Barbara H
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Posts posted by Barbara H
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While there is not an official topic of choice I think this prompt will function much the same way: "Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."
I'm very glad they've bumped it up to 650 words and that there is a firm limit now.
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Congrats. I bet it will be a huge relief to be able to give him what he needs without having to negotiate and ask permission every step of the way.
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Great that you got the appointment. Will you be able to bring someone else along? It is really helpful not to have to watch your child while you are talking to the doctor if possible. Far from an expert on this but as a parent I might ask if her balance and coordination seem okay, if she has any one side of the body weakness, if she's got any joint laxity/hypermobility, or problems with muscle tone. Not sure if any of those are a concern, but those are issues that sometimes go with sensory issues and where the neurologist may be able to give a more accurate and detailed assessment than the therapist.
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Congrats on nearly finishing your CPA - that's a huge accomplishment. I believe there is a middle ground. There is a strong need in nonprofit for smart, ethical, hardworking financial officers. The salaries are not as high as they are in the for profit sector, but that may be offset by greater job security, better retirement and better medical benefits. And, also obviously the satisfaction of doing something you find to be meaningful. When I worked in nonprofit (in an organization related to Appalachian poverty by the way) some of the finance people were there to pursue a passion for service but also looking for a more sane life where they knew they could leave at 4:30 and be home with the family.
One place to start might be with contacting some nonprofits in your area and see if you can set up an informational meeting with a financial officer to find out more about what their day to day job is like. Make it clear when you contact that you aren't looking for a job, but instead debating long term if you want to go corporate or nonprofit. You won't get rich in nonprofit, but I wouldn't see this as some kind of far flung follow your crazy passion living on love sort of thing. You absolutely could be making a comfortable middle class living as a financial officer in nonprofit.
I just glanced at this briefly but it looks like a good overview. http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/Chief-Financial-Officer/FeaturedPublications1/NonprofitChiefFinancialOfficer.aspx#.UQ8iumeum-Y
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Yep, my oldest son broke his toe last year and that was all they did. The taping does help though. Without it the toe takes longer to heal.
My advice if you go to the doctor, grab the tape out of their hands and tape it yourself. The orthopedist "buddy taped" my son's pinky toe and then billed $150 for an "in office procedure." Our insurance denied it because they didn't pre-approve it. Seriously, $150 for taping together two toes. It took several phone calls to get it resolved.
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Yes tunics and capes are a great place to start. There are lots of tutorials and YouTube videos on making simple no sew tunics. For Halloween costumes we had a lot of success starting in the women's section of the thrift store - the smaller sizes can often be adapted to make good boy's costumes. It workes better than the men's section because the items are smaller and there is more diversity of options available. I found a lovely Talbot's shift dress became the foundation for a hypaspist (shield bearer in Alexander the Great's Army), a pair of women's linen pants and vest were the founation for a Teddy Roosevelt Rough Rider costume, some mismatched plaids became a Gaul warrior and so on.
I haven't taken it, but this class also seems like it might be fun. http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Costume-Box-Dress-Up-for-Holiday-and-Every-Day/35
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I'm not worried about being able to cover the material adequately at home. I'm more concerned about how it will look on transcripts to not have any/many outside classes. I definitely plan on having them take some subject tests or AP or CLEP tests in addition to the ACT/SAT.
Just to put your mind at ease - I would not worry about it from an admissions perspective. While as homeschoolers we know all about stuff like AOPS, Lukeion, PA homeschoolers - unaccredited classes have almost no meaning to most people working in admissions. They may be wonderful and helpful but most people outside of homeschooling aren't really familiar with what these courses are like. Admissions knows about community college courses, APs, and SAT subject tests so any of those will be helpful.
The one thing I would pay attention to is having some contact with someone outside of the family who can write a recommendation that speaks to an academically related experience. The Korean teacher may be good. If ends up doing an internship or finding a mentor that could also be helpful. I liked the suggestion to look for free opportunities to develop his STEM skills (not sure which area of STEM but here are a few ideas: math tutoring, volunteering to do websites for organization, any kind of internship, teaching a co-op class for younger kids, getting involved in group computer programming projects, volunteering with organizations that do environmental testing, etc.
While it is easy to find ways to spend money homeschooling high school and they can make life easier, you don't have to and plenty of kids have gotten into good colleges without outsourcing courses.
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Three different friends sent me that U of Miami one this week.
This one is destined to be one of my all time favorites. Ten Percent U.S. High School Students Graduating Without Basic Object Permanence Skills http://www.theonion....ina-many,30903/ (profanity warning)
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I miss the ones that jingle. Here they blare midi type tunes at a volume too loud for the speakers. Loathe them, absolutely loathe them.
Here it is Christmas music - even during the middle of the summer. It is very odd.
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While covering difficult to cover content (like foreign language or science) is one reason many familes outsource, the other big one is more one of motivation. Some high schooler end up working much better for people outside of the family so outsourcing becomes a way to try to resolve that conflict. So knowing you don't plan to outsource it will be extra important to really work with your kids to build a good high school routine with clear expectations from the beginning of high school.
