Okay, so I'm trying to get a little bit of a rise out of you, lol! The truth is, if my dc was being taught by someone who made countless errors while tutoring Algebra I, I would have to stay in the class and raise my hand to correct all the mistakes (and/or speak with the director pronto about what was happening). Also, to respond to what someone else was saying, I believe the cut-off limit for a challenge class is 12 (unless I am mistaken, which wouldn't be the first time). We had 13 in Challenge A this year, and the campus is going to work extra hard to keep class sizes more manageable for all (especially watching the boy/girl ratio as we had 9 boys plus 4 girls in this year's class and that got a bit rowdy at times, if you know what I mean!). But seriously, for my ds, doing Apologia science at home on his own would almost certainly be inferior to what he gets out of the once-a-week classroom dynamic. Plus, this year in Challenge A they got to dissect a sheep's brain, a sheep's heart, and an eyeball. I am very grateful to not have to do those kinds of labs in our kitchen, thank you!

At first I thought we were all crazy to take you up on your offer, calming tea. But the other alternative for people doing Apologia Physics at home is that they do Apologia Physics at home. So what you offer is still better than what they do at home. Oh, and yes I can go home, because it's only for Foundations and Essentials that parents have to remain in the class.

My ds's food allergies have improved immensely in this last year, for which I thank the Lord. But before that, what we did was to create a business card for our son with all his food allergies clearly listed. Then when he ate outside the home, he was empowered to be able to hand out his food allergy business card to whoever was cooking, whether we were at a restaurant or going to camp, or a sleepover party, or wherever.

My 8th grade ds has been doing Challenge A this year. He did not do CC prior to this year and doing Challenge has absorbed all of his time (and then some). But we had also switched to Saxon (using 8/7) this year and that has also been a struggle for him (although he has made fantastic progress this year in math). What I am most impressed about this year is the expansion of ds's work ethic. We have CC on Thursdays and my ds stayed up until 12:30 a.m. to study for his geography test and to copy a map of Africa by freehand. This is a kid who did not care if he ever saw a map last summer when we drove 1/2 way across the country. One thing to keep in mind is that Challenge A is 30 weeks, so that means you have at least 6 additional weeks when you can 'do your own thing' and perhaps do an intense focus on science and history if you wanted to. I could say a lot more, but have to run and get ready for our day. I am very impressed with how 'engaged' my ds is this year in his schoolwork, and he has really been able to shine in doing presentations and participating in class discussions for rhetoric class and even in discussing literature in LTOW. Oh, and I think LTOW does cover a little bit of grammar as well, as well as via Latin. I think that CC figures your dc already had Essentials which covers formal grammar in great detail (I know this firsthand from my dd taking it this year). Blessings, Brenda

Well, I can tell you what we did for my 6th grade dd this year. But you would best know what your dd already knows and what your goals are. We added Apologia Science and Mystery of History (since I had already done SOTW with them). I put together a binder during the summer that included all her additional subjects broken down into weeks and daily assignments, and she was able to work independently from there. We added Memoria Press Literatue Guides (she's on her 4th one now and has one more to go). I had planned to add Phonetic Zoo for spelling, but we ended up ditching that because she is a great speller (but you would probably want to add some type of spelling program). And we added the prescripts from CC to practice cursive and for some weekly art work/drawing. For the younger student, I would probably add something like the BJU reading program, as well as spelling for language arts. As far as adding English for a 3rd grader that would later do Essentials for maybe 3 years, I am not sure how much additional English you would need to add in 3rd grade. We didn't start CC until this past year, so I can't really comment for the younger ages. Blessings, Brenda

My kids' fondest memories of BJU DVDs include Miss Liston teaching BJU Reading 4, I believe. The theme is the Wild West and they do silent movies throughout. We all thought they were so funny! I'm not sure if they have revamped this, but I would watch the online samples and see what you think. Brenda

