We did use them for a couple of years (8 & 9) and I thought they would be perfect, but as she advanced with them, they weren't enough instruction for her.

I am just worried that since dd is not confident at this point, she will be totally intimidated by having to have her writing displayed for the students, as well as the teacher. I do agree feedback is great & helpful, but..... I do agree their on-line classes look fantastic but don't know if she'd be ready for them at the start, and while BW "Help for High School" did look thorough, it didn't seem as specific as IEW. She'll probably hate no matter what we choose, but I want her to at least come away knowing how to do essays & reports! ☺️

Okay, I haven't posted on here in FOREVER, and since I'm still having trouble with the "search", I thought I'd send out a public appeal for help! I need help ASAP in determining which way to go for dd (16) next year for writing. She's used EIW for a few years, and it was ok, but we felt it was lacking. This year, she started back to basics with WWS, but....still issues. We need something that is extremely explicit when it comes to instructions & specifics for her, as well as for me. She needs lots of help with essays & research papers, as well as note taking. I am leaning towards IEW, but I did see Braverwriter's "Help for High School" curriculum, also. I am thinking she needs to do some sort of on-line course at some point, and get feedback and help from someone besides myself, but not right when she starts. She's still too intimidated & unsure of herself. Thanks for the help! (My siggy is totally outdated?)

Yes, I am looking at some other therapy options. DD has been on a low dose of fluoxetine for years, in addition to the therapy. Even at the low dose, she hates how it makes her feel, and she has gone even lower on it. I have spoken to her about switching to something else, as has her therapist. She wants to try as much as possible to "work on things" without upping it or switching, so that's where we are. Maybe the SAM-e would help. Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks so much for your reply; I've been trying to fix everything for so long and feel like nothings helping.

(I originally posted this on the high school board, but think this one might be a better place) I feel so discouraged & need help. My dd has chronic Lyme disease, which I've discussed here previously. Due to this (and not knowing she had it for so many years) her studies have suffered and have been extremely sporadic and all over the place. She has gotten treatment, and physically is doing so much better, for which I am so thankful. She also went from not being able to do any school, or even reading (had to keep reading the same page over & over to try and comprehend anything) to be able to handle a regular schedule. She does read and enjoys it now. She loves music, and started guitar last year. I thought she had greatly improved cognitively, but hadn't realized until now how much everything is still a huge struggle for her. She is able to read novels and enjoys them, but it seems like anything else (science, geography, writing) doesn't stick. She tells me she is able to read & understand the information, but almost immediately forgets the content, so her long-term memory isn't good. Whenever she does quizes or tests, she has to look in the materials for the answers. I am not pushing her at all, but she is concerned about the future, going to college, graduating "on-schedule". She is very worried about how she will take tests in college and just function there, period. Last year, I searched to resources to help, and found a program used by Bridgeway Academy, "LD Hope". http://ldhope.org/ . It is an educational therapy, and she's been using it for 7mos. She does it for approx. 45min a day, and hasn't seen much progress. It specifically was supposed to help with her long-term memory. Since this hasn't seemed to have worked, we are both so discouraged. I am heartbroken for her, because she feels she won't ever be "normal". (Her words) At this point, I am looking for anything else anyone can recommend we try, and also am wondering what kind of testing we can do to see where she's at. Maybe it isn't as bad as she thinks-I just don't know. I hate to see this constant, constant struggle. She basically hates school, but spends most of her time doing it, because she feels she has to, and it's hard to get her to do fun things. I keep telling her she needs to have fun and experience life, but she always says she can't, she doesn't have time, etc... Please, please help with any suggestions. Tammi

