Schoolhouse teachers?

[Ausmumof3]

Does anyone use it?  How does it work?  Once you pay the membership what does it give access to?  How good are the courses.

dd is requesting more animal studies for next year.

[cbollin]

I used their materials for a little bit a couple of years ago. Hoping you get more current info.  But let's see what I remember while waiting for current users to chime in after US holiday weekend.   Some of the access is to downloadable planners. I still use those as I kept one as a generic template and then use again.  There is access to World Book online, and some other videos that I don't remember the details about outside of North America access. Some of the courses are along the lines and style of "easy peasy" where it's a little bit to do and read and then maybe a link to another resource that day.  Some of the courses have video component.  Some of the courses have sample lesson if you go to the " about" click point (vs "lesson" click point).  Here is one for the animal science course for 8th-12th with more info and link to a sample https://schoolhouseteachers.com/school-subjects/science/animal-science-class/

and yes, you'll notice in that sample that the link doesn't seem to work.  But in another place with the text of the sample it does.  So maybe it's just a  glitch versus indicative of the course issues with lots of links that working. You can't always get a good feel from week one's intro.  I remember one of the biology courses had a long textbook with it (included as pdf file).

not sure that helps.  but your post looked lonely and my memories have faded from using it a couple of years ago. I let our subscription expire.  I have access to the planners I need.  I have access to Right Now video through church. I have access to world book via library. I wasn't a big fan of the style of lesson plans at this point in my career.  Sometimes the content seemed light (even by my standards).  Then one course (with video) and geared for grade 7 was too much for my children to follow.  It was done by a college prof and I felt like a 7th grader visiting college class without any background for it. (it was earth science course).  So it's a wide variety of instructors and lesson plan makers.  I didn't regret using it, but I'm also not saying oh wow, you should try it.  If they still have the really cheap one month trial, sure, try it out and spend the month really in the lessons. 

If I recall correctly, all courses are self paced with parent grading (eta: in other words, no live teachers). Oh, I remember one thing I liked a lot.  The first 12 lessons of friendly chemistry and the videos were on there. That was a good fit for us when we used it.  I wouldn't call that a semester like schoolhouse teacher did, but that's another issue entirely.  

One of the membership perks is other resources.  nice place for a lot of information. not everyone needs all of that, or has already learned it in other ways (like being on this forum or similar)

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by cbollin

[2_girls_mommy]

I love having it, and won't get rid of it anytime soon. I bought it for cheap access to Mr D's geometry three years ago. It was to the self paced, with no grading, but it was doable for us. That was the only year Mr D's is available on SHT. I've had to pay for direct access to that site after that. That was the point. To get people interested in a good curriculum. So there are some lessons and curriculum like that in the site- ones from real publishers of quality materials that are getting exposure. 

There are more homegrown, mom made lesson plans with links and such that are still good. There are some that are very light imo, but some that are very good. It's so hard to say because there is SO much available. 

That first year I made use of the Mr. D's and the access to World Book online, calendars and other printables, and access to Drive Thru History videos to go with our ancient studies that year. I also looked for easy preschool stuff for co-op. The preschool stuff is not better than other free online sites or Pinterest, but it's easy to find things without paying for TPT and hunting down elusive free printables online.  I appreciated having several things to pull from there. 

The next year we continued with Mr Ds, paying for the actual site. I kept SHT for art. There are a lot of great high school art resources. So we did the World Book, the videos, the printables, preschool, and art. I then began researching to find what I like to see how I could make more use of it for this current year. 

We've found a Biology class with videos and worksheets that you can pair with several different popular homeschool textbooks. It schedules the readings to go with whichever you have. This course is perfect for my audio learning girl. It doesn't schedule labs. I'm handling that. And I added an anatomy coloring book. But for day to day it has daily lesson plans printed up that are easy to follow. I just enhance them and add see me for lab assignment when you get here, or do anatomy coloring bk pg here. I don't have to plan the whole year, and she's not just stuck reading a textbook and answering questions which doesn't work for her. 

My best find this year is a History of Fashion course unit study for her and an Understanding Modern History course for my senior. These courses are both printable . The fashion has two full books to print out. The history has lesson plans to print and amazing assignments and readings of original sources and such by online links. It is perfect for my senior, too much for my sophomore. My sophomore is getting Am history from an old textbook I have, stuff from her fashion unit study, and assignments pulled from the older's lessons, the textbook, the unit study, etc. 

Again I don't have to invent the whole thing. I can adjust it as needed but from a very well done spine for both of those courses. 

The Spanish one is a big thumb down for me. Too light. Too hard to use, things not clearly marked, etc. We've stayed with it this semester. Dd17 is going to take Spanish dual enrollment next semester, and I'll stick it out with sophomore. 

We continue with the Drive Thru History videos and World Book. I'm not using at all for my ker just because I've not needed anything. 

I've pulled holiday lessons and other things here and there for co-op. 

It's a good resource. Some things are amazing. 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by 2_girls_mommy