I have been using my cell phone lately for reading forums due to done problems with my pc. Each post had a small check on the upper right hand corner. I figured that was for liking the post but it has occurred to me it could serve some other purpose....like reporting the post. What does checking that off do???

I have always been a pretty cautious driver but as I age I have become increasingly so. I think over the years, the stories of fatal accidents, news of friends and families in accidents, etc, have all built up into a heightened awareness of the dangers of driving. I don't want to die or be maimed! Of course, most people don't, but over time the anecdotes or personal experiences lead me to see how vulnerable we are in a vehicle . And yes, we are not in control of the actions of other drivers, but I am definitely more aware now about msking safe driving choices.

If he isn't joking....sounds like time for a logic study!

No allowance here. They generally do not want stuff. They are actually really hard to shop for on birthdays. When they do get money they sometimes buy treats or games or put it in their college funds. Sometimes they donate it to various causes. DS has a summer job and he has not used any of the money he earned. They are probably odd in this respect but I think they will be ok managing money. We are pretty transparent in talking about finances and spending money wisely. Actually maybe too much as they are amazingly cheap about some things! My kids, older teens, unload dishwasher, do their laundry, set table and help clean up after, deal with trash and recycling, some pet care. They also help as needed with sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, etc. Last week that also meant helping cut up and haul off a large branch that had fallen. They often help me with the garden, hauling mulch, compost, moving around rocks (they joke about it being time to exercise the rocks) and plants, etc. They do not ask to be paid for these tasks and we don't offer. In winter they shovel about half the time. Oh they also sometimes mow, but only when I ask--I actually kind of like mowing. We purchased and pay for their cell phones -- neither of them particularly wanted a phone but WE wanted them to have phones. If we discontinued the phones, the kids would not mind (we talked specifically about this as a budget cut but DH really wants the kids to have cell phones).

We also needed a shorter refrigerator and had to purchase one without seeing it before hand. The first one we ordered was still too tall so we had to get a second one, also sight unseen and by that point we were ready to take whatever was fastest delivery. The shelves are not completely to my liking but I doubt I would have noticed this if we had been able to see it empty in a showroom. Only after using it a few days did I notice a few little issues. We cope fine though. :)

Many thanks everyone!

If student takes a class at the university which are not used to fulfill high school graduation credits, should the classes still be referenced in the transcript? Mention that university classes are listed on a separate transcript? Also on transcript do you include proposed classes for senior year second semester? I know I had another question, but can't think now.

I appreciate the replies. We were thinking that we needed a consistent policy for assigning credit from university classes but I think we will assign credit as seems appropriate for each class ( and hope we don't stir up the ire of any transcript police!). Starting a new thread for my next question.

For high school son had to pay fees for book rental, science lab fees, and somethign else that slips my mind at the moment. It was $130. I don't know if the same is true for lower grades as we hsed up til high school for him.

HOw aobut Guardians of Ga'Hoole and Warrior Cats?? I don't really know if they are quality books...but son who was pretty intolerant of overly simple easy to read chapter books loved both series. He was also a late reader. I think it takes finding books of interest to her.

Take them to tour a landfill. Trash accumulation is a main reason I don't buy my kids a lot of toys. I think my kids first started to get the message when we watched "the Story of Stuff" but it has been a while.

OK, you all are making me really greatful for our public high school. Son definitely learned how to write a thesis statment for lit analysis in 11th grade honors LA class at the public school. BUT, in general, I do not think it was an easy skill for many of the students. The class consisted of peer reviews and you could tell that many students still struggled. Pehaps it is partially because of the abrupt transition from simple comprehension questions to analytical thinking. This year, son is using parts of lightning lit for his at home LA class and I was surprised to see how much is still basic comprehension quesions.

The Lively Art of Writing helped my kids think through what to write about topics. We read through parts of the book together. It is a bit dated in examples but still good concepts imo. Available used on amazon for very little. http://www.amazon.com/Lively-Art-Writing-Mentor/dp/0451627121/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407776418&sr=1-1&keywords=lively+art+of+writing

If you child took a semester long, college class in physics 2 w/lab, modern physics w/lab, calculus 3, or linear algebra, how many high school credits did you assign to the classes? My son's physics 2 class shows up on his public school transcripts as 1/2 of a high school credit. The othe classes will not be shown on the public school transcript and I am wondering whether to keep each college class as half a high school credit. If I do, his senior year will seem low on credits despite taking a challenging course load. thoughts?

I hope everything goes well for you and him. I know we had 9 years of incredibly relaxed, get up when you were rested enough, homeschooling and my kids adjusted to 6am mornings without problem. People kept warning me that they'd never get out of the house on time, but no problems here. One of my kids had anxiety with school as well, but he still wanted to stay in public high school. We finally sought treatment and now his life is sooo much better. It was a hard decision for us to make. I think DS felt that recognizing and treating the anxiety was similar to admitting to a character flaw and as such he tried and tried to overcome it on his own. I hope your DS does well too!

What does he like to do? What does he like to read about/watch/listen to?

This is on our weekend To Do list. :scared: Is it ok if I just cry a little bit now, ahead of time?

Son did this in the spring. Course seemed to be a good blend of challenging and engaging. He stayed on track and often talked about the concepts at dinner time. He did not plan on taking the AP exam, so not sure how it meshes with that but was all around a good fit for DS.

