homeschoolally
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Posts posted by homeschoolally
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My son has never been in the school system so he has never had an IEP. We have extensive testing documentation from outside sources and he has been in private speech and reading therapy throughout his school years. He is now trying to take the ACT but since he does not have an IEP we are only being allowed time and a half. If he were in school the counselor told me he would have easily qualified for unlimited time with a reader. Has anyone else faced this situation? Is there a way to work with the ACT organization without an IEP? I'm being told they are a private organization and can set rules as they see fit. I keep thinking there has to be someway to help my son. Thanks for your help!
Our experience, and our background was similar, was that we had to get a new private psychoeducational evaluation to get anything beyond time and a half. There was also the risk that we could shell out the money for it, and that the results wouldn't be persuasive enough to get the extra accommodation. The tester has to be very specific--so if you do it be careful to find someone who is either familiar with this or will work with you to write the report up the way ACT needs it. We had to go back and redo things several times because she gave too broad a diagnosis.
It was pricey, and looking back, if it weren't for desperately needing the audio for dyslexia, I probably would have taken the time and a half and saved the $1000 and the stress.
Time-wise, time and a half would have been enough for her--even with the audio tapes which were slow. Unless you get testing over several days, seems like would drag out into a long day if you used more than time and a half and fatigue might become an issue. To get testing over several days, you have to have a pretty severe learning disability, from our experience.
You also have to find your own ACT tester--which was tough. ACT wasn't helpful on this at all. Finding someone qualified was easy, finding someone who wanted to do it was almost impossible for us. Most can't do it while they're 'on the clock' at school, because they can't be paid by ACT and their employer for the same hours. We finally found someone but I don't think he'd be willing to do it again because he said the list of requirements was so overboard.
Have you tried giving him a practice test to see how he does? I do think the accommodations helped, but it was a time consuming and expensive process. I don't mean to be discouraging, it is possible---but it was a major undertaking for us. Maybe you'll hear from someone else who had a better experience! I'd be glad to help out if you have any other questions--just pm me!
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:grouphug::grouphug:
When I was a teen, I must have told my mom I hated her (at least!!!) once a week for years. We are very close now. I talk to her on the phone every day, and we visit twice a month, plus the entire summer and all holidays.
I know, not much consolation for NOW, but, this too shall pass.
I was going to post the same thing.
That is such a tough age anyway, add the aspergers factor in--and hope you're able to take it less personally. I know as a mom that must be so tough. Hoping the best for you both. Sounds like you have a solid plan that is a good compromise.
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Sounds like you're the kind of gal who might like this book.
Some of the advice is a little dated because of changes in building materials, but it really helped me think through the process of building our house--room by room.
He advocates things like, as you mentioned, using the same fixtures in every room so replacements are easy; thinking about long-term maintenance with every choice--that kind of stuff.
My only other thought about building in this kind of market is that you should be getting a better value on the cost per square foot from the builder than you would have, say, 5 years ago. Unless I was able to get a great deal from the builder, I'd seriously consider finding something 'close' and renovating it to better meet your needs. With most markets flooded with foreclosures, you might find it to be more affordable.
I'd also be careful that you don't make the house so personalized, as far as the floorplan, that you couldn't sell it easily if needed. We've put ourselves in that predicament, built a home we love that perfectly met our needs--but with the economy we really need to sell and downsize. The other dozen homes on the block that are more traditional would sell much more easily and in this market--we need all the help we can get. Wish we'd listened to the builder about a few choices we made that make our home less attractive to buyers.
