:iagree: Tutoring helps you learn when you run into problems. You can ask yourself "How would I teach this?" Problem solving seems to be the best place for this kind of questioning but, it also helps with writing and language arts.

I just Amazoned 2 copies of "What Color Is Your Parachute", one for me and one for dd who is a jr. in college. I hope both of us find something to do. I would like to try art and design myself. I think it would be fun to take studio courses, working with others around me, etc. But, also I need something that will make some money. I 've also thought of green vocations, maybe I'll end up a farmer???? That could be creative and scientific.

We have been having this problem with calc and physics, I finally got the curriculum ironed out so dd will be able to learn well on her own. I had to BEG for feedback so, I would know how to tweak the next chapter's assignments before she took a test. Even "What problems were cool?" was a loaded question. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! I finally found a formula where "help" is kind of built into the assignments. I am hoping that by forcefeeding these study skills she'll be able to use them next year!!!!

Don't know if this would help but, Indiana is a terrific university with a great music school. Their liberal arts departments a really good across the board so, she could opt for a well-rounded education rather than just music if she decides to. There are lots of options for building an education there. There's also a school in Texas (North Texas University????) that is known in this area to be a great place to go to do music.....it may not be "classical" tho'? Others on this board may know for sure. Also - I don't know how far away she wants to go but, one of the 5 colleges in Mass. (Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire, Umass) might fit the bill - there are loads of performance groups and teachers available. My niece was able to "play" her way through college. My eldest dd went through this kind of thing for dance. It is hard to find a place where there are "real" opportunities to pursue dance on a high level that is not a conservatory. She found about 7 that fit her needs. Indiana was one of them Smith was another.

I will be at the same point in May. There's stuff to be done....yard work and house stuff (we had a fire, we're re-building) need to be re-organized. I would like to start something creative. That is all I know. I have only been hsing for 2 years so, I'm not a true "retiree" from the field. Before that I took care of the house and "did" the kids. I like the idea of language classes....with actual students and desks and all that. I have learned so much from these last 2 years of homeschooling, I suppose I will start by asking myself what I liked best. Probably time to buy another copy of "What Color Is Your Parachute?" Anyways - the dream would be to set off with a small suitcase, a passport, and a credit card and just get out and take a look around the world. But, we've not won the lottery so that is out. This is a great thread tho'. This is the place where I learned the homeschool ropes. Maybe this is the place where I'll learn what comes next. Art History worksheets await....then more financial aid and taxes.

See- it does all work out!!! Big congrats to both of you.

Dd was walking out of class that she sat in on with the students in the class and asked questions. We had coffee in crowded places with kids nearby who we would break the ice with by asking where some building or such was. We got many impromptu tours that way (some schools do not show actual dorm rooms) and also advice on what to go peak at that was not on the tour. Dd took some dance classes and that provided us with loads of info and some informal tours as well. Standing on line at the cafeteria was also a good source of info, especially about food. Seeing student performances was another way that we met students and parents. Kids are pretty laid back and friendly so, it is fairly easy to do.

Styles for boys in N-ville look to be cargo pants and t-shirts with boat shoes or sneakers. I would nose around campus on your own and let ds nose around on his own too. Go in the bookstore, eat lunch, grab some coffee. Watch folks as they are changing classes, also go around the surrounding area (shopping is fab around there). Again eat, shop, poke. You'll find yourself meeting students to talk to. Belmont plays basketball (quite well) ----maybe you could get tix to a game??? Are there student performances going on? My eldest dd is a dancer, she took a few classes and we saw some performances when we did our visits.

I agree with JFS - You'll never really know what you want to do until you try some courses, take what strikes your fancy and what you're good at. You may find something that you really love and things will happen so you will be able to pursue it professionally. College is not necessarily a training school. You will use the skills you gain all the rest of your life. But the best thing about college classes is that you can test your intellectual curiosities and abilities and follow your nose. BTW - I'm rooting for accounting and finance/economics --- reading "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis ---- sounds like a whole world of interesting puzzles to be solved there. BTW2 - I went into college as a History/French/Intl Relations major. I "discovered" science and computers/math. I came out a neuroscience major. Loved it enough to do a nice career for a while.

