Test image: Upload file from Brock Magiscope, photo taken through eyepiece with an ipod.

Thanks!

Some issues from the other side of the ivory tower: *Some (by no means all or a majority) professors are not educated about special needs, and see it as simply a pain in the t*sh, and are therefore recalcitrant about cooperating. Here, the proper place to call would be the campus ADA office. *In some universities, extra time testing is done at a separate testing center, but tests are begun at the same time as the classroom test, and coordinating time is difficult. It can, however, be done. It may require the entire class syllabus to be rearranged a bit, but it can be done. This is why paperwork has to be filled out on time, and generally in advance and last-minute requests are a problem. *If specialty testing equipment is required for a class (a computer with specific software for a subject) the professor may be concerned that the student will not have access to the same technical support at the testing center that the students in class will have. This is actually a concern the professor has for the benefit of the student needing assistance; there are many professors who genuinely care and want their students to succeed and have every chance to do well without roadblocks. *Despite very clear rules spelled out, sometimes SN kids fail to fill out the required paperwork in advance of deadlines, then make appeals to professors directly for make-up tests that fit their specific needs after the regular test has been given. Creating an equivilant make-up test, particularly for advanced classes, is harder than it may sound, and grumpy professors are concerned that they not unintentionally create bias against a SN student by creating a far harder test. When I was in school, the norm was for a make-up test to always be deliberately much harder than the scheduled test. *Parental interference in cases where the adult student is actually competent to handle his own affairs. A special needs student who does not show up for class or do his homework and then fails a test probably deserves his failing grade no matter how many times you call the professor. The parent should probably be calling the student, not the professor, to discuss. *Ultimately, if a student is in college, it is up to the student, not the professor, for the student to pass the course. Parents calling the professor will not change this fact. *Most professors are willing to help any proactive student, special needs or not, to succeed in his studies. Proactive means prepared with good questions, meets deadlines, attends class, notifies ahead of time rather than after the fact about missed deadlines except in extreme emergencies that truly could not have been forseen ahead of time, and who plan ahead and plan their time well so that if they must miss time, they can hand stuff in early rather than late, and who come to office hours with questions when needed and who ask questions in class and hand in homework. When students work hard, professors can tell and are often willing to do a little extra to help them out, because students who care are really exciting and stand out, regardless of whether that student is an A or a B student. *Professors are utterly dependent upon the student ADA office to understand the needs of the special needs student. It is not realistic to approach the professor directly to ask "I need you to do this," because professors are not equipped to evaluate such requests for validity. *Particularly at a research university, teaching is only one of the professor's responsibilities-- he is also juggling committee work, helping to run the university, participating in departmental decisions, may be responsible for running either the undergraduate or graduate program for the department, advising students, organizing talks by international visitors, interviewing new faculty, participating in reviewing graduate applicants, editing journals, writing papers, writing or reviewing new textbooks, participating in review panels, supervising undergraduate activities, working with students who are doing research, traveling to give talks and share new ideas with other researchers, writing grants, and of course, the bulk of his job on which he is evaluated, conducting original, peer-reviewed research. I didn't even ask my husband for a list of what he does in a day . . . those are just things I know he does off the top of my head. Come to think of it, it's pretty amazing he has time to come home for dinner at night . . . LOL. Yet when a student shows up during office hours or sends email with a good question (or even some not-so-good questions) he will make time for them and take their concerns seriously, even if it is a basic question in elementary calculus about what is being accomplished when taking the first derivative, because he wants his students to succeed, and it does not matter whether that student has special needs or not. I don't know if the above has helped anybody or not. It doesn't really directly address the OP's question to parents. However, maybe when dealing with college and their kids, maybe it will help parents see and understand the system a little better "from the other side of the fence." I also have a good friend who heads an ADA office at a different university elsewhere in the country . . . I could, with permission of course, forward the original question to her, and get her response to the question as well to add to the discussion.

How do you post a picture that is just on your hard drive? When I click the photo icon, it only gives me the option to link to a URL . . . so I have to first publish the photo to a web page before I can put it here?

I don't believe that it does, but you can get a very good one for not much money through homesciencetools.com