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She said GRE, not GED.
EEK! I'm giving up coffee cold turkey today. Can we just take this as evidence that was a really bad, bad, idea and now I get my coffee, please?
As far as the GRE, I would wait until later in college. Many grad schools will not accept GRE results that are over two years old. Also, if you are in a discipline that requires a subject test, you may not know a lot of that subject content until later in college. Many students study for and take the GRE during junior year.
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Edited: I should not be allowed to post without coffee.
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If it is a statistical comparision of colleges that you want - there are free online tools that will do that.
https://bigfuture.co...ompare-colleges
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
The College Navigator isn't pretty, but if you are motivated and want to spend some time on it, there is a lot of very good information there.
As far as books, my top suggestion would be Princeton Review's Paying for College Without Going Broke. Most libraries have it. I find it to be a more substantial book than Debt Free U. I also have many free articles on my site that you may find helpful. Here's one that explains how to start getting an idea what college will cost: Planning for College Costs
As a homeschool and college consultant, I believe I offer a valuable service that is personalized to the needs of individual families. I do not believe everyone needs to hire a college counselor. There is a lot of good information available online for people who have the time and interest to put it into context. I consider a consultant similar to hiring an accountant or a kitchen remodeler. It is just about your individual needs and abilities. I personally won't pay someone to do my taxes because that isn't hard for me, but I will happily pay someone with more expertise and training to do major home repairs (particularly if it keeps my family members who overestimate their competence at doing electrical work from doing it!) I'm not willing to pay for a $160 book that gives me generic advice about how to do home repairs though. It is pretty impossible to tackle the financial planning aspects of college without understanding how the student's academic profile comes into play and I'm not sure if that is represented in this book because I haven't seen it.
Finally, please do not pay for scholarship services because they are a scam.
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:grouphug:
I think (hope) that as long as we're thinking about what we're doing for our kids & why (being intentional), they'll forgive us when we screw up. We know we're going to be making some (many) mistakes with our son. We do the best we can with the knowledge we have and the abilities/energy/resources we have.
Very wise words! There are often posts on this board about kids who struggle with perfectionism, but it is good for us to keep an eye on our own perfectionism too. We aren't going to be perfect planners or perfect parents and if we could be that would be a loss for our kids because they wouldn't get to see us make mistakes and model flexibility.
I know it is frustrating not to be able to make plans but I think that's the nature of homeschooling, particularly younger gifted kids. You can plan but you may end up on plan c, plan d, plan e before it is over. It does get easier as they get older in part because it becomes easier to accept that they are ultimately the ones who are really responsible for their own learning.
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If you have a campus bookstore nearby - and they let you near the textbooks - it can be nice to go there and browse. It can be helpful to see what the current version of the book is like and then go home and buy an older edition on Amazon for a lot less money.
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Barb, if ds takes the AP courses from someone other than me, either the school or PA Homeschoolers, will he need additional study time outside of the class?
If he takes a solid course, such as the ones through PA Homeschoolers, they will likely include good test prep. I would expect in PA homeschoolers they will be writing many of the document based questions that I mentioned. For any APs I also suggest the student buy a test prep book (like Princeton Review, Cliff's, etc. - it varies from test to test which one is the best). It helps some students to look this over at the start of the year so they start to get an idea of the sort of test they are preparing for.
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Yes, absolutely there are colleges that will allow changes in curriculum for students with documented learning disabilities. You are doing the right thing by pursuing testing. There may also be schools where she may be able to substite a logic course for math.
This is a bit old but you may find this thread encouraging: http://dyscalculiaforum.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=1750
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It makes sense and I think it would work well. There really is no logical reason why US history should be in 10th grade in school - it is just habit and the way you've designed it makes more intuitive sense to me.
The one thing I'd suggest is making sure you budget time in the schedule for AP specific prep for AP World and APUSH. Just knowing a lot about about history won't necessarily get the student a good score on the exam. More than some of the APs there is some very specific teaching to the test that you need to do with learning how to do the specific format of the essays they require. I would suggest taking some time when you are planning with looking at materials on the College Board site so you can see if there is a way you can incorporate some of their style of document based questions and so forth as you go through those years.
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One of my favorites is when they show a picture of the stone columned entrance to the school and photo shop your dc's name in the stone as though it's been carved there! I don't think this strategy is completely new, we've been seeing these marketing ploys at least since oldest dd searched for colleges 5 years ago.
I get calendars like this from my insurance agent every year - a plane skywriting my name, my name in neon in Times Square, etc. It would have been my dream possession when I was ten years old. Now, I'd rather have the money off the cost of my insurance.
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It is a really tough age. You are doing the right stuff, keep plugging along and it will get better. I'd encourage you to try to set very little goals. Can she go for five minutes during math without crying - hooray she did it - everybody get up and dance. Small progress again and again will get her there.
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It is a good idea to get the government issue ID because he will likely need it for other purposes at some point too. He might even need it to get his college ID issued.
