Has anyone here enrolled their 8th grader in MP's HS Comp 1 (Accelerated) Class?

[Narnian]

My 8th grader (turning 13 this fall) has been through all of WWE and about the first 10 weeks of WWS, but I really need to outsource some of the more teacher-intensive classes this year. I've always been interested in implementing the progym, but just haven't had the time it would require for me to learn how to teach it--so an online class with Memoria Press it is.

 

I emailed the director to ask where I should place him, and he recommended the High School Comp 1 course; he said the normal pace would be fine, but advised going with the accelerated option. The regular HS Comp 1 course does a full semester each of the Fable and Narrative stages. The accelerated spends four weeks on each, 8 weeks on Chreia/Maxim, and 16 weeks on Refutation/Confirmation.

 

Just hoping anyone using the MP Classical Comp curriculum (or the online courses) might be able to chime in with their experience. Is the accelerated pace doable for an 8th grader with a background in WWE? I don't want him to be bored by doing half a year of  Narrative after so much narration in WWE (although the methods are, obviously, vastly different), but don't want him to be in over his head and not have a solid grounding in the Fable and Narrative stages either.

 

Thoughts?

[Mbelle]

My daughter did HS Comp I last year in 8th grade. The fable stage was quite easy, and the narrative wasn't too much harder.  Having said that this was our first go at on-line classes and she also really needed to work on mechanics and this was great without being overwhelming.  It might be too easy for your son.  It wasn't that hard for my 6th grader ( He did MS Comp I, which is basically the same thing with a bit easier grading.)  She loved the class and is taking again this year.  

 

This year she is doing HS Comp II and that is exactly as you describe above, and I don't see HS Comp I (accelerated) on their website.  Apparently, the work is quite a bit more this year.

 

 

[Narnian]

My daughter did HS Comp I last year in 8th grade. The fable stage was quite easy, and the narrative wasn't too much harder.  Having said that this was our first go at on-line classes and she also really needed to work on mechanics and this was great without being overwhelming.  It might be too easy for your son.  It wasn't that hard for my 6th grader ( He did MS Comp I, which is basically the same thing with a bit easier grading.)  She loved the class and is taking again this year.  

 

This year she is doing HS Comp II and that is exactly as you describe above, and I don't see HS Comp I (accelerated) on their website.  Apparently, the work is quite a bit more this year.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. This is our first year using an online course, too, and I'm hoping it goes well. Were you happy with the instruction? Did you have to help either of your kids extensively outside of class? According to all MP info, teachers are responsible for teaching the material and grading the work, and parents are responsible for monitoring their student's progress and spot checking their assignments, but I wondered if it worked out that way.

 

ETA: The accelerated option is listed under the High School Comp 1 course; there are four sections for the regularly paced classs, and two accelerated. FYI. :)

[Mbelle]

We were very happy with my dd instruction.  In fact my dd loved her teacher so much, that when she saw that she was teaching HS Comp II she begged me to take the class.  (We were planning to take a local class with a great teacher instead).  My dd does love writing anyway, but she is motivated and inspired by the whole CC method and really wants to go through the whole thing.  While I did think at the time that perhaps the class was too light for her, in retrospect maybe it just helped light a fire.

 

The teachers did do the teaching and grading and I did help her edit the rough draft.  We were working on mechanics, so we were using Analytical Grammar at home to help with those issues.  

 

My dd really had a learning curve the first few months about meeting deadlines.  At first I did a lot of guiding with calendars and reminders and by Jan she was able to do it on her own. 

[Narnian]

It's a challenge to evaluate an online class with no experience (using the format) going in, no way of meeting teachers and staff ahead of time, etc., so this is very helpful. :) 

[Canadianmumof5]

Just wanted to add that we are also doing the HSII class on-line this upcoming year. DS13 has worked through WWE, followed by some IEW and then dabbling in Sadlier-Oxford last year. He enjoys writing. We were undecided about which level to do with MP - I looked through the Fable/Narrative (since my DD10 will be doing those this year) and it looked pretty easy so we agreed to go with HSII, and we've been working on a super crash course of Fable/Narrative this summer. Hoping we made the right decision LOL

[momee]

We just finished the non-accelerated HS I with my 7th grader.  I've talked with Scott Piland at MP online academy and he has "warned" me HS comp II is quite a change in workload from HS comp I.

 

I'm hoping we've made the right decision by keeping her on the HS comp II track.  

 

That said, HS comp I went very well.  My students both found it a bit redundant and were more than ready to move on towards the end of the year.  I think that is a good thing, mastery not volume!

 

My call to Mr. Piland assured me that we will not find HS comp II redundant and that the challenge is one they are ready for.  I would encourage you to talk to him about any concerns.  He was a great help and wealth of information sources for me to learn more about the progym.

 

Best wishes to you.  I don't think you'll regret it, I so appreciate having MP online to help with my large teaching load!

[Narnian]

Thank you both for your input.

 

We decided to go with HS Comp 1 at the regular pace. I don't think it will hurt for him to have a full year of Fable and Narrative to really solidify the (progym) skills needed in the highler levels of CC. Also, he really wanted a male teacher. :)

[Narnian]

Update for anyone doing a search in the future:

 

We are very pleased with the Memoria Press, the class, and the teacher. The teacher, Daniel Maycock, has been wonderful; he communicates with the kids in a clear, friendly way, he keeps the class moving forward, and he gives constructive feedback in class and in the comments on graded assignments (which are also graded and returned within a reasonable time frame). He is funny, laid back, and full of interesting information and asides relating to what they are learning about. My son loves having him as a teacher, and no wonder--an encouraging teacher who inspires his students and genuinely seems to care about them as individuals makes all the difference.

 

The assignments and workload are adequate although not rigorous, but we knew that going in, choosing the regular pace instead of the accelerated. (I was told that next year, the accelerated pace will likely replace the current as the standard.)  The difficulty and workload will increase in HS Comp II. As for the way MP is run, I have no complaints. Every time I've had a question the director, Scott Piland, has responded in a timely manner. The couple of times there have been technical difficulties, they were resolved quickly.  Overall, it has been a positive experience we plan to take more classes with MP (and elsewhere, where we must) next year.