...even if I want it to.
I was speaking to another homeschool mom about my too-busy schedule this fall. She's booked four days a week in two co-op's that I'm also in. We're in a similar yet not idential boat.
I am getting nervous about our fall. The thing that was proposed as a wonderful idea although hard to pull off that we all thought may not launch is launching. I'd already committed to an existing co-op that was sure to run.
No matter which way I look at it I can't make the basic lessons fit into the co-op's. What I mean is even attending these things will not ensure that base lessons in The Three R's are covered.
This mom told me yesterday she's thinking about putting one child into a 1:1 math tutoring situation at one co-op that's 90 minutes in duration in order to cover basics at the co-op's. It just doesn't add up to home lessons or public school.
Homeschool Co-Op private tutoring:
90 minutes a week x 13 weeks = 19.5 hours of direct instruction from Labor Day through New Year's Day. I don't know the number of lessons covered in that time but it can't be more than two, saying it's two, that means this is 26 lessons covered.
Public school for middle school (I didn't subtract for holidays as I'm rushing to calculate this) is probably:
45 minutes a day x 5 days a week x 20 weeks = 75 hours of direct instruction from start of school to New Year's Day (and I didn't even count homework time). I don't know how many lessons school covers in a week so I can't figure that calculation.
Homeschool lessons for middle schoolers done at home with 1:1 mom to student ratio which is efficient:
One lesson a day (30 minutes, the length it takes my non-dawdler children and only 4 days a week)
30 minutes a day x 4 days x 19 weeks (Labor Day through New Year's Day) = 38 hours of direct instruction but covers 76 lessons.
Conclusion
Especially when speaking of upper middle school, if hoping to start pre-algebra in grade 8, and especially if hoping to start Algebra I in grade 8, more math must be done by homeschoolers. These guidelines are shooting for high school math to cover: Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trig, and Pre-Calculus if not also Calculus. Ideally to finish Calculus in high school that means both Pre-Algebra and Algebra I must be done by the end of grade 8. Another option is to do multiple grades of math in homeschool high school math by spending much more time per day and perhaps working through summers. However if too busy with activities outside the home such as too many homeschool co-op's then that is impossible.
This is what I mean when I say enjoy the early years of homeschooling when life is more carefree. By grade 8 homeschool the pressure starts to be on. The families feeling the least amount of pressure aiming for these goals are those who barely ever leave the house to do homeschool academic activities. They may leave the house for sports or Scouts or to see friends for social time but their week is mainly spent doing academics at home.
The other relaxed families I know are not aiming for these academic goals so they are off the hook of feeling the pressure to accomplish that goal.
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9 comments:
The last few years I have been leaving the house at least once a day for an activity and since we live rurally that often equated to being gone for a minimum of three hours and often all day. That resulted in both high schoolers being very behind and needing to work through the summer and sometimes into the following fall.
This year we scaled back. Most significantly dropping our biggest time sucker, Odyssey of the Mind. The rewards were great (3 trips to worlds) but there would be times when the OM kids would meet 5 days a week for 5+ hours a day.
We are all much less stressed with a lighter schedule.
Taekwondo wednesday afternoon(K,J,E,B)
horseback riding every other wednesdat morning (G)
chess club thurs even (I,J)
civil air patrol tues evening(I,J)
chem lab every other sat (K)
math tutor one night a week (J,K)
oh and one last thing we just added.
Mon 2-7 CountyRepublican headquarters (K,J)
I rarely do the driving to CAP or chem and everything else but the tutoring is within 20 miles-mostly within 10 \0/
You may be thinking too much on a school schedule for the math. I think you'll find that your son will fly through some of the topics in each level of math.
If he's had a good grounding in math to date, pre-algebra really isn't necessary take a pre-algebra and algebra course book and sit down with them side by side to compare what they cover.
You may spend a bit more time on the concepts that are reviewed at the beginning of an algebra book, but there's a really good chance you don't need to do both. Likewise, you can shave some of the time you predict off by just moving along with no major breaks. There's a fair amount of review in the beginning of most texts. If you do double up, geometry and algebra work pretty well either interleaved or side by side.
We used Singapore's New Math Counts. As with other Singapore middle/high school books, they work with algebra, geometry and statistics over the course of each book. I found it useful because if someone got a block about something, we could move to another topic, and come back later to the problem area. Usually a bit of time did the trick.