I found a few parts of our house building process really stressful. Mostly bc I am a huge penny pincher and it is much more difficult to bargain-shop during the building process than I'd hoped. I'd been thinking about all the times I'd seen the 'perfect' carpet remnant 90% off or an amazing sink in a scratch-and-dent pile at Lowes when I considered our budget for building. That didn't translate into the real-world building experience and it was very frustrating. In our case, we were under a time crunch bc of the construction loan and the builder's schedule--so if I couldn't find a great deal on say, the vanity needed for the bathroom being built that week, I was stuck paying retail. As someone who hates paying retail for something--there are a few items in our house we use everyday that really bug me because I was rushed into buying them and they either weren't a good value or aren't really what I wanted. I guess I'm weird about holding cost-grudges against inanimate objects though, so you might not have that problem! Just something you might want to keep in mind as you plan. I wish we'd done more standard-size things too--very hard to find a bargain on an off-size item.
eta--can't believe this book is $37 new! It is a great book, but definitely not worth that. Absolutely get it used for a $.01--and be sure to get the newest version. Looks like the one on paperback swap is from 1986!
Make Your House Do the Housework - Paperback (Oct. 1995) by Don Aslett and Laura Aslett Simons
13 new from $37.00
31 used from $0.01
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:iagree::iagree::iagree: I would click this 100000 times if I had the time.:lol:
:iagree:
7 and 8, absolutely. Especially after reading some recent threads here, elementary schools sound like they're doing much more than I realized. Middle school would be perfect for the situation you described. Then they could head to high school and take advantage of AP/Honors options well prepared. I've read over and over (and I've been a homeschooling research maniac for 8 years now) that middle school is academically a waste of time for many kids, not to mention the social issues with kids that age.
Congrats on your opportunity! :001_smile:
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Can I make a suggestion, AngelBee? I see from your blog that you are a Christian. I think you need God more than you need a bunch of strangers who don't know you. We can pray, sympathize, give advice... but only He can give you real comfort and wisdom. Can you go for a walk or take a bath or just close your door and pray? I think you need time to clear your head before you talk to dh -- assuming that's your plan once the kids are down tonight.
:iagree:And if the thread keeps moving in the direction pushing you to confront him, I think you should take the kids out and get off the computer. That attitude--though reasonable in different circumstances--is not helpful at this point because you are at home with all your children.
I don't think anyone would want you to freak out on him with your kids in the home watching. Have to leave now but feel really burdened to say this before I go. I agree he needs to be confronted--just not while the kids are around.
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Just feel like it needs to be said again, in this situation I think you're doing the right thing by not confronting him with your kids in the house.
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Honestly, I don't want to go to jail. My kids need me home.
Wow.
I've been following this thread but at a loss for how to helpfully respond.
:grouphug: You sound like a wonderful lady and I'm praying for your family. I'm one of those 'burn the clothes in the yard' wives and wish I had the kind of restraint and cool head you seem to have. If you have 7 kids with you in the house I think you're doing the right thing by not confronting him right away if you can handle it.
Will be praying for you.
Ally
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I would say that these people are not modeling the values that your child should learn, and they are not exhibiting any proof that they give two hoots about her.
In my book, those are two good reasons to look for a different club to join.
:iagree:
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:bigear:
After being I-Pod resistant for years now, the audiobook option has my interest.
Would love to hear what you guys have found.
Thanks!
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:bigear:
Hope you get some info on these--we're interested as well.
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I'd tell them "This situation is a 2 on a scale of 1-10. You are acting like it is a 7. This is not acceptable. Here is what a 2 reaction looks like." And I'd show them a 2. If said child could not contain their expression to a 2, they have chosen to be alone.
I can't wait to give this a try with my strong-willed kiddo!!!!! I'm typically the 'knock it off' type but need something else to help him see the correct response for next time---this is a great idea!
Thanks for posting.
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I thought Thinkwell Biology was a good addition to Apologia--sometime you can get a discount through homeschoolbuyerscoop.com
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FWIW, we belong to a pretty conservative denomination. A few years ago I attended the funeral of a church member who committed suicide. The cause of her death was discussed at length by the pastor doing the service which was a huge surprise to me. He said, and I don't recall the reason he gave off-hand, that it was a misconception that suicide couldn't be forgiven and that since this woman was 'saved' earlier in life she was in Heaven.
I'll try to remember and repost his explanation-- I bet my husband remembers.
