Caitlin's Junior Year of High School in Review

This post is for her Junior year Homeschool evaluation, but I will add a couple of other topics as well towards the end.  As always I will post what classes she will be taking for her Senior year in a future post.  

Caitlin had a very good year, despite Covid and all that went with that.  She got her vaccination as soon as her age group could and I give her credit for her maturity.  She was able to continue to volunteer and socialize as long as there was no known infection and she followed smart practices.  She did lose her beloved cat in April of 2021 due to what the vet thinks was a rattlesnake bite.  He died peacefully, and without pain in her arms.  Again, she was so mature and held him the whole time.  She planted a Hibiscus tree in his honor.  

These are the courses she completed and the grade she received.

1.  English segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  Grade A and C respectively.

2.  Criminal Justice segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  The grade received an A for both segments.

3.  Math.  We used Aleks as always and she finished Algebra 1.  Aleks does not give a grade you do the work until you can complete the assignments with an acceptable grade.  She then moved on to Geometry and will complete that in her Senior year.  More about that in the future post.

4.  African American History.  Please see the post I did on this topic if you wonder how we did it.  A lot of it was videos, reading, and then conversation.  This topic is hard because a lot of it is hard to watch and read about.  She got an A in this course.

5.  Nutrition.  This was not a traditional Nutrition course.  It was based on an ethics college book that my son used in one of his college courses.  My main goal was for Caitlin to learn about Nutrition in Western society mainly in regards to the topics of poor nutrition of fast food and processed foods, animal cruelty, sustainability, and so forth.  She did not read the book but instead watched movies and videos chosen by me based on the topics from the book, with in-depth conversations after.  We made some healthier versions of her favorite fast and processed food items.  I wouldn't say she even changed her mind after this course, but I certainly did.  I have slowly been modifying our eating lifestyle over this year.  Grade A

6.  Biology.  She finished it and the labs.  Grade B minus.  She didn't put a whole lot of effort into this course because she literally hates Science.  

7.  I gave her one credit for PE and 1 credit for Kennel Care and Management of Shelter Dogs.

8.  Drivers Ed.  She got her learner's permit in 2020 and drives regularly.  I think I would like her to take a car maintenance course, and possibly self-defense.  

Total Credits:  7.5

I still have to put everything together to see exactly how many more credits she needs before graduating in 2022.

The books she read are as follows:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Hiroshima by John Hershey

Shade by Pete Souza

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

She actually enjoys reading now.  3 out of those 4 books she picked on her own to read.

Now for the extra stuff.

This will be my last year of homeschooling.  So, I have been thinking of what I want to do with myself once I have an empty nest.  I of course have several options.  I am still a nurse, working part-time right now, and I have my Health Coach business, which really has not taken off mostly because I need to advertise it better.  I also am a board member and volunteer at Williston Animal Group.  I think I might take some courses that I have been putting off.  I also enjoy crafting and used to run an Etsy shop.  I think I might get back into that some even if it is to clear out stuff I already have made.  I also need to decide what to do with this blog.  It has been here since I pretty much began way back when my son was in the second grade.  He is married and in college now.  That is a lot of blogging, lol.  I think I might start adding new posts for others who want to homeschool and maybe monetize it a bit.  I used to make money off this blog, but that has gone by the wayside through the years of High School.  

I think people think blogging is easy.  It actually takes a long time to put a good blog post together.  I think most of the pictures on this blog, of years ago, have disappeared because Google changed their picture storing option.  But, the posts are still relevant and good.  Well, some aren't so good, I wasn't the best blogger in the beginning.  I may start by revising and revamping some of those older topics.

If you found this blog because you are a homeschooler, and you are looking for volunteer opportunities for your kiddos, check out Williston Animal Group.  You do have to be 16 and with a parent.    If you can drive yourself speak to the Volunteer Coordinator to see if your parent must be present.  We always have 2 adults on duty at the kennel.  If your child does more than just play, or walk dogs, you can count kennel care as a credit on your transcript.  My daughter has been doing it for 2 school years now.  She walks, cleans, scoops poop, learns about how to care for a kennel dog, helps feed, helps put on medicine, groom, and whatever else she might be asked to do.  One of our favorite things to do is to get cute pictures for their adoption pictures on Petfinder.  If you do not live in the Williston, Florida area see if there is a dog rescue near you.  You can call 352-528-9888 to learn more or make an appointment to visit the rescue.