Of course kids are all different, but it has been my observation that students with Asperger's often prefer the ACT because it is more predictable. The ACT is shorter and the test sections are always in the same order so you know what to expect. The SAT is a longer test and they have an "experimental section" where they are trying out new questions and the students aren't told which section is experimental. So they can get a section with harder or weirder questions which can be an anxiety trigger. Also, there is no guessing penalty on the ACT that that is more comfortable for some students. I've also had some students with Asperger's who have struggled more with the reading section on the SAT because there are questions that require more interpretation and inference type skills whereas the ACT is a bit more straightforward.
As far as where to take the test, it varies by area but there are university test sites here for the ACT. If you go to the test registration online you'll be able to see the locations for your area.
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Here's some ideas..... for some ids if they are intellectually engaged the brain is busy and it doesn't have as much time to entertain anxious thoughts. When the task is so easy, the brain keeps itself busy and working with anxiety. Particularly for kids who are spending a lot of time with really engaging and challenging work - when they go back to the easy stuff they can be bringing the same amount of brute brain force to those easy problems. It is like they are used to driving a Ferrari on a racetrack and all of the sudden they are driving that same Ferrari on a residential street. They are hepped up and ready for the challenge and it isn't there - so they start overthinking and questioning.
Not when she's already upset, but another time, I'm wondering if you've tried engaging her in planning over this. Talk about "overthinking" and what it is like when her brain is slowed down but still looking for work. I'd also think about helping her set up some little goals. Instead of focusing on how many problems she gets correct, see if she can be engaged in setting small goals for how long she can keep her cool - 2 problems? 5 minutes? Try to shift to give her brain the job of keeping her thinking about her performance in check. Any chance something like this might help?
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Very sad... but very good that she is able to put those words into feelings and she trusts you enough to tell you. I hope you therapy helps her.
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I agree crates work best, but I understand that is off limits so I would work on the small space concept.
My first step would be to put the dog on "work for everything." Want me to open the door - sit. Want your bowl - sit. Want to be petted - sit. Absolutely nothing for free. Also, I would suggest getting some very high value treat like liver or cheese - and for a while going outside every time with the dog on the leash - work on a potty command and when poops or pees outside right away, treat and praise. And, repeat. Again and again on a regular schedule. You want him to learn he gets a reward for potty outside. You won't have to do the treats forever, but you are establishing a habit.
And, I hate to be the dissenter, but personally I would avoid the pads particularly with a young dog. At least give it a couple of weeks with a really good treat outside and see where you get first.
Have you heard/ used Dave Ramsey's Custom College Guide?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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Our "just visiting" poster got me curious and I took a closer look at the website. Disclaimer: My comments are just based on the information and samples on the website and there may be more elsewhere than what is visible there. If anyone has the actual program and would like to provide additional information I'm eager to hear it. From the website it appears the program offers four services. Here are my ideas for how you can get the same stuff for free.
1. College profiles for six schools. http://a248.e.akamai...llegeSpread.pdf
This is information like contact information, address, how many students attend the college, etc.
If you want this information for free not just for six colleges but for every college in the country: It is available on many easy to use consumer websites. A lot of families find the College Board to be the very easiest to use site, but there are others (see above) that have more complete information. I would encourage not to just read this demographic information though - check out the college website, look at online tours, visit, etc. Nobody should pick their college based
on a pie chart!
2. College Cost Comparisons (not factoring in merit aid or scholarships) http://a248.e.akamai...downSpread.pdf
If you want this information for free not just for six colleges but for every college in the country (and you would like some estimates about merit aid): http://netpricecalcu...legeboard.org/ http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
3. Noncustomized List of Scholarships
If you want this same information for free: www.fastweb.com
Just a note though, please be cautious in the amount of time you devote to this. Private scholarships amount to less than 5% of the total aid for college - most comes from state and federal and from the colleges themselves. Sure, 5% is something and some kids do well with this, but this depends on your academic profile and financial need how much it will pay off. The homeschoolers who you hear about getting huge merit scholarships are most often getting them directly from the colleges they attend. That's why college selection is so important.
4. Free FAFSA: Finally according to the video they even make it so you can apply for the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for free.
If you want to file to for free you are in luck, as it is actually free to file the FAFSA. That's why the first F stands for free. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Finally, I just want to really encourage everyone to carefully consider college fit as a key factor in college cost. Just submitting six colleges to find out which one is least expensive (not factoring in merit aid) doesn't tell you which six colleges to pick out or how to be well prepared to be successful there.
We need to remember that just 60% of students who enter college have earned a college degree six years later. One reason why students don't complete is financial, but research suggests that lack of acadmic and social fit are very significant as well. Students who are at a college that is not a good fit often end up transferring and adding more cost to college, taking longer to graduate, or dropping out with no degree. I am passionate about the need for families to look carefully at costs and to be informed consumers and part of that is avoiding making decisions that are penny wise and pound foolish.
So, does that all make sense? Let me know if this was helpful and if there is anything I can clarify. Happy college hunting to all!