Homeschool Year in Review-2021/22-Ben's Senior Year

Wow! The end of an era. I started this blog when I was the awed mother of an infant boy named Ben. I could not imagine or foresee two little girls (and now young women) that would come along. Ben was my introduction to motherhood and it was the most life-changing thing I have ever experienced. 

Ben's health and unique intelligence plus my experience with his public preschool are what spurred me to homeschool him. I just finished reading his senior thesis, "Christian and Biblical Influences on Storytelling" and was again overwhelmed by the amazing person I was able to guide both as parent and primary instructor. It was an honor.

But it is time. Time to send him on to higher education, other influences, and people who can teach  him things that are beyond my scope. And also time to devote even more time and energy to the education of his equally amazing sisters. 

Senior year was by far the most fun I have had homeschooling. Here's what Ben's senior year looked like in addition to Debate and his part-time job as a facilitator for fun at Kokomo's Family Fun Center. 

Ben took these classes: 

Business Math -  Ben is decidedly not going to be pursing a STEM career and Business Math was a  good final math course that he could take with Kyrie. We used Abeka's Business Math. Both kids thought it was really useful and enjoyed the course. I thought it was too easy, and outdated (still teaching 1040A and 1040EZ with no mention of online filing), and taught things in a really weird order. The very last section covers personal banking, after covering accounting procedures, real estate, etc.... We all agreed the subject was really worthwhile, but I wouldn't use this curriculum again. Ben had added assignments--doing his taxes, for instance, that prepared him for the real world. Course-A; Curriculum-C. 

Physics - We used Novare Physics and followed the course syllabus which provides a schedule, quizzes and tests, and experiments. This course focuses on mastery and there is a continual review process, particularly in the quizzes which are comprehensive and focus on written answers. The lab consists of 6 labs and lab reports and are expensive and some were just too elaborate to carry out for a homeschool course. We did most of the labs, an extensive lab report, and added in some similar but simpler labs. I really liked this curriculum a lot, but the lab portions would work better in a co-op or school situation. 

World Literature -This was online discussion course through Center for Lit. The book choices are great and the online instruction is good, but for the price we paid, there is no feedback to the student on the 15 short essay assignments. Ben found this disappointing. He worked hard on his essays and shared some of his ideas with me. This summer he was able to lead a book group discussion on his favorite book, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Center for Lit offers the content of the online interactive discussions at a much cheaper cost and that might be a better option for someone who wants guided discussion. Ben read: The Aeneid, The Odyssey, Beowolf, Job, selections from The Canterbury Tales, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and The Great Divorce. Wrote 15 short essays, usually two on each book. I also had him read Les Miserables outside of the course. 

AP Comparative Government  - This was an online class through PA Homeschoolers AP Online Classes taught by Julia Reed. This course delivered exactly what I hoped for, offering a Ben a real challenge in an area he was interested in. Mrs. Reed, retired lieutenant colonel (Air Force) offered excellent instruction, communicated with students individually, and employed three T.A.'s (one a Hillsdale student, another a student at Oxford) who offered online study sessions and feedback. The technology used (Canvas), the methodology, and the quality of instruction were by far the best of our online classes.

Rhetoric - We used Rhetoric Alive: Principles of Persuasion which utilized great speeches throughout history to learn the five canons of rhetoric to form speeches (deliberative, ceremonial and judicial) using pathos, ethos, and logos. Ben wrote speeches and presented to them family and grew in his spoken communication. Loved this curriculum. 

Introduction to Film - Ben took this class (self-paced, online) with a friend through Film School 4 Teens. Taught by a filmmaker whose wife homeschools their own kids, this was a great course and we watched some great movies as part of the course. Ben had learned much of the technical content at Taylor University's Film Camp before his senior year, but he definitely enjoyed it. He completed the course by February and proceeded to make two films, The Tower of Hats, which took second place at the Envision Film Festival (high school division) at Taylor, and The Omega Grindset, which he debuted at his high school graduation. 

The Divine Comedy (Honors) -Ben read The Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso by Dante Aligheiri and watched a short video on each through 100 Days of Dante.  Originally he wrote short written responses to questions, but as he was frustrated by lack of responses and ability to discuss in his world literature course, I averted course and we discussed each chapter and video in class together. He kept a journal and wrote a final senior thesis titled: “Christian and Biblical Influences on Storytelling" which examined Dante's influence as well as other notable writers (of books, a television series, and a video game. We both loved walking through this together; it was a true capstone for Ben to examine Dante's growth in faith and his amazing impact on the world of storytelling.