Homeschooling and BS dreams...

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
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<p>Long time lurker and very appreciative of all the amazing contributions here (wow: SevenDad, classicalmama, PelicanDad, ThacherParent, 2PrepMom, et. al. thanks for all the insight you bring to CC!)</p>

<p>So the kiddo is starting "4th grade" this year and it is in quotes because we homeschool. And since we homeschool, I am in charge of building the curriculum and deciding what, precisely, "school" will be. For many reasons, BS is what we want for high school. So, as I sit here and try to (broadly) imagine what the next four to five years will look like academically / and "school-ish" for my child, I am wondering a few things:</p>

<p>(1) If you were in charge of your kid's education and you knew you were applying in 5 years, what sorts of things would you definitely build into your curriculum?</p>

<p>(2) Exeter seems very homeschool friendly-- they have a subsection in their application information pages that describes exactly what to do when you apply if you homeschool-- but I haven't really found that on other BS websites. Do you know of other GLADCHEMMS or Hidden Gems that are Homeschool friendly?</p>

<p>(3) Is Homeschooling a hook or red flag? I know in <em>theory</em> it can be either, and it depends a lot on the kid, the family and the approach-- but what I mean more specifically, is do any of you have any sense of how the specific school you might have experience with perceives homeschool applicants? Do you know kids at your BS (or child's BS) that have arrived from a homeschooling background?</p>

<p>We do <em>lots</em> of stuff to address the social (the kiddo is super social) and for athletics, kiddo is currently on one competitive sports team (and will likely continue for the next 5 years assuming kiddo continues to enjoy it.). But, because we homeschool, we have a lot of flexibility to spend the next four/five years really building a "transcript" and educational path that not only fits our kid (most important!), but works well for applying (2nd most important!). (Example... we are starting a 5 year Latin cycle this year that puts the kiddo in AP Latin in 8th grade.... We have a math plan that puts the kiddo (if we push hard) in pre-calc in 8th grade and if we don't push so hard through Algebra 3 / Intermediate Number Theory (using the Art of Problem Solving classes: AoPS</a> Online School ))... but what other sorts of things would you build into it?</p>

<p>On EC's I am a little stumped?!?! (Community Service is easy, but outside of that??)</p>

<p>Advice, thoughts, general discussion welcome! Thanks!</p>

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<p>I’ve asked my kid many times what about homeschooling was of most use to him in bs. And every time he tells me it was all the time he spent reading. I think it was a hook too in an indirect way.</p>

<p>He mentions Singapore math too, because of the way it teaches problem solving, and I think our writing/reading centered history curriculum helped too. And yes, I do think some schools are more homeschooling friendly than others. PM if you’d like more specifics.</p>

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<p>homeschooling has gone mainstream. I admire the dedication, time and organization involved.</p>

<p>We “hybridized” in middle school, my D went to local public, then did Thinkwell math and CTY science eves and some weekends (close parental supervision was needed to make those happen). That worked because she had no homework to speak of.</p>

<p>Some external validation may prove beneficial when the time comes for re-entering mainstream education, consider participating in the talent searches, Davidson Young Scholars, science fairs, other activities with external recognition in 6th, 7th and 8th grades.</p>

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<p>MountainHiker home schooled her son who is now at Thacher. You should ping her.</p>

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<p>I know a girl who was homeschooled in “elementary school,” then went to a public middle school, and is now going to Milton Academy with me. That being said, she is a violin prodigy, so that probably had something to do with it. Try a sport through your town. Take music lessons. Sketch the houses in your neighborhood. Find your passion.</p>

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<p>Homeschooling CAN be either a hook or a red flag. If you use homeschooling as a way to cultivate your talents, it can help. Sometimes though, it can bind you in the sports department. (unless you join a club)</p>

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<p>We have some experience with this and offer several comments:</p>

