Homeschooling in a different country

Pre-College Issues Home Schooling and College
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<p>I homeschooled completely independently up until ninth grade, then I entered a very independent umbrella, which really helped during the college application process. </p>

<p>The question you have to ask now is whether or not you want a set curriculum, either by mail or online, or do you want the flexibility to design your own courses? Do you want someone to send you a list of instructions to follow, from textbooks to tests, or do you want to follow your own plans?</p>

<p>I'm not familiar with Keystone specifically, but I could never stand being told what to do. I had to be able to switch bits of textbooks and curriculums to fit my personal interests. Now that I'm older, and actually taking community college classes as a senior, I understand set classes and even like the structure, but I think "freestyling" fit me better earlier. What do you want to do?</p>

<p>Another issue to consider is how well you work with distance classes. They require lots of self discipline. You have to be able to learn from just a textbook and from doing the assignments. Personally, I crave the actual face-to-face contact. I took several online classes, but communicating through type just isn't the same. I also learn better when I can actually discuss the material, which, in my experience, doesn't happen to the same degree online. If you want to be in a "real" classroom, an international school (if available/affordable) may be the way to go. On the other hand, they are more flexible, especially in Japan! </p>

<p>I actually went to a Harvard/Penn/Georgetown/Duke info session, and they said that outside verification of homeschooling rigor is very important. Start planning which AP's and SAT II's you will take NOW. Local/online college classes could be a wonderful resource, if you have the $. </p>

<p>Also, and this is a guess, so I hope someone more experienced corrects me if I am wrong, but online actual college classes are a safer bet for your money and time than those geared toward high-schoolers. If you can handle the work, the college classes are almost guarenteed to challenge you, while there are many more variables involved with high-school classes.</p>

<p>Other than that, texas has wonderful advice!</p>

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<p>It seems to me that if I want to get the most out of my high-school years through homeschooling, I should take a different path other than an acrreditted diploma program...huh? Well...I'll take that into consideration.</p>

<p>Now, I don't want you people to get the wrong idea about my parents...so let me explain. They are impossibly busy trying to plan for this move. We don't have the largest bedget, and let's face it-city life in Japan is expensive. Neither parent wants to sacrifice either my or my brother's education, so if this doesn't work out...well...then there's no move. The thing is, I want to move to Japan, because I love it there, and I am so tired of the school I go to now (drama/chaos anyone?). Like I stated in the beginning of this thread, I immediately started doing research so I could see my options. My education is in my hands...that's fine. And so is my brother's. My parents trust me enough (and know me well enough that when I do research, I REALLY do research) to allow me to make these decisions. So my parents are NOT people who could care less about their children's future. :)</p>

<p>If I think that both of us could do well with the sources we have (and can afford it), then I'm up for it. I really appreciate the information you guys are giving me, it helps a whole lot! </p>

<p>One question-because neither my brother or I have completed enough "prerequisites" to take college classes fully to understand them, would you still recommend them? I mean...I'm just about finishing Geometry now as a freshmen, and plan to take an accelerated course of math through the Keystone program, and my brother is still in the seventh grade. Are you saying that online college courses both offer and have better high-school math (or any other subject) courses?</p>

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<p>Okay...my parents are wanting me to focus on my brother now.
Would you recommend "unschooling" or a less-traditional way of homeschooling (like it seems what you've been talking about) for a kid who's an above-average, but not an exceptionally talented (like your son, Texas) student? Now, don't get me wrong, I bet if he put all his energy into his schooling like he did his Legos and video games, he could...but for an average student?</p>

<p>A lot of good talents, great test scores, and a broad range of college courses seems like it makes up for not being in a real-school enviroment, but what if my brother isn't as vigorous in the education program as let's say...other college-bound homeschoolers are?(he is going to college though...) What do you recommend?</p>

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<p>college courses explain the background required, or may offer a placement exam, especially for math. You can also contact the professor to ask if your background is sufficient. If you don't have enough background, you can always take a high school version instead. My son, who is NOT good at English, took an introductory college freshman English course by distance learning when he was a high school freshman, and did fine.</p>

