jillinole Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Hi! We have always homeschooled our three kids up until this year (we sent our oldest to public school so she could play her sport and she is already considering coming home to finish high school next year because she feels like public school is "making her dumb":). That being said, we are looking to try and homeschool the younger two and possibly the oldest, through high school. There is fear on my part of not being able to do it (even though I have a masters in ed.) but after having seen what they do in public school, that has faded some. We were in a co-op that was loosely based on TOG for seven years and it was mainly social but have not been doing it this year. My 5th grader, 7th grader, and I have been having a great year! It's been so nice. The problem I'm having is that the CC (classical conversations) movement is sweeping through the homeschool community where we are, and though I have read The Core and agree with Mrs. Bortin's philosophy, I feel absolutely no desire or leading to be a part of a CC community, even though I've been asked to teach there even. We have used Well Trained Mind throughout our homeschool journey and I really like her approach better. It "feels" like if I don't do CC, that I won't make it through high school successfully. So I guess what I need to hear is that I can do it, and do it well, without being in a CC environment. We have a community college here so our kids could begin dual enrollment if we felt they were ready starting in 10th grade. High school just does feel overwhelming, even though we have done very well homeschooling up to this point. Thanks so much for any guidance you can give and for 'listening". :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Welcome! You can absolutely do it! I do not use Classical Conversations and am not even following TWTM all that closely. There are many ways for successful high school. As a starting point, here is a current thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/446591-high-school-curriculum-where-do-i-start/ with a wealth of information particularly in Lori D.'s post (#2). She has shared a lot of high school info on this board,with many wonderful links, and is linking two very helpful threads at the bottom of her post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Hi! We have always homeschooled our three kids up until this year (we sent our oldest to public school so she could play her sport and she is already considering coming home to finish high school next year because she feels like public school is "making her dumb" :). That being said, we are looking to try and homeschool the younger two and possibly the oldest, through high school. There is fear on my part of not being able to do it (even though I have a masters in ed.) but after having seen what they do in public school, that has faded some. We were in a co-op that was loosely based on TOG for seven years and it was mainly social but have not been doing it this year. My 5th grader, 7th grader, and I have been having a great year! It's been so nice. The problem I'm having is that the CC (classical conversations) movement is sweeping through the homeschool community where we are, and though I have read The Core and agree with Mrs. Bortin's philosophy, I feel absolutely no desire or leading to be a part of a CC community, even though I've been asked to teach there even. We have used Well Trained Mind throughout our homeschool journey and I really like her approach better. It "feels" like if I don't do CC, that I won't make it through high school successfully. So I guess what I need to hear is that I can do it, and do it well, without being in a CC environment. We have a community college here so our kids could begin dual enrollment if we felt they were ready starting in 10th grade. High school just does feel overwhelming, even though we have done very well homeschooling up to this point. Thanks so much for any guidance you can give and for 'listening". :) You can definitely homeschool without CC. If that were not the case, then how would anyone have managed before CC was created? There are families who enjoy CC and who may have more profitable homeschooling in a coop setting. But there are plenty who find that groups bring their own issues or who don't have a group that fits their needs or who would just rather pick and choose what they do with others and let homeschooling be done at home. I don't think you need to doubt your ability to do high school. It is work. But it's not impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Good Afternoon and Welcome to the Boards! Follow your gut. It's easy to get wrapped up in the homeschooling blanket and forget that there's a great big, wide world out there where the names of Bauer and Bortin and Somerville mean nothing. It's not just that college admissions folks aren't as impressed as we are by these gurus; they haven't even heard of these heroes. :-) They are even less impressed with our self-generated co-ops and classes. Stand on your head to convince someone how impressive your self-generated education is. Try it. Sorry. They want proof. Proof that their data-system can sort. If you want to woo them, focus on their love languages: SAT and ACT tests, SAT II tests, AP tests, or grades from universities or colleges who have accreditation that they recognize. Or you can save your money. Cash is a love language that will woo a large number of very good schools as well. If you listen to the voices of the homeschooling community long enough, it's easy to forget that there are other voices; voices using a different language. :-) Peace, Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy G Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Trust your instincts. We only follow TWTM for certain subjects. We do our own thing and many times it is different for each child. I like to allow my kids to be a partof the selection of curricula. If one approach worked for every child that would be nice, but it isn't the case. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamajo Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Love Janice in NJ reply! That is the truth! Whatever causes my high schooler to learn is successful in my book! We did CC for DD 8th grade year and it was great in helping her rise to her potential after being lulled to sleep in public school for 1.5 years. We use a hodge podge of materials and she is looking to dual enroll for 11th grade. I have no doubt in her ability to do college level work. Go for it! You can do it. Pick materials to meet the needs of your student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 When we finish, mine will have had a mixture of Classical Conversations, home-taught, local-taught, online, and dual enrollment for 7th-12th grade. I'm convinced at this point that a custom mix is best for my children for high school, but obviously there are some that prefer a one-size-fits-all package. Frankly doing a custom mix isn't bad. I use WTM and curriculum from various classical providers, and spend some time over the holidays working out the choices for the next year. I've pretty much got it for 2013-2014 with alternates in case we don't get some of the outsourced classes I want. Then during the year mine do their own planners for the week that I check Sunday night for completeness. Homeschooling teens is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 My oldest dd will graduate in May. We have homeschooled since the beginning and we have never participated in a co-op, let alone Classical Conversations. My daughter did a few outside (paid) classes (Govt/Econ, Philosophy, etc) and a few online classes. She has been accepted to all of the colleges/universities she applied to. She has also already earned a large scholarship to her first choice school and will interview for a full ride in January. She also has also been asked to apply to all of the school's Honor's Colleges. I'm not saying this to brag but to let you know that you don't have to do a co-op or Classical Conversations. Heck, I don't even have a college degree! I'm probably fairly average when it comes to intelligence but I have educated myself about high school from places like The Home Scholar and this board. You can absolutely homeschool high school! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillinole Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Thank you SO much!! Having a place to come and see proof in writing of people hs high school and doing it successfully is what I need! I think I will be visitng here more often :). Janice in NJ, you're exactly right. They do care about grades but great SAT and ACT scores are their easy benchmark, in most cases. My husband has taught at Kaplan (the quantitative section of the GMAT) and has been tutoring people in ACT prep, so I know my kids will be good in that department. I just have to start making plans and looking at curriculums (which I actually enjoy). We honestly have kind of been cruising with what's familiar and doing fine the last few years. With high school, I'll have to be more pro-active, I think. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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