choirfarm
Hive Mind Level 4 Worker: Builder Bee Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 229

How in the world will this work???

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As I start planning out next year, I'm looking at things and... how in the world does all of this fit??? I have always tried to do the child's worst subject in the morning while they are fresh. But now there are so many that are tough. My oldest has always been independent and has required very little of me for math, science or TOG, but I will need to watch the Chalkdust Geometry videos, help him adjust to rhetoric level TOG and we are considering dropping co-op for next year so I would have to do labs??? Also, house set up. There are tables in the living room and kitchen, but the piano is in the living room. (Boys practice twice a day.) So if someone is practicing then I can't help my daughter as we can't think. The playroom also has a table, but that is where the computer and VCR are, so if someone is doing something on the computer or watching a lesson, once again it would distract me and/or my daughter. The logistics are mind boggling. Here is next year:

Brian- 9th grade
Piano (either living room)
Chalkdust Geometry (video in playroom for instruction, I will need to watch too)
Chemistry- Either Apologia with Teaching Company videos or Thinkwell ( so either playroom computer or DVD player)
TOG year 3- ( requires Monday conference with me and Friday discussion time. He has been completely independent for this, but will move up to rhetoric this year. Literature is going to kill him and will require me to walk with him as this is his weakest area. Most of this could be done anywhere, but papers are done on the computer in the playroom)
Computer Course (computer in playroom)
Rosetta Stone ( computer in playroom)
IEW Essay Intensive- sort of independent, but writing is his weakest skill and he will need work with me to bring him to honors level 9th grade work

Jonathan- 7th grade
Piano ( living room)
TT Prealgebra ( computer in playroom)This is his weakest subject and often needs tutoring from me throughout the year.
Apologia General Science- will require some of my involvement, especially the first chapter as I will have to teach him HOW to read a textbook and how to study for an upper level science course. Gradually be more independent as the year progresses.
TOG- English and History ( Monday conference with me and Friday discussion time) Very independent, but needs writing assignment input from me
Rosetta Stone ( computer in playroom)
Handwriting/Wordly Wise/RS
Typing Course- (computer in playroom)

Megan- 2nd grade
Vision Therapy- my involvement ( my bedroom)
Violin- requires my involvement (my bedroom)
Phonics- my involvement
Math- my involvement
Handwriting
TOG- either me or boys
Apologia Astronomy??- my involvement


I am going insane. This doesn't count figuring out where piano and violin lessons go as well as vision therapy once a week at the office. Oh,yes and taking care of my disabled father who has now been diagnosed with bladder and lung cancer, but his lung funtion is so bad, they are just watching them as he couldn't tolerate surgery... Sigh

Christine

Christine~

Your plate is full! I don't have anything breath taking to provide insight except this- You don't have to start everything all at once. Maybe start science a couple weeks later than everything else to spead out some of the "high mommy need" stuff. Maybe give your two oldest blocks of computer time to get all their computer stuff done during. Don't schedule it all out for them, just provide them the time block. Utilize bedroom floor space for teaching your second grader so that you can have quiet even if computer and piano are being used.

Vision Therapy is overwhelming in and of itself! We finished 40 weeks of it for my then 5th grader last summer. Daily therapy and weekly 4 hour round trips for therapy at the office was wearing on all of us. Let me encourage you' however, I now have a son that loves to read, no longer cries when he has to write an essay (before a sentece was horrible), and admits that all the work was worth it! I'm taking my struggling 3rd grader to be evaluated next week..... Round two Lord, really?

May peace flood your heart, and may therapy bring life long rewards to your house as it has ours!

God bless!

Hi Christine,
A few random thoughts for you that might spur on some ideas...quite long...

*Why do you require your boys to practice piano twice a day? Could they be required to practice one longer session after school is over? (When my piano-playing son wanted to practice during school hours, we required him to use the keyboard instead of the piano. By doing so, he could plug in his headphones in such a way that the rest of us couldn't hear his playing.)

*Why do you want to have Brian do honors level essay-writing when that's his weakest skill? I'd personally suggest you stick to TOG's writing assignments and remember that drop by drop the bucket is full.