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I've been feeling the same frustration. After reading through the archives here, I decided to try Analytical Grammar's Essay and Research paper programs--only $15 each. I haven't used them yet, but there were enough favorable reviews here that I thought it was worth a shot.
Teaching the Essay is a step-by-step “how to†guide for teaching the homeschooled secondary student to write the classic 5-paragraph literary essay, the foundation for all expository (non-creative) writing. This is invaluable for preparing for the SAT essay exam.Teaching the Research Paper takes the home teacher systematically through the entire process from choosing the topic to writing the final draft. Each step is thoroughly explained, even how to evaluate it!
Teaching the Essay and Teaching the Research Paper are foolproof. The teacher does not have to have any prior knowledge of expository writing. Simply follow the audio and written instructions and both student and teacher will become experts!
Each of the units include:
- An audio CD for the teacher with specific day-by-day instructions for teaching the unit
- All necessary hand-outs and notes
- Foolproof grading rubrics that provide the student with “recipes†for writing and specific feedback for improvement
- An audio CD for the teacher with specific day-by-day instructions for teaching the unit
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I was so excited about getting started with AOPS--sold on the content 100% and planning to use it as our spine. Because my son is better at math than I am, and learns at a much quicker pace, I thought the online classes would be perfect.
So disappointed to see that the classes are completely text-based--no audio. I was even having a tough time following along because the text was unpredictable and sometimes progressing too quick to stay on track.
For a kid with dyslexia--this looks impossible. After reading the archives here about the difficulty level--I think it is unrealistic for him to self-teach from the books. Any other options like AOPS? I thought it was the answer to my math prayers!
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Thank you! Will do.:001_smile:
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For dual enrollment classes do I have to save all the work for a portfolio like I would do for one of my 'at home' classes? I'm hoping that having the grade from the college along with the syllabus and text used is enough as far as recordkeeping. I'm already drowning in papers and would love to toss some of this busy work.
Thanks!
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Have you looked at CLE? I can't link it from this computer--will come back later and add--but in a situation where you needed to make progress quickly to build confidence I think the satisfaction of completing the small 'workbooks' quickly might help.
They're also inexpensive enough that you can skip some of the repetition without feeling like you're wasting $$.
I'd do the placement test to be sure, but you could go back as far as the 500 level and do just the new material in each chapter, skipping the review, and the 2 quizzes and test per book.
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Megamind is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. There were several times I actually laughed out loud.
:iagree:Saying we're 'melon choly' has become quite popular at our house!
Despicable Me was funny for adults and kids alike in our family.
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I know HSLDA is a divisive subject on this board, but just in case you're interested --they offer a handful of AP classes, and are adding more this fall.
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I was excited about this until I saw:
SharperMemory (one user) US$775
Ouch. Does HSLDA have any discount or coupon code that you're aware of? I'm surprised to see that they'd recommend something so pricey.
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We used Kinetic Books Pre-Algebra and Life of Fred to supplement Algebra 1/2.
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Thank you for posting! Excited about using this as a supplement to the Lewis books in Omnibus.
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My daughter did this, and it worked out very well. Do be careful about the awarding of the degree. We discovered that having an Associate's would have prevented her from being eligible for some scholarships, so she transferred with actually getting the degree.
:iagree: This is how it is in many state school systems from our experience. You can get as many credits as you want as long as you remain a high schooler--and still enroll as a Freshman to the university. But--if you try to transfer those credits in as a transfer student you're looking at a totally different situation with merit aid--even need-based aid in some states.
We're doing exactly what you've described and so far it has worked well---but I won't try to have ds pursue a degree from the CC because I'm really counting on merit aid.
Young Indiana Jones series
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I'd prescreen them if you're concerned. I was surprised when there was partial nudity (think it was a woman posing for a painting) in one of the earlier episodes.
I agree with the educational value mentioned in previous posts. One thing that really stood out to my kids was Indy's thirst for learning. With so much kids entertainment focusing on useless persuits of time--I thought he set a good example and it mirrored our lifestyle as homeschoolers in some ways.