| Author | |
folklaur
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2816
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 1:59pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Do you / your kids know what grades they are in? Do you "care"? Does it make a difference to you/them?
dh just experienced the following scenario:
Stayed a little after Mass to meet Priest in our new parish. Nice young guy. Father, at some point turns to kids, and says, "and what grade are you in?" They look at Dad. Even Dad hesitates, then says, "well, I think Jaiden would be in 4th....but we homeschool. And the good thing about hs-ing is we can let them work at whatever level they are at, so we don't worry about grades..." Dh and Father talked for a long while (we really like this priest!)
So - do you have grades? In some states I know it is necessary, but in many, I know it isn't.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Molly Smith
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 08 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 669
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We do. It just makes life easier for the kids to know where they are in relationship to the rest of the world. When the grocery cashier asks their grades, all she needs to know is 7th, 5th, 3rd and 1st. I hate to give anyone more information than they need or make things more complicated than they are, kwim?
__________________
Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MacBeth
Forum All-Star
Probably at the beach...
Joined: Jan 27 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2518
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:11pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Not until high school, and they do the "look at nearest parent" thing, too. Drives me crazy. 
__________________
God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 25 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2291
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:27pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
um sorta. I mean is there a 1.6 grade? 2nd grade math, 1st grade reading? or a 7.5 and 8.3 for doing 8th grade science and math, 7th grade grammar, lit, and 9th grade reading?
and then there's the mental head count.
dh had to actually ask one of the kids how old they were the other day. Now, I'm sure he could have mentally thougth, "d born in 95, C, 96, J, 98, E 99, Oh that would make him blank age. But it was quicker to just ask.  I can't imagine what he would have said if asked a grade.
We just meander along around here I guess? 
__________________
Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
joann10
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 10 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3493
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:27pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We have to hand in reports to the school district, so my kids have a certain grade. That being said, I use whatever grade books that fit the child, ranging from a grade below to two grades ahead.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
amyable
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:45pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We need to declare a grade for the umbrella school we use. That being said, we usually tell the kids "You are grade X age-wise but working different levels ability-wise...when people ask, just say, 'I'm in Xth grade!'" 
__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Tina P.
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 28 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1638
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
MacBeth wrote:
| Not until high school, and they do the "look at nearest parent" thing, too. Drives me crazy. |
|
|
This is just what I'm struggling with here. I want desperately for my son to fit into MODG's 9th grade *box*. But he doesn't.
__________________
Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TracyQ
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1323
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yes, because we have to send IHIPs and reports in to the district as well. So they have a grade, and either progress to the next (making one year's progress) or not.
But we've had them look at us when asked too, even sometimes when they're older. This happened the other day, because they just finished their year. We don't make a huge deal of it, like Oh, you just finished 7th, so now you're in 8th, we just talk about it when it comes up.
The other day, someone asked, and Sarah wasn't really quick to answer, but eventually said 8th after thinking about it. I said, well, we homeschool, so they don't always know what grade they're in, it's not that important in our homeschool, because they work at either grade level or above anyway. They thought that was kind of neat actually.
It's really interesting to watch. We have over 50 nieces and nephews, who we see often (mostly weekly). Our kids aren't very concerned with hanging around with kids who are younger or older, because they are just people to them, while to many of their cousins, we see an attitude that we can't hang out with such and such because they're not this grade or that grade. It's just ingrained in their educational system, so it's normal for them.
That is one of the really special things about homeschooling. If my kids weren't homeschooled, I'm pretty certain some of the good cousin relationships they've formed with younger cousins who they are more suited for wouldn't have developed if they had a preconcieved notion about them because of the age/grade difference. They just don't see ages and grades.....they see people. I really like that about them, and it's definitely been one of the blessings in making this decision....something we hadn't even thought about. 
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JenniferS
Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 09 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1049
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 4:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We don't have to, but I taught long enough for the whole "grade level" thing to be ingrained, I guess. Our three oldest know what grade(6,4,3) they are in. Number four is somewhere between 1st and 2nd grade, so I don't really define it too much for him. THe rest are somewhere before kindergarten. So, I guess it's not as ingrained as I thought.
Jen
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
K&Rs Mom
Forum Rookie
Joined: April 14 2008
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 58
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 8:48pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I've told dd if someone asks she can either say "we homeschool" or "first" (what her age-peers will start this fall). I felt like I had to give her an answer to use, and sometime this summer I told both dc that they are promoted. Even my 3yo likes to tell people that we homeschool, so they usually choose that answer. If someone asks me what grade the kids are, they usually get a blank look, followed by "we homeschool, it's kind of complicated." So far that's usually been enough, though occasionally someone wants to know more.
__________________
Aubrey
Mom to K (7.5yo) & R (5yo)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
graciefaith
Forum Pro
Joined: June 08 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 361
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 9:00pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We do only b/c of sports or CCD. For things like that, dd1 knows she's in 1st grade and dd2 is in Kindergarten. School wise, we just keep working through and i dont worry if they are on grade level or not.
__________________
Blessed wife and mom of 3 girls, Sept. '01, Dec. '02 and Oct. '07
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 9:08pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Same as Graciefaith.. since we do CCD and sports they generally know what grade they fall in by age.. and we have to tell the school district what grade when we start homeschooling.. but even then.. I have one child who's birthday is so close to the cut off for starting public school that we would have held him back and started him at 6 rather than 5.. so I take that into account with what activity we're doing.. so some he's one grade and some he's the other
Here at home.. we don't worry about it.. mostly our material doesn't really say *grade* so we go along with it just being the order of the books - 1, 2, etc 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KC in TX
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 05 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: July 15 2008 at 10:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
There's no requirement for us but I tell the kids because they're always asked. My son is not on grade level at all but I just have him tell people whatever his grade would've been.
__________________
KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Do you keep track of what grade they are?
