Anyone interested in a high school homeschooling thread?

[Madame Pomfrey]

I was just wondering since I like this forum but I often feel the need to exchange/share ideas with other moms that have older kids. I think at this age most of us venture out of any one "method" and really just look for good resources overall. Also, I often get overwhelmed sometimes by the sheer task of high school homeschooling - even with our relaxed style - does anyone else?

To start off I'll share the Key Press sale that ends tomorrow:
http://www.keypress.com/x24726.xml
(I have nothing to do with them other than loving their products.)

So, anyway, do y'all want to have an ongoing talk about upper grades or open high school?

Warm regards,

Lucie

[Dar]

I'll just sub... my daughter is actually in school this year, in Russia, but she homeschooled until this year (would be her junior year) and she'll homeschool again when she gets home... and she then may wind up doing a gap year, especially if she has a chance to do another year abroad and pick up another language.... and then she's thinking college, but it's all sort of up in the air at the moment.

[purslaine]

Oh, heck ya - I am in.

My DS is almost 14 and I am finding it difficult to find age appropriate activities for him. So much is geared towards younger kids - both inside and outside the HS community.

There are opportunities for older kids (16 plus - exchanges,early college enrollement, working, etc) but little for this age group. It is a little unsettling - because I know he likes to do stuff with older kids. He does have a number of friends in his age group - but he does like formal activities as well and they just are not out there.

The other issue I face is that he occasionally toys with going to school - and he is so not academically ready. I do not want him to falter if he goes, yet he is hardly devoted to increasing his writing skills, etc.

We need to have conversations about options, plans etc...but he does not like serious conversations. I do not want to hound him, yk? But I do want him to start planning and making informed decisions.

I do worry about college and Uni - but increasingly less. I think there are a number of routes to go. I do think we need to plan more than we did in the past, and document more. We have been very loosey-goosey so far.

[mom2ponygirl]

Okay, I think I lost my last post, but if this is a double - sorry! I'd like to join in even though we are fence straddlers this year. Dd is going half-time to a charter high school and half-time homeschooling. I see this working for this year and maybe next, but I doubt she will go much beyond that. We will then homeschool and dual enrollment until college. Well, that's the plan but our plans change all the time!

[moominmamma]

Sure, I'm in.

I have a 15yo dd who is taking one course through the local high school. Oops, no, two courses. These are self-directed, meaning she works at her own pace, either at home or in the independent study centre at school or elsewhere. She's not there much. Mostly she's an unschooler pursuing a fast track to a professional music career (classical -- violin). She lives part-time in the city 7 hours to the east of us so that she can get instruction at her level. She's away five days every two weeks. She's also working part-time at a café in our little town. During school hours, where teachers come to get their lattés and raspberry squares. So far no one has complained. She seems to be doing pretty well. She's had lots of opportunity for independent travel (overseas last year for two months, across Canada for a month, plus all the overnight back-and-forth trips to the city this year) and has created opportunities for musical and academic challenge for herself.

I also have a 13yo and a 10yo who are officially unschoolers but who are doing some high school level learning. They're both at that level in math and science. And, like their sister, they're pretty advanced musicians for their age.

Most of my kids' social activity flows out of their music. String quartet, chamber ensemble and youth choir are where they find their friends. We live in a very small town where the social scene at the high school is pretty dismal. The high school end of the K-12 school has only 45 [mostly-disillusioned] students. So that's not a huge attraction. Their music friends are pretty cool.

I am, however, concerned about my middle kids getting enough variety and challenge in their lives. They're not interested in the flexible enrolment their big sister is part of and won't be eligible anyway for another 1-3 years. We don't do very well at structuring their home lives and my 13yo is increasingly socially withdrawn, playing computer games for hours and hours a day. He doesn't like going out much, being very much an introvert. I worry about my almost-11-yo as well, as she seems to be following her brother on the same trajectory. She's given up a couple of her outside activities within the last year. The only other local homeschoolers in the same age-range are a family with an 11, 14 and 17-year-old. My kids are friends with them, but have very different interests, have "challenging personalities" and are on totally different academic tracks. So it doesn't work for them to learn things together or get involved in the same community endeavours.

Miranda

[ikesmom]

Haha I tried to post twice - separate times- and both posts were lost or something so here it is condensed.


My 9 yr old loves being home schooled and says he doesn't think he wants to return to ps..which is great..but I wonder how long I will go earning such a small income so I can be home.

My lil ds just turned 4 so we will have to see what he chooses

My oldest step daughter is a sophmore.. just started a virtual program this week...her choice..but after 6 hrs on busy work..I wonder if she will choose to stick to the regime.

