How's the school year going for everyone?

[Runningmom80]

We are still on a slow start. DH is traveling a lot this month so I haven't had a lot of time to really get things going aside from keeping everyone fed and being a taxi. 

I am feeling like I want to try either BYL or Torchlight with my youngers. I'm working part time, we just moved, I have lots more excuses but I'll spare you, but I am feeling like I don't want so much busy work for myself planning. I think my kids would do well to get school done and then have time to be creative/ get into kid trouble on their own. 

 

Anyone switching things up yet? What's working well and what have you scrapped/switched/tweaked beyond recognition?  

[HomeAgain]

So far, so good.  The one I was worried about, First Form Latin, ds is doing well with!  I did adjust it some.  I thought 2 pages some days was a lot for an 8yo so he's on a strict 1 page a day.  I don't know if he'll do all the review chapters but if he does then it'll be about a year and a half before he finishes.  If not, then he wants to move on to Second Form next fall.  He's also really liking L'Art de lire.
Since this year is so vastly different than previous years (he requested things that require more writing and work this year) I instituted weekly tea time.  We read poetry, listen to music, and talk about the good and the bad of the week.  Last week we missed it due to having a family day and he was a bit upset.  So, today we pulled out the kettle and made cookies. ?  The one thing I did not expect and I probably should have was how he took the reins.  Today I went to take a shower and came back down to find he had completed a page of translations, done history, and was doing a bit of reading.  I think he likes doing programs he picked out and are written to be done independently.  There's not much in lower elementary that is independent except practice work.

[Runningmom80]

We love poetry tea time here too. It's such a nice reset for the week. 

[Jackie]

So far, so good. We’re getting less done than we usually do, and I have to remind myself that’s because we’re full up on other things. DD is wrapping up the first chapter of Intro to Algebra, is on her second book for her Literature class, and we’re still going on our cultural geography. The Algebra is taking more time than we hoped, which means less time for other math, but she really wants to try for Epsilon Camp next summer, so she’s forging ahead. She’s been working her way through Harry Potter in French, which is excruciatingly slow going, but she’s managing, which I honestly didn’t expect at the level she’s at. We’ve had our first couple Destination Imagination meetings of the season. I’m sneaking in extra fine motor work with some artsy projects and bribing her with a big Harry Potter Lego set. Plus she’s doing two full days at an enrichment center, including staying after to learnsome robotics. She’s super busy this year!

[purpleowl]

Some scheduling changes have proven to be a really good thing for all of us, and things are going smoothly. Most of our academic stuff is the next level of whatever we were doing before. The only major difference is that I designed our science for this year. I feel like it's working well, except when I forget to get supplies for demonstrations--which would happen no matter what curriculum we were using. ? 

DS is attending a pre-K in the mornings, and in the afternoon he wants to "do school" with me, so we do. His reading skills have really taken off lately. I love when a child starts realizing he can read practically ANYTHING - books, signs, cereal boxes, anything with words. It's just such a delightful stage. ❤️ 

 

[Runningmom80]

9 hours ago, purpleowl said:

Some scheduling changes have proven to be a really good thing for all of us, and things are going smoothly. Most of our academic stuff is the next level of whatever we were doing before. The only major difference is that I designed our science for this year. I feel like it's working well, except when I forget to get supplies for demonstrations--which would happen no matter what curriculum we were using. ? 

DS is attending a pre-K in the mornings, and in the afternoon he wants to "do school" with me, so we do. His reading skills have really taken off lately. I love when a child starts realizing he can read practically ANYTHING - books, signs, cereal boxes, anything with words. It's just such a delightful stage. ❤️ 

 

 

I love that stage too! Watching them crack the code and then realizing they can use It all the time is kind of magical. ?

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Things are going really well, so I'm whispering so I don't jinx it.

[SeaConquest]

Our year has had a shaky start. First, Sacha's CLRC Ancient History course was cancelled due to low enrollment, then we ditched AIM Academy Biology because it had too much busywork for my taste. Then, this past week, I made the command decision to drop CTY Algebra because the amount of work Sacha was doing between his two math classes (CTY and AoPS) was just too much. He could have kept on keeping on with both classes, because he is my compliant child, but he is 9, and, frankly, I would rather he spend his time just being a kid.

Now that we've dropped some online classes, our days are going well, and I feel like the workload for Sacha is developmentally more appropriate (he still has Lit and Latin with CLRC, as well as another Lit class with OG3). He is really soaking up our Great Courses Plus subscription, listening voraciously to Microbiology, Genetics, and Ancient History. So, I think that is a win.

Ronen is still adjusting to our homeschool. The homeschool aspect of us learning together has gone surprisingly smoothly. It's the outside classes that are proving difficult for him. He is spending 2 days/week at our charter school (9-230) and has PE classes 2 days/week. These are where the problems have been, but I think it is just going to take him some time to adjust to our new normal.

Edited September 19, 2018 by SeaConquest

[MamaSprout]

On 9/16/2018 at 3:15 PM, Runningmom80 said:

We are still on a slow start. DH is traveling a lot this month so I haven't had a lot of time to really get things going aside from keeping everyone fed and being a taxi. 

