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Penguin

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Posts posted by Penguin

  1. Hi, I am back.

    We are moving in less than a week.  :willy_nilly:

     

    Paperwork and errands are consuming much of my time at the moment.

    This afternoon is going to be tough - it is our last shift at the refugee center. Most of our friends are there and it is going to be very emotional for both DS and I. Am trying to prepare myself...

     

    As for school, fortunately DS has some outsourced classes and independent work to keep him going. He does not have nearly the mountain of moving-related tasks to deal with that I do, and he needs to keep doing school so as not to spend time brooding over the fact that this is our last week here, kwim?

     

    We have to spend our final days here in a hotel. Except for the outsourced classes and math, I have some fun local things in mind to get us out of the hotel (and out of our heads).

     

    Looking forward to seeing DH next week!

    Note to self: :chillpill:

     

     

    • Like 7
  2. Hello, folks. We are making our international move in about two weeks, and we have not dropped the ball on school so I can feel accomplished just by that, right?!

     

    Picking up medical records today.

    Movers are lined up.

    DS is registered for extracurriculars.

    A fun day planned tomorrow with a close friend.

    My mom is here cheering me on and reminding me to BREATHE.

    • Like 5
  3. You could email Novare and ask for ideas on how to make the text suitable for high school. I have emailed customer service several times about chemistry, and have found them to be super helpful and prompt with replies.

     

    I haven't looked at the Earth Science text, but in my opinion a textbook does not define a course. If you like this text instead of a higher level text (Tarbuck is a polular one) for whatever reason, you can still beef up your course.

     

    The Great Courses has several that would work - I just peeked at Nature of Earth: Intro to Geology and How the Earth Works.

     

    I have this lab book and it is only about 10 dollars. It stands alone and can be used with any text. 

     

    ETA: Forgot to link the book!

    https://www.amazon.com/Applications-Investigations-Earth-Science-7th/dp/0321689550

     

     

    • Like 1
  4. My son went through IB. In his case, he was also adjusting to life in a different country at the same time. He started out in IB Physics but quickly discovered that everyone else had already had a lot of physics before starting IB Physics. He had had the normal USA-style Bio and Chemistry, and wanted to round out with physics.

     

    But in order to be successful he switched to IB Bio and ended up with no physics. In some respects, IB encourages more specialization than the standard USA curriculum. That took some getting used to.

     

    Transitions are hard!!

    • Like 1
  5. There may be health professions scholarships available. The military has one that I believe does include counseling and there would be a service obligation in exchange for the funding.

     

    Thanks. This kid would not be interested in the military, though. I wonder if there are any deals similar to debt forgiveness for teachers who agree to work for X years in underserved districts. I could see him doing that. Probably no such program exists for mental health professionals, but it seems like it would be a good idea!
  6. My son got acceptance to state university masters program in classics but the acceptance letter said no funds (student loans/ ta positions/etc) for master programs at all except eligible for GradPlus loans.

     

    Ugh!

     

    Myra

    That is my fear! There is one private school (not an outrageously expensive one ) close enough for him to live at home and the numbers work out to equal to a state school with room and board. Assuming he gets in, of course.
  7. It's been a while, but I was fully supported for my MS degree--full tuition plus stipend. I had a research assistantship. What will he be studying? It's my impression that support for master's programs varies between departments, and even between advisors within departments--some professors receive lots of grants and have the funds available to offset their students' expenses. 

    But when do you find this out? That is what confuses me.

    • Like 1
  8. Financial aid for master's programs is often far more limited than for bachelor's or PhD's. The school website should list whether there are any scholarships available. Sometimes the student can be a TA in undergrad classes in exchange for a reduction in tuition. 

    OK, so he should plan to be able to pay full price unless he can get a TA position or apply for a separate scholarship. Don't expect that anything will be knocked off the sticker price right away. Is that right?

     

    I got my graduate degree from an incredibly expensive school, but I went at night and my employer paid for all of it. This is all new to me.

    • Like 1
  9. Middle DS will get his undergrad in May (  :hurray: ) and is lining himself up for grad school applications. Several of the schools on the potential list are private schools. 

     

    When he applied for undergrad admissions, typical  private school acceptance letters would say something like Congrats, you are accepted and we accept you with an offer of $X off the sticker price. Is the same sort of thing normal for masters programs?

     

     

    • Like 1
  10. I have to buy a car, and it has to be a used car for affordability reasons.

    I do not care about style.

     

    I want a car that :

     

    Is small enough to parallel park easily on city streets

    Has four doors

    Performs well in snow

    Gets good gas mileage

     

    Any leads? Feel free to define small enough, performs well, and good gas mileage however you prefer :)

     

    UPDATE: I got a 2014 Subaru Impreza, and it is perfect for me! Thanks so much for your help. You saved me a lot of research time.

