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southmetromom

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    I am Sandy in CO, but have posted to the WTM Boards as southmetromom (Sandy in CO)
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    Colorado

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  1. Oh, thanks, everyone! I am pondering every reply, with gratitude. Every question, every comment, every personal insight is appreciated. My dd is very quiet, but, given enough time, she can interact pretty normally in a social setting. She is well-liked by peers with whom she has had common activities for a significant time. She is pushing herself to ask questions and interact in discussions at school (but it is very draining for her.). She is learning to advocate for herself. I am proud of all of these things. She has a passion for horses, which we have encouraged - she is in 4-H and rides with a mounted drill team -- all good stuff. We have spoken with her about careers in that vein. She's good at other things, too, but completely NOT tuned in to what she wants to do career-wise (of course, neither was I at that age!). She might work as an esthetician, and she also is amazing with special ed children (but claims she has no interest in pursuing anything along those lines). We have tried Saxon Math. (Many other math curricula, over the past 5 years - given a good shot, in co-ops, with a tutor...). I will follow up on these suggestions. I will try to remember to post again. Storygirl, your situation sounds similar to mine -- I just wonder about having her there at school, comprehending only some of what is being discussed. OhElizabeth, I remember you from waaaay back on these boards! Thank you, and thanks to justasque and maize, for taking time to help me. Sandy in Colorado
  2. Dear Friends, We homeschooled with both of our children through 8th grade, following TWTM as much as we could, and employing co-ops along the way. My 15 y.o. daughter always has been a slow learner, and has had tremendous difficulty with abstract concepts, while surviving pretty well by just memorizing facts. For example, she is pretty dandy at all kinds of arithmetic, but cannot grasp Algebra concepts even with a private tutor, or competent and caring instructor, and lots of help at home. She has a very mechanical style of learning. She can do complex things if she knows exactly what to do - a pattern she can follow. She has great difficulty applying any learning to a new problem or situation. Another example - she can memorize a long list of prepositions, but cannot understand how they work in a sentence or identify them there. I felt I had run out of ideas, and we placed her in our local public high school last fall. She has been able to accomplish the homework, but she understands and retains very little in the core subjects. Thus, quizzes and exams show little retention. She has a measurably slow processing speed. I have requested further testing for her, but things are moving slowly. What are the homeschool options for a student who has great difficulty with understanding and retention? Would I be better to bring her home again? She is not very motivated (but is very dutiful) -- she gets very little satisfaction from the huge amount of time and work she puts in. I wish I could provide for her a more fulfilling educational experience. Are there other types of schools out there - perhaps more vocational? Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have. Sandy
  3. Does anyone have experience with a child who tries and tries, does everything asked of her, but has tremendous difficulty with abstract concepts and with learning almost anything -- even in her areas of interest/hobbies? For example, she may study a list of terms or a math problem, and be able to remember/use that information at the time. The next day, often it is like "starting over" as most of what she learns does not "stick." She can memorize things through repetition. She has a measurably slow cognitive processing speed, but nothing else stood out when we had her cognitive abilities tested. However, after years of working with her - I know that she just doesn't "get" abstract concepts. She has a very mechanical style of learning. For example, she can memorize a list of prepositions, but cannot grasp how to use them or identify them and how they work in a sentence. Another example: She can make a graph, but I do not think she really understands what it means -- even something simple like growth over time. What other kinds of testing might we consider? She is very dutiful, and most of the time she pretends to understand. But in candid moments she will say that she feels stupid all the time. I wonder what kind of curriculum or school would be most gratifying and beneficial to her? She homeschooled through 8th grade and is now in a public high school with a 504 Plan. Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have. Sandy in CO
  4. I appreciated this link. I downloaded the free e-book but I cannot make any sense of it. It seems like a book written in olde English with many unusual characters. Did anyone else have this problem? thanks.
