Your favorite WTMA courses for high school?

[Maryam]

Since spring registration is open and we are all planning our remaining high school course load, it would be helpful to share which WTM Academy courses you (and your children) liked most and why. Thanks in advance!

[Maryam]

I had posted the same thing in the middle school board. This one is asking specifically about high school level courses.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Maryam

[Maryam]

Anyone? [emoji4]

 

 

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[lauranc]

Geometry with Thomas Hummel.  Can't say enough about his teaching style and demeanor--- been a great math experience for my 10th grader.

 

Also taken Biology with Amy Upperman.  My high schooler learned quite a bit last year in this class-- a lot of work, but there weren't too many assignments he felt were a waste of time, so the workload was OK.

 

Chemistry this year with Mary Brinkerhoff.  Smart teacher, workload is fairly high-- he's learned a lot so far this year.

[TCB]

My dd is really enjoying Rhetoric 1 with Mr Hummel. It seems like a really good course.

[Sleep-Deprived]

My son is taking Biology with Mrs. Upperman this year.  He is enjoying the class, and has learned a LOT.  He's in the delayed section (recorded), but she has been very accessible and helpful, and it has been a great experience.  I highly recommend it, and hope my younger kiddos will have the same opportunity when they get to high school.   

[mirabillis]

We also love Ms Upperman with Biology. My ds has learned so much! Highly recommend.

[Chanley]

Bio and Anatomy & Physiology with Ms. Upperman are both great choices. 

 

Rhetoric with Hummel is great, he is an outstanding teacher who really connects with his students and inspires them. 

 

AOPS math with Quintero, she is really good. 

 

Mandy Buller is great with Saxon. 

[daijobu]

My dd is learning a lot in the Renaissance History class with Roudabush and enjoying the class.  

[Maryam]

Thanks everyone! The more, the merrier. I'm taking notes!

lauranc, is the Geometry class with Mr. Hummel Saxon or AoPS?

[teachermom2834]

Ds loves AOPS Algebra 1 with Quintero.

 

Older ds took Chemistry and Rhetoric 1 last year (but not Hummel for Rhetoric, can't remember the name). This ds would not say he enjoyed the classes as he doesn't really enjoy academic pursuits or online classes in general. But he did not say he hated them and would have called them "ok". That's a pretty decent endorsement from that particular kid.

[Chanley]

Rhetoric 1 may have been with Dr. Brian, she is pretty awesome too! 

 

Hummel's Geometry class is Saxon based. 

[mirabillis]

You should also ask - which are your LEAST favorites? ;)

[LAR]

I'm with Mirabillis on this one.  I'd like to hear about the classes you wouldn't recommend. 

[MarkT]

Geometry with Thomas Hummel.  Can't say enough about his teaching style and demeanor--- been a great math experience for my 10th grader.

 

 

I looked at the WTMA syllabus since my DS used Saxon Geo at his B&M charter school.

The course covers all the book lessons so this looks like a nice fast paced class which a good teacher can handle.

Not a lot of proofs, this book uses the newer style for Geometry.

[Maryam]

Ok, building on mirabillis' comment: what are your favorites and least favorite!

[lauranc]

Thanks everyone! The more, the merrier. I'm taking notes!

lauranc, is the Geometry class with Mr. Hummel Saxon or AoPS?

 

Saxon

 

[crazyforlatin]

I'm with Mirabillis on this one. I'd like to hear about the classes you wouldn't recommend.

Good luck getting people to say this here as we're so close to the source.

 

For us, it's not so much as to the content of the class, but the personality of the teacher. For DD she only does well if the teacher is energetic and enthusiatistic, etc. Otherwise she loses so much of her desire to do the work or to even focus during class. Maybe she's young and needs a certain personality that draws in younger kids?

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Good luck getting people to say this here as we're so close to the source.

 

 

I wish people felt more comfortable leaving reviews. I don't feel quite comfortable either, so I understand, but it makes it tricky for people who are trying to choose classes.

 

I'm on both sides -- not comfortable leaving reviews, yet wanting info about other classes.

[mirabillis]

Good luck getting people to say this here as we're so close to the source.

