Mid year check up-- best and worsts of the year!

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by TeacherMom, Feb 19, 2010.

  1. TeacherMom

    TeacherMom New Member

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    This has been a week of retrospect as I am finally starting to be able to keep some semblance of order in my ds' schooling again after a couple of months of grab and do work it seems. He has been doing a great job with what I have been giving him to do each day, but I have not been there to assure that he is getting it.

    SO this year is my worst year for sitting with him and making him do his work... the only class I have had to totally sit on him for is MATH! And that is because he is on the computer and when he does it at home he has internet access so he gets side tracked with email or whatever else he wants to look up.
    At the school while I set up for Drama class he does math with no problems..

    So tis been worst for my attentive teaching, but it has been good in bringing out independance in him. For the most part when I have him stay home and school on days when Dscollege is off of school he does well on his own, completes hte assignments and tells on himself when he snuck in a game or two! This is good becuase he is being accountable to me even when I am "working" at either writing, teaching drama or ladies bible study.
    It also gives him the independent study time he is going to need in a few years here in high school.

    So it has been the best of years in that area his learning to work things out, how to find the answer wiht out mom showing him where to look and how to communicate to me what the problem is.
    We have done some "help me" times over the phone even!
    I even used AIM to teach him one concept as his Aunti is an accountant and we go to her for math help a lot when she has time at work she loves to be able to explain things to him!

    IT has been the worst year for me keeping up on his extra reading along with school work because my library has been short changed for hours that change constantly because of our states politics lately. Furlows and such have messed up our local stuff.
    So now we have a set schedule again for a while til they change it on us, and I missed it yesterday!

    Ds has learned a lot in history and we have discussed it, something that started last year, we sit and discuss what we are reading about indetail, I can also tell him to pick up and read such and such chapters of the text and he happily for the most part will do so and tell me all about the people he is reading about.
    OH! JACKIE Right now we are at the writing of the new testament part, that is how far behind we are, Id tell you the chapter and verse but the one who translated it into english up to Rev. in Swizterland. So I am going to stop this week to help him locate the country and discuss a bit more about that. I have to pick up his assignment book at some point today and plann out next weeks work.
    So in my lack of instrution, I am seeing HIS increase in learning because I am relying on him to do it.He likes this but he would like to have me there too.
    So I told him next year I am not teaching Drama so he can have just me and him home doing school and goign to feild trips and stuff that will be really educational and fun both!

    In all this I would like to know what is your best and worst fo this year, hopefully more organised in thougth than mine lol!
    ( I had to take cough medicine today so I am a bit uh, groggy?)
     
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  3. k2bdeutmeyer

    k2bdeutmeyer New Member

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    Worst - our entire PS experience

    Best - our decision to HS! I simply cannot wait!!!

    Oh, yeah....guess we haven't started yet, so I don't really have a lot to contribute, lol :)
     
  4. momofafew

    momofafew New Member

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    Teachermom....I figured out at some point this year how to set my son's parental controls so that he can only go to the website that his schoolwork is on. Whenever I need, I just switch over to that. Then I switch back when it is ok for him to be on other sites. That might help with that issue for you.
     
  5. momofafew

    momofafew New Member

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    Worst...the time in public school.

    best...returning to homeschooling.

    On the time in public school, it re-opened my eyes, which were starting to get a little rose colored, about how terrible the public schools are. I had started to convince myself that public school could be ok for something. Now I feel much more affirmed in my homeschooling again. Hopefully, I will never get side tracked again.

    Overall, I would not rate this school year high for us. The best best part has been that I finally took the step to completely go over to homeschooling my oldest, my son. I had waivered on that so many years. I finally just told the kids that public schools were not an option. I was not wimpy about it. I finally became so convicted in my decision that nothing could stand in the way. However, on the downside, I am quite negative and "miffed" right now over all the horrible and evil stuff that went on at the public schools.
     