That sounds totally wrong to me, but I am just a newbie to CC. What I did hear, though, is that if you are on week 5, for example, you should not jump ahead and memorize the history sentence for week 6...just wait until class-time during week 6 to learn that history sentence. But then it is fine (and even encouraged, I thought) to add additional context at home for the material learned during week 6. Also, you are encouraged to review any material you have memorized up until that point. And you can merrily do your history studies at home in any order you want, providing as much context and when as you want, as long as you are not trying to memorize history sentences ahead of time. Let the tutor be the one to introduce the new material to be memorized for each week. For example, we chose to study Mystery of History II this year since it focuses on the Middle Ages and so does Cycle 2 of CC. I found it too difficult to try and line up exacly when we studied Charlemagne in both, but figured the one would reinforce and provide context to the other, especially since the IEW done during Essentials in Cycle 2 is also covering the Middle Ages. Hope that helps, Brenda

Also, don't forget Essentials if your dc is in grades 4-6. My dd has really thrived with Essentials this year. Yes, she has happily copied and has memorized most of Grammar Charts A-Q. And IEW really works well in a classroom-type setting, so her writing skills have greatly improved this year (particularly in the fact that I don't have any more crying or moping sessions when it comes time for writing assignments at home). Currently, she is actively engaged in doing a research report on Joan of Arc ON HER OWN, and doing it contentedly, which is amazing to me. I have a MA in linguistics and I love the Essentials model for studying grammar (FWIW). In fact, I taught Grammatical Analysis at a college campus for 5 semesters as a TA in my younger days, and I just really enjoy the Essentials approach. The only part I don't quite agree with is how they teach the IO (indirect object). 'Give me the book' vs 'Give the book to me' in Essentials class treats only the 'me' in the first example to be an IO, while in the 2nd example 'to me' is a prepositional phrase. Oh well, I can live with that.

Don't forget the value of those weekly presentations each dc gives (most homeschool co-ops don't do this).

One thing to keep in mind is that it is okay to start over the following year in the exact same Latin book and it won't be as hard the second time around. And then you could even go back the following year and start all over in the same Latin book and do it all over again. This is the approach that Classical Conversations uses with Henle Latin. The first year only covers chapters 1 to 10 or 11. The 2nd year you start back at chapter 1 and maybe go to chapter 20 that year. Then the 3rd year you go back to chapter 1 (of the same first year Henle Latin book) and this time you cover the whole book in a year! I think it's a brilliant strategy and you could implement the same technique with First Form Latin or any other Latin book that you so desired...if, that is, you so desired! :grouphug:

I can't speak for others, but I was sharing here in order to give a reason for the hope I now have that we can do this.... ie. this thing called homeschooling, particularly as our family is embracing middle school and the teen years. I am encouraged by the progress I am seeing in my ds and maybe others can be encouraged that it might work for them, too, if they are considering the challenge program. I like hearing of the testimonials of others as to what is working and what isn't, and why. I like knowing what my options are, and Classical Conversations is just one option out of many...use what works for your family!

re: Classical Connections--I appreciate the suggestion very much. I was trying to read a little about it and didn't quite understand what they offer. You attend classes locally, or they are online? I'm willing to read up on anything. First you would find out if there are classes in your area by going to their website and clicking on the U.S. map on the upper right side, I believe. If there are once-a-week classes in your area, they should list the name of the director and their contact info. I would try to visit a day of classes in the spring if possible, as well as attend an info meeting...oh and it is Classical Conversations, but you do make some great connections there, lol! Classical Conversations has 6 hours of class held one day per week and led by a tutor that you pay in advance. They assign the work and then your dc has one week in which to get it all done, typically working one hour per day per subject as a guideline. Brenda

I've got a ds going into 9th grade that sounds a lot like yours. Even though there's been a recent thread giving more cons than pros about Classical Conversations, I couldn't resist sharing this option with you, as I just posted how much the Challenge level has really helped my ds in areas in which you are describing: getting engaged in the material to be learned, having someone else tell him what is due for homework to be completed each week, and gaining self-motivation and determination to get schoolwork done. I can sum it up this way. A couple of weeks ago, my ds was mad at me correcting something on his schoolwork and stormed up to his room. I gave him 5 min. to get downstairs before consequences set in. He made it by the set time, muttering loudly, "I'm not doing this because you told me, but because I want a good education!!!" Works for me!!! :lol: I couldn't believe he had finally caught the vision for himself. :hurray: Now, we still have some struggles, but I see him independently managing his time, often staying up late at night to complete assignments that he never would've even thought of attempting prior to this, so it's been a win/win for us. Challenge level programs would run about $1200, though, plus books, so I hesitated to even mention it, but it has helped SO MUCH our relationship as mother and ds that I just wanted to 'put it out there' anyway. :grouphug: , Brenda

