Last Semester- Possibly Calculus? Transcript ?s

[BusyMom5]

DD1 is a Senior and Covid has wrecked her plans for Senior year.  Last year she got to take classes on campus at the local CC and she loved it and planned to take all on campus this year... then when everything hit, we eventually ended up with 1 class in person, 3 online for fall.  The in person class was with her favorite teacher, but it's still been a mess- no fault of the teacher- just general craziness.  DD is just frustrated bc being in class hasn't been fun at all- they are masked and spread all out, she goes into class, takes her seat, listens, then leaves.  The class has gone from 30 to about 15- of which there are often less than 10 present at any given class- and more are being 'work days' where they check in online, then fill out a report of what they worked on- she won't be going in those days from now on- yesterday only 2 kids showed up (and the teacher).  She feels isolated and says college isn't any fun at all- and she's wasting her classes by taking them now.  Her online classes are acceptable, but not the same as in person.  To make this even worse, the college has decided to have 8 week blocks for Spring, and almost everything is online and no labs.  At first, she picked out her 4 classes- 2 per block- but it's October and she's over the online classes.  If her purpose of taking a class is to enjoy it, this is killing the joy!  Discussion boards are not the same as a real discussion!  ANd it isn't like she's behind, she can easily do no classes this spring and wait until next fall (hopefully!!!!).  SHe's been accepted several places, and has good merit aid, but I do have to submit final grades and feel this semester needs some classes!  Plus she needs something to do.  This brings me to my questions.  

 

She's ready for Calculus- has taken College Algebra (Lials), and is currently in Business Statistics (still math, but much easier!), and had planned to take Calculus 2nd semester.  I even bought the book!  Now they are doing it in person 3 hours a day, 3 days a week or online for 8 weeks- I think that's NUTS!!!  So- my choices (found in the big link on the main board- free)- 

MIT Open Courseware- How do I grade this?

Khan- again, how do I figure a grade?

Stewarts Calculus book I bought for the college class- coveres AB and BC- how do I grade this?  

I am SOOOO beyond my abilities!  I think she knows most of Calc AB just from other stuff she's done.  I think she still plans to take Calc 1 at college, so this would be just a way to get ahead.  Or she could possibly CLEP out?  She may want to do something in a math-related field, so I was trying to make sure she was in a real class with a real teacher!   I am open to other options, but would prefer to only pay if it's something that will count towards college credit.  I am mostly concerned with making a plan and figuring grades.  I have always used textbooks with pre-made tests and answer keys.  

 

And what else should we do?  There are 2 online classes that run March-May that she thinks will be okay online- Microeconomics and Accounting 2- she's currently in these classes this semester and these sort of just continue, so she says they will be easy and kinda fun.  Here are her credits this year- all college classes:

English 2 

Statistics

Macroeconomics

Accounting 1

(so we could potentially add Microecomics, Accounting 2 and Calculus). 

 

She is very upset to not have a science b/c its' her favorite subject, but we planned college classes, then decided against due to Covid and labs- she says it was a good call.  She doesn't want to waste her college science classes by having sub-par courses in Covid Craziness (already did when Chemistry was put online last March- it was a HOT MESS).  I made a list of classes she can do at home with me (b/c I really have all this time- I have 4 other kids to homeschool and a preschooler!), but I don't know if I want to do that or not- they are as follows:

Calling Bull$h!t- lectures and assignments from their website, and possibly the Argument Builder book by CAP

Foods- B/c she could use more on this

Stocks- b/c shes interested, but again I don't have a real resource to 'grade'- we would probably use the videos from TD Ameritrade that my DH has access to.

Mental Health- b/c we all know this is super-important right noW!  I was thinking jsut a booklist and conversation, journal, maybe making posters of warning signs and making sure she knows how and when to get help (for her or a friend).

 

And my dream would be if she could work in her field as a secretary or something, but that is very doubtful!

 

Do you have any advice for me?  Especially about the Calculus or about what this semester's transcript will look like?  I do not want to to seem like she just slacked off her Sr year.

[MamaSprout]

Derek Owens Calc AB? It's scheduled for a year, but since Calc BC students cover the same material in a semester, she probably could too. The self-grading includes and solution key and is half price. This way she wouldn't need to wait for papers to be graded/ come back. 

 

Thinkwell has a Calculus CLEP prep- homeschool buyers co-op sometimes has Thinkwell on sale: https://www.thinkwellhomeschool.com/collections/ap-courses/products/calculus-clep

Engineering programs don't accept CLEP credits, but many others do.

 

 

[EKS]

I would not do MIT Opencourseware calculus.  It assumes that everyone has already had calculus in high school.  It says it doesn't, but don't believe it!

I highly recommend Derek Owens.

Edited October 28, 2020 by EKS

[BusyMom5]

2 hours ago, EKS said:

I would not do MIT Opencourseware calculus.  It assumes that everyone has already had calculus in high school.  It says it doesn't, but don't believe it!

I highly recommend Derek Owens.

Thank you!  I will take it off the list- and im open to other options that are reasonably priced.