ever considered a tutor???
Posted on 05/21/2007 2:54:41 PM PDT by taxcontrol
Folks, I have 3 kids, and for the past two years, they have been enrolled in a private christian school. Prior to that they were struggling very hard in public school.
However, their school as asked that they not return due to being two years on academic probation. My kids have brought a 30 F up to a 70 F in two years in their weekest subject - Math. However, this does not meet the schools' requirement for continuing with the school.
So, my wife and I are giving serious thought to homeschooling but we dont know where to begin. There is so much information and some of it not very useful. Is there anyone who can point us in the right direction? We were hoping that there would be some kind of structured DVD / video and workbook type program that:
1) Provides STRONG support for students who need lots of repetitive exercises ... esp math (we have to go over some basic building blocks still)
2) Works with phonics and spelling - 2nd weakest area
3) Can work in an environment that has 3 kids - 2nd grade, 6th grade and 7th grade.
4) Has a strong christian theme
Thank you
If you do home school, hslda.org is an essential resource.
Might try Calvert School, http://www.calvertschool.org/home-school/. Very detailed curriculum, complete lesson plans, tests, excellent support. Good placement efforts.
That said, K12 online school fit us a little better—plodding nature of Calvert was not a good fit even though materials were excellent. The K12 math course we used was first rate. http://www.k12.com/ You were on your own for placement in some respects.
In both cases you need to do placement carefully. Kids often go in at a grade level below current public school placement. And don’t make them study all day. Mornings with activities in afternoon or something.
hmmm not sure if I am familiar with that....
We are going into our 13th yr homeschooling and can you believe I have never been to a convention?
LOL
If the kids have weak areas, the one thing you don’t want to do is start them in at “grade level” with a curriculum like Abeka or Saxon math.
We used Saxon and Abeka, and I love both curriculums, but you need to do some remedial work first and bring them up to grade level if they’re struggling in certain areas, otherwise, you’re all going to get discouraged pretty quickly.
I haven’t homeschooled in years, but Saxon used to provide tests to determine which math book to start in.
homeschool ping
There are learning disabilities issues that are borderline... Asbergers (sp?) being the most relevant. However, the results were not definitive enough for a positive diagnosis. This may be in part due to us pursuing a course of counseling early that has shown some progress.
www.robinsoncurriculum.com
Very good. HSLDA is good also for protection
Then you need to understand what the tests meant. Just because the state declares the condition one that they don't need treatment for its still an issue.
Let me try an example. The state may declare that someone is legally blind when eyesight is 20/200 and therefore someone with better eyesight is "borderline". This doesn't mean the condition isn't a problem, only it is a problem the state has decided to ignore.
If it were my children I would pursue too fronts in addition to your homeschooling. First, I would get copies of the tests and consult with specialists in the field that were called "borderline" and get their assistance for a lesson plan and accommodations. Second, I would obtain an advocate versed in the law that requires public schools to insure an adequate education. I believe that the school may be required to lend assistance.
ever considered a tutor???
What we have found is that my children do not do well with the local school district’s math program called “Everyday Math”. It is an attempt to teach multiple techniques of multiplication and division and do not work on the basic math drills.
Using tutors to drill our children has shown the most progress over the last two years. This is one of the primary reasons I do not want to return them to public school ... I know the math program and I know the damage it will do to their math ability.
Understand that I was a student math tutor in college so I’m very pro tutor.
Here’s some info:
1. Get the book “Educating the WholeHearted Child” by the Clarksons. It’s available at http://www.wholeheart.org.
2. Attend your local homeschool convention. It’s June 14-16 at the Denver Merchandise Mart this year. Register at http://www.chec.org (CHEC is the Christian Home Educators of Colorado). One of the authors of the book mentioned above will be a speaker at the convention.
3. If your local church has a homeschool group, join it. You’ll need a lot of encouragement.
4. Pray for guidance.
5. Freepmail me if you have any additional questions about these items.
If you want good math drill, but feel uncomfortable doing it on your own, you might want to look into Kumon tutoring.
go for the HomeSchooling and best of luck...
They don't produce their own math curriculum; instead they offer 3 different options from different companies.
Singapore Math was good for our 3 of our sons who didn't need a lot of repetition. Our daughter struggled with it, so we switched to Saxon Math, which was for kids who needed more repetition. It was definitely more repetition and she learned the material, but it was more than she needed and she didn't like it because she felt like she was doing stuff she knew over and over again.
We finally settled on Math U See (not offered by Sonlight) because it just seemed like the right balance for her. One of our sons switched with her because, while he did well with the other curriculum, he just liked his sister’s book better than his own. (He’s two grades behind her, but he's doing the same math.)
Pros of homeschooling:
1. Not tied to the school calendar. (Our spring break is never when theirs is - we go when there are rooms available.)
2. We don't worry about grades. At all. We worry about learning, and if they spend the time and put forth the effort, they will learn.
3. People like to talk about the social skills they miss out on by homeschooling. I’ve seen the social skills of public school kids - I'll pass.
4. We like spending time with our kids.
5. No leftist agenda from the teachers. (At least, none that I can tell. I have to keep a close eye on her, though. ;-)
Cons:
1. It takes time and effort. (Bedtime story isn't 5 minutes and a good night kiss anymore - we read about 30 minutes a night. That's my job in the deal - my wife does the rest, although I do help with the planning and organizing, such as it is.) (Sometimes our organizing isn't so organized.)
2. Different states have different rules - see www.hslda.org. (We haven't had to deal with any of that because the rules are very homeschooling-friendly for overseas military families.)
3. You have to pay for materials.
you have freep mail
from: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/curriculum_reviews/math_u_see.php
“Math-U-See is a low-cost, manipulative-based math curriculum. It is a complete math program that utilizes interlocking, colorful blocks and fraction overlays to teach math, along with curriculum to provide the review and reinforcement. Provides a balanced approach to mathematical instruction by simultaneously emphasizing computation skills and conceptual understanding. Children love playing and building with colorful blocks. When children think a subject is fun (and it is with these blocks!), their attitude towards math becomes more positive.”
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