This year I used Bravewriter in a similar situation. Honestly, the price tag is a killer but it directly addressed my son's needs. He also has a strong vocabulary and his spelling and grammar are rarely an issue. But - the drama! The torture!!! He started with Kidswrite Intermediate and then took Expository Essay: Exploratory and Persuasive. I also signed him up for the May SAT Essay Class, as he really needs to work on timed essays before college. I am planning to move on from Bravewriter next year...but I am keeping some money aside for an additional class if I think he really needs one.

I've never had a dw and this is what I do. Of course, I am not always the one actually doing them, but the dishes are washed by someone about 3 times a day.

I am enjoying it very much and we are not an adoptive family....but I haven't cried yet. It's sweet but I am not yet that invested in the characters. Then again, I rarely cry over TV shows.

If I were trying to use all BW classes for English I would be sure to choose from the Literary Analysis classes along with the Expository Essay classes. Maybe a fiction writing or a journalism class as well? Actually - I would still feel that I had to add a significant amount of reading. IMO, High School English should be a good balance between literature and composition. eta: I had my son take 2 BW essay classes this year and he will be doing the SAT Essay class in May. I added plenty of reading, including poetry, short stories, novels, non-fiction. We discuss everything but haven't done any written literary analysis this year. Any non-BW writing has been for History. He is also working through a Vocabulary book, reviewing grammar, doing SAT prep. Even though I know that he will spend more than 180 hours on English this year, I see the gap that no lit analysis writing leaves. Next year, we'll add it back in, even if he has to do less of something else.

Lee Easy Fit capris are very relaxed through the leg - I bought them on Amazon.

Our oldest got married last weekend, so this is very fresh in my mind! We also gave them a lump sum, no strings attached, last summer. His parents gave them a similar amount but they did have a few requests,,,,but I tried to stay out of it. My daughter and son-in-law paid for the rest. We paid for the shower and his family paid for the rehearsal dinner. The venue and meal were the biggest hit - cocktail hour and sit-down meal, open bar (no shots). But the variety, amount, and delicious-ness were amazing! The package included a honeymoon suite, a room upstairs for all the girls to dress, great service. But it was actually a "good deal" in that they have a special winter price - February is a lot cheaper than May! Oh - the wedding was in a charming old restaurant/hotel in NJ. George Washington may not have slept there...but the Continental Army stored their grain there! I think that there were about 90 guests. Most of my extended family were not invited...but only a few were offended. Oh well - I have about 30 cousins and there was no way we could invite them all, so my daughter invited the "matriarchs" from each side of the family. My husband's family is tiny, but she also invited only 1 older couple. But all my siblings/spouses/nieces/nephews were there! They had live music (guitar and violin duo playing folk music - exquisite) for the ceremony and cocktail hour, but no DJ, just a laptop with several Spotify playlists. The dress was not that much, I thought - $700 plus alterations. BHLDN has some lovely, unusual dresses, if anyone is looking! The bridesmaids went to David's Bridal, so not too much. They tried to save money in several ways - no limos, as the ceremony and reception were held in the same place. no tuxes - the men in the bridal party wore grey suits, whatever they owned. The only flowers were the bouquets and the table centerpieces. We did have someone do our makeup, but she was an acquaintance and did not charge full price. The photographer was a friend of a friend. One of the bridesmaids works in film and has done a few weddings herself so she found someone who does weddings on the side - the woman is a professional food photographer, but saw this as a favor so also didn't charge full-price. OP - I can PM you some exact prices and photos if you are interested!

Frederick Douglass, then Booker T Washington, then WEB DuBois, then Malcolm X. I'm sure there are other writers and memoirs but I have found these to be a good amount to add to a year of US history. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Just heard Friday I'm in Love on Pandora :hurray:

My kids all love Howard Jones Radio and New Order Radio on Pandora.

