Homeschool Chat Part III

[bcbmommy]

The whole accreditation thing can be a sticky wicket. I would take your dd's wishes into account at her age, it's important that she have buy in. That said, keep in mind that many public schools are no longer "accredited". Here in Georgia there are several entire school systems that have lost their accreditation but are still churning out graduates that go on to attend college. I would highly suggest that she investigate the admission requirements for any colleges she is considering. What they require of homeschoolers differs dramatically and some of the "better" schools can be easier for a homeschool graduate to get into than some of the more mediocre ones. For example, here in Georgia the requirements for admission to Georgia Tech for a homeschool graduate are much more reasonable than the hoops the local 2 year technical college requires.

You can google "accredited homeschool programs" and get a ton of hits. If your dd is the one wanting the accreditation, I would let her look around and come to you with some suggestions and the reasoning behind them. My 15yo dd couldn't care less about accreditation, but she has her eye on Georgia Tech and knows exactly what she needs to do to increase her chances of admission. She has an instrumental part in planning her curriculum at this stage and that is a big part of keeping her motivated.

Glad I refound this thread! I don't think I've probably posted on it for several years and I am glad to see that it is still active!!!!

Thanks so much!! I had no idea that some school districts weren't accredited. This information will be good to share with my dh and dd. I'm going to take your advice and call the schools she has shown interest in.

A big fear of mine if we decide to do our own thing, is her transcript. I don't know the first thing about it, and I'm so afraid I'm going to mess something up that will affect her future. Are you doing your dd's transcript, and if so, is it complicated?

 

[bcbmommy]

Omgoodness. So, I decided to look up our district's report card to see how they rate academically. I'm in shock. Our high school rates 32, out of 100. I thought that was bad until I looked up the middle school. It rates 1 out of 100. One!! Is this right? How can a school be that bad and not get shut down??

 

[JoanneDisFan]

Omgoodness. So, I decided to look up our district's report card to see how they rate academically. I'm in shock. Our high school rates 32, out of 100. I thought that was bad until I looked up the middle school. It rates 1 out of 100. One!! Is this right? How can a school be that bad and not get shut down??

Where did you go to get the school ratings?

 

[bcbmommy]

Where did you go to get the school ratings?

city-data.com

 

[lovethattink]

...DD says she wants to do her schooling through an accredited program, but I don't know that it really matters. Does it? I need some guidance in this area...

I'd love any ideas or opinions from you all! Thanks!!

My oldest son ran into a problem when he graduated from high school after homeschooling for 2 years. We live in FL. He had absolutely no trouble getting into a state college, but when he applied to different trade schools and the art institute they said they couldn't accept his diploma because it wasn't from a SACs accredited school unless he took the GED. It was frustrating because he took honors classes such as calculus, physics, chemistry and was also dual enrolled at a community college for the last 2 years. He refused to take the GED and went to a state college.

 

[chris31997]

Thank you for your response. I think one of the reasons DD wants accredited is because she feels like that is more of a "real" school. I don't necessarily share that opinion, but I get what she's saying. I think it's normal for those of us who are used to the public school way of doing things. Thankfully, we're gettin' off that boat, though!
From just looking at a few of the online academies, goodness, they are expensive!
I've got another browser open right now, though, and am looking at Abeka. It looks a little more reasonable if we just order books and do it ourselves. Hopefully I'm reading that right. Again, thank you!!

Thanks so much!! I had no idea that some school districts weren't accredited. This information will be good to share with my dh and dd. I'm going to take your advice and call the schools she has shown interest in.

A big fear of mine if we decide to do our own thing, is her transcript. I don't know the first thing about it, and I'm so afraid I'm going to mess something up that will affect her future. Are you doing your dd's transcript, and if so, is it complicated?

Yes, Abeka is much cheape rif you buy only the books you want and will use. It is even cheaper yet, no shipping, if you go to a homeschool display. You can look that up on the website also.

You can look up on HSLDA how to do a transcript. I'm not sure if you have to be a member or not to see that. But I was amazed at how easy it was. You can also follow your DD's high school transcript and make something similar.

lovethattink, I worked for a school as a student in college. I know when it comes to accreditation. Those schools live and die by them. They can lose theirs if they even accept classes from nonaccreditted schools. If you are transferring into a SAC accredditted school, then you really want to document that you are coming from a SAC school. I also know that some colleges are more homeschool friendly than others.

 

[Ellester]

Thanks so much!! I had no idea that some school districts weren't accredited. This information will be good to share with my dh and dd. I'm going to take your advice and call the schools she has shown interest in.

A big fear of mine if we decide to do our own thing, is her transcript. I don't know the first thing about it, and I'm so afraid I'm going to mess something up that will affect her future. Are you doing your dd's transcript, and if so, is it complicated?

As mentioned above, there are lots of transcript examples online. I have a running one going for dd. I like www.thehomescholar.com for high school info and encouragement. She even has a transcript service, although I have not used it. If you are really concerned you could go that route. If nothing else, the site is a good starting point.

