planning the rest of high school

[kristin0713]

I need some opinions as I try to sort through ideas for my DD.  She's in 10th grade right now. So far she has:

9th grade: Freshmen lit and comp, Algebra 1, World History & Cultures, Biology w/lab, Guitar & Voice, Freshman Health & Phys Ed 

10th grade: American lit and comp, Geometry, American History, Astronomy w/lab (counting lab because there are a lot of field assignments), German 1, Drama/Theater, Freshmen Health & Wellness / Driver's Ed.

 

This kid doesn't love school. She hates to study and finds science and history boring. She does get pretty good grades. She loves fine arts, reading, and writing. She's a really great writer. She is headed for community college or a local college that she can commute to with a concentration in music. 

Also, I'm outsourcing everything with online classes. 

11th and 12th:

English credits will be no problem.

Algebra 2 next year 

German - I'm looking at CLRC High School Conversational German instead of German 2 along with self-study using Rosetta stone or something. She is enjoying German and wants to keep learning it, but struggles with the grammar and honestly doesn't want to put in the time to study. But maybe she will want to jump back in to German 2 senior year. So I'm thinking that Conversational German will keep her learning enough that she won't forget it all. 

Social Studies - can she take psychology to fit into this category?  What about a class like this - The Science of Happiness and Well-Being 

Science - she hates this most of all and would struggle with traditional physics or chemistry. One option for her is a semester of geology and a semester of meteorology. Can psychology courses fit into science or definitely not? Anything out of the box that can be outsourced?  

Please share thoughts.  Thanks 🙂 

[BusyMom5]

Do you have any Dual Enrollment options near you?  I'd check those out first!

Psychology is a social studies credit, not science.  Kids 1 & 2 have taken it DE from the community college.  

For science I would encourage you both to start exploring degree options and the necessary science credits to get those degrees.  This might help a science reluctant student to push through.   I know mine has finally admitted she will need to know Chemistry,  since its required for the 4 year degree she wants.  She plans to take it DE senior year.  Maybe look at Guest Hollow?  They have some interesting science courses- Chemistry in the Kitchen?  

Every kid is different, so the plan will change accordingly.  My oldest switched to all Dual Enrollment on campus and online her Junior year. My second wasn't ready (or interested), and is taking only 2 DE classes Junior year and I have taught everything else.  If your plan is to outsource, and your kid is ready, then DE makes a lot of sense.  If shes not ready, then find classes that will challenge her z bit more and get her ready.  Also- a lot of changes happen Jr and Sr year.  They grow up a lot and start to think about adult life instead of kid life.  I wouldn't make a lot of plans just yet- explore options.  

[kristin0713]

We are moving from NJ to PA this spring and I’m not sure what the local DE options will be. It’s a great idea, i just need to move first before I can figure that out. Guest Hollow is not for me right now. She’d probably like Chemistry in the Kitchen, but it would require way more of my involvement than I want. She has also really thrived with outside teachers and online class interaction this year. 

[Lilaclady]

She can do geology, environmental science, astronomy, integrated science,

forensic science instead of the regular chemistry and physics. Since she has done 2 with labs, I’ll look at just doing one more and calling it a day. Most schools accept 3 science credits. 

[Farrar]

Psychology is definitely a social studies course, not science. That course you linked is supposed to be good - most people I know like her classes. Agreeing with everyone that you can get creative with science and social studies now. You've checked the two boxes. So she really just needs another credit in each. 

Since you know she's CC bound, you can do whatever. And I would have her dual enroll to cover some things as soon as you figure it out. 

[kristin0713]

3 hours ago, Farrar said:

That course you linked is supposed to be good - most people I know like her classes. Agreeing with everyone that you can get creative with science and social studies now. You've checked the two boxes. So she really just needs another credit in each. 

Awesome - so you think that is ok for social studies, not just as an elective? There’s another half credit class that she has listed, Secrets of Success. I think my DD would enjoy those and they seem very practical. 

21 hours ago, Lilaclady said:

forensic science instead of the regular chemistry and physics. 

The only online forensic science I can find is through The Potter’s School and they list chem as a prerequisite. If anyone knows of another online option, I’d love to hear it. 

[Farrar]

16 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

Awesome - so you think that is ok for social studies, not just as an elective? There’s another half credit class that she has listed, Secrets of Success. I think my DD would enjoy those and they seem very practical. 

The only online forensic science I can find is through The Potter’s School and they list chem as a prerequisite. If anyone knows of another online option, I’d love to hear it. 

I definitely think that's fine for social studies. She did the big two - a world an a US history. She could do government, as that's pretty practical as well. The guy who teaches the Aim course for that is also good - very middle of the road take, not a hard course. But she doesn't have to. If she wants to do some psychology, she should.

As for forensic science, I always recommend the slightly offbeat teacher on Outschool - his name is Thomas something. He teaches a full year forensic science course that even has a lab kit. It's mostly him just lecturing, but kids like him. He's got a lot of knowledge. 

The thing is - she's not headed to a four year college. You should do what you want.

[SoCal_Bear]

I can't tell if you are asking for a math provider suggestion or not. So I'm trying to read between the lines about where she is on math and am guessing you are in a get it done but maybe need a supportive teacher but not a rigorously difficult math course? I'm thinking Jann Perkins would be a good choice for you. 

https://myhomeschoolmathclass.com/meet-the-teacher.html

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by calbear

[kristin0713]

10 hours ago, calbear said:

I can't tell if you are asking for a math provider suggestion or not. So I'm trying to read between the lines about where she is on math and am guessing you are in a get it done but maybe need a supportive teacher but not a rigorously difficult math course? I'm thinking Jann Perkins would be a good choice for you. 

https://myhomeschoolmathclass.com/meet-the-teacher.html

 

 

She’s actually in class with Jann for geometry. She’s doing fine, but I’m thinking of switching her to Mr. D next year because he has three evening online help sessions in addition to class. 

