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First Impressions: Online Class Review


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Thank you for adding this onto your post about Schole Academy. We're religious people, but we prefer mostly secular classes. (We don't mind a prayer at the beginning.) This information helps me to know that Schole Academy is off our list of providers. It would just be too much "liturgical" extras. But I can see where some people would really like this approach.

Anyone who is considering Schole Academy should carefully read the FAQ and the Student Handbook. Their classes are distinctly Christian and anyone signing up for that needs to be aware of that and what their pedagogical approach is and their vision for schole. There is always opening and closing prayers, Scripture reading and discussion of the reading from Scripture in my son's class.

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DD second year online classes:

WHA geometry with Mrs. Smith

WTMA physics Mrs. Nallakumar

WTMA history story of Middle Ages

Integritas academy ( Mrs. Cindy Lange) writing

Clrc intermediate Latin

 

She is in love with all her classes. Teachers are extremely helpful. Each course is rigorous.

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I am looking at possibly putting my ds12 into Latin 1 at WHA or CAP (Schole Academy) next year (fall 2018). That would be using the Latin Alive book 1.  Can anyone comment on these options/teachers?  Also, would you complete LFC-C first (he will be 7th grade)?

 

 

 

Edited by cintinative
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I am looking at possibly putting my ds12 into Latin 1 at WHA or CAP (Schole Academy) next year (fall 2018). That would be using the Latin Alive book 1. Can anyone comment on these options/teachers? Also, would you complete LFC-C first (he will be 7th grade)?

My DD12 is in WHA's Latin 1 with Mrs. Salmon with no previous Latin background. I would say a very thorough grounding in English grammar would be great preparation (perhaps better than what you could learn in one year with an elementary Latin curriculum? Not really sure...). So far, so good. The teacher is organized, seems to have good classroom management skills, and uses the in-class time wisely. I would say DD spends 20-30 minutes per day working on Latin outside of class. She is very efficient and motivated, so YMMV. It's too early to give a full review, but we are happy with it at this point.
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I am looking at possibly putting my ds12 into Latin 1 at WHA or CAP (Schole Academy) next year (fall 2018). That would be using the Latin Alive book 1.  Can anyone comment on these options/teachers?  Also, would you complete LFC-C first (he will be 7th grade)?

 

 

I can't comment on the online courses, but I can on LA after LfC. 

 

My dd did SSL and LfC A and B. The transition to LA1 is no problem for her this year in 7th. We are doing the dvd lessons. With a 7th grader, I think LfC C is too babyish. LA takes 3 years to do the basic grammar that most Latin courses do in 2 years of high school, so the pace is good for middle school. We are in week 10 and so far, much of it is review. 

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My DD12 is in WHA's Latin 1 with Mrs. Salmon with no previous Latin background. I would say a very thorough grounding in English grammar would be great preparation (perhaps better than what you could learn in one year with an elementary Latin curriculum? Not really sure...). So far, so good. The teacher is organized, seems to have good classroom management skills, and uses the in-class time wisely. I would say DD spends 20-30 minutes per day working on Latin outside of class. She is very efficient and motivated, so YMMV. It's too early to give a full review, but we are happy with it at this point.

 

 My son had Mrs. Salmon last year for Latin 1 at WHA.  It was a good class and prepared him well for this year.  Prior to that he had LFC A and most of B at home.  I would not bother with C, but would go ahead and move into Latin 1.  Latin 1 starts from the beginning and doesn't assume previous knowledge so one wouldn't be behind jumping in there.  I agree that Mrs. Salmon is very organized and gives the kids lots of practice in class with the fundamentals of Latin so that they have the tools to move on and be successful.  

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Thank you for this. None of the other classes really fit our schedule, so I'm considering letting her drop the class. I will probably wait until after next week's class as MP gives you until the 22nd to drop. I have heard good things about Ms. Cutrer from a friend, but we've found that just because a teacher is beloved by someone else doesn't mean we will have the same feelings. (My friend's kids also loved Mr. Cable. He was not bad, but not a favorite here.) For this particular kid, I don't need the structure or discipline, I need passion and the passing on of that love of a subject. That's what I'm willing to pay $$$ for.

