That's awful. What a stupid hill for the Dept of Ed to die on. No wonder John Taylor Gatto was disgusted by the whole system. If we lived in New York, I'd have to have my daughter get her diploma through Beach High School or another organization like that.

I have a friend who has used it for her kids. She's had nothing but positive things to say about it. Her kids seem to like it, too. Both her graduates were accepted into very competitive universities.

Why is it MY standard for a high school diploma? Because I'm a homeschooler and I can. Because I *do* care about not wasting her time with subjects that will have limited value to her life. We could waste time painfully slogging through algebra (and for her, yes, it would be a waste) or we can focus on mastering all the math she'll actually use (including a small dab of algebra). "To function you probably need to read and arithmetic, if those." If those? That comes across as pretty condescending. Let me break it down for you. Literacy, arithmetic, and being able to write coherently are essential if you want to make a living wage, and participate in community life. History is important because it puts our lives and politics in context. Scientific literacy is important because it helps us understand the world around us, make informed decisions about our health, and think critically about current events (e.g. climate change). But most of algebra isn't necessary unless your student is interested in it or is looking to enter a specific profession that uses it. It's not wrong to require it, but neither is it wrong to choose another path. Algebra as a specific, universal requirement is ridiculous. Force-feeding all students a subject that has minimal practical use for most of them diverts their energies from building skills (cognitive and practical) that actually matter. It's a public school mindset, and my daughter is not in public school.

If it's the group I'm thinking about, you're talking with parents whose students are far more likely than average to struggle with academics generally. Is algebra good? Yes. Is it essential for life? No. The only algebra I use in my adult life is mentally solving for x. I have a friend who was never able to successfully learn algebra at all, and she said she's never felt the loss, has been able to manage life just fine without it. It's definitely useful for certain fields (some of which are very blue collar/trades oriented), but nearly every math problem I run into in my everyday life can be solved with arithmetic. So, I do find the pearl-clutching over the idea of no algebra kind of funny. I'm considering doing a year-long algebra & geometry concepts course for my struggling learner (not college-bound). That will cover the tiny bit of algebra she'll actually use. I think a course in understanding statistics in the real world would be really useful. Logic puzzles are helpful, too. But, quadratic equations as necessary for successful adulting? Spare me.

Yes. Or, since you're really close, you could add in a "final project" done at home for each and push them up to .5 credit. But, yes, I've seen .25 credit.

Can you talk with admin or DSS and see if they can give your students temporary visitor passes just for the days that they need access?

Just use the library. Read aloud lots of books - fiction, science, history... whatever he likes. For math, see if your library has books by Greg Tang and the MathStart readers (Stuart Murphy). Play Chutes & Ladders and Uno. Make books together (he dictates and illustrates, you scribe). Kids learn more quickly through play. So... play.

No, you're not missing anything. Your daughter gets enough schoolwork done while still having time to be an interesting person and have an actual life. I call that a win.

Back in the early 70s, I learned to read without instruction at some point before entering kindergarten. I have no idea how I learned, but I just did. Reading was like breathing. We never went to the library, but we did have a book about the 3 little kittens who lost their mittens 🙂 (probably some other books, too, but I don't remember them). Someone read the kittens book to me over and over and I think that's how I figured out the code. Once I knew the code, I just took off from there. My younger daughter is a pretty natural reader. I don't remember doing anything formal with her. For fun, she watched the Letter Factory videos, PBS programming, and played early levels of Starfall. Her reading naturally improved the older she got.

What are the requirements for the CC? Here in CA, you have to be 18 and take the accuplacer. The accuplacer is strictly for placement; admissions doesn't hinge on getting a certain score.

Sorry to hijack, but this thread makes me miss ❤️ Hunter ❤️ Has she been around lately?

