Revised: How would you home school high school without internet and without lots of driving?

[Pen]

Original message: I'm thinking about whether we can do this and looking for ideas. We would actually not be completely without internet, but unable to do most online classes, khanacademy, duolingo, etc.

 

Revised: In the course of this thread I came to realize that a major issue is not the lack of internet, but the problem of driving to this and to that.

 

We live in a rural area. We have been home schooling for around 6 years. In earlier years things like nature study, keeping mason orchard bees, chickens, gardening,  and so on was great. Also there was another best friend home schooler across the street so a main social opportunity was not so hard. There is no family farm to pass on. Where we live could be developed into a farm, but at this time it does not look like that is a direction ds is interested in. He seems to be more interested in doing a standard college prep course of study with the idea of going into something as yet undetermined (he has spoken of something in a tech field, law, engineering from time to time as areas of interest). The local school is not considered to be very good, but is potentially a resource for one class by state law, or for everything if returning to public school would seem like the least bad option.

 

My son's level in different areas ranges from around 7th grade to 11th grade. He is 13.5 years old.

 

My son wants secular materials.

 

As far as the internet goes, we have limited dial-up capacity. My son has already experienced Duolingo, Khan Academy, Alcumus, and a computer based Brave Writer course and has loved these, making me think that online learning would be a good fit for him, but, other than perhaps once per week to go to the library where we can get fast internet, this is mostly unrealistic.

 

My son's sport is ice skating, which requires a minimum of once or twice per week driving him to that. I have health problems so while I have been trying to get him to more things than just that, in part to make up for his social gap due to his friend moving away, it is too much for me. Home schooling does work well with the ice skating since my son has been able to go to one session midday middle of the week when the rink is almost empty.

 

He has been going to and loving a co-op for acting and city planning, but I think we will have to drop that for the next term, unless some way of doing it without my becoming exhausted from the driving can be figured out. 

 

He is at a stage where he is able to learn independently for history using books, documentaries, Great Courses. This is not the case for other education areas where he needs help still, but in terms of temperament would be best off if that help could be given by someone other than me, whether that is a person or a computer. So far this year he has done United States History, Your Deceptive Mind, Espionage, and Basic Math and part of Geology  and Geometry as Great Courses.  The "history" type courses have gone much better for him than the science and math have.

 

He has dyslexia which is remediated to where he can read quite well, but very "busy" materials in the visual sense, such as used in Chalkdust and Lial's do not work well for him. 

 

 

Realistically, the outside stuff needs to be cut down to ice skating (during which time I can do errands for the week, or rest and watch), possibly a writing workshop which gives some writing for him and some social contact for me, and one trip to library per week maximum. For all things that require me to drive. If he can do other things without my driving that would be okay.

 

I guess I have been seeing internet nowadays as way that he could have something similar to outside classes, other teachers, and so on, without my needing to drive.

 

Computer feedback from things like Alcumus, Khan Academy, and Duolingo has been helpful to him to know immediately whether a problem is right or wrong.  (Maybe I should look at TT again?)

 

 

Edited November 30, 2015 by Pen

[elmerRex]

I like to have PDF textbooks and print pages as I need them to make personal syllabus/ scope and sequence for each child. So I guess the most important thing for me when I am using a digital source is a way to print.

 

Our children do not use the internet for school.

 

They study from books. We simply buy the books that we need/want. I suppose that you could download videos to CD/DVD in advance if you need online videos.

 

Reading: We use the library for almost all reading resources. I am ESOL and could not teach my kids to read in English well, so we got the kids a reading tutor--we use the books that she gives us and the library for practice.

 

Maths, I work directly with them one at a time or in groups and we use manipulatives, white boards and math books.

 

Character training is done real time through out the day as we live, and we read special books and tell fables to talk about character traits and virtues.

 

For languages, you can use DVDs and CDs, no need to be on the internet.

 

Our library has many textbooks, DVDs and CDs on a lot of educational subjects. There are many items one can purchase from sites like Rainbow Resource for pretty much any topic, all the way up to grade 12.

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by elmerRex

[Laura Corin]

Will you be able to go to a library?

Edited November 29, 2015 by Laura Corin

[regentrude]

We are not using many online resources for high school,  so it would be fine.

AoPS textbook for math

Lots of actual books and TC courses on CD (instead of audible) for English/history

Intro college texts for science

Book/workboooks/CDs for foreign language

 

The biggest issue would be the lack on a support group for me. I do not think I would have had the courage to homeschool through high school without this board.

 

We use the internet for "extras": streaming videos, looking things up. None of my kids are taking any online classes.

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by regentrude

[Pen]

Will you be able to go to a library?

 

 

Yes. It takes 45 min to get there, more or less, and is only open 5 days per week, but once there we would have internet access as well as interlibrary loan. It is a small library so it does not have a lot available...less and less as ds gets older and older. 

 

 

There is also a library farther away that has a larger selection of books, films etc. (though ironically less good internet).  We are not currently members of it, but could join. 

 

We are not in district for any library, but I guess there are at least these two and maybe others that we could join for a fee.

[Farrar]

I think you'd just need to be super organized. It's not that we're on the internet all the time for school per se, but more like whenever we wonder about something, we just look it up. Whenever we need something, we shop around and order it. Whenever I've forgotten something, I go back and download something new or pull up a video to let them kids hear a different explanation. Without the ability to do those things whenever, I'd need to be really on top of keeping track of absolutely everything we need more than I do now. And I'd want to keep track of all those questions whenever they come up so we could follow up on them later.

 

Honestly, if I could avoid going without internet though, I absolutely would.

[Another Lynn]

We haven internet, but not good enough connection / usage for online classes.  I'm guessing there are a lot of people here who don't use online classes. 

[Desert Strawberry]

We would use more paper texts. 

 

Is budget a major concern? It is for me, and that's why I use lots of free online resources. We spend close to nothing. 

 

If I had a bigger budget, I'd just order whatever curricula I wanted and build a nice, rich home library. 

As it is, I would use vintage texts, Life of Fred, and hit up lots of used bookstores, library sales and thrift stores for good materials. We tend toward simple. straightforward non consumables. No bells and whistles needed. 

For my youngers, I'd be tempted to buy a workbook based curriculum, similar to what I did with my first when I didn't yet have my feet under me. It was easy, portable, and inexpensive. We did ETC, Singapore Math, and HWOT, workbooks only. 

[Desert Strawberry]

We haven internet, but not good enough connection / usage for online classes.  I'm guessing there are a lot of people here who don't use online classes. 

