My oldest never had chemistry in high school or at the CC. He opted for other science courses that fulfilled the requirements for his associates degree. He had no trouble having his credits accepted and transferring to a state university. Our state has an articulation agreement, so as long as students take courses from the suggested list, there’s usually not an issue. However there can be differences depending on a person’s major, or depending on the transfer school. Find out what you can about schools in your area that you think your daughter might consider in the future, and check out their requirements. That’s probably the best way to know whether it would be an issue for her or for her major.

I think your plan to tell them that it’s an option is about the most you can do currently. It is hard to switch right now, as they might not even be able to get the classes they would need. But if they wanted to do the legwork and try to figure it out to see if it could work, that would be up to them I think. Since it will be your inheritance later on hopefully that helps you later even though things are hard now.

Ours requires orientation before registering for classes, and also requires the overnight for incoming Freshman (but not for transfer students--we're going to my son's transfer student orientation Wednesday.) I mainly hope to be a second set of ears and to pick up on things that my son misses because it's all new to him. We'll see. I learned things at the open house that weren't on the website, so I felt that trip was worthwhile & hope this one will be too. If nothing else, we'll enjoy lunch out together. Mainly I'm going to be moral support though!

LOL, from a sound effects standpoint, this could be an interesting class! (I actually can imagine dry rice tinkling on a cymbal.) I hope they encourage the kids to really think outside the box.

When I went to The University of Iowa in the 80’s, they routinely had overbooked dorms and set up the lounges as overflow housing. They also allowed Freshmen to live off campus. But I don’t think it was from over-enrollment. I’d be very frustrated too!

I’m not overly impressed with Rosetta Stone Spanish. I was grateful that we had it because it was given to us for free, but even at that price I was nonplussed. It fit our needs though, and I was grateful, but I wouldn’t have been happy if I had paid for it. I think it does an adequate job in some things, but it’s not great, especially considering the price tag. It’s really weak on grammar even with all the printable worksheets etc.

You may want to see if the cc has a recommendation. Or you could check to see what credit the local high school gives for it. I found that I could see how many credits our local high school was giving for dual credit courses when I was helping a friend with her son’s transcript.

My daughter was pre-nursing for a while, and the only math she would’ve been required to take was statistics. My son did the statistics course after completing MUS algebra two, and had no trouble. My daughter had taken through pre-calculus. She switched majors to early childhood education, which ironically requires three math courses!

I read aloud to my kids all through high school. We read so many wonderful books together! It was great to enjoy good literature together and to discuss works that they might not of been able to read on their own or might not have gotten as much out of it. It was fun to share those moments together and to see their faces when certain things happened. I love that my teens thought little Pearl from The Scarlet Letter was laugh out loud funny. I loved when my 15-year-old son changed his surly face with the amazing discovery, “ oh I get it! She’s proud and he’s prejudiced!” And then begging me to read more every night after that. Or the wonderful times we had reading Grimms’ fairytales, which my kids used to call the bloody book! My kids read lots on their own, but read aloud time was a special tradition that truly enriched their education and our family bond, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I did "rough drafts" of course descriptions--list of books, copy/paste from curriculum sites, list of papers/test scores, and my grading scale (which was pretty straight-forward.) I generally got them done in 2-3 hours per year per student. That way, I had all of the content in case I ever needed them for something more than teaching my younger one (and I'll say they were heavenly to have for that purpose!)--I could easily refine/rewrite as needed if I had to submit them. Since I didn't, what I did for my purposes worked well.

I kept samples instead of all lab reports, essays etc..., so unless you are in a state that requires you to keep everything or you think there's a chance a school would really want to see all of that, you'll likely be fine with just samples. I think you'll really appreciate having done all of the end of year grades etc... each year! It makes doing a transcript SO much easier (in fact, I always just did the transcript as I went, inputting the info after I finished our course outlines/grade reports. I've done transcripts for a friend the other way too--without having any of the pre-work done. It's a lot of work trying to remember 4 years of courses and what you think the grade should be after the fact!) Having that info on how you did the courses and grading also makes it easier when you school the younger ones--you don't have to reinvent the wheel each time! Have fun with high school--the teen years can be a really exciting time to school, though definitely work at times too.

Awww! Just keep telling yourself, "this too shall pass!" Sounds like a testy situation, and that your family answer is a good one, especially given the circumstances. Hopefully the questions won't be so many once the grad parties are over--or at least not so many all at once!