I'd also point out that doing math through pre-calc or calc in high school is not the only way to into engineering. In fact, looking at my classmates, the kids who did calculus in high school went other directions and the current engineers were kids who for the most part only went though algebra 2 or trig at that time. This was at a school that consistently ranks high in CT and national rankings.
Also, speaking as someone who math through calc in high school - I would point my kids at doing them in the community college to assure transferable credit for the calc at the very least rather than teach it at home or doing it as an AP course. With AP, if the school accepts it, it still comes down to a single test.
Homeschool is about freedom. You have the freedom to put them in co-ops or the freedom to stay home. I'd say if the co-ops are not meeting your goals for academics, it might be time to cut back maybe to one co-op? We were in one for awhile but they only taught elective type things, no core subjects and it seemed shallow on info to me so we haven't been back in the last year. I much prefer to do our schooling in 4 days time and have a free day to do whatever. If we choose to fill it with co-op or field trips or art projects, we have that freedom. You'll figure it out I'm sure.
I have one in grade 7. we do not do co-ops. I looked into it at some point but decided it wasn't for us and the homeschool group I am now in doesn't do them anyway.
As for getting all the math done we will be doing it at each child's pace. They will get all that highschool math done at some point (17,18 maybe 19) but they will get one what they need, and not all university paths require trig or calculus. My son wanting to be an engineer, yes. My daughter who wants to be a photographer, or the one who want to be a police officer, no, in fact they will go to college instead. If they change paths we will deal then. You always seem very busy though so I think it is just different life styles. Some go rushed, some don't even with the same goals.
Hi Ina, I hear you.
I used to have a slow relaxed life but as you said I'm busy now. I miss that pace.
I have one applying to colleges in 8 weeks and another shooting for a USAFA appt in less than 2 years.
This year is more laid back than either of the last two. Lofty goals do not have to equal stressed out misery.
All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS for internet-based classes through local universities.
If a co-op isn't an option, like it isn't for us because of statement of faith requirements, universities like Texas Tech offer distance education at reasonable prices.
Ds is taking bio for $150/semester +cost of book.
Hi K,
It sounds like you have a good balance down there.
The 3 HS co-op's we're in are "all inclusive" you know how that is here, all religions including pagans and the non-practicing's and the agnostics and the athiests all mixed in. (Well at least those encompass anyone willing to mix with others of different religious pursuasions.)
One evangelical Christian co-op in Fairfield county, I just heard is up to 150 HS students enrolled now (wow).
Co-op's in CT are booming. There is one in Hamden, 2 in New Haven, 1 starting in Fairfield, and that's just in my/your old area. There are now 3 out of Newtown and 2 out of New Fairfield. Things have shifted since you left, it's a new world out there.
The CT HS inclusive chat list just hit 1000 members (wow).
I miss seeing you!
My Mom in law is a Mohawk elder in our community. Helping her out I often hear the advice she offers. Many people long for simple days or a slower pace (and similar thongs). She often advises that it is always possible but never without effort and sacrifice.
The size of the homeschool community on your area is amazing.
Hi Ina, The simple life or a slower life has it's cons. Both sides of my family were poor and lived a simple life but it was actually a hard life of hard physical work to maintain a house and the yard or property, and lots of worrying about money and making ends meet, and sometimes hungry kids. My mother grew up poor in northern Maine before welfare and they didn't get a handout from the government, the neighbors helped each other though like when one's house burned down they lived with them, at some point 22 were in one house about 600 square feet, and then when their house burned they lived somewhere else crammed in temporarily.
I had a simple childhood but I lacked a lot my peers had access to. I had free time and boredom and time to read and play but had so little opportunities to do various good things or educational stuff or sports compared to my own kids, they are two different worlds.
In my area we have a more wide variety of sorts of people homeschooling it seems, different ethnicities well at least some different colors and we have a larger Jewish population here so we have Jewish homeschoolers and the Muslim population is growing. Also maybe its a New England thing that some families just don't talk about religion, we connect on the things that we have in common.
The community seems small compared to down south or Texas (where K moved to when she left CT). We have lots of overlapping with families.
What CT has is a lot of HSers who are willing to create things to do and we organize a lot so there are too many great opportunities for what to do with our time.
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