Assessment 2018-19: Belle

This was Belle's 9th grade year.

She started seminary, and she started counting credits for high school.

Symposium = 3 credits
   1 credit--English
        The Good and the Beautiful High School 1 
        College Writing  homeschool co-op class Fall 2018

   1 credit--History
        The Mystery of History Volume 4
   .5 credit--Spanish Listening and Translation
        BJU Press Spanish 2 (not completed, used as a resource)
        www.churchofjesuschrist.org--General conference archives in Spanish
        www.churchofjesuschrist.org--media library in Spanish
        YouTube videos in Spanish
   .5 credit--Art, Sketching and Watercolor
        The Good and the Beautiful High School 1

Independent Studies = 4 credits
    1 credit--Algebra 1
        Saxon Algebra 1

    1 credit--Biology
        Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology 2nd ed.
        Microscopic Biology homeschool co-op class, Fall 2018

    1 credit--Ancient History, Rise and Fall of Nations
        The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer

    1 credit--Latin II
        Memoria Press Second Form Latin

Morning Meeting = .5 credit (this does not count seminary, personal scripture study, or Come, Follow Me)
     .5 credit--Religious Studies
         New Testament, KJV
        New Testament Stories
        Egermeier's Bible Storybook
        The Book of Mormon
        The Book of Mormon Family Reader
     
Classics Book Club =  1 credit
    1 credit--Classic Literature
        Dracula by Bram Stoker
        Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
        The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
        Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
        Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
        Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
        Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
        Book club meetings for lectures, discussion, and watching a movie version of each book

Total Credits = 8.5

Extracurriculars
*Volunteering at Urbavore Farm--3 hours each week, weather permitting

*Dancing and singing with American Rhythm--2-3 hours for 11 weeks Fall Semester, 14 weeks Winter/Spring, and a final show.

*The Young Women--church youth group activities--1-2 hours each week

There are fewer stories to tell or pictures to share at this level of schooling.  Belle is an outstanding student, doing high quality work in every endeavor.  On her transcript will be a string of perfect A grades.

She did hit a rough patch in the middle of the year, during which she just stopped doing schoolwork, but told me she was doing it.  As have my teens correct their own work and I'd never had a reason to doubt her word, I didn't.  When I did do a spot check, I was horrified, and Belle was mortified.

She apologized, and we outlined a plan for accountability that required my signature on every assignment every single day for 6 weeks.  Once she established the habit of solid daily work, she was released to weekly check-ins, and I am pleased to say that she has yet to regress.  It took her until early June to finish Latin and late June to finish Science, but all of her work for this school year is complete.

We are already working on a new book for Book Club, but as our next meeting date isn't until she starts the next school year, I'll give her credit for it next year.

Belle is really bright, but she's also methodical and careful.  I used to equate a bright mind with quick actions.  Belle has taught me otherwise.  She needs time to work and time to think and time to review what she's done.

Then, when it is done, it is amazing!

She's a talented writer.  Belle's College Writing class was taught by a retired community college writing teacher, and she did the same thing I did when presented with Belle's essays (no matter how hard I looked for stuff to correct) . . . handed them back with "Great job!  I enjoyed reading this!" written across the front page.  I thought it was just me as Mom thinking she was so good, but her teacher agreed and said to Belle, "You're ready for college reading and writing.  You've got nothing to worry about."

Belle is a voracious reader.

That's what she does when she's not doing school--reads and reads and reads.  I can't get her to keep a list, though.

I've tried.

It's a lot of reading, though, across a variety of genres.

And there's no one I like better to discuss a book with than Belle.   She understands nuances of character, appreciates subtle humor, gets literary allusions, and loves many of the same authors I love.
 
She's social and funny and a good listener.

At this point in time, Belle is considering pursuing a liberal arts degree in history or classics or something similar at a 4 year university.  She's not locked into it, though.

Last year at this time, she was wholly focused on farming.    

Teens change a lot between 14 and 18.

She's got time.