I am feeling like I want to try either BYL or Torchlight with my youngers. I'm working part time, we just moved, I have lots more excuses but I'll spare you, but I am feeling like I don't want so much busy work for myself planning. I think my kids would do well to get school done and then have time to be creative/ get into kid trouble on their own. 

 

Anyone switching things up yet? What's working well and what have you scrapped/switched/tweaked beyond recognition?  

Not switching anything here. Avoided live classes and focused on things that could be largely self-directed.  We've already had plenty of travel and interruptions, and everything is rolling along so far.

For your youngers, instead of an all-in-one, maybe choose a "do the next thing curriculum" for core skills and a book list for everything else? Audio books count. We've done that when life was in the way and dd was too young to be self-sufficient.  You could do something like Hake Grammar or Logic of English with your current math, and whatever else gets done is a bonus until you have time to add more back in. Good luck!

[Sarah0000]

We've started well enough. DS is happy enough but I'm still trying to figure out writing. Not specific curricula but the whole subject. It doesn't help that our public charter is requiring a writing assessment in the first month of first grade where DS needs to write an informative piece with two facts, and introduction and conclusion sentences based on two reading passages. I must have looked funny with my eyes popped out of my head when the supervising teacher told me that. We got through it, but now I'm looking into adding in a common core writing assignment once or twice a month along with our normal stuff. 

[4KookieKids]

Ours has been completely derailed be the 2E side of things. So some things came up that needed addressing, but addressing them is so exhausting to the kiddos that there is little energy left for other stuff. So we’re mostly chilling and continuing to practice instruments, and I’m having to remind myself daily that it’s just a season. We’re hoping the season is over by the holidays, but in the meantime, I just console myself that we’re listening to tons of great audiobooks... lol. In the last few months, we’ve heard Tales from Shakespeare, James and the giant peach, Narnia, and the entire chitty chitty bang bang series, not to mention tons of silly books like Ivy and Bean and Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter. Next up are more Dahl and the little house books. 

[slackermom]

My dc14 has been at the visual and performing arts public high school for 2 weeks now. I have been holding my breath to see if this school works out for my child, since we agreed that the alternative is to home school, rather than go to one of the other high schools. It is mostly going well.

There was some drama last week because of a misunderstanding over which math class dc should be in, but i think that is getting resolved. Dc was able to take a placement test on Thursday, and is supposed to get assigned to a new class by Tuesday at the latest, so fingers crossed there. Dc came out of the testing saying: "my back is sore, but my brain feels good."

The person who handles 504 plans reached out to me last week to set up a meeting in a couple of weeks, and originally said the school did not have a copy of the plan, though they tracked it down later that day after I told them when and to whom it was sent, but in any case, the teachers are not yet aware of the accommodations, so I am amazed my kid is doing as well as they have been.

The school system has fully launched its program allowing students and parents to monitor assignments, grades, attendance, etc. online. I appreciate that I can keep track of these things. I still consider myself most responsible for my dc's education, second only to dc's own responsibility.

 

[HomeAgain]

This is now our fourth week in and we're making a major change.  DS wants to abandon his math program after this level.  I have to say, I've not been too impressed with the last several lessons myself, expecting a lot more calculator work for basic operations.  Then it skips a bit in the explanations/what it expects them to see.  I hoped it would get better but I won't press him with the next level.
We're going back to a simplified manipulative system.  He had his choice of several and he's at the point where he's finally accepting and liking the MUS dvds, but likes the c-rods better for math work.  I'm going to break down and buy the set of Gattegno books since he had fun with book 1 over the summer.  That way, we can condense and expand them as needed.

[Condessa]

We're just starting our third week, and so far, things are going really well.  Like, almost eerily well.

My oldest is in fourth and we've been homeschooling since the beginning, so maybe I'm just finally hitting my stride with all this?  Even the co-op music class I was feeling so stressed about is coming together nicely, and I'm getting parents and grandparents coming to say how amazed they are at the progress the kids are making already.

Maybe this year will be a little breather for me before next year hitting pre-algebra with oldest and adding a fourth (2E) student.?

Edited September 25, 2018 by Michelle Conde

[Donna]

Our school year started when dd's DE classes began mid-August.

At first dd was very stressed because the platform her online courses are on is a bit difficult to use. Each instructor uses it differently and dd was having a hard time figuring out where to find everything due to multiple files and folders in each course. The material was fine but she was stressed she was going to miss an assignment she needed to turn in. She's got the hang of it now and it's going well. We've been on the road more than home so far this fall but she is managing everything, enjoying her classes, and having a grand time with all her travel experiences. She's even had a chance to get ahead a bit because the college has been closed for a few weeks due to the hurricane (which caused a lot of flooding and damage in our town) and will not open again until Sept. 30th but since her courses are online, she can continue to work in most of them though due dates will be pushed back.

[EKS]

You'd think after 15 years of homeschooling that I would at least be able to get through September without changing things up.  Apparently not.  In fact, it seems as though the more experienced I get, the less patience I have with things that aren't working.  As of this week I have changed every single course significantly.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

We started in June, so we’re a bit further along than many. We had lots of awesome hands-on activities early on, which have tapered off a bit as life has gotten busier... extra-curriculars started back up, new neighbors arrived from overseas, there was a typhoon... but we are still making good progress & DS is enjoying school.