Vocabulary Workshop and the Royal Fireworks Press options are both quite good, in my experience (I used VW in school myself, and have had my older son use it as a homeschooler, and we are using CE 1 and WWtW for DS9 and DS11 right now). Why vocabulary? My kids are both voracious readers with excellent vocabularies. However, these programs really induce them to think about words very specifically. This will later help them in writing, when a single, powerful, correctly chosen word can make a big difference in the clarity and concision of an essay, letter, or paper. It can make the difference between sort of saying what you meant and saying exactly what you meant. It can also make the difference between sort of understanding what an author you are reading meant and getting exactly what the author meant-- including some pretty subtle jokes. Although along with many homeschoolers I am loathe to think in terms of testing, yes, the SAT's and ACT's are a reality for my college-bound kids, and the Royal Fireworks Press materials directly teach how to approach analogies correctly and decode the answers. Vocabulary Workshop also gives extensive practice with analogies, synonyms, antonyms, and both programs work on shades of meaning (VW does this more explicitly; MCT/RFP does this dependent upon teacher/student interaction) and usage, which can definitely improve test scores. The RFP/MCT materials focus on stems and roots more than VW does, though VW does also highlight them, and this skill can make the difference in subjects such as biology, anatomy, and other sciences which some students find very vocabulary heavy-- if these stems are down pat, the vocabulary is a no-brainer in these subjects, compared to student who has not studied them explicitly. Nothing improves vocabulary better than reading extensively, but given that it doesn't take more than 10 minutes or so per day, I find the benefits of vocabulary study, at least from years 4--8, are well worth the effort.

That particular facility is a very special place-- I used to work there myself, and that doc is very well-loved by his patients and their parents for a good reason. You are in excellent hands. I hope your daughter is feeling on track soon, and that you have some answers heading your way.

I liken it to being on a bungee cord :) Like the PP, we went through years of providers telling us we were nuts, we were helicopter parents and needed to stop worrying, etc (there is a Washington Post article about our odyssey here: http://www.ndcforyoungchildren.com/docs/Wash_Po_08242010.pdf Honestly, I was relieved, primarily. I already *knew* something was up before he was diagnosed. With the diagnosis of his genetic disorder came the knowledge that there was a reason for his challenges, more specific information about the nature of his challenges, his prognosis, and a path of action (and avoidance of interventions that would be unnecessary, annoying, and unhelpful). Now, that said, there is the reality that he has a genetic disorder. It isn't going to kill him, and in his case, with the interventions we put in place, he is going to be fine. He is a very smart kid, and will succeed academically once we deal with his road blocks and figure out how to help him learn to help himself with some lifelong issues he will always have. But it is a genetic disorder, and with that come issues that will be lifelong. And some of the issues he lives with right now are not always easy to live with on a day to day basis. It gets frustrating. It sometimes make me angry and wonder, "Well, what if . . .?" That's the bungee cord. There are up days and down days. You see, his genetic arrangement also makes him who he is. He is more observant, more sensitive, sweet, gentle, and loving. He is caring, attentive, and scary intelligent. Would he be all of that without his genetic arrangement? Who knows? I would hesitate to "fix" anything in him that could change any of these fundamental characteristics of his, well, character, because virtually everyone who meets him seems to just love him. One swimming instructor already moved him to a new instructor, because she liked him too much to be strict enough with him, and she couldn't detach enough from him to make him work when he wanted to sweet talk his way out of it. Boing. Back up. He is fully informed about his challenges, his genetic disorder, and all of its implications for his life. His outlook? "Well, if I have to work harder to do the same stuff as other kids, I guess I better work twice as hard, because I want to do everything other kids do. Maybe harder, because I want to be better at at least one or two things. Maybe when I'm an adult, I'll be really good, because by then I'll just be used to hard work, and a lot of kids don't seem to work hard." I hate the reason why he has to think like that, but I love his attitude. He has never been negative about himself or his self-image (my heart breaks for families who have kids 15, 16 years old who still have not "broken the news" to their boys about this disorder, even though they may have had a prenatal diagnosis, for "fear" that they will accidentally tell a friend or someone who will tease them about it, or discriminate against them for it . . . all these years of missed opportunity for the child to understand his struggles and come to terms with this aspect of who he is!). BOING BOING. Up/down, at the same time. Life with a special child is, for us, life on a bungee cord. We'd never change who he is for even a second. But sometimes the struggles he faces, and that our family sometimes faces, do cause us pain. In the end though, I'll take him and love him exactly as he is.

