homeschool ? Please help.

[LadyShiva]

Do any of these resources address higher-level science classes? I don't see any laboratory-based classes here.

Brandie

I really should be mopping the kitchen but I just keep getting drawn in.

I don't believe that many realize the resources available to home schoolers. I realize not all are available or are legal options in every area.
There are too many to name them all but to give a few examples.

Some curriculum come from religious publishers who material is also used in religious school. Alpha Omega and Bob Jones come to mind. Each have developed guides/resources etc to help the HS parent. BJ even offers classes via satellite.

There are main stream textbook publishers who also have developed home-study guides either for the parent or student. Saxon Math and Shurley English come to mind. Both offer very detailed step by step instruction

Calvert private school sells their curriculum in boxed grade sets (some items available individually) with very detailed lesson plans. They even provide scripts for the lessons.

There are private correspondence schools that provide teacher support,phone or online tutoring and/or grading to the parent/student. American School, E-tap, K-12 all come to mind

There are 2 or 3 day a week programs that offer some instruction in a classroom with a teacher while the bulk of the work is done at home. Timothy Ministries, Home school U are 2 in my area that come to mind.
This only brushes the surface of what is out there.

 

[sha_lyn]

Do any of these resources address higher-level science classes? I don't see any laboratory-based classes here.

Brandie

I already answered that question

 

[CraftyMouse]

Do any of these resources address higher-level science classes? I don't see any laboratory-based classes here.
Brandie

DD has taken Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, both with labs. This year (her Sr. year) she is taking Honors Physics, also with a lab. Lab kits are purchased through www.athomescience.com and come complete with everything needed for all lab assignments. Her textbooks are from well-known publishers and are the same text books used in many classrooms, both in high schools and colleges. The coursework is extremely challenging and comprehensive.

When she was admitted to the WPI summer program she received a letter stating that only those who would be up to admissions standards of the university were considered (based on their current level of study/accomplishment). WPI is primarily an engineering/math/science university so I'm confident in DD's science and math learning thus far.

 

[LadyShiva]

DD has taken Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, both with labs. This year (her Sr. year) she is taking Honors Physics, also with a lab. Lab kits are purchased through www.athomescience.com and come complete with everything needed for all lab assignments. Her textbooks are from well-known publishers and are the same text books used in many classrooms, both in high schools and colleges. The coursework is extremely challenging and comprehensive.

Thanks for the answer!

How's she enjoying the Giancoli?

Brandie

 

[CraftyMouse]

How's she enjoying the Giancoli?

She hasn't begun the physics course yet. We take the summers off. She'll begin in September.

 

[LadyShiva]

She hasn't begun the physics course yet. We take the summers off. She'll begin in September.

"Live and breathe the Giancoli. The Giancoli is your friend."

That should have been my school's motto.

Brandie

 

[Crankyshank]

DD has taken Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, both with labs. This year (her Sr. year) she is taking Honors Physics, also with a lab. Lab kits are purchased through www.athomescience.com and come complete with everything needed for all lab assignments. Her textbooks are from well-known publishers and are the same text books used in many classrooms, both in high schools and colleges. The coursework is extremely challenging and comprehensive.

Out of curiosity, what kind of chemicals are in those kits? I'm not questioning your DD's program or anything. I work at a med school and I know there are strict laws about handling, shipping, disposal, etc... of basic lab chemicals. We're talking basic stuff you would do in an advanced bio class - just wondering how that is handled as far as home use.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Out of curiosity, what kind of chemicals are in those kits? I'm not questioning your DD's program or anything. I work at a med school and I know there are strict laws about handling, shipping, disposal, etc... of basic lab chemicals. We're talking basic stuff you would do in an advanced bio class - just wondering how that is handled as far as home use.

To be honest, I don't know. DH is the science/math facilitator here. I concentrate on literature, languages, writing and history. DH and I have abilities that complement each other well when it comes to homeschooling our kids.

I do know that it was an involved course with many labs. If you'd like more info check out www.athomescience.com. It is the kit that is listed for Laurel Springs.

 

[mrsltg]

The problem here seems to be gross misconception. I don't homeschool my kids, though I don't think it's a bad idea. My older dd is in private school, much the same as her sister and ? will be. We looked into homeschool and found it intriguing to say the least.

