I'm going to exercise my parental bragging rights for a moment here. (You've been forewarned.)
Just before Christmas break Bethany finished her Algebra book, which covers Algebra I and Algebra II. (Side note: Jacobs Algebra covers all the Algebra topics from Saxon Algebra I and Algebra II, but does not cover Geometry.) While I'm a bit shaken by this in my 11 year old, I'm also proud of her. She whizzed through dividing polynomials--which had stumped Rachel and me for several weeks-- without even batting an eyelash. She just "got" it-- all of it. She should be doing Geometry next, but Elizabeth has taken the Geometry book to work with her (so she can work on it when she gets there early), so Bethany will do Mathematics, A Human Endeavor next. It covers probability, statistics and some other stuff, but is quite a bit easier than the Algebra book she just finished. I think it will only take her a couple of months to finish, since she already knows most of it. (Much of this she knows from reading the Murderous Maths series several times through.) Hopefully by then Elizabeth will be done with Geometry. (I'd really like Bethany to be able to take math through the EPGY program online from Stanford University, where you work at your own pace with a tutor. But... it's not free, which is our only price range right now, so we'll work with the books we have.)
This last fall Elizabeth, Joshua and Bethany all took the PSAT and did quite well. Their scores went in order with their ages-- oldest scoring highest-- but still Bethany (the youngest of the three) scored in the 50th percentile of juniors planning to attend college. Again, I'm a bit shaken by this, but also proud of her.
Some people have said to me that my kids are bright because they are homeschooled. Actually, they are homeschooled because they are bright. Public school just wasn't working out. They did not gain IQ points by staying home. They did gain the freedom to explore their interests and work at their own paces. Elizabeth would never have been able to write books or make movies if she was in school 8 hours a day. And Bethany would be in 6th grade doing 6th grade work, if she hadn't been suspended for rebelling long ago. She would not be up in her room right now making a chart of sub-atomic particles to put up next to her horse posters. I do believe there are a lot more bright kids out there who get squashed into the public school mold (to the best of their teacher's abilities) and who appear rebellious, uninterested, hyperactive, stubborn, and rude, but who in fact just need to be allowed to learn, instead of being forced to attend school.
Book Recommendation of the Day: Genius Denied, by the Davidsons. If you have an unusually bright child who is attending public or private school, PLEASE read this book and buy copies for her teacher, principal and school councilor. If the country would follow the advice in this book we would find bright happy kids in schools.
Just before Christmas break Bethany finished her Algebra book, which covers Algebra I and Algebra II. (Side note: Jacobs Algebra covers all the Algebra topics from Saxon Algebra I and Algebra II, but does not cover Geometry.) While I'm a bit shaken by this in my 11 year old, I'm also proud of her. She whizzed through dividing polynomials--which had stumped Rachel and me for several weeks-- without even batting an eyelash. She just "got" it-- all of it. She should be doing Geometry next, but Elizabeth has taken the Geometry book to work with her (so she can work on it when she gets there early), so Bethany will do Mathematics, A Human Endeavor next. It covers probability, statistics and some other stuff, but is quite a bit easier than the Algebra book she just finished. I think it will only take her a couple of months to finish, since she already knows most of it. (Much of this she knows from reading the Murderous Maths series several times through.) Hopefully by then Elizabeth will be done with Geometry. (I'd really like Bethany to be able to take math through the EPGY program online from Stanford University, where you work at your own pace with a tutor. But... it's not free, which is our only price range right now, so we'll work with the books we have.)
This last fall Elizabeth, Joshua and Bethany all took the PSAT and did quite well. Their scores went in order with their ages-- oldest scoring highest-- but still Bethany (the youngest of the three) scored in the 50th percentile of juniors planning to attend college. Again, I'm a bit shaken by this, but also proud of her.
Some people have said to me that my kids are bright because they are homeschooled. Actually, they are homeschooled because they are bright. Public school just wasn't working out. They did not gain IQ points by staying home. They did gain the freedom to explore their interests and work at their own paces. Elizabeth would never have been able to write books or make movies if she was in school 8 hours a day. And Bethany would be in 6th grade doing 6th grade work, if she hadn't been suspended for rebelling long ago. She would not be up in her room right now making a chart of sub-atomic particles to put up next to her horse posters. I do believe there are a lot more bright kids out there who get squashed into the public school mold (to the best of their teacher's abilities) and who appear rebellious, uninterested, hyperactive, stubborn, and rude, but who in fact just need to be allowed to learn, instead of being forced to attend school.
Book Recommendation of the Day: Genius Denied, by the Davidsons. If you have an unusually bright child who is attending public or private school, PLEASE read this book and buy copies for her teacher, principal and school councilor. If the country would follow the advice in this book we would find bright happy kids in schools.
posted by Rebecca =) | 1:56 PM
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