Penelope - hmm...lots to think about there. I haven't thought about how his transcript will look, only what he wants to learn! I could...drop the business math work to one semester and then add - I need to research this more. Definitely a case of not knowing what I don't know! Wintermom - good point. He has used MLA citation but he is very shaky and doesn't want to go in depth for a paper and I want him stronger in this before college. But that time might be better spent writing a few shorter papers, maybe for Govt and Eco, and then doing other stuff.... Thanks!!

About the Senior Thesis - when my older girls were Seniors, they each chose an elective - one Philosophy, one Psychology. They did a lot of reading and thinking, then research, then a large research paper. I advised them, but it was really independent study. I want my son to have a similar experience before college, but he is not interested in doing it independently, or at all. And it is part of my first priority goal for him - writing writing writing! So a 1-semester class that teaches research paper skills is, I think, a good choice for him. About the math for Engineering - he has come late to a love for math/physics and there is no way he will complete a higher level of math than Pre-Calculus before college. If he were further ahead in math with amazing grades, I would consider looking at Cooper Union or NYU (hoping for merit aid) or City College. Oh - we live in NYC and he wants to stay home and put any money we/he have/has into tuition, not room and board. If he decides that he wants to pursue Engineering, he can start at one of the CCs here and, if he get strong grades in math and Physics, transfer to a 4-yr school. About the math for Business - this would be in addition to Pre-Calc, not instead. He's looked at accounting and business math classes and he found the accounting programs too narrow. The Bus Math we looked at had some acctg plus other topics. He wants to get a feel for different aspects of math-in-business, which is why I thought we might add Statistics to the mix. Since he is also taking Economics, he hopes to get a better idea of how he might actually use math if he majored in Business or Finance. There are several schools in the area that would be a good choice for business....just not a lot that would have a good foundation for both Engineering and Business! So we're trying to prepare a bit in both directions. Pre-Calculus is, of course, foundational to both. We considered having him take a more advanced Physics course, but I think he needs Chemistry on his transcript. And he'll have to take Chem as a pre-requisite for the Engineering and Physics programs we've looked at and I don't want that to be the first time he's taken Chemistry since the 8th grade. About Speech class - he took Debate for 2 years and, sadly, the teacher moved on. We've been looking to start the class up again and if we can work it out, we will definitely add that, no matter what else we are doing! But he is fairly comfortable with public speaking, thanks to debate. About a job - things are tight here. His competition for jobs are either college kids or kids in the city jobs programs...though I have been keeping my eyes/ears open! About the d***ed video games. All of his friends are homeschooled, so you would think that they would see each other more often. But online classes and sports have them on such different schedules and often 5-6 weeks will go by before he can get together with anyone. Youth group at church is another bunch of kids and soccer yet another but, while he likes several of the kids, he hasn't developed any let's hang out/go to the movies/come over because my Mom made brownies relationships, kwim? So he does have a lot of alone time and I have not been that willing to cut down his game time since I do feel badly about him being alone so much. But he is almost 17 and I want him to grow up a bit...so I need to make a firm plan over how much is too much. But I am not sure exactly how much IS too much, and neither is my husband. This is a parenting thing and even as I am typing this, I am seeing some ways we could be more proactive here. Thanks for all the ideas!!! I don't have to make any actual final decisions until the summer, but online classes fill up fast and I like to plan ahead.