 

 

I completely understand this sentiment. Until Mrs. Lange's class last year, I would have agreed. I could not have been happier with her class at Wilson Hill - with the understanding that it was a tough class for the recommended age group. She's not with Wilson Hill anymore & her private classes are very pricey. If she comes down in price, I would wholeheartedly recommend her classes. Her feedback is very specific and she always tries to increase the writing ability of the student in front of her. So, if your kid already writes well, they will write better with her specific feedback. If they struggle, they will get feedback to get them to the next level in each assignment.

 

I think high-quality writing classes are hard to come by. It is difficult to find a class that matches the specific needs & ability of the kid in front of you with a teacher that matches what your kid needs. Good quality feedback is so important. You can find AP level writing classes that are great for kids who already write well, but what about a struggling writer? What about that initial learn-to-write-well level? And, some classes are SO PRICEY. Others might be great, but require way more time than your kid can afford to spend on them (15-20 hours/week for a non-AP class?!). This has definitely been a struggle at our house, too.

We are loving Ms. Cutrer for FFL here.

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Thanks for your comments about Schole Academy. They are very helpful. I'm still trying to decide between W&R/Schole, Bravewriter, WTMA, or OG3/MCT for writing for next year (4th grade).

FWIW, i know bravewriter is universally loved here but we aren't fans. I'm sure it's just us (and this opinion is based on just one class).

I've actually written off writing classes entirely. This essay writing American style is a bit of a contact sport so I think can do a far better job myself, especially if I had back a tiny fraction of all the time we spent on writing classes. I will say I can see and appreciate what the WTM method is doing. I don't have nor do I need that many years though, for this particular kid.

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Mr Peter Moskaluk (PAH Chemistry) answered my oldest boy’s question on why the quiz was graded incorrect by the system today morning very clearly when my kid post the question to him around 8pm Pacific Time. My boy wanted a 100% and was upset that he could not figure out where he went wrong. Mr Moskaluk and Jetta are two teachers that I feel I underpaid compared to other possible/potential providers.

 

Mr Moskaluk also answered my boy’s Chemistry question in February even before we registered for his class.

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  • 4 weeks later...

 I would not bother with C, but would go ahead and move into Latin 1.  Latin 1 starts from the beginning and doesn't assume previous knowledge so one wouldn't be behind jumping in there.  I agree that Mrs. Salmon is very organized and gives the kids lots of practice in class with the fundamentals of Latin so that they have the tools to move on and be successful.  

 

My dd also had Mrs. Salmon, but it was a few years ago for LfC A. She was a very organized, structured teacher. We were very happy with the class.

 

Regarding completing LfC C before LA1.... Don't bother, especially for a 7th grader.  As the pp mentioned, LA1 really does start from the very beginning and a 7th grader could definitely do it, even without any prior Latin background.

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My daughter is taking 4 online classes this year: 3 with Wilson Hill (more on those below) and also Mrs. Lange's Intro to Pursuasive Writing Through Literature. Mrs. Lange's class is a huge hit so far. There are four or five students in the class, so each gets a high level of interaction. It is very early, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be as fantastic as everyone says (of her FoEW class with WHA). This DD was in WTMA's WWS 1 & 2 in the last two years, but I just didn't feel like the actual feedback on her writing was either good/specific enough or plentiful enough. Also, I was looking for one class that covered both literature and composition. Mrs. Lange seems to be the golden ticket.

Thanks for the suggestion to update our initial impressions.

 

Intro to Pursuasive Writing Through Literature with Cindy Lange’s new Integritas Academy has continued to be a terrific class. I would say the class is a perfect blend of literature and composition. The writing instruction/feedback is concrete, specific, and very high-quality. The Literature component is focusing on higher-order skills and really pushing the kids’ reading up to the next level. Cindy uses their time very wisely: she’s friendly and pleasant, but not a minute of class time is wasted. The workload outside of class seems very appropriate and the story and book selections, so far, have been winners.

 

Bottom line: worth every penny.