This is our first year in CC, with a dc in Challenge A and one in Foundations and Essentials. We plan to continue on with CC next year as we have seen big strides in our Challenge A student in particular. I believe that CC started out with Challenge I-IV and then decided that students weren't adequately prepared for the material, so they added Challenge A & B, and then went back and added Foundations and Essentials after that, once they realized all that the incoming students really did not know as part of their basic 'grammar' knowledge of the various subjects. Thus, the memory work in Foundations represents that which would be helpful to know in order to have the proper 'foundation' for future Challenge levels. My ds has had to work extremely hard in geography in Challenge A because he never learned his various European countries and features like they are currently working on in Cycle 2 of Foundations this year, for example. But I am quite impressed with his developing ability to draw a map of the world from memory onto a blank sheet of paper. He does not do it perfectly, and he misses the names of numerous capitals (never mind trying to include geographical features), but I know he had absolutely zero interest in geography prior to this year. What he has learned has come from being motivated by the weekly deadlines and community environment of his fellow 'classmates' doing the same work. Now when my dd does Challenge A next year, I expect she will be quite meticulous in drawing the world from memory, but she will likely struggle more in being engaging during rhetoric discussions and giving presentations in science. My ds, OTOH, has really thrived in those two classes and has gotten all kinds of accolades from his tutor, plus he has had a chance to develop his natural leadership skills with others besides his mother and sister at home! Especially at the Challenge level, CC can motivate dc to get engaged and struggle with the material, with classmates spurring one another on (of course this does depend on everyone doing their assigned homework). As to having only one tutor lead all 6 subjects in the Challenge levels, I have questioned how anyone can be an expert in everything, as well. Since a big goal in CC is the integration of all subjects, if a student or tutor wants to apply a principle or fact learned in science class to rhetoric class later in the day, both tutor and student will understand the connection point that is trying to be made, because the same tutor has been in the same classroom with the same students all day. And I guess the mindset is that the tutor models for the student that one individual (ie one tutor and/or one student) can indeed study and learn all 6 subjects in that one school year. I think the tutor may opt out of one class, though, or maybe even two, as I have heard of a husband/wife pair teaching Challenge B where the wife does the Latin and Math class and the husband does the rest. Please keep in mind that I am brand new to CC this year, though. I only wanted to share that it has been a hugely positive experience for our family and we plan on continuing. I love how my ds has caught the vision that getting a good education is a goal that he now desires, and he is working tirelessly into the night on his assignments in an independent fashion to get all his work done by Wednesday night for Thursday class. I also hadn't really realized until this year that I have moments in the school year where I tend to be a slacker myself, and the CC schedule provides an accountability factor for myself as well as for my dc. I am finally disciplined to studying Latin this year. I always wished that I knew Latin, but now I am actually doing it, so that I am able to grade my ds's homework and help him during the week. But at the same time, sometimes my brain has just wanted to quit learning, but I can't because week 15 has come and gone, and then week 16 is right after that, and 17 and so on. As far as being a classical education, all I know is that my dc are grappling with material in a deeper way than they have before and making it their own. They are tracing/copying maps and charts first, and then drawing them while looking at the book, and then drawing them from memory (internalizing the material). Then they go on to apply the material and then present the material that they have learned. Is it a perfect system? Probably not, but at our home (especially at the Challenge level), CC is motivating our ds to 'get engaged' and struggle with the material, with classmates spurring him on to do a good job on homework so he can participate in lively class discussions, both listening to and presenting increasingly proficient essays and reports as the year goes on. Yep, it is a Win/Win for us here, so just wanted to share this newbie's perspective. Blessings, Brenda

I asked my son and he said his tutor has only left once at noon because of a sick child. He doesn't think she has viewed any presentations. Also, glad you were able to make some sense of the schedule. Sorry you couldn't see how pretty it looks in real life!

