I am hs mom of seven, four of which were hs'd all the way through and finished early. This last year I put my sophomore and senior sons in ps high school (with trepidation) due to several factors. First, and this may sound silly, but growing older and becoming exhausted and unhappy was something I did not plan on when I began my hs'ing journey all fresh, energetic and positive. The degeneration was slow and progressive but I have even found hs'ing has become a big strain on our marriage. Second, my last child is very dyslexic and really needs all my attention in middle school. Third, after raising three girls and four boys, I have found that it is not necessarily healthy for my teenage boys to be home with mommy in the lead all day long. It seems that my boys, becoming men, are doing better with male role models and more independence in their schedules. When my first boy reached high school, the head-butting got intense, and I essentially sent him to community college for high school. Fourth, the math instruction especially, as well as the other subjects, has been excellent or very good. The boys are far more motivated, independent, self-directed, organized and enthusiastic then they were at home butting heads with me. They are involved in sports, and one has done a lot of art projects there. They have made some wonderful friends at school and one of my sons, who is naturally introverted, has really come out of his shell. Now I know this isn't the case with every boy sent to ps because I have seen too many hs'ers crash and burn there. I think my oldest son would have been one of the crash cases (spiritually), and that is why he went to community college where he came and went without a lot of socialization going on. But in our case, with the other boys, I am confident public high school was the right choice, and I plan to get my middle-schooled child ready for ps too. It has been humbling to see how well they have done without me there and I now realize that one size certainly does not fit all situations. I feel very blessed (covered by the Lord) that it has worked out so well and all of my children are doing well. One comment I hear from the teachers is that the boys have better thinking skills and participate in discussions more than their peers. I think that is a testimony to hs'ing. One area we were weak in was the use of calculators. The ps kids know how to use all the features with lightning speed, and my son was not able to keep up in calculus because of that. The teacher tested him and said his thinking skills were better than anyone in the class. Another funny thing that happened was that my other son understood the facts of evolution better than any of the kids in his biology class that claimed they believed in it. They were truly clueless about it. So, that tells me they might be believers based on propaganda, not facts.

I am just worried that he is going to get really confused when he is learning to spell words in two different ways. The English way is really a challenge for him even though we have gone through numerous phonics programs. What he struggles most with is spelling, his reading and memory skills are not bad, but his spelling and handwriting are a terrific struggle.

I used these with the DVD's with my sons. If you have never had logic, just a warning that these are not easy books by any means even with the dvds. They are good, but they are challenging and some kids just don't get it. Unless you 6th grader loves a serious challenge, I would go with Critical Thinking.

Every single answer to every single problem has a complete solution given on CDROM. The courses are very basic, go at a gentle pace and the explanations are so thorough they are overkill. My son went through pre-calc and was very prepared for the high school honors pre-cal when he went in to ps. He started in the pre-cal course in ps because they teach how to use the calculators very quickly, which is something he didn't learn at home, but his teacher told him his thinking skills were the best in the class after he tested him. Much cheaper than a tutor and you can stay at home. My only warning is that you might want to go up a level because every course starts out so basic. I think they have placement tests online at the website.

My noise intolerant son wears sound canceling ear muffs when he goes to swim meets. I don't know what they are called but they sell them at the lumber yard, and people wear them when they operate jack hammers or loud equipment. They are inexpensive but would only work if he sleeps on his back. Or sound canceling headphones would allow him to listen to something soothing, but the really good ones are very expensive. I am a light sleeper and it can be miserable. Hope you find the answer.

Haven't been here in awhile and was wondering if SWB still recommends Spelling Workout because I have some books I am ready to pass on. Getting ready to retire from homeschooling finally after 7 kids. I have almost survived the journey!

Does anyone attempt to start a foreign language if your child has dyslexia. Right now we are doing Latin and Greek root flashcards. We have done Latina Christiana in the past, but I have taught Latin and I know he won't be able to handle it when it accelerates. I am thinking we should keep it simple and work diligently on the English Language, but I know he won't have a foreign language on his high school transcript. He is not interested in sign language. Should I keep working on roots and let it go? Actually if you have dyslexia you are learning two languages, your own and English :glare: :sad:

Has anyone used Economics in a Box for a co-op? If so, do we need all the books from the student pack or just "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy," "The Bluestocking Guide," and the Student Workbook? Thanks in advance for responding. Barb