swimmermom3 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 In the bits of free time I have through the day, which isn't much anymore, I am struck by the number of threads on selecting online courses and preparing for standardized testing. Are any of you actually doing school? :D Okay! I know I am as guilty as everyone else. My plans for next year have gone as far as making sure I have signed up and paid for the two AP courses Sailor Dude will take and turning in a forecasting sheet at the ps for courses he will probably NOT take. :tongue_smilie: That's it. I am currently teaching Algebra 2, Chemistry, AP European History, and a medieval world history course that covers literature as well as everything outside the AP Euro class. Spanish 2 and AP English Language are outsourced. I still read alongside ds for AP English so we can discuss. I am in waaaaaay over my head in making sure I cover the material ahead of time so I can discuss everything with ds and help him where needed. Is anyone else there? When we have the discussions about outsourcing versus doing everything at home, I am stunned. I don't know how all of you that outsource nothing do it. Ds and I start at roughly 7:15 every morning, work for six hours with a lunch break, and then return for an hour or two in the evening. Or we will each work independently on our own school work. Now granted, this boy reads slowly and we are still working on the roots of that problem, but we get a lot done. However, there is still so much more to do. On top of it all, we are moving into standardized test season. How is everyone doing? Have you had any late "A ha!" moments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We do a lot of online because my province will only give credit for courses that meet the specific outcomes laid out. It is easier to just do the distance learning courses than to try and match other curricula to those outcomes. The school board we are registered with offers online classes that line up with classical education so we partake in those too. We still use a fair bit of regular curricula and teach at home but the online classes sure help me stop fretting about missing an outcome because then the kids do all that work for no credits at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 We do a lot of online because my province will only give credit for courses that meet the specific outcomes laid out. It is easier to just do the distance learning courses than to try and match other curricula to those outcomes. The school board we are registered with offers online classes that line up with classical education so we partake in those too. We still use a fair bit of regular curricula and teach at home but the online classes sure help me stop fretting about missing an outcome because then the kids do all that work for no credits at all. Brandy, I totally get it. One of my older kids came home for a year during high school and we used an accredited virtual program. One hand, it was good to know that his school would give him credit, on the other hand I about made myself crazy trying to fell the gaps that I saw in someone else's program. :tongue_smilie: We are reaching a point where even with a master's degree, I don't think I can even begin to teach everything - and do it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Brandy, I totally get it. One of my older kids came home for a year during high school and we used an accredited virtual program. One hand, it was good to know that his school would give him credit, on the other hand I about made myself crazy trying to fell the gaps that I saw in someone else's program. :tongue_smilie: We are reaching a point where even with a master's degree, I don't think I can even begin to teach everything - and do it well. LOL...I went to a "Great Books" college and finished 3 years of work in 2 years, and then transferred to finish double STEM degrees and on to graduate school. And I still outsource a handful of classes for each. A woman has to know her limitations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckive6 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 This is my fourth year homeschooling; however, the first year I homeschooled my dd ( 10th grade this year) was 8 th grade, and I had a steep learning curve. I had only taught 1st grade before! We did okay that first year, with about 3 co-op classes. I did a poor job teaching her Algebra, though. We switched books three times. I had no idea what type of curriculum would work best for her. Next, in 9th grade, she really wanted to take an AP class, and I knew she needed a qualified teacher for geometry,so we choose online. Then, I found she had a hard time staying caught up in the classes I taught, including biology, and English. Probably that should have been a sign that we had an issue. School work takes her longer to finish than her peers. We're testing soon, to get it figured out. Now, this year all her core classes are online, and one is at our ps. I teach electives. I really enjoy discussing with her. We are taking those more slowly and may finish some over the summer. I haven't even thought about standardized testing yet this year! Pauline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I don't know, I don't post much on the hs board because what we're doing is WORKING. I don't really find myself with serious questions or holes or gasps or anything, kwim? Now maybe they'll come, but so far what we're doing is working. But you know everyone has their goals. I got my dd's evals two years ago, which I think I've been relatively forthright about, and we decided to follow the advice of the psych. We use a lot of structure, clear expectations, work she can do herself, and yes that means some outsourcing. I also limit our target amounts to fit with the recommendations of the psych and what is appropriate for her. You're on the cusp of