9 is so young! I know it's scary to us moms when our kids struggle with something, but at 9 they are still really baby writers. I'd back off of writing requirements and shore up spelling--in fact, that's one of the things that really helped here--I started All About Spelling when my kids were 9 and 11. It has a gradual progression of writing tasks that really helps reluctant writers. They start just working on easy words and writing very short phrases. Then they move up to dictation sentences, gradually more each level, and in level 3 they start writing some sentences independently using a given set of words. I found that after level 3, writing started becoming easier for my kids. By then they had about 1000 common words mastered and didn't have to think about how to write down every single word, and the dictation and Writing Station exercises helped to scaffold them towards being able to do more outside writing. The writing program that helped the most here was Essentials in Writing by Matthew Stephens. Each of my kids used it for 4 years. It teaches the steps to writing very incrementally and really breaks things down into doable parts. It was the first program that worked enough for us to use for multiple years (oldest used it for 9th-12th, and youngest used it for 8th-11th.) Writing went from nearly impossible to doable during this time for my oldest. My oldest needed a ton of help with writing--we did lots of oral writing throughout elementary and junior high, and he didn't really write an essay until 9th grade. We worked hard on writing all through high school, but it wasn't until the first year in college that writing went from "doable" to "I don't mind that so much any more," and then he started getting A's and B's on papers. So--it may be a journey--even a very difficult one at times--but you and he can get there! A couple of reviews on my blog that tell more about both of these programs if you are interested: All About Spelling Review Essentials in Writing Review Hang in there!

Both are great programs, so there's not a right or wrong here. It's possible, if he has vision processing issues, that they will want you to wait a bit before restarting anything. When he's ready though, since you already have AAR 1, I would probably try restarting that but following it how it's written (doing all of the exercises, following the blending procedure etc...) and see how it goes. It's worked well for many students, even those with severe dyslexia, vision processing issues, or other struggles, but don't expect it to be a magic bullet or work overnight--there just aren't shortcuts or quick answers for students with learning issues! The company provides ongoing support, so call or email with questions if you get stuck at some point. I hope it goes better for you both the next time around!

Fun! I blogged about some of the things I do--I start by deciding the Priorities and Passions for each student. Then I think through what will be a Workable Routine for us. Then I Implement the New Routine (that's where some changes can happen if the original routine isn't working for some reason.) Have fun planning! I always loved going through all the new books and deciding what to do and how to do it. I typically made up a one-page document with any notes about my plan for each subject--or if was something super easy like math (which is almost always a lesson or section per day, unless the student needs more time on a concept)--then I just kept a grading page or a copy of the TOC if I wanted to track our progress. For longer things like planning history or literature, I used to go through the books and decide an order and a rough amount of time for each (I say rough because this is definitely subject to change--though I got better at estimating over the years!). But having the order helped me--we could just "do the next thing" which is what I preferred to having a rigid graph of "do X on day 1," etc... I always get "off track" when there is that much detail, and "do the next thing" can work really well if you have a good outline of a plan (such as a typical goal of X minutes per day per subject or "a chapter a day" or X minutes/amount of content per week if you like to work in blocks.) If you tend to pick too many books for some subjects, take time to decide your priority ones, and put asterisks by them in your list. Then if you get behind, make sure to hit those that you decided were priority--and you can cross others off your list if needed. I used to also keep an "optional" list of some books if we got ahead, or if I just wanted to switch something out mid-year.

That’s terrific, congratulations to both you and her!

I actually made a similar mistake within the last five years! I couldn’t believe I did that! Yes, it’s a good reminder that this is all new for our students.

That sounds like it would be very helpful!

I hope you like it! I just find it hard to give up paper, LOL! (But I also tried Quicken years ago, before so many of our payments were automated--maybe I'd like it better now!)

I found that base 10 blocks were really helpful for making these concepts concrete. We did lots and lots of problems just with the blocks--adding or subracting and having to trade in ones for tens or tens for hundreds flats or hundreds for a thousands cube--and likewise having to break them down. Make it really concrete for her how it works before trying to go back to written numbers.

Is there any kind of routine to his days (not a strict schedule, but a predictable routine or order of when things typically happen for the regular stuff--like get, up, make bed, eat breakfast, do some school, play outside, eat lunch, finish school, free time...or whatever)? Having lots of health issues can make a person feel like he has not control or say in what goes on in his life--and that could be part of how he reacts when you tell him to do something, even something he enjoys. You might try to broach that with him. "I've noticed that you seem frustrated when I ask you to do something, even if it's something you enjoy. Why is that?" (and just listen. Don't try to argue/persuade--be a listening and sympathetic ear to what his life is like.) "I was thinking that you need some time that you can count on each day or each week when you can do the things you really want to do. What are some things that you wish were a part of your day?" Get his input and see if there are some changes you can make. "Let's work on a routine together so that you can know you have that free time each day, as long as you work on your school and chores. No, we can't drop those! But maybe we can make some things more doable..." See if you can find out some things that frustrate him and give him some part of his day that he can manage "now that you're getting a bit older" and see how he does with it. I do agree that some of this does sound like an 11 year-old and just starting to grow up and not want to be told what to do. But all of us, all our lives, have to deal with some level of being told what to do (or deal with consequences, LOL!). I'd be matter of fact and not worry too much if he doesn't always like it, but it's also okay to not accept any guff. "Hm, that wasn't a respectful response. Do you want to try that again?" (said in a nice but firm way--not in a sarcastic or nagging kind of way.) Sometimes boys need a heart to heart with dad from time to time too. Hang in there!

