Finnella
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Posts posted by Finnella
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Anyone successful with trying the trial for Uzinggo? I keep getting an error message that passwords need to be between 6 and 12 characters. I've tried 11 and 12 character passwords, both with and without numbers. I'm not using any weird characters since some sites don't like that. I've tried about 10 times now, maybe a bit more. I've tried with Chrome and Firefox.
I can't think of anything else to try, which is unfortunate because I was really interested in high school science.
If there's something you can think of that I didn't try, feel free to mention it.
UPDATE: My BiL managed to get it to work on an experimental version of Firefox. Very odd.
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A good knife will last a lifetime unless they lose it. If you want to get a Swiss Army style, I'd recommend Victorinox or Wenger. Either should hold up very well; both companies use a hard version of stainless steel. The downside to that is they can be hard to sharpen so encourage your boys not to let them get really dull.
A saw can be great for camping. Bottle and can openers (2 different options) are pretty useful, as are screwdrivers. I once sold a knife to a hiker who would only carry a model with a magnifier because he said that he saved his life once by using it to start a fire; there are lots of options. A blade that locks in place is nice but not many models have that. (Naturally that's what my husband specifically asked for.)
If you do decide that loss is likely, Schrade at least used to make good starter knives that didn't cost a lot. They were good knives for the money though, not junk steal.
I used to collect knives until I had to hide my collection to keep my sons out of them. I hope your sons love theirs; a pocket knife is one of the handiest everyday tools you can carry.
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Oh, sorry to be technical, but you are required to put a graduation date on a final transcript. When you apply to a cc or university, you're typically still in high school, still earning credits, and there might be an anticipated date posted (and marked as such). However the university will expect you to send in a final transcript when he graduates, and that's supposed to have a graduation date on it. It's a little incongruous to "graduate" him and still continue to acquire credits. I wouldn't offer that.
I'm glad you were so technical; you've been quite helpful. We're struggling with how to handle high school right now. Math is the greatest problem since he's "supposed" to be in 9th grade, but we're only halfway through pre-Algebra. My DS is 2e and math is where his LDs give him the most problem.
I hadn't thought about putting the pre-Algebra on his transcipt if he graduates on time. Naturally, if he ends up going to college (a definite possibility), I can anticipate the admissions office marking that one out. We're considering delaying graduation for another year, but it's good to have options.
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I think for some it does improve; I certainly hope so. My Aspie is 14 and experiencing all that hormonal nastiness that hits around that age. I think we parents are ready to see more maturation while our kids just aren't up to it. (I know I'm ready.) I know my older NT son could do lots more on his at 14 than my Aspie can. (No, I don't go around pointing this out because it would be hurtful and counter productive.)
According to my son's psychologist, my son's going through his worst growth phase - emotional and social - and will get better. No doubt that is going to vary lots based on the child and where he is on the spectrum. So I keep hoping, not very patiently, that this is yet another stage in his growing up and it too shall pass.
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My child is technically 9th grade this year and we really don't know if we should say he is really 8th grade or just move him along because we aren't sure another year would help that much anyway.
It shouldn't matter either way, but our stinkin' HS group decided they want to do these graduations and he wants to do them, so we need to pick a grade. UGH.
We really don't think he will be able to complete a 4 year college degree unless it won't require any English classes with heavy writing!
He wants to go into something along the lines of graphic design, art something, animation, gaming, that sort of thing, which may be more of a Technical school program for him.
Everything for HSers seems to be geared towards the high achievers. It is frustrating.
I'm in a similar boat and trying to decide what to do. My DS is 2e, so college is a possibility but not a sure thing. So for now anyway, I think I have to be prepared to go either way.
We started homeschooling about halfway through his 6th grade year due to bullying. I spent the rest of the year finding out all the things ps didn't teach him. For example, he hadn't progressed beyond 3rd grade in math and was still counting on his fingers for everything.
Right now, we're already in 9th grade but only half way through Pre-Algebra and need to be through Algebra I by the end of the year. I think he's pretty tired of playing catch up. There's also the maturity issue from his Aspergers, and his anxiety has spiked this year. Not all of it can be attributed to school, but some of it can.
He's smart but his LDs are still a big problem. I'm just not sure what would be better for him: push on or say we're doing another 8th grade year to give him more time.
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I bought this yesterday, as soon as I noticed this post. I'm using it already and very excited. It's making it easier to add some heft to our Ancients study this year. I was already adding in some Great Courses lectures and selections from Map Trek, but the guide is making it simpler to add some comprehension and analysis questions.
