I just realized that my post may have looked like I was trying to criticize people. I really wasn't trying to do that but just get a general idea about the role that you play in your child's education for those of you who homeschool and have a child in a public/private high school. I didn't mean to imply that if you weren't completely involved in their education that you weren't a good parent. For some families I think choice C works out fine. I just wanted to see if I was in the norm. A few people in my circles have made me doubt that but now when I really look at my views and also a few of the other posts I realize that I am fine. To clarify I don't mean for it to sound like I'm in control of all of my dd's work. Her school has a website where you can check grades, lesson plans and homework for every day. I will check this pretty often. On the other hand on a day to day basis I often don't actually see the work that my dd is doing. I take for granted that she will have homework in certain classes and that she will come to me if she doesn't understand a math concept, etc. and can't figure it out on her own. Often if she has a problem she will just approach the teacher about it. It is her responsibility. I am aware of longer term projects that she has going on or if she has papers due but again she gets the work done without me pestering her. For the most part this year she has figured the planning aspect without input from me with the exception of a few weekends where she had a tremendous amount of work (I'm talking 10 hour days) of homework and needed my input to talk it through to figure out how she could complete it. For awhile she was also overwhelmed with life (doctor's appointments, medical tests etc.) and it seemed that she needed some moral support and a little more help from me. I also like to look online late in the day to see what assignments she might have due for a particular night or for an upcoming weekend so that I know what to expect as far as family plans. For instance if my dh wants to do something as a family one evening or over the weekend sometimes I will tell him ahead of time that it looks like my dd's homework schedule is going to too full (i.e. she has to write a paper over the weekend). I started this whole thread because recently I was criticized by a few people I know. A general discussion came up about school. I was talking about the schedule of the upcoming year for our highschoolers. One teen is a year older than my dd so I wanted to know if he had a particular class yet and what my dd should expect. They had no clue what classes their son already had or was taking the next year. In the past they have also indicated that they had no idea how much homework their son had because they've never talked to their son about it. Then they went on to criticize me saying that I was too involved in my dd's education. Ironically their child ended up failing a class and has to repeat it. This kid is smart but I think he let things slide and his parents had no clue until it was too late. I know that teens need to learn to take responsibility for their grades/actions but I still feel that his parents should have had some idea that he wasn't doing any of his homework and was failing the class. The other person who criticized me has a son in his early 20's. During high school he never did his homework and got low grades. He is actually very bright and did well on his SAT. The parents were more concerned about his social life and that he was very "popular". His grades were so low that he couldn't get into a 4 year college. He went to a community college but preferred to party instead of study and failed that too. I think it is sad that they didn't expect more out of him when he was 15. I think things would have turned out differently. I guess I should follow the advice that I give to my dd to try to have more self confidence. These people have always questioned my choice to homeschool and now they criticize how I parent. I should realize that everyone has to do what they think is right for their child.

Interesting replies so far. The reason that I was curious is that a few of my friends who are C's or even D's think that I'm involved too much in my dd's life and that is why she is having trouble making this decision about english class or that she tends to be unsure of herself. What I find interesting is that one person I know was usually a D but suddenly became very involved in her child's eduction (doing their work) when it became apparent that the child might not graduate. I started homeschooling for many reasons but one of them was so that I could be involved in the education of my children and I'm not stopping that just because they aren't schooling at home anymore. I also think it is a gradual process. I definitely held my dd's hand more last year as a freshman. It was a big adjustment for her. I never did her work for her but many nights I stayed up late with her offering her support even if it meant that I kept myself awake by reading a book while she finished her math homework. Sometimes she just needed to talk through her assignments or when she was overloaded with work it helped if we planned things out together. This year she has needed a lot less hand holding and I assume that it will be even less next year. I also think that by being aware of her grades and assignments that is shows her that it is important and how much I care. I'm amazed by how many parents I meet that have no idea what classes their children are taking and don't know their grades until they get the report card.

my ds (10) goes to bed at 9:00 with lights off by 9:30 He has to start schoolwork by 9:00. He is often up at 7:30 and watches TV for awhile. My dd (13) goes to bed at 9:30 with lights off by 10:00. No matter what time she goes to bed she struggles to wake up. She also has to start school by 9:00. I advise my oldest dd (16) to go to bed by 10:30 if at all possible but she often has homework until 11:00. She is up at 6:00. During the summer I usually like them in bed by 11:00 with an occasional earlier or later bedtime depending on our activities the next day. I let them play outside until dark (8:30 or 9:00 during the peak of summer). Then they come in and shower and relax for awhile.