I feel so discouraged & need help. My dd has chronic Lyme disease, which I've discussed here previously. Due to this (and not knowing she had it for so many years) her studies have suffered and have been extremely sporadic and all over the place. She has gotten treatment, and physically is doing so much better, for which I am so thankful. She also went from not being able to do any school, or even reading (had to keep reading the same page over & over to try and comprehend anything) to be able to handle a regular schedule. She does read and enjoys it now. She loves music, and started guitar last year. I thought she had greatly improved cognitively, but hadn't realized until now how much everything is still a huge struggle for her. She is able to read novels and enjoys them, but it seems like anything else (science, geography, writing) doesn't stick. She tells me she is able to read & understand the information, but almost immediately forgets the content, so her long-term memory isn't good. Whenever she does quizes or tests, she has to look in the materials for the answers. I am not pushing her at all, but she is concerned about the future, going to college, graduating "on-schedule". She is very worried about how she will take tests in college and just function there, period. Last year, I searched to resources to help, and found a program used by Bridgeway Academy, "LD Hope". http://ldhope.org/ . It is an educational therapy, and she's been using it for 7mos. She does it for approx. 45min a day, and hasn't seen much progress. It specifically was supposed to help with her long-term memory. Since this hasn't seemed to have worked, we are both so discouraged. I am heartbroken for her, because she feels she won't ever be "normal". (Her words) At this point, I am looking for anything else anyone can recommend we try, and also am wondering what kind of testing we can do to see where she's at. Maybe it isn't as bad as she thinks-I just don't know. I hate to see this constant, constant struggle. She basically hates school, but spends most of her time doing it, because she feels she has to, and it's hard to get her to do fun things. I keep telling her she needs to have fun and experience life, but she always says she can't, she doesn't have time, etc... Please, please help with any suggestions. Tammi

That is another I was looking at, as well as Math Relief. No matter which one I choose, I think it would be wise for us to start with some type of tutoring, also. I want to make sure she understands from the get go!

I am still desperately trying to find an Algebra curriculum for dd & ds for next year. We've been using TT and dd especially doesn't feel there is enough explanation in the pre-algebra, so we are searching. A good friend recommended Math Help; mathhelp.com . I can't seem to find much info. on it, except Cathy Duffy did give it an excellent review in 2016. It used to be called "Algebra Classmate" as well as "Your Teacher". Anyway, I am leaning towards this, but wanted more feedback from the Hive. Or any other recommendations, please. Dd is not strong in math, and before TT we used MUS. She thought MUS went way too much into the reasons of how you got to the answer, and the why's behind everything, yet as I said, with TT she feels like they don't go over the concepts super well, or explain why you should use a certain formula for a certain problem, etc... We don't need anything super rigorous but I want something that will give her the solid foundation so that she doesn't end up floundering, especially when she gets to Algebra II. She will only be taking Alg., Geometry, and Alg.II. Please help! (Also, text book only isn't great, a combo. would be best) Tammi

Linwood is entertaining, so we thought his course would be a perfect spine. I new I'd have to add to it, but didn't want to make everything super complicated, which is what I always do, then it all never gets done. :001_smile: The one you're going to use looks really interesting! If dd wasn't such a picky eater, I'd consider adding it to ours, and having it be part home ec, too! There are so many options, I just need to take the time to research. Crash Course looks good, too. I briefly looked at the curriculum, but will examine it more, later. Thanks!

I'm trying to plan ds's history for next year. He wants to do World History, and he saw the GC description of "World History: The Fertile Crescent to the American Revolution" and wants to use that along with-whatever. Any other Great Courses you might suggest, or specific booklists? We've used Notgrass American History & Uncle Sam and we liked them, but after looking at samples of their World History, it seemed pretty dry. If we could have a specific spine or 2 plus a bunch of living books, that would be ideal, but I'm open. He is a voracious reader, so I had been considering SL W but I want this to count towards a credit for 9th grade, and a lot of the books look too light. He would be fine with it, but I'm just not sure.... Of course, if we did the SL core, we probably wouldn't add the GC. I don't know, I'm all over the place! Help!

EIL so far isn't what I would call intense. It's perfect for my dd, because it was a great intro. to analyzing lit., and the person I spoke with at EIW said using their writing & lit. course would count as her full credit for 9th grade (even though it's level 8) but level 8 of the lit. at least isn't super rigorous. We'll see how it is next year. They suggested having her possibly skip 9 & move on to 10, so I'll have to see.