The above is not formatted correctly, but you can maybe figure out that each subject was broken down into daily lessons over the span of one week.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Colossians 3:23-24 Due: Week 5 Subject Friday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Other Parent Column Math Lesson 81 Lesson 82 Lesson 83 Lesson 84 ______% completed Geo Trace or draw Asia and all country borders ____ Drill with seterra or sheppardsoftware Trace or draw Asia and all country borders _______ ____ Drill with seterra or sheppardsoftware Trace or draw Asia and all country borders _______ ____3 Geography Terms (point, pond, pool) ____ Drill with seterra or sheppardsoftware Trace or draw Asia and all country borders _______ 3 GEO Terms (prairie, precipice, rapids) ____ ____ Drill with seterra or sheppardsoftware Draw and label as many times as you need to become proficient at this! Draw and bring in a map of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia on Thursday for a surprise J Be prepared for a quiz on the east Asia countries and capitals AND geo terms from spring weeks 1-4 in the Guide. _______% completed _________ Parent Initials Latin Write new vocab words on flash cards Exercise 95 Read Grammar Rules 77-78 Write new vocab words in spiral Exercise 96 Read Grammar Rules 77-78 Read Grammar Rules 77-78 Exercise 97 Read Grammar Rules 77-78 *Memorize third declension adjective endings! Be prepared for a quiz on 1st/2nd/3rd declension adjective endings _______ Exercises graded _______% completed _________ Parent Initials Natural Biology ___Research & Define mouth and teeth Terms in Sketchbook ___ Trace and Label mouth and teeth^ Trace, copy, draw & Label as many times as necessary ___Research & Define mouth and teeth Terms in Sketchbook ___Trace and Label mouth and teeth^ Continue to draw and label lungs ___Research & Define mouth and teeth Terms in Sketchbook ___Copy and Label mouth and teeth ^ Continue to draw and label lungs ___Research & Define mouth and teeth Terms in Sketchbook ___Copy and Label mouth and teeth ^ Be prepared to draw and label LUNG from memory on Thursday Due Thursday: Mouth and teeth Terms in sketchbook** ** Do BEST Drawing & Handwriting in Sketchbook ** _______% completed _________ Parent Initials LTW Compose issue and begin ANI Use definition and circumstance worksheet to fill in ANI Use comparison worksheet to fill in ANI Use any tool you have learned to complete 30 items in each column of you ANI. _______% completed _________ Parent Initials RHETORIC Read CH. 19 DCYB this week and record all your answers in your binder so we can discuss them in class. ICJH Skim chapter 19 and write chapter summaries. Write Catechisms 55-57 on index cards ICJH Read the whole chapter and make a list of any vocabulary words you don’t understand. After reading, look up the words! Drill Catechisms ICJH Record the section titles and summaries on your copy of pp.66 &67 in the Guide Drill Catechisms Finish any reading and/or summaries that are not complete. Drill Catechisms Make note of anything from either book that you want to discuss in class. _______% completed _________ Parent Initials

It sounds like you would be a great candidate for being a Challenge A tutor, because it is all about conversations in Classical Conversations, after all! It seems like you would enjoy leading dialectic-based discussions. I do know someone teaching Challenge B who has another person teach the Latin class for him. Perhaps you could see if this would be possible in your community, as I have heard that it is possible to outsource one class to be taught by someone else. And I totally understand what you mean about wanting to do a good job and having the class consume all your time and then some. I wish you could see the blog, but I know the Challenge A tutor is incredibly busy(as you can imagine, plus she has 7 dc to take care of as well!!!) and I don't know what all is involved for her to get you access to the shutterfly site. But I think if you have a heart for learning and for caring about the students in your charge, you will do well. CC does give you specific training, too, I hear.