For those of you who homeschool some but also have a child in public or private high school how involved are you in their schoolwork? A-know about every project, assignment and grade and will do anything (even do the homework for them) for them to get a good grade. B-Know what classes they are taking, know what grades they are currently getting and are well informed about what assignments they are doing but the actual classwork is up to them (but you are completely willing to help out without doing their work for them-i.e. explain a concept they don't understand or quiz them for a test). C-For the most part don't know what classes they are taking or grades they are getting but will help out if you know that they are struggling. D-Have no clue what classes they have and don't have any idea what grades they are getting until the report card comes. You feel that school is 100% their business and won't help out at all. I would say that I am a B. I have a few friends that are an A but most of the people I know are a C with a few D's. What is interesting is that I also know people who are mostly a D until they find out that their child is going to fail and then they suddenly become an A. Growing up my parents were C's but I think times are different now. With computers I can know my dd's current grades in every class at the click of a mouse.

For the most part my (almost 16) dd has been a real blessing and I haven't had to deal with a lot of "typical" teenage issues. She is usually very respectful and trustworthy. What is driving me crazy is her up and down emotions. I know that is very typical (I'm that way to) but I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I think that part of the problem is that most girls go through puberty when they are in middle school and she just started last fall. She is very bright and can be very independent. Her teachers are always commenting to me how she has such a good work ethic and how she is one of the few students who actually email them when she misses a day and follows up on missed assignments. (That is what they are supposed to do but few do it). On the other hand she is constantly stressed out about the smallest things. Rarely a day goes by that she doesn't tell me how stressed out she is about school. Surprisingly it usually isn't her difficult classes that stress her out it's the easy ones. I think she has shed the most tears over her foods class. She is awkward when she is cooking and lacks self confidence and sometimes her brain turns to mush when she is doing something like this. Ironically her teacher recommended her for an award for this class (I think it is for effort rather than ability). She stresses out about projects rather than actual class work. For instance for her British Lit class the class has been researching the Victorian Era and last week the girls were in charge of putting on a tea party complete with decorations, food and entertainment. This week the boys are in charge of lawn games. It seems silly to me but the bottom line is that it isn't something my dd should be stressed out about. Seriously she seems more stressed out about this type of thing then the huge Shakespeare term paper that she had to do this semester. I know it is a confidence issue and I'm trying to find ways to help her. She has been trying to decide whether or not to take honor's english next year. She is currently getting an A+ in her honor's english class but she is worried about next year. My dh and I have left it up to her but she she can't seem to make a decision and can't stand the fact that we're not telling her what to do. I don't understand how she can be so independent and mature in some areas but totally lacks in others. Of course she also seems to get pretty bad PMS where she snaps at everyone or cries at the drop of the hat. Any ideas for a good book that might cover this?

Yes, dd goes to a small christian high school. She would have the same teacher regardless of whether or not she would take honors. It would just be a different period. This year the main difference was that the assignments were more difficult. For instance, all sophomore classes had to do a term paper but the "regular" classes had to write it on a short story while honors had to do it on Shakespeare. I also think the teacher helped the regular class a little more. She also seemed to favor the honors class.

Last year I got such a bad sunburn that I spent 2 days in bed sick (vomiting, fever, etc.) While nothing would take the pain completely away I used tons of aloe. I also would keep a bowl of ice cold water next to me with some vinegar mixed in. I kept cool rags on my arms and legs for at least 24 hours. My dd's took turns bringing me fresh rags and making sure the water was cold. Ibuprofen should also help with inflammation. I hope you feel better soon. I know sunburn can be miserable.

My dd is trying to finalize what classes she will be taking next year for her junior year at her high school. This year she was in honor's english. She has always been strong in this subject but at times the workload was overwhelming. My dh and I are pretty much leaving the decision up to her whether or not she wants to continue taking honor's english next year. On one hand she wants to be challenged and she doesn't want to take the easy way out. I think what worries her the most is the fact that it carries a higher grade point. She has straight A's but if she doesn't take it next year it is possible that she will move down in the class rank a bit. She is in the top 10% but many of those kids will probably be taking at least a few honor's classes. My feeling is that next year will be challenging enough. She will be taking chemistry (science and math are her weaknesses) and Spanish 3, which is considered honors. She also just made the pom squad, which is a biggie for her. She has focused so much on academics over the past 2 years so I'm hoping that she will have a little fun in highschool too. Right now she isn't planning on applying at any selective colleges. She hasn't taken the ACT or SAT test yet but her PLAN test (pre ACT) score was a little lower than she hoped and expected. Will it really make that much of a difference if she doesn't take this honors class as long as she keeps her grades up? I'd appreciate some honest answers either way.

