How To Make MTMM Credit Worthy for 9th. . . . .?

[momtofive]

Please forgive me, Carrie, if this has been asked many times. I've been having trouble looking for the exact answer to my question, and thought I'd just ask it here. I realize you and your sweet family are recovering from illness, so please answer as you're able! I so appreciate your willingness to help all of us, so we can better use HOD!

My oldest ds first began HOD with Preparing Hearts for 5th grade. Since then we learned about HOD's plans to write high school guides, and realized that we'd miss a guide unless we sped up our pace a bit. My son was thriving with Preparing and it taught him a lot of independence and many skills. As he began CTC in 6th grade, we decided that as long as he was continuing to do well, we'd just do HOD five days a week instead of four, speeding things up. At any point if we felt we needed to slow it down, we would have. This has worked great for this dc, and he has just finished RTR. But alas, I'm realizing that we aren't on the schedule that I thought we'd be by now, which was out of our control.

My ds12 has now finished RTR, and we have Rev2Rev all ready to go, but now I'm doubting this plan. If we continue this course, he'll begin high school mid way through MTMM, which was not the intented plan in the beginning. I'm now considering just starting Rev2Rev in the fall, as my son begins his 8th grade year, and doing it as written. This plan would have him doing MTMM as a 9th grader. I'm wondering how exactly this would look to try to beef-up MTMM for him for high school? What would I have to add to it to make it credit worthy?

A bit about my son: He has done the HOD guides from Preparing on up through RTR, pretty much as written. In Preparing he did the extensions, but not with CTC or RTR, as he then fit in the ages for those guides. We've done all the suggested coursework in each guide, with the only exception to that being his math. He has excelled in math using CLE, and next year he'll begin Pre-Algebra with Saxon for 8th grade. This is the ONLY difference we've made in using the HOD guides. He's met each guide with excitement and has done them very well, learning and growing SO MUCH through each one. This is probably one of the main reasons why I'm thinking the best plan for him would be to just keep on moving through the guides, but beefing up MTMM for his first high school year. From there on, we should be okay to use them as is, because they are then high school credit worthy guides at those levels.

One other thing that concerns me is that he's now finished RTR, and if we don't start Rev2Rev until the fall, what should I do with the remaining two and a half months of school? I do not want to begin a guide at half pace, as this will mess up our schedule for the next year, and have us finishing up early again. As I've said before, my ds has no trouble at all with the work or workload, so I'd prefer not to begin Rev2Rev until the fall. Instead, I was wondering if he should do the last few extension books of RTR, and maybe the first few of Rev2Rev with the suggested activities in the appendix to those guides. Since he won't be doing extensions for Rev2Rev, would this be a good plan for just last little bit of the school year, and keep him in the "swing" of things for the remainder of the year, adding in more info on the time period he's learning about?

Again, I realize Carrie that you're so busy right now, but I'd so appreciate your take on this, as I've come to trust your opinion and recommendations. We've truly, truly enjoyed the guides we've used (with all five of my dc ), and look forward to many more years of enjoying HOD!!

Thank you so much for your time!

[Carrie]

Lisa,

I'd be inclined to just have him move into Rev2Rev doing it 4 days a week as soon as you finish RTR, doing Rev2Rev as written for the remainder of the year. Then, when he is in 8th grade he would finish Rev2Rev a couple of months early (due to starting it the previous year for a couple of months) and get a jump start on beginning MTMM for high school at the end of 8th grade. If the bulk of the work is completed in high school, a subject can be listed on the high school transcript, so he'd have no problems listing MTMM on his transcript the following year when he completes the bulk of it for grade 9.

It would be better not to have him tread water essentially the last part of this year, as momentum and continuity have much to do with a child's progression in education. Plus, it is always great to have some built in wiggle room for life's circumstances, as only the Lord knows what the future holds.

