In many ways, I am happy with my introvert self. What brings me pause, is that sometimes I am pretty sure I am being selfish in not making the effort to do or care for others--people I love who need some encouragement or help, or helping meet needs in my community. I don't want to become self-absorbed (in contrast to healthy self-care) and fail to reach out to others because the effort seems too much. The older I get, the more introverted I become, and I want to keep a balance of having interests and people outside of my home to challenge me and keep me learning and growing, in addition to those inside my home (or inside my books :001_smile: ). I also have a strong extrovert son, and want to make sure I meet his needs while helping him learn to entertain himself a bit. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: I don't know if I would have ever thought of this--other than an isolated speech here or there, but what a great and inspiring idea. My sons are not to the rhetoric stage yet, so I might have come across something like this as they got older, but now I will be specifically planning for it. Going to type it in my "future curriculum" plans right now!

In addition to so many of the above, realize that you both will change, grow, and mature (hopefully :tongue_smilie:). So even if you have it all talked out and figured out before you marry, you'll need to be flexible with the changes. (I.e., we were going to have 3 kids; we have 6 :001_smile: ) Change is not (necessarily) a bad thing--we all do it. And the way you both present yourselves to each other before marriage is going to look a little different once you've relaxed a bit. So you are always having to renegotiate some things, and you can't assume that just because you knew your spouse before you married, that you still know them--you have to keep up the communication and the efforts to court and pursue, in order to nurture the ever-changing relationship between ever-changing people, even after 30 years (married 31) :001_wub: .

I do think this is anecdotal. Some of the strongest introverts in my family are also the most confident/competent and independent. It's a bit interesting to watch how it plays out.

For me, I use them for different things. I like my old Kindle for travel, books I will probably read only once, and light reading. Also, I like it sometimes for deciding if I want a hard copy of a more serious book to mark up. :) I really like the dictionary feature--and miss it when I read hard copies, and also like being able to choose larger font, as my eyes are not great. But I still love to read hard copies for the feel, because I like to mark up non-fiction books, for books with charts and illustrations, it's easier to find specific passages, and I like to check back on things I've read a few pages or chapters ago.

I haven't got it yet, but this book has really good reviews, plus the reputation of the author: http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-Algebra-Edward-Zaccaro/dp/0967991528/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1PVQ38AOMJIZ5&coliid=I2GEJRQ965K52P

Wow. Sounds beautiful and amazing. And I love it when weddings have personal touches unique to the bride and groom.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I am pretty sure we will stick with Saxon. He likes straightforward explanations. But I'm looking for some things for "fun" along the side. I was looking at Zaccoro's books last night, and put some on my wish list. Just wondering what books--math or actually science as well--would continue to feed his interest and excitement. He has also really enjoyed Science Matters this year.

We like Hake as well. It doesn't take a very long time, and is very thorough. One thing my factoid ds enjoys is that each lesson uses sentences covering some theme, and he enjoys the random information he learns as he does the lesson. I don't use the Writing portion, but we do like the grammar lessons.

28. I found this interesting. I generally read people very well, and expected to score a little higher.

Thanks, all! I think we will get them for next year. He's studied Roots of English this year, and I don't really want to do a formal vocabulary study because we already have a lot planned for next year that will be pretty heavy. But I thought this looked like a fun way to add it in.

what else will he love? This is my 12yo. I am in the middle of trying to figure out what to do with him for math next year, and have posted several questions on the different boards. He likes Saxon because their explanations are so clear. He did not like MM. He is interested in engineering. I am thinking of using Saxon but with some of the Singapore books for "fun" (CWP? but do they just go through 6th?) Or maybe just other books like Perilous, in order to stretch his mind in ways to use math. Or maybe switch to Singapore, but I'm in a muddle as to whether this is wise at this point without having done Primary with Singapore. Arghh. He has finished Saxon 7/6 for this year, and we are just filling in with this book for fun as we finish up our other subjects. TIA

So cute! It really shows off her features.

I, too, want them for a middle schooler. I want something that is different from working through a vocab workbook, but that stretches his vocabulary a little more than simply reading. This looked like a rather painless option.

Has anyone used these? If so, what did you think? Helpful or not?

When one of my daughters was using Keystone, she took their Honors English 9 class. It was a good class, and she learned a lot. The Honors class had to do some journaling along with the reading that she said was a benefit over the other class, because it helped with other assignments that everybody had. I think their listing said it took about 20 hours over the other class to complete the work. She started out a little bumpy, but then I advised her to write the teacher back and ask her to clarify what she wanted as per some of her comments on the work. DD was glad she took it.

