We don't do stockings, so we implemented a "Christmas Eve family gift." It's always a game. After we open it, we play it. When the children were younger, we also did a Happy Birthday cake for Jesus. We've gotten lazy the last couple of years and haven't done that part . . .

I answered "they would go along with it," but I thought of another alternative. Why not open the gifts on Saturday, and then do those things on Sunday? We are choosing to open presents tomorrow so that we can focus on church and a family meal on Sunday. We opened our "Christmas Eve" family present (a new game) tonight. We just moved the gift stuff back one day. Would that help your situation? Even though I responded "they would go along," I think they would only do so if it were discussed well in advance (at least a week or two). I can't take my vote back, but I'm not sure my children would readily go along if it were sprung on them close to the last minute.

I'm not sure what the assignment is, but my instinct would be C. "Let's get it done so we can enjoy the break" kind of idea. Starting school after Christmas is depressing enough without a big, undone assignment staring us in the face. And you would be sure to avoid the possible "If I malinger I can postpone work" reinforcement. If he is really sick, he will have time to recover during the break ; ).

Tigger clearly knows whereof she speaks. Fabulous post--makes me miss the days of rep. In our case, 3K miles helped a LOT.

Honestly, I wouldn't do either. Classical Writing is very complex, especially the grammar. I think it would kill the spirit of a reluctant writer like you describe. I'm not that familiar with Classical Composition, so maybe someone else could speak to that. I think IEW would be a great fit for this student. Pros: Made for reluctant writers. Makes the writing process very black and white. Sneaks in grammar instruction in a non-threatening way. Cons: Expensive. Steep teacher learning curve. Formulaic writing AT FIRST, but at least it's basic competence. To lose the formulaic-ness (not a word, I know), the student has to have several years of it. I taught IEW1 to a small class and prepared to teach IEW2 so am at least familiar with it. I use Classical Writing with my own children, but I am strong in this area, and so are they, skillwise. I don't do their grammar but use Our Mother Tongue and then will use Analytical Grammar. I toss in helpful snippets from IEW now and then. Another option that I think works well for reluctant writers, especially if the mother also needs lots of hand-holding, is WriteShop.

That was quirky and funny. Thanks for sharing!

Quality literature transcends form (picture book, chapter book) and reading level. My young people still will pick up a picture book now and then, just as readily as they will browse Bartlett's Quotations looking for juuuust the right quotation to open a literary analysis essay. I had planned to read only Agamemnon, the first of the Aeschylus plays, but they asked to read the next one, Libation Bearers, as well. I say that not to brag but to show you the range of difficulty. They move up and down the spectrum freely.

Thanks so much for this! Will snuggle up and listen to it tonight!

No time to read the 18 (!) pages of responses, but $550 in 1988. My parents paid for it. My mother gave me all kinds of grief about me being $50 over budget but then was not pleased that we went back and selected cheaper invitations (which normally get thrown away anyway) to make up the difference. Eyeroll. I was no diva, but I had looked ALL over and it was the only dress that really was right for me (even my mother agreed, but she still whined about the money).

This reminds me of the "should learn how to deal with bullies and/or bad teachers" rationalizations. If young people encounter such sad things at more appropriate ages (read: not elementary!!!!) they will have more internal resources to come to grips with the situation. He has the rest of his life to avoid potheads. Sheesh (to her, not you!).

Okay, in my opinion, there's quite a few things going on here. First, the answer. I would recast the sentence as something like ". . . from these observations he formulated the beliefs found throughout his writing." Diagnosis: 1. You are right that he did not use the correct verb for the nuance he meant. "Formulated" is better, although other synonyms are certainly possible. 2. The "which" clause dangles off the end of the sentence, and because of the "he held," it is not clear what it modifies. At first reading, the clause seems redundant, too. A comma and "which" usually denotes a non-restrictive or unnecessary clause. That means that the clause is optional, not critical to the meaning of the sentence. 3. I have chosen to include the "found throughout his writing" thought, but it may still be redundant. It's hard to tell from the little context given. Of course one's beliefs will be found in one's writing ; ). So you may want to look at that again. If you keep that part, I was tempted to use the wording "that permeate his writing" but was not sure the student would know the word "permeate." But you will notice that my wording does include an understood "that." If that part of the sentence is truly restrictive (or necessary), the correct form would be no comma and "that" (or understood "that").

