January 8, 2009 - Homeschool Record Keeping
I have been at this 10 years now? And each year or every 6 months or so, I find something new to keep my progress recorded. I do really REALLY love Homeschool Tracker, as I've stated on my homeschool blog, but in the current arrangement in the house, my computer is upstairs and we do most of our school downstairs. I went back to paper record keeping. I will use my Homeschool Tracker by recording our grades in that, so I can make up a transcript, quick and easy like, when the time comes.
I was trying to find the perfect tool to record and to plan and I realized that what worked for some, didn't work for all classes. I also had two notebooks and two children with two notebooks and it was getting to be a handful to carry around all these books. I tried combining my record keeping with my home management binder, but I found I didn't use it at all because it was HUGE and cumbersome! However, today, I decided just to put our study courses in a 3 ring binder. I have dividers separating the different courses, and I made copies of one simple master sheet that works well. The sheet is simple enough that I can modify it for both kids if they are studying the same material. I can also add a column for listing grades on some assignments, when necessary.
I like pretty. I like unique and creative forms. But when it really comes right down to it... I SOOOO love simple! Simple works. Simple can be easily modified and still look uncluttered. I've realized that I don't need fancy record keeping books. But I do need to have records. So, simple just seems to work all around.
My plans are usually made on loose leaf paper, so sliding that in the appropriate course worked really well. I've tried other planners, I actually like the CLASS record planner book and I like Rod and Staff's simple record keeping book, but with both books, I tend to get ahead in a subject or two and pretty soon I am flipping pages trying to keep track of a full day's work. I've also tried a ring bound notebook or a ring bound project notebook. Those work better, but when we change directions, it is hard to reorganize a ring bound plan. I realized I needed a different system that worked with our style of learning.
I like several things about the new record keeping book. I have both students in ONE book. Everything is clean, simple and clutter free; I have what I need and nothing more. It is only the study subjects, so once books are put away, I put the record book away and it slides away in a drawer. It is a small handy binder, only 1/2 inch wide. I can see it will make school so much easier. AND, I even allowed for some creativity. I used a 1/2 inch 3 ring binder with the clear plastic pockets on the outside, so I can decorate and redecorate as I desire.
I used it the first time today and my oh my did things run smoother and better. I wasn't fumbling for a different book for a different subject. When the girls asked a question, the book was handy for both of them. If I was working on one subject and another came in to ask a question about another subject... I had the information right there...(each divider has the needed sheets filed with finished items filed to the back... so no flipping through all the pages to find the information I needed)... SOOOO NICE!
I know it is hard to believe that I may have stumbled upon something that works, finally, especially since I've only used it one day. But I have a hope and a peace about this that is different than other tries before. Before I wanted something pretty, or something educational looking, something that was like what everyone else was using, or something that made me look intelligent if someone happened to snoop upon it. LOL. All the other ideas were motivated by selfish thoughts in some way or another. I realized that isn't what I needed. I simply needed a way to record our happenings that had some ability to shift and change when I did. I was excited this morning to discover that something so simple can work.
Now parts of my book are parts of systems that I have used in the past... the ones I tend to fall back on when I LOSE my book and when life is busy and I don't have time to fill in all the blank spots in the other planners and record keeping books. That is likely the key to finding success in my record keeping system. They are tools I have used before, but ones I kept running away from because something new caught my eye! When time was scrunched these simple pages worked. When I misplaced my book, or my kids misplaced my book, I could grab a sheet and still work on some planning and add it to the notebook another time. No more running to and fro looking for something better... may my heart be satisfied with simple!
I'd post a picture, but thought that perhaps that wasn't best, afterall, what worked for me was finding those things that I needed to use for my specific area, for my specific family. If you are searching for that perfect tool, consider the fact that perhaps, just perhaps you already have the materials to make your own simple record/planner book. I just used the word processor on my computer to create a simple table that I could print out. It included the items that I needed, period. I placed it into a 3 ring binder, which worked best for me... what I discovered was that the size really made a difference. I've used 1 inch, 1.5 inches, 2 inches, and even a 3 inch binder... but wow a small 1/2 inch binder feels JUST right for me! May you find what works just right for YOU!
