................... Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I signed my kids up for some local classes this year and well....not completely satisfied. In fact, we are dropping one of them completely. I tend to compare my kids to the highly academic people on this board of that we hung out with the last two years. And they seem very smart, but still normal. I forgot that my kids are not normal but way way ahead in many areas, and this poses a problem when you sign them up for classes aimed at typical kids (even typical homeschoolers). In addition to that, I really don't want their time wasted. While I have the desire for them to have a "classroom experience" and get out of the house, I should remember that my academic goals and desires, while never reaching where I wish they were, are pretty rigorous after all. :o) So, long story short, if you homeschool, you're used to doing the best for your kids, not just shrugging your shoulders and letting someone else do something mediocre. We ended up dropping one class altogether because it was being taught at a 3rd grade level, if that...and disorganized too. The teachers agreed to tweak the other two classes and are excited about enthusiastic students. I thought that the homeschool community was filled with enthusiastic students working above grade level and ready for rigor, and discussion and serious assignments. Shockingly,that is NOT the case. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Good for you for dropping the one instead of pushing through. I tend to want to give the benefit of the doubt or get my money's worth but the fact is we are a little more, erm, anal about our work than a lot of our fellow homeschoolers, and apparently more rigorous than all but a few (and I'm buddies with those few :D). The flakiness and loose structure of a lot of homeschool classes doesn't work well with my personality of what my kids are used to. It's good they were willing to tweak the other two - that's better than looking at you like you're the one who is nuts ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I thought that the homeschool community was filled with enthusiastic students working above grade level and ready for rigor, and discussion and serious assignments. You can always hang out with the local quirky academic afterschoolers. I do find those local classes that accept charter school funds tend to be a little watered down. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 People homeschool for a variety of reasons. Some kids are ahead, some are average, and some struggle. In our state, some folks homeschool because there is no official support for kids with dyslexia. Some homeschool for religious reasons, to escape a bullying situation, or for medical or developmental reasons. I love that our co-op offers classes with varying degrees of rigor (and, as somebody who covers a lot of ground at home, I sometimes sign my kids up for more fun classes because I don't want to do messy crafty things). In my high school class, I have students wanting to earn their C and graduate and students wanting to earn the honors credit and keep a 100%, and everything in between. It takes some work, but I structure my class so that I can say 'All you are required to know is X, but for those of you who want a more detailed explanation...'. They are also willing to bump kids up and down so that students can take classes that are appropriate to their ability level, not just their grade, which is a win for everybody. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) I agree that some classes are generally flaky, mismanaged and altogether abysmal. But I also think people homeschool for different reasons and their goals (hopefully for the true benefit of their kids) should be respected. ETA: I am not expressing myself well. There are so many classes available to homeschoolers these days so I understand the difficulty of finding the right fit. I still think though that we need to research classes carefully, asking for trial sessions if possible to see what the fit is like for our kids. Some people are happy with "good enough" for a variety of reasons kwim? Their good enough might really be good enough for their goals. Might be what their kids need at that time. Maybe they are challenging kids in others ways at home. Maybe they are happy to keep things simple for a while. Maybe they are not aware that rigor is needed in one or all areas and are still new to homeschooling. Maybe their kids are dealing with a disability of some form. How much of the onus is on us to research offerings thoroughly first? I am not sure what limitations each family has regarding the research side. E.g. when I was desperate for classes for my son many years ago and lived far away from so many of them, the only way to know was to drive to each one and try it out first. Other classes were easier to research online or through friends who had taken the classes before we had. And several times we were not satisfied with classes even when friends gave glowing reviews because our goals were simply different. Not loftier, just different. Edited September 9, 2016 by quark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 (edited) Regardless of homeschool or after school classes, the instructors can be fantastic but each cohort of students is different. If the instructor has more than one class at the level your (general) child need, you could still switch your child to another class depending on class vacancy and your own child's schedule. Our classroom experiences for LOTE has been great, but the kids are a mix from public, private, and homeschooled. The public school kids in my kids classes happened to be the most hardworking and doing more than asked. I still think though that we need to research classes carefully, asking for trial sessions if possible to see what the fit is like for our kids.I agree that trial sessions are very useful. I find finding a good fit one to one music instructor bad enough. Rigorous and yet encouraging. I do know my kids aren't that easy to coach. ETA: Quark, DS11 liked the Roy Speed Shakespeare class you mentioned. He was laughing and actually talked using the mic in that class :) Edited September 10, 2016 by Arcadia 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 DS11 liked the Roy Speed Shakespeare class you mentioned. He was laughing and actually talked using the mic in that class :) :thumbup: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 It's also live and learn for me to do my research and also make sure to really pay attention during the trial period. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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