Thank you for all the responses. I greatly appreciate them. 😊

Hello, My son will be taking both Precalculus and Physics with Derek Owens this school year. I was just curious… approximately how much time per class is required daily? Thank you!

Thank you for all the responses. I do appreciate the input. 😁👍

Hello, I am thinking about doing BJU biology for our son who will be going into 10th grade. For anyone who has used it before, is the lab kit necessary? Also, any recommendations on excellent high school biology courses are welcome. Thanks so much!

Hello, i was wondering if anyone has used My Homeschool Math class for their teen? I’m thinking of signing my son up for the geometry class, but I would love to hear if anyone has experiences to share. Thanks so much!

Thank you, Rootann and Lori D. Those acceptance lists are quite impressive! I didn’t see the school my son is interested in, but I did many well known ones in our state. We are in Georgia. I had seen the Motherlode posts, but had seen that the dates went back a few years and wasn’t sure if the information would still be relevant. I will go check them out though when I have a bit of time to really look without distractions. Thank you! 😃

Thank you, Lori D. & alewife. 😊 I’m not panicking, just a bit frustrated & disappointed. I too, feel that the lady who answered didn’t really know. I have high hopes that I’ll hear much better news come Monday. I mean, it’s literally stated on their main site for admissions how home educated students should apply. Thanks for the encouragement! 😁

Thanks once again to everyone replying to this post. I’m reading everything & getting excited about homeschooling our son without having to use an accredited program. That is, until a few minutes ago. I called the university that our son wants to attend. It local, about 15 minutes down the road, & where he’d like to go. The lady I spoke with told me that he WILL have to have a diploma from an accredited program. What?!? I had read online that home educated students that didn’t go through an accredited program could apply using what they call the “portfolio method” which has a checklist of items that must be included. I told her this, & she said “yes, I know, but from what I’ve heard from the home school specialist here is that they have to have attended an accredited program.” 😞😞😞 The specialist won’t be back in until Monday, so unfortunately I couldn’t speak with him. This is very deflating news though, especially after getting excited & encouraged based not only on the advice I received here, but also through my research. I know there are other colleges, universities, etc.... but this is really where our son was hoping to go. So, now I’ll wait... til Monday. Maybe, just maybe, that girl was wrong. And, if not, they need to update their info online ASAP. 😤

Hello! I’m wondering if anyone has experience with Etsy? I am seriously thinking if setting up a shop and selling crafts, but I am not sure where to even start. I’ve done in home childcare for more than 17 years, but ended that business about a year ago. I have sold items on Facebook & online yard sales, but I really don’t enjoy that too much. I know how to sell on Ebay, but I don’t use it for selling crafts. I need to get a new business going, otherwise I may end up going back into childcare. That’s not a bad option, but I have always wanted my own crafting business and I want to give it a fair shot while I have an opportunity. If anyone has experience, will you please share information with me? I’m really just looking for ANY helpful tips, suggestions, & advice. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help. Everyone have a wonderful day! 😊

Hello, I would love to hear of recommendations for various online high school courses please. Id love to hear about ones for the main core classes, for Spanish II, and ones that would be great for videography, creating video games or movies, or cinematography (electives). It’d be great to see courses that involved live classes, or just more interaction than just staring at a screen all day. Also. , I’d love to hear experiences you’ve had using them, what your child thought, or any other useful information you’re willing to share. I’m thinking about outsourcing a few classes for our son who will be going into 10th grade this school year, and then teaching one or two myself. Some may have seen my very recent post about homeschooling through high school. Due to all the great responses, I’m considering going a different route than the online program we did last year. Thank you in advance for any information. 👍🙂

Thank you, Lori D. 😊 Reading all these responses is getting me excited about homeschooling through high school. By outsourcing certain subjects, then helping out with others I feel more comfortable with, I think I COULD actually do this. My goal is to make sure that our son genuinely enjoys learning and is more motivated about school. Sure, I know there are subjects that just aren’t all that enjoyable and we just need to work through them the best we can (which is a teaching lesson in itself), but that doesn’t have to apply to all 6 or 7 courses he takes. The curriculum with the online school honestly seems pretty dry and boring. Plus, since I’ve homeschooled (some years full time, others only part time) our son since kindergarten, I know his learning style. He learns best with interaction, hands on activities, and lots of visual learning. My husband and I are the same way. Last year it was just sit at the computer screen most of the day, with 5 minute breaks between classes, reading and answering questions. There’s definitely a place for that too, just not everything. I think I will begin a new thread about various online courses to get suggestions. Thanks so much!