Warmly, ~Melissa
March 29, 2008 - College Scholarships...
We are finding out more and more the scholarships available. Wow! We aren't applying for all of them at this time, but I am trying to file them away for the next child on the horizon. For my oldest daughter, we are focusing on our county scholarship. We needed our application in by April 15th. The process entailed that we have a letter of acceptance from a college of our choice. We chose our local community college because our daughter will likely start there to do general ed. classes.
To get our letter of acceptance, we did what every other child in school had to do... submit a copy of our transcript and any college exams taken. We submitted our daughters transcript and her ACT scores. 2 weeks later, we received our acceptance letter.
We submitted our application for the scholarship. As long as we follow the rules of the scholarship, we should have no problems with getting the monies, as the only requisite for receiving the monies are that you live in the county for your junior and senior years of high school. We qualify on that, so our application was just verifying that information and showing our intent to send our daughter to college.
We should find out sometime this coming month what amount the monies will come to. We are told it will be around $4,000. Woo Hoo!
As a side note, my disorganization last year at this time, caused us to not submit in time for last years' scholarship. The students have to apply their senior year... my daughter was in her senior year, last year... however we had a horrible lambing season, which caused our entire household to stop. We didn't do any school during this 3 to 4 month period of having a selenium deficiency lambing flock. We lost many lambs, we had a lamb nursery in the house, we had round the clock schedules so that someone was up taking care of these little lambs that could not care for themselves. Anyways, to make up for this, we had to finish up this fall, she completed the last of her classes by the end of October.
This disruption in schedule had a purpose. God allowed our family time... time to deal with our farm troubles, time to deal with financial struggles, time to finish school, time to test for college. We finished classes this fall, as stated above, then my daugther took her ACT's in October and December. She was a young graduate, so this extension of time was OK... my daughter also came to terms with graduating later than expected by saying... at least it was still 2007! LOL. When I asked about the scholarship this fall, they said it was perfectly OK for my daughter to apply this year, since she didn't officially finish her classes until the public school years, school year 2007-08. God was sooo good to us, that in my disorganization and in my stress, he allowed time for us to heal and still be completely ok with scholarships, testings, transcripts and graduation.
God is so good to us! His timing is perfect!
Warmly, ~Melissa
February 29, 2008 - It is Finished!
It is Finished! (Copy of post from my PRAISE blog)
Now, I don't claim to understand what God must have felt like to finish the creation of the world. No not at all. But, the satisfaction of putting yourself so deeply into a project and pushing yourself to keep at it, to not give in to temptation to do a little less, to finish with the knowledge that you've done the best you were able to do....it had to be a little taste of that great accomplishment.
Thursday morning, I felt that. I finished my daughters high school transcript. Now for some that start this record keeping process early (like before high school!), the process may not be as painful as say... mine was for waiting until the end to figure out how to compile it all together. That is not completely true. I had a plan in the beginning, but it changed each year. My record keeping also changed as I progressed through the past four years and I had to meld it all together to make sense... to be similar in format so that the information made sense to one reading it. I found that people get confused over homeschooler's transcripts, because they are different anyways... and to give them one that had differences within itself... well, I didn't want to do that. The feeling of having it done... completely done was like none other. It was better than finishing that first research paper I had to do in high school. It was better than organizing all the bills and creating a budget. It was simply done and all I could do was smile.
I've come upon a new plan for the coming girls. It is easy to change without creating a bunch of work. I have a new recording program that keeps track of grades, hours, activities, etc. It is fairly easy to change your grading scale, to include weighted grading, to rearrange assignments for courses, etc. So, should I change my mind down the road... I have a program that is ready to work with me.
I praise God for helping me to accomplish this goal. (so does my daughter!) I praise God for standing by my side when I felt so drained and totally exhausted from this project. I simply... Praise God!