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I mentioned my DD's 3 other online classes in my post above. They are: Life Science, Latin 1 and Algebra 1, all at WHA. So far, so good in each class. Mr. Reini is very fun, organized, and engaging. She loves the life science class (fav topic) with a very kind, passionate teacher. Latin 1 is a tad bit intimidating, but the teacher seems to be supportive and very knowledgeable. I trust that DD will find her footing and enjoy it. More specifics later, but three thumbs up for our WHA courses at this point.

Quoting myself seems a tad silly, but it’s efficient. The three WHA courses mentioned above (Algebra 1, Latin 1, & Life Science) are all very, very good. They’re exactly what I was hoping for in each case. DD is enjoying them and is successfully navigating her first year with primarily outsourced classes. This is definitely the direction we’ll continue in going forward. Four online plus one at-home course (and a few bits and pieces I facilitate at home: AG high school reinforcement weekly, Simple Solutions spiral math review daily, CNN10 current events discussion daily, and Upfront Mag current events discussion monthly) seems to be just about right paired with her 18-20 hours per week of dance. For 8th next year, we could potentially add one more at-home course or another online class, but I’d like to stick with no more than two outside providers. Thanks to the thorough reviews on this board, I’m confident I’ll be able to pick winners!
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My fourth (dd12) is taking Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them from Groovy Kids Online.  We both love it.  I've never had any child do an online class (older two in college now, oldest graduated, married, engineering job - all homeschooled through high school.)  

 

She likes the format and it was easy to figure out - the teacher walks them through it during an orientation before the class started.  I love that the class incorporates writing with science.  She's also doing a co-op class with Pandia Biology 2 (I know, it's weird to be doing the same type of class in person and online) but she's retaining way more of the concepts through the Groovy Kids format.  

 

The Challenge Missions are fun for her and I like that the kids can choose between various options that are geared to different types of learners.  She'll do another next spring, and probably more next year.  I'm just sad they don't offer high school classes!

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My ds is taking his first MP online course (Henle Units 6-14) this year as well.  His class is on Fridays, so jury is still out on how it's going to go, but I will let you know!  FWIW, he has Mrs.Catherine Timmis.

 

Brenda

Since Fourisenough started a trend, I will go ahead and quote myself, too.:)

 

Our MP Latin teacher is TOP NOTCH in her instruction, and my ds both respects her and (shock) actually enjoys the class.  He does his Latin work each week without complaining, which is wonderful.  My only caution is that quizzes are graded as 'all or nothing' with no partial credit given for getting the right vocab. word, but using the wrong ending (for example).  However, two tries are offered for each quiz, with the scores being averaged.  Depending on the dc, they may or may not be motivated to try that second time for the better score.  Each week has two quizzes; one for grammar and another for translation.  If going this route, I highly recommend Mrs. Timmis as she is young, but 'no-nonsense' and efficient with using every single second of that 90 minute class each week!

 

 

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Now on to reviewing our other online classes...

 

My dd is doing 5 classes at WHA this year (all of which I give high marks for):  Geometry with Mrs. Smith; GC 1&4 with Mr. Etter (he's the BEST!); Logic 2 with Mr. Vierra (very personable while still pushing students on to excel); Physics 1 Honors with Mrs. Jester, and Latin 2 with Mrs. Hensley.

 

Since I just reviewed a bit with Mrs. Timmis in MP, I will take a moment to compare with WHA Latin 2.  For me personally, I am learning more with Mrs. Timmis.  This is probably because I have used Henle for 3 years now with Classical Conversations, and I am psyched to actually finish the book this year!  I enjoy Henle as there is no excuse not to know every single word that you are translating as you move along in the book, since it is tailored so well that way.  However, Henle's layout of grammar leaves something to be desired, but Memoria Press is known for their excellent approach to grammar as laid out in their Form Series, so I give MP 4.5 stars for their latin instruction, compared with the little I have experienced with Classical Academic Press and their Latin Alive Book Series.

 

However, Mrs. Hensley is a wonderfully engaging instructor and I think she does a more thorough job of making sure all students are tracking with her in class.  But the goal here seems a bit different.  The Latin Alive Series that WHA uses gives you way more material in a lesson than you can actually even begin to hope to master; instead, exposure to Roman culture, mythology, Latin derivatives, etc. is heavily included.  If your goal is to do well in the National Latin Exam, it seems to me that WHA for Latin is a good place to come.