When he nears the end of his 8th grade year and is getting ready to begin MTMM, we can assess again to see if he would be better served by moving past MTMM and heading into the Geography guide instead. This is a possibility for kiddos who have come up through HOD, but we want to wait to consider it until he gets closer to high school. In making this decision, my post from a previous thread below would help:

With this in mind, one possible option would be to continue on into MTMM and to borrow part of the right side of the World Geography guide (for science mainly). In this scenario, you would go through MTMM mainly as written, except for the science. You would use DITHR along with higher level books, WWTB Vol. II, and Rod and Staff as scheduled in MTMM to earn a credit of literature. This option will work well for students who fit better in this guide for language arts and for whom the jump up to the World Geography guide's level of literature study, composition, and grammar would be too much of a jump. It will also work well for students who need a gentler step up in Bible, as Bible is fine for a 1/2 credit as written in MTMM but not as rigorous as the Bible in the World Geography guide. You could also add more to the Economics to earn a 1/2 credit in MTMM, and add the foreign language from the World Geography guide (or in any way you choose) for a 1/2 credit. Then, the following year, you would head into the World Geography guide, using everything in that guide as written, except the science and possibly the foreign language as a 10th grader. This path provides more of a stepping stone in language arts and Bible, and waits a year to add more coursework like Logic and World Religions (and possibly even waiting on foreign language), thus shortening the child's day significantly when compared with the World Geography guide's pacing. This schedule will also work well for those who are struggling or are a bit behind in math, as we don't want to overwhelm the child who is needing to work hard on the 3R's by adding to many additional weighty subjects too soon.

If this scenario does not seem to fit your child, then a second possible option would be to continue on into MTMM for the left side only and use the right side only of the World Geography guide for the 3R's, Science, Bible, and Logic. In essence, you would have your child do the left side of the guide as written from MTMM and add the right side of the World Geography guide as written for the other subjects. This would be a pattern you could then follow the remaining years of high school. In this scenario, you would also add something more to earn the Economics semester credit, as your child would miss that subject by missing the final high school guide. This scenario would work well for a child who is ready for more rigor in literature study, composition, grammar, math, and Bible than what is found within MTMM. It would add an additional course of Logic and add a higher level of science. However, it would allow the child to wait on adding other electives (like World Religions and foreign language) and keep the history more manageable in its requirements (making sure the child doesn't jump too far forward too fast), so as not to overwhelm a child. In essence it would allow a child ready for a bit more to move forward in some subjects without the jump being huge in all subjects. Of course, you wouldn't have to use the entire right side of the World Geography guide (if you desired a different combination in the 3R's, Science, Bible, or Logic), however I share this option because it is a very clean and easy option to do...Left side of one guide and right side of the other. It would also result in earning all needed credits for graduation without a lot of tweaking and modifying each year and make a fairly straight path through high school accessible, balancing weight of content in a bit of a middle ground approach.

If this option does not seem to fit your child, then a third possible scenario would be to move past MTMM and just do the Geography guide as written for 9th grade. As a parent, I can definitely see the appeal of this option, yet I wouldn't do it with my own child without quite a bit of prayer and thought. Some students will handle this jump just fine and others may struggle with the jump from Rev2Rev to the World Geography guide. This is why there is not a one-size fits all answer to this scenario. Instead, each family must seek what is right for his/her student, and each student is different! Students would need to be ready to move onto a much higher level of literature study, composition, grammar, Bible, science (with higher more rigorous labs), and three extra electives of coursework (like Logic, World Religions, and foreign language). They will need to have the math required to pursue a higher level of science with lab calculations, and be ready to spend more hours doing school each day. Students will need to be good time managers and have good accountability when working independently. They need to be able to write easily and read very well, as the number of pages and number of readings really jumps up. They will need to be able to get their thoughts on paper in lucid form quite easily and be able to edit their own work readily. If this doesn't describe your student, then one of the other two options that I shared will be a better choice.

The option that fits best for one student may not be the best option for another. I want to be sure as I give any advice that I remember to look at each child as an individual, rather than giving a "pat" answer based on age level. This is because so much more must be considered in this decision than age, and without knowing more about each child as an individual I can't begin to give advice as to which scenario would be best. This is why I think this type of decision must be a dialogue, with the final decision varying from family to family.

Blessings,
Carrie

[momtofive]

Thank you Carrie!

I do have a few other questions, though! If we started Rev2Rev now, and then progressed as scheduled on through MTMM, he'd be beginning his actual high school level coursework approximately halfway through eighth grade (Feb.)! That just seems a bit early to begin this level of work. Then he'd always be starting the next level at mid year, and having a 2-3 month break in between for summer vacation. This child is very much a perfectionist, and an in-the-box type thinker. He is very routine oriented, and I'm not sure this would be a good plan for him.

