This is the status quo for us, which makes today so remarkable. :lol:

I wonder if it's just something that has to be learned as more testing is done? I think if the score is important to her, which it seems to be, then as she gets more tests under her belt, she will internalize the need to slow down and pay attention. I'm 35 and I still have to remind myself to slow down and pay attention when things get boring. :laugh: ETA: I'm not an SAT expert at all. I took the test once without studying and scored a very average score. :leaving:

Agreed! Ruth, I appreciate you sharing your son's experiences, and the parenting that goes along with it. I think I'm correct when I say a lot of us look up to you, it's nice to have other parents to glean wisdom from. I hope he does/did well!

We are having a day where I didn't question an curricula! Math - sweet spot! Jousting Armadillos with Mathematical Reasoning level F as review. No fighting, and appropriately challenging. Language Arts - Read Aloud is The Graveyard Book, he's set to finish it in 3 days because he refuses to wait, and up next is Oliver Twist. (We dropped Little Women, which is fine, there's still lots of time for me to force it on him. ;)) We are doing CE 1 & 2 this semester as a break before MCT Literature Level and DS is loving it. Also BW partnership writing where he tweaks the projects because apparently everything needs to be futuristic and sci-fi. :lol: Weekly freewrites are mostly Star Wars fan fiction, but writing is happening! History - Listening to SOTW 4 and watching videos, a la a less work intensive AAA class. Science - waiting for MEL Chemistry to get here, and in the meantime doing random stuff as it relates to our local science center classes. Foreign Language - In the middle of GSWS and he's cruising along on duolingo, AND he looked at Fabulae Caeciliae and agreed to give Latin another go. (Caeser's English was probably very influential in that area.) Most importantly, he's found a project that he's passionate about, which is researching and purchasing DJ equipment in order to make his own CD. He has a budget to stick with and he's SELF motivated. I know it can all fall apart tomorrow so I'm relishing the moment of relaxation I've been given. :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: Anyone else have it all figured out for today? Or are you in the other 364 days of the year?

It seems that we are operating under the assumption liberal arts = unemployment, sciences = job security.

We've settled on lessons in one instrument, and we'll buy him what we can as far as the 20 others he's requested. :laugh: He plays the double bass "officially," and at one point also took drum lessons, but there were lots of fights about all the practicing so we told him he had to drop lessons on one. He was only 5 at the time so I'm sure maturity was the biggest issue. He taught himself piano and is now asking for a guitar. He's an autodidact, and prefers to teach himself, so we are good with one instrument as far as lessons go. (It's also a Suzuki program that has a group class component, so it's a big time commitment. I'd actually rather him do traditional lessons at this point, but that's a topic for another day.)

We got it last week after I heard him on the Read Aloud Revival. It's a very cute book. :)

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that for some people, the "struggle" is worth it. I find it stifling to suggest that people stay away from the arts because it isn't a secure job prospect. I argue simply the fact of getting a degree is worthwhile, be it in the arts or otherwise, and can help secure a living wage if one thinks outside the box.

I had zero support as well, and I wonder if that's coloring my views on the matter. I'm very firmly in the "major in what you love and I'll help in any way I can," camp. I literally had to beg my parents their tax returns so that I could fill out a FAFSA. My father paid for my first 2 quarters at community college and then just stopped. He wouldn't pay for me to go away to school because he didn't believe I would be a serious student. (My high school grades were fine, I graduated with a 3.0. Not stellar, but also not indicative of a person who screws around in class.) So I went to community college close to home because it was my only choice. I had no idea what I was doing. I went to CC for 2 years and then got into a competitive in state liberal arts school. I cried when I got in, then I cried when I realized that I couldn't afford it, because I was only eligible for so many loans, and my parents would not help at all. I ended up moving out of state and attending a CA state school which was a wonderful experience. I worked for a year to establish residency so I could have in state tuition. It was hard, I worked at least 30 hours a week while taking a full course load for 3 years. So maybe that's why when people say my major "wasn't smart," I get super defensive. (I know it wasn't meant to be insulting.) It's a miracle that I graduated at all, and I wouldn't trade my college experience for anything. I'm currently working part time, and my degree has zero to do with my job, but I happily make my loan payments because I value the education I got, and the chance to express myself creatively with people who actually cared about what I was doing. Did it translate into dollars? No, but it did change my life. I do see it as a back up if I end up needing a full time job. College degrees are still worth something on your resume, even if that worth is dwindling.

