Goodness that is steep!

I do not know if it is a trait of narcissism, but it seems that many people become overly chatty when they are anxious or stressed, neither of which mean they are necessarily suffering a personality disorder.

@Corraleno (or any one else in America that knows) This is just a general question; in the US are taxes paid on divorce settlements? Did she have to pay taxes on the $7 million?

I am more than happy to bring some levity to your online life as it seems tremendously serious otherwise.

Rolling Stone lecturing about anything surrounding defamation and credibility is also quite ironic. As is someone using their publication as a citation.

Is it internalized misogyny to broadly tell a board full of women how they should or should not react to things in thread after thread? Or is there another appropriate term for a woman who repeatedly chastises other women about their reactions to a whole kettle of issues and also attempts to shame those who do not line up with her command? Is that internalized misogyny or?

Honest question. Why would any person with the most modicum of intelligence start something from scratch when they can simply buy something that is already built and that also has an existing user and advertiser platform, that they can then tweak in various ways to increase user interface, and thus advertiser investment and profit share? That would seem to be an idiotic business move to start from the ground floor, would it not? Why would you start something from scratch when you can buy something that already exists? Are you talking of actual common sense investment or something idealistic yet impractical?

You are coming across as a bully in this situation. You feel you are owed something from them. You aren't. You trash them all over a public forum, abuse your professional privileges to stalk them, and you think you are in the right? If there is a douchebag in this situation, I don't think it's the girl's parents. The only right you have in this is to feel bad for your son and comfort him. You aren't a Christian as you have said before. You don't belong to their church or social group. It isn't your role to correct or chastise them in any fashion for a parenting decision. They are adults. So are you. Act like one. "Water your own grass" and quit interfering and trying to control other people. It's a horrendous look.

I feel as if you are talking down to small children in your phrasing, and missing what was actually said. She stopped herself from nicking a flag on impulse. What deep thought and restraint indeed. Clearly a celebratory accomplishment. You are of course free to laud her in a performative manner. Others are free to make comments as they will additionally. As to how I am feeling, since you asked, I am embarrassed honestly by what this group of women has turned into, and frankly ashamed I ever spent so much time here in past years. White women applauding each other over restraint from taking something from a cemetery however, is perhaps a new low. And yes, I will leave the thread and the group to its celebrations at this point. Good day.

She discussed pulling it out, putting it in her purse, and throwing it in a bin. That is theft. She isn't employed by the cemetery. She is not volunteering at the cemetery. She has no affiliation with the cemetery or the family, so it's not as if she are part and parcel of cemetery maintenance. She considered stealing something that was not hers and throwing it in a bin. As mentioned above, people assign meanings to all types of things. That doesn't give anyone a right to take and dispose of things on private property. If the flag in question were that flown by many other causes, people in these threads would be outraged and lambasting the behaviour of the thieves. Even if her removing the flag was not something citation worthy due to its low value, it would seem there is a lot of hyper-justification here to try and give her a pass at stealing something. Your feelings around this do not justify the fact that Quill was looking to remove something that was not hers, simply on the fact that she personally found it reprehensible. Remove "confederate flag" from that situation, and substitute something else and that digs a very deep pit quite quickly as far as behaviour standards go, if persons get a pass at taking or defacing things they find upsetting and are justified in that behavior by those who share similar views. The American Way seems to be largely complaining and being outraged over things, so in this case, that would be the way to go. Approach the cemetery. Approach the city. Voice your outrage. Complain away. But do not steal things. And do not applaud or head pat a 50-something year old adult women employed by a law firm for restraining herself from nicking something she has no ownership or business in. It's just embarrassing to even be here at this point that grown post middle aged women are engaging in this sort of theatric.

This seems largely beyond, to praise someone for simply holding herself back from what would be simple theft. It didn't need context. It's not role modeling either. This is silly. Removing something you do not own, placing it in your purse, and disposing of it is stealing, whether you agree with the context of the item or not. Unless her family owns the burial plot, Quill has no rights to dispose of the things on it. I would hope the laws where she lives would have standards against such behaviour. The same way it is stealing when people take political signs from one another's homes, or flags from their porches, it is all theft. Quill considered theft. Quill decided to not participate in theft. This is hardly worthy of lauds and commendation. Respect of personal property should be a given and not a point of consideration that only when one deems said personal property to be "non-laden" is it worthy of protection.

