More College Visits

As I posted in my highlights for February post, in addition to the busy-ness of home life and homeschool, we are also in full swing with the process of helping our oldest make a decision regarding where she’ll spend the next several years once she leaves our home.   You can see our first college visit here.   Dad hit the road with her this month (envision Martin Lawrence with Raven Symone in “College Road Trip”)–two universities, two markedly different experiences, two consequently different impressions.

The first stop:

Visiting Texas Womens’ University was more of a parent-driven activity than anything encouraged by the oldest, and that bit of background seemed to shape the day.   If it is any indication of her lack of interest, these pictures were captured by my husband on his cell phone; the oldest took none with her camera.

Pros

We really liked the size of this campus.    Although the oldest envisions herself at a larger state school (though not too large), we see the potential for large state school-related distractions, and would prefer a more intimate environment.   She also had no interest in attending a single-sex university, so it is good, at least for her,  that TWU is now opening its doors to males.   Though male enrollment is small, it is a step in the right direction for our daughter’s perceived needs.   The campus is also very near Dallas, where there are a number of outside cultural events related to her interests.  Last, but certainly not least, this campus is the most cost-effective for us of all the places that she’s shown interest in thus far.   It is not far from home, and the tuition, etc., are very affordable.   This was perhaps the point where we were willing to push her to at least take a look, pointing out to her that her brother is not far behind her, so we have to make decisions that benefit all parties involved.

Cons

The biggest disappointment was that TWU did not sell the program that interests her well at all.  

First, the program head had a scheduling conflict, and consequently, students were there to represent her particular school.    Though there was some value in this, and students can definitely offer a perspective, there was no one to speak to the program at a high level–approach to learning, philosophy behind the what and why of courses required, availability of internships and how they happen, etc.  I loved the fact that this level of conversation was so critical to our daughter; where did this mature young lady come from?

My husband was also not pleased by the limited housing offered to students–a big consideration for me, at least, as I’ve experienced the horror of having to find apartments, inconsiderate roommates, etc. when housing was no longer available.   My husband also felt that there was no ideal “perfect” housing for a student’s needs (internet access, safety in the evening versus traffic through the university, etc.)

Our daughter returned home a bit more in like, but definitely not in love, with this campus.

Not long after, she made her second trip in as many weeks.

 

 I’ll answer the obvious question first, with all the candor that is me: “Why is a black girl from Texas even considering Iowa State University?” I’m glad you asked! 

In the fall of 2010, the oldest attended a local college fair.   For obvious reasons, the lines to see representatives of UT (in these parts that’s Texas, not Tennessee) and Texas A&M were long.   Other schools were helpful, but not necessarily engaged in a conversation that “sold” their school, so to speak.    The ISU rep impressed the oldest, and she was increasingly intrigued when we shared that my middle sister completed work for her Doctorate there–largely at the University’s expense.   Indeed, the rep spoke of a number of scholarship opportunities that could possibly be available to the oldest, and went out of his way to follow up on all of her questions.   They have subsequently “courted” the oldest with a barrage of e-mails, post cards, etc. from then until now.   In short, they spoke all of our language.   BUT, this is also our cold-natured girl who walks around the house with a bathrobe on top of day clothes–in July.   Our immediate reservation was that Iowa in the winter would be entirely too cold for her.   She was insistent that she could handle it, so we bought her the warmest category jacket Land’s End sold, insulated all-weather boots, and packed her off for a trip up to Ames in the midst of a snowstorm.

From my husband’s perspective, this was a very different experience from dragging the horse to water at TWU; she LOVED it.

 

 

 

 

(Notice the immediate difference in quantity and quality of pictures!)

Pros

Perhaps this is the case with all larger, state schools, but this place knew a thing or two about how to recruit a potential candidate.   We were called days before her visit to be sure that we were coming; they knew her intended major, who would be there, and all the amenities were laid out.    She spoke with everyone, from a resident advisor, to the admissions director, to the department head for her intended major, and of course, to other students.    The facilities were exceptional.   I feared momentarily that she’d had a brief love affair with the snow–rare in these parts–but she returned home sharing a number of advantages of their program:

1) it is one of the top rated in the country for her field

2) internships–domestic or overseas–are required as a part of graduation completion

3) housing is guaranteed for all four years (again, more peace of mind for me than for her)

4) strong support system in terms of mandatory meetings with various advisors

5) there is a dance program in addition in addition to her field of study

(Incidentally, TWU had several of these benefits, too, but you had to work much harder to find these things out).