that, and it will be interesting to see if you *change* some things as you get the evals you're pursuing. We're starting our discussions about this coming year, absolutely. We're finishing up some of the things we've been doing and are on course to finish up the rest. We're adding in some things and enjoying the thought of what we could do over the summer. It's interesting to see her personality and bent coming into play and how our focus can shift. (food writing, travel writing, etc.) So we're having fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I'm doing school! But half is now outsourced. I don't know mandarin or violin, so can't teach those; and my son is special with maths so can't teach that either. Last year (7th) was the final year where I was fully engaged in maths with this boy, and it just about killed me. But I do teach and love teaching Science and English, and I facilitate my DH teaching History. Right now the balance is good, really good. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacher Mom Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I'm doing school, all day it seems sometimes. I teach American Lit II, Algebra II, Biology II (with lab), Chemistry I (with lab), U.S. History II, and Drawing I. The only classes I don't teach are web design and Spanish. Next year, is more of the same, except I will not be teaching computer programming or Spanish. We have tried all kinds of online classes and I've found the majority of them to be disappointing. Next summer, depending on where we are, I hope dd can DE. My "this is too cool moment" -- watching my dd do a symbolic portrait of an American author. It was a real insight into the way she thinks. Watching her explain matrices to the dog was pretty funny too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 haha we're very low key here. the only 'outsourcing' for my senior was some MOOCs and a few extra-curriculars. He does most stuff independently. He was in special ed in middle school before I started homeschooling him, and he has a lot of anxiety, so low-key with steady progress was all I was aiming for. He'll be starting at community college in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 DD is taking college classes, and since she started dual enrollment, everything we do at home is put on the back burner. That's OK, because that is what she needs: college level work and a campus environment with professors and fellow students- while still living at home. The alternative would have been very early high school graduation. So, this is perfect. With DS, I do not outsource anything. He does take one college class, but I am the instructor ;-) We can still make progress with foreign language, but will need to look for an outside source soon; because I am not speaking Italian. Now, he is extremely independent and prefers me to have minimal involvement with his school work. So, I don't get that much hands-on time with him, because that is not how he learns best. He wants to be left alone with his assignments. Oh well, I am married to a guy just like this. Most of my homeschooling time goes into designing his courses, researching and selecting materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I typically do a half day of school with the kids. In the afternoons they work independently and so do I. I do most of my research and decisions making about next year in the evenings. I'll do my actual prep for next year over the summer. I should note, my house is a mess and right now dd is working independently on Geometry, but instead of cleaning I'm here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleJumper1 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Dd is doing all online for 9th and I anticipate for the rest of HS. It was the only way for her to stay home and continue homeschooling. My youngest has severe special needs and I just can't meet dd's high school needs myself in the midst of his doctor and therapy schedules. She has no desire to be in public school and really enjoys the online work. I jump in and help her out when she needs help. Dh tutors her in Math when she hits a snag. She has an outside Art class and we'll be using IEW this spring. Otherwise she's pretty independent of me. Not the way I dreamed high school would look but for us it is what works. I always envisioned us in co-op classes and a kitchen that looked like a Bio lab but alas life had other plans for us. She really enjoys her classses and we have yet to have a teacher that isn't wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 My "this is too cool moment" -- watching my dd do a symbolic portrait of an American author. It was a real insight into the way she thinks. Watching her explain matrices to the dog was pretty funny too. Ooo, great project!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I thought your question was timely, Lisa, because I just listened to a podcast interview with SWB where she describes how much she's outsourcing with her two youngest kids (tutor or online classes for all but a couple things for each). I figure y'all are just ahead of your time / going with the trend. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 My daughter has been very sick this year, and we have spent most of our time trying to figure out what is wrong with her. She is tired most days (although she does have a good week every once in a while) and most of my energy has gone to helping her physically and mentally and to finding a doctor who can help us. Because of this our school has transformed from me teaching almost all of the courses to the twins working on their school almost completely independent, which includes many online courses. This works great for them and my daughter, even when she is tired, can cuddle up in bed and still participate in online classes without exerting too much energy. On days that she is wiped out she will sleep and watch the lectures later. It has been hard for me to adjust to this new schooling, but I am happy that we have all these online classes available to us now as it has helped us out so much. The other benefit is that I have more time for my youngest. Before I felt like more of my energy was being directed at the twins and their schooling, but this year he has been my focus and that has been very enjoyable for the two of us. Also I have had time to create an interesting elective on mysteries (analysis and creative writing) for the twins and we all have been having fun with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 My daughter has been very sick this year, and we have spent most of our time trying to figure out what is wrong with her. She is tired most days (although she does have a good week every once in a while) and most of my energy has gone to helping her physically and mentally and to finding a doctor who can help us. Because of this our school has transformed from me teaching almost all of the courses to the twins working on their school almost completely independent, which includes many online courses. This works great for them and my daughter, even when she is tired, can cuddle up in bed and still participate in online classes without exerting too much energy. On days that she is wiped out she will sleep and watch the lectures later. It has been hard for me to adjust to this new schooling, but I am happy that we have all these online classes available to us now as it has helped us out so much. The other benefit is that I have more time for my youngest. Before I felt like more of my energy was being directed at the twins and their schooling, but this year he has been my focus and that has been very enjoyable for the two of us. Also I have had time to create an interesting elective on mysteries (analysis and creative writing) for the twins and we all have been having fun with that. Did you ever figure out what's going on? That sounds rough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Did you ever figure out what's going on? That sounds rough! Not yet but we switched doctors and our new doctor is being very aggressive in trying to find an answer. He is leaning towards an autoimmune disorder which I hope it isn't, but at this point we would be happy with a firm diagnosis so we can move forward with a treatment plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Sigh. Sometimes I hate living in the middle of no where. No outsourcing available for me, I'm afraid. Internet is satellite internet (one step up from dial-up, I swear) so no online classes and no local possibilities for tutors or post-secondary classes. I did outsource her piano and theory starting last year - I figured she needed to have at least one teacher that wasn't mom before she hit uni. :) So yup - it's all me, all the time. :D (DD is, however, very independent and does most of her learning by reading. I "teach" very little - I facilitate, mostly.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 For my ds's Junior year, we have outsourced Spanish 3, Karate and Piano. Other than that, we have done it ourselves. Next year we will probably outsource AP Physics, AoPS Calculus and Spanish 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I am. I don't outsource except for a few writing classes here and there or music or phys ed. I am also. Or as rigorous as most. My kids like how we learn, steady progress, low stress. My older kids didn't have many outsourced classes and had no issues moving into college. They all said they were very well prepared and well educated in comparison to their classmates. This was backed up by their grades and awards. My kids are not interested in stem majors. If they were, I would need to outsource heavily. As it is, we are good. My daughter will probably Dual enroll for her senior year, but for now we are enjoying eachother and our studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Well, we are not doing school TODAY, because my students are competing at a speech and debate tournament ; ), but yes, we do school. I outsource Greek as well as a supplemental Latin translation course for my eldest (she loves Latin so the fun translation supplements the slog of grammar she completes at home). My husband oversees the math and science. I make sure they put in the time daily, and he grades, answers questions, and in science, does experiments. I do design and teach my own WTM-purist Great Books courses (which cover history and English), and a directed reading + short persuasive papers Worldview course, but Latin is "do the next page" Memoria Press which they have been used to doing for years, science is straightforward Apologia, and their math books are written to the student. We also use Chalkdust's SAT Math videos for SAT prep, my eldest uses Chalkdust for Geometry, and my youngest (possibly engineering bound) will probably do Chalkdust Pre-Calc when it is time. So while we don't "outsource" much, not all of the subjects are Mom-intensive. The Mom-intensive ones tend to be in my area of expertise, while I choose curricula with more helps for subjects I am not good at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We're doing school, no room in the budget for outsourcing. I feel like we're failing everyday, but everyday ds shines a light somewhere and I think we're doing okay. He's not competitive, he's not top tier material, but he has some interesting role models that makes me think he'll be okay. Our high school years aren't turning out anything like I had hoped, some of that is his request, some of that is the chaos of life that I can't change. In the end it will turn out okay, regardless of his educational path, but right now we're forging new paths and doing good to keep the overgrowth from entangling us. That's about all I can ask for right now. Hopefully the next two years will