Were all of his accusers white women?

Imagine how much worse it would be if the whole catalogue were available to search from the inception of the old boards!

I do not think the zombie threads are people who joined and then found the threads, rather that they were searching for the topic on a search engine and were led to the forum, then registered and posted. These aren't posters who join to interact with the community, they seemingly join simply for the searched content which is generally old, as there seems to be more old content than newly generated content. Also, bots are a thing. That's the downside of public forums. Everything is public and you generally have more readers than participants. I remember a glitch here during one board change over when even the social groups and their content went public. I don't think it's people simply clicking the wrong page arrow, or else they would be posting on other threads additionally.

Have you purchased Saxon 2 yet? This may be helpful over the summer if you find her approach intriguing, but playing math as @lewelma outlines isn't intuitive to you, you could gain some ideas from here: https://denisegaskins.com I don't know how to search for them successfully any longer but there have been many threads here in the past >5 years or more, around living math with page upon page of suggestion by parents over the years. We had quite a few posters in the past who were very creative in the approaches to math instruction at a range of ages, not just young children. I am sure the torch is likely being carried on at Facebook or wherever the younger post-WTM world have gotten off to for discussion, so perhaps there are groups there too. You could outline the second grade scope and sequence from either Saxon, or another program that may appeal and use Denise's or others' creative methods over the summer to try and check some off. That would give you an idea of if this is a comfortable way for you to teach, or what is a comfortable way for you to teach, that may be worth then transitioning to if it seems Saxon isn't the fit. We could of course list out scripted options, but in the long run, I think you will be well served digging into what approach is best suited to both your teaching preferences as well as her learning preference. I do think there are so many options at this time that a fit can be found for everyone. It's easier and cheaper though to go in knowing what your most successful teaching style is along with how she best takes to the material. Once you know that, it's much easier to then ask for curriculum suggestions and likely have a well suited match. The buy and try method is expensive and frustrating in most cases. Lastly, if you are wanting to go into Saxon in 4th, you definitely can use about anything else until then and still transition in if that is what you desire. They are vastly different programs from K-3 and then 4/5+. I completely understand where you are coming from on an uncertainty front and think that is a normal part of being a homeschooling parent. It will simply take some time to get your sea legs, but you will!

I do not know if you are familiar with Saxon 1, but it is about as gentle of a curriculum as there is and is not a laden worksheet. Math Mammoth actually has a much more significant amount of drill and writing. Saxon 1 is not a "drill and kill" curriculum as Larson is a different author and Saxon 1 has nothing to do with Hake. It has very little similarity with the Hake Saxon line, so much so as to be an entirely different program. I do not want to be harsh to the OP, but the workbook work is so limited in Saxon 1 that anyone should be able to tweak this to be palatable to a first grader with little work. The program was written in the 1990s and has not been significantly revised to my knowledge. It will simply take some time to look up alternative teaching strategies and their are fortunately a wealth of those online these days. OP, I would suggest dropping the morning meeting, switching to a whiteboard, or otherwise something that takes your child away from the worksheets. She doesn't need to know you are working from Saxon if that's your desire! First grade math concepts are universal in what is being focused upon. If you dial in on the concepts, you will better be able to see how your child likes to be taught. Only then would I consider transitioning to another program. In addition to disruption, math programs are expensive to constantly switch through. Read the lesson, decide the pertinent concepts and teach without the book. That is fine to do. I don't want to further dominate the thread, but that is my best advice having had multiple children survive math, some of which were never thrilled for seat work, yet they all have ended up mathematically concept. Best wishes on your endeavors through this OP. It is not easy but it is achievable, so take heart.