Cons

Our first concern was the level of diversity.   When my sister attended this same school years ago, our niece remembered vividly going to church and having someone ask to feel her skin.  In fact, neither of them left the area with fond memories.  Before we as a family of girls embraced our natural hair, finding a salon once our daughter left home was a huge concern.   Thankfully, the Lord has ordered our steps such that she won’t have to worry about that quite as much.   The University is more diverse than I would have thought, but there is still the reality that Iowa isn’t exactly what one would consider a melting pot.

The weather poses some obvious concerns as well, as I stated earlier, for our cold-natured daughter.   I’m still not convinced that she’d survive 4 winters of 26 degrees as a high–very different than 1 day.    However, she feels as if she can make it, and each time I’ve questioned how realistic is this opportunity for her, her response has been, “Well, Mom, you just have to layer and bundle up.”   I simply don’t want our money bundled up in beauracracy if she decides this wasn’t as she thought after the first close encounter with months of winter.

Closely associated with the weather concern is the transportation issue.   Our vision was that our daughter would probably take what is now our second car to school with her.  She’s in no hurry to drive in Texas heat; how in the world will she navigate  in Iowa snow?    She quickly caught wind of the shuttle system that is widely available throughout the campus and around town (Ames is a big college town), and has stated numerous times that the shuttle is a viable option to her having to drive around in conditions that are not comfortable for her.

She obviously enjoyed the tour.   So as of right now, it is a definite possibility.   She has one more trip to take in late April.   I look forward to the “come to Jesus” we’ll have this summer regarding her fantasies versus our realities.  Start praying, friends.

Current Events:1st Crack

In my last post, I shared my youngest’s desire to add current events to her course work, and, to a larger extent, to emulate her brother and sister.   She’s completed her current events for 2 weeks now, and her results are well worth capturing.    Here is a sample of her summary.

“Stitches of Hope”

 

 

‘There is a 30-foot flag that represents the country of America.   When our American flag got badly torn with holes almost everywhere, but our flag survived.  Seven years later our flag was sent to Greenburg, Kansas.  After a terrible tornado, member[s] of Kansas used flags from around the world to repair a flag from 9/11.   Then, the flag took a vacation and had more Americans help the poor little flag.   Even the local navy sewed the flag.’  

 

Definitely some work to do, but I love a child’s way of figuring life out.   My personal favorite is the flag’s decision to take a vacation–too funny!!

Uncertainty

Uncertainty.

1. The condition of being uncertain; doubt.

2. Something uncertain: the uncertainties of modern life.

Synonyms: uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, mistrust

These nouns refer to the condition of being unsure about someone or something. Uncertainty, the least forceful, merely denotes a lack of assurance or conviction: I regarded my decision with growing uncertainty.

 

 

I don’t think that I’ve ever prepared for a year with this much uncertainty–not even during our first year.   Maybe it was naivete, but I prayed  ALOT, did my homework and began to execute, even in the midst of my sister and niece being here to help with a newborn baby.   So, this year, as I began to envision what the kids would do, my task was to quit agonizing about what might happen and instead function within what I know right now.   With that in mind, I developed our plans.     Here are the highlights.

 

 

Plans for the youngest were perhaps the easiest to make.   I’m much more comfortable with a plan for the fundamentals, even though admittedly, they are not my favorite to teach–too much redundancy.   What is most exciting to me is that we will use my curriculum to teach her American History next year.   A customer asked me about blog posts that feature the kids using A Blessed Heritage’s products, and it was then that I realized that the last time I taught the children using the elementary product, I had yet to start blogging.   Life pre-blogging seems like a long time ago!

