If you could go back...

[ChristyH]

I just graduated my daughter the weekend before last and it got me to thinking. Would I have done things differently? I definately know I would have. For those who are nearing the end or have finished are there things you would have done differently?

 

I wouldn't have curriculum hopped so much if I could do it over...especially math. :huh:

[Excelsior! Academy]

So many things. Listen to older, wiser mothers. Take a year to deschool after pulling from public. Focus on reading together vs a set schedule that *had* to be completed each day. Relax a bit in math. Realize earlier that oldest and Saxon were not a match.

[MtnTeaching]

If I knew then what I know now, I certainly would not have curriculum-hopped in math so much either.  But, a lot of that was trying to see what worked best for my completely different learning-style children.

 

I also just graduated my Ds this past Friday.  For the most part, I think it went well for him.  I do wish I had not been so panicky in the last couple of years of high school and pushed so hard.  Yes, he has done extremely well and is heading to the college of his choice on a full tuition scholarship.  But, I just wish we had all taken the time to ENJOY it more.  

 

My dd will be a junior next year.  She will have a harder time with the courses and standardized tests due to dyslexia.  Still, I am going to try and focus more on the things she is interested in and try not to be such a taskmaster.

[G5052]

I'm graduating my oldest this week.

 

My big regret was leaving him in Classical Conversations for 9th grade.  The all-in-one approach wasn't working, and we were doing our own thing for math, outsourcing for Latin, and I was upping many of the assignments.

 

We tried Algebra with Jacob's in 8th after using Christian Light Math, and we were really hating it by March.  He wasn't doing at all well.  So we went to Saxon Algebra 1/2 and did math all summer, and then we were ready for Saxon Algebra I in 9th grade.  That put him a little behind, but we've kept at it with Saxon and don't regret that choice.

[1Togo]

Things I would have done differently:

 

Composition - I would teach the progym and stay with it until all levels were mastered

 

Math - Like Excelsior, I would have accepted that youngest dc and Saxon were incompatible, but who knows if we would have found a good fit for math early on.  I definitely would have/should have found a good tutor.

 

Latin - I wish I had taught this instead of outsourcing.

 

3R - We used a curriculum that focused on 3R with our older children until early high school.  I wish we had done the same with youngest dc.

 

Overall - I wish I had done more reading out loud, cooking, knitting, sewing and gardening with youngest dc.  As Mtn Teaching put it, ENJOY.  Fortunately, I got this message through Circe earlier this year.  

[Lori D.]

The only two things I regret -- and they are small regrets :) -- is that I do wish:

- I had outsourced Writing for 1 semester to 1 year in 11th or 12th grades

- we could have managed to include formal Latin studies in our homeschooling

 

However… rather than beat myself up, I try and look back realistically, and know that I did a really great job, when I take into considerations our family's particular circumstances, and one DS's mild LDs and attitude. :)

 

And I'm going to be fair and balance my "if you could go back…" answer, and include what I am SO GLAD we DID do:

 

- reading aloud together all the way through high school

- ALL the discussions

- doing Logic in middle school and high school

- saving up so DSs could attend the week-long summer camp of Worldview Academy for several summers

- DSs' participation in extracurriculars throughout high school that helped develop some great "intangible" skills  -- esp. Youth & Government

- took a year's break from History in middle school to focus on World Cultures/Geography and Comparative Religions

- did NOT push and try to make 8th grade be high school -- but used it as a last window of opportunity to explore interests, and do some unusual studies or pursue personal interests

- did NOT push for AP and loads of dual credit and trying to make high school be college -- that was just not the right goal for either DS

 

Congratulations to all of you with new graduates this year! :) Celebrate your achievements and think about all the GREAT things you did in your homeschooling, and all of your students' successes! Cheers!  :cheers2: Lori D.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I wish for subjects I taught that I'd spent less time trying to find the perfect material and more time actually getting us through assignments. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

 

I wish I'd started their orthodontics treatment earlier. One kid will be racing the clock to be out of braces before college.

[Kareni]

I now have a college graduate who was homeschooled from 7th through 12th grades.  On the whole, homeschooling was a wonderful experience, and I feel grateful for having had the opportunity to spend so much time with my daughter throughout those years.

As for things I'd do differently .... Just a couple of smallish things -- I'd have done a more formal Geography program since I sometimes wince when I hear that place X is near place Z. And, I'm sorry that back in 7th grade, she didn't work more on penmanship. Other than that, no regrets!

 

Frankly, the idea of turning back time makes me feel tired. I'm glad to be where we are now!

Regards,
Kareni

[SevenDaisies]

Things I would have done differently:

 

Composition - I would teach the progym and stay with it until all levels were mastered

 

Math - Like Excelsior, I would have accepted that youngest dc and Saxon were incompatible, but who knows if we would have found a good fit for math early on.  I definitely would have/should have found a good tutor.

 

Latin - I wish I had taught this instead of outsourcing.