I thank you for your added information about some possibilities for beefing up the MTMM guide. I was hoping that if we were using MTMM for 9th grade, that then for 10th grade we could just use the World Geography guide pretty much as is. However, if we are doing one side of MTMM and one side of the Geography guide then we couldn't use it as is the next year. Is there any way that I could beef-up the MTMM guide without using the Geography guide to do so?

In reading a recent post you wrote to someone who was considering skipping MTMM, it really blessed my heart how thorough you were in your answer! And how thorough that guide has been written to truly grow our children in the Lord! After reading that post, I was quite certain that we would not want to skip MTMM! So if I could find a way to add to the guide to make it credit worthy, while still leaving the World Geography guide alone so we could us it as is the next year, that would be ideal. I know that we cannot always have our cake and eat it too! And sometimes we need to accept another way to do something. I just wanted to share my heart on this in the hopes that we can come up with a workable solution!

Again thank you so much for taking the time from your very busy life to help me! I truly appreciate it!

[Carrie]

Lisa,

I apologize for not being clear enough! I was thinking that if you started Rev2Rev shortly now, doing it 4 days a week, and then took a summer break about 8-9 weeks after starting, then you would only have completed a couple of months or a quarter at the most of the Rev2Rev guide by the time your son started back up in the fall. Following that line of thinking, he would finish Rev2Rev 8-9 weeks early (doing a 4 day a week schedule) and begin MTMM at that time. This is how I arrived at thinking he'd only be a couple of months ahead heading into high school.

I'm also thinking that the first paragraph (or first option) that I quoted from a previous post of mine above is the option that would apply to using MTMM as close to the way it is written as possible. That particular option has students only using the science from the World Geography guide and everything else from MTMM. If you did not desire to use the science from the World Geography guide, then you could use the science from MTMM, however you would need to add to the chemistry in MTMM to make it credit worthy. Here is a link to a post that better explains that option: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12998

With the option above, you would still have to add to the Economics in MTMM for credit, as you would not get to our final high school guide which will schedule Economics. Some ideas of ways to do this were discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11286&p=81879#p81879

You would also not get to British Literature in our final high school guide, however possible ways to address that potential concern were discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13188

Part of the reason I'm not able to be as clear with your situation as with some of the others on the board is that your son is just heading into 8th grade next year, rather than heading into high school. Things can change so much in even one year, as students really grow and change and mature. So, I'm not sure exactly where your son will be at skill-wise and what plan will fit him best for high school until he gets quite a bit closer to having to make that decision. With almost a year and a half ahead of him yet prior to beginning high school, it isn't as clear cut right now as far as the path he should take upon reaching high school.

Right now, it does seem clear to me to head into Rev2Rev and then assess again after he has completed it. Finishing Rev2Rev early before high school, is actually a good thing at that point, as it will show us clearly where he is at prior to high school and give us some time to ponder what would be the best next step.

Blessings,
Carrie

[momtofive]

Oh, please don't feel bad! You're being VERY clear! I'm very new to this place we're approaching called "high school", and it's a bit confusing to say the least! That's why I'm doing all the reading I can here on the board, which is really helping me to see it a bit more clearly, and feel much more relaxed as we approach high school! I so appreciate your take on this, and agree with it!

I now see what you meant about that first paragraph you quoted. It would be easier to only "borrow" the science from the Geography guide. Thanks also for the links about the economics and the british literature, which we'll have to weigh as we get closer to that time. I like that plan. And I do understand what you mean about it being early to really put anything in stone just yet as far as plans. I do plan on moving right into the Rev2Rev guide. We usually begin our school year in mid-August, which is a bit earlier than most. And is probably why there was confusion, as I wasn't being very clear!

Carrie, thank you so much for helping me to understand this better. I see now that we do have time and many opportunities as we approach high school. I'm so thankful that we have HOD and a caring author to help us along this journey. I look forward to beginning another great guide very soon, and also look forward to all the great things in store for us down the road!

Thanks so much, and may God richly bless you and your family!