 

Whereas MP takes an 'all or nothing' approach in correcting quizzes (all grading is computer-driven); WHA specializes in giving partial credit, and grading is split between computer and done by hand.  Additionally, there appears to be more tracking of student's work and abilities in WHA, since all homework is turned in each week for WHA, but parents are advised to do homework 'spot checks' to see that Latin is being completed each week for MP. Of course, WHA has two 90 minute segments to class each week, but MP has only one.

 

Besides Mrs. Hensley, we have also had Mrs. Salmon fill in a couple of times in WHA Latin, and she strikes me as a TOP NOTCH instructor, as well. 

 

Let's see...on to other subjects besides Latin...Well, first of all, I have to admit that I am 'nuts' about Latin and have viewed and done homework for every single one of the above classes my two dc have taken via MP and WHA this year, so the rest of my 'reviews' will be much shorter. :lol:

 

If anyone would like to know more about WHA generally, they just had an Open House last evening which should be archived and available for viewing.  In it, they listed WHA distinctives and also mentioned that they are growing so much that they are on the look out for new teachers!  I guess they may have upwards of 1000 students this year!  Also, they are fast-tracking toward accreditation.

 

Although we felt a bit overwhelmed at first, we are now comfortably into a routine.  Geometry tests and units are generally completed every two weeks, with tests given on a Friday.  Classes at WHA are M-Th with Friday a great day for getting quizzes and tests proctored and completed.  Physics I (honors) has been a great class.  They have weekly quizzes that are 40% of your grade, with students being expected to know all the material from beginning of text (so cumulative) as you go along.  Only one lab so far was entirely done at home, with a very formal and long lab report.  Other labs were done in class, with one of them requiring data and graphs done by students at home as a 'partial' lab report.  There is a big homework project that students are encouraged to complete over the next couple of weeks.  The instructor is excellent and we really like the Novare textbook with John Mays.

 

If anyone ever gets a chance to take a class with Mr. Etter, they will not be disappointed.  I saw one 'episode' where he had breaking news reports with helicopter sightings of Odysseus and his travels, and it was hilarious (just saying!).

 

Probably the hardest class this year is Logic 2, but that is probably due in part to the fact that we did not take Logic 1 with WHA, so my dd had no exposure the the Kreeft author before now.  However, she did take Logic 1 via Classical Conversations and both use the Nance textbooks, so it has worked out fine for us to 'transfer in' for this course.  Watch the Open House to see Mr. Vierra explain the vision and goals for this course and others at WHA.

 

 

 

 

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Okay, now on to HSLDA online classes for:  Precalculus with Mrs. Shimada (a more gracious and wonderful math teacher, I do not know), AP English Language and Composition with Mrs. Barbosa (simply the most inspirational English teacher my ds has ever had; her guiding comments on his writing have truly propelled him to excel more and more), and AP U.S. History with Mrs. Tyrrell (negative review thus far, but this may simply be due to a personality mismatch between student and instructor...I am not sure).

 

Mrs. Shimada is the master teacher for Precalculus and I cannot recommend her more highly.  She works with each student in such a way that they know she is rooting for them to do their very best.  She makes herself available for extra help sessions very often, she gives detailed emails with added videos to view that may help explain this or that concept, she states incredibly clearly what needs to be done to get the best score, and she does not give grades solely based on tests and just a few quizzes.  She looks over every single homework assignment and has established a way to see that students have indeed self-checked and corrected their own assignments each week, with them highlighting any problems that they still did not understand.  And she has the students break out to do group work each week as part of their in-class time, which my ds really enjoys since he is a natural leader.  I love how he is continuing to develop this skill while he is taking math!

 

Mrs. Barbosa is the head instructor for AP English Language and Composition, and I love her, too.  Most importantly, my ds loves her and strives to do his very best work for her.  She does not only focus on technical grammar errors, but she is delighted when she sees students using words, rhetorical devices, and summary skills to cleverly compose their paragraphs and essays.  She seems to be able to zero in very quickly on the student's capabilities and is simply the best writing coach I have ever seen!