I'm looking forward to seeing the guide next year for the Medieval book!
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I think you have a very clever doctor. Lucky you! Many people have to fight to get Armour.
Check out the link I posted. It will explain why Armour is better than any synthetic drug.
Oh, and FTR, count yourself lucky that your dd even tested T3 and T4. My TSH (thyroid synthesizing hormone) tends to be in the normal range, while T3 and T4 tend to be low. My primary care physicians tend to only test TSH, and then try to tell me that I'm "overmedicated." I have to whine and complain to get them to test T3 and T4, and then the docs say, "Huh. Looks like you were right. You aren't overmedicated after all." ::face palm:: At least my last primary care physician referred me to an endocrinologist. Now we're working on symptoms that have been under-treated for almost 20 years. :glare:
The standard test for low thyroid function looks at only one factor and assumes that your body is adequately completing the process to make the form of T3 that you need. You are lucky your doctor dug deeper. The typical test said everything was fine for me. I finally pushed him to test more deeply after a friend was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Sure enough, I really did have low thyroid function.
I'm big on generic meds, but I have found that thyroid meds are one of the few where name brand is better. I was on Synthroid first and only my blood tests looked better. I didn't feel any better until a doctor did a trial of Armour. I haven't found Armour to be terribly expensive, and I pay close attention because I take so many medications. But if the cost is a problem, in addition to shopping around, you may want to try Synthroid eventually. I recommend you don't switch until after you've had the chance to feel better, which will hopefully happen on Armour. Otherwise you won't know if the switch to Synthroid is treating your problem better, worse, or the same as Armour.
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All of the student materials assume that you have or have watched the TWSS. Hopefully you can find someone near you to borrow it from. For additional information, IEW has a yahoo group plus a second yahoo group if you're trying to pick up their curriculum used. Unfortunately, TWSS sets don't come up for sale that often.
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Digital Theatre is currently selling for $99; the offer closes on 30 June.
The price will drop to $75 if 25 more people order (including the 4 provisional orders shown on the website).
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I'm bumping this in the hopes of getting some more interested people. This offer is still open and the price can go down to $75 with enough participants.
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Have you thought about using the acting/theatre interest to drive everything else? So he likes fiction and theatre. So you watch theatre about history and then read a bit to fill in. You read quirky fiction about science (there's TONS of that, mercy). Textbooks are such a rat trap of disinterest.
Here's a list of books I've thought about for biology (which is in your sig). Some are better than others, but it might give you ideas. If you do labs and read quirky books that he finds engaging, it would be enough. Biology/Life Science
That reminds me that I need to update my signature; it's showing what we're finishing up rather than plans for next year. I like your idea though and may use it for 10th grade. And he's been asking to read some Pratchett. :) He's also voluntarily reading the Hawkings' George series.
Meanwhile, I need to think of something along those lines for Earth science. I'll admit that I have been considering resorting to a textbook for a science, but you make a great case for trying again to avoid that. (It turns out that I do have some book ideas in Evernote.)
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When my DD was in 9th grade, I required 5.5 hours of school work, i.e. focused time on task, daily. I will require the same from DS who enters 9th in the fall.
This allows for an average of one hour in each of the five core subjects, plus some leftover time spent towards electives.
. . .
To put things into perspective: A 9th grader in ps in my home country would have about 32-34 periods of 45 minutes each per week. We can homeschool more effectively than that.
Thanks, that's the direction I was leaning in; I think he needs more time than what he's putting in now but I don't want to crush him.
It's been hard equating ps time for me; the current ps trend is four large blocks of time per semester with most courses lasting only one semester. I think he'd hate that, even if I could pull it off. The kids I know in ps don't like it; it's too much time on one thing only. I do realize that we have some significant effienciencies over ps, so I've never tried to get an equal number of hours and state law doesn't require hour tracking. (Thank goodness for that!)
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Well what are your plans for the academics, or you don't know yet? Just asking, because obviously he's going to be much more inclined to spend time if he's interested in it. In fact, our np pointed out to us that dd was likely to do better in college, because she'd be doing what she wants to do. Wise people ;) usually figure out how to connect with that sooner. Is there any give in what you're doing, any way to have it merge with what he finds interesting? Any way to give him lists of requirements (structure!) but have HIM make the lists on how to meet them?
