Can anyone give me thier opinion on School of Tomorrow PACES? I like how the curriculum is laid out and seems simple to use. :? I am new to homeschooling and need something that works with my family's busy lifestyle and that doesn't require hours of lesson planning. Thanks! Andra
Paces I plan to use them next year with my 7th grader. I have a friend who uses them with her 2nd grader and they seem good. I have seen the 5th grade too.
I'm new here but I when I saw your question, I just thought I'd let you know that I went thru a christian school from 1st thru 12th grade using PACES. My husband also went thru ACE in a school hundreds of miles away using them. They are especially good for self-motivated kids!
I was homeschooled several years and used PACES from 5th to 12th grade. PACES aren't e-school, they are workbooks designed to use independently, with help from a teacher (supervisor), as needed. Each subject is divided into 12 PACES (the pupil completes 12 math PACES per school year, 12 English, etc. Daily goals are set to stay on track and complete all the work. Self-motivated kids can go through their work quickly in subjects they are strong in, but they can slow down for the subjects they find more challenging. It works well for a lot of folks. Academically, it's not as strong a program as others that are out there. I did use their phonics program for K5. It is really great. But I'm using BJU for first grade. Blessings,
When I hear "School of Tomorrow", I think e-school, and that's why I asked. Can you pick which area you do paces with, or do you have to do it across the curriculum?
Jackie, now I'm the one dating myself! School of Tomorrow is a new name ACE started using sometime after I graduated from high school! I don't know, though, there may be something online, too. I'm out of the loop!
Well, I don't want to be down on School of Tomorrow, but unless they've changed the PACES since I was in school, I want something more in depth for my son. The only textbook I had was for English Literature. English also required reading books like Pilgrim's Progress, The Scottish Chiefs, etc. But all the other subjects had no textbooks. Everything was in the text of the PACES. There are 12 thin workbooks for each subject for each grade. The PACES had text, questions to answer, quizes and tests. The final test is kept separately for the teacher to administer. It's pretty bare bones, written for the student to learn independently without a teacher actually teaching the lesson. The teacher is there to answer questions and supervise. (I know the K5 material has a teacher's manual, and the format is different because obviously the student can't read yet, but I don't think the other grades do. It's all self-taught. My experience started in 5th grade, so I can't say for sure what 1st-4th are like.) Frankly, I want to teach ds!!! I don't think the program covers enough material for each grade, at least on the high school level. I only remember having to write one research paper!!! My Mom added to the program to round it out. I think if one is willing to do that, it can work. Programs like A Beka, Bob Jones, Saxon math, Calvert, etc., are much stronger academically, though. Also, a very motivated student can zip through the PACES in no time. An unmotivated learner can either drive his parents crazy or get really behind. It would never work for my audio-kinesthetic son. He's got to move! HTH Blessings,
Kindergarten kit from school of tomorrow Does anyone have or know of any sites that has the kindergarten kit . cheap. I don't mind buying used. amy
school of tomorrow HI, I AM GOING TO BE USING THE PACES IN THE FALL FOR MY DAUGHTER AND SON. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THEM , THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION. WE HAVE USED ALL SORTS OF CURRICULUM BUT WE ARE GOING BACK TO THE PACES. THE PACES PRESENT THE MATERIAL IN A SIMPLER MANNER. KIDS SEEM TO REMEMBER IT BETTER. IT IS A GOOD CURRICULUM AND I PLAN TO STAY WITH IT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE IF YOU'LL LIKE IT IS TO JUST TRY IT. GOOD LUCK! AMY
Thanks, Anne. I heard SOT wasn't such a strong program. I looked at a school for Jeannie that used SOT, and it was exactly as you described. The kids work independently and I was shown the books. It might be cool as a first year h.s.ing thing, I guess.
One of the Christian schools here uses ACE. They have consistantly outscored the kids in both public and Catholic schools in this particular city. I remember reading an article in the newspaper about it a few years ago. My bestest friend went there, when her family wasn't homeschooling, and when they were homeschooling they got the paces and did ACE at home. Very, very intelligent kids and self-taught--and NOT self-motivated at all! I was actually considering them for my son who likes to see small amounts to complete and feel like he has accomplished something often. I might post this question on another thread, but I am beginning to reconsider pushing academic excellence in favor of doing "enough" school to "get by". It is tragic really. My son is gifted but his attitude about "school" stinks. I make him do the work but I am wondering just how academics will really figure into his life--as though the Lord has other areas for him to use his gifted mind rather than "schoolwork".....I know, off topic....back to ACE....it must work well, all the students I know who use it score very well on tests, if that is something you want to consider.
Remind me how old this son is, Brooke. Could you let him have more control with picking what he wants to study? Is he old enough to sit down and work with you to figure out what he NEEDS to know, what he WANTS to learn, and those things that really have no real bearing on life unless one goes into that field or has an interest there? (DH and I are "arguing" which catagory higher level math, like Calculus, falls into. I say the third, he says the first. Can you tell which is the language person and which is math/science, LOL?)
:lol: I went all out in school and completed Caluculus with an A, as well as took every science available and so on....but I tend to think along your lines with the importance of all that :wink: . Ds will be 9 in a few weeks. He loves science, but excels in language..but hates to write ( ) We had a good--no, make that GREAT--day today with school work. He flew through everything at a 100% accuracy rate. No complaining. No pouting. No guff at all. And he felt good about it when I pointed that out to him 8) . He's a really neat kid. It's like talking with another adult, but the catch is that you expect this guy to obey you. :wink: It feels strange at times, almost. It's like I understand his frustration, but it doesn't change the rules that God set up, ya know? Anyway, I was planning on introducing more daily subjects toward the end of summer. I wonder if what I've been dealing with is just extended deschooling. He has chosen his history and science interests for the most part all along. He got a bit lazy, though so now we cut out more distractions for all of us in the house and I'm noticing his interest in other things is sparking again 8) . We are schooling over the summer to keep up the current momentum. I'd hate to think about losing the ground we've made! Thanks for asking, Jackie. I've always appreciated your thoughts and advice--keep it coming!
