Because we are doing a 5-year high school plan with Duncan, I guess this technically was his first senior year. I'm not exactly sure how this all works, but I'm just going with it. Basically, we skipped 7th grade but then decided last year that Duncan really would benefit from graduating at 18 rather than 17. Five-year high school is becoming quite a trend around here. It gives kids a chance to explore more classes, have a little more free time, take dual enrollment classes, mature a bit more. I am so glad we listened to that still, small voice that said: "He's not ready."
Our year has been so relaxed but so productive. We've had time to incorporate "extras" while sharpening some specific skills. Had he been pushed to graduate, some of these things just would not have happened because he would have been so pressed for time. Instead, here are just a few of the awesome things that happened:
Ten day trip to Northern Tier Adventure Camp in Minnesota: a week of dog-sledding, skiing, and more.
Received his Eagle Scout Award
Plenty of adventures:
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| Mountain biking |
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| Spent a week in New York working on my brother's farm |
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| Spent an entire night in the Philadelphia airport on the return flight! |
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| Whitewater rafting |
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| 20-mile hike in the Smokies |
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| Rock climbing at Torrent Falls, Kentucky |
Awarded Scout of the Year for the local and district VFW
Student Ambassador for HonorAir Knoxville Flight #26. Duncan got to serve as an escort to four Vietnam veterans during this one-day trip to Washington DC to see the Korean, Vietnam, WWII memorials, and watch the changing of the guard at Arlington. What an amazing opportunity!
Lots of hanging out with friends
Classes
Besides all the extras, Duncan's classes were fabulous this year. He took Art Appreciation/Art history and Classic Literature at co-op. (Both were classes I taught.) We had loads of fun, and he worked really hard. Books read and discussed included: The Odyssey, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, The Count of Monte Cristo, Hamlet, Lord of the Flies, and lots of short stories, which the students were responsible for teaching. It was a fabulous year.
He also did Plant Science with my Dad, ACT Prep at home, the Photography and Writing class through Brave Writer, and current events at home. I'm probably missing something, but those were the highlights!
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| Art Appreciation/History class trip |
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| Literature Class |
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| Plant Science with his grandfather |
So what's up next year? I'll save that for another post.
And a report on my two homeschooled graduates:
Jesse is still working for American Airlines and just took the LSAT earlier this week. He plans to go to law school in Fall 2019.
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| Jesse and two of my other first students at my literature class party. |
Laurel just finished her junior year at Lipscomb University! I can hardly believe it. She again made the Provost's List with a 4.0. She is living and working in Nashville this summer. She works at the same elementary school where she works throughout the school year, and is just having the kind of fabulous summer that every 20-year-old should have.
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| Hunter graduated; she's next! |
And that ends our school year! 18 down.... one to go.
More on next year later!
Linked up with Homeschool Highlights and the Weekly Wrap-up
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