Does anyone have a favorite (or least favorite) WHA physics teacher? Current options are Galloway, Fleming and TBD. We hope to enroll DD in a class this year and it's our first experience with WHA. We're doing Novare's Physical Science at home this year and DD really loves it. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Waving hello! DD is taking Lit and Composition for Underclassman at Integritas as well. We've heard such good things! This is my first year homeschooling high school and we're only a couple of years into homeschooling, so it's all a little terrifying.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I think we're mainly getting bogged down in the analysis of phrases and clauses. She prefers something straightforward. She feels it's complicated and doesn't understand the need for the four-level analysis. With this curriculum, there's a lot more digging required. We do have the entire program, so maybe we'll plow through this grammar quickly and move to the other parts which I think she'll enjoy more. Part of the issue is that she is used to things being very intuitive and quickly accomplished. This challenges her in a new way - maybe that's a good thing. : )

This is our second year of homeschooling (girls - 13 and just turned 11). We've had the MCT Town and Voyage levels and have enjoyed looking through them, but didn't really fully implement them last year. This year, we're getting started with The Grammar of Literature with my older daughter. She's a very avid reader and always scores in the 99th percentile on standardized tests in language arts. She's a concrete, analytical thinker (future engineer, she thinks) and MCT is frustrating her, and me too! It's a bit embarrassing to be honest, as I have a degree in linguistics! Maybe it's been too long ago - lol! Is there anyone for whom MCT just wasn't a good fit? I SO want to love it, but it's a struggle right now. I understand that it's a different approach that's designed to inspire a true love of language and grammar. Maybe we just need to give it a bit more time and attention? Or find a grammar curriculum that is less flowery? Any input would be most appreciated!

Prior to Saxon 6/5 during our first year of homeschool, she did My Math by McGraw-Hill at a private school. She thought it had a lot of busy work and the many approaches to solving a problem seemed to be thrown together randomly - it was confusing. Thank you for the recommendations! I'll look into them. She likes the Life of Fred books too, so that may be an option.

What math would you recommend for rising 6th grade DD who is very bright, not terrribly motivated to do schoolwork, but loves to learn on her own terms. She's a pretty intuitive learner and understands concepts easily. She tests at a college level for reading, but is just a grade level or two ahead in math and writing. When she's supposed to be completing a math lesson, I'll frequently find her curled up with a book or coming up with a new Lego creation. She thought Saxon 6/5 was boring torture and she doesn't think math could ever be fun! To help with placement, I just went through the Saxon 7/6 book with her and she could skip at least the first half and even the last half would be a lot of review. We looked at AoPS Pre-algebra together and I think she would be ready for it, but again she said it looked so boring. Thanks to a very helpful Lori D. on another post, I already have a list of fun books and supplemental activities. But, we still need a spine. Can you help me find something that will help this girl get excited about math? Or at least not dread it? Thank you so much!

Lori D - Thank you for your incredibly thorough reply. That gives me so much food for thought. And I really appreciate you directing me to specific threads. There is so much to read and I was becoming even more confused - lol! Regarding MIT - I honestly think that may be a passing fancy and appealing just because went to Boston last year. She also talks about wanting to stay closer to home for college, so I think she'll make some good choices of schools at all different levels of acceptance. She's prone to perfectionism and anxiety, so I'd like to see her make some choices that will provide her a good balance in life - learning/fun/leisure time! I think Saxon appeals to her because it's very comfortable and doesn't challenge her. She's not used to things being difficult. As far as my younger, I absolutely agree that keeping it fun and engaging will be key. I need to remember how young she is! I'm anxious to explore all the information everyone has shared. Thank you so much!

That's helpful Susan. I'll try to focus my questions. I know my post is all over the place! Like my mind these days apparently. : )

8FillTheHeart - Thank you so much for your input! Can I ask why you don't recommend Saxon math? And have you found a middle to high school math curriculum that you would follow all the way through? I'd like to avoid jumping from one curriculum to another. I love the thought of pulling together a variety of resources, but I do worry about my own ability to make sure they're learning all that they need to!

