I'm going to guess that the parents who are enthusiastic about this program, feel that way for two reasons: 1. They were not well-educated, themselves. It's likely that every person expressing concern in this thread is at least 40 years old, or was educated outside of the United States. The younger parents do not recognize these problems AS problems, because a lot of them were in school during the beginning of the teach-to-the-test era. They might have experienced very little in the way of dogmatic grammar exercises, or history lectures, or actual science textbooks. They might not have wondered, as I did, where exactly this author is finding her information for history and science, because nothing is cited...I wouldn't wonder that, either, if my education had been based on websites and printouts and multiple choice! (I've come back to add that some of the parents are likely second-generation homeschoolers who learned from multiple choice programs instead of through direct instruction.) 2. They are probably very excited about personally teaching their own children, and learning with them, because they are the first generation of homeschoolers to have tried the park-them-in-front-of-computers method (or their children experienced it in school) and they've learned that it stinks. This sounds *better.* And by the way, I am very, very excited about THEIR being excited. So if we veteran homeschoolers had time and energy, now would be the moment for Charlotte Mason style parent practicums. I don't mean Classical Conversations style. I mean "bridge your academic gaps and learn how to teach" courses, and also a return to regular support meetings for homeschool educators. Not just for "homeschool moms" who are defined as "not sending their children to school." I mean educators who intend to take the responsibility of teaching.

How popular is this program? How many people are unable to discern such an obvious disqualification as this woman's illiterate syntax?

It's not lecturing to state that 16 Ibuprofen in one day is dangerous. That is TWICE the maximum dose. Ibuprofen toxicity or poisoning is not "just" about being hard on your kidneys. Please read this entire page: https://www.healthline.com/health/can-you-overdose-on-ibuprofen#complications Someone very close to me has sometimes severe endometriosis. She was able to get a prescription for stronger and more effective pain relief, at the doses appropriate for that medication.

Jean, you have probably tried this, but just in case: Dr. Furhman's program cured my type 2. I also have autoimmune disease, and some kidney damage from lupus, and I spent a few years on steroids for an allergy-related lung problem. All systems were just...wrong...for a long time. Finally, I did develop type 2 diabetes. Low carb never worked for me. A dietician argued with me for some time that eggs and butter should not raise my blood sugar, but they do! They spike them higher than candy does. And I always feel very awful on low carb, probably because my kidneys can't handle much animal protein or fat. Eating tiny amounts and going low calorie don't help the fact that I just don't process a low carb diet very well. Dr. Fuhrman's End of Diabetes program was the only thing that ever brought my blood sugar down, tamed my autoimmune problems, and caused me to lose 10 pounds per month, nearly effortlessly. My theory is that along with the kidney problems, I must have some food allergies or sensitivities that I'd never figured out, that are just avoided by the Fuhrman plan, and there were possibly some quantities of nutrients that I wasn't getting before. I did choose the most extreme, vegan version. I also eliminated gluten and corn, because I'd already learned that those cause inflammation for me. I took Fuhrman's women's vitamin daily. It's a difficult diet, it's boring, it's expensive, and I am a slow salad eater so I feel like I'm spending hours per day just chopping veg or chewing veg. But the result is a youthful health that is honestly better than my actual youth, because I was diagnosed with lupus at 13 and never felt as energetic and strong. Exercise-wise, I chose to walk four or five miles per day. Other than that, rest seems more important than super vigorous exercise, for me.

I was about to suggest Lial, too, combined with the strategy of copying one problem at a time onto a whiteboard. Go back to working with him, a problem at a time, on whiteboards or chalkboards. Might as well, if you're returning to teaching him yourself. Signed, LSB, also from the trenches

You can show her how to teach, or at least give her a very good starting place. You've DONE that. You can't cure her anxiety, which is what this is. I kind of agree with the previous poster who said to stop telling her NOT to read all the homeschool social media -- I know it's counter-productive to her homeschool, and God help her kids as she works through this, but she's trying to get to the other side of a paradigm shift. She's trying to see herself as a homeschooling parent. Better the social media immersion than ringing your phone off the hook! And about that, I also agree with @8FillTheHeart that you should tell her you've done all the "Intro to Hs'ing" that you can do for right now, and you have to teach your kids, so you'll only be available for questions and convos for specific (limited) times. Try to get her to hook up with local homeschool groups and resources, if that's possible. Try to get the family time back to kids playing and parents supporting each other, because this new definition of your relationship with her isn't really working out. You'll all benefit from family time together, but it needs to be that, and not a constant homeschool seminar. *Thank you* for helping her. A lot of these newbies who are hs'ing as a last resort after a bad ps experience are very shell shocked and anxious. They do need somebody to help them get started. But I've seen this panicked codependency for myself, and I've heard of it from others. It doesn't work. Unless we're going to teach their kids, we have to get some detachment and they'll have to find their feet. Not totally alone, but not texting us three times per hour, either.

