On the lit issue, DD had no issues with To Kill a Mockingbird. She just found Great Gatsby to be rather loathsome. As for Shakespeare, Midsummer's Night Dream is just so, so much fun; I'd vote for that. (As a side note, Hamlet is Bravewriter's Shakespeare literary analysis play for the spring. Sign ups open on Monday. :hurray: )

Hi, everyone! Well-wishes for all the sickies. Safe travels for Tex. I'm heading to Critter's house with Lynn.

This will depend on your students, but... DD read Great Gatsby and HATED it. She was very distressed by what she perceived as the endorsement/acceptance of moral degeneracy to the degree that the moral messages were overshadowed by her outrage. It is likely that won't be an issue with 10th graders, but I was pretty surprised by the strength of her reaction; she tends to be very mature. Just a thought.

I love the old variety shows, too, Lynn. We should do an (old) girls' night out!

I was sinfully booya-ing whilst you were typing!

I'd say "no." If sin were boring, it wouldn't be so darn tempting! ETA: It's a "Tempted by Sin" BOOYA!

Excellent summary, Your Majesty. I concur. Susan is the ITT Planner in Chief. I second her motion. Glad I'm not the only one. Odd. I became hypersensitive to noise while pregnant. Note, however, that the root of my problems with carrying to term was an autoimmune reaction to pregnancy (After seeing my labs done right after my second miscarriage, the RE who treated me said, "Wow. I've never actually seen NK levels this high before.) IVIG infusions exacerbated the sensitivity to sound. I also have more difficultly handling situations in which I am bombarded with sensation which has resulted in a lowered ability to multi-task. Most interesting... (This thread is an endless supply of intellectual stimulation, entertainment, and loving support. I :001_wub: this place!)

I left a job that was 2/3 of our income to stay home with DD. As you might expect, I am pretty firmly in the "mom-at-home" camp. Given the strength of my bias, I don't think I'm really one to ask for advice.

Another Bravewriter fan here. DD is 13 and in 8th grade. Since spring of her 6th grade year, DD has taken Middle School Writing Projects, Literary Analysis of Shakespeare x2, Groovy Grammar, Fan Fiction, and Playing with Poetry. She is currently enrolled in Kidswrite Intermediate. I would characterize my daughter as a willing and natural writer; the Bravewriter approach works BEAUTIFULLY for her. I also agree that they are very helpful with placement. As for the current class, Kidswrite Intermediate, it is probably a little light for DD's skill level. I agree with Rose, though, that the class is teaching her skills which will be useful. Finally, I would VERY HIGHLY recommend any class with Susanne Barrett. She.Is.Amazing. ETA: I forgot to address workload. I find that the workload varies. In our experience, the classes described as high school level can be pretty intense (note: DD has taken them as a youngster.)

Remind me...are you an INTJ? Because that last line there is the me that gets me in heaps of trouble. :grouphug:

Good morning, everyone! I'm still so behind from when Buddy was so sick that I may never catch up.

We got snowed on over the weekend; back down into the 30s for highs. Brrr. Now it's back to sheets of rain. Possibly more snow in a couple of days. Hmmm....Snow? Check. Rain? Check? Gobs and gobs of icy mud? Check. Yep. It's getting to be spring. :glare: :ack2: I feel your pain. It's fairly common for that to happen in the summer here. :ack2:

Thanks, Renai! I forgot to find it. Sorry, Susan.

I completely agree with the bolded. The first part is, I suspect, an inevitable consequence of insisting on one-size-fits-all schooling. The end result for me is a return to a state of gratitude that I am able to homeschool; my DD would not be well-served in a standard public school. (And sometimes it's nice-and necessary-to be reminded, at least around here.)

You're welcome!

:hurray:

I'm glad you found a solution. So to speak. :laugh:

Let me know what pages you need in the solutions manual and I can scan and email them to you. (Later. Just dropped the short person at Awana.)

Well, I am tentatively* planning to finish up the Hakim series within the next month and have DD take the SAT II in May. I'll have to let you know how it goes. ;) *The plan is tentative at this point. DD has a fairly packed spring schedule; if things get too crowded, the SAT II will be the first to get dumped overboard. ETA: If it goes according to plan, DD will use SAT II study materials in the time between. I agree with the prior poster that the Hakim series would be insufficient standing alone.

Thank you for sharing!

from the people at IMACS. Why the Math Curriculum Makes No Sense The Wrong Way to Teach Math (a link within the first article)

Thanks, Mom Jean. :001_smile:

Good morning! :grouphug: for Dawn. Tex, I'm with you on the grades only in objectively measured classes (math [well, not so much now with AoPS], science, etc.) Of course, I only figured this out and implemented it last year, so...why didn't you tell me sooner?? :toetap05: Lynn: We did the Super Tuesday thing last night, too. I told my daughter that she picked a really weird year to acquire political awareness. :scared: (BTW, we watched the coverage on Fox Business. The talking heads behaved, mostly, like grown-ups. Just an FYI, in case you're interested.) Susan: We are heading into Not So Big City for an eye appointment today; must be an ITT routine maintenance day! Ellie: Good luck! Avoid treacherous roads! And...WHERE THE HECK IS RENAI? ETA: AND QUACKERS?

Some people just don't know how to accumulate life skills, Your Majesty. SMH.