Scheduling our year in 4wk units has been splendid! Right about the time I start feeling run down it’s time for a break. 

As for curricula, most things have gone as planned: DS absolutely adores MCT Island, Singapore continues to be a good fit with the Intensive Practice books, Words Their Way is as “short & sweet” as I’d hoped, History Odyssey is just enough of a framework for my energies to be spent on adding in fun stuff. My hodge-podge life science is going alright, though I still wish I’d found something already put together that I was happy with. We’ve dropped most of TorchLight. The history supplements are great, but the literature was a poor fit. I’m gathering read-alouds on my own now & he’s enjoyed those far more.

All in all, it’s been a good start. We have NaNoWriMo coming up (always nice to have something special to look forward to) & are chugging right along everywhere else.

[SanDiegoMom]

Things are chugging along here.  DS has four online classes which he is enjoying -- handling the workload and EF is the key this year as multiple outside deadlines are new to us. But we are reaching a good rhythm and he really enjoys the content.  In addition Aops Intermediate Alg seems to be a little easier for him than Geometry was.  He's consistently ahead on the homework rather than behind.  The solutions are being graded a little harder, though, or he just hasn't caught the hang of writing an algebra solution vs a geometry one,  but he's not spending hours on one problem anymore.  He definitely is more of an Algebra kid! He's also enjoying Clover Creek Physics -- he loves how structured and organized it is, and is enjoying the labs (though maybe not the lab reports, lol.) 

My dd is in a Groovy Kid's Online class and is really enjoying it.  It's multidisciplinary and appeals to her creative side. Plus she gets audio feedback on her work and she definitely is basking in the praise:-) Apparently mom doesn't praise enough. They are both taking Shakespeare through Onlineg3 and enjoying that as well. Mom designed history and writing has been taking a beating as we've had so much upheaval sending oldest off to college and going on field trips, but we are getting back in the groove there too. Everything is a hit, but some things are not making it into the docket every day. ?

Oldest is off at college for a second year and is doing much better than last year.  A change in dorm and roommates has made all the difference.  Her roommates invite her places, go to eat with her, and her dorm is much more social than the one she was in last year.  She is much less lonely now.  Big wins. 

[Fawnmoscato]

Things are going well. Math is not as challenging as it should be, and that's a problem I don't really want to deal with. 

Latin is stalled, again because of my own issues with setting it up. 

But everything else is really great. 

 

[Porridge]

Academics are going well. DD has told me multiple times how much she enjoys school and the pace of school this year. DD is largely self-directed this year. I miss the reading together and learning as a family, as I've split the kids into separate books this year (we were previously doing SOTW together). The kids seem to enjoy the books I've chosen, though; and we still have "morning time" sources that we read together. 

I had supplemental / free time reading lists for both kids, but totally put that on the back burner because both have been afflicted by Tolkien fever.

Unfortunately, I feel run down and ragged - and it's only October.

[HomeForNow]

First post.

We had been home schooling, since the public schools are mostly really terrible in our town/city area, but we were hoping to put our 3 kids into B&M schools if some acceptable option would become available. We put them into B&M schools this Fall. Two are still in and one is back home already.

A new public charter opened up that our daughters could go to. It is academically focused, caring, fun, and safe. Just what we wanted (except for the commute), and it will add a grade each year until reaching grade 12, so they can stay in there until grade 12 if it keeps being good and if we stay in the area.

DSgr7 (grade 7) went to the local middle school with a full time gifted program located inside a regular (i.e. bad) school. In addition to bullying and generally unsafe environment, the school was chaotic and disorganized, had poor communication, and stuff didn't work. The better teachers were competent and caring, but the worst teachers really didn't teach at all, they piled on pointless busywork, in impossible quantities, but didn't even communicate what they wanted. One teacher was downright mean about DSgr7's struggles coping with this environment. There were other problems too. (End of rant.) We had to pull him out (and he agreed). It was an eye-opening experience, but we're glad it's behind us.

So DSgr7 is back home, and we need to set up home school again. We were previously a bit unschooly (AoPS was only structured course) but I think now we need to get more structured and prepare for re-entering B&M school in early-mid high school.

I'll start a separate thread for advice. Link: .....................

 

[Dmmetler]

DD is stressed. She ended up moving to a travel cheer team this fall as teams were shuffled due to numbers, which added a lot more time demands and pressure, on top of her school schedule. She also has discovered that if you don't do not officially assigned problem sets in a college math class, test scores suffer (fortunately early enough to recover-and it was a useful wake up call.

She just finished teaching another herpetology semester-the first semester of a new class, so that meant more work as well. I'm hoping that herpetology being early, and that they are now in the "run the routine many, many times" stage as opposed to the "keep changing things until we figure out what works" one will  help finish out this semester strong. Next semester, she should have a lighter schedule (we're planning only 2 college classes, math and English will be at home instead of at the college, and she'll be done with history, which is currently an awesome class-but a time consuming one), which should help compensate for cheer travel really picking up.