If he is comfortable doing Jacobs independently, he might enjoy Foerster's Alg 2. It's written to the student and very clear, IMO. Here's a link to the video course from Math Without Borders, or you could just get the student book and TE, used. Scroll down for the titles and ISBN#'s. https://www.mathwithoutborders.com/algebra-2-trigonometry/

In my opinion, it is fine for ages 11 and up. But just so you know, this is one of those books that people need to talk about! Your whole family will have new inside jokes and references, for the next twenty years, if your kids read it. So I would advise that you read it first. 🙂

double post

This is a really good answer! I didn't choose whole books to use as outlining sources. Instead, I would look through each week's reading and choose my passages to assign. History spines, history supplements, science texts, an encyclopedia article... My college kids have helpfully reported back to me, about their most effective learning methods and study skills that I had taught them at home. One that they've all mentioned is remembering when I would tell them, *after* they'd learned several levels of outlining, to choose "any 6 to 10 related paragraphs from your text, to outline." They would have to look for themselves, to figure out when a new topic was being addressed. So that's part of the picture -- teach your level of outlining (WTM style), and then assign any body of text in which the student will be able to recognize that structure. Work toward more complex outlining, eventually get to more messy texts, and make sure you teach them how to isolate a section of text for themselves to outline. You'll have been practicing this, even though they won't understand your selection process yet, so it will be easy for you to transfer that skill to your students later. So that's one reason you should be the one to devise these outlining lessons, as a more effective practice than trying to find sources that are already laid out.

Regarding busking -- I have heard of people considering putting their little kids out there, less than 13 years old, not particularly gifted or "street smart," definitely not ready to work a constantly changing crowd, and only in their second or third year of music lessons. This, to me, is Dickensian. I mean, even if they were good musicians for their age/stage, I'd be wary...busking is about a lot more than the actual skill or talent being demonstrated. You really have to be able to confidently handle the interactions and stay very aware while performing. Let your child grow their skill and grow up a little, before putting them out in the street. Also, people don't like to see an 8yo scraping away on a 1/4 size violin, while Mom sits three feet away. The impression is that Mom is exploiting him. I have two sons who have busked as capable teens, though - one does it now, as his main income source in the warm months. He's pretty accomplished and has gotten job offers as well as very good tips. Like all buskers, he has good days and bad days, but he's never come home with less than twice the local minimum wage as his hourly rate. My eldest son busked, as one of his side hustles to support himself through college. If someone CAN busk successfully, I don't consider that to be fundraising or begging. I consider it to be working. If you have a gifted and interested young person who would like to try this, here's some advice: Know the laws and local customs, and don't let your child out of your sight. Stay within a few feet of a minor child at all times. With my 15yo, I tend to choose a location where I'm up against a wall or on a bench where passersby sit; well away from the "act" but visible to make eye contact if someone is looking around to see if anyone is watching him. I do not speak for him, or interact with the listeners in any way. I could just be anybody, not necessarily with him. He looks a lot older than his age and is very, very tall, so he doesn't strike most people as too young or too vulnerable to be out there. Also, if you're a Mom and minor child on your own, packing up to leave is your most dangerous time -- we once had the experience of realizing we were being watched by a group of men across the street, who seemed to be gathering to follow us. They'd been watching people stuff money in my son's tip jar for the previous half hour. Make sure you are not being "cased" or followed when you pack up to leave the site. As you approach your car or the parking lot or garage, look around again.

So here's what you're up against, @SamanthaCarter: 1. When people criticize GoFundMe's, they almost always say, "If only they were selling products or services, I would agree with that," but 2. Whenever homeschoolers publicize that they can't afford whatever their neighbors think is "normal" for children, the criticism is very painful. It can show up subtly, too, through snubs or gossip in the community or even at church. This is why I always opted for WAHM side hustles, instead of letting my kids raise money for their activities. By the time they were working as teens, sometimes they paid for extras *within* their activities, but that was obviously not public. I wasn't worried by that point, though, because locally teens do work to help fund their activities. Alternative lifestyles are frequently about checking in with yourself periodically, about what you're willing to be criticized for. Unfortunately.

What other resources are available to you, in the community, for social growth and challenges to move toward maturity, in safe settings? I agree with the psychologist that he should be homeschooled while also having access to settings that will help him grow socially. (It sounds like that's what she's saying -- that homeschooling is good for him, but the one possible benefit of school would be social growth. If that's the case, find that benefit and meet that need elsewhere, if you can!) Because I agree with this philosophy, it is the route I took for my late bloomers (who are now adults). I do not regret it. I would absolutely homeschool them again.

As far as the state of the cookies: I like cookies that taste like they were baked by relaxed and happy people who have proved, across literal years, that they know how to conduct a bake sale.