<p>In terms of your brother, a 7th grader has a lot more leeway than a high schooler who is trying to position themselves for college apps. How long are you going to be in Japan, and what would he like to do? There is so much review and repetition in elementary and middle school that he could spend an entire year doing nothing but studying Japanese and reading library books and still rejoin his classmates without missing a beat. As long as he isn't spending all of his time on intellectually worthless activities (like video games and reruns of The Survivor), the exact details of what he spends his time on are not so important. Of course, if you plan to be in Japan for several years, he will need to accumulate documented "stuff" for college just like you will.</p>

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<p>Although this sounds mean...my parents will live in Japan until my grandparent (knock on wood) die. But both my brother and I will be leaving to go to American Universities. I am considering just taking over the organization of the rest of my brother's school years, because I know I could do a lot better than what the school he's going to now offers. </p>

<p>The bottom line is-I have to do a lot more research in the colleges both I am my brother are intested in, the courses I can find available to us in Japan, and just about anything else that strikes my fancy!</p>

<p>Out of experience, do you think universities/colleges would think it's interesting to see that I lived in a foreign country for a couple of years?</p>

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<p>It couldn't hurt.</p>

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<p>I have no experience, but I agree with UCLAri. Living in a foreign country for a couple of years will definitely give you and your brother something interesting that most US applicants don't have.</p>

<p>(get the Llewellyn book!!)</p>

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<p>I'm getting to it! They're not going to have a "teenage liberation book" at my school library, you know! :D</p>

<p><em>sigh</em> and we have no public library...</p>

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<p>Lily, I didn't realize you were a freshman. You sound very mature, especially if your parents trust you to plan your brother's education! I'm sure whatever you end up doing will be great! And I truly respect and admire your attitude: "My education is in my hands...that's fine." I wish I had had that figured out at 14...</p>

<p>But I have a question, not meant to be mean: Will your brother respect your authority enough to let you manage his education? It sounds like he is only a few years younger than you. </p>

<p>You might want to ask about online college courses over on the parents forum. They usually have good advice and experience with these sorts of things. At the very least, they can recommend which colleges have affordable, good programs.</p>

<p>As far as accredited diploma programs: I'm not trying to say that they are necessarily bad, but they seem to me as more like just regular high school, without the social aspects. If you wanted to get away from high school strictures, then you might want to go with more unschooling. Even more than public schooling, homeschooling is what you decide to make it.</p>

<p>Not to give a plug, but the program I do (will graduate in June :D) is [url=<a href="http://www.clonlara.org/%5DClonlara%5B/url"&gt;http://www.clonlara.org/]Clonlara[/url&lt;/a&gt;]. This is just an example of a direction you might want to go. Sorry I can't give information on other programs, but maybe someone else can. Again, as an example, Clonlara gave me a contact teacher, who answered questions, gave advice, wrote a recommendation, etc... I also have a more official looking transcript and will have a diploma. So, whether or not you want to go that direction, it is just an aspect to look into.</p>

<p>Edit: How do you live without a public library? I might just curl up and die. Is this common in Nevada? If so, I will never, never move there!</p>

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<p>public libraries are not likely to have The Teenage Liberation Handbook either. You'll need to buy it. Try Amazon. $17
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0962959170/qid=1114488592/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-9525593-6633538?v=glance&s=books&n=507846%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0962959170/qid=1114488592/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-9525593-6633538?v=glance&s=books&n=507846&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Or half.com: <a href="http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=816941&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=816941&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>For a more academic bent, try Freedom and Beyond by John Holt, especially if you think you will have to defend homeschooling.</p>

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<p>John Holt books are a good suggestion. A good public library should have those, and they are not something you would need to keep and refer to. They are more of a general approach to thinking about education and self-directed education. The Llewellyn book is more of a "how-to", with specific approaches and resources.</p>

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<p>That's great! I'll look up both of those books!
I'll also look into Clonlara...the more I know, the better deal I can get out of this whole thing! :D</p>

