(I'm a little hesitant to share, but . . . ) It would bother me because I see it as a male-imposed restriction on women that I would not want my daughter to accept as okay. (I do understand that women wear them voluntarily, and that they are not all religiously-affiliated, but it would still bother me. Just trying to be honest.)

One of my girls loved popsicle sticks in zip-lock bags (when you have 10, you can "zip the lock," but if they're loose, they don't go in a bag; then break one open when you need to borrow).

I was scheduled for surgery 2 years ago; my baby had to have major spinal surgery, so I delayed my own, and then DH was laid off. No insurance = no ongoing care, no surgery for me. :( He has been searching high and low for 2 years, and has worked many a short-term temporary job, but nothing with health care. It has been . . . difficult. I have never lived without health insurance, and we have always payed taxes, etc. - this experience has been a real wake-up call for me. :( (I've also had a root canal and some other dental problems that I never had while I was insured and going to regular visits; I should have gone to the dentist even without insurance, I now realize. ) My mom navigated chemo and radiation with no insurance; as soon as she had her mastectomy, she was dropped by her insurance carrier and is now basically uninsurable. (This is changing under Obamacare, but it hasn't happened yet.)

I think it's a good letter, too. Having been on the "sending" end of some not-well-thought-out ideas, I'd be gracious in tone and assume they mean well, but - yeah. My children would not be there until there was free access to parents 100% of the time. Also, I'd list specific suggestions that would (A) help them achieve whatever they're trying to achieve (fewer disruptions? a heightened sense of security?) as well as (B) give you the freedom and security you need (because if you feel this way, I'm sure others do, too). There are LOTS of other ways to get to where they want to be, ways that are acceptable to parents of the church.

Could you offer him 2 piles of M&M's and ask which pile he'd rather have? :001_smile:

(1) to practice the skill of breaking down something complex into its basic parts, realizing that function determines classification (2) to know *why* certain constructions are right or wrong in writing (3) to open windows of appreciation and understanding into many jokes, cultural references, and books Those are my reasons, but I'm sure there are more (or fewer)! :)

I do know that *sometimes* schools will call a class something non-traditional to make it sound fancier than it actually is (I have no idea if this is the case in this instance or not), but it still technically fits the state transcript requirements. I currently tutor high school kids from several different school districts, and have been startled by the class lists (so much so that I now ask right away for every kid, just because I'm fascinated with it). (Off-topic, but one particularly confusing idea is "simultaneous maths" - the kids do a section of algebra, a section of geometry, a section of trig, and then cycle back through . . . so they take "simultaneous math" as a 3-year-long course instead of taking algebra, geometry, trig. Very odd, to me, and I don't (yet) see the benefit at all; it's very confusing for (some) students.)

Oh, dear. Is it a public school?

That was my thought, too - a non-college-bound 10th grader is unlikely to be in humanities and business law (in my limited experience). I'm trying to be sensitive to the word "special" as it applies to general education (GT is special, too).

I just finished teaching this book through a co-op class, and we thoroughly enjoyed it, too. Very easy to supplement out with local things, and very tastefully put together (the literary quotes drew me in, too).

I'm a fluent ASL interpreter, and I'd pick Spanish for its MUCH more practical side (as well as its reciprocal instruction in English, which ASL does not have). But there's no reason they can't learn both, if you have time! :001_smile:

When I taught high school (a few years ago now), Guided Study was pull-out - either for special ed or for extreme gifted / talented. Since I don't see any traditional math, science, or English (I see Novel, but not language arts / writing), I would *guess* that at least 1 or 2 of the Guided Studies are individually-paced core subjects. Of course, some high schools now have these weird-funky schedules where a kid can go 3 semesters without having any math or language arts, too.

It looks specialized to me.

Real ones that real kids have done? Considering making notebooking a *HUGE* part of our school year next year, but still feeling my way through this.

If anything here is unethical, it's the school for making this trick-hoop to begin with. :glare: I agree with Denise that home schoolers are often at a disadvantage (not crying victim here, just observing a fact). It makes me angry, too. You pay taxes; your kids should have access to the same things their public schooled peers do.

Check your state library; ours (very small state) offers free audiobook downloads through our local libraries, and they have a huge selection. :001_smile: (If your state DOESN'T do this, you could even look into paying a one-time non-resident fee to a state that DOES do it, download all the books you want, and come out golden. :) )

Oh, dear. My checkbook wishes you had not posted that link. :D

As a high school English teacher, I never understood the sequence of American lit before British, especially for kids with a solid grasp on world history. (I think most curricula consider American lit "easier" and therefore better for juniors vs. seniors, but - I disagree with that assessment.) I think that "thinking backwards" in literature (i.e., having some specific goals in mind at the 9th grade end) would save considerable wasted time and simultaneously "grease the wheels" of other disciplines (specifically history). *FORMER high school English teacher :D

We start slowing down around May and eventually come to a complete stop somewhere around late July. (We have a Fresh Air Fund child for 2 weeks, and just party - educationally, some might argue, but - yes, we party.) Then we harvest the garden for a month and can food. Then we do *HUGE* starting-a-new-year-party the 1st week in September. We take days off whenever we need them throughout the year, and always come out "ahead" w/ books and stuff, so - eh. It works well for us. I will say, this mild New England winter has thrown us off a bit - we usually sit on the couch reading for about 2 months of harsh cold and wintry-mixing, but - it didn't happen this year!

I have 8 year old twins, too. Were I in your shoes, I'd back down on EVERYTHING else you're doing, and zero in on reading and math. For a month. For two months. You can definitely make it enjoyable, but it has to also be challenging, incrementally so; and part of your personal reward is the startling progress they can and will make, once you've shown them the way to success. :) Use the skiing analogy - professional skiers don't go down bunny slopes for an entire weekend, know what I mean? If they aren't capable of understanding and "holding" short stories in their minds yet, there's not much point in spending time on the other subjects, either. So flesh it out - let them act it out, make a Lego scene or character, use chalk, . . . do whatever it takes to get that comprehension up. With average to above-average intelligence, it won't take long.

This is the best answer. :) But, in one of those stranger-than-life situations, you'd probably need to check that hanging a tarp is legal, too. (Depending on where you live.)

lots and lots of smoothies? if you *have* to refreeze, popsicles?

:lol: I know the glee you speak of. I'm on the other side of that fence - we had identical red-headed, hell-on-wheels colicky twins right out of the gate, and it hasn't slowed down since. (Don't take that wrong, we adore them.) We were in absolute SHOCK when our singleton DS was born - he was so EASY! (So of course we assumed that all singleton babies were easy . . . and had another one. :lol: Yeah. Theory disproved. Scratch that - theory blown to shreds by the cutest little 2 year old grin you've ever seen. Don't fall for it.)

Can we just jump into Spelling Workout, or do we need to work up from level 1? Is there a program that would work better for 4th graders jumping in?

Ours doesn't have a huge budget, but they're very willing to help home schoolers. Some of our favorite things they've done (so far) are - - special guest workshops where they run 1 show for home schoolers (say, at 1:00) and another one for anyone else (say, at 3:00) - they usually get a discount on 2 shows, and it's things that hs'ers wouldn't normally have access to (live marine animal demonstration, Chinese New Year special music and program, etc.) - they'll buy The Learning Company DVD programs sometimes - they've bought other books on our recommendation, too - they've offered their quiet study rooms so that we can come do school in the library as long as we like (they love my children, so it's a win-win, really) - USED BOOK SALES! (again, not just for hs'ers, but ours began pulling out "educational" books into a separate pile when we asked them to - very useful for workbooks and such)