Thanks for the encouragement. I like the idea of her only focusing on a few subjects each day, and think it would make a big difference. I know it would help her anxiety, especially on days when she isn't 100%, instead of looking at a mile long list, she would have something achievable.

I think I am partially in denial, so that I don't full on panic! :crying: My dd suffered from anxiety & ocd for years, then we found out she had Lyme disease, so for all of last year & part of the year before, she wasn't able to do much. She had a lot of pain and fatigue, plus brain fog. Her health has greatly improved, which is the biggest blessing, so maybe that's also why I'm not stressing. But..... she is behind, and also because I'm still not certain what she is truly capable of (I don't think she is , either), it's a struggle. She's doing the basic of basics when it comes to curriculum. She is extremely motivated, because she wants to graduate when she's 18, and she is college bound. I hope I'll have a better idea as the months go on where she'll fit next year, but I know to some it will seem like ??? you haven't done xyz, haven't been preparing for the ACT/SATs, etc.... I know I'm going to have to give her a reality check at some point, and let her know that she might have to either do on-line college for a year or 2, or tech. college for the 1st couple, just so that she can get into-whereever. It's unreal to me that we are at this point, and me, the big planner and researcher has no idea of what we're doing next. Maybe that's MY reality check. So, the moral is, you are not alone!

We had the same experiences! We've never found a writing curriculum that we've been actually able to complete, especially without constant complaining! I talked to someone from the company at length and they were very helpful. We also started using Excellence in Literature. My dd wants to do everything independently, if possible, so both of these courses have made it easy for us.

Thanks for your advice, and especially your prayers. I just saw this now; we were out of town. Anyway, I think we've got a plan: Math: Skip TT7 (if she struggles with 8 & we have to cover certain concepts more, I've already got 7, so we're prepared) English: Essentials in Writing, level 8 and Essentials in Literature Level 8 Soc. Studies: Abeka World Geography 9 (Sem 1) either Abeka Health 9 or Liberty On-line Health (Sem 2) Science: Apologia Physical Science (Honestly, what I'm dreading most, since there is so much reading, plus the experiements. When she tried Gen Science the prev. year, it took her over an hour every day, not including experiments) Misc: Great Courses: How to Become a Superstar Student 4-h: theater group, Ambassador's (gives presentations on recycling, etc...) lots of opportunities for speeches/demos Music: piano, guitar & voice lessons Art: misc. local classes every couple of months I am just praying that she is physically & mentally up to it, and that she gives herself a break.

Lori: I am feeling so much better after reading all of this-I might actually sleep through the night without waking in a panic! So, for history. I just noticed you put SOTW in there, and that was honestly my original thought. Since each volume has around 40 or so chaps. what if she did all 4 this year, along with the chap ques. & unit quizes? I called TWTM & asked about beefing it up, and she said it says you can beef it up for 8th, and that's just using 1 volume. I could also add in mapping. This would be my top choice, because of the way SOTW is written-not dry. What do you think? Otherwise I'd lean towards Notgrass without the literature but I still think the writing is drier. But I want it to look like she's doing 9th grade work. I know, I seem hung up on that, but the Clonlara advisor made me nervous. :) This is really my last question, I promise! (For a while, at least)

I was thinking of her doing a geography course during high school, so this might be the way to go.