Thank you all SO much for your replies and information. I am very surprised to hear that we don’t have to use an accredited program necessarily. All I’ve heard when I began to look into his 9th grade year was to make sure the program was accredited. Geez, I have a lot to learn! It all still sounds a bit scary and overwhelming to me, but I’m going to research everything more in the next few days before I just decide to register our son with the online program. Again, it’s not that it was a bad program, but what I didn’t like was the amount of time he was staring at a screen. Plus, it was a lot of just read this, and answer 20-25 questions. This isn’t the best learning style for our son, but I was impressed with how well he adjusted. He did well overall, but I don’t know if he really retained a whole lot of what he learned. Anyway, I need to do my homework and see what choice will be best for him. Thanks again for all the replies. I really appreciate the help, advice, and suggestions! 😁

UPDATE! A few of you had read my post from last week saying that the college told me our son must go through an accredited program in order to be considered for acceptance. I was frustrated and disappointed in this news, but also knew that person I spoke to may have been mistaken. Well, the home education specialist was back in the office today and he confirmed that the lady who told me that last Friday was indeed wrong. I’m soooo relieved to hear this, and now I can finally make some official decisions on our sons schooling choices this year. Yay!!! 👏😁👏😁👏 Hello, This post is specifically for those who have homeschooled or are homeschooling their kids through high school. Our son will be going into 10th grade this coming school year. He did online schooling last year through a fully accredited program. Overall, it was a very good experience for him (with just a few tweaks here and there needed). We’ve discussed many times if he wants to continue with the online school, and he says yes. Most likely that will be the route we choose, but I am just curious about those who have chosen to homeschool on their own through high school. Here are some of my questions... 1. How difficult was it to make sure all classes were accredited? Meaning, the online school our son attended last year was fully accredited. 2. How hard was it to create a transcript for your child? 3. Did your child have a hard time getting accepted into a college? 4. How did you keep up with everything? Meaning, what was or is the most efficient way of making sure all is completed as it should be throughout these years. I know some of my questions may seem silly or even worded incorrectly, but I’m simply trying to find out more information from those who have done this. The online schooling is a nice option (he does not want to go to the local high school which is fine by me), but it is still a bit expensive. Thank goodness for payment plans. 😄🙌 Thanks for any info offered!

Good Morning, & many thanks to everyone who responded. 😁 Evanthe: Are your children actually playing at the local high school (football, track)? I don’t think (could be wrong) we have that option here. Maybe you’re talking about them playing for a recreational league, at the high school level. I jus found that interesting and was curious. Thanks!

Thank you! ALL great things to consider. Yes, I should know by now not to allow others to sway my opinion of what is best for our son, especially when it comes to schooling. I knew posting here would help me consider things I had not yet thought about. 👍😁

Hello Everyone, I was wanting to get some input regarding the pros and cons of online schooling vs public school. This is for high school. I have several things I have considered and written down, but want to see if there are things I’m missing possibly. A little background: We chose to have our son do online schooling for 9th grade with Alpha Omega Academy (fully accredited program). Overall, it’s worked pretty well. As with anything, there are pros and cons. We are now at the point of the year where we evaluate what we want to do for the following year. And, of course, we are getting lots of advice. Many feel that our son needs the true high school experience, in a classroom, with the ability to have more social interactions (ex: sports, dances, clubs, etc..). While I understand that to a point, I also know that he can play sports, attend youth group, and be with other activities that provide the social interactions everyone is so concerned about. Anyway, I’m just looking for thoughts. Our son is happy with whatever choice. He’s easygoing, loves working at home, but is also willing to try out public school if that’s the choice. His grades are good with the online school so far, and his standardized tests just came back with very good results. So, he’s adjusted well. So, share some pros and cons with me. Thoughts, ideas, etc... I’m curious to hear and see if I’ve missed something possibly. Thank You! 😁

MrsRobinson, here’s some info about what the numbers should read to be considered safe. Scarlett, I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. 😢

