Seems to me there's another thread about 5-year high school somewhere. You might want to check. But to add to Kareni's post, a good friend of mine did this by basically delaying graduation one year, and whatever was done in 11th prior to the graduation delay, became what was done 10th and on down, and it was reported that way. For example if he did, say, Amer Lit in 10th originally, that became what he did in 9th, and so on. It was the best thing for him! He graduates this year from Worcester Polytechnic Inst with a very good job prospect. The young man was very angry when his mom and dad originally made the decision at the end of 11th grade. But now he realizes what a good idea it was. Sure, some kids are ready, but many need some time. What's the rush anyway? Yolanda

Yes, indeed, certainly not for wimps! My ds20 did do his work when in high school (home schooled all the way through), but with much prodding, no - LOTS of prodding - as he just didn't see the relevance of any of it, well most of it anyway. Yes, we did discover when he turned 20 that he was ADHD, but even on meds he still absolutely loathes the idea of sitting in a classroom to learn things when he says he can do it so much better on his own (okay, show me!). On the one hand, home schooling was a success because he knows he doesn't need to be in school to learn, but on the other hand he seems to think he doesn't need school at all except for the "stupid piece of paper" as he calls it! Meanwhile the kid is brilliant and can pull A's with one hand tied behind his back. He transferred to the state U's honors college after 3 semesters at a cc. He's not in school right now as he withdrew for medical reasons (back injury and a whole lot of other medical stuff), but says he doesn't know if he wants to return. He has a PT job and is reading up on stuff like: microeconomics, marketing,and tax law. Calculus is next, and he's working with someone who also thinks school is a waste of time and is developing some software for schools. Sounds good on paper, but ...Plan B?

Angie, Meds have come a very long way since your daughter was 11yo, and I'm sure there's something new that she she will tolerate and will help her. As for a psychiatrist who will see her - you know that you only need to find a good therapist (LICSW or PhD in psych) who has a strong specialty in ADD, right? Then that person can refer you to a clinician (a GOOD one) who will then prescribe the meds. If the psychiatrist will not see your daughter or will not get back to you, can his office make a recommendation for another professional who has ADD as a specialty? We did that when we could no longer afford the therapist our son was seeing who was not covered by insurance. The current therapist ($5 for co-pay only -yay!) is so much better than the $175/hr guy! Can you ask your primary doctor, pediatrician for a recommendation? Praying that you find a good therapist and some good medication for your dd. My ds20 told us that for the first time in his life he is clear-headed, the perpetual fog has finally lifted; the anxiety of always losing things, forgetting things, etc, is lessening, and the ability to finish things is so gratifying. It's a long haul as ADD affects so much (had NO idea the ramifications of it), but with good therapy and the right medication, it's certainly not the obstacle it used to be. Yolanda PS - Be patient with finding right med and dosing. My son is on his 3rd med, but the 3rd one is the charmer!

Angie, Sounds like my ds, 20, who was recently (6 months ago) diagnosed with ADHD. I'll bet your dd is even more frustrated than you are with her inability to take care of these executive function tasks, and that is what they are. Believe or not, the more you do for her, the more it's clear that she can't, and it sounds like it's not that she won't but she can't. BTDT! Is this new behavior: the disorganization, losing things, losing track of time and items needed to complete tasks? Or is this something she's always done? If this is a pattern that's getting worse as her workload increases in amount and complexity, then you might want to do a little research into ADHD/ADD (basically same thing - don't have to be hyper to be ADD, there's the inattentive type more commonly seen in girls), its traits and the implications. If I'm way off base, sorry! But your experience is so reminiscent of what my ds and I struggled with especially once he began cc. Yolanda

I agree wholeheartedly that you should allow her to make these mistakes now. When we help them too much, they don't learn. I forget who has that wonderful signature on this forum: Life is too short, learn from others' mistakes or something like that. It would be wonderful if we all learned from others' mistakes, but the best lessons are our failures.

:iagree:Absolutely!!

Hello again! Just answered your "life skills" post. We just finished using TC's WWII series as a basis for a semester-long course on WWII. My son used one of the books listed in the course guide as the text, and answered the questions for each lecture. In addition he read several nonfiction books about WWII, and is writing a short research paper on the topic of his choice. This semester he is studying Chinese history using the "Yao to Mao" series. Although he did this on his own, I don't see why this couldn't be done with a group. The viewing could be done at home, then the group could come together to discuss. Yolanda

If left up to me, my kids wouldn't leave home I would have a list so long! I would add: Knowing how to keep track of money on-line - i.e., your child should know how to monitor his finances on-line and not rely on the receipt he gets at the ATM machine or his own records. Reconcile the two! Yes, this might seem ancient but it may be necessary: how to write a check! Learning where and where not to use a debit card to get cash so they're not incurring astronomical fees! Knowing how to use those pesky laundry machines that have to be fed $$! No, you can't just hit the "more dry" button if the clothes are still wet. I would give them lots of practice with the whole finance thing at home rather than learning at school. They will have enough to deal with so they should be completely comfortable handling finances and other real-life skills. This is especially true if they go to a large university and/or live off campus. Yolanda

We used Kathryn Stout's Movies as Literature and loved it! The questions require critical thinking and analysis, and taught my son and me a lot about critically viewing movies. There are good suggestions for essays for each movie with an excellent explanation for writing 5-paragraph essays. I no longer have the currriculum, but I do remember there are suggestions for expanding its use. All in all, an excellent curriculum which I highly recommend.

Yes indeed! Me, too!;)

:iagree:Very graciously said. Thank you all for this thread; our lit group has this on our list, and I've always wanted to read Cather.

