About Becky Gaconnet Expertise I can address any question about establishing rapport with high school kids, managing behavior, and designing activities and curriculum for varying ability levels. Also I am knowledgeable about registration and administration of SAT, PSAT, and ACT.
Experience I have taught in public schools for 27 years, but still feel young because I like what I do. I have taught all areas of English language arts at remedial, regular, and AP levels; speech communication; and ACT/SAT prep. While I firmly believe my job is to push kids to achieve more than they want to, I also believe it is possible to make students work hard but still have them love your class, no matter the ability level. I have served as a test center supervisor for ACT and SAT.
Awards and Honors Co-chair English Department
Three time district secondary Teacher of the Year nominee
Expert: Becky Gaconnet Date: 8/6/2006 Subject: Homeschooling with ACE
Question I am homeschooling my two daughters one is in the 10th grade and the other is starting the 9th this year. Is there a program that I can use on my computer that will help me keep track of their grades? Is there a way that I can make sure that they are getting the right courses that they will need in order to get the right amout of credits for graduation. Of course I know that they will probably have to take the GED test to go on but that is okay. I just want to make sure that they will be prepared for it when the time comes. I would appreciate any help that you can give me. I am just really worried about the education of my two daughters.
Answer For grades, I have had some friends who used something called "gradekeeper," which I believe was a web based program. There are also software programs which you can buy, or try using a simple spreadsheet if you know how to set those up. I used a spreadsheet with Clarisworks on an Apple computer several years ago, but then I got a software program with lots of flexibility and started using that on my Mac. Currently our district uses a purchased program. You might do a web search for "gradebook" or "gradekeeper" and see what kind of things you find.
If you are using a published curriculum from a reputable company, they should be able to provide you with information about graduation requirements and keep you informed as to what your daughters need. Also, contact your state's department of education. They usually have documents and resources they can provide to you to help with your curriculum and to let you know exactly what the state will require of them for graduation. I also know there are many websites that have activities, lesson plans, and all kinds of resources for home schooling.
There is plenty of good stuff available. Start with the Department of Education and go from there. Good luck!