ANOTHER UPDATE: Well, we received the EMF report back from the power company today and as I thought, readings are high around the exterior of the house and very high under the power lines. It’s making me rethink our plan of buying and staying two years before we sell. While our finances are very tight, I still want to make sure my family is safe. Goodness, sometimes I think I’m crazy worrying about all this, then other times, I feel like it makes complete sense. It sure would help if all the research on these things over the years was more definite with their findings. Now you have to wonder... is it the EMF’s, chemicals & pesticides all around, mold exposure, genetics, etc... or just a mix of everything that makes people sick?!? The news reports something different every other month or so. 🤪 Anyway, sorry for babbling. The report is making us second guess our decision thoigh, so here we go again. Fun! 🙄😕

UPDATE:  I want to thank you all again for your advice. I read everything and definitely took it all into consideration. My husband and I have talked and looked at our situation and have decided to move forward with buying the home. Right now, we are simply not the best position to move (financially or job wise), and this house IS one we can afford to buy at the moment, located in our desired area.  What we HAVE decided is that this won’t be the fixer upper, forever home we once thought due to the existing concerns. We plan to purchase the home (having instant equity) & do smaller fixes instead of a big overhaul on the house over the next two years. After two years, we plan to move, using this home as an investment property to rent out. We do know that it will rent out very well in this area. In the meantime, the power company is coming out to do testing (not so sure I’ll believe them, but we will see), & we may invest in our own EMF meter as well. Due to some issues with black mold (which have recently been remediated) that could also be the cause of some of my health issues, we’ve asked the landlord to have the ductwork cleaned out and will be getting air purifiers for the home too.  While these may seem like small things, I’m hoping they will make a positive difference and that our family can enjoy the next couple of years here, knowing our new plans. I’ll deal with the ugly eyesores to the left and right of us for a little longer, doing as much as I can to keep our family safe and healthy. Thank you again for the wonderful responses. Everyone have a great day! 

Good Afternoon! I want to thank each of you once more for all the responses. It gives me a lot to think about and consider when making this decision. PeterPan: Thank You for your responses, I really appreciate hearing them. I do want to clarify that my husband is very supportive of whatever I want to ultimately do regarding the house. He’s concerned, and while he knows it may be hard for us, he’s willing to move if needed. The family or friends I spoke of does not include my husband, and I know that it is a very short span of time to know if the lines or towers are hazardous health wise or not. I believe that that so much is unknown that friends and family don’t really know what to say, which may be why they come off as unsupportive. Im just trying to learn as much as I can before jumping to any conclusions, and that’s also why I decided to ask my question here too. I knew I’d receive several answers that bring to light things I may not have thought about yet. Stress & diet may be the key cause of my Myofascial Pain Syndrome, but I also MAY be EMF sensitive. I just don’t know. Your suggestion of leaving for a time, seeing how I feel, then coming back, and seeing what happens is wonderful. I can’t get away for two weeks, but possibly 5-7 days, which might be fine. So, I may just try that & see what happens. Your point about me being home more is a valid one also. Very good thinking! I’m home most of the time, getting out for errands only a few times a week. My husband works away from home and seems to have no issues. Our son is home like I am, but also seems to have no issues. I’m going to keep that in mind too though. Also, the money thing isn’t ruling my decisions. I was just providing more information to give a clearer picture of why we may choose to purchase the home over moving. I will say that finances are tight and it would be harder to up and move again right now, but not impossible. There are many unknowns and I’m just trying to figure out what our best decision might be regarding all of this. Thank you all so very much! I have so much to think about, try out, and learn. All of which will hopefully help me in making the best decision for our family. Have a wonderful day. 🤓

PeterPan: I’ve definitely wondered about this issue with myself. I just didn’t mention it because when I have said something to family or friends, I hear that I haven’t been here long enough to be having any symptoms. About 3 months after moving here, I began having issues that started with what I now refer to as a migraine type headache. Then, my ear, jaw, and left side of face hurt, tingled, etc.... my back left shoulder blade hurt too, along with my neck and the back of my head. I went to a primary physician a few times, then a dentist, then an oral surgeon & had plans to see an ENT. I was a mystery to all but the oral surgeon. He disagnosed me with Myofascial Pain Syndrome. It’s not been fun. And, I believe I’ve had fibromyalgia for years, but never officially was diagnosed, so maybe not. Anyway, this issue began due to a very stressful event that occurred at that same time, and I know that stress is a trigger for MPS. So, I’ve always just associated that with this happening. However, recently it occurred to me that MAYBE the power lines may be contributing to my problems. Again, I didn’t receive much support, so I dropped it. I have to wonder if I just might be extra sensitive to EMF’s also. Hmmmm. 🤔🤔🤔 MrsRobinson: There is definitely a buzzing or crackling sound that can be heard from the wires. At times it’s much louder than others, while sometimes it’s very quiet. 😬

