I don't think my daughter has ever struggled so much with a subject in her life. Every day the last few months was tough to get through. There were times this fall I wasn't sure how or when we would EVER get done. I even debated switching to some other curriculum, and only held off because we were well over half-way done with the current book.
In November she seemed to hit a point where Algebra was easier for her for a few chapters, getting A's on three chapter tests in a row. This was enough for the end to be in sight. We took a break for 3 weeks over Christmas, came back and did one more chapter with another A, and then she hit a wall again. However, by the time we hit THIS wall, she only had 11 more lessons left in the entire book.
I looked at the hours she spent on Algebra 1.....over 290 hours, which is well over the requirements to earn a high school credit. (A credit is approximately 120 to 180 hours.) I looked at what she had left to complete in the book....which was 11 lessons, 9 days of review, and 3 tests, including her final exam. A friend pointed out to me that when in all MY years of schooling did I ever finish an entire book? (Good point!)
I decided only 2 of the remaining lessons were of utmost importance for her to complete. She did those both with no problem. We skipped ALL the review days, and I gave her the final exam. I told her I would adjust her grade, if need be, for the 9 lessons we ended up skipping. However, there was no need to adjust her final exam grade, as she got an 88% on it with no review, and not having finished every single lesson.
Colleen's final Algebra grades ended up as follows: Semester 1, 93% for the semester, and 88% for the midterm exam. Semester 2, 87% for the semester, and 88% on the final exam. I am VERY proud of her (and myself, lol) for sticking to it, and I am SO relieved to have this subject done and over with! She now will have an almost 6 month break before we begin Geometry. And WOW have our days been smoother with 2 less hours of school every day this week, and not having the stress of a very difficult, for her, subject. : )
