Mbelle Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I have seen the threads on the Potters School and it seems most people like them, with a few people who really don't. I'm wondering if anyone has taken Eng III or Classical Track year 1? Why did you or did you not like it? Did you see your student grow in writing? What about religious content? We are certainly Christian, but more moderate than conservative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hi! My 10th grade son is in TPS English 3 Literature Survey this year. Overall, his writing has definitely improved. He can now write a long paragraph discussion question answer with appropriate quotes with ease. He can also churn out a literary analysis essay without too much trouble...whereas before the class, it would take him forever to even come up with ideas. So his efficiency has certainly improved. So has the "formality" of his writing. TPS follows strict writing guidelines with lots of thesis/topic sentence, transition, wrap-up rules and LOTS of rules about style: no "be" verbs, no starting a sentence with an article, no repeat of sentence starter, etc. etc. Following all of these rules makes for a very formal-sounding essay. VERY formal. Sometimes my son will craft rather awkward sounding sentences just to meet the list of rules. TPS...at least at this level...does not encourage natural writing or personal voice at all. Other pros and cons: Pro: The accountability is awesome. I am math/science-oriented, so the outside accountability for my son for English has been worth every penny. He has due dates and deadlines and classtime no matter what else is going on in our life. If it were left to me, writing would be the first thing to go when we had a lot going on...but now it is the first thing to stay...and that is a good thing. Another pro: I have been pleased with the variety of literature the class has read...novels, short stories, poems, plays, Shakespeare, essays, etc. Quite a variety! It is a literature survey class, and they certainly do cover most, if not all, the genres. The teaching notes and discussion on the lit selections has been very good. Another pro: I have also been pleased with the variety of writing assignments: definition essay, lit analysis, research essay, film analysis, poetry explication, etc. etc. Con: The live class meeting is not the best fit for this particular son. It is certainly good for him to have a set time for class, but he is a reserved, quiet-type of kiddo who is not quick to type an answer into the chat box during classtime. In other words, I don't think the "live" part of the class has been beneficial to him. He would much prefer an asynchronous class. But this con applies to this kid...my younger son really enjoys the live format of his TPS Writer's Workshop course. Another related con is that if you have internet trouble...or even if the teacher has internet trouble...the "live" aspect can be very stressful. Con mentioned above: The super strict writing guidelines. I do understand why TPS does this, but I think they could loosen up a little at this stage. No one writes like this. My son and I have had many a laugh this year over how many TPS writing guidelines the literature masters have broken...Tolstoy would have failed a TPS course after just one paragraph. lol! Again...I see the benefit of the rules. If TPS used them as suggestions (or "guidelines" like they call them) rather than point-deducting after point-deducting rules, I would appreciate them more. TPS also offers another English 3...I think it is more grammar-based. This lit survey has a little bit of grammar review, but for the most part, the teacher assumes the students have a thorough grammar background (which my son has). Speaking of teacher, we have grown quite fond of ds's teacher, Miss Shearon. She is kind and loving...but also straight to the point. She tells it like it is! Which both son and I like... Christian content. It is hard for me to say because we are Christian and so I am probably not that sensitive to every Christian comment made (actually I rarely even listen to the classes...my son does it all on his own...I just listen if it is something I am interested in). Every class meeting begins with prayer and there are occasional references in the teaching notes to Christian themes. I do not think it would bother you at all. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Overall, I am pleased with my son's growth as both a reader and writer; he has been appropriately challenged through this TPS course. He is ready for the AP level. I am looking at other providers for AP Eng. Lang because TPS's AP courses require 2 live meetings per week. If this son doesn't really like one live meeting, he certainly wouldn't want two! lol! HTH! Jetta 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thank you so much for the reply. It was very helpful. Probably a year of strict writing guidelines would be good and then we would need to move on. I did wonder about the difference between foundations and lit. We have already finished the first section of AG, so that is something to consider. Thanks again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlemommy Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Hi Jetta, After taking English 3 your son is ready for AP Eng Lang & Comp? Is that the teacher's recommendation or you think he's ready based on his progress? Just curioius. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Yes, my son is ready for AP Eng. Lang. & Comp. In fact, he was probably ready for it this school year, but I chickened out. :-) And yes, we (ds, dh, and me) are the ones making the decision for him to take AP next year...not his TPS teacher. TPS would not make that recommendation because they have a course between their Eng 3 courses and their AP courses....Advanced Composition. They would, however, let my son write a placement test for their AP, but like I mentioned earlier, we are not interested in TPS AP courses since they meet twice a week. HTH! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 How much time per week did your son spend working on this class? I think my daughter needs to take this in 9th, but she'd like to continue with her current writing class for another year. She is learning, but it is a progym style writing class and at HS level I feel she needs more academic analysis and essay writing. Her current class actually doesn't take her a lot of time per week though and has no literature. I really would let her do it for fun if she really insisted. I like the class too and she's learning and her teacher is great, but just not sure how beneficial it is compared to Eng 3. I guess she could take it in 10th grade though. Still working this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Honestly, the class was almost overwhelming at first. My son spent an average of probably 2+ hours a day...10-12 hours a week on the course for a good portion of the first semester. Some of this time was spent on the reading assignment, but ds is a very fast reader so it never takes him very long to finish those. So most of this time was spent writing or looking for supporting quotes. He tries to avoid schoolwork on the weekends, so he would squeeze all the work into the week. But he has become MUCH more efficient and is able to write more quickly now, so I think his time spent on this course is down to maybe 7-8 hours a week. He has learned to look for quotes and make notes of things as he reads. And he has learned to "plunge in" to discussion questions rather than hem and haw around. :-) This Lit Survey course is in a "guinea pig" year, too, and I think the course load was too heavy at first. The discussion questions were quite difficult! But the teachers have since lightened the load a bit and that has also helped. They have shifted the discussion questions from more of a written focus to more of an "impromptu" focus during class. They even took one lit analysis essay off the schedule last month...when the kids had research papers and presentations going at the same time. My son was THRILLED! lol! My son is in 10th this year while he is taking Eng. 3 Lit. I do think a lot of his classmates are 9th graders, but there is a mix. Based on what you wrote in your post, I personally would stick with the writing class your daughter has now and just add in some great literature. I wouldn't mess with what she enjoys and what is probably working fine. Then readdress Eng. 3 Lit or other options next year when she is getting ready for 10th. Do you think she would like the live class format? Some kids thrive on it, but if you have doubts about this, take a look at Blue Tent's Honors English classes. In retrospect, I wish that I had put my son in one of those classes...solely because of the asynchronous format. Don't get me wrong...I am VERY pleased with the TPS class, but I think the live class format has added stress to our lives. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Thanks for that info. It was very helpful! I think I'm just not going to make a decision right now. I will keep both options open and I know that we will come to a decision in time. I know 9th grade is a transition year and I want to set her up for success, so it might be great to continue with what she loves and add in some great literature as you suggest. She really loves her comp on-line class. She is friends locally with one student and the others seem to be on-line friends. I think this particular teacher has a gift of balancing fun with serious work. So, yes, I think she would love to continue with the on-line interaction. My daughter is also a very fast reader. In fact she is learning to read through quickly and then go back and re-read for all the information. This was our first try at outsourcing on line and we did have some learning curves with remembering due dates and a few things, so it has been really awesome to get that experience as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 What would be the Blue Tent equivalent course of TPS Eng 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Speaking of teacher, we have grown quite fond of ds's teacher, Miss Shearon. She is kind and loving...but also straight to the point. She tells it like it is! Which both son and I like... Miss Shearon is great!My sons both had her for TPS English 2 & liked her very much. She has a good rapport with boys -- b/c she's, as you say, straightforward ... and funny. And I agree with the rest of your post. Potter's English 1-3 (we didn't have time for Adv Comp) were good for learning deadlines & "get 'er done," and my son was well-prepared for AP Lang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 What would be the Blue Tent equivalent course of TPS Eng 3? Probably Blue Tent's English 2. However, I would choose based on when you plan to make this move. If you do it next year for 9th, I would choose Blue Tent's English 1. If you wait until 10th grade, then I would choose English 2. There was a thread recently about pre-AP English. Debra Bell's AIM Academy also has a suitable course for preparing students for AP. Check it out, too. Don't you just love all the choices homeschoolers have now? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 How much time per week would you estimate was spent on writing in the TPS 3 course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlemommy Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Jetta, Which teacher from PA Homeschool are you choosing for your son? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Not Jetta, but for ds, we went with Maya Inspektor for PA Homeschoolers AP English for next year. We have also decided to use Blue Tent Honors English 2 for dd and have already received permission from the instructor for her to enroll (since she hadn't taken class there before). It will be so strange to me not to teach English which I love, but both of my kids are looking forward to more accountability and feedback than I have been able to provide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 We chose Kathryn Walker. I could not find any reviews of her class on the WTM forum (and there are a LOT of fantastic reviews for Mrs. Inspektor's!), so this made me a little nervous at first, but I have since emailed back and forth with Mrs. Walker, and she has put my nervousness to rest. Once upon a time, Kathy in Richmond said in a post to carefully read through the course descriptions and class reviews as well as the instructor's experience and education to try to gain the best perspective on a course as possible. I did this multiple times ( :)) and was drawn to Mrs. Walker's class because of her method of organization, her reading list, and how she handles the assignments. Plus she limits the size to just 15 students. That was a BIG plus for us since my son is a rather reserved young man. I also printed off the course descriptions from all the the options (including Blue Tent) and gave copies to my husband, my son, and a close friend who knows my son well. They all picked Mrs. Walker's class...without hearing a word from me! So I took that as a yes...pick that one. Obviously, I cannot give a review of how the class turns out, but so far, I am very pleased. Mrs. Walker has been extremely gracious, clear, and prompt in her email correspondence with me. It is a hard decision! Honestly, I think for this particular course, you can't go wrong with any of the PAH teachers or Blue Tent. They all sound wonderful!! :-) Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 How much time per week would you estimate was spent on writing in the TPS 3 course? Sorry! I must have missed this question earlier! Are you asking how much time my son spends on writing...or how much time the instructor spends on teaching writing during the class? If it is how much time my son spends...well, since he is such a fast reader, he spends much more time writing than reading for this class. And