School Update

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! We've been so busy here with school and such.

First here is an update on Julia. She is still at the local community college pursuing her associate's degree in science and looking forward to transferring to a four-year school after that. She was recently inducted into the school's honors program which means she is able to take honors level courses. The honors program is open to students who have a gpa of 3.5 or greater (hers is 3.9) and are recommended by a professor. Presently, she is figuring out her schedule for next semester. She could be done at the end of next summer, but is contemplating stretching the work out over the coming year so she can take some extra courses she is interested in like genetics and so she can accept the paid position that was just offered to her for next year as lab assistant to her biology professor. She would be able to quit her part-time Kohl's job and a lab assistanceship would look great on her resume.

Now on to Shawn. He had a rocky start to some of his courses this year. We decided our original history choice, Notgrass American History wasn't working for him, so he has switched to Boorstin's A History of the United States which he is much happier with. The depth and the detail just weren't there with the Notgrass program. He thought it was more of a middle school level than a high school level course.

His math thus far has consisted of review in preparation for the PSAT which he took last Wednesday at a local Christian school. He prepped for the math part of the test by using the Chalkdust SAT math prep DVDs. They were fantastic. We can't say enough about the teacher Dana Mosely. Shawn will be reviewing them again in the spring before the SAT. Now we need to move on to some other math. I'm not use what route we'll go: Precalc with Chalkdust or Consumer Math with ABeka. We will do the consumer math either as his only math or as an elective. I have to decide if we want to tackle more advanced math at home or if it will wait for the community college!

Now that the PSAT is over, Shawn has added in more courses. We have picked German back up with our usual slow and steady pace using The Learnables. He has also added in ABeka's American Government and the computer science course Earle wrote, Computer Technology and the PC, but never finished to publication due to all the travel with his new job. Maybe someday he'll complete it. It has even been beta-tested and well received. Now if he could only find the time needed.

Finally, I wanted to update you on Shawn's art program which I am pleased with and which is going well. He is making his way, with my help, through Artistic Pursuits Senior High Book I . I chose this particular curriculum because it most closely emulates the way I have taught drawing to high school students in the past. The first seven units cover the elements of art: space, line, form...etc. The rest of the units, 8-16, cover composition (what I would call the principles of design): balance, rhythm, ...etc. There are ample opportunities to practice each skill along the way and there each new element or design principle is examined via a print of a famous artist's work. While, as an art teacher, there is much more I could/would add to this type of course if I was teaching it in a classroom setting, for individual use by a homeschool parent with little or no
art training I find it more than adequate and highly recommend it. Here are some of Shawn's exercises so far:

Focusing on shape

Shape and texture

Line quality. Enhancing shape and form using different thicknesses of line.

Shape. Don't you just love the perfection of shape in a natural object.

Space. Learning to arrange objects in a pleasing manner in the picture plane.

The artist at work on:

Showing texture using various qualities of line.

He has also completed a project on shape and is working on a project on form now. I will have to take more pics soon!

So, things are finally flowing along nicely on the homeschool front. All the kinks have been worked out and I expect we will settle in to our new workload in due time.