My son will be a senior next year. I've planned 12th grade before with my 3 daughters but every time is different! My priorities for him this year are - Writing writing writing Enough Math to help him see if he wants to pursue engineering or business (he's interested in both), as it will help in deciding on a college Managing his time better, in preparation for college To finish High School in NY, he is required to take: Economics - .5 credit (Textbook, extra reading, a few tests, writing) Government - .5 credit (Textbook, extra reading, a few tests, writing) English - 1 credit (Reading, writing, including an online Lit Analysis workshop, some grammar, polishing off a Vocab book) Art/Music - .5 credit (maybe music history, maybe some theory, maybe photography, maybe a little of each) PE - .5 credit (PT for his scoliosis, exercise, soccer) I am requiring a few more classes: Pre-Calculus - 1 credit (with Jann in TX @myhomeschoolmathclass) Chemistry - 1 credit (probably DIVE with Zumdahl World of Chemistry and a lab kit, maybe an online class - dithering on this one) Senior Thesis - .5 credit (Memoria Press Online) He has requested 1 class: Business Math - 1 credit (ABeka or ALEKS) Other possibilities: Statistics - can I fit in a half credit course here? Do half as much Business Math and add Statistics for a full credit of BusMath/Statistics? I know that he'll take it in college no matter what he majors in, so is it really necessary right now? Spanish - he'll be about 2/3 through BTB 2 in June. Should he do another full year, finish BTB 2, get as far as he can in BTB3, and call it Spanish 3? Switch to an online class where he'll get more speaking practice and call it Spanish 3? Can we just wrap up the end of the BTB 2 book, add some reading, conversation, and review, and call it Spanish 2.5 for a .5 credit? He doesn't want to forget everything he knows but we are both thinking of maybe maintaining, not learning more. Without Spanish and/or Statistics, and not counting PE, he would be taking 6 credits. It's unlikely that we will be having him look for a job this year so I think he has room for some more work. But how much more? And maybe a job would be even better than adding anything? My budget has been increased a bit, so I can add an online Chemistry class or an online Spanish class...but probably not both without dropping the writing classes, which are my #1 priority. Bottom line - he is not a self-starter and will spend most of his free time playing video games with his friends and never think to pick up a book. But he actually likes to read and especially enjoys any non-fiction I give him. He'll do whatever he is assigned and he is getting better about not dragging his heels on the boring stuff so I want to keep him busy, without overloading him. And there are college applications coming up, so I need to allow time for that. So my actual questions are - should he keep up with Spanish? How much should he do? Should I add Statistics, either as a stand-alone or as part of Business Math? Do less academics and look for a job? Any thoughts?

Here are a few that my son has read over 10th-11th grade. Some he liked better than others but they were all thought-provoking. Some of these are pretty Christian-specific, though I think that Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer are of general interest. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys by Micheal Collins Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life by Colin Duriez The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew Churchill by Paul Johnson End of the Spear by Steve Saint He's read other excellent biographies, but I don't think Hitler or Stalin fit your criteria!

My son just finished reading The Incorporation of American: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age by Allen Trachtenberg and found it fascinating. The other non-fiction big hit this year was Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys by Michael Collins.

Here is a testimonial for Jann in Tx's Alg 2, Jetta's Physics, and Bravewriter - Last year my son was a B student who did the minimum and figured that an 88 was just fine. He was indifferent to both math and science - actually, all of his schoolwork. He did the work but that was it. He reads well so History and Literature were ok, but anything that required an effort was like dragging him up a hill. This school year he has been taking Alg 2 with Jann and Physics with Jetta and he is seriously like a different kid. He works hard. He gets his work done in plenty of time. He does his best even when he is not that interested in a particular lesson. He likes problem-solving. He is averaging about a 96 in each class. By keeping everything else inexpensive, I had just enough left to put into a few Brave Writer classes. He did not enjoy them at all but I saw real improvement. And it has lasted outside of the classes - he is able to use their method and write decently and without too much of a fuss. Part of me still thinks that they are over-priced but they were worth it for us. I wish that we could afford online classes for more subjects, but outsourcing the "technical" subjects has worked well for me. Now, to find an affordable online Chemistry class!!!

I would double check with a few of the colleges that you think might be on your child's list of possibilities. Here is a link to the admissions page of our local community college - scroll down to Freshman Student's Requirements http://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/sub-apply_now/Pages/admsswlcome_copy.aspx A new policy that was not on the website last year! This means that not only will they not take a transcript or diploma issued by me, but they also wouldn't accept a diploma from any of the private homeschool programs I can think of - ABeka or PA Homeschoolers or Veritas. Of course, there are other schools in NY but CUNY is affordable/convenient for my family and some of the colleges are excellent. So I am always keeping an eye out for changes in their application process. IOW, some colleges will make you jump through hoops. If it is a college that is likely to be high on your list, I recommend that you investigate and be clear on the hoops in advance.