Honestly I didn't think we'd homeschool at all ..and now I find myself slowly acquiring the belief that P.E , cub scout goals, and hiking are worthy school time pursuits..someone called us unschoolers the other day..and I said "no were not.." but I can see that other's might see our choice of learning opportunities as unschooling..

[clothdiaperingmom]

I have an almost 15 yo dd that is currently still in highschool. I have been debating on homeschooling her and she has just given me her list of things (in various subjects) that she is interested in learning.
She is pretty self motivated, currently in seek, and AP classes with dual credit classes scheduled in the next few yrs.

Im at a loss though as to a curriculum to use for her. Dont have a whole lot of $ to spend to buy one. Found an accredited online school called Bridgeway that offers AP, honors and dual credit classes. However, it is $2165 a yr...yikes!!!
She is most definately planning on going to college and would love to graduate early from HS. I suck at math and know I cant help her there and it is her problem area too. I have been asking around town for someone that might be able to tutor her if we should homeschool.
I dont want to short change her by homeschooling her, or not be challanging enough. Or hinder her getting into college or get scholarships (shes gonna need scholarships as we cant afford to pay for all).
There are plenty of things around town here and the next town over for homeschoolers, but they are for tots mostly.

I will be homeschooling dd that would be going to K next yr (we are doing preK right now). Also debating on taking my nearly 9 yo dd out of school to homeschool as well.
I feel comfortable doing kindergarten, less confident about 3rd grade, and not confident at all about HS.

[Needle in the Hay]

Check out Clonlara School. She could start asap, it's a lot cheaper, highly individualized and one of the more well-known home-based programs. Highschoolers earn credits so she could talk to her advisor about graduating early, though once she's learning that way that may become less of a priority anyway.

www.clonlara.org

[SagMom]

Community college could be a resource for those of you in the states. Some have early or dual-enrollment. Our local one allows 16 y/o to register, and the one in the next county over accepts teens as young as 14. My dd is starting in January.

[purslaine]

clothdiaperingmom: K-12

I am pretty sure it is free, and I think it has some AP....

[sapientia]

I'm homeschooling our 13 yo (and 9 yo) but my 13 yo is doing high school virtual school and she works at a higher level than 8th grade, anyway. That's why she wanted to homeschool-she was in honors and gifted but way beyond bored and getting nothing out of school. So we are home and doing much better!

I'd love to be able to talk about high school homeschooling. I tend to be intimidated by the math and how to approach the science but it's a wonderland for me in terms of writing/english and history-now we can drag out the fun books, lol!

[Madame Pomfrey]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate having so many folks to chat with. We're headed into a WW2 unit and IMP math from Key Press. I feel like I have so many of the same concerns that I even learned to multi-quote!

Originally Posted by kathymuggle

My DS is almost 14 and I am finding it difficult to find age appropriate activities for him. So much is geared towards younger kids - both inside and outside the HS community.

Me too! One of his closer friends went to school this year which made it hard. He thought about going but decided that he'd just work really hard at the social parts - except he also quit Boy Scouts over some faiirly racist comments from the scout leader about the Prez on a regular basis. I was actually proud of him for standing up for what he believed in, but disappointed he won't try a different troop. Now we're just doing the local atronomy club, the community access TV station, and homeschoool group.

Originally Posted by moominmamma

...my 13yo is increasingly socially withdrawn, playing computer games for hours and hours a day. He doesn't like going out much, being very much an introvert. I worry about my almost-11-yo as well, as she seems to be following her brother on the same trajectory.

Miranda, I understand how you feel. I wonder if my eldest will ever be more outgoing. At the same time I see that his friend who went to school this year really hasn't made close friends - now he's an introvert in a crowd of kids. It's helped me to come to terms with it better since I'm outgoing, now I know it has less to do with homeschooling than just being himself. Still, I do sit down with him about once a week or so and make sure he's planned an activity or two for the following week. And I do limit his screen time only when he's out of control - so now he limits himself.

Originally Posted by ikesmom

Honestly I didn't think we'd homeschool at all ..and now I find myself slowly acquiring the belief that P.E , cub scout goals, and hiking are worthy school time pursuits..

Originally Posted by clothdiaperingmom

Im at a loss though as to a curriculum to use for her...$2165 a yr...yikes!!! ...I feel comfortable doing kindergarten, less confident about 3rd grade, and not confident at all about HS.