I would love to get some input from you wonderful experienced homeschoolers! I feel as though the more I research, the more confused I get. I know that no decisions are final and homeschooling will always be a work in progress, but the approach to high school is a bit overwhelming. (To be honest, I started worrying when I saw a recommended schedule of classes that had kids starting Algebra 1 in 7th grade.) I could really use some guidance and insight into how you make your decisions. And specific curriculum recommendations are always welcome! I've been reading these forums and Cathy Duffy's recommendations, but there's just so much information! Background: This will be our second year of homeschooling. We have two daughters, entering 6th and 8th grade. They spent all of their elementary years at a private Montessori/Renzuli school that was a wonderful fit for both. There was a great deal of independence, fun, and projects, but it was not academically rigorous. We spent the last year focused on catching their math up to speed and trying to find our footing. Both girls were tested by their school and fall on the lower end of the gifted spectrum. They learn very quickly and require little "instruction" from me. They are voracious book readers and as of last year, were tested as reading at a college level. They are independent, but the similarities stop there! DD13 is a complete self-starter and very driven. She's been talking about college for several years already. She's interested in astrophysics and engineering as future careers. She is extremely ordered, organized and a very linear, concrete thinker. I mean, this kid has written up a daily summer schedule and feels badly when she's not being productive - lol! And she has to do every problem in math, in order, no skipping around. We tried AoPS briefly and it didn't go well. She's completed Saxon 7/6 and 8/7 this year and it's been a great fit for the way she thinks. She enjoyed Story of the World, supported with some extra reading. I thought Michael Clay Thompson would be a great fit for language arts, but it was too abstract for her. We dabbled in Focus On Science which she disliked because of the busy work and distracting formatting. We began WriteShop 1 towards the end of the year and like it so far. So, here we are trying to make decisions for next year! Saxon Algebra 1 is our only decision so far. WriteShop - probably. Grammar - no idea! Is there a Grammar curriculum that gives them everything they need to learn succinctly? I'm very drawn to the classical education model, but I was an English major and love all things language. She sees no reason to study Latin, and is starting to teach herself Japanese. I read a review of the Veritas Omnibus class and it sounded perfect in many ways. She's already read some of the heavier literary works and loves to think deeply. Then I came across some negative reviews which led me to start looking for similar classes elsewhere. I'd love to find something that pulls together history and literature, and makes sense of geography and historical timelines. My husband likes Novare best of all the science options, but I've read that it's dry and difficult to teach at home. Of all the available online classical Christian classes, how do you decide which to go with? Do you stick with one company? Or take the classes that are the best fit? Which subject have you found to be the most beneficial in a live class setting? My greatest concern for this daughter is helping her be adequately prepared for college - she talks a lot about MIT. DD10 (August birthday, so a very young 6th grader) is very bright, not terrribly motivated to do schoolwork, but loves to learn! She's an intuitive learner and understands concepts very easily. When she's supposed to be completing a math lesson, I'll frequently find her curled up with a book or coming up with a new Lego creation. She's very much a kid still and likes to play imaginatively. She's very kinesthetic and loves to be on the move. She thought Saxon 6/5 was boring torture (her words, not mine!), but enjoyed reading advanced books about math and doing logic puzzles. I may try AoPS pre-algebra. Other options? She enjoyed Story of the World, but it's hard to get her interested in reading books that aren't fantasy! Focus on Science was not fun for her either. She can handle meatier text, but still needs the concepts presented in a way that she can understand. And she wants to do projects and experiments. I know she's learning no matter what we do, but it's so much more challenging to quantify that learning when she dislikes plodding through traditional texts. I'd also like for her to have an online class of some kind. Both of my kiddos are introverted and if there is anything they struggle with, it's taking the big thoughts that are in their heads and sharing them with others. So, that's a ton of information I've shared, but I would so appreciate any insights in helping us along in this journey! Every little bit helps. Many thanks!