We are using online texts, but we need to stop. We have satellite internet, and it's not reliable enough.

[Robin M]

We don't use online courses since my kiddo (10th grade)  gets distracted by other things online.  We use living books and workbooks, textbooks and dvds, encyclopedias, newspapers.   

[lllll]

nm

 

Edited December 2, 2015 by ^ 022

[Pen]

We are not using many online resources for high school,  so it would be fine.

AoPS textbook for math

Lots of actual books and TC courses on CD (instead of audible) for English/history

Intro college texts for science

Book/workboooks/CDs for foreign language

 

The biggest issue would be the lack on a support group for me. I do not think I would have had the courage to homeschool through high school without this board.

 

We use the internet for "extras": streaming videos, looking things up. None of my kids are taking any online classes.

 

 

 

We have been using books and TC for English and history already, and that seems to be going fine. Also, we would probably still be able to do another Bravewriter class if that would help, since the internet needed for it is not huge, or at least was not when we tried before. I guess those parts would all go fine.

 

Anyway, this helps me to clarify for myself, that it is math, foreign language and science that are concerns, not everything.

 

Could we borrow you for foreign language maybe? My ds's choice has been German, alas, for which we have no live people available to help.  I have a whole large bin of materials which are not really working all that well at this point.   Maybe I should just insist he do Spanish for which I am sure we could find humans to practice with.  I have been fluent in other languages in my life, but at this point don't know any well enough to do anything with them, let alone teach them.

 

We have been using AoPS and other things for math. But I am feeling like even though I had math through Calculus at university, my ability to teach it has already reached or exceeded its limits with beginning algebra. There is too much I have forgotten, or that I cannot explain in ways that ds can understand.  He sort of likes the 'discovery method.'  But, he is not all that good about carefully reading the book and teaching himself. We tried TC for math, but that does not seem to quite do it. He likes an Alcumus/Khan Academy (along with respective videos and badges earned etc.) approach when we can get access to those.  The immediate feedback is a help.  When he asks me something, I have to look carefully, ponder, etc., which he does not have the patience for. 

 

TC so far has been helping for science still, but I am getting worried about it for the future. Maybe internet would not even help for that, though the community college has classes that can be taken via internet from home in science that sound like they might help, and I thought maybe a virtual high school class could help. Maybe it would not.  

 

In theory, he can take one class with the local PS and still also homeschool. I had thought maybe that would be a way to deal with lab science. Alas, they got a new principal who does not sound friendly toward home schoolers doing this even though it is allowed by state law. 

[Hobbes]

I was homeschooled without internet, so this does not sound like a problem to me! :)

 

Things wouldn't look much different for us, even now... my biggest need would be a regular chunk of time for research and ordering materials online, etc. If I could have a monthly evening with internet access, I could do it. I'd still use PDF curricula, but since I print all of those anyway, I'd just use my time of internet access to order them printed and spiral bound from an online print shop and have them shipped to me.

 

I think I'd just have to be more proactive in my teaching prep. My kids don't use the computer at all for school (or otherwise) so far and I plan to keep it that way for quite a while, so there wouldn't be an issue there.

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 2, 2015 by ^ 022

[Pen]

... tutor--we use the books that she gives us and the library for practice.

 

 

For languages, you can use DVDs and CDs, no need to be on the internet.

 

Our library has many textbooks, DVDs and CDs on a lot of educational subjects. There are many items one can purchase from sites like Rainbow Resource for pretty much any topic, all the way up to grade 12.

 

 

I am looking into the possibility of tutors for subjects that seem to be a problem here. I think it is a good idea, but we are in a rural area where it may or may not be feasible.

 

Do you have any specific language DVDs and CD's to recommend that have worked well for your family for the high school level of foreign languages?

 

There are many items one can purchase...I agree. The question is not so much making purchases as achieving learning and understanding. 

 

 

 

Maybe I should add that I have been homeschooling for some years now ... not a newbie who has not heard of Rainbow Resource yet, but for the first time facing the situation where my son is getting past my level in some subjects, or where he needs something other than me in terms of method or personality.

[Pen]

We haven internet, but not good enough connection / usage for online classes.  I'm guessing there are a lot of people here who don't use online classes. 

 

What have you been using for math and science for you3 13 and 17 year old that has worked well?

 

Oh, I wouldn't make him switch if he really wants to learn German.  It's possible to learn it without a teacher.  2 of our dd's did that with great success.  I don't know ANY foreign languages.  And no German tutors in our area.  They learned from books and by checking out lots and lots of programs from the library systems.  Many of the programs had CD's and other audio.  Dd's listened to a wide variety of the spoken element.  They got pretty good at recognizing an 'authentic' German accent and a lousy one just by listening to so many programs. 

 

If you can find some solid books on the grammar of the German language, he might be able to learn from the books.  That's what our dd's did.  Then, throw in the library programs and any other resources you find and he should be able to get fairly far that way.  IF he's really motivated to learn it and loves the language.  Loving the language can take a kid far.  :)

 

Thank you for the encouragement on this!  Can you recall anything specific that they used that worked well?  

 

I was homeschooled without internet, so this does not sound like a problem to me! :)

 

Things wouldn't look much different for us, even now... my biggest need would be a regular chunk of time for research and ordering materials online, etc. If I could have a monthly evening with internet access, I could do it. I'd still use PDF curricula, but since I print all of those anyway, I'd just use my time of internet access to order them printed and spiral bound from an online print shop and have them shipped to me.

 

I think I'd just have to be more proactive in my teaching prep. My kids don't use the computer at all for school (or otherwise) so far and I plan to keep it that way for quite a while, so there wouldn't be an issue there.

 

What did you use for math, science and foreign language at high school level?  What do you remember in a positive way now that you would suggest?  Since you are going for second generation it must have been pretty good.

 

Our library system was 45min or longer away and we had years where we had no internet and our dc did fine.  Even the years we had the net, we mostly used it for reserving books and ordering used books, sometimes buying new books. 

 

Our dc used encyclopedias, our many books we owned, and saved their research for the libraries when we went.  We also used the net at the libraries during the years when we had not net at home.  They (and I) would keep a running list of everything they wanted to look up on the net.  Then, during one of our visits, we would spend a few hours on the net - not every week though. 

 

Do you have any state universities near you?  In our state, we got free library cards for state universities.  It was wonderful.  Sooo many books, so many nice tables to spread out on, and very few people actually looking at the books when we were there.  We would go and spend the day there every so often.  And dc would come home with stacks of books.  Dh worked in that town, so he sometimes dropped off the books on his lunch hour.  He also picked up and returned books from all the libraries if something was due and we didn't have a visit scheduled.  That was nice, dh's helping like that.