Warmly, ~Melissa
February 26, 2008 - Moore Academy
I had been a bit stressed out over school as of lately. I was doing my oldest's transcript (she is done with her schooling... I am not!). Anyways, I was reliving all the frustrations we had with our high school years. Each assignment I had stuffed into these boxes was looked over again and I cringed and cringed and cringed. It was an awful time. As I was doing that, I was looking at my 10th grader floundering in her schooling as well. Now she does some things very well, but some things we picked out for her were just a bad fit.
With the review, I realized I needed something that fit my daughter a bit better. I wanted her happier. I wanted her smiling again. So, I got courage and called the Moore Academy for a consultation. I had never used their service before, so I was unsure what to expect.
I was really pleased with my call. I talked for an hour over several options and we talked about my daughter specifically and we found several options that might fit her a bit better. I was encouraged for what we were doing right. I was encouraged that doing better in other subjects won't be that hard. And I learned some of how to put a class together and how to feel comfortable with figuring credits for a couple of those classes that you know you should do, but what are the normal guidelines.
I also got help with understanding that not all classes have to be quizzes and tests... and if they aren't... how do we grade them? Well, I am so happy and so pleased with the Moore Academy. The counseling session may have been a bit high, but I consider it well worth the money. I have some direction that fits my daughter specifically. I feel confident with our plan for the coming year. And really, they let me plan the year, I asked questions and she answered my questions. I asked about curriculum and she shared the level of difficulty and what wouldn't work for my daughter for sure.
I'd say another thumbs up on a great service! I will definately use it again, should I get into a pickle with our plans! Thanks, Moore Academy!
Warmly, ~Melissa
January 12, 2008 - ACT results for just average homeschoolers....
After taking our first round of the ACT test, my daughter wasn't thrilled with her results. This confirmed her suspicion that her home schooling was "less" than adequate to prepare her for "real life". Our daughter Kate was in "real" school through the 4th grade. We took her out as she was having trouble in several areas and continued to fall further and further behind. We felt God led us to homeschooling and though we were not prepared for the change of our lifestyle, we felt we were doing what was right.
However, our homeschooling had its trials. We weren't part of the elite group that had the brightest students of the nation. Being a homeschooler has alot of expectations. Being an average homeschooler is less than disappointing to many. An average high school student in public school is fine and acceptable, but a homeschooler? You mean your daughter didn't take chemistry? You didn't take Physics? You only took Algebra 1 and Consumer Math? You don't play an instrument? You aren't artistically gifted? My daughter had to meet many of these questions by her lonesome as people questioned her when I was not in her presence. Many with kids my daughter's age wanted to make sure she was adequately being taught, and their disappointment in an average schooler's education was evident in their voices and often times disheartened my daughter. She wasn't good enough in school, and now in her homeschooling, she felt she was failing as well.
On a personal note, Kate enjoyed her education. She enjoyed the homeschooling. She admits she missed out on some social events, but as far as her education was concerned she personally was quite happy with it. She was average in the fact that she wasn't a high achiever. But, she excelled with hands on activities on the farm. She was by her Dad's side when it came to the sheep and she excelled in farm knowledge. She could detect troubles. She took classes on how to detect parasites and the symptoms; she took classes on coat specifications, although too young to get certification, she still did the same courses and did better than many adults in the class. She can pull lambs with the best of them. She has offered her help to other farms with turning lambs during birth and untangling them in the womb. She could run a sheep farm by herself, aside from needing another hand to help with worming or weighing. She knows this, yet others have made her feel that this isn't learning that will help her later in life.... that perhaps she should have applied herself to those more lofty classes like chemistry and physics.
Kate is also is equipped with life skills that many will struggle with early in their marriages, taking years to catch up to her skills. I know this, that is how I left public school... ill equipped to run a home and work within a marriage. I struggled over simple homemaking skills and that really caused a struggle with my early years in marriage. My hope is that her skills will bring less strain to those early years in her own marriage. Kate can cook. She can menu plan. She can clean the house (and the barn!). She knows child rearing, having a baby sister that was born when she was 15yo.