 

 

The most work I needed to complete for her was to develop a reading list.   Though we’ve read some great books over the years, I also wanted to incorporate some fresh reads for the sake of the older two, who often listen in from the adjacent room as they complete their work.   Several of her reading selections are Sonlight staples that we have enjoyed, partly because that’s what’s on our shelves.   Some of  Tanglewood Education‘s selections round out our list nicely with selections that don’t always appear on many homeschooling reading lists, especially in the genres of mystery and science fiction.

 

If there is one word that defines the time I spend with the older kids,that word would be ‘classics.’    I often talk to the kids about cultural literacy and understanding the context of language past just the words.   This is one of the many benefits of being a life-long reader.   When their Disney shows start with ’it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’  they should have some sense of where those words come from, and what is their significance to the rest of the episode.   Our son wrote a brief biography on William Shakespeare in his commonplace book and found out that even seemingly silly comedies like “She’s the Man” (Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum) and  ”Deliver Us from Eva” (Gabrielle Union, LL Cool J) are based upon Shakespearean works.   By the way, did you know that Shakespeare struggled to consistently spell his own name?   How ironically hilarious is that?!!

 

Our son will begin high school next year, although there are still a couple of areas where he’s at a middle school level.   Like the oldest, he will start a year of ancient history using a Great Books curriculum.   With our daughter, I definitely learned alongside of her as Homer helped us define the word drudgery together.  (Scroll down on this post to see my daughter’s take on Homer and ancient pasttime activities).   I am much more prepared for what these classics look like in terms of work schedule and actual “feel,” if that makes sense.

 

Of course the oldest and her part-time college career present the lion’s share of our uncertainty.    Her current summer schedule is such that she’s in school four days per week.   My plan would hinge upon her going to school twice per week and then completing work at home in the afternoons.    Our first fight regarding my plan was that she wants to be more involved with dance than what I had listed will allow.   I am hoping that she’ll recognize the accelerated pace of college and realize for herself that she cannot take on everything that she’s done in the past.    Of course, if not, I am prepared to play the spoiler in order to see her succeed in all things (rather than succeeding at dance to the detriment of her academic education).   She began class Monday, where she found out that her first paper was due on Wednesday; that was a rude awakening, to say the least.

 

I hate scratching pieces of  the plan that I had for her.   It is as much a lesson in pride for me as it is a lesson in letting go, as I discussed in my “Losing Control” post.    Before I looked into the Government class at the college, I was busily investigating early American history living books and thinking about reading schedules.     Now I am constantly reminded that she will have to learn some things from others with a very different perspective, i.e., worldview, than we have.     A friend suggested going over certain aspects at home, and I planned the reading list to do just that, but the reality is that our time will be limited.    Between the pace of college, letting her go to dance sometimes so that she has some physical outlet and place to express creativity in that way, and her pace (let’s just say she won’t be accused of not stopping to smell the roses), one-on-one reading is subject to happen more sporadically than I like.   I had too many of those experiences this year where we’d pick up a book, then put it down for days, and everyone, including me, would have to get reenergized about it.

 

Speaking of needing energy, right now we’re moving–slowly–through Don Quixote, the Man of La Mancha.    I’ve tried not to “force” school and make the summer boringly academic.   But this book is 600+ pages, and not at all the hilarious epic adventure that I remember as a kid.   Maybe because my husband once sold pharmaceuticals to psychiatrists, neurologists, etc., the kids have keyed in on poor Quixote’s mental state, and it almost reads like a tragedy to them.    I’m going to abridge this one myself so that we can move on.

 

Anyway, I look at this definition, and though uncertainty doesn’t, in and of itself, sound so bad, there are other words here: doubt and mistrust.    Yes, when I list my plans, there is much room for doubt, and I have good reason not to trust in my own abilities.    My will gets us limited reward, but I’m looking for more than mediocrity.   So I must choose to substitute different words for doubt and mistrust:   

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.  This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

 

 

Proverbs 3: 5-8 

Losing Control

We have two weeks of school left.

Usually by this time, I would already have summer reading lists compiled and printed off for the children.   In my defense, I have at least talked to my son about what I want to do.  