 

Generally, we didn't use the net for hs'ing.  It didn't even exist in useable form for the average person when we began.  And, then, when it began to grow, it was expensive and slow.  It was only in the latter years that it became useable.  And all 5 of our dc did just fine without it. 

 

It can be done if that's what you want to do (or have to do).  :)

 

 

I could kick myself for having given up our Encyclopedia Britannica as actual books.  A library card from a university is an interesting idea. I need to look into whether that is possible where we are!

[Hobbes]

What did you use for math, science and foreign language at high school level? What do you remember in a positive way now that you would suggest? Since you are going for second generation it must have been pretty good.

 

 

I loved being homeschooled. :) The time flexibility in HS was very positive. I worked a lot at our local pool as a lifeguard and instructor and volunteered a great deal, at the local hospital, etc.

 

I used Saxon math and met with a tutor once a week. She answered my questions about both math and chemistry topics and was a game-changer for those subjects. Apologia Bio and Chem. A lot of reading for history. Various essay/writing assignments, sometimes at our weekly co-op. I went away for four months in Gr.12 for a French immersion course, which was excellent. I also studied A&O Greek.

 

I ended up studying languages and literature in University and the transition was very smooth. Independent work in HS prepared me for the university style of study very well.

 

Hope that helps!

[Arcadia]

German - Deutsch Na Klar (buy used older editions, standard public high school text)

 

Math - Holt textbooks (used) if you have no one to help with AoPS

 

Science - Holt textbooks and AP textbooks used, dual enrol in community college if you can

[Laura Corin]

I used more textbooks as the children got older.  It streamlined things and, in our case, achieved the goal of aligning their studies with (private) school standards.  We used Galore Park text books, supplemented with other fun books.

[Lori D.]

Didn't read through the thread, so forgive me if these are repeat ideas… ;)

 

 

1. Purchase print books -- great textbooks, classic works of Literature, and living books.

(post individual threads for each subject area you are interested in to request suggestions for print resources :) )

 

2. Purchase good support material that teaches YOU how to teach the various subjects:

- Teaching the Classics (literature)

- IEW (writing)

- Calculus: Math Tutor: Calculus tutorials; The Great Courses: Understanding Calculus

 

3. Purchase curricula with DVDs / CDs with video lessons for student self-teaching components

- Writing: Essentials in Writing

- Math: Teaching Textbooks, MUS, Chalkdust, Videotext, Kinetic Books, Saxon DIVE CDs, 

- Science: Spectrum Chemistry, Red Wagon tutorials

- Foreign Language: Power Glide, Rosetta Stone, Tell Me More

- various subjects: Thinkwell, BJU distance learning DVDs, Switched On Schoolhouse

 

4. Purchase DVD or audio CDs of lecture series on various subjects:

- The Great Courses by The Teaching Company

- documentaries on various History or Science topics

 

5. Look into good local options for outsourcing subjects you can't do yourself:

- swap teaching with another 1-2 other homeschool families (you teach your student and theirs in your subject of expertise, and they teach your student and their own in their subject of expertise)

- homeschool co-op classes

- take 1-2 classes at the local high school (many high schools allow this :) )

- hire a tutor

- find a retired professor to meet with weekly to mentor your student in the needed subject

- weekly host dinner or fun event with an international university student who speaks the foreign language you are trying to get exposure to for conversation practice

- host an international high school student from the country that speaks the foreign language you want to learn

- do dual enrollment courses at your local community college or university

 

 

ETA -- PS

You might look into KA Lite which allows you free access to Khan Academy videos when you DON'T have internet connection. :)

Edited November 29, 2015 by Lori D.

[Another Lynn]

What have you been using for math and science for you3 13 and 17 year old that has worked well?

 

 

<snip>

 

For my 17yo, nothing worked well, lol.  He's in private school now and still hates all science and math, lol.

 

For my 13yo, Saxon for math and Apologia for science.  He participates in CC's Challenge 1.  He loves it.  Parts of it I like and parts not so much.  But it motivates him to work hard and that seems to be key at this point.  I don't think online classes would motivate him (or any of the others).  Additionally I think online courses would be very inconvenient. 

 

For my 12yo, she does Saxon at home and Apologia for science at a different co-op.  I really like her situation even better because we can pick and choose which classes to do at co-op and which to do at home. 

 

I am continually reminding myself that it is impossible for me to implement my "perfect" plan, so each year is a new guess at the best way to compromise and still work towards our goals.  Like you, there are some things that will be beyond me at the high school level, or at least beyond what I want to do.  For those I will either look for local outsourcing or some kind of DVD to use at home rather than online courses.  And I suspect we will always want at least a couple of outsourced classes locally to help with motivation, accountability, and friendships. 

[Pen]

Reading your ideas I came to a new major realization:

 

Maybe I should phrase my question as a need for how to do this without internet classes, and also without driving like crazy to utilize other classes and resources.

 

Currently, my ds has group and private ice skating lessons, two co-op classes, all of which require driving him to the city for them, and a music class at the local public high school which also requires me to drive him, but not nearly so far.  Then there is a writing workshop only about half an hour away, which we can both go to, but which I have been so exhausted by these other trips, that we have not even made it there for several weeks.

 

I think maybe I will figure out how to revise my title and first post with this new realization.

 

 

 

1. Purchase print books -- great textbooks, classic works of Literature, and living books.

(post individual threads for each subject area you are interested in to request suggestions for print resources :) )pe

 

 

Mathematics: algebra to calculus levels

Science: high school level, regular to honors or AP

Foreign Language: especially German if following child's own desires

 

Secular resources, if at all possible.

 

 

 

2. Purchase good support material that teaches YOU how to teach the various subjects:

- Teaching the Classics (literature)

- IEW (writing)

 

The same areas again:

 

Mathematics: algebra to calculus levels

Science: high school level, regular to honors or AP

Foreign Language: especially German if following child's own desires

 

 

 

3. Purchase curricula with DVDs / CDs with video lessons for student self-teaching components

- Writing: Essentials in Writing  Not a good fit for ds. But actually writing is not an area that is currently much of a problem.