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<p>Oh, by the way. I don't think I would be teaching my brother directly, because I know all too well that there would be an authority issue. Because of the time difference in Japan, online "real time" classes are out of the question. I don't know if my parents can teach my brother-they might not have enough time. So that basically leaves correspondence classes or distance-learning courses that don't require being online 24/7. What I meant about my brother's education is that I am willing to arrange and organize everything for him, including tests, registration dates, classes, extra curriculars, etc. That's fine. Just to clear things up...</p>

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<p>Yeah, I figured that, but will he get mad at you when he doesn't like the class he has enrolled in? Is he mature enough that you could present him the options and he could pick? And I second texas on a more unschooling approach, if he would like that. Maybe one or two classes, letting the rest be more self directed? At this point, he can afford, in terms of college admissions, to simply follow his own interests.</p>

<p>Oh, good point, I hadn't thought about time differences in real time classes. As an aside, I do not recommend Clonlara's online classes. I only took one, and it didn't challenge me at all. Not sure if I can accurately generalize about all the classes from that, but the experience wasn't good for me. </p>

<p>I'll talk to my mom, fish around, and see if I can come back with more recs. A question: Are you comfortable with religiously affiliated online classes? That opens up more avenues, if you agree with the doctorines they support.</p>

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<p>in addition to the U. Texas link I gave you, U. Nebraska-Lincoln and Texas A&M also have high school distance learning programs worth taking a look at if you haven't already. They all offer the option of choosing a mix of high school and college courses, credit-by-exam, and a high diploma program or an la carte approach.</p>

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<p>I'm homeschooled in Rome, just for this, my eighth grade year. (Going to boarding school in New Hampshire afterwards. For the record, I'm originally from NYC, where I went to Chapin, a private school, then Hunter, a public "gifted" school.)</p>

<p>You can take AP Physics through Stanford's EPGY or Johns Hopkin's CTY, two programs I highly suggest you apply for. I'm taking AP Physics B (which requires NO prerequisite; it's my first year of physics, nor a math pre/co requisite, I don't believe.)</p>

<p>I'm taking also "Crafting the Essay," a freshman college/AP level CTY essay course, "College Algebra," also through CTY, a mix of Alg II and Precal, being tutored in Latin (2nd year, finished grammar and much Horace, now reading Catullus.) and self-studying AP French Language.</p>

<p>EPGY and CTY have other great courses, not to mention summer programs, that are generally fun and geared towards gifted students/students interested in learning.</p>

<p>Google them up for more.</p>

<p>Hope I helped,
Tara</p>

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<p>Tara,</p>

<p>You sure you're in eighth grade? I mean, I went to gifted programs for my whole secondary education, but you blow me away.</p>

<p>Whatever you're doing, keep it up. You're a regular John Stuart Mill. Just don't do the whole depression or lifelong malaise thing, it's not good.</p>

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<p>Thanks, Tara, that helps a bunch! I did look briefly into Stanford's program a little while ago. I also look into John Hopkin's. One question- how much math did you know before you started AP physics B? </p>

<p>I suppose it is better for my brother to follow an unschooling education: he says something like he wants to be a movie director or an animator or something along the lines of that when he grows up (he's very creative). He seems to be more of a type that would enjoy that. </p>

<p>To UCLAri-my brother wants to go to UCLA too!</p>

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<p>Lily ~ my kids are doing something similar to what Texas137 described, including self-teaching a bunch of AP courses and then taking the tests to validate the learning. My S did 9 APs in 9th and 10th, 3 more this year. My 9th grade D is taking four APs this year. It can be done.</p>

<p>By the way, the pahomeschoolers AP courses are really wonderful. They were the best distance education we found for AP courses by far. I also second the idea of getting some distance learning courses from a college, with grades. That will help a good deal.</p>

<p>Good luck. For what it's worth, I don't know any Japanese, but I suspect that college will value the unusual path that you are taking when you apply for admission.</p>