FWIW, I don't think that FAITH is about programming and loss of independent thought. ;)

To answer the question, yes. If dd doesn't believe in the Force we will send her to exile in the Degobah system. :tongue_smilie: Seriously, I would never think of teaching any child that only one way of religious thinking is the right way any more than I would tell her what books to read, music to listen to, hobbies to pursue. The world is a big place full of different people, places, and ideas. I trust that whatever it is my child grows up to believe about religion, or anything else for that matter, she will be a great human being. There are things having nothing to do with religion that I would like dd to grow up to believe, but I know better than to think a child is some sort of robot I can program. I'm not raising a mini version of myself or my dh. I'm raising a human being who (hopefully) is capable of independent thought.

I'm contemplating using TRISMS next year. I have been putting history together myself. While dh and I are pleased with the input dd has received, it is a LOT of work, and the amount of output on dd's part needs to be increased a bit. I like the idea of TRISMS, that it is research based using various sources. I love that it incorporated IEW, which we already use. Dh likes that it incorporates science history. There are some things we'd like to know in order to help us make our decision. Hopefully some of you guys have opinions to share. I'm not sure whether I would start with HM or DAW. I have a young advanced student and I'm used to tweaking curriculum to fit her. This wouldn't be her first experience with HS level text. I am wondering if starting with HM would be best to gently get her used to the TRISMS way of doing things. It would also involve little to no tweaking on my part, which is tempting. At the same time, I don't particularly like the idea of a crashing through history from the ancients to the modern world in one year or even 2. I much prefer the idea of studying each time period in-depth. Input and opinions welcome. I also wonder if anyone has any input to share as to using this from a secular POV. We WANT dd to learn about the history of Christianity, along with other religions. We also want her to think about how religion has had both a positive AND negative impact on events. From what I see, TRISMS does not espouse a particular faith, but the questionaires do include questions on religious history. It seems easy enough to change up the questionaires if needed to include Islam, etc. Do the tests and quizzes include questions based on researching the history of one particular religion over another? Is there a good supplimental lit program that goes along with this? I know excerpts are included in the student materials, but I would like to do some studies of the full works if possible- more than book reports. I'd love to hear the good/bad/ugly from folks that have used this up close and personal. TIA! :001_smile:

Try phBB. It is super easy to load onto your webpage and easy to maintain. Lots of cool features, too.

I see you are in NC. As the law is written in NC, you could give a 12 year old a K level test, the kid could fail, and you would still be meeting the standardized testing requirement as long as you keep the scores on file for a year. So don't sweat it mom! Think of the testing as a way for you to get more information about your son. It sounds like you have a good plan- work with him over the summer to get him caught up on 1st grade, then start something else for 2nd.

We did it for social reasons. Dd has more opportunities to be grouped with her friends and make new ones.

I totally understand where you are coming from. When I first started homeschooling, we tried many groups. Even the secular groups were not fun at all. Homeschool group for me meant sitting around listening to a bunch of women talk about how their way of doing things was THE way and how everybody else was either a threat or not worthy. I won't even get into the groups we went to where the parents hardly did school at all (and I'm not talking unschooling). Once I went to a park day and introduced myself. I spent the next half hour sitting on a bench alone. When my daughter tried to play with the kids, they said they were playing a game. When she asked if she could play, they told her she didn't know how. And people wonder why some think homeschoolers have no social skills? It would take a LOT to get me to ever attend another homeschool group again. I'm lucky to have friends that have nothing to do with the fact I have a kid. I think those are the most important friends to have really. My daughter is a busy girl and makes friends easily. I get to meet and interact with a lot of other adults that way. Every once in awhile, I run into another homeschooler. A great number of them become friends because they are outside the homeschool bubble like me. Our kids are friends with *gulp* public school kids, eat McDonalds sometimes, and like the Jonas Brothers and crap like that. :tongue_smilie: I could not imagine ever telling my child not to talk to another child. I think that in the homeschooling community at large, there are those who are homeschooling for reasons that have nothing to do with the children and everything to do with the parents. I feel sorry for a lot of the moms. Their identities are all wrapped up in the children and they are over invested in their children's "success" (as defined by the goals of the parent). I would have had to start saying hello in different languages or using hand signals if I was sure someone was ignoring my hello and just didn't hear. I think it's always fun to make stupid people look even more stupid. It's also effective to let bullies know that their little games are not going to work. Hang in there. You are not alone. I love the "island of misfit homeschoolers" reference someone made awhile back. That's a pretty good way to describe me and the homeschool friends I have.