<p>1) Check your state’s Dept of Ed. They will have a “standard” curriculum. Make sure you cover that material, so there are not big holes in kiddo’s background. The Massachusetts standards are really strong and detailed if you want to look at those.
[Current</a> Curriculum Frameworks - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education](<a href=“http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html]Current”>Current Curriculum Frameworks - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)</p>

<p>2) Homeschool lets you do a lot more than public school. No waiting for buses, no waiting for homeroom, no waiting for the teacher to explain for the 4th time for the two kids who were not paying attention, immediate feedback and adjustment to the learner, all material can be geared at exactly the right level and pace - it’s great! The question is, how to use that flexibility and extra time? The obvious path is to accelerate - send your kid to 9th grade ready for Calculus. I would be curious what other CC’ers think of this. My experience is that a BS will not be particularly impressed or enthused by homeschool kids who push ahead. Of course, if your child is a true prodigy and national math team member then charge ahead and they will deal with it and love it. Otherwise, the BS would rather see them build strong foundations using BS’s own time-honored methods. They do not see learning as a race. It is actually a pain for them to schedule and perhaps less good socially for your kid to be sitting with upperclassmen for the first several years instead of classmates. So the other path is to go offroading into areas that are not part of the curriculum. That can broaden your child’s knowledge and make them more unique. For example, deeply study architecture, statistics, programming, wilderness survival, a field of art, a field of music, robots, Russian literature, religions, psychology, or whatever your kiddo loves. Those fields will then become a lens for applying everything else they learn.</p>

<p>3) A secret weapon for homeschoolers is writing. Writing is the most laborious type of student work to correct and therefore many public schools do not ask kids to write very long or often. As a parent, you enjoy reading what your kid writes and you have plenty of time for correction and feedback. So have your kid write write write! A great written communication ability is a gift that lasts a lifetime.</p>

<p>4) Are you going to rely on scholarships for BS? If so, be aware the odds are long. You may adjust your strategy here. It is unclear whether using the homeschool time dividend to do something really unusual as described above will help you best stand out, or whether in some schools they may be more interested on whether you bring a talent in a specific area of interest for them such as theater or football or jazz, etc. Maybe check with the school of greatest interest and see if they have a comment?</p>

<p>5) There were good points above on external validation. Keep a record of what your kid does. Write “report cards” or reviews of your child’s progress on an annual basis. Track the books they read. The BS will want to see all of that. Ideally your child can develop a relationship with a coach or tutor some other adults who can write “objective” recommendations. Can you get to know any other families who already sent kids to the school and can vouch for you? Admissions staffs at BS are looking to build the community so will be reassured if they feel you know what you are getting into and will fit in. And clearly, the test scores will matter more for a homeschool applicant since that is an even playing field.</p>

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<p>Good question about charging ahead in math. We actually slowed down as we approached calculus in 7th grade. Why?</p>

<p>1) I do not know calculus well enough to tutor it :slight_smile:
2) Enjoying math and being comfortable/confident with math are more important than accelerating to a certain level prior to high school. MATHCOUNTS is a good example.
3) Success in STEM fields is more highly correlated to pre-calculus and problem solving skills. Graphs, functions, etc.
4) We knew D would re-integrate into mainstream ed, and that brings up lots of questions - most high schools stop around BC calc. If your kid comes in with BC calc, what math do you do in HS? If you can drive and have flex scheduling for dual enrollment, that works. We chose Exeter in large part because it has 4+ full years of post BC math, through 2 years of graduate level proof based math, multivariate calculus, linear algebra. But they start out even the most accelerated mathy kids with pre-calculus 31X because functions are so important.</p>

<p>I do encourage math acceleration. It forms a good basis for STEM confidence, and usually puts kids into accelerated/enriched tracks. But acceleration alone does not make a student a math prodigy. I have met and seen many math prodigies at Exeter. My D most certainly is not one of them, yet she is comfortable in the challenging math track, has never been limited in science choices because of her math level, and does not find math stressful. So think about how you want to define success in math.</p>