 

ah i hadn't even thought of that. :-) well bummer. i guess if we DON'T hear about a certain class, maybe that's review in & of itself. and if we ask particularly, reviews on WTMA such-and-such, someone can always PM...

 

;-) like woodland mist said, it's tricky. i don't go out there and air my grievances either. (i have none with WTMA by the way). but only b/c i'm still involved in said class or organization. it IS tricky. but i rely solely on these forums for reviews. i think these are the most valid reviews, and there is such a conglomeration if you search hard and vast.

[Maryam]

Well I think it's not a problem if people offer constructive criticism or simply give a respectful honest opinion simply stating "this was my least favorite class". No explanations necessary. I think?

[Maryam]

Otherwise, we can continue listing favorites! [emoji4]

[mirabillis]

Sorry - didn't mean to be such a negative nelly. :D Always interested in hearing about favorite classes. Keep 'em coming!

[yvonne]

I wish people felt more comfortable leaving reviews. I don't feel quite comfortable either, so I understand, but it makes it tricky for people who are trying to choose classes.

 

I'm on both sides -- not comfortable leaving reviews, yet wanting info about other classes.

 

 

I've found that, although people aren't usually comfortable posting negative reviews, they are sometimes willing to PM me in response to a posted request for feedback, if I ask about a specific teacher and/or specific course. 

 

If a person has gone to the trouble of looking at their options and is seriously considering and asking for feedback on a specific course/instructor, I'm happy to post or PM with our experience. If it's a course that has been popular on the boards but that didn't work out for us, I'm especially likely to PM the person who's asking because I know how much I wish someone had given me a heads-up on a couple of courses that didn't work at all for us. I hope others are willing to PM with feedback, too!

 

But, trying to answer a generic "what courses at xyz provider did you not like?" question, probably wouldn't add much value because there are just too many variables.... One family may have different goals and priorities than mine, in general or for a specific subject/course. Or, what didn't work for my child may be a great fit for someone else's child. Or, it may have been a new course when we took it, but the wrinkles have been ironed out since then......  In these cases, I wouldn't want to post a generic negative review, but I wouldn't want to go to the trouble of articulating exactly what didn't work for us if nobody had asked specifically about a course.

 

I've found that it is very telling if there are NO posted or PM'd replies to a post about a specific teacher/class!  If NObody is willing to post or PM about a class, chances are that either I have the wrong population or people have not been that happy with that teacher/class. Usually, it's the latter. Having made the mistake _twice_ of registering for a class for which I could not get any reviews, one local and one online, I now take it as a huge red flag when I can't find anyone willing to give a review of a specific class/teacher that's been out there for a while.

 

All that to say.....  I've found people are more willing to post/PM feedback in response to questions about a specific course/instructor. And...if NObody is willing to post/PM you with feedback about a specific course/instructor... be careful!!

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by yvonne

[yvonne]

Forgot to answer the original question!

I really liked the WTMA US History class that my boys took last year, especially the fact that it focused on trends and the big ideas/movements/directions rather than on memorizing dates and battles.  History is not my boys' favorite subject, so they wouldn't list US History among their top three favorite online classes, but I thought the class was well done. :)

 

That's the only high school level class we've taken so far, but I would definitely look at WTMA for other high school courses that we need.

Edited November 21, 2016 by yvonne

[SunshineMom]

Anyone have a class review of "Literature of the New World" from WTMA?

[mirabillis]

Forgot to answer the original question!

 

I really liked the WTMA US History class that my boys took last year, especially the fact that it focused on trends and the big ideas/movements/directions rather than on memorizing dates and battles.  History is not my boys' favorite subject, so they wouldn't list US History among their top three favorite online classes, but I thought the class was well done. :)

 

That's the only high school level class we've taken so far, but I would definitely look at WTMA for other high school courses that we need.

 

Re: WTMA US History - how rigorous is the course? We are hoping to use this in conjunction with an SAT II Subj test perhaps... I've heard rave reviews about the US History teacher (Brian). So thinking of taking the 'regular' (not advanced/AP) course but in conjunction with a fairly heavy load... so don't want it to be 'too' heavy. What do you think?

 

Anyone else with WTMA US History experience?

