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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 4:48pm | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
I forgot to mention  , that most the time my 13 yr old is taking two grade levels. In fact, he always has. This year he'll be 8th grade but still using some 7th grade materials from Seton.
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This is totally off topic, but would you mind sharing what you are using from Seton? I'm still struggling with the whole "structure versus freedom" issue and boys, and I'd be interested in hearing your experiences. Ds is almost 13 now and soooooooooo lazy! I know its partly the age but I'm also waffling now on how hard I should be pushing him, academically. Seems like everyone I know locally is an advocate of taking 9th grade level classes in the 8th grade. I've never been that way before and I'm starting to feel like maybe they all know something I don't.
Sigh...
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 5:37pm | IP Logged
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Dear Books,
Our schools in the area seem to propel the children at a higher rate of learning as well. I've often felt that I needed to keep up with them...just in case. Do we ever get rid of that feeling? Truly?
Not with this child. I honestly tell people (out of his hearing range, of course) that he would not be able to keep up with the school's agenda. A classroom is not for him.
Sometimes I feel I need to push him harder than I am and he seems to perform better for the Spanish tutor than for me. ; that's where Seton comes in.
I know people say how hard Seton is, how rigorous. It seems to be common compliants that CHC is too easy while Seton is too hard. We don't register with Seton but we do use some of their workbooks (map skills, English, diagramming, health, science). I love their art books (so do the children) and I have some of their history books because of the pictures. Am I a visual person or what?! 
He'll use the 7th grade science book and English this year. I like to know that he has something more challenging that he might find in a regular classroom.
However, Seton's stuff is geared for children who learn easier than he, so we opt for the grade level under his grade level. I add 8th grade materials from other curricula (CHC) that isn't as hard. This makes him feel better about himself. He feels like he can handle 8th grade material when, in fact, he's doing more of a 7th grade level.
Does this make any sense?
I can type my shopping list out if you'd like to see it. I think I have his stuff ready. A lot is left over from his brother's 8th grade or handed down to us by a friend (things they didn't use). I have a few things to order for him but we can basically begin the year with what we have. 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Christine
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 5:55pm | IP Logged
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Having taught in the school system and tutored for a Seton family, I believe that Seton already exceeds many schools in their standards and what the child learns. With this in mind, staying at grade level or even being slightly below grade level in some subjects should still help or allow the child to do well in college and life. Why stress a teen out, by pushing them harder?
Our babysitter's sister used Seton for her high school years (maybe even before). She never finished their 12th grade program and may not have finished 11th. She just graduated from a Catholic college with excellent grades and a job lined up to work for one of the big six companies (I had quite a few accountant friends and this was always their goal).
I know several other Seton grads who have done exceptionally well in college, too. This is just my long-winded way of saying, I believe that we do need to teach our children certain virtues (I have pregnancy mind and cannot think of the virtue that is opposite the vice of laziness), but I do not believe that we need to push our children to be above grade level.
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Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 7:42pm | IP Logged
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Thank you both.
Everything I've ever read about the way children develop (a lot of Piagetian theory) seems to me to suggest that children will do better if we don't push them above grade level and in the early years allow them to be about a grade level below in some subjects. How come no one else I know has read the same stuff?  I've never been one to panic over what my hs friends are doing, but its starting to get to me now that I have a jr. high aged child. I've had sooooooo many people "gently suggest" to me that my ds (will be 7th grade) ought to take prealgebra and physical science this Fall and that its good to "push" children a bit. The physical sci. class (coop) is considered adv. 8th/avg 9th grade!
I was getting frustrated with my ds not wanting to work for me last Spring and seriously considered Seton. I took him with me and viewed the entire 7th grade curriculum. He almost had a heart attack when he saw it all laid out.  I do think he knows now that he doesn't have it "so bad" after all.
Still, it does seem like he does better with a few subjects handled in a straightforward memorize and test format. That's why I was wondering what subjects you were using, Cay. By "English" do you mean their grammar program that uses Voyages in English?
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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rivendellmom
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 8:07pm | IP Logged
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We started out homeschooling with Seton fully enrolled. Since then I've had an on and off again relationship with them.