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<p><a href=“Example…%20we%20are%20starting%20a%205%20year%20Latin%20cycle%20this%20year%20that%20puts%20the%20kiddo%20in%20AP%20Latin%20in%208th%20grade…%20We%20have%20a%20math%20plan%20that%20puts%20the%20kiddo%20(if%20we%20push%20hard)%20in%20pre-calc%20in%208th%20grade%20and%20if%20we%20don’t%20push%20so%20hard%20through%20Algebra%203%20/%20Intermediate%20Number%20Theory%20(using%20the%20Art%20of%20Problem%20Solving%20classes:%20AoPS%20Online%20School%20)”>quote</a>… but what other sorts of things would you build into it?

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<p>Education is not a race. Give the kid a break and let the kid be a kid as one will be a kid only once in his/her lifetime. #tigerparent problems.</p>

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<p>Honestly, talking about building a transcript for a 4th grader is depressing.</p>

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<p>Both my boarding school kids homeschooled middle school. PM me.</p>

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<p>My boarding school kid homeschooled 3rd, 4/5th (skipped 5th, basically), 8th. PM me, if you wish. </p>

<p>Pushing far ahead for homeschool subjects may be… subjectively useful. BostDad’s comment #2 is spot on. Many BS are not as flexible as local public schools when it comes to placement, so unless your child has tremendous need for radical acceleration across the board, (which may be the case, in which case bs may be of limited value, and some combination of continued homeschool and early college may a route to consider, but truly, not knowing your situation I could not begin to guess). </p>

<p>Exeter is both homeschool friendly and acceleration-friendly. But so are many other schools. And some are not. And a great deal can change in the 4-5 years between the start of your journey and the application process. </p>

<p>As I said, do feel free to PM me.</p>

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<p>I think it’s difficult for parents and students who haven’t homeschooled to get what homeschoolers are doing; it can look, at times, excessively rigid and at other time, excessively loose, but it is generally neither.</p>

<p>While all that advanced math and language might sound like tiger parenting, it’s really more a matter of following a homeschooled kid’s talents and interests. Homeschooled kids following a vigorous curriculum still have way more free time to “follow their own rhythm” than kids who have school all day, followed by e.c.'s, followed by homework. For example, my son would often spend the first 2-3 hours of his day reading books of his choice. He’d take a class at school, head home for a couple of hours to do history, writing, math, etc., then go off to sports in the afternoon. If he didn’t get to his math lesson until 6 that night, or doubled up the next day, it was no big deal. If he had a meet one day that left him exhausted, he could sleep in the next day and doodle around in the morning. Everything that needed to get done got done, and despite his mother’s anxiety at those times that he didn’t make it to the end of a particular textbook by summer, he ended up very well prepared for boarding school.</p>

<p>In fourth grade, it can be hard to predict how quickly a child will move through those subjects. Still the long-term planning (a.k.a. “building a transcript”) can really help. Those who are skeptical should keep in mind that good schools are always thinking far ahead to what basic skills a student will need over a 4-6 year period to succeed in the next phase. </p>

<p>Back to the OP’s specific questions…My kid had so many more EC’s back then…it was easy to find stuff, from Scouts to sports teams (in our state, homeschooled kids can be part of public school sports teams) to tae kwon do to forensics. Have you checked to see what activities at school might be available? My kids, for example, joined band in fifth grade. Having your kid start his own club (Lego team? Math club?) could be a great way to show leadership down the road. </p>

<p>As far as academics go, I’d let your child explore his passions, then make that your hook (for example, I think my kid’s reading list in his “transcript” was one thing that made him stand out from the crowd). A solid general education is important as well, of course… I assume you’ve got a good humanities program to supplement that math and Latin. See how it goes, and be prepared to reassess your high school options in a few years, based on who you’re pre-teen is turning out to be. I agree with others that some external validation is important, but really not until junior high since nothing else shows up in your transcript.</p>

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<p>My kid also homeschooled - K through 8 then to Exeter. We never planned it that way. My question is - why is this your plan?</p>