My dh, the history buff can run circles around history "textbooks" given out in school. There is so much missing, and unfortunately inaccurate, in those books it's unbelievable. How many times has 60 Minutes or 20/20 and the like run stories on textbooks with outrageous mistakes? My mother, the career RN, is a science freak. There is nothing about anatomy and biology she doesn't know. It's a weird hobby to sit and read the latest medical journals, but there you have it - Mom in a nutshell! My grandfather worked on the Manhatten Project and later worked on the team that invented the laser. He is gone, but left meticulous notes that mean nothing to me, but to a science and mathematically inclined person, apparently it's Christmas! My father in law is a master gardener who was an IT professional until his retirement. My mother in law was a librarian whose love of literature is inspiring. My own brother is a self taught professional musician - some say a savant - who has mastered seven instruments. Myself? Well, I'm about as political as they come. My knowledge of the political system, and my own love of reading give me a great knowledge base. My father works the oil fields in the mid-west and understands, with great clarity how the pumps work, the geology of country (and most other oil producing lands), the effects of the weather, etc etc etc. All this is to say, I am fairly confident we could put our minds together and impart an enormous amount of knowledge on my children. Of course, we're doing this anyway - traditional school or not.

The bottom line is, learning does not simply occur from the age of 5-18 between 8am-3pm. Learning is a process and a lifelong one at that. It is folly to believe you must be in a building designated for education in order to learn and test theories. It is also folly to believe you are only able to socialize if you go to a traditional school. I went to public school. Often the first words out of the mouth of any teacher were to 'sit down and be quiet.' That's not socialization. Further, sitting in a classroom of 30 people exactly my age did not prepare me for work. I have yet to work anywhere everyone was the same age as me and came from the same town and the same background. In fact, I never have! Lastly, socialization happens everywhere, everyday. I speak to the people I come across in daily life. The mailman, the clerk at the grocery, the dry-cleaner, the person I am sitting next to on the bus, etc etc etc - and these people don't even work with me!

All in all, homeschooling can be a great way to begin an education (notice I say begin, it never ends!) After all, you began learning at home whether you went to traditional school or not.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Who has the "bow down in admiration" smiley???? I need one for mrsltg!

 

[Crankyshank]

CraftyMouse, thanks for answering me. I emailed the company to find out more. I hope they are advising people to be aware of their state's laws regarding handling chemicals.

I think a lot of miscommunication and misunderstandings occur when people say things like "I pulled Johnny out of school because he was interested in X and they weren't teaching it" or "My child can't be creative in school". While that may be correct, but it does insinuate that those in public schools are not creative or not pursuing interests other than what is taught in school. Almost all parents I know supplement their child's education at home, and encourage their child to pursue their academic interests in addition to what they learn in school. For example: I went to private school. I had a top notch education for the most part, but like with so many schools both public and private, my history education was limited and boring. I love history. Instead of pulling me out of school, my parents fostered and encouraged my interest outside of the school day by buying me books and taking me places etc...
My sister is a science nerd. Her public school was good but her interests surpassed the curriculum. So she was encouraged to take her science interest further in various ways by my parents.

So what I'm trying to say that homeschooling is not the only way to have a creative and well rounded child. homeschooling has its advantages for many sure, but it's unfair to say that public school (or private) is a waste of time or someone is getting a subpar education.

 

[CraftyMouse]

CraftyMouse, thanks for answering me. I emailed the company to find out more. I hope they are advising people to be aware of their state's laws regarding handling chemicals.

So what I'm trying to say that homeschooling is not the only way to have a creative and well rounded child. homeschooling has its advantages for many sure, but it's unfair to say that public school (or private) is a waste of time or someone is getting a subpar education.

Cranky - I asked DD and she said that there is information in each kit regarding the proper handling and disposal of chemicals.

And I agree that homeschooling is not the only route to a well rounded child. I don't think anybody here is saying that. Instead we are saying that it is a completely acceptable way despite its non-traditional nature.

 

[Mary2e]

I asked this question earlier, but it may have been lost in other replies.

With regard to people HSing their kids for religious reasons, and those children are being taught a different curriculum, such as the traditional female curriculum mentioned in an earlier post rather than academic courses, what oversight is there?

Are these children (all HS children) being given periodic tests to ensure they are recieving an appropriate education? Are they at the correct grade level?

My fear is that this small subset of HSers are not getting an appropriate education, and in the end, we all pay.

 

[Barb D]

I asked this question earlier, but it may have been lost in other replies.

With regard to people HSing their kids for religious reasons, and those children are being taught a different curriculum, such as the traditional female curriculum mentioned in an earlier post rather than academic courses, what oversight is there?

Are these children (all HS children) being given periodic tests to ensure they are recieving an appropriate education? Are they at the correct grade level?

My fear is that this small subset of HSers are not getting an appropriate education, and in the end, we all pay.

Oversight and testing requirements vary from state to state, and sometimes from district to district. In Maryland, for instance, we had to have SOMEBODY oversee us. We could choose to have somebody from the county check us, or somebody from an approved oversight group. We did both at various times. When we used the county, we took portfolios of the kids' work in twice a year for inspection. We also chose to do standardized tests, although it's not required in Maryland. In some states there are more stringent requirements, and in some states there are none whatsoever.

I'm sure that there is a subset of hsers not getting an appropriate education, and probably a much larger subset of psers not getting an appropriate education. For the most part, hsers are extremely conscientious about both academics and social issues.

 

[LegoMom3]

I asked this question earlier, but it may have been lost in other replies.

With regard to people HSing their kids for religious reasons, and those children are being taught a different curriculum, such as the traditional female curriculum mentioned in an earlier post rather than academic courses, what oversight is there?

Are these children (all HS children) being given periodic tests to ensure they are recieving an appropriate education? Are they at the correct grade level?

My fear is that this small subset of HSers are not getting an appropriate education, and in the end, we all pay.

We're all paying right now for No Child Left Behind, which is clearly a disaster. Our little town of 1,200 has a very small elementary school, and we feel the effects of NCLB even there, much to the dismay of most parents.

We have used the local public school, and were fine with it overall. But I have also seen my son in tears because he didn't get the math the way our district says it should be taught. You can have 30 kids in a classroom and 30 different ways of learning, but the classroom can only teach ONE way. Does that make it the right way??! Even my son's teacher hated the math program, but she HAS to teach it according to district policy. My DH and I showed our son another way to figure the math problems he was struggling so badly with, and the light went on and he got it!

So, I'm just curious as to what constitutes an "appropriate" education??

And, in response to someone else talking about the supposed importance of all these upper-level high school science courses that apparently can't be duplicated in a home school environment, I took a bunch of said courses in public high school because it was part of the course work, and it has had no lasting benefit for me as an adult. I can see the value of it with someone who wants to pursue a scientific career path (and most high school kids have some what of an idea of the direction they want to go), but I do not think it's something everyone should experience "just because", or whatever. My interests were writing and English classes, and once I got through 10th grade and was able to have some choice, I dropped all science classes and never looked back. Of course, that was me but the point is that kids at that age aren't necessarily missing out because they aren't in a lab in some school somewhere.

Finally, as far "oversight," all but 4 or 5 states in the U.S. require testing, most on a yearly basis. And most states reserve the right to "terminate the home school program" if basic standards are not met (although usually the parent/s are given fair warning and a chance to improve).

Oh, and since some here were listing reasons for home schooling, here is one you don't hear every day: my oldest DS is very close to his dad. Dad works 2nd shift, so when DS is in the ps, they don't see each other during the week because DS has to leave early in the morning before Dad is awake (and of course Dad is off to work in the afternoon before DS gets home). My son hates this arrangement, and has asked to home school so he can spend time with his dad. DS is also a gear-head like his dad, so they get to spend time messing with all things mechanical a few times a week. DS is learning problem-solving in this as well as the importance of accurate mathematical calculations. There's plenty of physics involved and that's stuff he's learning much earlier than his peers! He loves it and it's a real boost to his confidence, too.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Actually, 28 out of 50 states do not require testing of any kind for students, .