When I made the change to auto-pay, I actually completely changed how I did my home accounting. Instead of a checkbook ledger, I made one up on the computer that I keep in a binder. It includes all of the regular bills in the order in which they are paid each month, and if they are auto-pay, I already have the amount in the "debit" column. Then when the payment clears the bank, I put the amount in the total column and subtract it from our balance. I know right away if something happened with an auto-payment because it won't be marked as cleared before something below it goes through (and because I have the date for the withdrawl noted as well--I have two things that prompt me to check on it.) Anything I pay by check I also have in date order, but without the amount already noted--usually those amounts vary anyway. Finally I keep a separate listing for the auto-pays that go through our CC, and check the CC account at least weekly to see if those have cleared. It also really helps to have this if our card gets hacked--I know all the accounts that have to be updated with a new number! It's definitely a different mindset than when I started paying bills in the 80's!

I handled all of that as a student too, but there were some significant differences between my situation and my kids'. When I went to school, it was fairly easy to pay for school with a combination of working and a Pell Grant. One could claim independence from one's parents if the parents couldn't or wouldn't help, and the paperwork was very little. My mom was widowed and really not able to help, and also didn't really know the ins and outs of how things worked. A professor actually told me about how I could become independent and apply for a Pell Grant. Doing that involved a phone call home to make sure that was okay (so mom wouldn't declare me any more), and going to the financial aid office. The paperwork was so little that I actually stood at the counter to fill it out. They handled the rest (whatever there was to do), and I was all set up with a grant. Then I worked and paid for the rest. No loans, no pulling money from multiple areas etc... Today's process is much more complex. It's designed so that students HAVE to be dependent on their parents to fill out things like the FAFSA (and what a huge headache for those kids who have parents who won't help with that!). The expenses have gone up so much that most kids are going to need money from various places--and the repercussions of making a mistake are farther-reaching because of the high expense. So--shouldering all of the responsibility now really doesn't seem like an apples to apples comparison for what I experienced in the 80's. And because our finances are so necessarily linked in this whole process, I'm not really willing for big stakes consequences to happen to my kids--so I do step in more. With all that said--I don't think it's too much to ask of a student to go in and set up a new payment or to experience the consequence of not being able to see grades or registering until they get it taken care of. I'd look at the multiple issues (forgetting to sign loans etc...) as a sign that the student is trying to hold things like this in memory rather than setting up a system to remind himself (app reminders, a shared calendar that helps you both check in, a paper planner--something that can be referred to and not just a one-time reminder that disappears if they don't do the action then.) I'd take it as a sign that the student needs help learning how to manage things like this, and brainstorm over the summer what such a system might look like. Sorry this happened though!

Consonant blends are really hard for a lot of kids. I think in your shoes that I'd take a break over the summer. Read books to him that he's interested in--all kinds of fiction and non-fiction. Work to create a love for books, which in turn helps with motivation to read. How is he with phonological awareness skills like rhyming and oral blending? If these are hard for him, work on those skills over the summer instead of reading specifically. This article has some ideas and free downloads you can use. Reading is really hard work for kids with dyslexia, so it's not unusual that it's so difficult for him. When you start back up, I would restart AAR from the beginning but implement the lessons too. Keep things short and fun if possible (I know it's not always possible in this "reading is a lot of work" stage for kids!). The AALP site has free practice page activity ideas to make those pages more enjoyable (which tend to be difficult but important for kids who struggle.) Doing things like the switch out tile activities can really help with consonant blends. Work on ending blends first--beginning blends tend to be a bit harder. Change one tile at a time, like had-lad-land-sand-sad-pad-pod-pond, or gift-lift-left-theft, etc... Do a string each day, and make sure he's using the full blending procedure if he starts to guess. It does take work, but he'll get there! You can also check out the Dyslexia Resources page for teaching tips and ideas.

LOL, congratulations on a great score! I laugh every time I see the title!