If I can do it, you can do it. It's higher stakes than younger grades, but it's really not any more difficult. Just sketch out a plan in pencil and go for it. I can't afford to outsource either, but my 15 yo is doing science through Virtual Homeschool Group, which is free. They use the Apologia books. If you donate / volunteer by July she'll probably be able to get into a live class. Otherwise, the self-paced classes are really good, too. They also have math, personal finance, history, etc. Also, if you're concerned about expenses in general, on the General Board, there's a "Free Resources" thread pinned. There are a ton of things (complete courses and supplements) for high school. They really do help to stretch your curriculum budget. Best wishes! You can do this! ❤️

Since he passed the rest of the GED, please don't feel guilty about issuing him a standard diploma. My daughter, who will be issued a standard diploma by me, may only have Basic Math, Consumer Math, and Math for the World of Work on her transcript (we'll see...). Also, I recommend doing a subject transcript, rather than a chronological one. Community college may be easier to enroll in than a trade school, and they will likely already have a pretty robust set of services for disabled students already in place. Is that an option for him? Perhaps while he's waiting for his job training, he could apply at Goodwill. They're set up to accommodate workers with all types of disabilities. Last, here's a list of jobs from Occupational Outlook that only require on-the-job training. Maybe one of them will pique his interest. I wish you the best ❤️

McRuffy: colorful, short lessons. I haven't used Horizons math. CLE felt overwhelming to my distractible kid.

I'll suggest something a little different. If he does mainly just need review, what about something like AGS Consumer Math? It takes pretty much all of the arithmetic from K-6 and applies it to real world situations he'll eventually run into. We're using it this year for my older daughter and I *love* it. Some of the lessons have a lot of problems and she struggles with speed and working memory, so I'll have her do the first 5 by hand to keep her skills fresh and the rest with a calculator. The downside is that it's a little expensive if you buy it new. Amazon has used copies, though. You'll want both the textbook and the workbook. The answer key is super expensive, so to correct his work I'd just use a calculator or get the Photomath app for your phone. Another review option I like is Mastering Essential Math Skills. It's simple, straightforward, and gets the job done. The author has teaching videos to go along with each lesson.

This just gets getting crazier (weirder? sadder?). I am learning a lot about how the league works. There is the Big Regional League. Within BRL are smaller city leagues. Then smaller city leagues decide whether to play just within their city or compete against neighboring city leagues. So, in DD's competitive pool we have Hometown league (with Coach C and a couple of other teams), City A (with coach A and one other team) and City M (haven't played them yet - has similar reputation to city A, so we'll see). City A's league president is <drumroll> Coach A. So, we'd have to complain to Coach A about Coach A calling a 12 yo a "pussy crybaby." There's other corrupt stuff I've discovered with City A League, but I won't bore you with it. Seriously, do these people not have lives? This is rec soccer. The league doesn't even keep track of wins/losses over the course of the season, so it's not like you're gunning for 1st place. Can't we keep the adult egos out of it and just keep it fair and fun? Compete hard, definitely. But don't cheat. I'm so done.

I assume the kid is okay. I don't know details beyond what I shared: a personal foul caused a broken vertebrae. I think this will be our last season. DH said as soon as DD is done he's going public with everything. If he says anything beforehand it could make things worse. It's kind of like dealing with a bully. Honestly, this is all so bizarre to me. In every other kids activity we've done (and we've done a LOT) it's always been about keeping a positive environment, we're here for the kids, play fair, have fun... etc. The fact that adults are taking a rec league soccer game so seriously is just crazy. Rec = recreational = just for fun. I just want to walk up to Coach C and Coach A and ask them point blank: "What is so BROKEN in you that you are doing this to kids?" Healthy adults don't act like that.

That's a really good article. One of the parents on our team has a young family who suffered a broken vertebrae (!!) as a result of a foul from an opposing player. There's a reason we have rules about contact (even though it's a contact sport, within limits). Keep it fair and fun. Attack the ball, not the player. Y'all aren't playing in the World Cup.

I can't find a formal complaint process, although I think you're on the right track. If the refs would just do the jobs that they're paid to do a lot of these issues would be addressed. The refs are trained and paid but I don't know what accountability there is, if any. A lot of them are teenagers.