My dd was reading sight words as a baby/toddler. She taught herself how to read. The phonics instruction came with spelling after she was already reading well. A lot of gifted kids do not like to be put on the spot. Instead of pointing out words and asking her to read them, try pointing out words to her. Just make it very matter of fact, "This is the door we go in, it says WOMEN." Then just go in the door as normal. I know how you feel. You have this amazing little thing that is starting to read and you want to know just how much she knows. You want to figure out how she is processing this information so you can help her learn more. We had a copy of Phonics Pathways laying out on the table when dd was little. She would bring it to me when she wanted to look at it, not the other way around. It helped her to see the word patterns. Still, any reading practice was done by her alone in her bed at night with whatever books she selected. Another thing that helped her was my running my finger under words on the page as I read them. Had I tried to quiz her on words as a 2 year old, she would have completely shut down. We had no clue just how much she could actually read until she was closer to 4 and able to read most any book in the house. Before that, we just got little glimpses here and there whenever she decided to show us.

Hi all! It has been so long since I've been around. I took a board break then I had computer issues for like a month. But here it is April and I am just now getting back to reaching out beyond my usual online haunts. Life has been busy to say the least. Our school year has been going great. Dd is finished with her math and science, and almost finished with literature, grammar, and spelling. Her dance team won a 1st place overall trophy at their first competition, along with lots of other awards. We still have to get through recital and one more competition. It's also soccer season. I do not know how those of you with more than one kid do it. Even just trying to write this short post, my phone rang 6 times and I had to stop to help dh with the doggies. Anyway, looking forward to talking curriculum and everything else under the sun with you all again. ETA- to the person who just sent me a PM...I tried to answer you but your box was full.

Homeschooling should not be a way to opt out of reality. In reality we have to deal with bullies. I just had to deal with an adult one last week. Bullying doesn't work if the chosen victim doesn't allow himself to be the victim. When the little girl says she is going to beat him up, why does he not just laugh her out of the room? Is it true that she could beat him up? Maybe he needs to learn to defend himself. Pulling a kid out of school just so he can avoid being called names is not a good idea IMO. My dd has to deal with rotten kids all the time even though she's homeschooled. I could shelter her from every bad person, place, and experience, but that is just going to make her grow up to be damaged goods. I would go to the school psychologist and ask for some tools to help you TEACH your son how to stand up to bullies. I would ask for her to work with him on this at school also. Maybe her office can be a safe place for him to go when he isn't sure how to deal with a situation. But my main goal would be to empower my kid. Removing him from the situation only teaches that running away from our problems is a good idea.

This is the public perception homeschoolers have EARNED. Writing letters isn't going to change it. Writing letters is not going make the local homeschool group full of normal, happy children or psychologically healthy parents with full lives.

I wish I followed Canadian politics. This board has been as much fun as a scrapbooking party lately. I guess SWB doesn't realize some women don't sit around our homes cooking, cleaning, and serving men.

In my house this would be called breaking he honor code. It would be a serious offense and would result in loss of privileges for a week, possibly. My dd struggled with a couple concepts in biology. I requite 80% to pass and there were 2 times she didn't make it. So I did have her review the module again, and I made sure to give her extra help, as well has have her dad help her so he could provide info from a new angle. Again, I would consider this breaking the honor code. Serious consequences would follow. I don't think you need assigned times for subjects. I just think the kids need to realize this is serious business. Here, no workie workie= no playie playie. You want TV- schoolwork has to be finished. You want computer- same deal. Outside with friends? Not if the Latin page you turned in looks like a sloppy mess. She has taken until 5-6 PM before doing school. That's on her. I don't let it bother me. Sure, I can;t go out anywhere, but I can talk on the phone, surf the net, or find something else to do to occupy my time. One day I had a friend help me out and come over here with her kid. The kid got to go in dd's room and play with her stuff since dd wasn't finished with her work. That was a good lesson learned right there. I also make her see how good it is when she finishes her work quickly and accurately. Wow- we have time for you to bake a cake. There is time to go shopping. She can watch a movie or play Club Penguin for a couple hours if she wants. Your kids sound like totally normal kids in that they are trying to test you to see what they can get away with. Just hang in there and keep them accountable. I know it's stresful, but trust me- if you stay firm and calm there are better days ahead!

My dd will appreciate this very much. I wonder if they will be nice and give her free coffee too since she is going to stand in line and fill out the ballot for her dad.

If they like P&P they should see Emma. After they see Emma, they should see Clueless which is a modern adaptation. My dd just fell in love with The Crucible. She also loves Gone With the Wind and Titanic.

