“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5
The first basic question is “what do you teach in high school?” This may sound silly, with the obvious answer being to teach what your children will have to know to get into college. But let us back up a bit. One of the main reasons we homeschool is that biblically we (the parents) are being held responsible to God for our children’s education. So let us go back to the bible as the starting point of what to teach – God’s word.
Simply put – they are better! High school material is intentionally designed to be easier to meet the lowered demands of the high school market. They are not geared toward students planning on moving into college. University faculty in many disciplines continually point out the mathematical weakness of incoming college students as a result of lowered demands and simplified high school curriculum.
Hey everyone! It is FINALLY here, Harold Jacobs has released his NEW updated Solutions Manual to accompany his Elementary Algebra textbook.
The new solutions manual contains the answers to ALL the problems in the textbook all in one place, PLUS each solution is worked out step-by-step.
We are VERY excited to be offering this wonderful improvement and we are very grateful to Mr. Jacobs for allowing us to participate in the book’s release.
Precalculus is basically the same thing as Algebra II with Trigonometry. In fact, if you look at the books by popular book vendors you will find their Precalculus textbooks and their Algebra II with Trigonometry textbooks to be almost exactly the same with different covers. Some people prefer to call it Algebra II with Trigonometry and others prefer Precalculus. Either should prepare the student for a following course in Calculus.
We are pleased to announce the arrival of our first LIVE ONLINE CLASS here at AskDrCallahan. Cassidy Callahan Cash will be teaching Algebra 1 using Harold Jacob’s Elementary Algebra textbook and the brand new complete Solutions Manual. (WITH step-by-step solutions).
Algebra is where you start to apply abstract thinking to everyday arithmetic. Once a student understands basic arithmetic, the idea of a variable, and the basics of graphing or plotting points – they are ready to dive into the world of algebra.
This course offers the student and parent a solution to learning Algebra and preparing them for geometry and math success. The students are guided through the Jacobs textbook with video lessons covering each topic, working examples, and addressing their homework questions. Taught by Cassidy Callahan Cash, who has been teaching math in classical and private schools for the last few years. Cassidy offers a fresh and entertaining look at Algebra.
The class will meet in an online meeting room Mondays and Wednesday from 12-1:15. Once you sign up for the class and provide us with your email address, you will receive an email invitation each class day. A link will be included in this email, which you will click on and presto! You now have all the great aspects of attending a classroom right from your home computer. (Note: the classroom software requires a one-time automatic download of a plug-in–this will come up automatically when you click the class link for the first time, simply choose the “allow” or “open” option to proceed)
You can be in your pajamas, bring food and drinks to class, and no one will say anything! How great is that!?
The software we are using to present this class live to you allows wonderful features:
You can interact with the teacher and other students for the entire class time.
You can see the problems being worked on the board via the simulated white board
You can view links and videos that Mrs. Cash will be showing you in class
You can use the “raise your hand” feature, which means that by clicking a single button you can put an icon on Mrs. Cash’s computer screen that lets her know you have a question—just like a real classroom!
You have complete interactive participation with the teacher AND other students from around the globe and you never left the comfort of your own home.
If you ever need to miss a class, a recording is made available on our website so that you can access that information at any time. (This feature also works well for anyone who might want to review the material covered in class)
…and much more!
Those of you who are not internet/software savvy need not despair! We will spend the first class period going over how to use the software and making sure everyone is up to speed on how to participate. In addition, throughout the course I will be stopping periodically to answer any questions or address concerns that might come up while you are attending the class. So you will never get lost or fall behind.
The class is $180 per semester or $360 for the year. (That is $45/month/student)
We’ve all seen or heard the “go to college so you can get a good degree and be successful in life” slogan from somewhere. Sometimes it was from family members, other times it was from friends, television ads, or even books we’ve read. And we bought into this idea fully. We save for college, we plan for college, some of us went and got degrees. Even those of us who didn’t, are now saving so our children can. But is all this preparation and planning (and EXPENSE!) really worth it? What is the true cost of an education and are we getting what we pay for? These are the questions Jason Barr takes on in his article “What is the Value of a College Eduation”, written for the Get Rich Slowly blog site. Mr. Barr examines what a college education costs alongside whether or not the “you can’t get a good job without a college diploma” messasge still rings true. Take a look at his article. It might surprise you.
The first basic question is “what do you teach in high school?” This may sound silly, with the obvious answer being to teach what your children will have to know to get into college. But let us back up a bit. One of the main reasons we homeschool is that biblically we (the parents) are being held responsible to God for our children’s education. So let us go back to the bible as the starting point of what to teach – God’s word.
Recently the website BREAKPOINT, based on the radio program by Chuck Colson and Mark Earley, published the article “Back to (Home) School” where Mark Earley talks about how homeschooling is a growing trend in America.
He states that in “Recent years [we] have seen a dramatic growth in the number of homeschooled kids. More than 1.5 million Americans now choose to educate their children at home. And that number may be growing by anywhere from 5 to 12 percent a year. As of spring 2007, 2.9 percent of all school-aged children in the U.S. were homeschooled.”
In addition to addressing the growth of homeschooling in general, Mr. Earley also discusses the fact that homeschooling has become a major trend amonst non-evangelicals (and even outside religion as a whole). Take a look at his article, it is quite enlightening.
Elementary Algebra has long been a well respected and well loved textbook for many parents and students who are taking Algebra 1. And now one of the best Algebra 1 texts is about to get better. Coming soon is the new-and-improved Solutions Manual for Elementary Algebra, which AskDrCallahan has been very blessed to be a part of producing. The new solutions manual will contain answers to all of the homework exercises in the book AND there are even solutions worked out step-by-step. We are so excited about this new product and hope you are too! Be on the lookout for the upcoming solutions manual. We will post here and in our newsletter just as soon as it is available.
We suggest you focus on career and college prep courses. Be careful here, and really look to your child and God’s word. Many people seek God’s will for their life, but miss the obvious will given in God’s word. Most women will become wives and mothers, and most men will become husbands and fathers. While much of what they learn might be by example, we believe you should help prepare them for these family careers. Teach them the biblical principle of being married and having children. Teach your daughters how to work in the home, and your sons how to earn a living.
While preparing a child to go to college and get a job is good, it might not be the best. Having been in industry for many years I can see many people who are disillusioned. Jobs are not secure today, and many families find their lives in turmoil due to the single source of income. So when we say teach them to earn a living, we mean just that. A friend whose son is a junior in business school suggested his son get true management experience. Instead of joining a local company, which has a decent management training program, he suggested his son start a lawn care company. He told him that he wanted it done right, invoices, marketing, etc. He agreed to be the first customer. While his son might or might not succeed in this venture, he will learn a great deal about business and earning a living.