We've decided to enroll the kids in 2 classes each this year. One class for fun that they like and 1 class in something that they need to work on. My kids all like having another grader besides me.
For example, our 7th grader will be doing 5th grade english and 8th grade math. We've done tons of grammar, but he never really got it and wants to, so we chose 5th grade. He's great at math and we were doing Saxon anyhow, so he'll have the boost of seeing great grades in math.
Seton is extremely flexible, and most people don't realize it. When we were fully enrolled I did my own science and history with the kids and they will put the parent grade on the report card. They'll do that for any subject in the 1st through 8th grade.
But, that said I don't think I'll ever fully enroll again. We don't need to in our state and I just don't care if I have a report card for the kids.
I guess I could tell you what I don't like: Spelling never worked for us, I don't like the Vocab workbooks, I'm not a huge fan of the readers- we prefer living books- shocking I know :)
We've used a few levels of English. I have a science nut who reads science texts for fun, so we've enrolled in science and added a ton of living books to their spine. We've enrolled in Math, so my oldest could Seton when he was stuck on a tough problem. And we enroll in Religion in 2nd grade to get us out of mandatory RE before First Communion. Oh yeah, their phonics is ok if you want a workbook approach. Hope this helps!
Jen
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Jen in suburban Chicagoland Mom to Connor(91), Garrett(93), Reilly (95), Mary Katherine (98), Declan (05), Ronan in ^i^ 6/28/08
visit our new blog: http://recreationalscholar.blogspot.com/
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 23 2006 at 11:10pm | IP Logged
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I always have my dc do one Seton grammar course (somewhere around 6th grade or above). Now it doesn't much matter to me which one and we take our time and really, really learn it. So my dd did 6th grade grammar in the 6th and 7th grades. In 8th, she didn't need another year of grammar and in 9th she'll take Latin with a tutor and that will review plenty. I figure we'll review punctuation in her writing assignments.
I really don't intend to do anything else with them - but you never know. I do like the literature selections but didn't find the teacher grading all that helpful. I also found that I could do a better job encouraging more advanced intro and conclusions.
I do buy their art books and I love their Catholic World Culture Book to have around. We also have some of the early history stuff but haven't really used it much - I have it here in case we want to do a quick look up of a Saint in the time period. I also have the standard Ann Carrol history texts. Personally I think they are more appropriate for a middle schooler than for a high schooler because it reads like an interesting story with very little depth to it. My kids enjoy reading it - but quickly get annoyed with lack of detail or good proof for claims made.
I also, though, do not hesitate to take a very balanced book and use it as a spine for several years with different ages. We did Behold and See one year with my 2nd - 6th grader. Granted my older ones were science challenged because I never did a good job teaching them. But it gave some sense of ability back to the oldest and was perfect for the youngest. I did it again with the 3rd grader so he could do the experiments himself. He is my science freak and loved the book - done in half a year on his own - and doing experiments out of a ton of experiment books around the house and even his 5th grade brothers Kolbe secular science TB. He even began telling the high schooler which chemicals were reacting in her experiments (apologia). I figure next year he might as well work with his brother. We can do more that way.
For history I did use From Sea to Shining Sea - my 5th grader had no trouble with it at all, but he is a history fan and we weren't in a hurry. My dd (8th grade) uusing Ann Carrol's text was so annoyed she just couldn't stomach it anymore. I think for purposes of a general overview, From Sea to shinging Sea is much better and I have no problem using it and using appropriate level supplemental reading. I even would use it with a high schooler if I added some high school level reading and papers to it. I am also not in a rush to finish a text. We take our time and take a few years to do it if we need to. (I have to admit, I don't quite feel the same freedom with the highschoolers - but I have no problem with everyone else).
Janet
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: June 25 2006 at 4:04pm | IP Logged
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Thanks everyone, for sharing your thoughts about bit piecing with Seton. I had never before considered signing up with Seton for math so they could answer the questions. I *like* that idea!
Interestingly, many of you mentioned Seton's grammar program. I was scared when I saw it. It seems so hard to me. We have been using Easy Grammar 56. Grammar is not my strong suit.
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Seton Suggestions?