  6. TeacherMom

    TeacherMom New Member

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    I will have dh do that I forget there are such things! I was thinking of removing al such things from the school computer and letting him use only main kids computer for that after we finish refurbishing it, ( old needs clean up and clean out lol)
     
  7. reformedmama

    reformedmama New Member

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    Worst part stressing myself out trying to do "school" at home and in turn stressing the kids and hubby out.

    Best part realizing that "homeschool" can be lots of fun if I let it be everything can be a learning experience!

    Now I stress a little less on the small stuff and spend lots more time working on it when they don't get it (especially math with DD). My sweets are still young that it is less important to expect perfection and to just work on the areas they struggle with:)
     
  8. leissa

    leissa New Member

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    Best: finally finding my groove and realizing that I don't have to just "unschooler" or just "school-at-home" I can be a little of both.

    worst:the time I wasted trying to figure that out!
     
  9. chicamarun

    chicamarun New Member

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    Worst - Seton... just a bad fit all around for us no matter how much I wanted to make it work.

    Best - right now - finding Tapestry of Grace along with CLE.... this week was the SMOOTHEST week of the YEAR!!! I can't believe it to tell you the truth...3 years and we might have JUST figured it out...
     
  10. crazymama

    crazymama Active Member

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    Well for us, the best and the worst are one in the same.. sending Garrett back to PS.

    As far as curriculum.. almost everything I picked this year has been great, and I really wish that behavior wouldn't have become an issue for us because most subjects seemed to be fitting well... Writing Strands, Teaching Textbooks, Easy Grammar and Zaner Bloser spelling. We never found anything to use as a structured science or history so we just bounced around on those.

    For the little ones every day is a good day because they beg to learn and learn so much naturally that I am constantly in awe of how they can learn so much and still ask to learn more.. but then I guess they don't even realize that they are learning anything in the first place ;)

    PS... I still want to bring Garrett back home.. but every time we are near each other we are at each other's throats.. so who knows :( I just wish he didn't push my buttons, and I wish I could control my anger towards his behaviors better.
     
  11. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Best - Watching my kids learn new things especially seeing my youngest son become a proficient reader.

    Worst - Whining, complaining, and fighting ;)
     
  12. ColoradoMom

    ColoradoMom New Member

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    I have to say that Writing Strands saved this year's writing. I still love Jump in Wiriting, maybe he will do better with it next year. We'll see.

    Easy Grammer Plus. I never even broke it out. It is brand new. Now I don't know if I should sell it of keep it. Probably keep it. It does look easy.

    Teaching Textbooks. It works and will buy it again next year.

    All the Simple Schooling stuff of course, because I wrote it just for him. The physics is going well. We are little behind but he really gets into it when do it. Plus all the UNiverse dvd's I bought. We've watched more than half of them I bet and I bought all three seasons. he likes those a lot. Plus he did Space Camp. So this was probably our best science year ever since kindergarten!

    And the Simple Schooling history has just been a non-issue all year. He just does it. In fact, he often chooses to do it first.

    Japanese still works well, although he's grown tired of learning languages. Too bad for him because I bought all 3 levels so he's gonna learn Japanese whether he wants to or not now! Thank you Rosetta Stone.

    Vocabulary was awesome - Working With Words. We used it for grammar too, that's why I never opened the Easy Grammar.

    Abeka Western Hemisphere Geography. It's OK. Nothing spectacular but gets the job done.

    Pretty much though - I made al the right choices this year. After 8 years, I have found my groove!
     
  13. hmsclmommyto2

    hmsclmommyto2 New Member

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    The worst for this year has been the illness and other stuff that has prevented us from doing work on many days. Last year (calendar year, not school year) there were 3 deaths on dh's side of the family. This year started with a death on my side. Last Nov. dd got the flu, ds had a double ear infection, and I got the flu & pneumonia and was in the hospital for a week (after spending a week at home, in bed, with a fever of 105). Between that stuff & the little minor injuries, colds, etc, that make us miss a day here or there, we've missed more days than I'd like.

