Thank you everyone! I am feeling more relief and excitement now. Not so much weight on my shoulders to keep everything on track.

Well, I just walked away from the curriculum I was using for the last few years. I just can't keep up any more and I need my now 9th grade sons to do more on their own. Plus I need them to understand the material more. Maybe I was living in fantasy land thinking I could continue in my home school utopia. I can't pre-read all of the books for better discussion any more and some were just boring. Still it hurts my heart to leave but I am hopeful more will be retained. You are probably wondering what I left....I left Ambleside Online and bought MFW AHL. Hubby wanted something more structured too. After agonizing about the decision I just ordered it this morning. The more I think about it the more I am feeling relief.

I just graduated my daughter the weekend before last and it got me to thinking. Would I have done things differently? I definately know I would have. For those who are nearing the end or have finished are there things you would have done differently? I wouldn't have curriculum hopped so much if I could do it over...especially math. :huh:

This has helped MY attitude!! I think my boys need to be more independent from my authority. Someone else to be accountable to also. Over the course of my daughter's high school years I think I have been too flexible. It always seemed like homeschool was on the short end of everything. This process has been the letting go of MY vision. So many things God has called me out for on letting things go HIS way. Does anyone remember Andrea Yates? She drowned her kids in the bathtub because she didn't want them to go to hell. SHE had to "save" them. I read an article that basically said that it isn't always up to us to "work out" our kids. God has plans for them and they may not fit MY plans or the CULTURE's plans. Just letting go of our expectations has been hard. My daughter is getting married next summer at 18 years old. I pretty happy about it NOW, but letting go of what our culture and extended family expect was hard. BUT God's plan is different for everyone and it may not be what we expect. The whole "letting go" of my expectations has been a huge journey for me.

I had these fantastic visions of all the books we would read and the discussions we would have about them. While some of that has happened, life happened even harder. My daughter is graduating next summer and her high school was a total mix of everything....not the best. Thank goodness she never wanted to go to college, but I am still disheartened that she really has never liked reading or anything academic. She loves serving people and little kids. My relatives are very needy, an aunt on chemo, my mom is not driving much and has delicate health, and my 88 year old grandmother. I am the only child and relative of these women, so I have no siblings to help me. That is a huge chunk of life, plus church activities. I need something more independent for my sons. My sons will be entering 9th grade next year and I think we need to be more serious. I just won't be able to be available to help them. It looks like MFW the high school years, with :ohmy: textbooks and little boxes to check is going to be the plan. The Charlotte Mason/AO in me is just wilting, but I can't keep up with reading anymore and I can't be around for all of the oral narrations. Even my husband wanted something more independent. I think my heart is even warming up to the freedom from guilt about not being there so much. I am even thawing to the more practical bible application. I still be a little depressed knowing that won't be reading SUPER awesome books.....said a little sarcastically. Anyone else have to give up their homeschool utopia?

My boys, twins, are in "8th" grade. Our main math is Teaching Textbooks and they are in Algebra 1. They general get 80% or better. They are within the first 60 lessons of it. Just for giggles I had them take the Saxon Math placement test. For that they both scored on into 8/7. One might have been able to do Algebra 1/2. No where near starting algebra for either of them. Is TT that easy? Is Saxon that hard? Do they really know math? What should I take away from this? How might this effect their math future as in ACT/SAT?

I like AO but sometimes it is sooooo daunting. I waffle so much. I am not sure I am self disciplined enough, nor smart enough to do it. I think I might have ruined my daughter by curriculum hopping. I am hoping to do better and be more consistent with my boys. They just finished 7th grade. One son is quite good at Ao year 7 and even Churchill. :001_smile: My boys are twins but they sort of cheat off of each other if they use the same books at the same time. I don't want to reinvent the wheel and I don't want every minute scripted. I think my head might explode. :banghead:

Has anyone successfully used Ambleside Online to do high school with good results?

I would try to find out why my child wanted the choice they choose. My boys would want to go for social reasons. My daughter, who will be a senior next year, turned down an offer to attend school. She likes to run her own schedule. If my boys said they wanted more competition academically then I might consider it.

Why the change?

I figured this would be the reply. I am leaning toward that route myself.

Which program have you used that you felt gave your high schooler the most success in college or just life in general? My brain is just exhausted trying to figure this out.

I am so tired of thinking and praying about this. My dd turns 14 in June and maybe should start 9 th grade next year. My original plan was to do MFW AHL, but I am not sure she is up to it. We are just finishing Saxon 7/6 this week and she has scored between 50%-70% on the test within Apologia's General Science. I am helping her and she has not learning disabilities, she just isn't math and science oriented. Would she drowned in MFW AHL? She wants to go to college for piano and writing. She is very loving and loves the Lord. She is very good with children. (not at all like me :glare:) I am beginning to lean toward a less rigorous high school and thinking maybe Community College and focus on early childhood ed. It really isn't even her "smarts", she doesn't seem motivated to put in the work. You know what I mean, some kid wants to be in the NFL but but plays second string and doesn't seem driven to practice. I would rather she understand all of the information or at least most of it, than study hard stuff and only get 50%. Any thoughts and anyone else have a child like this?

:w00t::lol: That would never happen to any of us. :tongue_smilie:

I was just wondering if anyone has had success with Charlotte Mason's writing methods. :bigear: