I see this is a really old thread, but I wanted to express my appreciation for the posters here who discussed parts-to-whole vs. whole-to-parts learning. I particularly identified with Spy Car's posts. I was a long time in realizing I appreciate seeing the big picture so I can decide how the parts fit into the whole. My sister is always calling me with new recipes, and she begins by telling me the ingredients list. I have to stop her and ask what we are making. She tells me, goes on with the ingredients, and I can now understand how they affect the recipe. I have reworked entire curricula, extracting the main ideas throughout, so I could see where we were supposed to be going through the program. I do understand that sometimes you have to develop a skill set before you can make any sense out of a big picture. I have always had trouble teaching writing. In school, writing came pretty naturally to me. As a parent, I have not been able to properly articulate what I was thinking during my writing process when instructing my kids. I have struggled to find a writing curriculum that my kids could learn and that I could teach. I have been using Rod and Staff for grammar and a ridiculous number of partial writing curricula for composition. My favorite writing curriculum so far has been Classical writing, but I always felt it was too slow to correlate and integrate the excellent skills taught into the more expected modern essay format. I found this thread after Googling various MCT books. After looking at the sample pages on the website and reading the opinions expressed here, I have decided to order. My dd is a rising 8th grader. I plan to order the level six package with the exception of the writing component. I will be ordering Essay Voyage since that is where I believe we need to begin with composition. Thank you all, Mary in GA Ds 25 Dd 19 Dd 13

Ah! thank you! I tried a google site search, and that turns up what I'm looking for:) Mary

Hi, Could someone please point me in the direction of discussions about math curricula to use after RS math? I have not used the boards much since they've been upgraded, and I must not be searching correctly! Any help appreciated. Thanks, Mary

Hi, I don't often post these days. I did most of my posting back in the dark ages on the old board! Anyways, ds who has been majoring in CS at GT and working a co-op job at GTRI (Georgia Tech Research Inst) has been offered a full time position with GTRI upon graduation. They will employ him in a research and development capacity, which is what he likes, and they will pay for a master's degree. He naturally wants to check out some other options before committing, but I am just so pleased that one of my dc is employable and will not be moving back home! Two more to go. I need to thank you people on this board who have given me so much good advice over all these years, and gosh it really has been a long time! I can't name everyone, but I am very thankful for this forum and all the experienced home schoolers who post here. Blessings to all of you and your dc! Mary

Hi, It's been quite a while since I've posted. I was really glad to see WWS 1 come out! Will there be a 4 yr comprehensive WWS guide similar to the 4 yr guide for WWE? I did do some searches on the boards; please point me in the right direction if I've missed discussion on this! I like to have the big picture view. The WWE guide has been very valuable to me. It helps me focus on where we want to go and outlines a path to get there. I can use the ideas in WWE along with others that move us toward our goal. I'm hoping for something similar for logic stage. TWTM does address writing objectives for each stage, but I'm hoping for something more fleshed out (like the WWE guide!) Thanks! Mary

Fine if he dislikes it, but at this age he should be able to articulate a reason why. I have gone this route with different pieces of lit with kids at various ages. With regard to very young children, it is not necessarily appropriate that they be able to articulate the reason for disliking a piece of literature. However, at the high school level, I really don't think any dislike or like is simply founded on "I don't like it" or "I like it." If dc would rather clean a bathroom than watch the dvd, it is really important, at this age, to get him to articulate why. I have to play this game often with dd 14 to whom many things are boring or stupid or (supply your own adj.) Further discussion often reveals insight into her thought processes. HTH Mary

I've been really interested in this thread. I have one who went the dual enrollment route and was planning to do the same with this next dc. Ds did dual enrollment at a local small university, and some of the courses were definitely what I call soft. I thought the history and English classes he took were way too easy. I think I had a more rigorous experience when I was in high school and took AP. However, if he had taken his physics and calc at the large university he subsequently transferred into, he would have died a quick academic death and never qualified for his excellent co-op job! So it's a mixed bag for me. I would really like dd to have a richer experience in classes like history or English. In this state dual enrollment students attend college tuition free under a program that is a subset of the HOPE scholarship. That's a huge benefit for us. We'll see. Mary

1 pr flip flops 1 pr running shoes 1 pr cleats 1 pr casual boots 1 pr black flats The cleats (soccer) cost more than the other 4 prs combined! Priorities! Mary

I let first dc quit after one year of high school Latin. Big mistake. Looks like I've got to go the distance now! Mary

Wow! You're right! After reading your post, I looked that verb up. I have reached the end of all the Latin I ever learned and am having to study it right along with dd. Guess I need to study harder! Thanks, Kathy! Mary

This is from Wheelock's ch 23, Practice and Review #11 We gave many things to nations lacking hope. The answer keys says: Gentibus spe carentibus multas res dedimus. (please visualize macrons;-) Why is hope in the ablative case? Dd and I thought hope would be the object of the verbal, therefore spem. Should we think of it as "lacking in hope?" :confused: Thanks! Mary

Joint enrollment or dual enrollment like Bev described in her posts. Mary

In our experience no large GA public university we looked at would consider admissions without either accreditation or a battery of SAT 2's. The admissions guidelines are pretty explicitly stated in each university's online admissions info. Some smaller universities may be more lenient; I don't know. Check with any university your dc might be interested in. We initially looked at the SAT 2's, but decided after a few practice tests in a couple of subjects that option was not going to work for us! Some kids don't have a problem with the tests. In my opinion the SAT 2 requirement is punitive. We went the JE route and transferred to a larger university. What you say about getting the Hope retroactively is true (though as another poster said it may soon become a non-issue!) Just an FYI. There are no longer different diploma tracks in the ps http://www.gadoe.org/ci_services.aspx I was really surprised when I began looking into this for dd a few months ago. A lot has changed since ds graduated. Good luck to us all! Mary