But, still... she's just an average homeschooler. Her first ACT test came back ok. She struggled with timing and admitted that she didn't finish any of the tests on time. She barely had time to read the last 15 questions of each test and make a quick guess.. she admits to filling in circles without even having read the questions. Now, we didn't do much for timed tests at home and this was new to her. Her test scores arrived back at home and they were lower than she had hoped. They were not high enough to get into the college of her choosing. The composite score was high enough, but the math score she needed one more point.
At this point, is when she felt comfirmed in all her fears. She wasn't normal. She wasn't even adequate. She went through stages of grief. The anger was the hardest for me. Anger at Mom for ruining her life. I didn't make her take geometry which the ACT does test over. I gave her choices, but now she wasn't happy that I allowed those choices... I should have known better. She chided me because of her disappointment. We allowed her to visit a friend of many years that lives hours away. We thought this would give her some time to sort out this disappointment. No matter how we said this was first time test jitters, she felt we were wrong... she was just.... stupid. She came back from her friend's with more anger. This mom was more than I could ever be. Her friend (also homeschooled) was excelling, having taken more classes than she was required. She also was nearly finished with an associate degree before even graduating from high school. And their home... spotless, immaculate. I endured a couple weeks of deep criticism before Dad stepped in and told her she had overstepped the limits. Respect was something we had always tried to instill... a good character and hers wasn't shining at that moment. She got over her anger and her pain and we came up with a plan. She admitted she didn't want to be a nurse and really didn't even want to go to this college that she was disappointed that she didn't get high enough scores for. It was just the fact that she couldn't that she was hurting. Our plan was to get through this year and retest.
Last month she took her second ACT test. Her scores came back about two weeks ago. She scored 4 points higher. She ranks just above average in the composite for the state, but like 65% in the nation. She excelled in English... coming back in the 87th percentile for the nation. That was her best subject. And in math she was in 65th percentile...in the geometry/trig part of the test... and she didn't even take geometry or trig! She was a much happier person and you could see relief spelled out on her face. She may be an average homeschooler, with just over average scores on her ACT... that's all she wanted to be... average. She didn't want to be a doctor or an engineer. She didn't want to be the smartest in her "class". She just wanted to be average...not behind like she feared she was, not behind like she was when she was in school. Her life goals were to be a sahm and homeschool her own kids. Maybe do some type of work until marriage, but it was not her goal to have a major career that she would struggle to give up when she married.
I wanted to scream... HOW DARE anyone tell my daughter that her life goals are less than adequate. HOW DARE anyone push their ideals on her making her feel that she should be pitied because of her parents' poor choices. They think she could have been so much more... much more what? She's average... above average in fact. And just because she was homeschooled doesn't mean she had to be an Einstein. And just because she's above average in her college entrance exams doesn't mean she HAS to be something she doesn't want to be, or something she isn't led to be. God is leading her life as we feel He has led us to train her up. She has learned to listen to His voice... as long as she can do that, she has succeeded in our eyes.
Kate came up and gave both Dad and I big hugs. Thankful for her upbringing. Thankful for her schooling. Thankful for our home. Sorry for her outbursts in the past month or two. Both Dh and I knew she had it in her. We knew she was a very smart girl. We just didn't jump the hoops and take every test out there... in fact she hadn't been tested since 7th grade. So yes, we had uncertainty, but we trusted that God had led us down this path and He would see us through. She now has a new sense of identity. Now able to stand with shoulders back. Able to look others in the eyes and say... Hi, I'm Kate... this is ME...
My hope is that this post will encourage other "AVERAGE" homeschoolers. Don't let others put you down for not pushing your child to excel in academics. I'm not talking about ignoring academics, I'm talking about pushing until it hurts. What happens if your child is just average? What happens if your child struggles in reading, in math, in writing? Do we give up? Do we push until it hurts? Or do we pray to God for assistance? If God leads us to be average and focus on other things... do we follow? When others tell us we're doing it wrong, when others cause us to lose focus or feel inadequate, ....DON'T. ... Lean on God... His way works!
Warmly, ~Melissa
November 6, 2007 - Scheduling our ACT test...