A wonderfully gifted English teacher taught this at co-op a couple of years ago and my son learned so much. No way could I have done as good a job as she did. My one complaint about BJU lit is that it doesn't have complete works read, only excerpts. They really focus a lot on how the different pieces and authors represent particular movements, philosophies, etc. On the other hand, he came away with a solid understanding of all this. Assuming you don't have the good fortune to have a great teacher to teach this, then I would try the DVD's. BJU lit is a LOT of work if you're looking to use it to its full potential. Yolanda

The reason they don't is that you don't have to be proficient or even fluent to be certified. You need a BA in the language and the teacher training to get certified. You can get a BA in a foreign language and NOT be fluent. Crazy, huh? I can't tell you how many Spanish teachers I have met that cringe when I tell them I'm fluent. They, without fail, apologize that their Spanish isn't that good so please don't speak to them in Spanish!

:iagree:I learned early in my homeschool journey to ask exactly those kinds of questions when presented with unusual comments. I've also learned that we learn something from the most unexpected comments. Yolanda

:iagree:Reading a foreign language is the easiest skill to acquire, then understanding the spoken language, then speaking and writing. If you can't do that in a modern language, no way, no how can you claim proficiency. Latin, as the previous poster said, is a whole different matter since it's not spoken. Yolanda FWIW - Many foreign language teachers can't do this either!

I can comment on how holding a student back affects sports. Many recreation departments are increasingly using date of birth, not grade, to determine placement and eligibility. Makes more sense.Three-four years ago, my then 13/14yos showed up for a summer baseball game and the opposing team's pitcher had a beard! Pretty funny and pretty absurd. The league changed their rules after that year. Yolanda

You might want to change the title of thread as the term 'gap year' refers to post-high school time. I know it sounds onerous, but what you're referring to is repeating a year for purposes of delaying entry into high school and lots of people do it. Homeschooling is about tailoring the education to the student. Having said that...a friend of mine delayed exit from high school by adding a year to it when her son was about to hit senior year. He hated it then and was pretty angry, but realized later that it was wise and he benefited from it tremendously. How did she handle the age-segregated stuff? If I recall, there weren't any activities he was in that distinguished between 11th and 12th grade as it would 8th vs 9th. That could be tricky. Maybe some other moms can help out! Yolanda

Some students thrive with good profs even if their peers are less than stellar. Not my son. His experience at cc and a state university was quite negative and very demoralizing as he was surrounded by students who are not exactly setting the intellectual world on fire. And this included the honors college at the 4-year school. At the same time I know another very bright, motivated student who is completely unaffected by her peers' apathy or lack of intellectual prowess. So...know your student! Yolanda

I know this runs counter to the belief that Christians are closed minded, but in reality secular settings discourage open discussions of faith or different worldviews. It is assumed that everyone is a humanist or at least keep their faith in a closet; whereas in a good Christian school, students are encouraged to examine and challenge their worldviews, Christian or otherwise, from a rational, intellectual basis, not an emotional one. They are challenged to think about what their worldview is and about how this worldview affects every aspect of their lives. Hope this clarifies the relevance of a Christian school for the original poster as well as many other folks on this thread. Yolanda

Make sure your daughter takes full advantage of the CC's resources such as the writing lab. I assume the school has one. If she's never done a research paper, and she wants extra help or editing, that's the place to go. My son used the writing lab and it helped improve his writing immensely. Good luck! Yolanda

We have used TQ for many years and I think that may be one reason my younger son loves history. Yes, it does require some planning, but the flip side is that it gives you lots of flexibility that a laid out curriculum often takes away. All depends on the kind of person you are. I would use it all over again, I love it that much, but I don't mind planning and I don't like my schedule laid out for me. Yolanda

Should have added this to my prior post, but we have used Write at Home and have been much happier with the quality of instruction. Some coaches are better than others, but I have learned so much from these courses so that I'm better able to help my son. The Lively Art of Writing is outstanding and, as someone already pointed out, is the basis for their essay workshops.

Our experience is similar to another poster's - all assignments take a month no matter what. Feedback often given in no particular order and always seemed to stretch any assignment out to a month. For example, proofing for grammar, spelling etc., should come last and content first, right? Not with WriteGuide! Just when we thought the assignment was almost done, the coach would come in out of left field and comment on something that should have been addressed at the beginning of the assignment. It always seemed like the coach was looking for ways to stretch it out. Then there was the time that the coach must have confused my son with another student and I had to waste a week re-explaining the assignment to the coach and why her comments made no sense. She kept saying sorry, but still never understood. We didn't even bother finishing the course as it was such a waste of time and money. Just because there's daily interaction doesn't mean that it's quality interaction. Sorry!

Anita, Your son has a lot going on, the least of which is his asthma. What kind of help are you and he getting for dealing with all these conditions? Just because he's smart, even a genius, doesn't mean he can do what you're asking him to do. On the contrary. His high intelligence may frustrate him even further as he realizes how far he is from achieving his potential, if he could only get it together. There are times when being too smart is a burden, not a gift. I don't know if he's seeing a therapist/psychologist, but I would find one that can help him, and you, develop strategies for coping, especially with the ADD. Don't let your poor son keep thinking that it's him, or you to keep thinking you're doing something wrong or not enough or it's just the wrong curriculum. It's much more complex than that. The longer you wait, the more frustrating it is for your son. Frustration of this type can be extraordinarily debilitating and damaging. Check out the special needs board on this forum and you'll find lots of ladies with lots of experience dealing with the type of conditions/syndromes your son has. Good luck. Yolanda

My son, for whom it was recommended by his doctor, is researching it. I started doing a little research on it as well, mainly through an ADD forum. Been kinda' busy to give it a serious look, however. The price quoted to us by the doc was $2k. Is that what you've been quoted? Any chance for partial insurance coverage? Yolanda