Wedding registries have been very common for almost a century. I distinctly remember larger showers being very, very typical, in the late '70's and '80s -- I mean large enough that all the ladies in a small town church congregation would be invited. Not that intimate showers are not also common, but that's never been the only way. I think you might have a regional or cultural difference, but these traditions have been around for a long time. Showers with registries, and wedding registries, became popular in the post-war era, because they replaced trousseaus and dowries.

"The" original fairy tales? What era, country, origin, religion, or other belief system?

We wouldn't eat any of it, because we don't have the immune systems for it and it's especially ridiculous in flu season. But if I witnessed this, I don't care WHO is making my family's food, I'm speaking up. I'm interrupting the conversation to say, "George, I'm sorry I distracted you with our discussion, I'll shut up a minute so you can tend to the washing up before cooking. Can I help by washing the counter or the veg?" If he says, "No, I never wash my hands before cooking, and we don't wash vegetables," I'll thank him for his offer of hospitality but decline.

OH. I missed that you are looking at 7th grade, coming up, and also working on a high school plan for later. For 7th/8th: 1. History and Geography - aforementioned Timetables of History, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (the SOTW activity guides schedule this), and the aforementioned MapTrek (which has a middle grades level as well as elementary and high school). 2. Literature - there are Glencoe guides free online, for a lot of classics. They are a good fit for the logic stage. 3. Art - you could use Discovering Great Artists by Mary Ann Kohl as a spine for art study. This is a great choice for a student who likes to studio art; she has assignments inspired by each artist. I have modified this book for several learning levels. So yes, cobbling is great, it used to be the default method, especially on these forums. But there's a lot more than just the great books and lit lists -- you can skew toward arts, science and invention, biographies, focus on women in history, more time in Eastern countries and cultures...there's just a lot that can be added or emphasized, so I wanted to mention this as the #1 benefit of DIY homeschooling.

No, I was thinking of the WTM chapters that explain to you how to find appropriate book lists and study guides, and create your own lit studies based on SWB's questions by genre, etc. If you've read it, that's great! It's a great start. If you were moving chronologically through time, you could also incorporate some of the following: 1. Timetables of History by Grun, for Charlotte Mason-style timeline activities and to notice when to cover concurrent events in other countries, science and inventions, biographies, and significant works of literature. 2. MapTrek by Knowledge Quest, for thoughtful mapping activities arranged by historical eras in world history. Free alternative, if you could devise the activities, would be the historical maps at the website Emerson Kent. 3. Philosophy -- The Philosophy Book (DK) and The Story of Philosophy by Magee 4. Art - The Story of Painting by Sister Wendy, The Annotated Arch, and The Story of Architecture by Jonathan Glancey. Free alternative - Khan Academy SMart History videos 5. Music/Composers - look up the Memoria Press course about composers of the western world, Professor Carol Somebody-or-Other There's more, but you get the idea. 🙂

As far as sentiment, re: used items: People have different values. Some people might value a new item for baby, brand name, from Von Maur in the shopping mall. Other people might think that the brand name, new item is gorgeous and very nice in every way...but when they look at it, they see another mother in a different country, sewing it in a sweatshop. To these people, a non-homemade, non-heirloom item that is in very good condition seems of far greater value to give, because they are lovingly extended the life of this entirely usable garment, thus clothing baby while honoring the seamstress who was not honored in any other way. THIS is how the world needs to change. I am not saying to give a milk-stained onesie as a gift at a baby shower, no matter how poor. I am saying that a high quality item that has proved its lasting durability, by surviving the use of one child and still being in very good condition, should be valued.

Have you read The Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer?

The last truly dogmatic speaker that I ever heard, in person, was Heidi St. John, at my state hs'ing org's convention. That was several years ago, and also the last convention I attended. Her tone, and the attitude of the attendees, was definitely militant. They were "all in" for the culture war, and evangelical homeschoolers were God's foot soldiers. So there seemed to be an appetite for that kind of talk, but since my children and I left the convention early, I never learned who else is pedaling that perspective today.

When I used that phrase, I hoped it was obvious that I was referring to an ideology (that the only right way to raise children is to homeschool), not to people! I began homeschooling in the 90s. I'm aged (although I might perk up, after the youngest graduates) but I've tried to keep learning and keep up, instead of pressuring young families with dated ideas about how to do things. They're in an entirely different world. If you stopped bossing people around in the early 90s, you are not one of the people pushing an outworn philosophy.

@SereneHome, obviously, this is just my opinion, but I would think that comments about eyerolls and "fascination" with the reaction of parents of children with special needs and IEPs, might be a better topic for a different thread, if it must be said at all. If you are "super curious" about the experiences of differently abled people, there are better ways to try to learn more. 😞

I believe she will.