    The best for this year is most of the curriculum/materials we're using.
    ETC & BTC have been great practice & review for ds.
    Mastering Mathematics is a fantastic program. I wish I had done the mastery approach with dd. Ds is doing great with this program.
    TT is great for dd who HATES Math.
    This year we tried out Power Basics for Science. I've decided I really like it for our High School Sciences. It isn't as intensive as the Christian programs seem to be, but that means I can add to it. We're really into Science & love hands-on work. I can add writing assignments & lots of projects & experiments without having to cut out any of the program. This year (Earth & Space Science) dd has been writing a book for each unit & doing projects. Next year (Biology), we have lots of labwork we plan to do. By the time I'm done adding to it, it's a very intensive program (which meets my high standards & requirements) and is taillored to my dd (which means she learns more & better). Plus, it's Secular, so I don't have to worry about religious content.
    Oxford Latin Course - I finally found a Latin program I really like (and it doesn't cost near as much as Rosetta Stone, which we're using for Spanish). I love Rosetta Stone, too, but I'm not thrilled with the price.
    Then there's all the materials I create, which work great for them (since they were made for them).
    All-in-all, this has been a pretty good year for us.
     
  14. Jo Anna

    Jo Anna Active Member

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    Well mine has been me. I am not on top of it like I should be. Like today school is starting at 1pm.

    Also we had a hit and miss with Horizons math. Started off as a major hit, then when it went bad it went fast and hard.


    The best part has been we have found an LA program we love!!! Finally! McRuffy K (the new SE version) It is working great for both of us. My ds sounds out simple words (this has been happening for a while, but the new program is really helping). I believe by the end of summer I will have a reader!!!!
     
  15. goodnsimple

    goodnsimple New Member

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    best - I don't know...Jazz being willing to work on his own and help his brother.
    Dutch talking me into writing in his monter book (creative writing) in cursive to count as cursive. (I "let" him convince me it should count.)

    Worst - Well nothing too awful, Saxon not really working for Dutch as well as I'd hoped although it may be that I bumped him a grade.
    and for Jazz...we did ok. Science maybe...we bailed on Physics to switch to a unit study but it is review for him with plants so I think I will have to skip the space part of the unit for Jazz and send him back to physics and do the space part with Dutch.

    This might not be all bad as we are having a bit of trouble scheduling so much of thier stuff together...it will probably be better for Dutch if we have some stuff seperate from his brother. I may have been pushing him a bit much and maybe holding Jazz back...so if in this next unit then math and science will be seperate for them. (I have different expectations for thier writing although they tend to write simmilar assignments)

    Still not sure about...the Unit study...I have mentioned that before :)
    so that is the middle between the best and the worst.
     
  16. 2littleboys

    2littleboys Moderator

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    Worst - being thrown head first into the icy waters of homeschooling without a clue how to swim

    Best - swimming pretty well now, and the water's nice and toasty, too!
     
  17. sixcloar

    sixcloar New Member

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    Best- Teaching Textbooks!!
    Worst- Learning Language Arts Through Literature
     
  18. cabsmom40

    cabsmom40 Active Member

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    Best- Teaching Textbooks (although I think it could use some tweaking) and realizing that school doesn't all have to be written work and like public schools.

    Worst- buying curriculum and then buying other curriculum because I can't make up my mind.
     
  19. shelby

    shelby New Member

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    worst--- stressful things getting in the way of my homeschooling time

    best --- reading their writing assignments.... they make me feel that it is all worth it all
     
  20. Andrea

    Andrea New Member

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    This is a neat thread :) !

    Best: Teaching DD how to read

    Worst: Keeping all our homeschool materials organized
     
  21. Lee

    Lee New Member

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    Best - Well just about everything has worked well this year.

    Spelling - Spelling Workout ds, Abeka dd
    History - Simple Schooling ds, Abeka dd
    Language - Abeka ds & dd
    Spanish - Rosetta Stone ds & dd
    Science - Forensic Science (Simple Schooling) & Apologia ds
    Typing - Mavis Beacon ds & dd
    Biology - Abeka dd
    Math - Abeka ds & dd
    Bible - Abeka ds & dd

    Worst - Checking papers. I really don't like checking them.
     

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