For clarification of previous post to this, I do not mean that parents should en masse develop their own mathematical scope and sequence when I say not be dependent on curriculum. I think as @HomeAgain just said, it is completely fine well serving to have an outlined scope and sequence. With that though, should come the development of a tool box of strategies to teach the concepts that are in the scope and sequence outside of the script. A complete aside from the OP (not directed to you at all @scarlethand), over the years I watched an alarming number of some regular posters curriculum hop math and it resulted in their children falling more and more behind over the years. Meanwhile their posts were/are met with simple suggestions of a new program, when the program is not the problem, the instruction is. And this is not a 2020 virtual school problem, this is a long existing problem for some homeschoolers. That is a tough truth though that many do not like to hear. Home schooling requires the home to provide the instruction, or at least it should. It is more than purchasing curriculum. End of get off my lawn editorial haha.

I think there are different things going on. Parenting difference, teaching differences, and weight given to input from children are some of them. I differ from then OP in that I would not set curriculum examples in front of a first grader and expect meaningful input. They do not have the experience to give any truth be told. They're evaluating sheerly off appearance, if that. Another difference is that I believe you are a professional math instructor. You are not a general representation of homeschooling parents who use scripted curriculum. The point being, you don't need a script, and you do not sure any mass generated scope and sequence from what I have read of your posts. Since you do not use packaged curriculum from the sound of it, then your teaching methodologies are not going to transfer to someone who needs script. My original point being, the OP would do better to expand her own teaching capabilities. Only at that point would she be better equipt to evaluate the curriculum and decide what works or doesn't work. This is first grade. It can be done. I am old and crusty at this point, admittedly, and do not care for how this forum has evolved to jumping ship and hopping curriculum as being the solution to all problems. I know that you @Not_a_Numberdo not necessarily espouse such views, as you seem to not use curriculum. But I think most would be better served to improve their teaching skills and not be so dependent on curriculum. If you have a skill set to teach, you can essentially use any curriculum and teach first grade concepts until you can drill down more on where the child is struggling. A better ability to discern what is attitude as opposed to actual disconnect with the subject matter. But again, I stand more with the old timers and what was teaching methodologies versus simple curriculum fixes. Ymmv of course.

First grade is early to label with general dislike of math. If you prefer the scripted instruction of Saxon, I do not think I would transition instantly to another program. Children have a habit of thinking colorful means easy. Math Mammoth would not be easier than Saxon, so I would expect equal resistance once actual "work" became involved. Instead I would focus on learning what the lessons are teaching myself and then find a more engaging way to teach the material. Hopping curriculum due to children's happiness does not often result in happier children if the mother is not comfortable with the different type of instruction. Therefore, find what works for you to learn how to teach, and then adjust the teaching to the child. Old world advice from before there were hundreds of programs to jump to! But I have grown concerned over the years with the amount of math curriculum hopping. It rarely seems to address the problem if the parent isn't comfortable teaching the concepts regardless of book.

Agreed. If you would like to combine ds10 with olders, could you simply get some kits and not formalize it with a textbook? Similar options would be MEL Chemistry or Physics if either of those more appealing although more expensive than HST.

