Bob was fond of history and the arts and loved to correct everyone's grammar. Math was difficult for him, not in practice but in concept. There was no love for higher math and engineer types left him restless and bored. As a homeschooler, he made the decision to forgo geometry and calculus for more practical maths.
Charlie couldn't get enough math. He ate up the calculus and the geometry. Equations were like candy to him. When he had the opportunity to choose electives for his high school credits, he preferred them to be math based. He wanted it all.
Joe was just your "Average Joe" student went it came to math. He could take it or leave it. It wasn't a favorite, but neither did he dread it. He did well, worked hard, and received good grades. It seemed important to him to learn skills he could use in the "real world", skills that would stay useful long after he had received his diploma and moved on from high school- and even college.
What do these three fictional students have in common? They all could benefit from Professor in a Box- Financial Accounting. Whenever I review a product, I try to decide who would benefit most from the program. Sometimes that's difficult, sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's very specific and sometimes it's broad. The above three scenarios are the ones I played around with in my head and came to the conclusion that this program could be a good fit for most.
Financial accounting is a skill that will be useful in many ways, for many years. I have always wondered why there is not more of a focus on the practical maths in high school. These are necessary for everyone. Professor in a Box Financial Accounting is a high school course designed for homeschoolers. It covers similar content as a college level first accounting course.
The course is computer based and is found on three Cd's. It's very easy to set up, you just pop the disc in and go. The screen contains the lecture notes and the student listens to the lecture while following along with the slides. Then they will do the work and self check to see if it is correct (the answers are not entered on the computer, but on your own paper). Exams are included which are administered by the parent.
My 14 year old son had just completed his algebra program when this arrived for review. I wasn't sure if he was too young for this product but decided to start him on it anyway. He has had no trouble following along and has actually done very well with this course. When asked for his opinion, he stated that he felt it was somewhat dull but that it is effective and he has learned quite a bit. Of the three types of students listed above, I would say he is an "Average Joe" when it comes to math. He does very well at it but it isn't something he enjoys.
I have reviewed another accounting program which I also liked. I am strongly leaning towards Professor in a Box as the one we continue with in our home. It is computer based and my children tend to do well with computer based programs. The format works well for us and the content is strong. Dull but effective is good for us in this area. It works and that's enough for me in this subject area!
Professor in a Box is available for $134.99 and includes the course syllabus & learning objectives by chapter booklet, the instructor Cd, the course lecture discs, a pencil, and a calculator.
*Disclosure: This program was provided to me at no cost for review purposes.*
Hello, for all students (at least high-school and the undergraduates) and others with an interest or enrolled in economics, homeschoolers esp., I have started a blog which will comprise study literature in a more entertaining form than standard textbooks, see
CrisisMaven’s Economics Study Guide. It also contains a Reference List which aspires to eventually become the "one stop shop" for all economic data series, history, bibliographies etc.