B Hello Again, I am in COMPLETE agreement that the lines/towers are a HUGE eyesore. There’s no getting around that fact. Surprisingly, I’ve gotten used to them over the past few months. Weird, I know. If we stay, we can eventually do some landscaping that will help distract from the ugliness. No, it will not hide them at all, but I’m just hoping it will help draw the eye to something more pleasant looking. And, yes, we would be getting an incredible deal on the house compared to homes in this area. This includes a house only two houses down that has the same exact issue I’m speaking about. Just between what that house is listed at right now and what we will be able to purchase this house at in June is an $80K difference. The area we are in is highly sought after and has neighborhood after neighborhood of homes ranging from $300K to over a million. We would be purchasing the house from our longtime friend. He lived here for 16 years (has no known health issues related to the high voltage lines), but needed to move for a job. Our plans are to buy the house and basically make it our forever home, fixing it up into a really beautiful place over the next few years. Of course, we know plans may change, but that’s our thinking now. We realize resale would be hard on this house also, but also know that our friend has had offers from others already to buy the house if we don’t, so maybe not as difficult as I may think. Again, it’s the location. As mentioned in the original post, the main thing that MAY change our minds isn’t the thoughts we have for the house, but the concerns over the lines/towers. Thanks you all sooo much! ***I meant to also add that based on a recent appraisal, we would have an instant $15k equity in the house also.

Thank you so very much for the responses! I’ll continue to research & y’all continue to respond if you think of or find anything new please. So far, it appears that the lines/towers may possibly be less of a concern than items we already have in our home with EMF’s, or foods that we eat with chemicals and goodness knows what added to them. 😳 Here’s a couple of pics looking to the left and right when standing in our backyard.

****FOR NEWEST UPDATE, SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS THREAD (3-11-19) UPDATE: I want to thank you all again for your advice. I read everything and definitely took it all into consideration. My husband and I have talked and looked at our situation and have decided to move forward with buying the home. Right now, we are simply not the best position to move (financially or job wise), and this house IS one we can afford to buy at the moment, located in our desired area. What we HAVE decided is that this won’t be the fixer upper, forever home we once thought due to the existing concerns. We plan to purchase the home (having instant equity) & do smaller fixes instead of a big overhaul on the house over the next two years. After two years, we plan to move, using this home as an investment property to rent out. We do know that it will rent out very well in this area. In the meantime, the power company is coming out to do testing (not so sure I’ll believe them, but we will see), & we may invest in our own EMF meter as well. Due to some issues with black mold (which have recently been remediated) that could also be the cause of some of my health issues, we’ve asked the landlord to have the ductwork cleaned out and will be getting air purifiers for the home too. While these may seem like small things, I’m hoping they will make a positive difference and that our family can enjoy the next couple of years here, knowing our new plans. I’ll deal with the ugly eyesores to the left and right of us for a little longer, doing as much as I can to keep our family safe and healthy. Thank you again for the wonderful responses. Everyone have a great day! Hello, I was wondering if anyone has experience living near high voltage power lines & towers? If so, how has it been? Any concerns in regards to health or safety that you’ve seen or are experiencing? I ask because we are currently renting a cute ranch home that has the high wires running throour backyard. We can see the large towers to both the left and right of us when we go outside, even though those aren’t in our yard. We are planning to buy the house in June because it’s in a wonderful location, great buy for the area, and is a little bit of a fixer upper (which we happen to love). However, I don’t want to buy if the lines/towers cause a definite health or safety concern. It would not be easy to pick up and move either, but it’s a definite consideration if we’re dealing with these causing issues. I’ve done a bit of reading, and can’t seem to find solid answers. Many sites say that the items in our homes actually affect us more with the EMF’s than the high voltage lines. We’ve called our local power company also to see if they will come out and do an electromagnetic spectrum test on the house. I just thought that maybe someone would have experience with this situation and could over some advice. Thanks so much and have a wonderful day. 😊

Hello, I’m looking to enroll our son into an online academy for high school. He’s going into 9th grade this school year. We want one that’s fully accredited as well. The few that we have narrowed down to are Alpha Omega Academy, Bridgeway Academy and I still have to look into Wilson Hill Academy to see what they’re like. Does anyone have any experience with any of the above schools? If so, will you please share your experience, both pros and cons? I’d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions as well. Thank you!