High School Courses

NOW OFFERING PROCTORED EARLY COLLEGE START – limited spaces M & W afternoons in Cedar Park 512-534-5425

Spring 2023 : Sociology TTh 1:00p , Economics TTh 2:30p, Public Speaking TTh 7:00-8:00p

In government schools, history has been given short shrift for many years. The courses were watered down, used for pull-out, and taught by coaches rather than historians. Now, those courses are full of CRT, ESL, and other wokeness. Truthfully, they are now called “social studies” and not history. By contrast, classically, History was taught to form character in order to make good leaders. We need a return to that. We need to pass down the understanding of how our nation was formed, and how to be self-governing at all levels. Thus, History and attendant courses may be the most important. Get them from a Christian teacher, hardened in the trenches of teaching at community college.

Please inquire which courses are being taught each semester. Assume that schedule will be like Austin Community College schedule. Thus, next semester will start January 9. Expect that classes T Th at 1:00 will be filled first. Class must have 7 to “make.” Expect college textbooks and original sources will be needed.

CURRENT COURSE CATALOG

Public speaking including prayer leadership, readings, speeches, table topics (also suitable for adults)

Civics : How to Engage as a Good Citizen (also suitable for adults)

Leadership from Nehemiah (also suitable for adults)

Government/Economics

Western Civilization Jr./Sr. (Taught in 2 semesters. January-May 2021 is Reformation to Modern Times)

Western Literature Jr./Sr. (Taught in 2 semesters to fit with Western Civ History course.)

American History After the Civil War Freshman/Sophomore (Fall is Revolution to Civil War, and Spring is Civil War to modern Times)

American Literature After the Civil War Freshman/Sophomore (Literature is a second course, but fits with the History course.)

Ancient History and Ancient Literature forthcoming

Literature courses keyed to History courses that will 1) give a good knowledge base 2) give great academic skills and 3) give good thinking and arguing.

Introductory Sociology : as a Science not as an Ideology (Appropriate for those rising to college, or those in college needing to withstand an ideological onslaught. Also suitable for adults. )

WHY THIS IS WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY

Will your child really be prepared for college? If your child is in public school, the answer is very probably “no!” Public school does not purport to provide training in the kind of critical or logical thinking, nor the level of writing necessary to do well in a good college. Perhaps, the very basics of history will not have been taught. Only half of my college freshman, over the course of 20 years could answer this question: “In the Civil War, who or what was the union.” Admittedly, I was not teaching at a senior university. But the one in my town, does see half of the freshman class fail. Don’t be fooled in to thinking that things are going well in your public high school simply because there is plenty of boosterism and claims to that effect.

If you are home educating, you child may have a a grasp of basic skills and basic knowledge. However, are they truly ready for the challenge that a university professor will provide? More than half of Bible believing high schoolers graduate to a university where they lose their faith. Why should you pay for this? Let them take their social studies courses with me so that they will be prepared to adeptly answer and correctly question the narrative offered in college.

WHAT HISTORY TAUGHT CORRECTLY WOULD LOOK LIKE

For instance, Prof. Spielvogel, author of one of the most well received college Western Civilization texts, asserts that Enlightenment thinkers like Descartes and Newton were deists, committed to tearing down the Christian worldview. So, after we read Spielvogel’s chapter, we also read Descartes and Newton. Then, I ask the students if these sound like deists committed to tearing down the Christian worldview. I see students diving into to re-read Spielvogel, and then looking up to me, with amazed looks on their face. They learned from original sources (omething that their future colleagues will not have done.) Therefore, they can never be fooled again.

I also directly teach how to properly interact with professors — because I was one.

Don’t go through high school blithely thinking all is fine with a football coach and a fresh face directly out of teachers’ college teaching History and English respectively, only to find that you have a student who can’t pass the expensive college courses. Or talk to their grandparents. Or hold down a job. Be pro-active, and prepare your student for university — and the conversations of the world today — in their high school History and Literature.

Is this classical education? While I am not teaching Latin, and am not calling this “Omnibus”, I would say that this is very much like classical education. It is at any rate, the methods and philosophy of how History and English Literature were taught classically and are taught now in the better classical schools.

Originally, History was taught precisely to inculcate character for leaders of the country. I am aiming at that. I am trained to teach History through ACCS; and in general education and in the Constitution through Hillsdale. However, I have longer training in hosting fair and balanced conversation with adult students at the community college level. I had earned 2 accredited Master’s degrees before I did that. I earned highest honors in my school, was Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key, Phi Kappa Phi (all academic honors), Life member of Mensa, dyslexic, and on and on.

WHY MS. SARLES IS YOUR GO-TO GAL

Those years at community college, with a very wide diversity of students, gave me a wide spectrum view of the problems of students who were attempting to rise to the college level. Many, if not nearly all, were under-prepared. A few were exceptionally bright and some had been in the work force for many years before than came to me. I was successful in motivating many students, especially those who had been bored by high school. I was successful in helping many motivated adults re-enter school with new found study skills.

I have substituted extensively in Christian private schools. I have had a lot of fun with those schools – but find often their skills are behind their colleagues.

Let’s really change some lives here: avoid the failures and confusions of many hitting college! Let’s prepare the best for leadership — through really uncommon teaching.

INVESTMENT

Each course $400 if paid before January 1. Purchase of books required in addition. ($100 late fee if not; 20% discount for each referred enrollee.)

At this point, we are not using PayPal any longer. Please make checks to Sharon Sarles.

Proctored Early College Start Class (meaning study hall + mentoring for any online Austin Community Course) : $300 for each of up to 3 classes. Fourth class free. Schedule will be MW 1:00- 6:00

Money is held until end of third day of class to be sure class makes and placements are correct. No refunds thereafter for explusions because of behavior.