    • Like 7
  11. Dd just started Bravewriter's Advanced Comp class, and she's actually liking it so far (I get to give opinions! - says she...)

     

    One question about this class or BW classes in general - I thought I'd heard that giving/receiving peer feedback or reading other kids' papers was part (even a big part?) of BW classes.  Dd says nothing like this has happened so far, and she doesn't think she has to do anything like that?

     

    Has she missed something, or is this still coming up (class started Monday, so about a week in), or is this not part of this particular class?

     

    And is there any way for the parent to check in on what's going on with the assignments/progress without asking the student?  Cause of course dd is just annoyed and says 'everything is fine' if I ask...

    My son is also in this class :)

     

    In other Brave Writer classes, the instructor has explicitly told the students that commenting on each other's posts and essays is part of the grade. That is where the interaction comes in. I just looked at the grading policy, and I do not see that she has spelled this out - which seems a tad unusual to me for a Brave Writer class.

    • Like 2
  12. Do my kids know it's supposed to be a holiday? I'll check....

     

    Nope, they don't know. Hmm....

    Not a holiday in our current location, so nope, not a day off.

    I hope to only lose a few days moving, but who knows how that will be in reality. Right now, I need every day I can get.

     

    In full swing:

     

    Algebra II

    Chemistry

    World Lit

    Russian (outsourced)

     

    Starts next week:

    AP Comparative Govt and Politics (outsourced)

    Latin III (outsourced)

    World History 

     

    I have a volunteer shift today and tomorrow.

    My mom gets here Sunday - we need to clean on Saturday!

    • Like 5
  13. Well, I am sick and that is ruining all of my plans!

     

    This is our last "soft start" week. Next week the two outsourced classes start.

     

    The Move:

     

    Waiting for the estimate.

    This week's goal is to find a new orothodontist and make an appointment.

     

    School:

    The only thing I am worried about is Chemistry. I like our book and lab kit, but golly it all looks so.much.work. Like how is he supposed to get through all of that in one year without it taking over the day? Ugh.

     

    My mom gets here next weekend. Hooray for that!

     

     

    • Like 6
  14. I tell you this to establish my credentials:  every dermatologist I ever went to said I had the worst case they had ever seen.  Well, it is nice to be good at something.  I guess.

     

    Hydrocortisone and steroids are really wonderful tools but not solutions.  IF your kiddo has the kind of eczema that is caused by allergies/sensitivities, do everything you can to eliminate those from her life.  Sometimes, you will need to use the steroids to get back to a liveable life, and then this can be maintained by careful attention to the things that cause flare-ups.  I had to make this decision at a very young age, knowing that there were likely tradeoffs with end-of-life realities.  I decided (and I would decide again) that there needs to be a life worth having in the middle, even if it is shorter or *I* am shorter (which I am--5'5", when my growth curve put me over 5'9").  

     

    However, it is also really worth doing without cake, cookies, pies, custards, omelettes, and the host of other things I can't eat because of eggs to keep the skin under control.  So I do that...fastidiously.  

     

    I'm not going to bore you with my history.  But I will tell you that it has had its ups and downs, and that while I would not wish this on anyone, there are upsides...learning that you are not valued because you have beautiful skin.  Learning to control yourself in OTHER areas because you have learned to control your diet.  Learning not to feel sorry for yourself because of the hand you were dealt.  My mother was brilliant at helping me along with this last one.  I hated it, in a way, but shortly after I left home, I had a sub-mom fawning all over me because she felt so sorrrrrry for me, and it was really nice to be made much of...for about 15 minutes.  At minute 16, I became immensely glad for my matter-of-fact, do what it takes, don't be a special snowflake mom.  

     

    But she sacrificed a lot for that, too.  She made me a special meal (allergies), one for herself (constant diet) and one for my dad and sister...every meal, every day.  It wasn't easy, but she set me up to be a (relatively) normal person, one with a lot of self control and very little self pity.  She *also* was great because she knew how hard it was, and when I cheated, she never came down on me.  She just said, "If you're going to screw this up by eating ice cream, at LEAST get a flavor you like...and GOOD ice cream."  She had a sense of humor that went a long way.  But she sacrificed a lot of time, energy and money, too.  

    Thanks for sharing this Patty Joanna. Your story is very moving, and I am sorry that you have suffered so much. Your mom sounds awesome. Eczema is, alas, a big part of my life. :grouphug:

     

    ---

    OP, you can probably surmise from all of the replies that there is usually a lot of trial and error involved.

    • Like 3
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