Thank you. I have not read The Wednesday Wars yet, but I'm a pre-AP literature teacher and it is on my recommended list from the College Board. I think we will go with Hitler's Canary too. I read Number the Stars but it was years ago and HC does seem like a book my boys would enjoy.

Huh, and I'm also in Western WA in the greater Seattle suburbs, and I think it is too much small talk. I will say it is typical of Trader Joe's, but at Fred Meyer or other grocery stores I would think it is way too much small talk and potentially rude to take that much time to talk, especially when there is likely a line of at least 7 people to ring up. It's about productivity and mental space. I don't have a lot of physical space because there are so many people in my location, so I want to protect my mental privacy/space instead. We also have major time constraints with the amount of people here. We've boomed in population in the last couple of years and the grocery store can take a crazy amount of time just standing in line. I don't want it to be longer with small talk.

All About Spelling for the spelling. Just start with book 1. For the reading, I'd really have to hear him read aloud (I do language based assessments as a certified teacher IRL). Have him read aloud a passage to you and underline every mistake he makes. Is he missing the endings of words? Is he giving up and not trying to decode multi-syllabic words and substituting another word in those places? The reading issue is different and could be a decoding, comprehension, inference, or a speed issue.

Short answer, yes. I'm new to this platform, so I'm still playing around with it, but it seems very similar to the Learning Management System (LMS) I used at my school this year. I have created "courses" for history and language arts. Those are the only subjects I'm teaching this year since I outsourced math and science. You can set up classes however you want. You invite your "students" using their email addresses. Google Classroom just announced they are adding a module feature before the new school year starts, which is similar to Canvas, the LMS system I used for the past two years. I'll set up modules, based on chapters or themes, and add in assignments. I've played around with it a bit, but I don't have a ton loaded in yet. Basically so far, I'm using a PDF splitter to split up the sections of SOTW 4 in PDF form, move them around a bit based on how I'm teaching it, and then uploading them as assignments in Google Classroom. I can assign them to each student, so I can see from my end if each boy has read their section. I've done the same for the comprehension question worksheets. Those are "assigned" to each student. The boys can then port the worksheet to Notability, complete it, and resubmit it for me to grade all paperless. I'm also doing the same process for WWS for my older son. I'll grade their work and enter their grades into a grading software, probably Gradekeeper, based on the responses from the High School Board.

Possibly, but... 1. I suck at Excel. 2. That sounds like a lot of effort in programming cells to me. I'm either busy or lazy, lol, and I want something to weight everything for me.

My 7th grader completed the Hakim series this year. And we're using Human Odyssey next year. Do you have Learning Ally access? The first two Human Odyssey volumes and all the Hakim books are on there as far as audio support.

Ugh, we live in such a high cost area. Oldest ds's braces were $8500 and insurance covered $2000, so out of pocket it was $6500. I even shopped around and multiple orthodontists quoted me that price for comprehensive braces. It does cover everything, but I'm not thrilled his brother will need similar treatment in a year.

This is similar to how we will fill in worksheets and how I taught my students to complete this process at my school this year (we are one-to-one devices with iPads). The PDF is hosted in a learning management system, Google Classroom for me as a homeschooler, my kids port the PDF to Notability and then mark it up or type in text boxes. They then resubmit the completed PDF worksheet to me in Google Classroom for grading.

Yes. What tech do you have available? We are going to do this through Google classroom and the app Notability on an iPad air. Through some discussions with other parents, I think you can also do it on a desktop through Google classroom with the Kami extension plugged in to Google Chrome. Kami video

I am looking for a grading software where I can weight or assign points values to tests, quizzes, essays, etc. enter the grades, and have the software calculate an end of trimester grade for me. I'm a secondary teacher and my school uses Skyward, but I think Schoology is similar. Is there anything like this available for homeschoolers? I know how to create transcripts with final grades, but I'm really looking for something that will do the math on different point value assignments for me. I realize many homeschoolers work much more informally, but I'd actually like to grade if I can find something that is convenient enough. Any ideas?

Both my boys are in this age range or close. I just created our read aloud list. My boys are not big into sports so The Crossover and Booked were not favorites here, although many boys like them. Our list so far: The Westing Game The Phantom Tollbooth War Horse Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Number the Stars A Wrinkle in Time The Watson’s Go to Birmingham Macbeth (lit study together to accompany a planned trip to OSF) The Wednesday Wars Hatchet My oldest has read some of these, but he liked them enough that he said he would be happy to listen to them read for his brother. ?

Can I join in? I broke my elbow in a severe injury while ice skating and needed surgery in late December/early January. I've been doing 6 months of OT, and I was just medically cleared to go back to working out this week. The gym where I work out is a female-only, baby crossfit style. I've done 2 workouts in the last week and I feel like a complete wimp because I'm so out of shape from the injury. I constantly have to stop on the reps so as not to put too much weight or pressure on my elbow. It is going to be a long, slow recovery process and I feel like it will never get better. Honestly, it is a major victory just for me to show up at the gym right now because of the pain and difficulty. I contacted a certified nutritionist today and I think I'm going to work with her for the next three months at least. I've gained weight from the injury and the inability to move for long periods of time, and even after surgery from not being able to workout for 6 months, and I need to get things moving in the right direction. I had so much stress and comfort eating from everything going on too. Hopefully, slowly and surely, I'll have the time now to get healthier.

We paid a lot. And it was totally worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. ?