- Math: Teaching Textbooks, MUS, Chalkdust, Videotext, Kinetic Books, Saxon DIVE CDs,   We used MUS when ds was younger, and it did work well then. I like to think he is "past" that now, but maybe he should return to it for algebra.  ? It seems like it will be a step down from AoPS, but maybe would be a better solution to just get it done. OTOH he may be interested in going into a science direction field and I would worry that MUS would not give him a good enough foundation.  We tried Chalkdust and it was not a very good fit for him, nor is Saxon, nor do I think TT would be.  Don't know anything about Videotext or Kinetic Books, I'll have to look into those.

- Science: Spectrum Chemistry; Red Wagon tutorials; I don't know anything about those and will need to look into them.

- various subjects: Thinkwell, BJU distance learning DVDs, Switched On Schoolhouse  Again, I'll look into those.

 

4. Purchase DVD or audio CDs of lecture series on various subjects:  We have been doing this a lot. It has been extremely successful for history!   It was good for science at the level where nature documentaries or similar were still at his level. But not so successful at least so far for other areas at this point.  

- The Great Courses by The Teaching Company

- documentaries on various History or Science topics

 

5. Look into good local options for outsourcing subjects you can't do yourself:

- swap teaching with another 1-2 other homeschool families (you teach your student and theirs in your subject of expertise, and they teach your student and their own in their subject of expertise) Tried this, but so far have not been able to make it work. And currently it is a long drive to where we might find someone else.

- homeschool co-op classes 

 

We are doing that right now. He loves it.

 

But I am exhausted by the driving, since we live in rural area and this means driving into the city.

 

Also at least for us, the co-op is a wonderful extra, for example for an acting class, but does not cover the basic subjects.

 

There is a foreign language table at the university in the city that I found, which could be a help. But again, I think a major problem is that I am getting exhausted.  

 

 

 

- take 1-2 classes at the local high school (if allowed)  I am looking into this. Not a great school, but this might be a way to solve lab science. I hope.

- hire a tutor  I am looking into this and may start a thread on how to find one!

- find a retired professor to meet with weekly to mentor your student in the needed subject  Hmmm. There IS a retired professor in our neighborhood. I do not know what his field was. Maybe it is something relevant to what ds could use.  I'll try to find out.

- weekly host dinner or fun event with an international university student who speaks the foreign language you are trying to get exposure to for conversation practice Interesting idea.  Or maybe such a person could be hired as a tutor.

- do dual enrollment courses at your local community college or university  That will likely work  once ds is old enough to drive. 2 and a half years between now and then.

 

 

Reading these ideas helped me stretch my thinking.

 

One of the coaches at my son's ice skating program (but not his coach)  may speak German. I wonder if that could be utilized in some way.

 

Or if one of the co-op teachers could tutor beyond the co-op course.

[Pen]

 

 

ETA -- PS

You might look into KA Lite which allows you free access to Khan Academy videos when you DON'T have internet connection. :)

 

 

I had tried to download that, more hoping that it would work to access problem practice--supposedly it did load and we could click on an icon for it tacked to our desktop, but we could never make it work. Have you been able to successfully use it?

 

DS has been able to preload a few Khan (or I think also AoPS) videos at a time and then watch them from home. More than a few either overwhelms our system, or on a flash drive gets confusing. It is less helpful than being able to come to them when desired in the midst of working problems, both from a learning POV and, I expect, even more so because he does not get "energy points" built up for his "badges" etc. which is something that motivates him.  I find it interesting how motivating that sort of thing can be.  

[Hunter]

I think it is hard when rural parents want to provide an urban education, and when urban parents want to provide a rural education.

 

Maybe I am too quick to submit and adapt to new environments. Education is the thing that was slowest to submit and adapt, but now I even submit to that. Resistance was futile. I got tired. I gave up.

 

When faced with a new environment, I look around for what IS plentiful and try to figure out how to use it to full advantage. I only tend to struggle with that, if people are telling me that there is something shameful about doing that. Being shamed confuses me, and my default is to submit and adapt to shaming even more than submit and adapt to an environment.

 

Now that homeschoolers are mostly mainstream people, a homeschool education is expected to mimic public school more than ever. There is a lot of shaming going on. It has been a bumpy ride figuring out how I wanted to respond to that shaming.

 

I don't have home WiFi, but I have a cell phone. I NEED the cell phone to manage my memory loss, but much less so for tutoring and self-education.

 

When I was homeschooling back in the 90's we had several broken but overlapping sets of encyclopedias. We used them a LOT!!!

 

I've been meaning to see if there are still Encyclopedias on CD. I think that would be handy for me right now.

[Heathermomster]

Pen,

 

My high schooler uses the Internet for sending and receiving homework via email, Khan Academy, and research for reports.  As long as we have email capability, we could live without Khan and perform research at the library.  DS takes Spanish and Chemistry at a co-op twice per week.

[Hunter]

I'm assuming 2014 is the most uptodate version of Worldbook on CD, since that is what Sonlight is selling.

http://www.sonlight.com/RR50.html

[Lori D.]

 

On 11/29/2015 at 2:38 PM, Lori D. said:

1. Purchase print books -- great textbooks, classic works of Literature, and living books.
post individual threads for each subject area you are interested in to request suggestions for print resources  ?

Mathematics: algebra to calculus levels
Science: high school level, regular to honors or AP
Foreign Language: especially German if following child's own desires
Secular resources, if at all possible.

2. Purchase good support material that teaches YOU how to teach the various subjects… 
The same areas again

 

Math

- Margaret Lial -- textbooks only (Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calculus; College Algebra)

- Art of Problem Solving -- textbooks only (Pre-Algebra through Calculus)

- Saxon -- textbooks & DIVE CDs of video tutorials (Pre-Algebra through Calculus)

- Thinkwell -- CDs of video tutorials, self-paced (Pre-Algebra through Calculus)

- MUS (Pre-Algebra through Calculus -- however, since you mention later on that DS is doing well with AoPS, this would be a gigantic step backwards

 

Science

- see Dicentra's big pinned threads at the top of the high school for lists of curricula and detailed info on each: Biology, Chemistry, Physics

 

Foreign Language

- textbook: I'd look into what German textbooks a lot of community colleges and universities use for their intro level German classes

- DVDs/CDs: Power Glide, Rosetta Stone, Tell Me More

 

But honestly, self-teaching a foreign language out of a book with no conversation or native speaker with whom to practice or who can correct accent and grammar sounds like setting a student up for a major frustration… JMO, but I'd put foreign language on the back burner unless I could compromise and do an online class like the highly-rated OSU German Online  with live interaction. Or do a live dual enrollment class or high school class. Or go on an all-summer or 1-semester or 1-year immersion program in Germany. Or have an international high school student fluent in German come live with the family for a year.