So far, when we've discussed academics, his inclination is to do nothing. My sister's and BIL are planning to do some introductory programming with him this fall because he's expressed an interest in that and engineering. So we'll see how that goes. Math is somewhat better since we switched to MUS. (And I can always remind him that he needs that as long as he's interested in engineering.)
For the most part though, he's at a point that his strong preference is to study acting and read fiction; nothing else. I've decided to do a theater elective next year and postpone another logic class for a bit. As for the core classes he needs to get into college, I haven't been able to find anything that will interest him. It's just something to plow through so he can earn computer access.
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First, always read what OhElizabeth has to say! (I'm not knocking anybody, but I've found her posts extra helpful since I joined this board.)
My DS was 9 when we took him in for evaluation. The pediatrician had suspected ADD since he was in first grade, and he'd been giving his teachers attentiveness problems since 2nd grade. All this time, my husband did not believe in ADD. At the beginning of 3rd grade, we started limiting TV and other pursuits because we were concerned he wasn't trying very hard. My DS quickly resigned himself to never seeing a TV show again, and his school work didn't improve. I leaned heavily on my husband until he relented and I got a referral for an evaluation. (My husband has since been diagnosed with ADD.)
After the things my DS told me after he started therapy, we should have done this when he was in 1st grade and first encountered problems. He had been enormously stressed and probably even clinically depressed, fantasizing about killing himself but fortunately too young to think of effective ways. (He told me this after he'd been in therapy a few months.)
The good news is that he's come a long way since then, plus we learned about his being 2E and eventually his being an Aspie (something he's very positive about). You know your child best, so listen to yourself on this one.
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I hate talking about school in terms of how many hours per day must be done, but this school year (8th) has been awful. My DS is an Aspie and has ADD; his ADD meds. stopped working at the beginning of the school year. We've had to be very careful with medication because of his anxiety and haven't found anything else that works.
Anyway, I had been focusing on my DS completing his assignments, but this year has degenerated into forcing him into a minimum five hours per day to have any privileges, e.g., computer game access. In the near term, I expect I may have to keep this up, which makes me wonder how many hours per day do your 9th graders work?
Yes, I know this isn't the attitude he needs to carry into college, so it's another thing to add to the list of what he needs to learn during high school. Meanwhile, I need to get him through his first year of high school with some productivity.
Thanks for any suggestions.
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I hate talking about school in terms of how many hours per day must be done, but this school year (8th) has been awful. My DS is an Aspie and has ADD; his ADD meds. stopped working at the beginning of the school year. We've had to be very careful with medication because of his anxiety and haven't found anything else that works.
Anyway, I had been focusing on my DS completing his assignments, but this year has degenerated into forcing him into a minimum five hours per day to have any privileges, e.g., computer game access. In the near term, I expect I may have to keep this up, which makes me wonder how many hours per day do your 9th graders work?
Yes, I know this isn't the attitude he needs to carry into college, so it's another thing to add to the list of what he needs to learn during high school. Meanwhile, I need to get him through his first year of high school with some productivity.
Thanks for any suggestions.
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I'm placing my order right now. I'm so glad I saw this; theater is my DS's #1 interest. He's aging out of the local Children's Theater's plays and most traveling shows come through here are musical theater, in which he has no professional interest.
This should make a great supplement to his "after school" theater classes.
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No. I'd consider any student who has turned 18 by graduation to be normal. They'd be in 12th grade in public school.
Now, my DD will just have turned *17* by the time she graduates. THAT is one year early.
I agree. I had just turned 17 when I graduated. If I hadn't skipped a grade, I would have graduated just after turning 18. I didn't start school at all early.
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I agree with the other posters about knowing your CC. Ours is generally high quality but has gotten quite large with multiple campuses. My older DS is in a ps magnet program that's on the CC campus. He spends mornings in CC classes and afternoons in ps classes. This is pertinent because I've learned lots about how the credits are handled. Our state colleges will take all the credits (he has been taking only classes that are "college track"); some of the best private colleges in our state won't take any of the credits. The private colleges out of state are all over the map with some (esp. top tier schools) refusing to take any of those credits, while a few (Univ. of Chicago) will consider taking some if he passes their placement tests. I think George Washington U. and American U. were also open to taking some credits; Georgetown will not, but they seem disinterested in any student who needs to ask how much the school costs.
He and his best friend took foreign language classes this last semester. I'd really hoped to send my younger son (the one I do HS) to CC for foreign language. My older DS is fluent in 2 languages and his friend is fluent in 3; these are kids who learn language fairly easily. Both of them had horrible experiences in this CC department. So even in a generally well regarded CC, there are going to be weak areas. At least I learned it with Random. My younger DS has already had so many bad foreign language experiences that I shudder to think of his having another.