Senior plans for Me: :willy_nilly: For son, at home: Biology w/MIT open course ware. I ordered the textbook and have been helping him come up with the plan for pacing the video lectures and problem sets. still debating the lab component. LA: Taking part in an online lit discussion group, doing some of Lightning Lit Early-Mid American, and an online coursera class in writing for the sciences (hopefully it will be a good fit for him). Might add on the LL later Amer. section, or add some readings from that era--depending on final plans for history. History: Hate to admit it, but we have not finalized this. Was planning on US History but this might morph into Modern History. I am tryin g convince him to continue with Spanish, but he is resistant to this idea as it is his least favorite subject. At University: First semester: calc 3 and linear algebra Second semester: modern physics and something else that is slipping my mind--I think mechanics? He has been volunteering in a lab this summer and hopes to continue with that a few hours a week once school starts. He does not do sports now but he has a self managed exercise routine which he will continue. Goes to some community tech type clubs but not sure if he will continue as it depends on how time consuming/demanding his classes at the U will be. I think he will find them quite absorbing and he might have a hard time partitioning his time into the other subjects. He will also be continuing to work on college application essays this fall. As far as life skills, I do have some plans for basics--like personal finances, driving, and other topics related to going off to college (survival cooking maybe!) although these are also things we have continuously discussed over time. Are there just not that many seniors out there this year?

Art can be a wonderful vehicle for all kinds of learning. Books featuring specific artists can then help with history, geography, etc. Mixing colors in ratios, recognizing patterns in nature, creating patterns of her own, all build on math understanding. Maybe you could use a timer for her work sessions so she has a well defined end in sight. Could help with the wandering off. best of luck and hope your husband recovers quickly too!

I was thinking about this last night. It is keeping me from stressing out about writing my son's transcripts! LOL I am transposing my worries onto other homeschoolers! Does the tutor cost more than the CLEP fee and the CC class fee? If you eat the $80 CLEP fee and she takes the class, would it actually be less money? Here students can DE for some classes for free,so I am not sure if you have to pay for her CC class. Just one more thing to consider...although by now, maybe the CC class is full, which may be a blessing in disguise. Oh my, so many possibilities. I know exactly how you feel!! I would try to go with the student's preference, but also know that things are likely to work out as you have many bases covered. :grouphug:

At that age, my kids, who were generally not whiners, whined because school work (even quality stuff) was tedious, boring and irrelevant to their interests. They were not able to articulate this though. Even I, as an adult, took a couple of years to figure it out. I considered employing many of the techniques described to get my kids to shape up and accept that this is what education was like. Instead, my view of what education should look like changed and we went down a different, interactive, relaxed and mostly workbook free learning path. Kids are now self motivated high school students and progressing exceptionally well. They willingly follow a standard, textbook heavy academic approach ( an approach which becomes more relevant to them when they have matured some and have career or education focused goals). This is how I effectively combated whining and poor attitudes. NOT saying other paths are bad choices, but this worked for our family extremely well and I regret the times I felt like shrieking to them "Why won't you just do this??!!"

I remember reading past posts you have written and thinking how much like my son (now a high school senior) your daughter sounds. Would you all consider an unschooling approach? If she is really broken in spirit, that approach can be very restorative. You could still keep an academic focus, but let go of the required output from her, especially written output. I know that can be scary and hard to do because we are all conditioned to expect that written output as proof of their progress. But, kids can still grow to be strong writers/analytical thinkers if they have input of good writing and much discussion about it. I faced a similar quandary with my kids and I looked at is this way: Do I want to try to "drag" my child through the typical written work expected of their age, or do I want to try another option where they can still continue to learn, but on terms that seem better suited to their learning style? I also really had to get it out of my head that eventually I would find the "right" curriculum for my kids. You could: Use a living math approach. I think she is still young enough that you can forgo a workbook approach math program but she could still be on track for a regular high school math program. She would be better served if she became more comfortable with using math and not fearing it. living math.net, along with the library, makes a great resource. Read read read and talk about math. Keep measuring tapes, scales, counters, change, etc all out and around her and use them. Ask so many questions you feel like a toddler again. Have you all ever tried khan academy? My son ended up starting AoPS geometry in grade 10...but by then he had already built up a strong math confidence. LA: Do things like Figuratively Speaking and the Killgallon books all orally. Don't make her write the stuff out. Let her shine in developing her work without the burden of putting pencil on paper. Read, listen to audio books, talk about all the stuff you have done, Let her use play dough, moon sand, wikkisticks, or whatever she likes while you read out loud or while listening to audio books. I think you can even do spelling out loud if you really want to keep doing spelling. SS and science: videos! Let her sit on a bouncy ball while watching videos if needed. Do you have a microscope? Does she like gardening (great way to get biology concepts going). My kids loved science projects..but hated writing any labs or answering the silly questions. They were still able to transition to writing formal lab reports for honors chemistry at the high school in grade 9 despite having done precious little written work on science prior to that. They really do not need to fill out forms detailing the difference between alive things and not alive things 30 times over(an assignment from one science book we lhad). Writing...eventually I would try something like IEW Student writing intensive. But not right away. Just let her be for a bit. Let her rediscover the interesting parts of learning about the world around us. It really sounds like the joy of learning has drained from her. Let her go back to the stage where we let the kids just learn, but then didn't say, OK now write down everything you learned about xyz...cause that really just stank for my kids at least!

Not BTDT, but this seems like a normal reaction for a student about to head off to a new adventure. I think not talking about it is excellent advice. Stay positive and don't let on that you are worried about him being worried. :)