I have looked at them, I know what they are, and I want nothing to do with them in my teaching. In core skill subjects, we are already way ahead of them-- they set a pretty low bar. In core content subjects, the way we teach is far more logical and builds on itself better than the scattered approach mandated. I get the theory behind the core, and actually parts of it do make sense; unless I am mistaken, it is similar to the idea behind Hirsch's Core Knowledge ideas; if we give all kids everywhere the same base education in the same sequence, we raise a generation of kids who have the same cultural references, the same idea of national identity, and in today's mobile society where there is an outstanding chance that a child will transfer schools at least once, if not multiple times, moving from one core school to another will reduce the chances of introducing gaps in his education. To me, that all makes perfect sense (I don't get as prickly about "Oh, that's indoctrination!" as some folks; I think having an identity is a good thing, but follow me here). The specific sequence suggested though (particularly in science and history), and sometimes the content involved, turns me off. I still think it's a mistake to get too excited and to think that this is a magic bullet that will fix all of the problems in our schools. As we know as homeschoolers, results are not always connected directly to a particular curriculum or choice of textbooks. Results come from a variety of factors, including high standards and expectations for every student (not to be confused with thinking all students are gifted or denying gifted students their services!), consistency, individualized instruction when needed, allowing students some freedom to explore their passions, planning across the course of the education rather than just year to year, mastery of material before moving on, and more. The core sequence addresses some of those issues, and I feel it tanks out on some of the others (the founder specifically does not believe in differentiated services for gifted students, and I feel the history and science sequence is weak, and I am not seeing space for the students to explore things that interest them specifically; other issues are not specific to any educational theory). The rest of the 'indoctrination' issue is of course not addressed here, as it would be O/T; I feel things like telling kids to distrust their parents, to be mindlessly obedient, etc are separate from developing a shared cultural experience through learning a consistent set of facts about music, art, history, science, literature, etc that they can expect everyone to be familiar with so that if they mention someone being a "mocking bird" they don't have to explain Harper Lee's book to the listener before intent is understood.

Object lesson today: normally, yes, I actually do write all that out! We are on vacation this week: no list. I was getting out of bed this morning, and before jumping into the shower, I asked my husband to remind the kids to do everything to get ready so we could leave on time for a doc appointment. The rest of our morning did not go smoothly. Me: DS2, please go put on your shoes right now. DS2: OK Mommy! DS1: Mom, we're going to go sit in the car and read until you are ready! Me: Great! Thanks for getting ready, guys! (I notice DS2's meds are still in his pill minder. Grab cup of water, pills, go to car, drug child) Me: Almost ready guys, I will be right back! (Collect schoolwork, chai, purse, keys, as we just barely have time to go from doc to lunch out grab and go to science museum class) (Halfway to doc office) Me, to DS2: You aren't wearing any shoes, are you? DS2: Oops! Oh and Mom, the cup of water was still on the seat. It spilled, so now it's all over my pants. *sigh* The day actually went DOWN hill from there.... Let's just say we all function much better with lists. (Yes, I use Olly; it is Mac based. They are coming out with an iPad/iPod version, but according to the message boards, they postponed the September release in order to work on a few bug fixes for the main Mac program first. They are very responsive to customer feedback, I find).

Don't fear the note booking pages of NOEO... The assignments are very explicit. It is very much open and go.

I was so frustrated!!! All that waiting around, and I saw the baby come about halfway out, then BAM!! "For the giraffe's privacy." WHAT?? Heaven help us be protected from ourselves.

If you go to http://www.earthcam/usa/southcarolina/greenville you will see a live webcam on a giraffe named Autumn who is very pregnant with her first baby. She appears to be in labor at this point, as she is becoming restive, and occasionally squats/strains a bit before resuming eating and marching around. I cannot predict when the big event will happen, but if you check in now and then, you just might get lucky-- how many times do you get to watch a giraffe birthing? If you look and see an empty pen, just wait a moment; she is wandering in and out of her shelter.

That is why I think of our days as more of a checklist than as a schedule. Even with a planning app like Olly, I do not assign a time of day for each subject. We just get up, eat, and get at it. I note on the list for a given day, "Be ready to leave for doc appointment by 10am. That means breakfast eaten, dressed, teeth brushed, wearing shoes, and books gathered and in the car by 10." Anything else they want to do before 10 is fine by me, but then they know they MUST do those things.

The all time best ringtone??? I am always hassling my husband-- I very rarely call him, because I do not like to bug him at work, but when I DO call, it is important! He found out he is not alone in failing to answer the wife's calls. A colleague was giving a talk to a large group of faculty (200+ professors) when his pocket SCREAMED out in what was apparently his wife's voice: "ANSWER YOUR G*DD^%## PHONE!" Needless to say, DH was extremely amused (along with the rest of the room) and suggested the hapless guy go ahead and answer ;) DH has since been grateful that my heckling has never extended to 'personalizing' his ring tone!!

What else? Hail to the Lion and Onward State

We made an Ash Ketchum costume one year... It wasn't that hard. Baseball hat, red and white, sweatshirt with sleeves cut off, fingerless gloves. I velcroed a small Pikachu to one shoulder. This year, DS9 and DS11 are discussing being the black and green knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. My husband offered to be the balladeer or the coconut guy, but that got eye rolls.

DS11is using LoF (finished Fractions through the pre-Algebra set, is halfway through algebra I). It works well for him. Now and then I spot check the depth of his understanding by having him "teach me" a random chapter of Dolciani algebra, and he does an excellent job of explaining everything, so his understanding level is high. DS8 is partway through Singapore 4B. I am undecided what he will do after 5B. He wants to do Fred, but is doing well with Singapore... I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

We tried Tom's, but it did absolutely nothing. I started my boys on Sure. I can't stand the smell of Axe.