[SoCal_Bear]

59 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

She’s actually in class with Jann for geometry. She’s doing fine, but I’m thinking of switching her to Mr. D next year because he has three evening online help sessions in addition to class. 

Locally, I have IRL friends who have been mightly disappointed with Mr. D for math. I don't know anyone locally unhappy with Jann. They have kids who sound a lot like your dd.

Edited January 21, 2022 by calbear

[kristin0713]

Can Food Science, Health, or Nutrition count as science? Any online recs? 

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

Can Food Science, Health, or Nutrition count as science? Any online recs? 

Those are getting into a pretty big gray area for counting as Science.

Usually those topics count as an Elective for high school graduation requirements. Sometimes those 3 topics are put together, along with topics such as Personal Finance or Home/Auto Maintenance, etc. for a Consumer Science credit.

BUT... it will really depend on HOW the credit is done. Of your 3 subjects, Nutrition is the most likely be able to be done in a more formal science way and count as a Natural Science.

I know you mentioned that a 4-year school is unlikely, but in case it suddenly is... 😉 ... Even though "Science" is in the course title, it doesn't mean it will be accepted by a future university as a "Natural Science". Natural Sciences are what colleges usually are looking for in their admission requirements, so check with the possible future colleges to get a feel for if any of those 3 subjects you mentioned would count towards the (Natural) Science credit requirements...

 

[Farrar]

I like Mr. D's in some ways, but when a kid needs more support, I often suggest Jann's classes actually. Mr. D's has the help sessions, but you have to be pretty self-motivated about everything with Mr. D's.

[NittanyJen]

On 1/19/2022 at 12:23 PM, kristin0713 said:

I need some opinions as I try to sort through ideas for my DD.  She's in 10th grade right now. So far she has:

9th grade: Freshmen lit and comp, Algebra 1, World History & Cultures, Biology w/lab, Guitar & Voice, Freshman Health & Phys Ed 

10th grade: American lit and comp, Geometry, American History, Astronomy w/lab (counting lab because there are a lot of field assignments), German 1, Drama/Theater, Freshmen Health & Wellness / Driver's Ed.

 

This kid doesn't love school. She hates to study and finds science and history boring. She does get pretty good grades. She loves fine arts, reading, and writing. She's a really great writer. She is headed for community college or a local college that she can commute to with a concentration in music. 

Also, I'm outsourcing everything with online classes. 

11th and 12th:

English credits will be no problem.

Algebra 2 next year 

German - I'm looking at CLRC High School Conversational German instead of German 2 along with self-study using Rosetta stone or something. She is enjoying German and wants to keep learning it, but struggles with the grammar and honestly doesn't want to put in the time to study. But maybe she will want to jump back in to German 2 senior year. So I'm thinking that Conversational German will keep her learning enough that she won't forget it all. 

Social Studies - can she take psychology to fit into this category?  What about a class like this - The Science of Happiness and Well-Being 

Science - she hates this most of all and would struggle with traditional physics or chemistry. One option for her is a semester of geology and a semester of meteorology. Can psychology courses fit into science or definitely not? Anything out of the box that can be outsourced?  

Please share thoughts.  Thanks 🙂 

If you decide she needs a 4th year of math, algebra 2, which she’s taking as a junior, meets the prerequisite for AP Statistics.

 

Why stats? Every field you want to go into uses stats any more— both stem kids and liberal arts kids end up needing to take stats, and for kids who don’t need to go farther in math, it’s often a very useful math credit. Stats is also practical in everyday life— in the class I teach, I already have kids coming to the discussion boards and volunteering ways they are noticing stats happening around them, and how they are applying what they have learned to understand the world a little more clearly, from noticing a misleading infographic to hearing another teacher (incorrectly) telling them that because of the law of averages, it’s really weird they have no left-handed kids in their class (and my stats kid quickly calculated how likely it is to have no left-handed students given the class size and supposed prevalence in the population, and noted that it was NOT all that surprising).

 

Why AP Stats? It’s a do-able AP class-which, with a good score, can mean college math credit— but more than that— AP Stats focuses as much on clear communication as it does on the mathematics. Students learn to articulate exactly what it is they are trying to achieve, how they are going to go about it, what conditions they need to check to see that their methods are relevant to the situation, and finally, what their results mean in the context of the situation. It’s a class that does take some time, but it’s a lot of fun, and most students feel afterward that it was worth the effort, because they never have to ask how it’s going to be relevant to them. It’s not a bad option to consider for her senior year.

 

I’ll also be offering History of Science next year through PA Homeschoolers, though the course description hasn’t posted yet; it’s a fantastic option for a challenging non-lab science or elective history course. We’ll be looking at the development of the scientific method and at several strands of specific sciences in some detail, using both a spine (SWB’s History of Western Science) and additional resources (a bounty of primary sources, plus Alvarez’s “T. Rex and the Crater of Doom,” and Shubin’s “Some Assembly Required.”

Sorry about the self-promotion, but I wouldn’t bother teaching these courses next year after my last kid has graduated from homeschooling if I didn’t think they were worthwhile! I could just head out and do more birdwatching instead— but I really do love to teach these two courses, so I’ll just keep on going with them!