Bad Mommy!!!! But, quick, make a big cake with a virus decoration and have signing day. Big congrats to him.

Every little bit of "initiative" on the part of our students helps. It is good to encourage its development by baby steps so, that they have your support as they practice. They learn that the world is really not all that scary and that they do have something to offer, etc.

:iagree: and there is also the "you never know" aspect to teenage students. What they are like as 15 year-olds may be v. different from what they are like as 19 year olds. You also never want to close any open doors, as the saying goes. Physics can be hard but, there are ways to make it interesting to your student. You can always look for concept applications that would interest them. EG - if the student is "music", spend time with problems moving pianos, thinking about piano strings, doing sound in a big way, understanding how soundsystems work, etc..... It is possible to take many of the generic problems in the books and shove them into an interesting direction. BTW - My dd is v. reluctant about physics and math but, I have found inspiration to make them interesting from some of the MIT-OCW courses. She does the hard stuff more willingly that way. It is doable.

I agree that your ds should e-mail the TCU person. I would have him do it right away. I would be mom-over-shoulder during the process. Maybe they have something a little different, or he could create something with the advisor or put a bee in someone's bonnet that way.

A friend with a huge travel bug (we were always hopping in the car to go see what we could see) worked for one of those big mgmt consultant firms (Booz-Allen, I think), she traveled all over doing market studies for various contracts...Peru, India, Germany, etc. She has a degree in Statistics and Anthropology. It took her a few years of working at "stationary" companies to be able to get a job like that and she worked about 5 years doing all the travel. She now works as a marketing analyst for a major airline now and gets all the free travel perks. She's always off to Paris or London or Romania for the "weekend".

If someone wants to take a chance and get a purely student-driven liberal arts education (a la Hampshire College, Bard, etc.), this would be the way to go. A ton of student-driven initiative and peer education would have to take place. Could be very interesting for an intelligent out-of-the-box thinker.

She sounds amazing and fun. Love the cooking blog. Sounds like she's really getting out there and exploring and making great use of her college experience. Kudos to you Mom!

Sure sounds like he's making it to the top of "his mountain".

When my dd wanted to move off campus, she went to FA herself and asked them to draw up a comparative budget between the 2 options. They e-mailed her a nice little spread sheet which she sent on to me. I shot holes in it pretty quick, not due to cost alone. But I did have the cost rundowns as a "reasonable" explanation.

Please do not commit a crime!!! It is hard not to be a helicopter parent but, sometimes we parents need to call forth the navy seals in all of us. Have dd call/e-mail again with specific questions written down and space beneath each one for an answer. (Kids hate this!) Rehearsal could help, complete with real phone calls between cell phones. My dd recently had a skyperview and we rehearsed when we had 2 laptops available. She was much more comfy when it did happen.

I'm a red head. May she grow up to love the color green, be fierce and crave butterscotch!!! Big congrats. Have fun being a grandparent, I've heard its the best thing!!!

We are cheering you on from down here. Get one of those rolling Backpacks/office gear packs from LLBean. My dd had to schlepp big math and art history books around for a while and her's really held up.

Just a thought. Envelopes and stationary and stamps. Good for sending off bills and thank you notes and various forms that should be mailed. Dd always stocks up when she's at home.

Can you just find something "non-academic" for the kids to do outside of school? We are v. rigorous and busy with our homemade academics and dd would not trade them for a co-op situation....and she is v. social. However, she does try to get together with her friends for a few hours a week to dance (last year) or socialize at the movies or go hiking in the park. We live in the middle of a large city and hs is still v. isolating. My oldest dd went to ps and she had to give up a lot of socializing activities in order to study and do her ballet. She's at college, doing v. well now. But, she had learned to recognize the value of hard work and the need to study before she left high school.

Yellow legal pads and rulers...also binders and dividers. A ream of printer paper is handy. A small cheap printer for room use is super convenient, also ink supplies for it. Lots of different colored hi-liters and a variety of colors and sizes of sticky notes. Pencil cans and storage for supplies.....

Can Moms take that job instead? Love AK!