Try your local colleges. Through our commnunity college, I can sign up (myself) for many online classes (and he'll take them) for $85 each and we'll use those for like French and Computer Science - they have hundreds! I know ours offer to let him take classes there physically when he is 16. The local Jr College offers free tuition for two classes/semester through the regents his senior year - I'm thinking CHEMISTRY!!! (I can teach it but don't have the gear here at home.)

Originally Posted by sapientia

I tend to be intimidated by the math and how to approach the science but it's a wonderland for me in terms of writing/english and history-now we can drag out the fun books, lol!

I do highly recommend the National Science Teachers' Association website for science resources. This year we're using the Take-Home Physics and Sci Guides from there. I used to teach science but these are so cheap and easy, just add experiments. Also PBS on Evolution and a million online guides for Biology and Astronomy. We're also very happy with IMP math from Key Press - top notch!

Thanks and Happy Haaaa-looooo-weeeeen!

[purslaine]

Well, I had a long conversation with Ds about options and he thinks he would like to cyber school next year. He is going to try one online class this year after Xmas.

We will see how it goes.

Thanks for the science links.

Kathy

[AngelBee]

I'm in. Homeschooling a 17 yr old along with the rest of the crew.

[sapientia]

Thank you Madame Pomfrey!

[Madame Pomfrey]

Big Question for you Lit-savvy moms: what would you recommend next in classics? We have read lots of Twain, lots of Dickens, (some of) All's Quiet on the Western Front, Dracula, Animal Farm, The Count of Monte Cristo, some Hemingway shorts, the Necklace, the Yellow Wallpaper, some shorts by Stephen Crane, Jack London, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc., and pleanty of poetry over the years.

Should we try some non-Western lit or The Great Gatsby or Poe or do you have someone else to recommend? And if anyone can steer me to a Jane Austen you think a 14 yr old boy will read, please just say so!

So how are things going everyone? We've had two major developments on the challenging social front: 1) he finally agreed to go to the local science club at the museum and so far likes it; and 2) he's organized a couple of outings with friends to the movies - hooray!

Homeschool-wise we wrapped up a WW2 unit (just the part leading up to Pearl Harbor) and we're in a science unit now. So I'm in my comfort zone.

Warm regards,

Lucie
feeling overwhelmed by the lit - especially the pure quantities of world lit

[Dar]

How about Salinger? Very timely right now... and there's a lot besides CITR, especially if you're into short stories.

[purslaine]

DS has is due to start a virtual class next week.

There are several for-credit learning centers offered by the ministry of education, but enrolling has been tricky! We did get it done though.

2 of the centers require that you enroll through your local school - and our local school refused to play ball. (They want him to come full time - and say distance ed is only for kids who need a credit or have medical issues )

The third does not require enrolling through school first. They have been real nice on the phone but have been very slow to send out required info. He is due to start next week, yet he still does not have an access code or know when the online classes run! I have called twice, and they assure me it is coming......


In other news, he is taking a Shakespeare class in the big city and really enjoying it. He likes book club, but the kids and content really are too young for him. I am going to have to drive him into the city to access book clubs for him (hmm...maybe I can find some online? Know any good ones?)

Lucie...reading your list it looks like you are trying to touch on all the genres. You seemed to have missed Science Fiction and Fantasy. How about The Hobbit or some Ray Bradbury?

I do like to Kill a MockingBird for this age.

[Madame Pomfrey]

Thanks for the great suggestions. Salinger and Bradbury are perfect for this kid. We've read the Hobbit and the LOTR a while back - well, we got about 2/3 of the way through the Towers and watched the movies. It was great writing but he had lost interest. We haven't shared any great SciFi in almost 2 years!

You're right Kathymuggle, we did kind of hop around very broadly this year with short stories. It kept everything interesting and I used them to get him to step out of a reading "box" he was in: HP/Pendragon/Sherlock Holmes/Warriors/Golden Compass. I couldn't get him to try new authors for a while, but at least if he wasn't wild about a short story style he could be done with it in a day! We found some really great lesson plans at EdSiteMent.

I don't know of any online book clubs for teens. Brave Writer used to have some but their website says they don't have any currently. Our library has done a few that were sparsely attended - even the vampire one? If you find a good onlline club please share it.

Have a great night!

Lucie

[mom2ponygirl]

[QUOTE=clothdiaperingmom;14604423
Im at a loss though as to a curriculum to use for her. Dont have a whole lot of $ to spend to buy one. Found an accredited online school called Bridgeway that offers AP, honors and dual credit classes. However, it is $2165 a yr...yikes!!!
[/QUOTE]

Some free options for high school:
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm
www.courserepository.org
www.hippocampus.org