[Guest]

Is the AOPS/Singapore Geometry for advanced students compared to the Saxon Geometry?

 

I'm coming to the conclusion that dd does better with outsourced things than me so I'm looking to pretty much do that for her sophomore year. Trying to figure everything out.

Edited December 3, 2016 by texasmom33

[mirabillis]

 

I'm coming to the conclusion that dd does better with outsourced things than me so I'm looking to pretty much do that for her sophomore year. Trying to figure everything out.

 

Me too! So we're planning to outsource everything sophomore year too. :D Teenagers!

[Chanley]

Is the AOPS/Singapore Geometry for advanced students compared to the Saxon Geometry?

 

 

Anything AOPS is more difficult than a traditional math course. I think there is a type of student who does well with AOPS. I have one kid who does and another who does not. The kid for whom AOPS works is OK with struggling to find an answer, this kid sees math has a puzzle and delights in finding a solution after toying with different ways of solving the problem. This kid dives in before reading instructions and figures things out on the way.  There are few problems but they are much harder. 

 

My other kid, who loves Saxon but is also very bright, does not ever like being wrong. Not understanding something when trying to do it drives this kid nuts and she freaks out. She reads the instruction manual before she unboxes stuff. She also needs the repetitive workload that Saxon provides. There are SO many problems due every week, it can be time consuming but she feels it gives her the solid footing to feel like she really understands the problems before she moves on.  The AOPS kid would die of boredom and never finish that many problems. 

[Guest]

Anything AOPS is more difficult than a traditional math course. I think there is a type of student who does well with AOPS. I have one kid who does and another who does not. The kid for whom AOPS works is OK with struggling to find an answer, this kid sees math has a puzzle and delights in finding a solution after toying with different ways of solving the problem. This kid dives in before reading instructions and figures things out on the way.  There are few problems but they are much harder. 

 

My other kid, who loves Saxon but is also very bright, does not ever like being wrong. Not understanding something when trying to do it drives this kid nuts and she freaks out. She reads the instruction manual before she unboxes stuff. She also needs the repetitive workload that Saxon provides. There are SO many problems due every week, it can be time consuming but she feels it gives her the solid footing to feel like she really understands the problems before she moves on.  The AOPS kid would die of boredom and never finish that many problems. 

 

Thanks for the info!

 

That's my worry. She's not what I would call advanced so I don't think AOPS will work, but the last time we tried Saxon she ended up in tears every day. We dropped it after a year and changed to TT, then CLE. She loves CLE, but unfortunately it won't take us through Geometry and Algebra II. I also think she needs someone other than me next year and was really hoping to stick with WTMA for it. But wow. I don't know what to do. Our homeschool group uses TT which I really don't see the point of paying someone else to teach TT anyway. I hate no knowing what I'm going to do with math!!! Guess I need to check out more options. 

[Maryam]

Maybe for Geometry and beyond try Derek Owens. He's received great reviews. And it's an option which would provide outside accountability and grading.

[Guest]

Maybe for Geometry and beyond try Derek Owens. He's received great reviews. And it's an option which would provide outside accountability and grading.

Thanks! I've actually been looking at that one after reading the pinned math thread. I like that she could start anytime since we have done year round this whole time. I think that may be the one for us.

[jjeepa]

Re: WTMA US History - how rigorous is the course? We are hoping to use this in conjunction with an SAT II Subj test perhaps... I've heard rave reviews about the US History teacher (Brian). So thinking of taking the 'regular' (not advanced/AP) course but in conjunction with a fairly heavy load... so don't want it to be 'too' heavy. What do you think?

 

Anyone else with WTMA US History experience?

 

Anyone able to answer this?  Mirabillis, this is my exact question as well.  Hope we get some replies.

[Chanley]

I asked my kid but she could not remember well enough since she took the advanced class last year. She said she remembered that the regular class kids had fewer papers. 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Would anyone care to comment on the Government and Economics class? Pretty please...

 

This is the first year it's been offered, but I'm hoping someone will give first impressions - either here or through PM. I haven't seen a single review anywhere. Is that a bad sign? Or is it still just too early?

