Four Year Plan

[ellyssian]

Last year, I wrote a Career Planner package for our software, the other day, I got to put that experience to use and help Justin plan out his 4 years in high school.

He's got to take 4 credits of Language Arts, so that will be English 9, English 10, Mythology (1/2 cred), Classical Mythology (1/2), and English 12. Likewise, 4 credits of social studies: World History, Civics (1/2), Psychology (1/2), Ancient History (1/2), Intro to Law (1/2), and Economics.

He already technically has one of the 3 Math credits with the 9th grade Algebra I he took this past year, but we still planned for 4 credits (maybe 3.5, I think the last might be a 1/2 cred): Geometry, Algebra 2, Calculus, and Statistics (we figured that last might be handy with his expected career choice in marine biology.)

Science also has 3 credits - we didn't pick a credit for the last year, but, given the science-based career choice, he'll probably wind up picking up another credit in his senior year: Biology, Earth Science, Environmental Science (1/2), Conservation of Natural Resources (1/2).

2 Fine Arts credits are required, so we figured on a 1/2 cred Intro to Music in the second semester of freshman year, a 1/2 cred Graphic Design in sophomore year, and a full credit Contemporary Music in junior year.

3.5 Elective credits are needed - here's where we put the math credit he picked up this year, as well as Latin 1 and Intro to Programming (1/2) next year, Latin 2 and CAD (1/2) the year after, and Personal Fitness (1/2) in junior year.

PE is considered a quarter credit each of four years, and a 1/2 cred health course is required - he'll take that first semester of ninth grade.

Technically, although he's getting scheduled, his plans are not confirmed for next year. There are still discussions about cyber (public) school vs. homeschool vs. local public school.

No matter what, though, as of today, he's out of the eighth grade, so some form of high school education begins next year... =)

Comments

[patrixa.livejournal.com]

It's hard to believe that you've kind of planned all 4 years at once. Except for the maths (which I barely passed and only t he "brains" took calculus), it's pretty close to my own college prep high school set-ups. Choices were made without parent input; instead, kids met with guidance counselors each spring for the following fall. One point in g.c. favor was that they had(made) the student look up (in books the counselors had handy -- this was pre p.c. days) what college requirements were for the major the student was considering. e.g., I had to have 2 years of h.s.biology and one of chemistry for certain college courses leading to a nutrition degree.

Because he seems headed toward a science, his sciences and math classes now are extremely important. I think the content of the 1/2 credit sciences would actually be included in the Earth Science full credit course and so not necessarily helpful. Knowing a bit about marine biology, I think a bio.2 or chem.1 would be more useful to him than the 1/2 credit scicences. Although my B.SC.Ed degree includes teaching chemistry, biology and general science, there's no way I could teach the chem or bio.2 because of all the new info over the years. I wonder how a cyber/home school could handle the experiments, dissections, etc that are(used to be) important parts of the course.

Also, are there any scuba diving schools in your area? Pools and lakes are often used for them, so none-ocean areas do have such. If not this year, maybe next, but scuba lessons would be a good thing for him, don't you think?

What are the latest dates for enrolling in the high or cyber schools? Has he even seen the high school? If he does go to one, then 9th grade, when everybody would be new to it, seems like the best time to start. This is wher ehe needs your help as he cannot get to one by himself. Since we have all let him know our thoughts on it, he should have "alone" time to make-up his mind. I wonder if my parents went through all this stuff for my sisters and me when we had to amke our choices? Worcester has 4 public h.s. with different aims (college, business, general) and then the voc-tech school. you and Dan told your parents what you wanted in very adamant determined manners; we had very little say, it seems! good luck!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

The Earth Science is strictly geology; the two half credit courses are the only ones that mix in some elements of biology. There is only Biology, no Biology 1 or Biology 2. I kind of figured Chemistry would be that fourth year science course, but he was specifically not interested in Chemistry or Physics (which are really the two choices available - he would have taken everything else except a few specific astronomy based 1/2 cred courses.)

More and more schools are planning out four or more years at once - hence the need for the Career Planner software, which plans out 1-12 years, and has extensions (coded by others) into our Home Access Center for parents or guidance counselors (my part is strictly for guidance counselors and the setup stuff for sys admins.)

Sitting with the counselor and going over what you want to do is still an important part of the process. Even when the parents or students use HAC to choose an entire plan, the counselor still has to give an approval before they become scheduled courses. In our case, Justin talked over the requests for next year with his Instructional Supervisor (GC equivalent.)

Reminded me a lot of what Dad did with me for both high school and MIT - and that was done back in the days before computers were used for such things, donchaknow... As far as that goes, even for cyberschool, we sat around with a book of course choices and made our plan in a spiral-bound notebook.

[patrixa.livejournal.com]

you know, with all these aids to planning stuff and all the choices available, I do not think life gets easier! I cannot imagine planning 4 years of courses; it boggles my mind. There doesn't seem much room for changes of mind.
I like a slower pace. I don't really remember how involved we were with your schll choices. Probably more than I think, giving how we were such busbodies, er, so interested in wwhat you did -- still am, for goodness sakes!

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

All the "aids" do is keep track of it; in the case of the software I wrote, they can change any time prior to the start of the course year - and after that, the scheduling software allows any of the courses to be changed any time prior to the completion of the course.

In other words, the fancy aid to the process that we used was a pen and a sheet of paper - nothing more complex than that. Since only the courses for next year - and, more specifically, the first semester thereof - were actually scheduled, the 4 years of choices aren't exactly set in stone or forged in steel. They can be crossed out and changed at any time.

It's just a plan, after all. If a plan can't be changed as new information arrives, it's about as good as Shrub's ability to govern our country.

[patrixa.livejournal.com]

You make it sound simple...maybe I just think too much!