I plan to simply keep school going with our youngest daughter.  When I reflect upon her school year, there is too much low-hanging fruit for me to feel comfortable about a clear, seamless transition into third grade.   As one example, I still think she needs to “seal in” the concept of borrowing when subtraction.   Once she completes the first problem, she fine.   Yet, almost every day, I have to remnd her that, if the larger number is below the smaller number, you cannot simply reverse the numbers, i.e., 7 – 9 is not the same as 9 – 7.   I have to remind her all too often that since you are borrowing 10, it is as easy as placing a 1 in front of the number that you are adding to (as I write it, I realize that I sound equally confused!)  With the text having introduced borrowing from the tens’ columns and the hundreds’ column, she also sometimes forgets which column to borrow from.   Finally, there are also days when she’s very distracted and starts adding some numbers and subtracting others.   GEEEESH!   So the summer will give us an opportunity to slow down and gain confidence in this area.

We’ll also continue handwriting.   This week, she accomplished the difficult cursive “S,” and so she can now write her full name in cursive.  I intentionally delayed teaching cursive to give her more of a chance to gain confidence with a pencil and to work on the right direction for the “ball” of the letter “b” or “d,” or which way to turn a “j”–challenging lessons that all little ones must tackle.

What’s stopping me from bringing my ”A” game?  Three things.

1) the heat. Spring is my absolute favorite time of year.  It’s when I crave the outdoors, the cool morning breeze that begs you to be out and about in the garden.  However, this year, we had no spring.  We went from winter to summer, and at a time when many in this country are experiencing flooding, we have not seen rain in weeks.   All our flowers and grass popped up, and just as quickly, it dried out and died.   Now I find myself in a bit of a funk after not seeing a hibiscus bloom after a fresh rain, or seeing my mimosa blossoms shrivel almost immediately after blooming.

2) the busy schedule.  In four weekends, I have had to prepare, as a parent prepares (given that I’m not the one actually performing), for a science competition, two dance competitions, and a prom.    Most Sunday nights I have crawled into bed, and most Monday mornings I wake up behind.   Hence, nothing that is outside of the norm do I accomplish without Herculean effort.    Searching book lists, reviews, descriptions, etc., has simply been more than I can do right now, especially with my laptop dying a slow death ( and consequently, the kids standing over me in line while I attempt to check off a few to-dos  on the family desktop).

3) the life-changing decision to allow our oldest to enter college early–at least as a part-time student.   The state of Texas has a wonderful partnership between community colleges and high schools, including high school homeschools.   With the dual credit initiative, a high schooler can complete college courses at a greatly reduced rate (like less than $200), receiving college credit and high school credit.    Most Texas 4-year colleges and universities readily accept these credits, saving parents bundles in higher education costs.   Many homeschooling parents actually enroll their children at junior college as Associates degree candidates, and then send them off to 4-year universities as degreed students for their final two years.   We went to all the meetings and thought well in advance about what a wonderful benefit this would be to both the oldest, and to us.   It all sounded great–that is, until now, when it is all about 3 weeks from happening.   Now I’m feeling as I felt when we packed her up at 3 years old and sent her off to private school, only worse.   Back then, I was convinced that we were giving her an early start on the best education money could buy; now I know that we’ve got the best education love can afford right here at home.   I’m struggling with her possibly learning history from another perspective rather than it being His story.   I’m struggling with the people with whom she might come in contact.   I’m struggling with all the plans I had that will probably not happen with her before she goes farther away to school in a couple of years.   How did this moment get here so fast?  

Having said all of that, I am also rejoicing.   In spite of my angst, I know this is a great opportunity for her, and I’m proud of her for stepping up to this challenge.   I’m proud of me and the realization that I had a little something to do with getting her here (not to take away from my husband or the Lord).   Most of all, I’m thankful that the Lord loves this mother hen (as my husband describes me) enough to allow me to gradually, lovingly, lose control.   Not that I’m misled into thinking that I had control anyway, but now, as these four walls become increasingly inadequate to  protect her from what she’ll encounter, I’m glad she is His.

P.S.   We finally got a bit of rain today.   Guess I’d better get busy.