  5. Dear Friends, A friend of mine has a 14 y.o. girl who writes in a very conversational, as opposed to academic, style. She is in a homeschool co-op that is using Winston Grammar plus writing assignments that sort of combine IEW with traditional composition tools. Can anyone please recommend how my friend can help/teach/encourage her daughter to write more academically? She probably isn't up for purchasing a curriculum or signing up for an online course -- but perhaps a website or some tips, tricks, a library book with ideas -- would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Sandy in CO (aka southmetromom)
  6. Thank you, thank you -- each and all! I am reading, meditating, praying, re-reading. All perspectives are so helpful and so welcome. I will follow up on the many good suggestions here. I am doing the "research" and will present my dh with the options in about a week. Yes, we do have CC enrollment (free) here. A million thanks to each and all. Sandy in CO (southmetromom)
  7. Dear Friends, We always have homeschooled. I have "sort of" followed TWTM, but overall have a somewhat relaxed approach (to life, and to homeschooling). My 14 y.o. son is very bright and has thrived with some structure (math, spelling, handwriting, composition, grammar) and lots of delight-centered learning (history). He pursues his own interests with zeal - reading every book on the library shelf (now the adult shelves) on topics such as the Titanic, Baseball, and currently - NASA, Aerospace and WWII Bombers. My husband and I are in the valley of decision - though I never thought I would be. We are considering sending him to high school. Please point me to resources, encourage, or advise. He is a 14 y.o. boy and "pushing back" from me. Whatever I suggest, that is the kiss of death ;-). Yet, he is unmotivated to create his own curriculum. He has a sort of "school stinks" attitude. (Though he is doing well with online classes and co-op offerings, and even in the subjects he studies here). He has joined Civil Air Patrol and has lofty aspirations (pun intended). That's when I started thinking of sending him, particularly to a small, "classical" charter school here. I believe a school could give him the discipline, structure and study habits that I have failed to instill here. (He's a quick study and, like me, I'm afraid to admit, does very well just putting things off 'til the last minute, relying on his great memory.) On the homeschool side, I know he could do more with CAP and have great flexibility -- but I am just really concerned that I wouldn't set the bar high enough for him -- he wants to apply to the Service Academies! Any encouragement or resources would be appreciated. Thanks, Sandy (southmetromom)
  8. Dear Friends, I know, I know, I know. My bad. I own it. We have quite a bit of TV around here (dh and myself). That has to change, for a start. I have one child who is a terrific reader and has very little interest in electronic things. My daughter, for a variety of reasons (ultimately because I allowed it) prefers TV to books. She is creative when I turn it off- mainly training our dogs and playing with them, or with Playmobile (animals). I have the resolve to turn it around, but am looking here for some encouragement (perhaps) and tips. Here's my plan: Once school starts, we will have a NO TV on weekdays policy. That's it. Then, just a couple of hours (that's 2) on the weekend, assuming all work was done during the week. (My dd is very task oriented and gets through her list with alacrity. I am ASSIGNING a lot more reading this year - she will be 11 in Sept. and can read, though she doesn't enjoy it). Any other ideas, tips, encouragement? I hope she will "flip the switch" and get her unhooked from making TV or computer time her sole goal. It is the reward, right now, for when her "list" is done. I intend to change that. What other kinds of incentives -- or is that part of the problem, too? Thanks in advance, Sandy
  9. Oh, thank you! Thank you each and all! Lots to work with here. Hugs, Sandy in CO
  10. Dear Friends, I searched the archives but didn't find exactly what I am looking for. I have an 11 y.o. girl who is a reluctant reader. She can ready pretty well - I think! She is grounded in phonics and can sound out words, and her comprehension seems pretty good, too. I just wonder how well she really reads. Is there a free way to find out what "grade level" she is reading/comprehending at? I am looking for a bit of reassurance (for myself) mostly. I want to assign her more reading (I have not been rigorous in our homeschooling, so I haven't required a lot). I'd feel better about it if I had a sense/measurement of where she is. Thanks a bunch, Sandy in CO
  11. I'm looking into this, too. I notice the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op offers it for $199. I don't think it's free here in CO. I am searching these fora right now for feedback. Sandy
  12. I entered a week's worth of plans. I agree with everything said above, and my main gripe is that you can only enter one lesson at a time - no repeating lessons (as in Edu-Track, which has a cool variable so you can enter a whole year's worth of lessons, and it counts up - making the chapter or lesson increase day by day). iPlanLessons does allow you to bump something from one day to the next easily. I e-mailed the developer and he said they are thinking about the multiple-lesson capability. As it is, I won't be using it simply because it is laborious to enter individual lessons (esp. on the iPad). I figure there will be upgrades, so I'm not deleting it permanently. Sandy
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