 

3R - We used a curriculum that focused on 3R with our older children until early high school.  I wish we had done the same with youngest dc.

 

Overall - I wish I had done more reading out loud, cooking, knitting, sewing and gardening with youngest dc.  As Mtn Teaching put it, ENJOY.  Fortunately, I got this message through Circe earlier this year.  

 

Why do you wish you had not outsourced Latin? I have dd signed up for Second Form next year. We've done fine with First Form on our own, but this child really needs deadlines. I didn't want to outsource because I want to learn, but I was thinking since class meets only once a week I would still have to be involved. I'm torn.

[Guest]

I was homeschooled in high school.  If I could go back, I would beg and plead with my mom to investigate learning/language/medical problems with me.  I might have been able to finish college if I had known why I learn different, certain subjects are nearly impossible, and how to accommodate myself.

 

If there is the slightest hint that something is off, please look further.  It doesn't need to end with a label or diagnosis; even one strategy or thought might help down the road.

 

Just my two cents.

[Mom22ns]

I also just graduated my Ds this past Friday.  For the most part, I think it went well for him.  I do wish I had not been so panicky in the last couple of years of high school and pushed so hard.  Yes, he has done extremely well and is heading to the college of his choice on a full tuition scholarship.  But, I just wish we had all taken the time to ENJOY it more.  

 

This.

 

My ds graduated Friday as well. He is heading to the college of his choice on a very nice (although not full) scholarship. 

 

The only regret would be that the last couple of years I let nerves and hype suck me in. I wish I hadn't given into the hype of AP. I wish we had stayed with what we were doing including dual enrollment which was so much better for my kids than asynchronous online classes. I wish I would have been less worried about how much we got done and more worried about how much we enjoyed each other. 

 

Homeschooling was great for us. I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat. The regrets are small and the satisfaction is big.

[Zoo Keeper]

Things I would have done differently:

 

Composition - I would teach the progym and stay with it until all levels were mastered

 

Math - Like Excelsior, I would have accepted that youngest dc and Saxon were incompatible, but who knows if we would have found a good fit for math early on.  I definitely would have/should have found a good tutor.

 

Latin - I wish I had taught this instead of outsourcing.

 

3R - We used a curriculum that focused on 3R with our older children until early high school.  I wish we had done the same with youngest dc.

 

Overall - I wish I had done more reading out loud, cooking, knitting, sewing and gardening with youngest dc.  As Mtn Teaching put it, ENJOY.  Fortunately, I got this message through Circe earlier this year.  

 

 

Now you have me curious--what is this 3R focused curriculum?  :bigear:

[1Togo]

I wish I had not outsourced Latin because I could have taught it myself just as well.

 

I am not naming the 3R curriculum because the mere mention of the name brings out ugliness.  I'm having a lovely day and evening.  

[The Girls' Mom]

If I could go back, I would have never sent them to public school at all.  I pulled my kids out in 6th and 3rd grades.  So much school mentality had already been ingrained by then.  Instead, we would have just kept doing what I did when they were small...play, read, learn, and teach them the things they wanted to know.  We were well on our way to unschooling/homeschooling before they ever set foot in a school, I just didn't realize it at the time.  

[Zoo Keeper]

 

 

I am not naming the 3R curriculum because the mere mention of the name brings out ugliness.  I'm having a lovely day and evening.  

 

I understand your desire to continue that lovely day and evening.  :)

[Nscribe]

If I could go back, I would have never sent them to public school at all.

Ditto. 

[8filltheheart]

I don't have any real regrets except focusing on college prep with our Aspie when a trade would have been better.

 

But in the scheme of life and health, my biggest suggestion for every single family is to make sure you always enjoy.

[StartingOver]

I am literally getting a second chance in that I have the adults, 27, 25, 24, and two young ones at almost 9 and 7.

 

This time around I am more focused on a strung foundation. Setting a routine. Moving more and more toward interest based as we move forward. Latin from the start. Much more work on grammar and writing. Thankfully there is much less curriculum hopping.

 

I just wish I had known I would have two more. I would not have gotten rid of much of my curriculum the first go around.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Oh and I would have not done Latin in early grades but would have spent that time building and retaining a modern world language.

 

We do Latin in high school and really didn't need to spend time on it earlier. In the meantime the German they'd learned living there was forgotten before high school.

[elegantlion]

I have regrets. However, aside doing the best we could with the circumstances we were given, I would change a few things. 

 

1. Buy AoPS earlier. Ds found it the best math book for him and he might have progressed faster if we'd used it earlier. 

2. Just bought the lab kit instead of trying to piece things together. We're going to be finishing biology labs over the summer. 

3. Spent less time trying to schedule every little thing (I did finally give that up). Ds needed the flexibility and our courses went better when I let go of the rigid schedule. 

 

 

I know there are more things I'd change, yet overall I am pleased with how it all turned out. 

[lllll]

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