I can only speak from having a dc taking Challenge A this year, but I can share my perspective. The tutor has a shutterfly site with a Challenge A blog each week where she takes photos and does an encouraging write up each week. Also, she makes available her own weekly schedule with a breakdown of what to do each day in order to get all assignments done within the week. This is fantastic, and I am going to make a copy of these and have them available for my dd when she takes Challenge A next year with a different tutor (I think the one we have now may be leaving after this year). And I don't know if this is part of the CC curriculum or not, but she emphasizes a different godly character trait each week that she discusses during the first few minutes of the day. She also started praying for her class well before the school year even started and the love she has for her students is clearly evident. And, in return, she is well-loved by parents and students alike (even though she freely admits when she is feeling tired or doesn't know everything in a particular subject). I think that all of the above items mentioned contribute to her being a wonderful tutor. Are you considering being a tutor next year? I just attended an info meeting where they discussed the reasonings for having one tutor teach all the subjects. I guess it is to model for the student that they can learn all these subjects at the same time as well, plus the tutor can help the students make connections between subjects. I still think it would be hard to be a tutor, though, because there is almost always at least one subject that you don't feel as qualified to teach as the others, but what a great way to invest in the lives of others! What do you think? Blessings in all your deliberations and decisions, Brenda

Well, they often say that if it ain't broke, then don't fix it. But I totally get where you are coming from in some ways because we just switched math programs this year (BJU to Saxon) in order to do Classical Conversations this year. And the jury is still out as to whether this is going to work for us. My ds has desperately wished to go back to BJU Math DVDs, but he is still getting A's and B's on Saxon 8/7 tests at this point (although he is getting about 13 wrong on Mixed Practice of late). I emailed Art Reed this week, in fact, and he called me on the phone!!! His view is that boys, in particular, can be quite sloppy on the day-to-day assignments. However, they put their 'test hats' on for the tests and usually do better. He told me to not grade the homework assignments. He also said that if he scores less than 80% on two tests in a row, then he needs to backtrack 5 lessons. And he said that my son should research whatever he gets wrong on the tests. My impression of Saxon Math is that all the repetition and mixed practice problems really work to make sure dc know what they know. They also have to face what they don't really know and really learn it. Whatever math curriculum we use, my ds has to cement his arithmetic facts in order to move on to the good stuff (ie. Algebra 1 next year). I think that Saxon 8/7 can help him do that, but I do have BJU Prealgebra waiting in the wings just in case. But I did get my ds to agree that his goal is to be able to do Algebra 1 next year (whatever he needs to do to get to that point). Perhaps your dc (like mine) needs to 'shore up' his ability to work with fractions and decimals, square roots and order of operations, etc., which could otherwise hold him back in Algebra (but maybe he understands some of the pre-algebra concepts already). I know Art Reed says you can skip right over Saxon Algebra 1/2 if your dc scores 85% or better on the last 5 tests of 8/7. I don't know anything about TT, so someone else can chime in here. Blessings, Brenda

My dd had the H1N1 years ago and mercifully was given Tamiflu. I'm sure she would've had to be admitted to the hospital, otherwise. She did not get out of bed and didn't want to eat/drink, plus her fever didn't go below 104 even with alternating between Motrin and Tylenol every 2 hours!!! Plus her respiratory system was in crisis mode. It was an amazing transformation once she started on the Tamiflu. I seem to recall, though, that a side effect of this medicine might be nausea, among other things. You might want to check these out while monitoring your dc. I know we ended up stopping the Tamiflu a couple of days early and she still recovered beautifully because Tamiflu works to stop the flu virus from progressing any farther (which is why it must be started within 2 days of getting the flu). I am hoping and praying that your dd is increasing in strength now day by day! Blessings, Brenda