States by regulations

State Test When? Which Test? Who Pays? Admin? Who Sees? Passing? Penalty? Options
AR Annually by May 1 State List family s.d. s.d., d.o.e. 8 mos below grade Return to School None
CO 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 Any sat family family s.d., other school Above 13th %ile Retest, return to school Evaluation
FL Annually, 1 of 5 options Any sat family Qualified Person s.d. Progress by Ability 1 yr probation Portfolio, Evaluation
GA 3, 6, 9, 12 Any sat family Qualified Person family retains Not Defined None None
HI 3, 5, 8, 10 Any sat s.d. or family s.d. or family principal Above 33rd %ile Return to School or Ed Neglect Charges Evaluation
MA up to s.d. Progress Report, Dated Work Samples
ME Annually, 1 of 5 options State List s.d. s.d. Review Board, s.d., Commissioner Undefined Undefined Portfolio, Evaluation
MN Annually s.d. & family s.d. or family s.d. or family family retains Above 30th %ile Retest None
NH Annually, 1 of 4 options family family Qualified Person Principal, Superintendent or Commissioner Above 40th %ile Retest, return to school Portfolio, Evaluation
NY Annually, exceptions for young children State List s.d. or family Qualified Person s.d. Above 33rd %ile or progress 2 yr probation Written Narative grades 1-3, 4-8 every other year
NC Annually Any sat family family If requested Undefined Undefined None
ND 3, 4, 6, 8, 11 Any sat family s.d. or family Superintendent Undefined No monitoring if over 50%ile None
OH Annually Any sat s.d. or family Qualified Person Superintendent Above 25th %ile Remediation Portfolio, Evaluation
OR 3, 5, 8, 10 State List family Qualified Person E.S. D. Above 15th %ile Tutor or Return to School None
PA 3, 5, 8 State List family Qualified Person Superintendent Based on Portfolio Evaluation, not test Probationary requirements Annual Portfolio Evaluation required
SC Annually unless with umbrella school State List s.d. or family Qualified Person Trustees Promotional Standards of District Remediation None
SD In grades tested by schools Any sat s.d. or family s.d. or family s.d. Undefined Undefined None
TN 5, 7, 9 Test used by LEA, CRS or Sanders Model s.d. or family Qualified Person Superintendent State DOE Better than 3-6 month below grade level Remediation, Enroll in Umbrella, or return to school None
VA Annually, 1 of 3 options Stanford 9 family family Superintendent Above 23rd %ile Remediation, Return to School Portfolio, Evaluation
VT Annually, 1 of 6 options Any sat s.d. s.d. Commissioner Undefined Remediation, Return to School Other progress assessments
WA Annually, 1 of 2 options Any sat family Qualified Person family keep in permanent file Undefined Family should remedy Assessment
WV Annually, 1 of 3 options State List family Qualified Person Upon Request Above 40th %ile Remediation, Return to School Portfolio, Other Academic Assessment


Testing

 

[LadyShiva]

So, I'm just curious as to what constitutes an "appropriate" education??

And, in response to someone else talking about the supposed importance of all these upper-level high school science courses that apparently can't be duplicated in a home school environment, I took a bunch of said courses in public high school because it was part of the course work, and it has had no lasting benefit for me as an adult. I can see the value of it with someone who wants to pursue a scientific career path (and most high school kids have some what of an idea of the direction they want to go), but I do not think it's something everyone should experience "just because", or whatever. My interests were writing and English classes, and once I got through 10th grade and was able to have some choice, I dropped all science classes and never looked back. Of course, that was me but the point is that kids at that age aren't necessarily missing out because they aren't in a lab in some school somewhere.

A reason for the importance of those upper-level science classes: so we no longer have religious wackos running around without basic understanding of evolution. And that's just one example I've seen in recent times where advanced education kept me from buying into a ridiculous idea.

I'm tired of brainwashed religious nuts. I'm also tired of explaining how vaccinations work, and the difference between ethyl and methyl mercury. Our culture is becoming one where the easiest explanation wins, despite it being complete scientific hogwash.

If you want to cripple your kid, go ahead and badmouth science. Just because you didn't like it is no reason to say it doesn't pertain to everyday life.

I have a history degree, by the way. I put myself through college working in a lab. It paid better than when I was working at the museum! I now work in IT.

Brandie

 

[JennyMominRI]

A reason for the importance of those upper-level science classes: so we no longer have religious wackos running around without basic understanding of evolution. And that's just one example I've seen in recent times where advanced education kept me from buying into a ridiculous idea.

I'm tired of brainwashed religious nuts. I'm also tired of explaining how vaccinations work, and the difference between ethyl and methyl mercury. Our culture is becoming one where the easiest explanation wins, despite it being complete scientific hogwash.

If you want to cripple your kid, go ahead and badmouth science. Just because you didn't like it is no reason to say it doesn't pertain to everyday life.

I have a history degree, by the way. I put myself through college working in a lab. It paid better than when I was working at the museum! I now work in IT.

Brandie

I never toook science above Biology..I had no advancd science or advanced math..I took AP history however... I'm not a creationist. Never have been...Not all learning has to be done in a classroom

 

[Mary2e]

Wow, some of you are really defensive about this. Sorry, I'm just curious about the entire issue, particularly for those children being kept from school for religious reasons and taught "traditional" topics as noted in a previous post.

My concern is that group of children will never get beyond a basic education and that is why I asked if there was oversight.

I would consider any child in HS not learning calculus or Chemistry as not receiving an appropriate education.

These children have to compete globally for the jobs in the future, and we can all be assured that both boys and girls are being taught far more than what we teach our children in the public schools in this country. I shudder to think how some of these HS children will do in comparison when they have to hit the job market or even apply to a college.

Again, I am speaking about a small subset - not all home schooled children.

 

[JennyMominRI]

.

I would consider any child in HS not learning calculus or Chemistry as not receiving an appropriate education.

Well, then I would say more than 50% of the kids graduating from school right now are not getting an appropriate education because that's about the percentage that doesn't take calculus