Homeschool

[Ilovebigcats]

My kids are almost finished with their testing to start a new A.C.E. homeschooling curriculum course. I am soooooooooooooo excited! I wanted to do this last year but it didn't pan out. It is EXCELLENT! I love it!! I have never liked locking kids into a certain grade level. This is fan-stinkin-tastic!

I was wondering if anyone has used A.C.E.?

[Susie Hamilton]

I had an ace up my sleeve once.

[Shellie]

It was what Josie used in Kindergarten. Good stuff.

[Ilovebigcats]

It was what Josie used in Kindergarten. Good stuff.

It is especially awesome for my kids because they are all over the place. It enables them to go through all the steps to complete a full year even if it is in the middle of a typical "grade level." I love it.

[Jennifer Smith]

I have known different people who used the ACEs and had trouble later with their schooling....

[Ilovebigcats]

I have known different people who used the ACEs and had trouble later with their schooling....

I know 4 very smart people that graduated from ACE school and are having no problems with further education.

[Dr. Ron]

I was the principal of an ACE school for 5 years.
In that time I sent 4 kids to the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and West Point, not to mention full scholarship ROTC work.

I never saw a kid have trouble in the future schooling....if it was done properly. My sons were both Valedictorians. and my niece was also. They have all done very well in further education........and they can actually read, write and do arithmetic.....it's amazing.....then in college my niece was on the deans list.

I guess it is how the program is administered and how the kids are required to do their work.

[dolfan]

I was the principal of an ACE school for 5 years.
In that time I sent 4 kids to the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and West Point, not to mention full scholarship ROTC work.

I never saw a kid have trouble in the future schooling....if it was done properly. My sons were both Valedictorians. and my niece was also. They have all done very well in further education........and they can actually read, write and do arithmetic.....it's amazing.....then in college my niece was on the deans list.

I guess it is how the program is administered and how the kids are required to do their work.

So, what you're saying is it is just like anything else ... it is what you make of it?

There are a few unaccredited law schools in Alabama (not recognized by the American Bar Association). They produce lawyers, though. When you go to an accredited one (there are 2 here, at UA and Cumberland Law School at Samford U.), they teach you basically that those people are hopeless hacks. Well, lemme tell you I got that misconception cleared up real nicely pretty early in my trial experience. Those folks work hard, make really good out of what is not the most academically fit experience in terms of accreditation, and become very good lawyers and judges in this state (they can't practice outside of Alabama -- no state will generally allow you to sit for their bar if you graduated from a non-accredited law school from another state). One of the best attorneys I know and consider a friend graduated from Birmingham School of Law (a night school on a 4-year schedule instead of the typical 3 year plan, designed for working people), and just two weeks ago, in an appeal he won, tipped the whole state's scheme for counting municipal court DUI convictions for enhancement-to-felony purposes on its head. I was talking with him just this morning at the courthouse when the judge he got reversed walked into the room with a "okay-you-got-me" smile. It was a nice moment, truly. (I know, you think that's bad, but when you're a lawyer and you get a judge reversed on appeal, it is pretty sweet no matter what the issue is.)

[PastorDaniel]

I have known different people who used the ACEs and had trouble later with their schooling....

Could it possibly be that those folks would have had problems with school regardless? No offense. Just curious. Lots of people do well in elementary, middle, and even high school and then have problems with college.

[Jennifer Smith]

I do think a lot depends on the teacher/school. So that being said, I'm sorry if I rained on your parade. I'm sure you can do well with it. I think to make this program really work it can be more work for the teacher, to make it engaging and interesting to the children so they will really dive in and understand the material. I homeschooled my children while they were younger, and I know that it can be a drudgery some days, and fun at other times, but I always looked for curriculum that was good quality and did the hard work for me- I did a lot of research into curriculum.

I don't believe the people who shared their experiences with me were slow. They attributed their difficulty specifically to the school they attended that used this program. It is a story I have heard over and over from various people.

As I said, I think a lot depends on the teacher. I believe some children can benefit if they are given instruction beyond these workbooks. But some schools/parents have just given their children these and then allowed the children to work at their own pace- but without enough instruction, interaction, outside projects, etc, to help them really master the material.
The problem is that they are basically a set of workbooks with multiple choice answer tests. As long as you can pass the tests, you can go forward. But most schools give multiple attempts to get the desired grade, and the information covered is often simplistic so there may be children who pass the tests without really understanding the material.

The other problem can be, I feel that these workbooks do not engage or interest the children enough to inspire them to learn. Children learn differently as individuals- there are children who learn through touch, by hearing, visually, by working as a group, by working alone. Children retain what they have worked on as a creative project the best- projects inspire them to become engaged in the material. What do you remember from school? It is probably not as much the facts you crammed to pass a test in World History, it is more likely the creative project you did in Social Studies. I believe school should be fun and an interactive growth process, and it can be if you take the time to make it that way, but with these workbooks the work to do that will be on the teacher, because that isn't included in the curriculum. But that's not to say I don't think you can do it, because this could work well with some family unit studies!

[PastorDaniel]

Very good post Jennifer. I agree. My son is in a COG christian school and uses paces. This school offers an athletic program, music classes, and has only so many children in a classroom with an actual certified teacher.....so I'm sure that all of that makes a HUGE difference.

[Dr. Ron]

Pastor Daniel,
You are very much correct about that. The addition of extra-curricular activity makes a big difference. That and the attitude of the teachers, involvement of the parents ect. all play a part.

I think the issue is not the pace program (which I find much more teachable than lecture style) but, the attitude toward it from others.

My kids and our school, made a big deal out of the reading aspects as much as anything else.

But, it's like chocolate and vanilla.........everyone has different tastes.