Discount. Pass bean dip. Rinse and repeat. In my experience, this kind of comment means that the person has a cherished stereotype, and in the face of conflicting data, is deigning to consider you an exception, but is firm in holding on to the stereotype. This might also account for the repetition. You are in her face all the time :D being a competent homeschooler, which she cannot deny, yet she must, must, must hold on to her preconceived notion. :lol: Obviously I cannot diagnose what is going on in a stranger's head, but this is my best guess.

Math. Because I completely, utterly STINK at it. Always have. I compensate by making sure the program I use is written to the student so there is no "teaching" from me. I only enforce them working on it daily. My mathy husband meets with each child once per week to check the specifics. When they were younger, I used Professor B, which is scripted, and I just read what was written. If they didn't understand, we waited until Dad got home.

It will not happen as quickly, but it WILL still happen. : (

I posted last week on FB that I hate front-loaders. Even with running bleach in it once in a while and leaving the door open all the time (which is annoying), I still had to attack it with a toothbrush to remove gray slime from the groove in the boot (who designed that thing???) and inbetween the boot and the drum. Then, I had to rewash ALL the towels in the house. It is crazy. I hate, hate getting out of the shower naked and dripping and putting my face into a musty towel. And many times you can't tell if the towel will be musty until it gets wet. It's really perverse. And it doesn't help that I am allergic to mold and mildew. Next time I have to buy a washer, I will go back to top loader.

In our case it's an NMIL. We moved across the country and went no contact. I have done a TON of reading/processing. She was not just my MIL; my husband's parents were more like a second set of parents to me, so it impacted me too. And we are still dealing with the effects on our marriage. And I agree, I am careful with who I tell. Many people cannot fathom the depth of the insanity and absolute need to get away.

BTDT with NMIL. Burned the t-shirt. Had to move across the country and go no contact.

Thank you, everyone. These are excellent suggestions. My daughter found a version of Pimsleur on the net for $25 last night, so she ordered that. I was totally unaware of Michel Thomas, so thank you for that. There is a free version available with a trial audible.com membership, so we might try that after she has done some Pimsleur. And the ideas about children's books (especially audiobook versions), movies, and Bible stories are very good.

Yes, we have bags in all of our trash cans. I hate seeing a bathroom trash can w/o a bag, but I figure, shrug, their house, their rules. I standardized years ago on trash cans that have handles to hold plastic type Wal-Mart bags so I didn't have to buy liners. Perhaps now I will be flamed for not being green, but honestly, I cannot imagine using a trash can, ANY trash can, w/o a liner.

Well, I am personally self-diagnosing, LOL. I love to talk shop, about what curricula work best for what situations, help people decide what's right for them, keep up to date on what's new out there . . . I could go on and on.

Okay, don't laugh me off the forum. I know you can't learn Spanish in 3 mo. We are considering a missions trip to Mexico in about 3 mo, and my daughter, who has always wanted to learn Spanish, is beside herself wanting to learn as much as she can before we go. She does have a good background in Latin. She is in MP's Third Form at home, and she does translation from Wheelock's on the side with a tutor. We also do Koine Greek, and she does have an affinity for languages. So, does anyone have curriculum recommendations (not too expensive) that will give her some useful conversational Spanish in a shortish amount of time?

Okay, I have read through this WHOLE thread *whew.* I would like to ask a question I have not seen asked or answered: What do they do with the rest of their day? I think this would explain a lot. I agree that VF does NOT recommend "non-schooling" or "non-church-commitment." I don't think we can lay this all at VF's door. I am concerned that they do not teach reading before age 12. This does not square with an intense religious commitment (which would want the children to read the Bible for themselves). It does sound like educational abdication to me, that they have been overwhelmed so they decided to stop feeling guilty. This is wrong and has nothing to do with religious commitment, IMO. I agree that reporting them to a "broke" system will likely make things worse. I also agree that they should be following the laws of their state.

No. Way. I agree with the "We've already done enough" approach.

Okay, the pictures in this blog post looked to me like the Richland, WA public library! I tried to send you a PM, but you have elected not to get PMs. If you are local to me, that would be way cool!

Thank you, MSK. I'm not the OP, but this makes a lot of sense.