Today is another busy day. Among the things that need to get done, I am scheduling my daughter's ACT exam. Beings, we do not test on Saturday, I have to schedule it with the local college. We call them up, and they have to find a test administrator and once that is done, we arrange a date that works for both of us. After that, I need to drive in to the college and fill out the ACT registration form, sign it and my daughter signs it and I pay the $30 fee. Not too bad.
The first time, however, it seemed a bit more confusing and frustrating. I was checking with ACT and calling our local school district and even stopped in to talk with the guidance counselor who assured me she'd check into it and get back to me, which they never got back to me, so I ended up calling our local college. They were glad to help, but they hadn't done it before, so they called ACT themselves to get the information they needed to proceed. Once we figured it out, it went smoothly.... Although still nerve wracking since neither party had "done" it before so we were both cautiously stepping into the ring.
One thing I learned about taking the ACT is that you don't HAVE to take it your junior year of high school. You can take it anytime! Really!!! By anytime, I mean after your graduated, or during your senior year... anytime. The only advantage to taking it the year prior to college is to get your numbers in when you are applying for financial aid... a good score can me good scholarships. My daughter has graduated and we are taking her tests this fall. We hope to apply for financial aid this winter for college next spring. Currently she is working and saving up some money... and still trying to decide what it is she wants to do.
And you can keep retaking it every 60 days, if needed or wanted. Why would one want to do that? Well, the higher your ACT score, the higher the scholarship at many colleges. And for some colleges they want homeschoolers to have a certain ACT or SAT score to be admitted. Many colleges take your highest score, whether it was your first or your last test. The college we were looking at my daughter met the composite score, but she was one point too low on her math (we didn't take geometry). So, we are retaking it in hopes of raising that math score.
There are also lots of ACT study options. If you go to the ACT website, they will suggest their own study book. We found this book at the library and borrowed it for 6 weeks (we renewed it) and it was FREE! We also checked out older books just to give my daughter more practice on math and english type problems. We also got a ACT program for our palm pilot which we had found for $1 at the local office supply store. Lots of the resources are cheap. If you go to the bookstore and find a book you like, check to see if your library has it or can get it on interlibrary loan and save yourself some funds!
So, don't be scared of the ACT test. It is a nice test to take for college entrance. It does not ding you for missed answers, so you can guess on questions you do not know. My daughter struggled with the timing a bit, and she feels that she didn't get through the entire test, so has been working on her speed a bit. Knowing that she just filled in circles for 15 or more problems on each test because she ran out of time, gives her hope that her next test will go more smoothly. We always said... taking the test, there is a learning curve. Don't be afraid to take it twice or be disappointed if the first score isn't as you desired. It sure doesn't mean you are stupid... the score reflects alot of things more than knowledge... (nerves, timing, getting over sitting in a room by yourself with a complete stranger, etc.!)
Warmly, ~Melissa
April 22, 2007 - High School Math
We consider the kids in high school math after they have completed up to lesson 90 of their Saxon 87 math book. Once there, our kids are able to make some choices. We require 2 credits of math, but highly suggest 3. Goal is to complete at least Algebra 1 and a Consumer Math course. The other credit is a matter of choice unless they need a pre-Algebra course.
For High School Math, we like Teaching Textbooks for Algebra 1. We use the Consumer Math Course from Christian Light Education. Other courses have not been tried, other than Saxon Algebra 1/2, which we did not like as it did not agree with our teaching/learning styles.
My second daughter easily jumped from Saxon 87 around lesson 90 into Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1. She has been maintaining an A average so far. With my first daughter we followed Saxon into Algebra and she really struggled through Algebra 1/2... then we tried Holt Algebra and that did not work for us... it was OK, but very college prep oriented which my daughter was not ready for after the Saxon Algebra 1/2. We then tried Algebra 1 Teaching Textbooks and she finally began to smile when it came to math again. What a struggle it was for her and us to find the right curriculum. We are really happy with what we chose. My oldest also used the Consumer math and we plan to use that with each of our daughters. The workbook style of CLE's Consumer Math course was simple and easy to do, yet still had all the required milestones the other courses had.
As for other math courses, we will have to decide on them if they are needed. They would be elective for our children, if they should choose to further their math education.
Warmly, ~Melissa