 

Lastly, the APUSH instructor has been a terrible fit from the start when she was expecting her first baby at any moment and my ds was not interested in any personal details whatsoever.  So this is a big caveat to mention before we start any kind of review.  I am sure others would have been enthralled to be a part of this important event, just saying.  Life experiences happen, and there is a lot to be learned from having instructors on both sides of the personality aisle. It also did not help that my ds had another teacher for two weeks when the delivery happened, and he MUCH preferred the class debates and teaching style of the other instructor.  Sigh...  As to the course content itself, we were disappointed to learn that the video lectures that my ds experienced during each week last year in AP World History, were not available this year for U.S. History.  Instead, they were PUBLISHED lectures which required more heavy reading each week.  This was a tough sale to a student who has a natural 'audio' bent.  However, if your student is a visual learner, this would probably be a 'plus'.  Another change is that the Unit Exams this year are now mostly multiple choice with a smaller section of essay questions.  Instead, though, they have students write several essays throughout the year as a separate assignment.  Despite all the negatives, I still believe my dc is learning way more than he realizes, and is doing a lot of rigorous textbook reading and academic work that will indeed prepare him for college life and academics in the years to come.

 

 

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Now on to reviewing our other online classes...

 

My dd is doing 5 classes at WHA this year (all of which I give high marks for):  Geometry with Mrs. Smith; GC 1&4 with Mr. Etter (he's the BEST!); Logic 2 with Mr. Vierra (very personable while still pushing students on to excel); Physics 1 Honors with Mrs. Jester, and Latin 2 with Mrs. Hensley.

 

Since I just reviewed a bit with Mrs. Timmis in MP, I will take a moment to compare with WHA Latin 2.  For me personally, I am learning more with Mrs. Timmis.  This is probably because I have used Henle for 3 years now with Classical Conversations, and I am psyched to actually finish the book this year!  I enjoy Henle as there is no excuse not to know every single word that you are translating as you move along in the book, since it is tailored so well that way.  However, Henle's layout of grammar leaves something to be desired, but Memoria Press is known for their excellent approach to grammar as laid out in their Form Series, so I give MP 4.5 stars for their latin instruction, compared with the little I have experienced with Classical Academic Press and their Latin Alive Book Series.

 

However, Mrs. Hensley is a wonderfully engaging instructor and I think she does a more thorough job of making sure all students are tracking with her in class.  But the goal here seems a bit different.  The Latin Alive Series that WHA uses gives you way more material in a lesson than you can actually even begin to hope to master; instead, exposure to Roman culture, mythology, Latin derivatives, etc. is heavily included.  If your goal is to do well in the National Latin Exam, it seems to me that WHA for Latin is a good place to come.

 

Whereas MP takes an 'all or nothing' approach in correcting quizzes (all grading is computer-driven); WHA specializes in giving partial credit, and grading is split between computer and done by hand.  Additionally, there appears to be more tracking of student's work and abilities in WHA, since all homework is turned in each week for WHA, but parents are advised to do homework 'spot checks' to see that Latin is being completed each week for MP. Of course, WHA has two 90 minute segments to class each week, but MP has only one.

 

Besides Mrs. Hensley, we have also had Mrs. Salmon fill in a couple of times in WHA Latin, and she strikes me as a TOP NOTCH instructor, as well. 

 

Let's see...on to other subjects besides Latin...Well, first of all, I have to admit that I am 'nuts' about Latin and have viewed and done homework for every single one of the above classes my two dc have taken via MP and WHA this year, so the rest of my 'reviews' will be much shorter. :lol:

 

If anyone would like to know more about WHA generally, they just had an Open House last evening which should be archived and available for viewing.  In it, they listed WHA distinctives and also mentioned that they are growing so much that they are on the look out for new teachers!  I guess they may have upwards of 1000 students this year!  Also, they are fast-tracking toward accreditation.