No, I wouldn't switch from Saxon due to their paper. I will try to get used hardbacks instead. I just included that info to show more the type of "look" he prefers--he likes a clean, uncluttered look, and is sensitive to the presentation, not just the material, if that makes sense. I posted some other questions on the high school board, but since we are talking about starting in 7th, I posted here. I will probably stay with Saxon for prealgebra, but add in some Perilous Math, logic books, etc., for this year, and then either continue that or go with Algebra I: A Fresh Approach. The switch would be because I want to make sure he is getting a broader look at how to use mathematics, especially since he is interested in a STEM field.

:iagree: I have written a document similar to this (not using the word "custody") in case of an emergency where a hospital visit might be involved, etc. This was when we were leaving our kids with my parents to go overseas for an adoption.

We found SOTW late, and I am glad we did. It has been a better fit for my older son than my younger one, understanding and interest-wise. We started at grades 5 and 2, respectively, and my older son is advanced in his comprehension. But he has followed and retained much more from SOTW than my younger son without being bored or feeling that he was being "talked-down" to, which he despises. Because he didn't have to work so hard to follow it, he was freer to enjoy the material and mentally play with it more.

Last night, I downloaded the sample chapters for Alg. 1 and Geometry. The pages are straightforward and clean. The explanations are nice and clear. I think this will be a good fit for my son--but I still have another year to agonize over the decision. ;) http://www.aplusses.com/zencart/

Ok, thank you so much!

Bump and a clarification question for Miss Marple. So, do you feel that A Fresh Approach followed all the way through would have given an equivalent background to Singapore through the same levels? (I guess that would be the three books FA books compared to the three DM books?) How do the explanations compare, as in ease in understanding what they are trying to explain?

I'm trying to figure out what to do for my ds12 for upper math. We are planning to do pre-algebra next year. He has preferred Saxon so far, but since we are at the break between elementary math and pre-algebra, I want to make sure we are headed in the direction we want to go from here on. I tried Math Mammoth for a few months last year, and he hated it. He felt that the explanations were not clear, which is what he likes about Saxon. He likes to play with ideas, but the "discovery method" for daily math would not be his thing. (He likes the Perilous Math book, for instance, and loves logic.) He wants a clear presentation/explanation, no frills, and then let's work the problems. He does not like the Saxon paper (for the homeschooling packs), and I do not have the hardbacks, at least not yet. He does not like lots of sidebars and a busy page, though color is okay. He is interested in engineering. I cannot really tell yet if he is "mathy" in the algebraic sense. Geometry, spacial skills, conceptual physics, etc., yes. I did well in math through Algebra 2, but never cared for it except for geometry, which I loved. So I need for the books to explain the problems well. So, here are my questions: 1. Would Singapore be a good fit for his learning style? (Mastery approach is okay if there is enough review along to keep previous topics fresh.) I.e., if he dislikes MM, will he dislike Singapore? 2. If so, NEM or DM? 3. What books are needed, i.e., do you get the workbook as well as the text? TIA

Thanks, Cynthia. I am not familiar with the way Singapore is organized. We will just be doing pre-algebra next year, but I am trying to look ahead. Ds did not like Math Mammoth at all ("they don't explain things well"), yet he seems to be mathy in a very organized, linear way. He prefers an approach like Saxon, but I'm planning to add Alcumus (sp?) to the mix to see what he does with it. I don't think AOPS books would be a good fit for him, yet he is thinking that engineering is in his future, so I want to make sure he has a strong background.

Has anyone taken a look at this? It was mentioned on Cathy Duffy's latest email review. Here's the review from her site: http://cathyduffyrev...-Geometry.htm�� Looks interesting, and I'd like to hear from anyone else who has reviewed it. ETA: Link doesn't work. Not sure how to fix it. Let me see if I can copy the email: A Fresh Approach High School Math Series Author: Christy Walters The Fresh Approach high school math texts look like typical, hard cover school textbooks on the outside, but the insides are not typical.... In the algebra texts most lessons begin with relatively brief teaching of a new concept, generally followed by not just one, but perhaps up to six examples with thorough explanations. Examples sometimes use real situations or applications that make it easier to grasp what you are trying to accomplish. Walters teaches by "showing" through the examples rather than just presenting information. Examples are followed by many practice problems so that students master each concept. The Geometry lessons include detailed explanations and examples but these are generally prefaced with more teaching and presentation of postulates and theorems. Walters' teaching style is "user-friendly" with a conversational tone. She walks students through concepts as if she were sitting next to them, noting pitfalls to avoid or potential difficulties to which students should be alert.... For each course, the text is divided into chapters, and chapters are divided into "Parts." Each Part teaches a single concept.... Read my full review here... See the complete review for more details on each course. The first chapter and the Table of Contents for each book are available for download so you can try before you buy.