I read your original post when it was up and it struck me in many ways that I have thought on since I read it. I found the almost unanimous "rah rah, yes it's a deal breaker!" with such limited information to be quite disconcerting to an extreme. Even moreso, particularly in light of what marriage vows mean, and who comes first in a marriage: spouse or offspring? I will preface this by saying I have been a long term member of this board. My identity was messed up in all of the recent changes and non-active account deletions, so I had to begin again, but is of small matter as I was not a frequent poster and more a reader at any rate. I use that as a preface due to my post count, in case some one wants to quiz my bona fides, as I say the following. If your marriage was already on the rocks, then I believe you would be ill-served to use your child's latest announcement as "the straw." That is putting an extremely unfair burden onto your child, whom you very much seem to be attempting to protect. If you are at a point of "deal breaking," you owe it to all involved to use the culmination as the reason and not this singular event. Definitely not this very recent and precarious decision of your adult, or soon to be adult, child. That is unfair to your child. And it is unfair to your husband. Eventually you would realize it was unfair to you as well. You will be laying a burden at the feet of your child. Whether they feel it is justified at this point or not, that they will have to reflect upon for the rest of their life that your marriage break-up was incited by their declaration is a heavy realization. I honestly believe it would be quite selfish of you to declare a declaration by a young adult, as justification to end what was a life long vow. That is an extremely serious move, and although you may be quite justified in it for reasons we do not know, the reason cannot solely be this. This alone would not end a healthy marriage, no matter the disagreement. For the sake of your child, and honesty in general, you owe it to your family to be transparent that this might be a straw, however it is not the only element in the culmination of the destruction of a marriage. You have since deleted your OP, but I believe in there was statement regarding that your marriage was already not on the best of terms, which is why I am posting this. That in and of itself is the important element here. Not your child's sudden declaration of bisexuality. Your marriage is struggling and that is between you and your husband and not some random declaration, no matter how serious, by another adult, or almost adult as the case may be. Even if they are your child. If you purse divorce, there is a high likelihood that in ten years things will not be viewed as "My Mum was so devoted to my lifestyle choice that she chose to divorce my Dad over his lack of support, for which I will forever be grateful." Although that may be the side you hear. That is possible. However, it is quite possible this event will more likely be fodder of "Did I cause the divorce of my parents?" on a therapists sofa. You may never know that, but do you want that possibility of that haunting your child for the rest of their life? In all of the difficulty and stress you are enduring, I would emphasize that no matter how difficult, you be blunt in the evaluation of your marriage and what role this actually plays in it in comparison to the whole and whether it is the sole catalyst, or merely "the straw," which could also be viewed as "the excuse" for something you have been long contemplating. The truth is, you do not get to write the autopsy of your own marriage. Those around you will, and blame will be assigned and you do not get to assign that blame. That is worth consideration before any pronouncements are made. I wish you and your dh the best, and that you may find peace and healing in your relationship. But whatever you do, do not assign the burden of a failed marriage to your child's life decision. That is unfair to all involved. Signed, A random internet reader of this most very public forum

I disagree about the word math being the problem, though I think you are correct on the class front possibly being more broadly appealing. Another aspect that comes into play is the personalities of the parents, usually the mothers, as far as who is hosting and attending and joining. A class allows for more distance and lack of need for a relationship between parent and instructor. It’s a paid relationship and there is no expectation to be friends or really be involved. With “clubs” and “co-ops” the parents are more closely involoved and interactive, at which point how they relate and get along becomes more important, so the bar may be higher for attracting members. Sometimes the key to getting a robust and active group is to pull in the outgoing parents with a broad social group, when word of mouth can then help pull others in regardless of circle/club/group. Otherwise it is left solely to the organizing parent which is already a tiresome job, to then need to add marketing hat too. Extroverted popular friends can be helpful in such ventures.

I think an element being left from the conversation of parents being uninterested in specialist math groups for their children is the larger perception of the types in and running math clubs. I do think there is a, not sure the term is “uncool,” but there is a perception perhaps that other types of groups would be better for one’s social life and image. For some parents, sports will always be more prestigious than math, and not because they are too dense to value math, but because they are concerned of a child’s social image in addition to developing the child as a whole. Point being, it may not be simple fear or ignorance about math. It may be something more along the perception of those in such clubs and preferment that the child be in something with a different image. There is a very stereotypical view of people involved in such activities in many circles, and that may play a larger role than some of you think, because you don’t see “coolness” or whatever the current term for that is in the same way as many adults who aren’t STEM in employment and interest.

I have it. It seems to work well enough, although sometimes you will need to redo it. You can send the reports per scan as PDF to yourself and then your doctor if you wish. Another nice feature is if you are at any time worried of falls or losing consciousness the watches have a 911 fall alert, and can tell if you fall down and will call 911. When the fall is detected a count down starts and you can elect not to call 911 by pressing a button on the watch, but if you aren't awake to do so the watch will contact emergency services for you.

nvm. My example strayed from the OP’s intent into the thread drift. Disregard.