 

Although we felt a bit overwhelmed at first, we are now comfortably into a routine.  Geometry tests and units are generally completed every two weeks, with tests given on a Friday.  Classes at WHA are M-Th with Friday a great day for getting quizzes and tests proctored and completed.  Physics I (honors) has been a great class.  They have weekly quizzes that are 40% of your grade, with students being expected to know all the material from beginning of text (so cumulative) as you go along.  Only one lab so far was entirely done at home, with a very formal and long lab report.  Other labs were done in class, with one of them requiring data and graphs done by students at home as a 'partial' lab report.  There is a big homework project that students are encouraged to complete over the next couple of weeks.  The instructor is excellent and we really like the Novare textbook with John Mays.

 

If anyone ever gets a chance to take a class with Mr. Etter, they will not be disappointed.  I saw one 'episode' where he had breaking news reports with helicopter sightings of Odysseus and his travels, and it was hilarious (just saying!).

 

Probably the hardest class this year is Logic 2, but that is probably due in part to the fact that we did not take Logic 1 with WHA, so my dd had no exposure the the Kreeft author before now.  However, she did take Logic 1 via Classical Conversations and both use the Nance textbooks, so it has worked out fine for us to 'transfer in' for this course.  Watch the Open House to see Mr. Vierra explain the vision and goals for this course and others at WHA.

 

I remember that class from when my dd had Mr. Etter for GC 1.  It was so much fun that some of my younger kids wanted to watch the archive!

 

My dd took Logic 1 with WHA and they also use the Nance textbooks so your child should be in the same boat as the WHA kids.  Kreeft is a big step up; Logic 1 was easy in comparison to Kreeft.  I'm pretty sure that Kreeft textbook is what Patrick Henry College uses for their logic gen ed!  I have a 7th grader taking Logic 1 this year and I'm considering giving him a year "off" before taking Logic 2 after seeing the class.

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This school year is disappearing here!  We are in the middle of a move across country and WHA classes are keeping two of my kids on track in the midst of chaos.  Here goes:

 

GC 3 at WHA: This class has been a lot of fun for my daughter.  She tries to persuade everyone she knows irl to take a Mr. Etter class.  She is definitely challenged to think through issues and develop an opinion, and not just memorize lots of history facts.  

 

Logic 2 at WHA: This class continues to be stretching and dd is loving it!

 

Geometry at WHA: We are still really happy with this class and Mrs. Smith's ability to guide students through Jurgensen. 

 

Logic 4 at Schole: Incredible, but sadly this is the last year for this teacher, so I don't know what next year will be like.

 

Latin 2 with Mrs. Coll at WHA: My son is enjoying this class.  Mrs. Coll is so nice and understanding! 

 

Logic 1 at WHA: This has been an easier, but fun class for my son.  (I don't think it is easier for everyone, but ds is mathy.) They use the Nance text and he enjoys Mr. Martin's teaching style.

 

GC 1 at WHA: Mrs. Bailey has a very warm teaching style and seems to care that her students are successful as they read hard texts. 

 

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I will continue the trend & quote myself:

First, the "good":  

DD#3 is taking Coram Deo's Introduction to Essay Writing. It is a small class (only four kids or so). DD is the youngest in the class - which makes sense since it is geared toward 11 & ups. So far, she has loved it. It is gentle and they're concentrating on reading & thinking in a very soft introduction into the "Lost Tools of Writing" type of class. I think it'll be perfect for her and so far, she agrees.

 

Now, the "bad":

She's also taking Memoria Press's First Form Latin. [And not clicking with the teacher]

 

Coram Deo's Intro to Essay Writing has continued to be a success. While they are actually doing some writing now and that doesn't thrill DD#3, it is such a very gentle class with very little in terms of time & writing expectations. If I were looking for a more rigorous class, I would probably be disappointed. As I was looking for gentle, fun, and a good match in terms of teacher-pupil, this class continues to be on the good list.

 

So, DD#3 was able to switch to a different teacher for First Form. She doesn't hate the class, but she's not in love with it. [she hasn't had any problems with the quizzes/tests. The format for hers seems to be a bit different than how Omma described her ds's class. You put your answer for each question in & hit a button to check it. If it isn't correct, it gives you more tries to get it right while just taking partial points off your score. Or, you can choose to leave it wrong & miss the whole question.] The new teacher is fine, but she hasn't developed a rapport with any of the other kids in class (which was also the case with DD#1 when she took an MP class) and continues to dislike Latin. We may just be the types who don't care for MP's online Latin classes. Other providers seem to provide more opportunities & avenues for the kids to get to know each other (email messages, discussion or chat forums, etc.). My dd#1 & dd#3 like that. We haven't tried any of MP's other classes and probably won't.