 

Ideas for you the teacher:

- Calculus: Math Tutor: Calculus tutorials; The Great Courses: Understanding Calculus

- math and science: Thinkwell

- various: KA Lite ( free access to download and and later use Khan Academy videos when offline/no internet connection)

 

On 11/29/2015 at 2:38 PM, Lori D. said:

Secular resources, if at all possible...

3. Purchase curricula with DVDs / CDs with video lessons for student self-teaching components...
- Math¦ Don't know anything about Videotext or Kinetic Books, I'll have to look into those.
- Science: Spectrum Chemistry; Red Wagon tutorials; I don't know anything about those and will need to look into them.
- various subjects: Thinkwell, BJU distance learning DVDs, Switched On Schoolhouse  Again, I'll look into those.

 

With the added requirement of secular, that knocks out Spectrum Chemistry (Christian), Red Wagon (geared for Apologia -- Christian), BJU (Christian), and SOS (Christian).

 

Kinetic Books does not go past Algebra 2.

 

Thinkwell is secular and has CD-Roms of video tutorials in math and science, and a number of AP courses for high school. We found them to be helpful resources to supplement our spine sciences, but I would hesitate to use them as my sole curricula...

 

On 11/29/2015 at 2:38 PM, Lori D. said:

5. Look into good local options for outsourcing subjects you can't do yourself:

- swap teaching with another 1-2 other homeschool families (you teach your student and theirs in your subject of expertise, and they teach your student and their own in their subject of expertise) Tried this, but so far have not been able to make it work. And currently it is a long drive to where we might find someone else.

- homeschool co-op classes We are doing that right now. He loves it. But I am exhausted by the driving, since we live in rural area and this means driving into the city.

There is a foreign language table at the university in the city that I found, which could be a help. But again, I think a major problem is that I am getting exhausted.  

 

Alas, DS's reality might just have to be to stay at home for the next 2.5 years, focus on what he can accomplish well at home without internet, and when DS can drive, then that will open up more opportunities to him. Sometimes there *just are* seasons of privation, and we have to do without.

 

Or, if it is an option, we can "row by ash breeze" as Nathaniel Bowditch said (from Carry On Mr. Bowditch -- the quote is a reference to when the sailing ships were becalmed, in order to move, they had to break out the oars made of ash wood and through sore muscles, blisters and the sweat of their brow, moved the ship by rowing). In this case, perhaps "row by ash breeze" might mean putting in a lot of effort in some science projects and then enter them in a regional fair, which might only require driving for a week's time rather than all year. Or DS working odd jobs now and earning money to later on be able to participate in a special German language exchange program -- or just doing his best and really sticking at it and trying to self-learn German through a textbook and DVDs from Rosetta Stone or Power Glide...

 

Is paying a neighbor, nearby friend, or relative for gas and time to be DS's chauffeur once a week a possibility?

 

Can I ask -- what's the deal with no internet? Are you just in a remote area so that you would require satellite connection? What about cell phone as a substitute -- do you have good coverage so you could just pay the $$ for a plan for one phone that can stream and have internet connection, and just do your best with a tiny screen, or plug that into a bigger monitor? And how do you participate on WTM forum boards with no internet?

 

Just trying to help brainstorm and think outside the box. ? Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

ETA -- PS

I cross-posted with Hunter, but I love how she phrased the urban vs. rural homeschooling. ? She expressed a similar idea as what I was trying to get at, which is since you are limited, rather than focusing on what you DON'T have or CAN'T have, focus on what you DO have and CAN do. ?

 

That's not to say you shouldn't still request ideas for DVD or CD resources; but since those are more limited in what they provide, perhaps you can stop driving and spend that time learning alongside DS so that those resources will work for you both. Meant in all gentleness and just an idea! Wishing you the best in your homeschooling high school journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Lori D.

[Pen]

I think it is hard when rural parents want to provide an urban education, and when urban parents want to provide a rural education.

 

Maybe I am too quick to submit and adapt to new environments. Education is the thing that was slowest to submit and adapt, but now I even submit to that. Resistance was futile. I got tired. I gave up.

 

When faced with a new environment, I look around for what IS plentiful and try to figure out how to use it to full advantage.

...

 

 

Good points!

 

Okay. We are in a rural area.  How do we do a rural education at the high school level? 

 

What is a rural education?

[Pen]

 

....

Alas, DS's reality might just have to be to stay at home for the next 2.5 years, focus on what he can accomplish well at home without internet, and when DS can drive, then that will open up more opportunities to him. Sometimes there *just are* seasons of privation, and we have to do without.

 

Or, if it is an option, we can "row by ash breeze" as Nathaniel Bowditch said (from Carry On Mr. Bowditch -- the quote is a reference to when the sailing ships were becalmed, in order to move, they had to break out the oars made of ash wood and through sore muscles, blisters and the sweat of their brow, moved the ship by rowing).

 

 

Good Points!

 

Is paying a neighbor, nearby friend, or relative for gas and time to be DS's chauffeur once a week a possibility?

 

 

Don't know. I am seeing what can be figured out.

 

 

Can I ask -- what's the deal with no internet? Are you just in a remote area so that you would require satellite connection? What about cell phone as a substitute -- do you have good coverage so you could just pay the $$ for a plan for one phone that can stream and have internet connection, and just do your best with a tiny screen, or plug that into a bigger monitor?

 

We don't have cell phone reception in this area.  The only internet available is dial-up, which I am using right now, but which is too slow for things like khanacademy, online classes, etc. or satellite, which I wanted to get, but now is looking like it will not be possible.

 

The dial-up internet is enough to look up something via google. No audio or video can go through it and no up and down interaction as for solving math problems will go through usually (every so often it will work, but more often ds will spend an hour trying to load something that never comes)-- it used to be enough for that sort of thing, most of duolingo, for example, except the audio worked, but as more people get faster systems, things like that have "improved" to where we can no longer get them.

 

Just trying to help brainstorm and think outside the box. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

ETA -- PS

I cross-posted with Hunter, but I love how she phrased the urban vs. rural homeschooling. :) She expressed a similar idea as what I was trying to get at, which is since you are limited, rather than focusing on what you DON'T have or CAN'T have, focus on what you DO have and CAN do. :)

 

That's not to say you shouldn't still request ideas for DVD or CD resources; but since those are more limited in what they provide, perhaps you can stop driving and spend that time learning alongside DS so that those resources will work for you both. Meant in all gentleness and just an idea! Wishing you the best in your homeschooling high school journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

 

I love the idea of focus on what we DO have and CAN do. I am just sort of lost right now trying to figure that out.