head upward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We're outsourcing, to the point that I may go back to work to pay for those classes. I'd rather save my relationship with the kids. (my youngest will be grade 9 next year, so they can stay home while I work) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Oh yes - definitely doing school here! Sitting at the table today - DS18 had play rehearsal most of the day since the public school is on spring break and is now sitting here next to me working his online classes. Last night, we watched the BBC version of Julius Caesar (long!) and discussed whether Brutus was honorable or not. Later tonight, I have to watch a video on earthquakes with DD12. We do a little bit of everything - DS18 has two classes at the public school, two online, and two that I am managing. DD12 also has a class at the school but does the rest independently. I could use a break myself, but that has to wait until May when both DD and DS will be done for the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We do a little bit of everything - DS18 has two classes at the public school, two online, and two that I am managing. How does that work? Doesn't the PS need a student full-time to get paid by the state? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 How does that work? Doesn't the PS need a student full-time to get paid by the state? No. They love part-time students. The school gest the money, but expends fewer resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 related questions. For those that act as the instructor, do you use a large whiteboard to teach or do you sit down with the student tutor style? With youtube it seems that you could find a lot of free videos for math and science topics. Does anybody do that? Any other web usage to get the instruction materials? It seems if you outsource a lot of classes you might as well locate a private school that meets your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 related questions. For those that act as the instructor, do you use a large whiteboard to teach or do you sit down with the student tutor style? With youtube it seems that you could find a lot of free videos for math and science topics. Does anybody do that? Any other web usage to get the instruction materials? It seems if you outsource a lot of classes you might as well locate a private school that meets your needs. To answer your questions, I do use a white board but not for everything. It works well to work on math problems, or diagramming a sentence. Other times sitting next to them discussing/explaining is enough. I do not use you tube for teaching though my teens have recently started to use Khan academy to supplement their math. As for using private school instead of outsourcing, there are no private schools within a 2 hour radius, even within the city we lived in previously there was not private schools, there was regular public schools, the catholic schools and a few specialty charter schools that you had to meet certain requirements for but they were publically funded. Regardless a b&m school does not offer the same flexibility as outsourced classes. For example, in my province you can not officially graduate without passing the provincial exams/courses. So we outsource those in as much as the kids do distance learning online for those. They are not set days/times, it is correspondance online done in their own time and pace. They have 12 months from the date of registration for each course to complete it. Which means my dd14 that works hard and can process things quickly can move quite quickly through the modules where my ds15 with his LDs can go as slowly as needed. In b&m school setting your own pace is not an option. Where I live now there is 1 school in the town for all ages/grades, guess what they use in class, the same modules my kids do only in paper form, the teachers really don't teach anything past grade 7, and the school will not hire aides to help with spec ed kids. In the next town over there is only the regular public high school or the catholic to choose from, limited resources, doing the same content as my kids (although those teachers actually teach it, they don't use the modules), but at a pace that does not work for my kids. Doing the work at home in addition to being at their pace still lets them put their focus on their academics and not the nonsense the other teens are putting up with in schools. In the school in my town there is 9-12 kids per high school grade level, about 2/3 actually graduate, maybe 1-2 go on to post secondary. Most spend the bulk of their time drinking, smoking weed, vandalizing things in town and generally not giving a crap (of course the lack of extracurrics, sports etc plays a part in that too). Whether we outsource or not, we do not only homeschool for academic reasons, it is main reason but not the only one. I like that my teens are not into all that crap. That between their academics at home and their cadet training they are mostly focused and driven to succeed beyond high school, that they are keeping their noses clean and even with a host of LDs are doing their best academically. Something that would never happen in the b&m school, something I know for a fact not just due to what I know of this school but because my teens started off in public school as young kids, when ds15 was 5 we were told to simply make him literate and leave him be, he would never succeed beyond that. At 7 he had his suicide planned out because he felt so stupid. Homeschooling saved him, and the outsourcing is allowing him to graduate on track. SO much for only being literate and not succeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 It seems if you outsource a lot of classes you might as well locate a private school that meets your needs. A few of the many advantages of outsourcing classes while homeschooling vs. enrolling