 

Adding Athena Academy's Herpetology class taught by dmmetler's daughter to our "good" list. The Reptile Overlord is a great teacher & has some really fun activities set up for the kids in the class. The discussion board provides oodles of opportunities for interaction & DD loves snakes. So, it is a big win.

 

On the high school front:

Eldest dd is taking Pre-Calc @ WHA with Mrs. Smith. [it is the only section of Pre-Calc that isn't taught by Mrs. Stublen.] There are only four kids total in the whole class and one of those has a scheduling conflict so she's never there live. It is like having private tutoring. DD#1 adores the teacher & really clicks with the other two live students. She wanted me to teach her Pre-Calc this year & I was planning on it up to right before school started this fall. She admits that she's very glad I signed her up for the class -- it is her favorite this year.

 

She's also taking German 1 @ CLRC. That is going well, I think. I'm really not involved much. It has taking some getting used to CLRC's system & how the teacher assigns things. There have been some times this year that I've really wondered how this class would end up, but it has worked so far. I'm glad she hasn't needed much help since I really can't help at all with German!

 

She's taking Spanish 4 @ WHA. I will say that so far, I'm disappointed with the class. The teacher never discusses the homework assignments in class. Sometimes the assignments are confusing, so I wish she'd take a few minutes to talk about them. The only feedback she gets are the little grammar notes on the documents or messages in Canvas associated with the assignment grades. She really loved her Spanish 1-3 teacher, but she's just not clicking with this one right now.

 

She's got two classes @ OnlineG3 this semester - Shakespeare & Intro to Linguistics. Neither one is a super huge hit or a bomb. Same teacher for both. The kids in the class are all very enthusiastic.

 

Lastly, she's taking Lukeion's new Composition & Research Writing. It is a one semester class & it is challenging for a writing-phobic kid. They've churned out a boatload of papers. On the negative side, the grading takes awhile & the feedback is limited on both the rough drafts & final drafts. Class time is spent in a lecture format with very little interaction (except the chat box) between kids. I'll wait until after the class is over to give a final verdict, but I will say that I'm glad she's taking it. I was originally planning on having her take more writing in the spring (another online class), but I've decided she can be done for the year.

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RootAnn, that description of Pre-Calc sounds amazing!  That is basically how Schole's Latin 4 is run as well.  There are only 3 kids enrolled and one never comes on Thursdays so there are only two or three kids in the class each session.  The tutorial environment is so time efficient with lots of sight translating and on the spot corrections like, "I noticed you missed that grammatical construction twice just now.  Be looking out for this. . ."  My dd doesn't have a lot of homework for the class, but is still learning a lot and just as important, loving Latin.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I wanted to add a review of AOPS online classes because they've been generally negatively reviewed here.

 

My kiddo (ds12) is taking Counting and Probability and he LOVES it. He enjoys the structure of the homework throughout the week and finds it very motivating. He likes that the class is at night instead of during the morning. He likes the delay between when kids submit answers and they are displayed on the screen. Often after the class is over, he'll spend and hour or so working on problems that he finds interesting. He is working about a week ahead because he is so motivated. I think the lack of speaking really helps him focus and he likes that he can scroll back if he wants to see something again.

 

I enrolled him in the class because he was generally grinding his gears with AOPS and just felt like there was no such thing as success. The class gives him very clearly defined goals and success that have really given his interactions with me on math vibrancy again. I had written off the classes because of the bad reviews here; I wish I'd found them earlier.

 

They will give a full refund before the third class, so if you think they would work for your kid, you can give it a try without loss of money.

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I'm going to plug AP Psychology from PA homeschoolers. Of course with the AP classes, one can theoretically merrily chug along in the class and do well only to bomb the exam, but as far as the class itself: it's well organized, well run, just the right amount of contact/interaction, DS is engaged and interested which translates into zero involvement from me. I'm thinking it has merit despite whatever AP test score he manages.

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