 

I definitely do need to have ds cut down on outside activities. And / or to find someone else who can drive him. Or something. I have also considered trying to figure out how I, or someone, could take him in to the city before co-op and then how he could travel on his own or with a co-op parent to skating on the same day (if we can manage that), so that I would only need to pick him up--not get stuck in the city all day, nor have to make two long round trips.

 

I am also considering taking him to a park and ride station at a smaller nearer city and have him bus from there to the bigger city that has co-op skating etc.

 

And I'd like to  have him get used to biking to the high school. He says he can bike there, but not carrying his gear.  I am thinking though that he might be able to borrow "gear" there and leave instrument, or books or whatever the case may be, at home.

 

Similarly I am looking into whether there are lockers available at the skating rink where he could leave things, and maybe even somewhere that he could leave a bike in the city.

 

 

 

And there is finally what is the typical actual "rural education" here which is to send the kid to public school. Not a great education, but they can ride the bus both ways, have most everything (PE, music, social) built in to the day. And maybe this would be the best bet when it comes down to it. If he were committed to skating, I could take him to that, but it would be the only outside thing. I have heard that even the class valedictorians at local high school are ill prepared for second or third rate colleges, but...   maybe that is the best we DO have, and CAN do. I don't know.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Pen

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 2, 2015 by ^ 022

[Ellie]

Textbooks, literature-based programs such as Sonlight or Beautiful Feet Books, library. Oh, wait...that's what I did when I was hsing mine back in the day before Internet was invented. :-)

[Pen]

Dd gave me a brief booklist below.  She used these in addition to whatever she found at libraries and used bookstores and yard sales and such. 

 

AHN'S Complete Method of the German Language by Dr. P. Henn  (~ 270 pages, copyright 1876)  --  She says this is a very old one but it has lots of practice.  Some of the words and spellings are out of date, but it's hard to find books with lots of written practice.

 

Essential German Grammar by Guy Stern and Everett F. Bleiler  (124 pages, copyright 1961, Dover)  --  Older dd used this one quite a bit as she and younger dd studied together.

 

German Second and Third Years, Revised Edition, by Harry F. Reinert and Walter Kleinmann  (460 pages, copyright 1994, 1985, Amsco)  --  Very thorough and teaches very correct grammar and word usage.  One college professor who looked at this book and dd's completed exercises said the German was almost "poetic"  --  as in, not colloquial or slang.

 

A Practical Review of German Grammar by Gerda Dippmann and Johanna Watzinger-Tharp  (359 pages + Appendix, copyright 2000, Prentice Hall)  --  This is the book dd's German professor is currently using in dd's German 300 class (advanced grammar).  Dd says she "likes the teacher better than the book".  :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Here are some things she listed on her transcript, too.  These might be some of the more beginning levels?

 

 

German Learnables I and II

German: A Self-Teaching Guide -- Heimy Taylor and Werner Haas

Living Language German Coursebook  -- Genvieve A. Martin and Theodor Bertram, revised by Walter Kleinmann

German Bible

German Bible on tape (parts)

German folk songs and WWII music

 

 

I know both dd's love to listen to old German folk songs and marching music.  Sometimes we found those in the libraries, sometimes they downloaded them from the net at the library, sometimes at college libraries, sometimes just bought them at Amazon, etc.  Both dd's also read their German Bibles every morning and have done this for years.

 

We never found a tutor for actual German.  We found a woman supposedly teaching "German", once, but dd's said her accent was bad and she didn't seem to know the grammar very well either.  Turned out she was Polish or something like that.  That lasted only a few weeks.  I think that it's not in such high demand because English is taught in Germany maybe??  Thus, eliminating the need to learn the language to survive a trip to Germany.

 

Anyway, I think if you can encourage his love of the language by obtaining good, solid materials, he might be motivated to learn from the materials.  That's what our dd's have done.  I've never taught them any foreign languages other than going through a few basic Learnables with them in the beginning.  I was always on the lookout for materials and fun things to encourage them, but that was about all I could do.  For example, when dd found a book written in German about C.P.E. Bach's 'keyboard playing' we got it for her (used) because she also loves music.  So it connected German to something else she loved.  But as far as scheduling, planning, and keeping track of their study of German, I didn't do any of that. 

 

Good luck and I hope you and your ds can figure out something.  :) 

 

 

 

 

Thank you -- and thank your dd from me too, please!!!!

[MerryAtHope]

I'm thinking about whether we can do this and looking for ideas. We would actually not be completely without internet, but unable to do most online classes, khanacademy, duolingo, etc.

 

I do think you can do this. We did almost no online classes for junior high and high school. My son did use the internet for a Japanese language course, but the internet portion was free (watching videos) and not an "internet course." 

 

Here are the main things we used in high school (we did no internet-based classes in junior high):

 

Essentials in Writing--videos and workbook, I graded. We used the library and the internet when we did research papers.

 

Sonlight Literature/Learning Language Arts Through Literature--no internet except a couple of times I either read Sparknotes or downloaded a free Glencoe guide (I do like the Glencoe lit guides as a source for questions, and sometimes use these for discussion or essay topic ideas).

 

Mystery of History, Sonlight, and other sources for history--internet only used for an occasional research paper.

 

Government--Notgrass, no internet

 

Psychology--used a book that I'm not remembering the title right now! no internet

 

Math-U-See for all math courses and also personal finance--videos and workbook. I used the internet to download a grading sheet each year.

 

Apologia Science--I downloaded schedules and information from www.donnayoung.org sometimes, but otherwise just used the books, CD-ROM, tests etc... My daughter participated in science fairs, and did use the internet for research. Oh, and when she did dissections for biology, we looked some videos up online too. My son did Robotics Engineering I and II one year and we did need internet access for that, but it wasn't a "class" online. 

 

Rosetta Stone Spanish (someone actually loaned us their set)--not internet except initial set-up with access codes. Seems like about once a year we have to update the codes or call them to get it to work. 

 

Keyboarding--we used Typing Instructor Deluxe, no internet.

 

World Views--Understanding the Times, no internet

 

Bible--various resources along with the Bible, no internet

 

College and Career Prep--We used Superstar Student videos from The Great Courses, ACT Prep, and a variety of resources for career exploration. One was internet based.

 

We did do a few outside classes:

 

Private music lessons

a small co-op for a speech class

theatre through a local theatre group

PE was often activity that we could fit in (walking, biking, basketball, swimming, boating in the summers, chores), but also done in classes through our local YMCA. 