I feel like I'm different than many in this regard, but yes, for us at least there is a certain lifestyle that we want to maintain and if that lifestyle gets too challenging on one income, I would go back to work. My answer would have been different when I had very small children, and I do feel that homeschooling is the best choice currently for us, but IMHO, it is also a luxury. If the kids had to go back to school and I had to go back to work due to financial issues, it would be tough but I would. I'm sorry you're in this spot though!

Originally, true. But in Rethinking School, I really think SWB has softened her tone on this. Many of her own experiences have added to this original statement, which is interesting. And sure, those might be some of the reasons. But having left homeschool culture for a bit and returning, this is one of those things that I really wish would change. I do think the perception that verbal processing is better is out there in homeschool world (although I'm glad to hear you and I'm sure many others on this SN board wouldn't agree). It would be lovely if there were more choices aimed at individual learners in more of a visual-spatial style.

I think we may have to agree to disagree. ? I understand your comment, but I disagree that this is the aim of textbooks, particularly in a Common Core era, whether in public or private school. I realize many homeschoolers are not fans of Common Core, but it has changed textbooks in many ways, both good and bad. In addition, all the textbooks I was provided included many adaptations and designs for learning differences due to inclusion laws and practices. It was one of the major ongoing subjects of teacher PD. I even had access to all textbooks in Spanish and with audio text-to-speech options. I guess my point was that in some ways textbooks have really improved and good ones may work better for some learners even in homeschool world. I feel like the weird one out for using PS or private school resources, but they do seem to fit my kids better than the very verbal homeschool resources I'm finding. I don't know, I personally wish I would have thought to check out modern textbooks earlier. I just thought I'd put that out there for other parents of dyslexics.

One thought I had is that the instructions or instructive aspect may be trying to replace a live teacher, and it is much easier to type out what you would say as a teacher, than try to put that into non-visuals. PS teachers are not just reading the textbook aloud (well, at least I hope not) - they are actively teaching the material verbally, in person, having completed teacher training and PD, and they are using worked examples, labs, readings, cooperative puzzles or group work, etc.to teach the material in class. I'm wondering if more of the homeschool market is meant to be self-teaching, and that means by result, that the books end up with written text of everything or nearly everything they think a live teacher would say.

Ok, that is one theory, BUT dyslexics are often highly visual, and I did post this on the SN board. My dyslexics do better with all those visual supports and sidebars. They will actually have a firmer grasp of the language when the visual supports are *present* and chunked up as they are in traditional textbooks. I'm just surprised by our experience given all the horrible things I read about PS materials over the years. I'd like to see more commentary on the fact that good PS materials are written to engage the gamut of students, with a variety of learning issues, and for some kids, who aren't verbal processors, that they may actually be the better choice.

I respectfully firmly disagree with the argument that non-linear thinking leads students to the desired conclusions vs. linear thinking creating an environment where the student arrives at the conclusions themselves. I've been teaching pre-AP courses for the last two years with some non-linear thinking materials. A good teacher knows how to broaden the minds of all kinds of thinkers no matter their style of processing. Visual materials can also be taught in an inductive way. There are materials, however, that are very geared towards one kind of processing style. And my point is that other processing styles are getting ignored in homeschool materials (which, of course, is a generalization in and of itself). When listing a formula for the area of a circle, it is not that hard to put some diagrams next to it, and it really has very little to do with one style of processing being better than another or a more valuable style of thinking.

Has anyone else noticed this? I'm sure my sensitivities are heightened because the boys just spent the past two years in private school and I spent them teaching public school, but shocker, they actually did *better* using some of the private school/PS textbooks than they did at home with homeschool curriculum, particularly in science, math, and social studies/geography. IMHO, the traditional PS textbooks that include more graphics, sidebars, bullet points, etc. significantly HELPED my dyslexics to access information because it paired their visual strengths with content and instruction. Now, as we return to homeschooling and I browse materials, many textbooks or workbooks, even in math, are pages and pages of text with minimal diagrams and visuals. I don't get it. That is not the way my boys access information best. Anyone else have similar observations?

If your older ones are in any decent school, they will have quite a bit of homework in addition to extra curricular activities after school. They will not be nearly as available as you may think to help out, or if they are, they will be missing out on significant opportunities and possibly struggling to complete their schoolwork in a timely manner. I saw this often as a PS teacher. Both parents in school raising four children is a very stressful situation. There is no way around it. We tried something similar with jobs and school this year and it was one of our worst years ever. We are making immediate changes for the coming year. There are so many intangible dinner, school commitment, parent involvement, driving to activities, providing homework support, etc. things that come up, that even with an afternoon nanny, it was not a sustainable lifestyle for us. Maybe your experience will be different, and I hope for your sake that it is, but yes, it would be wise to layer the commitments first to see how your family can handle it (dh goes to school first while working, then send kids to school to see how much work it is for you, then add a class or two, etc.).

Express has the best work pants, hands down. They often run sales on their pants as well. I love Boden for work pants, but they are pricey. Halogen at Nordstrom is another brand I've found to be great for workwear pants.

Woo-hoo! As someone from your area with a ds who also wants to be an aerospace engineer, I'm so excited for your family! My ds' head to Aerospace Camp next week. ?

Agree with Targhee. Those scores just show Singapore is working because the problem solving is high. If you are worried about computation, add some fact drills. She's not behind on anything and I wouldn't switch personally. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Yes to what Heathermomster said. My older ds now listens at such an accelerated speed that the type of voice really doesn't make a difference. He mainly uses Learning Ally because he has it on his phone, but also sometimes VoiceDream/Bookshare.