 

[Ellester]

My oldest son ran into a problem when he graduated from high school after homeschooling for 2 years. We live in FL. He had absolutely no trouble getting into a state college, but when he applied to different trade schools and the art institute they said they couldn't accept his diploma because it wasn't from a SACs accredited school unless he took the GED. It was frustrating because he took honors classes such as calculus, physics, chemistry and was also dual enrolled at a community college for the last 2 years. He refused to take the GED and went to a state college.

Yes, that is how it is around here. The trade schools and some community colleges make it very difficult for homeschoolers, requiring a GED and so forth. It is really ridiculous.

 

[mum2simon]

Joining in here! Love to see disney loving homeschoolers! We are from MA and I have 3 boys, 6.5, 4.5 and 21m...so we are in the early stages of our homeschooling, but are loving it!!!! My favorite part is planning trips and excursions when it is least crowded!!

We are using a smorgasbord of curriculum including MathUSee, All about Spelling and Handwriting without Tears, at this point our science and literature are left to what interests us in the moment. We are also using some of Amanda Bennett's unit studies when the mood strikes

Looking forward to getting to know you all...

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[pocomom]

Hi homeschoolers! I am homeschooling mom to a 7th grader, 3rd grader and 3 year old. My older girls loved a few literature units we did where I read aloud to them for most of it and they occassionally took turns - guess I don't do much of that now that they are older....In particular they LOVED Island of the Blue Dolphins, I'm looking for suggestions of other books that will hold the interest and be appropriate material-wise for an 8 year old, (blue dolphin was a stretch for her, she hadn't dealt with death etc. in literature before) and a very advanced reader 11 year old... What have your kids loved?

We've been homeschooling on and off for many years now, and I'm excited to see what this year will bring!The best words of advice I have to anyone homeschooling is to relax....I always buy too much, plan too much and find myself stressing out about what we are doing and and how much is getting done, and then I let it go ... and the kids suddenly find they want to write, they were curious about something in science or history and can we look into it, or I find my 8 year old doing math in the older one's book, for fun... the best learning, growing and time we have together is when I give up trying to control and plan it all, and just let it happen.

 

[lovethattink]

Yes, Abeka is much cheape rif you buy only the books you want and will use. It is even cheaper yet, no shipping, if you go to a homeschool display. You can look that up on the website also.

You can look up on HSLDA how to do a transcript. I'm not sure if you have to be a member or not to see that. But I was amazed at how easy it was. You can also follow your DD's high school transcript and make something similar.

lovethattink, I worked for a school as a student in college. I know when it comes to accreditation. Those schools live and die by them. They can lose theirs if they even accept classes from nonaccreditted schools. If you are transferring into a SAC accredditted school, then you really want to document that you are coming from a SAC school. I also know that some colleges are more homeschool friendly than others.

Yes, it had to do with losing funding.

Yes, that is how it is around here. The trade schools and some community colleges make it very difficult for homeschoolers, requiring a GED and so forth. It is really ridiculous.

It had to do with funding. It was explained to me by our regional rep from the FPEA that diploma mills were a problem. The answer to that was passing laws that required trade schools to accept only students from certain accredited schools. Which of course, affects homeschoolers and students coming from many private schools.

 

[nadira36]

Hi homeschoolers! I am homeschooling mom to a 7th grader, 3rd grader and 3 year old. My older girls loved a few literature units we did where I read aloud to them for most of it and they occassionally took turns - guess I don't do much of that now that they are older....In particular they LOVED Island of the Blue Dolphins, I'm looking for suggestions of other books that will hold the interest and be appropriate material-wise for an 8 year old, (blue dolphin was a stretch for her, she hadn't dealt with death etc. in literature before) and a very advanced reader 11 year old... What have your kids loved?

We've been homeschooling on and off for many years now, and I'm excited to see what this year will bring!The best words of advice I have to anyone homeschooling is to relax....I always buy too much, plan too much and find myself stressing out about what we are doing and and how much is getting done, and then I let it go ... and the kids suddenly find they want to write, they were curious about something in science or history and can we look into it, or I find my 8 year old doing math in the older one's book, for fun... the best learning, growing and time we have together is when I give up trying to control and plan it all, and just let it happen.

I suggest "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" this is one of our girls' favourites with a strong female lead. Good for all of your children. We also just finished "Cats of Tanglewood Forest" There is death in it- but everyone comes back to life so it's 'okay' lol The first book is a caldecot winner - 'Cats' has vibrant pictures and very heavy on the folklore feel.

For books like this, we read them together so we can discuss as we go. Our girls are advanced on what they enjoy and understand, but I still like to debrief and lead discussions - but then my oldest is only 6. ONce she's older I'll give her more freedom to read on her own and then discuss later. Right now she's still very in the moment and then processes over the course of a few days.

 

[livsmom04]

Hi everyone! We are homeschooling this year for the first time! We decided to pull our daughter out of public school because of the issues we've had to deal with the past year. For instance, she has an IEP on file and was to get help if her grades started to fall. Well last year at the beginning of the school year her math grade was a 92 and for the next 2 nine weeks her grades dropped down to a 72 and the school wasn't worried at all. I had to go in every 9 weeks for a meeting on her IEP and no help was offered even when I told them she needs help in Math. She ended up pulling her grade up to a C but she now hates math! She used to love it until this school year. She is going to be in the 4th grade this year and I'm thinking of doing Saxon Math with her, BJU for most of her other studies like English, Writing and Spelling, and Apologia for her Science with the Zoology. Is there anything that I should look into more for her. Thanks so much!