One last thought. I think CC classes can still be valuable for getting our kids used to a college like atmosphere and an opportunity for grades from outside the family. Even if my older DS goes to a school that doesn't take his credits, he's nevertheless had a good opportunity to take some college classes on economics and confirm he's still interested in majoring in it.
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I'm glad this was bumped; it was interesting for a relative newcomer to homeschooling. Hearing from more experienced homeschoolers was particularly useful for me, especially since we tend to stay at home rather than run around town. I was planning to outsource high school Spanish when we got there, but I've recently learned our CC is quite weak in foreign language instruction.
I'm glad posters have stayed away from criticizing particular curriculum choices. I know my math choice is often unpopular, but it's worked for my DS. (If I were homeschooling his older brother, I'd probably have him using something else.)
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This is the third year we'll be using the CAT, and I've always given it untimed. When my DS left ps in 6th grade, his 504 plan allowed for extended time on standadized tests. I've been using that as my basis.
I like Tiramisu's idea though. I expect I'll time this one and see how he compares to the "allowed" time. It's particularly useful for us because my DS will be in high school next year and he's an Aspie. With the new DSM coming out, it'll be useful to find out how important this accommodation. (Two of my big fears concerning the DSM V are that he'll be left with nothing but an ADHD diagnosis while needing more and/or that we'll be expected to fork out another $1,500 plus for a fresh eval.)
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We never planned to HS at all until we had to pull our younger DS out of school in 6th grade. Then we were only going to do it for a year or two, no further than middle school. We're starting high school next year, and I am a bit intimidated.
However, I've had to tutor our older son (who's continued in ps for various reasons) on multiple subjects. We've supplemented his history; I did all his grammar and punctuation instruction; I coached him on literary analysis; we're working on writing essays over the summer. And those are just the areas we supplemented; I'm sure there are other holes. Perhaps I should remind myself of that more often when I start to panic about high school.
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I wonder how old you are and how close you are to menopause. There is a very real thing called menopause brain fog. http://www.urmc.roch...dex.cfm?id=3436
I'm in my early 50s and I can tell this is a problem, too. I have read that it will eventually clear off and diet and exercise will help, but still, it's a pain.
I know I have this in addition to fibro fog, which is a similar brain fog but caused by fibromyalgia. I hope the menopause based brain fog eases up; I had more than enough fibro fog already.
This appears in our house as me telling dd "I am not the dictionary-if you don't understand a word look it up (in that book-the one next to you)." If she still doesn't get it I am happy to help but sometimes they need to learn to take responsibility for acquiring knowledge and using a dictionary is a great first step. We've just reached a point finally where the books exceed her vocabulary and context isn't always helpful. At the start of 9th she was given her own personal dictionary for just such occasions. I'd like to break that "ask mom first" habit before I'm getting 3 am phone calls from uni :001_rolleyes:
My DS is 2e and finds dictionaries overwhelming. I finally bought him a small electronic one to ease him into the idea that asking me wasn't the first option. (This was even more important because my brain fog is almost overwhelming on rainy days. Also I remind him regularly that I'm not going to college with him.) Slowly I'm easing him into the several addtional resources we have: Oxford dictionary, etymology dictionary, thesaurus, and the American Heritage dictionary for historical definitions.
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I'm still planning, but I feel better than Tiger isn't the only one taking Algebra I next year. (We started hs late, and ps had accomodated his LDs so much that we started MUS Alpha in 7th grade and went from there. We're in Pre-Algebra right now.)
Math - MUS Algebra I
Writing - IEW SICC-B
Grammar - Fix It
Latin - LP 2
History - Ancient World - The spine will be SWB's book.
Literature - So many choices; I must narrow them down.
Science - Earth science - I'm still trying to decide on a curriculum.
I'm going to try to fit a programming course (courtesy of my sister) into the first semester, and return to Logic in the second semester.
I'm sure Tiger will do theater again, but that might be his only extra-curricular pursuit.
Anyone else not prefer Henle Latin?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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I didn't like Henle, though the grammar reference book is great. Choosing between the two, I'd take Wheelock.
We're using Latin Prep though I wouldn't recommend it for a teacher without any Latin background. It's a more manageable format for my foreign language challenged son. I've had lots of Latin, so it's easy for me to use. I don't know how well it would work for someone new to the language.