Honestly, I think the best first AP is one that the student finds really interesting. The amount of reading, writing, and/or problem sets involved can be difficult to adjust to, so it's best that you at least enjoy the subject! Dd chose AP Human Geography as her first AP (9th grade) because it is a mix of topics she personally finds interesting---physical geography, culture, politics, economics, and history, among others. This year she's taking a bunch of APs because of interest (Comparative Government, Psych, Environmental Science) or because they're next in the sequence of possible classes (English Language, Calculus AB).

For a high school class I'm paying a pretty penny for? Oh yes, that would bother me.

What kind of a class is it? In-person or online? Text-based or are the participants talking? Does the teacher make a habit of this behavior?

Sorry rieshy---I hate when things get in the way of planned exercise :(

More of the same :) --Arabic for her, gym for me --dh Chinese, men's group at church, gone 5-9:30 --dd ballet 6-9 --mitosis lab, plus all the usual school things --mail reimbursement paperwork --daily and Tuesday things --order weight lifting gloves --orchard run --weeding and yardwork as long as I have light --work on bio test

Dig around on the website to find the listing of this semester's courses. You should be able to see the sizes of the class sections there. (You may find this under 'course catalog' or something similar.)

I wish schools were obligated to allow homeschoolers (or outside students, in general) sit AP exams! Last year my dsis and I contacted schools in January. Our kids were taking AP Human Geography together (I wrote the syllabus, dsis and I facilitated the discussions) which is unusual in this area. We found one school that allowed outside students and had our kids registered by the end of January. I will be talking with that school's guidance counselor the day after the PSAT to see if they will have seats for dd this year.

For my deadlifts today (Romanian-style), I got to use the big girl bar for the very first time! I has been lifting the shorter bars w fixed weights but have progressed all the way to 65lb (:lol:). Trainer says I'll be doing proper benchpresses soon. Right now I can press 40 lb (2 @ 20lb weights). The bar alone weighs 45 lb. :D I would like to be able to do proper pushups, to press 100 lb, and be able to hold the bar properly to squat. That will mean that my shoulder is back to normal. I would really like to do a pull-up but don't want to get too greedy.

Whew, our boxes have a June 2016 date instead of the July one. Thanks for sharing!

A few comments-- Dd's Arabic 1 class was way too easy for her (it covered the usual level 1 topics---she just "got it" very quickly). I had expected her to spend 5-6 hours a week, including class time. An hour a day per language, just like for any other subject, is a good target time for a high school credit. Scholarships, baby! Some languages at Concordia have more scholarship money than others. Dd had to write an essay as part of the application. (And now she's moved on to writing multiple essays for state department-sponsored immersion experiences :))

Non-money answer: Flexibility! Anyone who has read my posts, especially on the high school board, has seen how we have changes our homeschooling journey based on dd's needs and interests :) Money answer: The four week high school credit session at Concordia Language Villages this summer :)

Dd was a beginner in ninth grade, studied only one language, and took an online course. She doesn't fit any of your qualifications :lol: (9th Arabic 1: 3 class hours, maybe 1 hr outside class) (summer Arabic 2, 4 weeks of immersion) (current 10th 2nd semester university Arabic: 4 class hours, 4-5 hours outside class)

Ah, thanks! I do those but not 100 a day lol

I managed to ignore my alarm. Which is attached to my wrist in a fitbit :eek: Soooooo --Arabic for dd; gym training session for me --lecture on China-US relations (all three of us; dd has China for MUN this year) --daily and Monday things --school stuff --payment in mail --email/fb high school team --PSAT practice --weeding?

Today was our usual walk to/from town to get our produce at the farmers' market :) Rieshy, what's a weighted atomic ab? A kettlebell thing? I have my own core challenge going for the month of October. I thought last night that I might add a inclined-to-knee-to-regular pushup challenge. I don't know how far I'll get as it depends on the strength of my recovering shoulder, but I'm going to try to get back to knee pushups, at least!

Honestly, I don't remember that much from elementary. I attended different schools in different states K-5 during the early-mid 70s. I cannot separate learning at school from learning at home (my parents were academics--chemists).

Dd did both FLL and SO in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Her FLL team met on Wednesdays and Sundays, with the qualifying competition in December and the big regional competition at the end of January/beginning of February (her team didn't progress to Worlds--they either placed third or won one of the special trophies). State SO is always at the end of March for Division B, the middle school division. We didn't have many team meetings for SO, relying on partners to meet whenever it worked best for them. This is the time to start looking for a middle school/Division B team :)

I suggest you also look for a Science Olympiad team he could join. SO has been a great resource for my kids, especially dd15 since she's been able to allocate so much time to her events.

It's under 'course audit' http://www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/biology.html

Wait, she took your kids to a restaurant without asking you first? Did I miss something? Oh heck no!

1. We're using th $15 ibooks version of Macaw--fabulous! 2. I don't think a TM is needed. 3. But then again, I'm writing my own tests for dd.

I've totally eliminated NY and MA state schools from dd's possibilities. It's just not worth the hassle for us!

Thursday was my day off :) Today I'll go to the gym for some cardio and some weights. I'm going to recreate one of this week's training sessions as best as I can. My mid-back is very stiff---need to roll before I do anything, even shower.

More rain. I did not want to get out of bed. Soooo --Arabic 12:20; gym for me --daily and Friday things --type bio test --call children's hospital to arrange testing --pick up new contacts --library I'd love to go to the orchard, but I'm not sure if the weather will cooperate.

Dh checked the generator this afternoon. We have plenty of food and beverages. So we should be fine :)