sandi wrote:What are your thoughts on this. Have any of your children done this while continuing to use mfw high school? I want him to be able to do the history and world view parts of mfw. Any thoughts on how you continued on while doing dual enrollment would be appreciated. Sorry, first high schooler. He is a junior working on WHL. He would enter dual enrollment in January. What are some of the classes they took. Sorry if this didnt' make sense. I'm in bed sick.ARGGGGHHH
Having alittle struggle concentrating.
Hi Sandi,
My son is an 11th grader and he's doing dual enrollment this semester. I hesitate to say a lot until the end of the semester, when the proof is in the pudding as they say, but I can tell you what's going on so far.
Reid has used MFW from 3rd grade and continues to use it now. He's also enrolled in precalculus (algebra 3?) and Latin 1 through Minnesota's PSEO this semester. Next semester he's signing up for precalculus (trig etc?) and psychology (we are applying for those this week already). He has an idea of going into medicine and made his choices based on that (the Latin wasn't my idea and scared me a lot!).
Minnesota has several advantages for 11th graders that made the difference for me. (1) First, it's free, and free is nice
Even the textbooks are paid for, although you must return them. (Well, the taxpayer pays, but it's a low rate which the schools accept as space is available.) (2) Second, there is a somewhat "sheltered" program through a large homeschool co-op, where college profs come and teach classes of only homeschoolers. I imagine the reason they're willing to do this is because they are trying to get these students to attend their college once they graduate. Anyways, I wasn't sure about putting my 11th grader in a class of "adults," so this option was nice. Also, both of the colleges my son is enrolled through are Christian colleges (1 class through each). I am especially pleased with the Christian perspective that is offered in the psychology course he wants to take next.
He did have to visit one of the actual college campuses for a day of orientation and bookstore, so he got a little taste of a campus. It was a PSEO orientation for students in pubic and homeschool, whether their classes met on campus or not, so all students were talked to equally. They were told that they would not be treated any differently than older students.
In 12th grade, my son will have to go on-campus if he takes calculus, because it isn't offered by anyone off-campus. He is leaning towards continuing at a Christian college. There is a community college very near our house, but he says he may not be ready for secular schools
I looked into doing college courses online, too, but that seemed too isolating and too impersonal for my particular son. He actually does do almost all of his math course online, but I'm glad he has the professor there once a week to teach in person, as well as other students with the exact same assignments to motivate him.
I am pleased with my son's ability to rise to this level of work. He's asked both professors if they offer extra credit, and they have both told him that he doesn't need it, so that sounds like a good sign to me. I've also seen him go to class early to prep for a test, write out charts with a pencil which he rarely uses at home, and control his temper when he has to re-do a 3-hour math test because he ran out of time on the computer clock (they are allowed two chances on tests so far, with the second test being different than the first).
Time is the biggest difficulty. There is only so much time. My son is very social and is constantly involved in activities. And I consider rest and family to be very important for health. But starting in the spring with applications and into the summer with 3 orientations, time has been an issue.
Some of the time issues we've wrestled with:
1. At the orientation, it seemed like a lot of the homeschooled kids were not doing a lot at home, or mostly do homeschool in January when college is on break. However, I am still expecting my son to do 4 other classes at home because we cannot drop Bible, English, History, or Science.
2. Some of the homeschoolers running the program encouraged me to allow one math course to suffice for the year of math, probably having him place in the higher math this semester and then stopping for the year. However, my son and I wanted him to start "college" in a comfortable place, rather than the highest course he tested into. We also want him to keep up with math all year because it's one of his strengths, and not take a whole semester off. And finally, his current math course is only 3 college credits, and I've decided not to give a full high school year's credit for college classes that are less than 4 credits (I'm giving 0.25 high school credit per 1 college credit), which is a personal decision I had to make.
3. I know from my older son's experience in public school, he didn't get to drop other subjects just because he was dual enrolled. However, sometimes by 12th grade, public schooled students aren't taking math or electives or sometimes other subject areas aren't specifically required to be taken all 4 years. So that will be something to look at when my son gets to 12th grade.
4. Applications are due EARLY. Sometimes you have to make decisions way before you really know how your student is doing or what your student is ready for. 1st semester apps were due starting in April, 2nd semester starting November 1st. Applications required quite a bit of mom-work at our house. For instance, I had to have the transcript fully graded, had to make sure he took the test required for admission, and had to find 2 non-family members to vouch for my son's academic abilities.
5. Here is the time that is "taken away" from our important homeschool subjects this semester, and you'll see it's a big chunk almost every day.
a. 2 hours of math class on Mondays, then a 2.5 hour gap where it's hard to come home, then 2 hours of Latin class.
b. Large Latin assignment due before class on Thursday (assignments are clocked and may not be 1 minute late, for any class). This is 4 credits - we're talking 2 chapters of Wheelock's Latin plus translations of like 20 sentences, every week.
c. Latin class for 2 hours on Thursday.
d. Large math assignment due on Friday by 6 p.m.
e. Other assignments and math tests may be due at other random times, even on Sundays (which could be done early, but of course I've never seen my son do anything early).
So as you see, I don't make these decisions lightly. In the end, at my house I'm glad my particular son is taking up this challenge. He has 2 men teachers whom he respects and obeys. However, I still don't want to let go of the important MFW courses that will build his character in meaningful ways, keep him in the Bible daily, teach important concepts in History and Government from my family's worldview, and work seriously on his ability to communicate his worldview in English. My particular background is that my oldest son was never homeschooled and he turned out to be a fine young man, but I treasure the chance to homeschool my younger 2 through high school, and even good Christian professors and passionate homeschool organizers are not the folks I really want to be in charge of my son's education while he is still "mine."
Wow, sorry so long.
Julie
! 
) PSEO.