Driver's Ed--our state requires students to take a class, and it's hard to get in at the high school (plus inconvenient to do for a semester) so we did a private class.

 

Look at what's available to you and make the best choices for your family!

 

Edited November 30, 2015 by MerryAtHope

[Hunter]

I love the idea of focus on what we DO have and CAN do. I am just sort of lost right now trying to figure that out.

 

......

 

And there is finally what is the typical actual "rural education" here which is to send the kid to public school. Not a great education, but they can ride the bus both ways, have most everything (PE, music, social) built in to the day. And maybe this would be the best bet when it comes down to it. If he were committed to skating, I could take him to that, but it would be the only outside thing. I have heard that even the class valedictorians at local high school are ill prepared for second or third rate colleges, but... maybe that is the best we DO have, and CAN do. I don't know.

I don't have any answers for you. I just wanted to give you something to think about.

 

There are limits on what can be accomplished in some environments. And sometimes we overlook resources that are there and plentiful.

 

Some people are just stuck in a rural environment. Others LIVE there and LOVE it, and are preparing their children to thrive THERE.

[FO4UR]

I don't have any answers for you. I just wanted to give you something to think about.

 

There are limits on what can be accomplished in some environments. And sometimes we overlook resources that are there and plentiful.

 

Some people are just stuck in a rural environment. Others LIVE there and LOVE it, and are preparing their children to thrive THERE.

 

 

I understand, I think.  I've lived in various places.  In rural settings, you will find families who are training their children to take over the family farm. They don't do many outside activities, but the kids are actively taking over the farm responsibilities (complete with selling their produce and saving their income) starting at young ages. Any outside activities would compete with their work on the farm, and would not likely be seen as an advantage necessarily. 

 

But, what if you are sort of stuck in a rural setting but are not aiming to pass on a family farm?

 

 

It's obvious for some, but not for others.  I've btdt.  

[Another Lynn]

I understand, I think.  I've lived in various places.  In rural settings, you will find families who are training their children to take over the family farm. They don't do many outside activities, but the kids are actively taking over the farm responsibilities (complete with selling their produce and saving their income) starting at young ages. Any outside activities would compete with their work on the farm, and would not likely be seen as an advantage necessarily. 

 

But, what if you are sort of stuck in a rural setting but are not aiming to pass on a family farm?

 

 

It's obvious for some, but not for others.  I've btdt.  

 

You spend a lot of time in the car.  :lol:

 

[Hunter]

It is hard. Sometimes the other way around, too. I have seen urban parents really struggle to provide things like 4H, gardening, bee keeping, pets, nature study, and horseback riding lessons.

 

They, too, spend a lot of time in a car.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Hunter

[happypamama]

My kids don't do online classes now, and we aren't planning any for next year either. We use mostly print materials, a few things in PDF. DD prefers Kindle books for a lot of stuff. In your case, I'd plan to visit the library once a week to download ebooks, load up on new paper books, and download anything else that might be useful. The thing that would be the hardest is not being able to request books online. The actual teaching wouldn't be too different from what we do now; I could find a non-Internet based typing program, and I could use print versions of the SAT and NLE prep questions or save them to do at the library once a week. DuoLingo would be the only thing we couldn't do very well. Oh, and without Internet, OneNote won't sync across devices, so we'd have to all check it on the desktop machine.

 

I live fairly rurally, twenty minutes from a grocery store or library. It does take a lot of mental energy to make sure that our days out are productive -- that I have a good grocery list, that all the library books are packed up to return, etc. But I'm used to it now, and I do like not wasting time on little errands. We don't do a lot of outside activities because it takes too much time away from our school day, but the blessing is that the activities we do do we know are very good ones.

Edited November 30, 2015 by happypamama

[Bear23]

Nope,  library isn't close enough to use on a regular basis.  We use the internet quite a bit for lots of things both for and not for school.

[FO4UR]

You spend a lot of time in the car.  :lol:

 

 

Indeed! :svengo:

 

 

Audiobooks galore! 

 

When we lived in the town of 1000, we lived right next door to the (tiny) library.  I started a small co-op at that library so everyone else was driving to ME.  I taught music, and most of the other volunteer teachers were within that small town so it worked out well.  Otherwise, it was a 45min drive to the nearest co-op or homeschool support group.

[MarkT]

I love the idea of focus on what we DO have and CAN do. I am just sort of lost right now trying to figure that out.

 

I definitely do need to have ds cut down on outside activities. And / or to find someone else who can drive him. Or something. I have also considered trying to figure out how I, or someone, could take him in to the city before co-op and then how he could travel on his own or with a co-op parent to skating on the same day (if we can manage that), so that I would only need to pick him up--not get stuck in the city all day, nor have to make two long round trips.

 

I am also considering taking him to a park and ride station at a smaller nearer city and have him bus from there to the bigger city that has co-op skating etc.

 

And I'd like to  have him get used to biking to the high school. He says he can bike there, but not carrying his gear.  I am thinking though that he might be able to borrow "gear" there and leave instrument, or books or whatever the case may be, at home.

 

Similarly I am looking into whether there are lockers available at the skating rink where he could leave things, and maybe even somewhere that he could leave a bike in the city.

 

 

 

And there is finally what is the typical actual "rural education" here which is to send the kid to public school. Not a great education, but they can ride the bus both ways, have most everything (PE, music, social) built in to the day. And maybe this would be the best bet when it comes down to it. If he were committed to skating, I could take him to that, but it would be the only outside thing. I have heard that even the class valedictorians at local high school are ill prepared for second or third rate colleges, but...   maybe that is the best we DO have, and CAN do. I don't know.

When I saw the first post I thought you may be on a mission in a third world country  :lol:

 

I would put together a detailed possible four year high school course plan with Math, English, History, etc including desire for AP or other college level material. Then use suggestions from all the forums here to put together materials such as "The Great Courses" to help fulfill that plan. This would allow it to be 'almost outsourced' for high school level.

 

 How self-motivated is your student?  That is a huge factor in your decisions.

[Pen]

Textbooks, literature-based programs such as Sonlight or Beautiful Feet Books, library. Oh, wait...that's what I did when I was hsing mine back in the day before Internet was invented. :-)

 

 

Literature is not a problem.

 

But how did you deal with things like lab science -- both as "requirements" and also, if any of your kids happened to want to possibly be heading in a science field direction? Or also how did you deal with math at a level suited for a possible technology, engineering direction? And foreign language?

 

Part of me at one point thought this could be dealt with by having ds go to CC for classes once old enough to drive. But then this morning, as will be typical often till around March, it is below freezing with freezing rain. And CC is 30 miles away, approx.  I am not so sure that an inexperienced driver should be dealing with that.