 

[chris31997]

Hi everyone! We are homeschooling this year for the first time! We decided to pull our daughter out of public school because of the issues we've had to deal with the past year. For instance, she has an IEP on file and was to get help if her grades started to fall. Well last year at the beginning of the school year her math grade was a 92 and for the next 2 nine weeks her grades dropped down to a 72 and the school wasn't worried at all. I had to go in every 9 weeks for a meeting on her IEP and no help was offered even when I told them she needs help in Math. She ended up pulling her grade up to a C but she now hates math! She used to love it until this school year. She is going to be in the 4th grade this year and I'm thinking of doing Saxon Math with her, BJU for most of her other studies like English, Writing and Spelling, and Apologia for her Science with the Zoology. Is there anything that I should look into more for her. Thanks so much!

Is she good at Math? If your DD is good at math, than I would use Saxon but otherwise I would look at something else. Saxon is written for the student to "self teach" and if the student is not good/does not like math then it can be difficult. My kiddos are good at Math and we had to leave Saxon. It was not for them.

Math U See is suppose to be good, a hands on program.
We use Abeka.

I think you have the the rest covered great. I just wanted to warn you about Saxon. If you can, see if you can borrow someone's and look at it in person and see if it would work for your DD. Maybe have her sit and work some of it. I just hate to buy something and it not work, you know what I mean

 

[jacksmomma]

Is she good at Math? If your DD is good at math, than I would use Saxon but otherwise I would look at something else. Saxon is written for the student to "self teach" and if the student is not good/does not like math then it can be difficult. My kiddos are good at Math and we had to leave Saxon. It was not for them.

Math U See is suppose to be good, a hands on program.
We use Abeka.

I think you have the the rest covered great. I just wanted to warn you about Saxon. If you can, see if you can borrow someone's and look at it in person and see if it would work for your DD. Maybe have her sit and work some of it. I just hate to buy something and it not work, you know what I mean

We use Math U See and it is amazing! Our son loves it. If you have a hands on learner it is a great program that taps into that learning style.

 

[lovethattink]

Math U See is suppose to be good, a hands on program.
We use Abeka.

We use Math U See and it is amazing! Our son loves it. If you have a hands on learner it is a great program that taps into that learning style.

This is good to know. My son is definitely hands on. We just switched from Abeka to Horizons. Maybe I should have bought Math U See? Guess we'll see how Horizons goes over summer.

 

[livsmom04]

Is she good at Math? If your DD is good at math, than I would use Saxon but otherwise I would look at something else. Saxon is written for the student to "self teach" and if the student is not good/does not like math then it can be difficult. My kiddos are good at Math and we had to leave Saxon. It was not for them.

Math U See is suppose to be good, a hands on program.
We use Abeka.

I think you have the the rest covered great. I just wanted to warn you about Saxon. If you can, see if you can borrow someone's and look at it in person and see if it would work for your DD. Maybe have her sit and work some of it. I just hate to buy something and it not work, you know what I mean

My daughter is good at math. We have been doing worksheets and she can do them with no problem. I think it was the teacher and school that weren't giving her the time or chance to do it. I might look at Math U See to see if that would be a good program for her. I can always go up to the homeschool place and see if they have Saxon Math and see if it's something for her.

 

[mum2simon]

We also use Math U See and love it!!!

 

[CatesRDisneyFans]

I am going to start "unofficially" homeschooling Kindergarten with our DS5. In Colorado, Kindergarten is optional. In our district we could enroll him in a half day Kindergarten for $250 a month at the local elementary school. My husband and I have been thinking about homeschooling DS5 for almost a year and thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a trial run. We can "unofficially" homeschool Kindergarten (no letter of intent or record keeping needed) and see how it goes. If we love it we continue with 1st grade and if we find it's not for us then he can start first grade at the public school without any hassle.

I'd love for any homeschooling suggestions, advice or tips!

 

[DisHmsklMom]

We also use Math U See and love it!!!

Another shout out for Math-U-See. It now goes all the way through Calculus. I had a not so mathy kid who ended up majoring in Math in college, I think because of her solid foundation in Math-U-See she really "got" calculus when she took it her freshman year of college. My ds (17) is almost finished with Pre-Calc and will do Calc with Math-U-See. He is very mathy and really enjoys Steve Demme. My dd (11) also really enjoys Math-U-See, again I have noticed what a great foundation it gives them. She also is enjoying using Beast Academy for extra problem solving and critical math thinking skills, ignore the grade levels on the books, just work your way through them. We are also doing the Historical Connections in Mathematics put out by the AIMS Education Foundation.
You can make math fun pretty quickly by using Vi Hart's blog, http://vihart.com/ and don't forget Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land.
Make sure to review fractions, they really need to be comfortable with them to do well in Algebra.