My 8th grade son is in Challenge A this year (1st time in CC). It has been fantastic for him. He is learning time management and how to work with having a deadline each week. He is enjoying giving presentations in Science each week. And the Lost Tools of Writing class has helped him TREMENDOUSLY with understanding how to write a thesis statement and arrange his thoughts in an organized manner to write a persuasive essay. Henle Latin has been a real struggle for him, but he is learning to persevere and going way beyond what he would've accomplished on his own without a weekly schedule and the mutual accountability with other classmates to get his work done each week. Oh, and this is a dc who previously did not have the slightest interest in geography and now he can draw a map of the entire Western Hemisphere and all of Europe freehand without looking at an atlas, and he can label the countries and most of the capitals, too. Amazing!! Overall, I am very pleased, although I do have to say that he often wanted to quit CC during the first 6 weeks or so (even threatening once to try and get himself expelled if I forced him to go to class, which was quite the drama one morning :nopity:). His tutor is quite good, plus she has the gift of mercy and has actively prayed for each dc all year, which I believe has helped propel him to not give up, as well. Now, the part that is difficult is the lack of flexibility in coursework that we homeschoolers are used to. I am still pondering what to do about next year when my ds starts high school. Do we continue with Challenge B where I know there is another excellent tutor and my ds could continue with his community of friends from Challenge A, or do we try to jump to Challenge I (which will be brand new to this area next year)? I will have to add additional science to beef up his coursework if we go with Challenge B (and probably also add some ancient history to the mix, too). Will this put him in overload??? But if you are starting Challenge A with 12 year olds, you likely won't have the same difficulties we are facing next year. Even if you only did it one year, I think it could be a wonderful, growth-producing year for your sons. At least that is what I see happening with my 13 ds this year! :hurray: Hope this helps, Brenda

If it's with Mr. Harmon, I think it'll be great! My dc loved him as a teacher. We are eyeing the BJU Space and Earth Science with the online $99 option. My ds is in 8th grade and really enjoyed Mrs. Vick for Life Science last year, plus he really wants to be able to use the blog to communicate with other dc using BJU. Best wishes, Brenda

Have you tried searching at hystersisters.com? You can do a search on Lupron and/or endometriosis and find lots of threads! Endometriosis is a sad, tough disease and you are right...even a hysterectomy does not always stop it. I recommend finding a surgeon who specializes in excising or 'cutting out' the endo, if warranted. I had an excellent surgeon and haven't had any problems with endometriosis over these past 6 years since I had a hyst. with the endo being excised. And it was found to be down to my ureter and starting to perforate my colon, along with all kinds of adhesions and a big mess. I was hurting before, but have been completely fine since, because of God's mercy in my life AND the excellent surgeon that I found. However, I did have to take one 3-month dose of Lupron and it definitely 'whacked me out' pretty good. I was told to take it to reduce the bleeding and reforming of adhesions during surgery, and it did help that. But I had numerous problems with memory, depression, and G.I. issues and wish now that I had at least only gotten a one-month dose instead of a 3-month one. I can remember crying in the doctor's office a couple of months later because I could no longer remember how to spell 'common'. Ridiculous! All is well now, but it was rough going for quite some time afterwards. And I do take an estrogen patch and am still okay, with no signs of recurring endo, for which I am very thankful!! God bless you in your quest to find relief and direction/wisdom for which path you should take to gain healing. There is hope! Blessings, Brenda

We haven't started CC yet, but I am organizing for our fall initiation. I found a one week planner form at www.halfahundredacrewood.com which I am delighted to use. It actually has 13 subjects listed with columns for Days 1 - 5. Thus, there is a need by a lot of people to add more subjects. I will list the subjects and what we hope to use for each one for my rising 6th grader: Bible/Foundations Memory Work (and probably 'A Young Person's Guide to Knowing God') Saxon Math Essentials for English Grammar Phonetic Zoo for Spelling IEW for Writing (and WWS for 'off' weeks) Memoria Press Lit. Guides and various Readers and RAs from Sonlight, etc. for Reading Mystery of History II for History & Timeline Geography (just review Foundations plus mapping from MOH) Apologia General Science First Form Latin Prescripts Cursive by CC for Handwriting (Fine Arts section) P.E. - add in our own Other Activities (not sure yet) I am even going to have my dc go in the same order as how these above subjects are listed. Hope I am not crazy for thinking that we will be able to do all the above. Note that our dd has a late November b-day so she has already completed 6th grade subjects this past year while still in "5th" grade. I love reading everyone's ideas...both experienced and newbies! Blessings, Brenda