*Remember that you can use 9th grade as a transition year. I usually suggest that you do rhetoric history and dialectic literature. And yes, you can count them both as high school credits. (NOT a high school lit credit, but as part of an "English I" credit.)

*Can you save up the money for a laptop for your 9th grader? It looks like it would be very helpful to have an extra computer so that both the 9th and 7th graders can be working at the same time.

*I usually suggest that once you start teaching full-fledged keyboarding (6th or 7th grade), you no longer need to do a formal handwriting course. Thus, Jonathan could give up "handwriting."

*You are also adding vocabulary to Jonathan's schedule. If you'd like, you can use the UG vocabulary words in TOG and just require him to write the definitions on file cards. Then, on Friday, he hands you the cards and you quiz him on them.

*If you are doing General Science with Jonathan, I'd suggest you just "drag along" Megan and not do something separate. Just find library books for her on the same subject that he's reading about that week. She can do drawings that display what she's learned.

*I nearly always taught all of my subjects with all kids together. For instance, with a 9th and 7th grader, I'd try to do physical science with BOTH of them. I don't know if that's an option for you this year or not...

Hope this gives you a few ideas...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DanaCinTN:
Hi Christine,
A few random thoughts for you that might spur on some ideas...quite long...

*Why do you require your boys to practice piano twice a day? Could they be required to practice one longer session after school is over? Well, it takes them two thirty minute sessions and they still don't get through all of their music. They are currently playing 8 to 9 full length pieces. They have 3 different competitions coming up. Someone else suggested headphones and we do have an electronic weighted keyboard where they could do this.
*Why do you want to have Brian do honors level essay-writing when that's his weakest skill? I'd personally suggest you stick to TOG's writing assignments and remember that drop by drop the bucket is full.I guess because I 'm trying to get him ready for the PSAT the following year. His scores for regular testing will probably get him a National Merit scholar. I guess that is why.

*Remember that you can use 9th grade as a transition year. I usually suggest that you do rhetoric history and dialectic literature. And yes, you can count them both as high school credits. (NOT a high school lit credit, but as part of an "English I" credit.)Yep, that is what I was thinking. But I was worried about him being behind and I know it would be tougher at the local high school.

*Can you save up the money for a laptop for your 9th grader? It looks like it would be very helpful to have an extra computer so that both the 9th and 7th graders can be working at the same time. He own a laptop, actually and we also have a computer in the study. The probelm is that things like TT and/or Rosetta Stone will only work on one computer. But I guess he could do his writing on it, unless his dad has stolen it to use at his office occasionally.

*I usually suggest that once you start teaching full-fledged keyboarding (6th or 7th grade), you no longer need to do a formal handwriting course. Thus, Jonathan could give up "handwriting."

*You are also adding vocabulary to Jonathan's schedule. If you'd like, you can use the UG vocabulary words in TOG and just require him to write the definitions on file cards. Then, on Friday, he hands you the cards and you quiz him on them.Once again, I guess I was thinking testing type vocab.. He can tell me all the definitions to the TOG ones. To be honest, I haven't done much grammar, spelling or vocab, but their test scores are really high in those areas. But what about SAT/PSAT

*If you are doing General Science with Jonathan, I'd suggest you just "drag along" Megan and not do something separate. Just find library books for her on the same subject that he's reading about that week. She can do drawings that display what she's learned.

*I nearly always taught all of my subjects with all kids together. For instance, with a 9th and 7th grader, I'd try to do physical science with BOTH of them. I don't know if that's an option for you this year or not...Oldest has already done Apologia General Physical and is currently doing Biology, so he really needs high school level. And Genreal Science is going to be a HUGE stretch for my lazy middle son. He will actually have to learn how to read and study a textbook. He always does better with living books.

Hope this gives you a few ideas...[It does. You are so sweet. People aslo advised me on another board to use earphones for the computer as well, which will help a lot./QUOTE]

What about using a portable dvd player for the math? Then, while the other 2 are doing their stuff in the computer room, you can be in an unused room with the dvd player.