Last year my dd was a freshman at a public high school where they had block scheduling. They had 4 classes a day. Classes that usually would last all year (math, science, english for example) only lasted a semester. Elective classes and a few other core classes only lasted one quarter. I feel the biggest drawback was that it was possible to have something like math or foreign language 1st semester of one year and then not until the 2nd semester of the next year. To me it seemed like too long of a stretch. Also her workload varied greatly from quarter to quarter depending upon which classes she had at the time. Her first semester she had an insane amount of homework but not nearly as much 3rd quarter. She also found that there was a lot of wasted time during a class period yet at other times way too much was being covered at one time. Her geography class only lasted one quarter (9 weeks) and a ton of material was being crammed in. Several times during the quarter she had 3 or 4 assignments for the same class in one night. The only positives that I saw were that it would allow for a longer period to do a lab (never happened anyway) and the fact that if she was really miserable in a certain class it didn't last very long anyway. It also made it somewhat easier for finals since she only had 4 classes to study for at a time.

What a fun thread. I'm proud and impressed with all of the posts that I've read so far. Here are mine: My ds (10) made 6 strikeouts in 2 innings on Monday. This is a big deal to him because last summer his coach never let him try pitching and his fall ball coach didn't let him try until playoffs. My dd (16) made the pom squad. This is huge for her because although she has been dancing for almost 14 years she had to try out for poms with only one partner in front of a bunch of people. She is very shy. I am also praising God because 6 months ago we weren't sure that she would ever be allowed to dance again because of medical issues. Ever year my dd's make crafts and sell them at our garage sale for a charity. They have their own little table and usually have a lot of success. This year they were raising money for Heifer International. My dd (13) sat out all day in the cold garage and only had one buyer. The next day her older sister did the same thing but one of the neighbor girls bought a few items. It was a miserable, cold and rainy weekend and I'm sure they would have preferred to be inside the warm house. Even though they didn't make more than a few dollars I was proud of their attitude. They never gave up and kept on smiling. After the sale they gave me their own money so that we could still write a check to Heifer.

Did you happen to go to Grand Bear Lodge? We love that place. We did the same thing over break. All of us really needed a break from reality and it was just the thing. Good for you!

it is the same pill minus the caffeine. I am very sensitive to caffeine. If I have any caffeine after noon I'll be up all night. The teen formula has tylenol and something for the bloating. It really helps me and my dd.

I just got off the phone with my mom. She is 67 and just got the results of an ultrasound. She has a large fibroid and very thick uterine lining. I'm freaking out. Does this usually indicate cancer?

Do you know if they replay it at all or if there is any other source I could find to watch it?

I don't understand why they didn't vote for her. During the questioning it seemed like most of them were more favorable toward Amanda. I was a little surprised by a few of the jurors questions. I also think that Amanda was genuine when she was crying trying to make the decision about who to bring.

For the first time in 5 years we are not having piano lessons in the summer. Our mornings and evenings are already going to be busy so I don't want to add to that. My oldest dd is going to have pom practice in the morning followed by driver's ed from 11-1. My other two are on a bowling league on Tuesdays and will have sports camp for a week or two during the morning. My son is keeping us all busy with his baseball games until the 4th of July. I didn't want to add piano lessons to the mix. I'm hoping that we will be able to have some "popsicle days". That's what my family calls those lazy days of summer where the biggest decision that needs to be made is which flavor of popscicle you want.

My ds (4th grade) is currently finishing BJU 5th grade math and will start 6th grade next year. He is usually strong at math (good at learning new concepts) but tends to need a lot of review. The 2nd half of this year I implemented 2 books that only take about 5 extra minutes-one is a daily word problem and the other is 4-5 computation problems. That way when he is working on a new concept he won't forget long division, etc. It has been working pretty well. Lately though I've realized that he is going to need a little more help with fractions so I was thinking about using the "Key to Fraction" series next year. I've also been tossing around the idea of supplementing with Singapore math. I really think that they cover some great things especially in the 5th and 6th books. The problem is that I don't want to overload him with math and I'm sure that if we did everything it would be too much. I definitely want to keep him on track to start algebra in 8th grade so spreading the BJU book over 2 years wouldn't be an option. How do you supplement with one or more math books?

To me it doesn't seem like a good idea having so many new drivers heading off to college. My dd is in no hurry to get her license and because she switched high schools this year she won't be able to take driver's ed until this summer. She will get her permit next month but since she has to have it 9 months before she gets her license she won't get it until she is a few months shy of 17. Quite honestly I think that 17 is a better age than 16. On the other hand if she had to wait until she was 18 she would turn 18 in July and then head off to college in August. I trust her completely but I think that newly licensed teens shouldn't necessarily drive everywhere the minute they get their license. Also if a teen is still living at home when they first get their license it can be more closely monitored.

I'm curious about what you see lacking in Lial's? I was planning on using Lial's BCM and then moving on to Lial's algebra 1. Is there something that is lacking in Lial's BCM that you see covered by another publisher?