[Chanley]

Hehe, once again...my kid is currently taking this class. Caro is an enthusiastic, fun teacher, my kid finds this to be an easy class. 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Bless you! Thanks so much!

 

I hope you don't mind more questions...

 

How is the class set up -- are grades based mostly on tests or papers or a mix?

 

Thanks again!

 

ETA: I'm asking because on the syllabus posted on the WTMA site, I didn't see any tests listed. More writing and less testing would be a plus in our book.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Chanley]

When asked this is what she said, "Okay so the class, to answer that person's question, is mostly papers. we haven't had a test and he has not talked about there being one for the entire semester."

[Woodland Mist Academy]

That sounds perfect! Thanks!

[Guest]

Hi, guys,

 

Just dropping in to say that we're all big here. Negative reviews won't rustle any feathers. And a negative review doesn't necessarily mean "this was bad"--it can mean "this was a bad fit." Knowing why someone found an online class to be a bad fit can be really helpful to others trying to decide.

 

SWB

 

P.S. For those who are trying to make up their minds, I am going to insert a tiny commercial here, which is to say that we have the most flexible (I think) money-back policy out there--you have a month to withdraw for tuition refund if the class doesn't work for you. Because we're a young school without much of a track record yet, we want to encourage parents to check us out.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thanks, Susan! 

[Professormom]

I second the thoughts re: Heather Quintero. She is terrific, and she is terrific at teaching AoPS:-) If I recall correctly, she used it with her own kids in addition to teaching it. Her explanations are clear, she is available for questions, and the assignments are reasonable... now if only she could cure my freshman boy of his all-encompassing ability to be distracted... :lol:

[madteaparty]

Hi, guys,

 

Just dropping in to say that we're all big here. Negative reviews won't rustle any feathers. And a negative review doesn't necessarily mean "this was bad"--it can mean "this was a bad fit." Knowing why someone found an online class to be a bad fit can be really helpful to others trying to decide.

 

SWB

 

P.S. For those who are trying to make up their minds, I am going to insert a tiny commercial here, which is to say that we have the most flexible (I think) money-back policy out there--you have a month to withdraw for tuition refund if the class doesn't work for you. Because we're a young school without much of a track record yet, we want to encourage parents to check us out.

Yep. Definitely not the case for all online providers (ask me how I found out) so parents please check.

[madteaparty]

I second the thoughts re: Heather Quintero. She is terrific, and she is terrific at teaching AoPS:-) If I recall correctly, she used it with her own kids in addition to teaching it. Her explanations are clear, she is available for questions, and the assignments are reasonable... now if only she could cure my freshman boy of his all-encompassing ability to be distracted... :lol:

DS loves her. AoPs is a horrid fit for us, but he insists on auditing the class because he likes this teacher so much.

[Maryam]

Hi, guys,

 

Just dropping in to say that we're all big here. Negative reviews won't rustle any feathers. And a negative review doesn't necessarily mean "this was bad"--it can mean "this was a bad fit." Knowing why someone found an online class to be a bad fit can be really helpful to others trying to decide.

 

SWB

 

.

Thanks for dropping in to clarify, Susan! Edited December 8, 2016 by Maryam

[mirabillis]

Yep. Definitely not the case for all online providers (ask me how I found out) so parents please check.

 

Ditto. Ditto. LOVE WTMA for that!

*ETA - thanks for making us feel OK to post reviews of any sort for the classes! We appreciate it.

Edited December 9, 2016 by mirabillis

[Chanley]

I second the thoughts re: Heather Quintero. She is terrific, and she is terrific at teaching AoPS:-) If I recall correctly, she used it with her own kids in addition to teaching it. Her explanations are clear, she is available for questions, and the assignments are reasonable... now if only she could cure my freshman boy of his all-encompassing ability to be distracted... :lol:

 

No kidding! She deserves sainthood for being so cheerful about my son's proof explanations. The kid should get a job writing military code because I have no clue what he means when he explains the problems but she has no issue with it. She handles him REALLY well. 

[coloradomomof5]

I was told the WTMA has a middle school geography one semester. Would it work for a HS to take it? We are in need of a one semester geography HS class. Has anyone taken it? Thought?

 

 

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