My 18yo daughter took the TASC, the new High School Equivalency test, in December and we just got her results. She passed! She had a lot of trouble, both academic and emotional, during her High School years, including a hospitalization and treatment program a few years ago. This past spring, she did not finish the minimum NY State requirements and as she was 17, she was no longer considered a homeschooler in NY. We encouraged her to take a HSE-prep class at a local community college. She worked harder in that class than she had worked at home and she is, I think, proud of herself. Giant sigh of relief!

My 18yo daughter took the TASC, the new High School Equivalency test, in December and we just got her results. She passed! She had a lot of trouble, both academic and emotional, during her High School years, including a hospitalization and treatment program a few years ago. This past spring, she did not finish the minimum NY State requirements and as she was 17, she was no longer considered a homeschooler in NY. We encouraged her to take a HSE-prep class at a local community college. She worked harder in that class than she had worked at home and she is, I think, proud of herself. Giant sigh of relief!

I am also planning 12th grade for the last time. I am not sure yet how I feel about it! To "finish" in NY he still needs: Government 1semester Economics 1 semester Art/Music 1 semester English 1 full year Then I want him to do these: Pre-Calculus 1 full year Chemistry 1 full year Spanish 2/3 - 1 semester or 1 year, not sure yet And he has requested: Business Math 1 semester or one year, not sure yet I want to increase the amount of classes we outsource but I am not sure where to put my money!!! Precalc he will take with myhomeschoolmathclass, using Lial's. He's pleased with this one as he is doing well with Alg 2 with them. Everything else is up in the air! If I spend as much as I would like to on Spanish and chemistry, there will be little left for everything else. I want him to write more for others, which means outsourcing parts of English. I really liked the WTMA Govt/Eco class but the schedule was just posted...and the time conflicts with his math class, which would take precedence. First I need to set my priorities, and I am having a hard some doing that!! Funny - I have done this three times before but each child is so different that what I did with one is rarely helpful with another!

How about January? We've done trips in January three different years because it accommodated our older daughters' college schedules. It can get quite cold but generally we like it then.

I would love it...but I need my son to take Chemistry this fall. I can't hope that you would have it ready for the new school year...can I?

Our older girls are 25 and 23 and we have gradually stopped paying for things over the years - I think we may still have them on our cell phone plan, but that's it now. They are both still on our health insurance but it doesn't cost us any more $$, as it is a family plan. They do cover their own co-pays - I think it is only $10. per visit and not too much on prescriptions. Our oldest is getting married in February and then she will move to her new husband's plan through his job - she turns 26 in April. She could get insurance through her full-time job but her fiance's plan is better. Our next daughter chose not to take insurance through her full-time job as she will be covered through our policy for a few more years. She earns a little more this way. If that changes/when she hits 26, she knows that she will be responsible for her own insurance. She is a worker and a saver and I expect that she'll be prepared for whatever happens. They both earn well over minimum-wage. Our younger two are 18 and 16 and I think that we will gradually wean them off of Dad lol, just like we did with the older ones. Our 18yo has some issues and I expect that she will take a little longer to launch. If there is an emergency I know that we will help them...but it is hard to say how much we will be able to give. It will depend on if I go back to work, my husband's retirement plans, etc. I can see helping with medical emergencies. I can't see raising my grandchildren so my children can work, unless there is a really serious situation.

My oldest did the whole book in the 8th grade and it was perfect for her.

I second Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, and My Dog Skip. And I am not even a dog person!

Wow - pricey! I spent $14.00 ($10. plus shipping) on the version we needed for Clover Creek. Bummer.