My original plan with my 2 younger kids was for them to complete BJU math through the 6th grade book. Then in 6th and 7th grade they would complete Lial's BCM. It seems that this is a great review book and that this way they will really have their pre-algebra skills down before they go on to algebra. It really surprises me that some of the kids we know are in algebra in 7th grade when they weren't ahead in 5th or 6th grade. It seems like they would be missing some key topics. So it's not like they were ahead K-5th and were simply working a year or two ahead. To me it's the same as if I had my kids complete BJU 6th grade book and then had them head straight to algebra. I am a little concerned though about the ACT test will my dd have enough math before she attempts it. She has always been an A student in math but it doesn't come easy. If she takes the ACT next year as a junior she will only be half way through Algebra 2.

I also posted on the general board questioning whether or not my kids are "behind" in math". It seems that last year the public school here changed their policy and is now having "average" kids take algebra in 8th and those who are strong in math in 7th grade. They literally changed this policy in a year because last year when my dd was a freshman she had algebra along with 75% of her class. The private school that my dd goes to this year has most students take algebra in 7th or 8th grade. Specifically for those of you who use BJU math do you finish all of the books before you go on to algebra or do you skip the 7th or 8th grade book? My younger 2 kids are on track to take algebra in 8th grade but now I'm wondering if I should somehow change things to have them start algebra in 7th grade. My ds will be in 5th grade next year and I had planned to have him in the 6th grade BJU book. My dd will be in 8th grade and I was planning on starting her in algebra next year (Lial's) but now I'm wondering if I should possibly double up math with her next year.

I normally don't worry about my kids being "behind" or "ahead" because they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Recently though I'm becoming concerned that they will be behind in math because they will be going to a private school for high school. When my dd went to the public school last year as a freshman she was in algebra along with about 75% of the freshman class. At the end of her 7th grade year at home I called a counselor at the high school to discuss algebra. She advised me that my dd would have to take a test to test out of algebra. She would have to score a very high grade (I believe it was something like 98%) to pass out of it. Of course this doesn't seem fair because there are kids who get D's and are able to move on to geometry. Anyway, she advised me to just wait to have my dd take algebra in high school since most of the students her age would be anyway. Even though my dd was ready for algebra I didn't want to do algebra in 8th grade only to have her repeat it in 9th grade so we spent the year reviewing and doing consumer math. At the time it didn't seem to be a big deal but now that my dd goes to a private school she is "behind". Most of the sophomores are taking algebra 2 or stats/trig. Now it seems that the public school is also changing their ways. All of a sudden they seem to have the bright 7th graders skip a year of math and go right into algebra. A friend of my dd's was always average in math and in fact seem to struggle a bit. She was in the average math class through 6th grade and then they put her in algebra this year. She will take geometry next year and then have algebra 2 her freshman year. She told us that she is a little ahead of some of her classmates but that it is the norm now. It seems strange that the school would change their policy so quickly but I think they are realizing that at most schools kids aren't waiting to take algebra until 8th grade. Of course it makes me think that many kids aren't really ready for algebra in 7th grade but they are just pushing them. Unfortunately there isn't anything that I can do about my dd who is already in high school. She plans to take 4 years of math so I'm sure she will be ok, although unfortunately it may affect her ACT scores next year. I'm wondering what to do with my 2 kids at home (currently 4th and 7th grade). We use BJU math and have always been a year ahead. My son is using the 5th grade book and my dd is using a combination of pre-algebra and BCM. It seems that most homeschool books have the students start pre-algebra in 8th grade. Next year I will have by dd do algebra so she will be have geometry in high school. I don't think there is anything I can do in a year so that she will be ready for algebra 2 in high school. As far as my son is concerned I was planning on having him do BJU 6th grade math next year and then BCM for 6th and 7th grade. He would then do algebra for 8th grade. For those of you who have kids starting algebra in 7th grade how do you fit it all in? Do you skip some of the math books? My son is strong in math but I'm not sure what sequence we could follow to get him on track to take algebra 2 freshman year.

Are you at Children's Memorial in Hospital? That is a good hospital. Your ds, you and my family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted.

I'm sorry that happened to you. In my early 20's I was prone to having night terrors. Back in college I was sharing a hotel room with 3 of my friends. In the middle of the night I must have had a bad dream and woke up screaming. It scared everyone and of course I was embarassed. None of us could go back to sleep after that. When my dh and I were first married I would often wake up screaming and would have very strange dreams. I would scare poor husband to no end. One night though I must have had a very strange dream. I woke up, slapped my husband on the face and said "You are a hamburger and I am slapping on the bun". How weird is that!

I need to become more thick skinned. It is one of my many weaknesses. I've just formed somewhat of a friendship with this girl's mom. I don't really know her but we've had several conversations over the phone this past year about school, kids, etc. I hate to make life more difficult for them if they won't have a ride for their dd next year. On the other hand I'm thrilled that dh and dd want to have this one on one time in the morning.