Considering I don't have a basement full of all the curriculum my child would need, if I could not afford to buy school books for my child, my child would be in public school and I would be working.

You don't have to say it to the child. Children can very easily pick up on parent's non verbal language. If the OP truly believes this about her son, he knows it, whether it's spoken to or around him or not. We all do it. I've had moments where thought "Golly dd is lazy." But in most situations it's not an ongoing thing. We might think something in a moment, but then the moment passes and is turned into a more healthy attitude- I need to make sure to find ways to model self motivation, or I just thought of a new way to help dd be more self motivated. The way this post was phrased made it sound like more of an ongoing thing. The kid is, and "has always been this way." I'm not saying the parent is bad or wrong for thinking this. Often, when a situation has been left unchecked for a long period of time, the parent's psyche is effected just as the child's is. That's why there are no ways that exist to successfully modify children's behavior that don't involve changes on the part of the parents. I am totally for kids volunteering. My own dd does so. Sometimes she has a choice in the matter and sometimes not- like if it is something her dance class etc. is doing. However, I think the parent also has to model that behavior to the child and I think that's key especially in a situation where the child may very well see himself as the center of the family universe.

My TV is on all day long. We're not actively watching it, but it's on. I actually watch maybe 3 hours a day on an average day. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

I do this with my 7 year old. It does not effect her own opinions to examine things closely from the opposite POV. In actuality, it often makes her original position more solid.

They should allow you to fill out a provisional ballot.

Well, first of all, think about how you described the kid here. While there might be personality traits of his that aren't your favorites, describing an 11 year old child in that manner is not what I would consider to be a healthy thing. It is quite common for homeschool children to more easily fall into the "golden child" syndrome. Mom and dad pour so much time and energy into the child the child comes to think of himself as more important than he really is. The key here IMO is not to force him into serving others, but into serving himself. Do you make all his meals? Do you do his laundry? Does he have a pet that He is responsible for? Does he have other teachers and adults in his life that have high expectations from him? Do you have a life outside the home? Does he have to miss out on things sometimes because you have somewhere you have to be, work you have to do outside the home, etc? How are his relationships with his friends? How often does he get invited to sleepovers, out to movies, etc? If you see that he isn't very popular, that might be because of not showing thoughtful behavior when he is invited to spend time with friends. Approaching it from that angle is something that could be effective in getting him to look outside himself a bit. Is his self esteem really high, or is he pumping himself up because in reality he doesn't like himself very much? Does he hear you calling him things like "self absorbed" or "his own personal idol"? Low self esteem could also be the cause of not having a lot of friends. Do other kids make fun of him? Having high self esteem and having no problem putting yourself first in certain situations is actually a good thing.

Because the school's job is to educate children and in this case, they are doing something very beneficial. It is a good skill to be able to argue anything. I often give dd7 writing assignments where she has to argue a point I know she doesn't believe. If you go to a good college and plan to major in something like history or polisci, you will be doing this a lot.

Well, see this is us. I just give dd money when she is invited somewhere. BUT- that's for basic expenses. Sometimes she brings some of her own money along for extras. My dh loves that book you mentioned. We do use rewards here, but they are not expected. For example, if dd did something really great one day, I might appear out of nowhere with a bowl of ice cream at 9AM. Her dad might surprise her with a lunch date at McDonald's. Personally, I think expected rewards can be detrimental.

We have had great luck finding friends through the Davidson Young Scholars Program. Most of the kids dd has befriended live pretty far away, but she can keep contact by phone, email, and IM. Even just that little bit of contact helps her TREMENDOUSLY. If your child qualifies for the program, it is a great resource in many ways. Also, some places have very active Mensa groups for kids. It is much easier to qualify for Mensa than DYS. You can find out online if there is a children's coordinator in your area.

Yes, but when you send them with another family, do you expect the other family to pay for it or to keep track of your child's money? My POV is that if my child is to have the freedom to do such things, she should also be capable of managing her own money while she is there. And since she doesn't want to be that lonely kid who never gets invited or goes anywhere, she has learned to manage her money quite well. When I take other children with us, they have their own money. I would be sort of offended if my dd invited another child to the beach for a week and the parents expected me to pay for everything. Of course, I do buy things for the friend to be nice, but I would be offended if it was expected. I guess the point I am trying to make is that while your kids might have no need for spending money at 5 or 6, there are plenty of kids out there who very much do. Some parents give allowance and expect thier children to use it for things like movies, etc. My dd invited a friend just this weekend to see HSM, but the girl couldn't go because she had already spent her allowance. I think this is very admirable, although we don't give allowance.