Here's a peek into which homeschooling resources are working well and not-so-well for my 17yo and 14yo, as well as our new curriculum and areas of focus for the coming semester.
Although I do the bulk of our homeschool planning in July, by January it is time for a mid-year review. The intent of our mid-year review is to look at the following with regards to our home school:
What has been working well?
What needs to be improved?
What needs to be removed from our curriculum?
Is there anything new to focus on?
What specific needs does each child have over the next few months?
The whole process of our mid-year review takes about 2 hours. For more info on how we do mid-year homeschooling planning, go here:
2024-25 Midyear Review: Things That Need Improvement or Adjustment
Liberal Arts Mentoring Program
For Fall 2024, both of my kids signed up for Thomas Jefferson Education High (TJED High), which is a classics-based liberal arts mentoring program. In TJED High, the youths read one or two books per week in conjunction with mentoring videos and an online forum, where they can discuss the readings with peers and mentors.
The pacing of this program is very fast, so I knew this would be a bit like jumping into the deep end for my 14yo son Ian. Nonetheless, I thought it would be good for Ian as he moves into self-directed high school in showing him how to work a bit harder and steadier.
Overall, the program worked well for both of the kids; they read many classic books and were able to take their learning to the next level by discussing the books with their peers. However, by the middle of November, Ian was feeling really burned out and had a hard time continuing through the end of the semester. This is totally okay and I had expected it would probably happen, as my 17yo daughter Alina experienced the same a few years ago when she first used the program.
My kids will not be continuing with TJED High for the coming semester, but it's likely we'll come back around to it in a future school year. Instead, I will be launching a new teens classic book group locally (more about that below under New Areas of Focus).
Uber-Busy
Between homeschooling, the kids' activities, my natural healthcare practice, serving as Vice President of the Raw Milk Institute, plus my advocacy work, my life has gotten incredibly busy over the last few years. Many weeks feel like whirlwinds 😝, with barely enough time to catch my breath.
This means that I'm not spending as much time as I'd like to on homeschooling or self-care. Beyond saying "no" to additional activities, I don't really have a plan for how to fix this.
It may be that in the season of life we're in, combined with the urgent need to fix things for future generations, my life is just going to stay very busy. Nonetheless, I will strive to find ways for us all to get some regular down-time, quiet moments, and time in nature.
2024-25 Midyear Review: Things That Are Working Well
The following things have been working especially well over the last semester.
Diving Deeper in Our History Studies
We're still using a 4-year-cycle for history and are working on our 3rd iteration of 1850-modern history this year. This year I'm incorporating scientists and inventions alongside our history studies.
Since my kids are older now, we are using America: The Last Best Hope by William Bennett as our history "spine" book for the year. This book is written for adults so, in comparison to prior history books, this one is taking a lot longer to read out loud and discuss as we go along. Instead of feeling rushed and "behind," we're just leaning into it and digging deeper for a greater understanding of this historical period.
Generally, each semester we alternate between focusing on science or history. This reduces the stress over trying to fit it all in and allows us to dig deeper into specific topics. So, I had planned for us to study history in the Fall and then switch over to Physics in January. But we are nowhere near completing the history study.
After discussing it with my kids, we've decided to continue on with history for now. It will probably take us a full year or more, and that's okay. It does mean that the Physics unit is going to have to wait until summer or Fall 2025. I'm choosing to be okay with that, let go of the stress, and go with the flow. 😎
Euclidian Geometry Plus Incentives
My kids started studying Euclid's Elements as part of TJED High last semester. Although they were only required to read a little Euclid for one week of the program, both of my kids became interested in learning more.
We're still using Life of Fred for our math studies during our all-together school time ~2x/week, but my kids each have a goal of working on math independently for an hour weekly. So they are both choosing to study Euclid during their independent math studies. The Geometry Tutor videos have been helpful alongside Euclid's writings.
There have been a few hiccups for my kids in meeting their goal of an hour of math weekly. This is okay and part of the process as they learn how to self-direct their educations. We discussed it a few times throughout the semester and settled on having a fun incentive to help the kids stay motivated to get their math done. Currently, when they complete their math goal 4 weeks in a row, we then have a fun activity together (such as ice skating, visiting the pinball arcade, etc).
Dual Credit College Class for Alina
Alina worked hard in early 2024 to prepare for the SAT, in order to be able to enroll in a dual-credit class at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Based on her test results, she qualified for the dual credit program. Alina aspires to be an author, so she especially wanted to take college English courses in the dual credit program.
When it was time to sign Alina up for the freshman English composition class, the dual credit office said high schoolers generally can't take this class because they need to have completed their high school senior English class. We do NOT use traditional curriculums for English or writing in our homeschool, but we jumped through NMSU's hoops to show that Alina was ready for this class.
The class was a great learning experience for Alina. This was her first time attending a "conventional" academic class so it was her first exposure to being graded and having assignments with strict due dates. She worked hard all semester and came through the course with an A+. Way to go, Alina!
Community Spelling Bees
Once each semester, I organize a Community Spelling Bee in our homeschool group. All ages are welcome to participate, and I especially encourage the parents to participate so they can lead out. This has worked well for giving my kids a chance to focus on improving their spelling.
We use the TJED graduated spelling list so that the kids know which words to study. Each child is free to choose which level to participate in, and they can participate in any level regardless of their age. (Let me know if you want more info about how to make a successful community spelling bee.)
2024-25 Midyear Review: New Areas of Focus
Below are some new things we'll be focusing on for the coming semester. Please keep in mind that my kids are both in Scholar Phase, so they are developmentally ready to set goals and work hard. Younger kids will not generally be ready for this level of rigor until their teen years and pushing younger kids academically can harm their educations overall. All in due time.
Liberty Scholars Program
Since Ian burned out with TJED High, I'm creating a new mentoring program for teens for Jan-May 2025. The program is called Liberty Scholars and class is full with 11 teens signed up! 😀 Overall, this is what the program will be like:
Read two classic books per month (one non-fiction and one novel)
Online discussion forum throughout the month via a Google email group
Optional podcast/audio content related to the books
Once a month, we'll have an in-person book discussion
Here's our reading list for the next few months:
January - Turn the Page: How to Read Like a Top Leader by Chris Brady +
Carry On Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
February - Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury +
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
March - Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens by Oliver DeMille and Shannon Brooks + Twelfth Night by Shakespeare
May - The Present Crisis (Poem) by James Russell Lowell + Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Driver's Ed for Ian
For years, Ian has been counting down the time until he can take Driver's Ed and start driving. Once he turns 15 in February, he can take the class and then we will get to work on 50 hours of supervised driving time in order for him to get his provisional driver's license.
A Job for Alina
Alina is planning to apply for a job at a local restaurant in early 2025. We're not exactly sure how this will work out schedule-wise, but we are ready to adjust as needed.
Dual Credit Creative Writing Class
Alina is enrolled in a Creative Writing class at NMSU for Jan-May 2025. This is the class that she was aiming for all along in the dual credit program, so she's excited for this opportunity to work on her writing skills.
Individual Interests and Goals
Besides our all-together homeschooling time, my kids have set the following goals for themselves for this semester.
I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration for performing your own mid-year educational review with your children, whether they are homeschooled or attend school outside the home.
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