in a private school: * More flexible schedule; families can take time off when needed, or continue with classes while traveling — a few weeks ago, DS watched Latin lectures on his laptop while out of state for Junior Olympics. * Much more family time, fewer social issues. The local private schools have more of a drug problem than some of the public schools, because the kids have more money. * Can mix and match home-taught and outsourced classes; few private schools allow part-time attendance. * Much broader choice of subjects, rather than being limited to the school's offerings, and having to meet their graduation requirements. DS studies Ancient Greek and Latin with Lukeion; neither language is even offered by the private schools here. Next year he'll take a class in Mongolian, and he may do a DE course in Turkish. * Much broader choice of providers, and the ability to choose different providers for different subjects, ensuring that every class, teacher, and curriculum is a good match for the student. A student could take science with Landry Academy, math with Derek Owens, and Spanish with OSU, instead of just being stuck with whichever teachers (and textbooks) happen to cover chemistry, geometry, and Spanish at the local private school. * Less expensive — I could sign DS up for 5-6 really good online classes for ~$3000/yr, compared to $10,000-15,000/yr for either of the good local private schools. Dual enrollment is free in some states, and even if students have to pay tuition, it's often cheaper than private school (plus DE classes carry the possibility of college credit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 It seems if you outsource a lot of classes you might as well locate a private school that meets your needs. The primary advantage of outsourcing over using a private school, imo, is that, with outsourcing, you can choose each class and teacher. At a b&m school, you buy a package. There's some flexibility in choosing courses, but you are still limited to the courses they offer, their sequence of courses, their pace in every course, their content, ... Perhaps most importantly, you have no control over which instructor/s your student gets. Not all instructors are created equal, even at a high end private school. You might get the greatest English Lit teacher, but mediocre geometry and biology teachers. With outsourcing, you can get good to great instructors for all your student's courses by going to whichever providers have the best courses and the best instructors for each subject/course. (Obviously, "best" depends on your student and his goals.) Outsourcing is also more cost effective because you're paying for the teachers and classes you want and you don't get stuck paying for a complete package which may include some duds. I think outsourcing may also be more time efficient for the student. Instead of having to attend a class 3-5 times a week and then do homework for it in the evening, the student has one or two class meetings a week and is expected to have completed all the reading and be ready to discuss it, or ask questions about any problems s/he had trouble with, etc. More class periods can be good for more discussion, but I think maybe teachers with fewer class meetings will be more focused and efficient. It's probably debatable, though. ETA: What Corraleno said! She said it better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch at Home Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I am outsourcing about half of DD's coursework right now. She is taking online Spanish and English classes and History at the local CC. I am counting her dance as PE and her homeschool sewing as an elective. That said I am still involved in everything except dance as she transitions from a mom-based learning environment to a school-based one. It is my goal to enroll her in a ps dual-enrollment course her junior and senior years; ps will cover the cost of an AA-degree and I need to focus on the next two coming up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I outsource my weaknesses, which means English for this year (8th) and English and Arabic for her high school years. I will outsource maths to the university after she has exhausted all the AoPS options (I do the book problems along with her---she doesn't usually take the classes). Everything else, I will teach or facilitate :) Dd chose to remain home for high school even though there are oodles of private and competitive charter schools to choose from here. No school offers enough math or science choices for her (the math/science charter stops at Calc 3 and focuses on physics and bio topics). She'd be locked into a certain progression of courses at each school. Dd prefers the flexibility that comes with homeschooling :) She's really only giving up a large Science Olympiad team (our homeschool group's team was only 5 students this year) and easier access to the AMC exams ( we drove an hour this year for her to take one). Her other extracurriculars, ballet and robotics, are not school-based. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 . Her other extracurricular ... robotics, are not school-based. How do you do the robotics? This is a very hands-on activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 How do you do the robotics? This is a very hands-on activity. She has been on a FIRST FLL team and will be on either an FTC or FRC team next year. www.usfirst.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacher Mom Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I actually use power point slides (we use Macs, so Keynote slides). They are really easy to put together and easy to change. If you have access to the teacher materials with the textbooks you use, you can get instructor slides and modify them to meet your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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