| This year our student was able to take classes at our local university. This partnership has added tremendously to her experiences and has broadened what we are able to offer. She chose to take a writing class the fall semester and a history class the spring semester. Next fall, she wants to take an Algebra class and another history class. Even though she has taken upper level Algebra classes here at Rubicon, we feel it will be valuable for her to take a college level Algebra class at the university. This year we tried something new for history. We purchased The American Civil War series from The Great Courses program from the Teaching Company. This is a video course taught by Dr. Gary Gallager from the University of Virginia. It is a series of 48 lectures complete with maps and illustrations. We found the lectures fascinating and fun. The tapes come with course guidebook with lecture outlines, questions, and other information. Here's a link to their site. They offer courses on a wide variety of subjects. Some courses are also available on cassette tape for lower prices. We continued using Saxon math. This year we used Advanced Mathematics and our student continued to do well with it. The geometry was even more complex and proofs are included. This math is way beyond my expertise, but fortunately the book is self-explanatory and we purchased the solutions manual. Our student continued to pursue her martial arts studies of Samurai Sword and also began studying Kung fu and Tai Chi. These offer tremendous physical conditioning and mental and physical challenges. Our student looks forward to a trip to England and France this summer. She will be going to Queens College at Cambridge to study. She will spend some time in Paris enjoying the sights. We hope to have photos of the trip to post after she returns. Home |
| Junior Year |