OK, I’m planning this coming year which leads to “where will be going the next 6 years”. I had to take a year off homeschooling and had a friend homeschool for me this year. She did MFW world geography this past year with my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Now, I’m trying to get back on track and preparing my 5th year like I originally planned. Here is my dilemma.
I’m looking at the later years and where will each of my kids be when we get there. If we jump right in and start module 1 this fall, my oldest will finish all 6 modules and graduate. But then that leaves my next two students with an extra year for one and two more years with my youngest. Do we start over in the modules? In my type A personality it seems very wrong to finish school in the middle of a module. I KNOW I am over thinking this. But it’s late and I’m getting very frustrated with myself for working last year and not plugging away as I planned in my CM school. So, my questions are:
1. For those with older students going through SCM modules, did you graduate your students when they were ready no matter where they were in the modules?
2. If so, what does that look like? Is it even something to think about or does it not really matter?
I don’t want to hold my oldest back anymore and I don’t want to frustrate my youngest with trying to keep up with him oldest brother.
Please give me some advice from those who are way beyond where I am. Thank you so much.
My thoughts are this, as a former HS teacher, though I have not schooled my own yet that far.
Relax! Yes, some of your kids will finish their modules during the middle of HS. But honestly, i went thru PS and never learned anything chronologically. I see two ways to solve this.
1) Go back and redo the early modules in more depth, as there is a good chance some info would have been forgotten in 6 years. Also, the older age and hopefully deeper maturity will allow a more in-depth analysis of the ancient cultures…could make for some interesting discussions, biblically, as well as some great comparative exposotory writing assignments.
2) Allowing the child to choose a time period of great interest and to study it in depth, from many angles – almost a self-directed unit study (which you would guide, and help to plan, of course), so that s/he could really work on those higher level critical thinking skills that are really developing by the end of HS. Using the SCM Modules as a guide or starting point, an amazing course/exploration could be planned. Think of all the final culminating projects/portfolios/papers that could be done for this! oooh! It excites me, and I’m not even there yet!
I think, yes, just make sure your students have had enough documented credit hours for History, and then when it is time to graduate, let them graduate where they are.
And remember your goals for homeschooling. Are you looking to make sure they know a bazillion things? Or do you want them to be excited, self-directed learners, who are in the world, not of it, and making a difference? Who add productively to society? Where they are in Hisotry when they graduate probably won’t have much bearing on that!
“I think, yes, just make sure your students have had enough documented credit hours for History, and then when it is time to graduate, let them graduate where they are.
And remember your goals for homeschooling. Are you looking to make sure they know a bazillion things? Or do you want them to be excited, self-directed learners, who are in the world, not of it, and making a difference? Who add productively to society? Where they are in Hisotry when they graduate probably won’t have much bearing on that!”
I typed up a response to this and then clicked the wrong button. sigh. However, the quote above is the gist of my post. I do have a nearly 17 yo who will graduate mid-cycle. My goal, though, is to have children who know how to learn and love to do so, so I’m really not worried about it. She will have completed all state requirements as well as all of my requirements, so all is good.
As a side note, I did ask what my dd wanted to cover before she graduated, and she wanted to go over the ancients again since it had been a while since we’ve done that. I also think that she made a good choice with this, so our whole family is following her schedule, just at their own level. When my 14 yo graduates, she will do so at the end of the SCM cycle. My 10 yo will likely be mid-cycle like my 17 yo. In the end, they will all have everything they need to continue to learn and grow their whole life, God willing, and that’s the most important thing to me.
That is great advice. I was forgetting the big picture. Love of learning should be the goal. I am making a big deal about getting it all in and doing it in order. Thank you ladies!
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