:lol::lol::lol:

Think of it ths way: what if your neighbor saw your kids out playing in the yard every day, and you driving them places. He thought, "We'll, they are supposed to be homeschooling, but how could they be getting any school done? I better call the authorities. It is their job to see that these kids are really in school." How would you feel?

Do you have the "Beethoven's Wig" set of CD's yet? My kids love them :). You will love them or hate them-- they contain snips of classical music, each one twice. The first time through, it is set with very silly words to make it memorable. The second time through, it is just a well-played orchestral piece with no vocals (think of Carmen: "Please take your bull outside the china shop/No bulls allowed/That's where it stops . .."). Most of the silly words actually do have something to do with the piece or the composer in some way, which makes them double memorable. There is The Story of the Orchestra by Levine Sing Me a Story by Rosenberg Peter and the Wolf-- various versions are excellent for young people as audio recordings, and some come with video as well. Classics for Kids podcast is great, and just six minutes long, but lots of great information. If you want classical, there are sometimes real steals on Amazon-- 99-cent albums from the London Symphony Orchestra and others, with over 100 pieces of classical music on them-- not a bad thing to have on quietly in the background while eating or doing schoolwork or playing. If you want fun music, try They Might Be Giants ("No!" "Here Come the ABC's!"). Tom Knight is very folk music, but has some great tunes-- "This Pretty Planet" and others that will not make you want to poke out your eyeballs the second time you listen. Tell us more about what kind of music you have in mind, and people can make more suggestions.

You could find out if there is an independent insurance agent in your area. An independent agent is not attached to any particular insurance company, and stands to make real money only if the client is happy enough to continue the policy (and therefore continue to pay his premiums). These guys not only know the ins and outs of all the available area insurance companies, they know about obscure policy options and riders that could be helpful for your friend's situation-- things that can reduce premiums but still provide coverage for things that he is worried about. Agents also have a little more ability to find reasonably priced coverage for individuals, sometimes able to bundle them into small groups for discounts and such, or simply negotiate on their behalf, or just know where the best deals are. It is definitely worth asking.

As somebody who was badly injured in a car accident, and who had plenty of time to get thoroughly sick of all kinds of people telling me they knew what I could and could not do, I would stay out of it. I had people amazingly annointing themselves with MD's left and right, announcing my neck and other spinal cord injuries had healed and that I was "really fine now" and that I should "just get over it" because "enough time had passed." I was working very intensively with my physical therapists, and we were using certain elements of my martial arts in my healing attempts. Someone from work who observed me performing some (highly altered, but they would not have known that) martial arts, announced that they "saw me doing kuhrahtee" and therefore I was faking my injuries and no longer needed time off from work for physical therapy or my modified work schedule or any accommodations at work. Another person at work announced that her husband "had the same injuries I did" (doubtful; he is a different human being, and I don't recall disclosing a full medical report to her in any event) and that after four months he was able to "just suck it up and get over it." Yet another person "saw me turn my head freely just fine one day" and was sure I must be faking it. My, the world was certainly full of knowledgable people! I wish they were around when I woke up in the morning and couldn't turn my head! Or when I was trying to climb a flight of stairs and would suddenly collapse for no apparent reason! Or any of a number of problems I had at the time. Fortunately I am doing better now. But then? No, i was not. It was just a bunch of people who didn't know nearly as much as they thought they did making a lot of self-righteous noise because having somebody in pain around working as hard as she could and not complaining must have made them very uncomfortable, and they had to be some kind of self-styled expert in order to deal with it. I would never presume to assume I knew what was going on internally with another individual unless I had really, really strong knowledge of what was going on, and the standard for having that knowledge is pretty high. Even my own immediate family got it wrong nearly 100% of the time, not because I refused to communicate, but because the dynamics of pain are difficult to understand for anyone not currently experiencing it. The idea of fraud is very aggravating and frustrating-- it cheats us all! But people who are in the system are often treated with suspicion and distrust, just for being in the system in the first place, as if they got injured on purpose, adding insult to injury. You are not only injured, but also suspected of fraud simply by virtue of being injured. Instead of compassion, no matter what you do-- sit home and don't do anything, or get out and do the most you can-- somebody is out there, judging you for your actions for one reason or the other, because you have been injured, and demanding that you prove yourself all over again, that you justify yourself to someone, be it insurance company, trial jury, workman's comp board inquiry, or something. Maybe sometimes we can err on the side of compassion, instead of making those who fight pain on a daily basis feel as if they are no better than criminals, always held up to every single neighbor, relative, and other layperson for judgement.

I lost my remote for a week once, despite tearing apart the entire family room, including tearing the mattress off of the futon. The remote? It was stuck precisely aligned with the frame of the futon, lined up perfectly with one of the black metal bars-- completely camoflaged. ARGH.