Lori: First of all, You ROCK!! You don't know how much it means to me that you took the time to give me the information that you did! THIS is what I've been waiting for! We have actually been working with a Clonlara advisor, who is nice, but this is her first year, so I haven't gotten much back, yet. I know I've probably overwhelmed her with questions, but still.... YOU should get paid for this! Regarding this: I would love to do either, but my ds is 12.5 and starting 8th grade this year. Dd already feels completely inadequate, has little self-confidence, etc... And she still suffers from OCD & anxiety, so having her younger brother pass her up, especially this year would be too much for her. At this point, her brain would not see the logic of staying back a year. I am hoping by the time we get to 12th grade, that will change and we can possibly convince her that taking an extra year to get some college classes under her belt and extra experience in theater & music will be to her benefit. But until then....I am very concerned about her health and relapse, also. If she does, we will have to have her re-assess things. I am definitely going to take everyone's advice and have her do Physical Science instead of General. She did start General 2 years ago & HATED it. But, she thinks she has to do it all in chronological order, can't miss something. Having her skip TT7 will probably freak her out, too, but I see the widsom there. One other thing regarding soc. sciences/history. This year, I want her to have a gentle introduction to-something. She did American History last year (I feel like we've only ever done American & Ancient history, we seem to keep repeating those 2 but only get so far) so I wanted something different this year. She is very much a get it over, get it done kid, and so she doesn't want a lot of literature to flesh everything out. When we get to American History, I was going to have her do "For the Record: A Documentary History of America: From First Contact through Reconstruction", by David E. Shi and Holly A. Mayer and "America, A Narrative History" by George Brown Tindall. But for this year, I'm not sure. I was hoping to have her do Notgrass but she's opposed to them because she thinks there are a lot of other lit. books added. There really aren't, but this year is going to be tough to find something not totally dry but not overwhelming. Suggestions? I am trying to see if I can use Essentials in Writing level 8 & Essentials in Literature level 8 and hope together they will count for 1 credit for 9th grade. I spoke with someone at EIW & they suggested she do that for 9th grade and if she does well, have her skip level 9 and do 10-12 the remaining years. They said if she did that, she'd be ready for college level writing. Thanks again for all of your help!

(My siggy isn't updated, so don't go by that) My dd will be starting 9th this year, and has had a lot of health challenges that have put her behind. She's got chronic Lyme disease, and so the last year or more, she has only done sporadic work. For a while, she wasn't even able to read. Because of this, she's super behind. She still wants to be a 9th grader, though. So here are my questions. She needs to graduate (to get into her "choice" college-hopefully) having completed 3 years math, 2 lab-based science, 2 soc. science, 4 years english. At this point, she won't take biology & chemistry til she's a jr & sr. She wants to do Apologia Gen. Science this year & Physical science the following. (Her idea, she wants to do them all in order) Obviously, those aren't considered 9th & 10th grade level science classes, but is it still okay for her to do them? If the end result is what "they" want/require, what do I put on the transcripts for the 1st 2 years that won't hurt her chances? The same goes for history. We are doing it really light this year, to get her back into the swing. She is reading & doing some writing now, but there is no way we can do what most 9th graders (at least most 9th grade homeschooler's) would be doing. The math is TT, she is 3/4 through 6, is planning on excellerating through 7 & hopefully getting part way through pre-algebra. Hopefully. I know we will have to have a tutor at some point & there will be summer school, but again, as long as she gets the algebra, geometry & al. II, does it matter when? Also, she is also heavily involved in 4H, is a 4H Ambassador, is part of a 4H theater group, does recycling presentations for 4H, etc... She isn't going into a career that requires more math or science. She is planning on a music major, drama minor. She's taking piano, guitar & voice. I've been so focused on getting her healthy, and now that she is (hopefully) getting better, we are all floundering a bit, thinking about the future. Thanks for the help, Tammi

I've been researching my brains out, and finally decided to just start a thread (because I'm too lazy to keep searching)! My ds, 12 is currently doing TT6, and has done MUS through Delta. He's behind, due to my constant switching, as well as lots of upheaval due to his sister's medical issues. Anyway, I always knew he was mathy, but when he told me he does all of the TT problems in his head-ALL of them-I decided maybe I needed to find something more challenging & rigorous for him. If we can find some online self paced program, that he can accelerate when he needs to, etc... he will hopefully get to where he needs to be, quicker. Thanks for the input!

It looks like my dd picked the Nat. History Museum. We're going to have to go the day we arrive, so we can only hit the highlights. I'm going to have the kids look over the website & pick out the things they want to see the most, because we will probably only have about 4 hours, tops. Which is all my dd could probably handle (if that) due to fatigue. Any tips/must sees, there?

Ugh, why did I not forsee this? I know the one tour is supposed to include going up to the top, so I wonder if we would bypass the whole line thing that way. I hate lines & crowds; I guess I'm so used to being able to do everything on off days & off season, because of hsing.