We’re up to our necks in school-y stuff, this year.
#2 son and (with any luck) #1 daughter are getting Middle Ages and Renaissance and Human Biology at the community college, this year; we’ve two wanting to take on the “One Year Adventure Novel” curriculum, I’m diving into the “Further Up and Further In” unit study with the 15y/o (yes, it’s built around The Chronicles of Narnia), and we just began our study of American History last evening with a leap back to the 14th Century and the life of John Wycliffe. The arc tracing from Tyndale to James Madison that yielded our Bill of Rights was forged in a fire he began stoking in earnest in 1378. We’ve also scheduled extended tours of architecture and electronics this year, and may dip into oceanography if diligence permits. [Must keep a carrot or two in reserve.]
#1 Son is in his senior year at UNC-Charlotte, expecting to graduate with a B.A. in marketing, a very good GPA, and some job prospects.
#2 Son, following his “gap year,” as my mom says, will be going to community college part time and getting a job. If it turns out he loves college, he can take his stratospheric SAT score and apply for freshman admission at any place that would throw some financial aid at him,or start up a full CC schedule. If he doesn’t love it, he needs an alternate plan. I’m encouraging him to take CNA training in the spring: it would pay better than lifeguarding or retail, with lots more available employers and hours.
#2 daughter is a high school senior with no real plans. The goal for this year is to get her math skills up to the level for regular (vs. remedial) admission at the community college and to drill on the ASVAB so she can join the military if she wants to.
#3 daughter (sophomore) has a position at the Renaissance Festival this fall. The rehearsals and other prep, followed by performances, are going to eat all our spare time until the end of November, but it’s a tremendous opportunity for her as a performer. In aid of this, she and everyone younger are going to be studying theater history, beginning with the Greek tragedians. The primary goal is for everyone who can write (leaves out Frank) to be able to produce an A-level essay by the end of the year.
She also has to get her math up to CC admission standards so she can take CNA training in the spring.
The young boys will learn to write essays, progress on math, and take up Envirothon. James (11) is “officially” 6th grade, and Vlad (9) is in the 6th grade when it’s useful to us.
I have a set of instructional videos on Oceanography; they were in a deep-discount set with Meteorology, which we needed for Science Olympiad.
And we’d like Frank to learn to read and write, and Kathleen to use the toilet.