 

A serious btdt explanation could help me a lot.  Although if you are/were in Calif, as I suspect, and maybe not many miles away from things like we are, it may be that your experience would not be truly btdt, in terms of weather, distance, and other factors.

[Pen]

When I saw the first post I thought you may be on a mission in a third world country  :lol:

 

I would put together a detailed possible four year high school course plan with Math, English, History, etc including desire for AP or other college level material. Then use suggestions from all the forums here to put together materials such as "The Great Courses" to help fulfill that plan. This would allow it to be 'almost outsourced' for high school level.

 

 How self-motivated is your student?  That is a huge factor in your decisions.

 

 

This is a really good idea!!!  I tried to "like" it by the way, but my "likes" are not working!

 

Student not self-motivated enough, imo!  but he does do best when he is doing things in a self-propelled way.

 

I am thinking that before posting a thread on this (would it be best here or in High School?), I will get ds himself to work through such a detailed 4 year plan. That may make it take a lot longer, but might be a very helpful step toward his own motivation if we work backward from requirements for some colleges that he thinks would interest him, and/or also use the catalog for one or more better high schools to help.

[Pen]

Again, my "likes" not working.  Please consider ALL replies "liked!"

 

 

You spend a lot of time in the car.  :lol:
 

 

That, it turns out is the real crux of the problem!!!

 

Internet was in my mind as a way to not spend a lot of time in car.

 

If we spend a lot of time in car we can get to good foreign language, even German. We can get to good math instruction or tutors. We can probably even get to good lab science opportunities. We can get to social outlets. But I have a disability as a chronic illness. I am wiped out.

 

That is the real problem.

 

 

 

 

It is hard. Sometimes the other way around, too. I have seen urban parents really struggle to provide things like 4H, gardening, bee keeping, pets, nature study, and horseback riding lessons.

They, too, spend a lot of time in a car.

 

 

Even in the country some of these things would take a lot of driving--nature study is right here (as in fact it also is in cities if you look, but we have bear, cougar, bobcat, fox, various things probably not so common in city), but 4H could be in a rural area outside the city in a different direction than we are, horseback riding lessons are available within 10 miles making it relatively close, but still a drive.

 

 

My kids don't do online classes now, and we aren't planning any for next year either. We use mostly print materials, a few things in PDF. DD prefers Kindle books for a lot of stuff. In your case, I'd plan to visit the library once a week to download ebooks, load up on new paper books, and download anything else that might be useful. The thing that would be the hardest is not being able to request books online. The actual teaching wouldn't be too different from what we do now; I could find a non-Internet based typing program, and I could use print versions of the SAT and NLE prep questions or save them to do at the library once a week. DuoLingo would be the only thing we couldn't do very well. Oh, and without Internet, OneNote won't sync across devices, so we'd have to all check it on the desktop machine.

I live fairly rurally, twenty minutes from a grocery store or library. It does take a lot of mental energy to make sure that our days out are productive -- that I have a good grocery list, that all the library books are packed up to return, etc. But I'm used to it now, and I do like not wasting time on little errands. We don't do a lot of outside activities because it takes too much time away from our school day, but the blessing is that the activities we do do we know are very good ones.

 

Your 13 year old sound like she is at close to the same stage. Most of what you seem to use internet for are not things we need. I don't need pdfs or onenote, and we do already load eBooks from the library when there. My ds uses Typing Instructor, for example, which is computer based, but not internet dependent. Duolingo though is a biggy. And for us so are the AoPS online materials, and I know that ds would like to try one of their classes. Also Khan Academy.  Also the ability to look at something shown on YouTube, both things like on Khan Academy and AoPS, but also other things that people post such as showing science experiments.  

 

How are you planning to do high school lab science?

 

Indeed! :svengo:

 

 

Audiobooks galore! 

 

When we lived in the town of 1000, we lived right next door to the (tiny) library.  I started a small co-op at that library so everyone else was driving to ME.  I taught music, and most of the other volunteer teachers were within that small town so it worked out well.  Otherwise, it was a 45min drive to the nearest co-op or homeschool support group.

 

 

We are 30 min to nearest tiny library. But that is still better than the co-op in the city. Maybe I could start just one thing per week that would involve others at the library on same day as we might anyway be there. Interesting idea.

 

 

[happypamama]

For ninth grade, we are planning on biology, and we will be doing that at home, using a paper textbook. I will probably buy a microscope and other materials. Probably the same for chemistry, although I haven't really looked into it much yet. I'm not quite close enough to a local college to want to take a student there two or three times a week every week for tenth grade. Maybe by eleventh or twelfth if she can drive.

 

I do live just a couple of minutes from our local school, close enough that a kid could bike, and my state does allow for partial enrollment. I'm not yet interested in having that daily commitment, but you could check into whether that's a possibility for you for science or language.

 

There is a local college about 25 minutes from me that offers occasional lab classes for homeschoolers (like a one time class for three hours), including microscope work and dissections, so that's a possibility for us.

 

Mostly, we use the Internet as a supplement, so if we did not have it at home, I would seriously consider spending several hours at the library one day every week or so, watching YouTube videos and downloading stuff. Would you consider getting a cell phone or tablet plan that had some internet capability? I have a cell capable tablet, and though I don't have a plan on it, I did buy a one month plan for vacation because I was working on school planning and needed a lot of Internet. I was pleasantly to find that YouTube did not use much data at all. I think 1GB runs around $20 a month for a prepaid plan with no contract.

[Pen]

I have also just learned that in my state the law does not require local schools to allow a home school child to take a class.  So if the current principal does not want to, that is her right.

[happypamama]

You might also just consider doing language via textbook and supplementing weekly with a DuoLingo binge at the library. Or a weekly skype lesson at the library? Maybe not the best but better than nothing? You can also see if the library subscribes to Mango. I don't like it nearly as much as DuoLingo, but you can download the lessons and maybe work offline, not sure about that.

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 2, 2015 by ^ 022

[happypamama]

I have also just learned that in my state the law does not require local schools to allow a home school child to take a class. So if the current principal does not want to, that is her right.

Blah. But who knows? Maybe they will. (I haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know if you've already asked.)

[Farrar]

Are there any driving solutions? Like taking him into town and paying someone to bring him home after all his various activities? Can you stack things together so that he's in town all day and you go less often?

 

It's temporary to some extent... he'll be able to drive himself in a mere two or three years, which should be helpful for the ending of high school.