This idea meets my qualification for aTypical in education

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Oh little blog I have missed you so much!  I generally get up every morning and write for the sake of clearing the mind.  I have had so much on my plate, that I have missed a couple of days and I can’t wait to type and clear my head right now.  

 

So we have been talking college routes for my soon to be 15 year old, because I act as her counselor, I think I have put at least 50 hours into her 4 year schedule, based on her skills, gifts and traits.  After fully investigating out her options, and I mean fully, we are switching gears and taking advantage of dual enrollment opportunities at our local community college (cc) for fall semester, for a few of her classes.  Delete what I said a couple of months ago.  I can change my mind- right?

 

We went to the CC yesterday, and she took the Acuplacer exams and she tested dead right on for her ability in math, reading and ahead in writing which was a huge shocker to me.    The test could nearly predict exactly where she was in Math etc.  I was happy with the results for her age, since she hasn’t had a standardized test in years.

 

I have been tossing the idea around, because a colleague of mine/my former teacher in high-school/ college/ principle now suggested taking a writing class at the community college.  This advice opened up the entire spectrum of what is available to her.  We are going to try out a few classes this year, such as foreign language and electives like photography and European architecture (I want to take both of those myself).  We are also enrolling in college prep english (which is essentially high-school english and writing), before she can start the College English etc.  

 

The best advice he gave me was this
It doesn’t matter where you start, but where you finish!

 

Don’t you just love that?

 

I will continue to do math, science and AP European history (my speciality) with her.  This year will be hard for her, as she adjusts to the whole thing.  I have taught in the Community College system here and definitely know the in’s and out’s of our choice.

 

After weighing out all of my options- Here are the pro’s and con’s of the decision-

 

Pro’s 

• With 30 CC hours she becomes a transfer student at the Universities we are looking at, as long as she maintains a 3.65gpa.
• With completion of the 2 year Liberal Arts Degree Associates Degree, she will wipe out the entire G.E. requirement at the Uni’s we are looking at, as long as she maintains a 3.65gpa. We could stretch this out over her highschool time of about 3.5 years and actually be done fall semester of her senior high school year.
• General Ed. is pain at the Uni’s because of the amount of students taking it.  At BYU for example- American Heritage may have 1000 people and you are split up into labs, with a grad instructor.  I have taught at BYU on the General Ed side in Geography- big classes, not much personality.   Loved my major, hated most of my G.E’s classes.
• The cost will range us between $10-12,000 if she did the degree.  We could save nearly $20,000 on this end if she graduated from CC and transferred.
• As a transfer student, you don’t need to bother wasting time nor money on standardized testing such as SAT, ACT, you don’t even need to turn in a transcript from high school only community college.  You can free up your life and focus on real learning.
• You are still eligible for a bundle of financial aid and funding.
• We still have control over designing the courses we want to enhance the education we have put together with her.  Such as an abundance of art, classics, history and lit etc.
• We can pick and choose!
• The teachers in the classes we have chosen all have Master’s in their field and are required to maintain teacher education continuing ed.
• Accountability with teachers and schedules. 
• Classes can be taken online, more creative scheduling
• A great beginning before entering into a large university setting with the ability to live at home and have a teen life.
• I can still organize travel around our goals. 
• Free’s up some time for me, but personally, I will have to stay right on top of this- so this is toss up, I may spend more time following up with her, than I did teaching her before. 
• Writing Lab available for critique- which I find is crucial at this stage.
• Math Lab available
• You might as well get credit if you are going to study!
• We can do AP in some areas that I am qualified, if I want to cut costs

 

Con’s

 

• Obviously Cost- but you are going to pay on one end or the other. 
• The Crowd-  I will be the first to admit that the CC crowd …well they are  not always the brightest group- but after teaching there, I found that there ARE some bright students doing exactly what we are doing and going to competitive colleges.  
• Flexibility-  I will be have to more diligent about scheduling, travel and field-trips.  I may not be able to take off when convenient since I will be driving and more restricted.
• Adult/Real World issues-  some/most of my students had a bundle of issues.  So this will need to be addressed and followed up on constantly.  Policy:  You go to class, I pickup right after.
• Homework Load-  Some classes can be down right hard.  That is why we are starting out slowly and gradually adding additional college level courses as she matures.
• Hate to be structured and scheduled-  I loved when we just spent 3 months on the ideas we loved this year.

 

So for today this feels right, we are all registered for her first 3 classes and we will re-evaluate after the first semester.

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Tags: alternative education. community college, dual enrollment as a highschooler, Homeschool