Miss Shearon spends about half a classtime before a new type of writing assignment teaching how to write for that assignment. Plus there are weekly writing "mini-lessons" that the students listen to outside of the live class meeting. By the way, I see that TPS has changed the reading list for this class for next year. And Miss Shearon is not teaching it again. She is teaching Eng 2 and the regular Eng 3, I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 We have also decided to use Blue Tent Honors English 2 for dd and have already received permission from the instructor for her to enroll (since she hadn't taken class there before). It will be so strange to me not to teach English which I love, but both of my kids are looking forward to more accountability and feedback than I have been able to provide. Cool! Our girls will be in the same class :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 This thread has been so helpful! Anyone have any experience with Janis Gaines? I'd love to fit in Mrs. Shearon with all the good reviews, but it would be easier to do another time. We may just suck it up and squish it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 So you are looking at E3 Foundations not E3 Lit Survey? You know, I'm not sure I would squish in a live class meeting time. I think it is VERY important that the class meeting time fit well with your schedule and lifestyle. If your student is not an early riser, then by all means, don't pick a 7 a.m. class just to get a certain teacher. The student may grow to resent the class. That's just my 2 cents. I think Ms. Gaines would be great...do a board search...I'm fairly certain that I've read good reviews for her, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 It's not that we necessarily have to squish it in, but we would have to move another class to another day in the afternoon. I don't like to do afternoon classes. But, just looking at our tentative schedule we may have to do that anyway. We are outsourcing 3 subjects this year, so i just need to fit it in with home and outside activities so that life is not hectic. Oh, man E3 or E3 Lit Survey. Not sure yet. It takes us awhile to process and decide. LOL After reading here I realize she needed to move away from what she's doing now. It's good, but it doesn't take her much time at all and for HS she really needs more. At least we have decided that! HA...and I'm about 95% certain she will be at TPS. Now to decide on the right course! Thanks for all the input. Very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 This thread has been so helpful! Anyone have any experience with Janis Gaines? I'd love to fit in Mrs. Shearon with all the good reviews, but it would be easier to do another time. We may just suck it up and squish it in. We've had Janis Gaines as a teacher. My son liked her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosepetal Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 We chose Kathryn Walker. I could not find any reviews of her class on the WTM forum (and there are a LOT of fantastic reviews for Mrs. Inspektor's!), so this made me a little nervous at first, but I have since emailed back and forth with Mrs. Walker, and she has put my nervousness to rest. Once upon a time, Kathy in Richmond said in a post to carefully read through the course descriptions and class reviews as well as the instructor's experience and education to try to gain the best perspective on a course as possible. I did this multiple times ( :)) and was drawn to Mrs. Walker's class because of her method of organization, her reading list, and how she handles the assignments. Plus she limits the size to just 15 students. That was a BIG plus for us since my son is a rather reserved young man. I also printed off the course descriptions from all the the options (including Blue Tent) and gave copies to my husband, my son, and a close friend who knows my son well. They all picked Mrs. Walker's class...without hearing a word from me! So I took that as a yes...pick that one. Obviously, I cannot give a review of how the class turns out, but so far, I am very pleased. Mrs. Walker has been extremely gracious, clear, and prompt in her email correspondence with me. It is a hard decision! Honestly, I think for this particular course, you can't go wrong with any of the PAH teachers or Blue Tent. They all sound wonderful!! :-) Good luck! I am planning to take English 1 for ds.Can we email teacher directly on her email before registration?Is the grammer and Literature covered in each English class enough for whole year or did you need to supplement it with additional readings and grammer?Is there extra help for student free of charge outside the class?or what are the additional help provided for the little behind students? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosepetal Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 And are the course at TPS English complete secular?means any bible verses memorization? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 TPS classes are taught from a Christian perspective. If you need something completely secular, it will probably not work for you. My daughter took the Journey to Narnia English class last year, and it was definitely clearly Christian, although they didn't "memorize Bible verses." My boys took English 3: Lit Survey, and it, too, was taught from a Christian perspective. I think WTMAcademy is secular. Blue Tent English classes have received good reviews here, too. I think they're secular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosepetal Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 How is the Journey to Narnia English class at TPS?Is it fruitful?Are there enough writing and literature assignments in this class?and are all graded by teachers?Does this class need writing or grammer supplement to make it solid for 7th grader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 It was a good class for my 7th grade daughter. They did a good amount of writing every single week, as well as one or two or three longer essays each semester. (Can't remember for sure....) The class also includes a review of grammar. The English 1 class has more grammar. The Narnia class is an English 1 class, but intended for students who already have a grammar foundation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 It was a good class for my 7th grade daughter. They did a good amount of writing every single week, as well as one or two or three longer essays each semester. (Can't remember for sure....) The class also includes a review of grammar. The English 1 class has more grammar. The Narnia class is an English 1 class, but intended for students who already have a grammar foundation. How is WHA writing compared to Narnia writing dd has done? Ds13 will take WHA writing in the fall. I will have ds11.7 take the Narnia class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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