than DD 15. Some of my other children will be much more challenging and the stress issue will come up more. I'm saving this thread for future reference.

 

Don't stress. You'll figure out each one as you go. I haven't had a single high school student's schedule resemble a sibling's. Not even close! There is no single correct path. If you simply just keep marching forward meeting them where they are every day of every yr, that is all you need to do. :001_smile: In reality, it is all we can do. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Don't stress. You'll figure out each one as you go. I haven't had a single high school student's schedule resemble a sibling's. Not even close! There is no single correct path. If you simply just keep marching forward meeting them where they are every day of every yr, that is all you need to do. :001_smile: In reality, it is all we can do. ;)

 

I've already found this partially true for elementary school because my dc are light years apart in how they learn. I'll have to bookmark this page for when my dd9 gets older too!

[angela in ohio]

I'm glad you said this because I was starting to feel like a freak. :tongue_smilie:We do all subjects every day as well, but we don't start so early (I can just imagine the look of utmost horror if I told my 10th grader to start her work and 5 am). DD 15 does work well into the evening and, while I found her school hours weird at first, I've discovered that they suit her very well.

So, my only bit of advice is to find what works for you. :grouphug: You can do it!

 

I bet you are in the majority. I think every homeschooler I know IRL does every subject every day. It's just that the OP was asking for suggestions because something isn't working for her, so she's going to get more people suggesting something different than what she's doing (if that makes any sense.)

 

We are 5 am'ers, so we don't do it to make our days shorter. We do it because we like to delve deep for a longer time than to jump from one thing to the next all day. It's really independent of the amount of time spent overall and more about the family (or student) personality, I thnk.

[clementine]

Now I'm beginning to question our schedule. I thought that we were giving our dd more responsibility and ownership of her work by allowing her to complete her work by a deadline on her own schedule. I calculated out the hours it will take her and assigned the credits and let her go from there. Now reading the responses here makes me second-guess that..... Does anyone else do something similar to us or am I going about it wrong? :confused:

[regentrude]

Now I'm beginning to question our schedule. I thought that we were giving our dd more responsibility and ownership of her work by allowing her to complete her work by a deadline on her own schedule. I calculated out the hours it will take her and assigned the credits and let her go from there. Now reading the responses here makes me second-guess that..... Does anyone else do something similar to us or am I going about it wrong?

 

We do the same. My DD knows what she has to accomplish for a credit (finish book in math and chem, self designed English course based on WTM reading list) and has a loose schedule so she can orient herself and check whether she is on track - but she chooses how to spend each day.

She often finds it more effective to spend more consecutive time on one subject and not do everything every day. Today, for example, she worked 3.5 hours on math because she had gotten into it so well... now she finishes the day with some lighter reading for history. Other days have been English binges; she will spend a lot of time on English if she is in the process of writing an essay or if she is engrossed in a new book - and on these days, less (or no) math and chemistry get done.

For her, this is an effective way of working. I remind her when one subject has been neglected for a prolonged time.

I personally prefer to focus on a few things for longer periods of time and would rather spend two hours each on three subjects than an hour each on six different ones - but for some students, a different approach works better.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Now I'm beginning to question our schedule. I thought that we were giving our dd more responsibility and ownership of her work by allowing her to complete her work by a deadline on her own schedule. I calculated out the hours it will take her and assigned the credits and let her go from there. Now reading the responses here makes me second-guess that..... Does anyone else do something similar to us or am I going about it wrong? :confused:

 

Ds does do it this way for history/lit WTM style and for math. But all other subjects need to be planned out more systematically or he gets overwhelmed. I didn't design it this way unilaterally though. We talked about it and he said that this way of setting it up would be his preference. Yesterday's meeting was helpful because we both sat down and brainstormed together what might help to lower his stress levels for the day.

[clementine]

Okay, exhaling with relief. :) I find that dd works best with how we're doing it. Digging deep into certain subjects on certain days, but also abiding by deadlines. My thoughts were that this is how college will be, so letting her get the feel for having self-discipline (and being reminded by mom now & then) would be good preparation.

 

My younger dd may not do as well with such an open schedule, we'll cross that bridge in a couple of years. Thank you for those last 2 posts!!

[AK_Mom4]

Now I'm beginning to question our schedule. I thought that we were giving our dd more responsibility and ownership of her work by allowing her to complete her work by a deadline on her own schedule. I calculated out the hours it will take her and assigned the credits and let her go from there. Now reading the responses here makes me second-guess that..... Does anyone else do something similar to us or am I going about it wrong? :confused:

 

Relax - you are fine. DD17 is doing hers all on her own planning. Other than it looks like she will be done with her senior year in February at this pace, it is all going swimmingly! I do keep track of where she is for my own sanity and I grade all her tests and papers, but she has the responsibility for keeping on track and getting the work done.

[clementine]

Relax - you are fine. DD17 is doing hers all on her own planning. Other than it looks like she will be done with her senior year in February at this pace, it is all going swimmingly! I do keep track of where she is for my own sanity and I grade all her tests and papers, but she has the responsibility for keeping on track and getting the work done.

 

I love to hear things like this! It must be so exciting for you to see her excel! :D It is posts like this to keep us going - we can DO this!! Congrats to you and your daughter!!