Year in Review: Everleigh, 8th, and Kyrie, 11th

It was the strangest of years, but probably one where I learned more about teaching than ever before. It was also the year where I embraced our classical teaching model which means putting it all on a transcript in one calendar year is tricky. I met with yet another admissions counselor who told me what Assoc. Director of Admissions Rachelle Reitz would have told Homeschooling Mom Rachelle Reitz: "Just pick a year and put the credit there." He told me to make it easy to see what she had studied...When and how was less important. 

I like orderliness, but learning is messy. And flexibility makes for better learning. 

Everleigh warmed my heart by loving the Humanities. Math was a struggle and I had to abandon the plan and regroup. I learned a lot along the way. Here's out it all worked out. 

Math-We started with Jacobs Algebra and 3 months into the year, it was clear it was not working.  Kyrie loved Jacobs, but Everleigh was really struggling and I was pretty sure we were dealing with something major. We ended up getting her assessed where it was recommended she backtrack and shore up her pre-algebra skills and hold off until high school to start Algebra because she was struggling with abstract concepts. I went looking for something better and found some used half-year Singapore Dimensions 7A books. I tentatively purchased them and started going through the first book with her. It was an amazing transformation. This curricula follows the British method, which doesn't break up Algebra and Geometry but intertwines them. It also teaches it so well with real-life problems that are challenging and don't feel contrived. This reviewer rightly quoted a math teacher who said using Singapore Dimensions made her realize she was taught to “do math” but not to “think mathematically.” My own understanding of math has expanded exponentially in the  months since Everleigh and I started using Dimensions. It takes my involvement but she has seen her math understanding grow and we will continue with Dimensions through the final level (8A and 8B) which covers Algebra I and a lot of Geometry. We are finishing up 7B this summer. The challenge is that there are no "tests" so I am using the workbook to review and then the review in the primary text becomes a test for each chapter.

Earth Science -It was my first time using Novare Earth Science and I did use the Experiment Guide and resources from Classical Academic Press. I loved the thoroughness of this text--the learning objectives, vocabulary, and exercises are helpful, but even better was the beautiful and thorough text. Everleigh and I still discuss the weather, storm types, and everything we learned this year. Novare is excellent about grounding students in the scientific method, having respect for science while also recognizing limitations on human knowledge and the need to keep seeking and asking questions. 

Writing and Literature - Everleigh has moved through the Writing and Rhetoric series faster than her siblings and completed the Description portion of Description and Impersonation last school year. This fall she finished up the Impersonation portion, learning to write in the voice of four writers using the modes of persuasion. She then started Thesis Part 1. This is a complete transition from the Logic to Rhetoric and involves knowing your own voice and we made it part-way through before I wondered if we had arrived too early. So we moved to literature guides from Classical Academic Press and a focus on discussion, annotation, and reading for themes. We started with C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe which includes some essays from Mere Christianity and The Weight of Glory. Ev took off, finishing it in record time, learning to form her own discussions questions from reading, and then writing about literature. I hadn't planned to keep going, but she moved into The Screwtape Letters with ease. I think this understanding of literature has prepared her to go back and work on thesis writing with confidence and greater understanding.

American Origins - As a Humanities lover (with a BA in Humanities to prove it), I was thrilled when Classical Academic Press rolled out its Humanitas curriculum. I watched webinars and tentatively embarked on American Origins a little early because I couldn't wait. This is a high school curriculum and it uses primary texts. We were reading Samuel Rutherhood, John Locke, and Thomas Paine and I wondered if I needed to change course. Interestingly, Everleigh loved it and just when I was going to put it aside as too much too soon, told me it was her favorite subject. So we worked through one semester's material in a whole year and focused on discussion and short written responses. Unlike most of Classical Academic Press's curriculum, the teacher's guide is not that helpful. I can't pull it out in the morning and have a schedule laid out for me with quizzes and assignments. I think it might be daunting for a lot of homeschooling parents. Having said that, I love the beauty of the texts, incorporating primary texts with short blurbs about what is going on in the world (history, science, art, etc....) at the time. Origins covered a lot of history, but also the framework for the American experiment, an early political philosophy source. It takes some work, but this is the stuff I read in college, presented beautifully. 

The Art of Argument and Discovery of Deduction - It's my third time through informal and formal logic and I am still learning more. I love these cornerstones of Classical Academic Press's logic sequence most. Everleigh did so well, we finished up Art of Argument and just kept going. She will finish Deduction next year, but she is nearly there. 

Art History - I have studied Art History as part of my Humanities degree and was just looking for a guide to help me remember all the names, movements, and styles I didn't want to forget. I would never recommend Short Lessons in Art History or the corresponding activity guide (which we never used) to someone who didn't have that background. It was ugly (for an art book), and not as comprehensive as I would have liked. But it did help me form a backbone to which I added videos on artists (from Khan Academy and other sources) and a number of museum visits. Our most recent visit (to Buffalo AKG Art Museum) had my daughters pointing out painting, sculptures, and drawings by more than 24 artists we had studied. Everleigh has a good eye and weekly responses to art, pointing out distinctives and commenting on what she liked and didn't like, helped develop her artistic senses. 

Religion -  A low key once a week reading of Credo, to solidify the faith through the Apostle's Creed.

There have been some challenges with Kyrie this year; in particular, she is uncertain of what she wants to do next, so it has been hard to determine what classes she should take and what requirements to follow. So trying to figure out a vocation or path of study has taken over her headspace, and mine. She does better with outside competition and accountability and benefited from group and online classes.

Math - Kyrie is a perfectionist and math has taken her some time. She excelled at Algebra, but she had both Business Math and Geometry since taking it and had forgotten a lot. We used this course for Algebra II and Trigononometry but this is past my level of math and we were buried pretty quickly. We found a tutor and relaxed the pace so she could really get it. She is just about to wrap it up and we are both so ready.

Chemistry - After loving her Biology lab intensive with Greg Landry, we had an amazing discount on his online Chemistry course and we jumped at it. Kyrie loved this course and after rejecting any STEM-related professions, began considering something science related. 

Economics - Once again, competing in Debate, her debate coach wanted everyone to have Economics. I taught this half-credit course to 20+ kids using Lessons for the Young Economist. Kyrie coupled this half-credit course with selected lessons from What Everyone Should Know about Wealth and Prosperity by James D. Gwartney, Dwight R. Lee, Richard Stroup, et al and from Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell.

World Literature: The Divine Comedy - A friend asked if I would teach her daughter the course I did with Ben his senior year. We did 100 Days of Dante with a group of six 10th-12th graders, meeting weekly to discuss, keeping a journal, and writing a full-paper on some aspect of the Comedia. Kyrie thrived and thoroughly enjoyed having friends to the house once a week.

Rhetoric - Using Rhetoric Alive! Book 1: Principles of Persuasion, Kyrie studied the five canons, three types of speeches, and three appeals, and gave twelve presentations. She also competed in Impromptu Speech competition at four different speech and debate tournaments, scoring well and competing in finals in two tournaments.

Art History - I have studied Art History as part of my Humanities degree and was just looking for a guide to help me remember all the names, movements, and styles I didn't want to forget. I would never recommend Short Lessons in Art History or the corresponding activity guide (which we never used) to someone who didn't have that background. It was ugly (for an art book), and not as comprehensive as I would have liked. But it did help me form a backbone to which I added videos on artists (from Khan Academy and other sources) and visits to University of Michigan Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Newfields (Indianapolis Art Museum), Detroit Institute of Art, Saginaw Art Museum and Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Kyrie took notes and seemed to relish this course.