Is this continuing into the new year? If so I'd love to join you all. I've been very mindful so far, but there is a J Crew coat on sale that I'm eyeing. My current coat is only 4 years old, but it's feeling small. When I drive the wrists go half way up my fore arms. :laugh: It's also short, and the sale coat is long, which I would prefer due to wearing lots of forgiving tunics these days. ;) I'm sitting on it for a day or two as to not be impulsive, maybe it will sell out before I talk myself into it.

The rifle planner I have has a similar set up to this, and it's on sale right now. The pages are thin, but they don't bleed with my pilot g2's.

I'd put it on a card to earn points, but we have enough for either of those on hand. There were definitely months in the early years where that wasn't the case, and it was scary!

Never mind, I'm entering beating a dead horse territory.

I've read a lot on Ambleside and use the literature suggestions. I'm familiar with CM, just not very educated on the matter. :)

I was thinking this as well.

It is expensive and risky, I wouldn't argue otherwise. :) Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I also don't see it as useless.

That's not what I said. I would have been devastated if my parents would only pay for a degree they felt was going to be "a return on their investment," with no concern on what would make me happy career-wise. There are no guarantees that there will be a return on investment when someone else is in charge. You could pay for law school and then your kid could decide to join the circus.

Again, this thread wasn't supposed to be a judgement on my educational decisions, just a question about college in general. I only threw that out there to show my bias as a liberal arts person. For the record, I know a few people who are using their MFA's in ways besides publishing novels who are happy in their careers. One teaches songwriting a personal essay at a private high school. I'd love to do that! Do I need an MFA, probably not, however I'm sure it would help in a competitive job market. I'm also very aware of the whole "Ponzi scheme" opinion of creative writing departments. Believe me, I've agonized over this, I've been researching it for years. (Ask my poor husband. :lol:) However, I still feel the art of communicating is important, and valued in many industries, and in my opinion, society can always use more effective communicators.

I can't imagine the resentment I would have felt if I would have been given this ultimatum. My parents helped minimally, as in, I could barely get them to fill out a FAFSA, and that's always made me sad. Not that I had no financial help, but I had no support or guidance at all. However, if the alternative was them having a say in what I majored in, well I'll happily send in my student loan payments until retirement.

Honey Boo Boo.

The month I got pregnant with my twins, I ovulated twice, and therefor could not read my chart to save my life. It was all messed up. I personally wouldn't try to read BBT if you hyper ovulate naturally. I was on Clomid, but even still, we were extreme birth controllers after twins. :laugh:

an "MRS" degree? Like in Mona Lisa Smile? :lol:

Absolutely. I don't blame my parents for divorcing, it's how they did it that I take issue with. I witnessed many years of domestic violence at the hands of an alcoholic father. Mental illness was also at play, probably with both parents to some extent. The divorce was a relief at first, but then it turned into more fighting. I'm ultimately glad they divorced, I just wish they weren't both narcissists who put themselves first. I guess you can't win them all.

There was a time I considered G&T education, but ultimately my heart is with writing. I would love to write a how-to guide for G&T homeschooling, but that would require me actually knowing what I was doing. :lol: Hey, is it worth it to get a degree for one book? ;)

Well, the programs that I looked at mentioned publishers being present for presentations, and also most MFA faculty has published works. It's still a crap shoot, I'm not arguing that!