So, 13 yo DD plays rec league soccer. DH is the coach. He knows his stuff (played competitively, etc.) and his team is very good, lots of talented players. They don't cheat, don't intentionally foul, etc. Also, I do understand that soccer is a contact sport (within limits). But, we're running into other teams and coaches who take things way too seriously and aren't afraid to cross the line. The refs are USELESS. Team "C" - coach has kept the same team for a few years and is widely known for teaching his girls how to foul and get away with it, which we experienced firsthand last week. Our girls were repeatedly kicked, tripped, and shoved in front of the refs, without consequence. This isn't an issue of the ref missing a call (I understand that happens). They just weren't calling personal fouls. A dad finally politely asked the refs to start calling personal fouls and they called two... and then overlooked the rest. Also, we're allowed to field 11 players at a time. At one point Team C fielded 12. Useless refs. Or maybe they're just bad at math. Oh, and "C" Coach would sub in players at the wrong time. It's like he feels that he's been around for so long that the rules don't apply to him. OK, one last complaint about him: we were "home team" so we brought the balls. HIS asst. coach started gathering our balls and claimed they were Team C's. Uh... no. I found 3 of our balls in their bag (DH had labeled ours). Team "A" - today's team. Again: personal fouls like crazy, tripping, shoving, etc. just like with Team C. Except this time NONE were called the whole game against Team A. It was insane. At one point the coach was yelling from the sidelines, "SHOVE THEM!" (Y'all thought I was kidding about useless refs. Nope.) It gets worse: during the final minute or two of the game, one of A's players intentionally tripped one of our players to get possession of the ball (it was an obvious foul). Our girl fell and yelled, "Hey, foul!" and the opposing coach yelled at OUR player (exact quote): "Stop being a pussy crybaby." What.the....... So, questions: (1) What the heck is wrong with these coaches? This is REC league soccer. REC as in RECREATIONAL! Win or lose, let's keep it fair and fun and have a good time. I also kind of wonder what the heck is wrong with the parents who allow their kids to be coached like that year after year. Is winning a REC LEAGUE soccer game so important that you don't care if your kid has to foul, cheat, etc. to do it. Good grief, people. Get a grip. (2) WWYD? Part of DH wants to report them but the other part (the realistic part) knows that our team will be targeted even harder if he does this. And, let's keep it real. The league already knows about Coach C and probably Coach A. It's just a local league that covers our county, not affiliated with FIFA or anything, so there's no way to go above the league president's head. (ETA: actually they are a part of a regional league, but I don't really know much about it except its name. Googling now...) (3) How can DH encourage his team to still enjoy the game? These are excellent players, but it's frustrating when the other team cheats, gets away with it, and no one seems to care. Next week we play against a team that's not very strong, BUT the coach is a decent human being and his girls play by the rules. It will be a fun, fair game. After that it's Team C again and then other teams we haven't dealt with yet. What really sucks is this: DD was on a losing team last fall. Literally lost every game. BUT she had fun! She saw huge improvement in her soccer skills and loved playing the game. So, despite not winning, it was still really fun for her. Today, even though her team has won games this season, she told me that soccer isn't really fun anymore, "I'm not sure why," and she isn't sure she wants to play anymore. ?

One more biggie: How to homeschool when YOU (teaching parent) have Adult ADD

Tech/Social Media parenting advice Milestones - what's within the range of normal for certain skills, what's a red flag for deeper issues, and where to get help. A workshop showing examples of unschooling done well and how they did it, without any of the unparenting nonsense (aka not "radical unschooling"), Non-Traditional High School - how to homeschool high school in wildly creative ways but still leave the door open for college. How to Homeschool for Free (or Almost Free)

Seriously. Go. (Yeah, this is kind of a dumb question, but I feel like I must be missing something in an IRL situation.)

Thank you ? I'll take a look at samples of these tonight. Has anyone had experience with No Nonsense Algebra?

Is there something along the lines of "algebra concepts" that covers the basics in a simple way? I thought about just having her work through Hands On Equations. Are there other options? This child has significant learning disabilities, and traditional high school math isn't happening for her. She is dual-enrolled at the CC and will get her AA in Art without needing a math course (yes!!!). But I still want to check the algebra box, mostly for her own confidence. If she had her way, we'd be working on Consumer Math next and skipping algebra altogether.