Just a different perspective.... I was hesitant to post yesterday because only you know your son. However, here is my input to consider.. He is turning 18. There are people (kids) who truly will not see the point of school work as long as at feels (to them) that they are doing this for other people. I was that kid. I did graduate high school. This was only possible because my Mom and I came to an agreement when I was @ 15 which simply was that Mom would not bother me about school work and I would promise to pass. This is what I did. I simply passed the classes I needed to get done. My Mom held up her side of the bargain and never asked me about school work. The irony of this is that as soon as I had the high school diploma I started to take classes at night on my own. I have never stopped taking classes in all sorts of subjects and did end up getting a degree; although much later than most. All this to say that maybe you just need to let it go. Get him to graduate in some way. And have him make his life his. I try to do this with my children all the time and started this early because of my own background. Hope this helps to give a different perspective.

Yes. We did WWS 1 and WWS 2 (not finished). Both my boys were fine in high school. In fact, one of them wrote far better than most of his peers in school. He is going back to homeschooling because high school is moving too slow (his words).

We are planning on US History next year. I think it will be pretty open and go. Ds will read @ 40 pages a week in Amerika: A Narrative History. We are planning on one one assignment per week based on his reading. This could be writing about a particular detail or point; or making a map or.... I plan on letting him choose what to do with this. Each semester he'll do a larger writing project on a topic in history. Again, I'll let him choose the topic.

Well, after 2 years at a high school my younger son has decided to get back to homeschooling. We are very excited! School was good for him. He found sport again which he loves. He learned what it is like to on fairly rigid schedule. And he learned that homeschooling overall was so much better than school. :-) Better for him. His brother prefers school at this point. And that's okay, too. All this to say that we will be back on the board much more this fall when we start up again. We made our plans and for the most part are ready to go. What we'll be doing is in my signature below. Can't wait to get started; but first we'll spend an exciting summer in Europe.

That's so wonderful to hear. Congratulations to your son and to you, Lori, for a job well done!

We are using for the third year. My boys already knew some German when we started with OSU, and they tested into German 2. Currently, they are enrolled in German 4. We mostly like it okay. Things I have to make sure happen: 1. Write vocabulary into a vocabulary book to use for memorizing. These words are usually used (a lot) in quizzes and tests. 2. Check the work. I speak German; so this is fairly easy for me to do. But both boys do sometimes try to fudge it. I.e. just fill in anything to get it done without thinking. I have learned the hard way that I must check their work periodically. 3. Most quizzes and tests can be taken twice. I make them do that every time the score is below 90. 4. Set up the weekly skype meetings. They are not always required, however, they force them to speak with someone else about the material. 5. Definitively make use of the schedule provided. Overall, I agree with the A-. I would use the program again. I am not sure, though, if I could use it if I didn't speak German.

Thank you all!

Hi All, I am hoping someone can answer this question for me. How often can you take the PSAT and qualify for the National Merit Scholarship? In other word, can you take the PSAT as a Sophomore and then again as a Junior and use the Junior year result for the Scholarship? Or can you take it only one time to be considered? I hope this makes sense. Thanks, Susie

I would have my kids take the CHSPE and go to community college with the goal of completing all the transfer required classes and then have them transfer in to either school as a junior. And YES, we have numerous homeschool friends who did this successfully within the last couple of years. The once I know personally transferred into UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UCLA. This is, imo, the best way to avoid most of the stress. All the kids I know enjoyed a relative relaxing community college career and are now fine at their UC. One I know of already graduated from UC Santa Cruz. Hope this helps.

I have one on our transcript called "Study of Shakespeare". Obviously, I would just leave as that if she doesn't need English credit.

Yes to ElegantLion and Regentrude. The best way to include the topic of college in kids' lives is to attend events. We have done different things over the years: Go to the College Planetarium to see public presentations. Attend a Rugby Game. Walk to find various statues on campus for art. Have lunch and visit the Lord of the Rings inspired dorms. Attend soccer games. Attend football games. Visit a college museum. Take the kids along as I purchased my own college textbooks. We looked at the 'scary' looking Math books together. There are lots of options like these.

Honestly,I think this is ridiculus. She is an adult. Stuff happens to all adults; young and old. Really, she needed to deal with the reality that her parents didn't pay. At 21 my child should not have the 'right' to get bills paid by me. It's something I may choose to do, but... really. Grow up. Life isn't perfect. And just to clarify.... I am not defending her parents at all. I am just saying that things do happen and we all need to pick ourselves up and move on.

Both my boys are attending school this year (9th and 10th grade). Interestingly, I do not have a problem with the choice of material, but with the quantity. The 9th grader is reading The Pearl, The Lord of the Flies, To Kill A Mockingbird and a (very) few short stories. The 10th grader is reading Night, Cry My Beloved Country and Much Ado About Nothing. When we homeschooled we read many, many more books than this. It's a good school. The boys like it a lot. I wish they read more.

Regentrude, Thank you for your post. As always your feedback is extremely helpful and just confirmed the small list of schools we have had in mind already. :-)

We used Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Susan Wise Bauer. It was very thorough and it took us about 4 years to finish. Both boys at the end read very well even the son who had difficulty with reading. I would use it again!

In short: No. I would not have her do College Algebra after Algebra I. College Algebra is not the same as Algebra II in highschool which is why at the CC the course progression is Beginning Algebra (Algebra I), Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) and then College Algebra. The options you have as I see it: 1. Finish Jacobs Geometry at home. Take Algebra II at home and then take the assessment test and see where she test in. She may test into College Algebra in which case you may consider her taking it. I would still evaluate this based on how she did in Geometry and Algebra II at home. 2. Finish Jacobs Geometry at home. Take the assessment test at the CC and see where she test in. She then may be able to take Intermediate Algebra (which is Algebra II) at the CC. Go on to College Algebra after that. 3. Take the assessment test now and have her start at the CC where ever she test in. My preferred option would be option 1. The math classes at the CC are exhilarated and this can be overwhelming. I know it was for my son last year. He took Pre-Algebra in the fall and Algebra I in the spring at the CC. While he did fine it was a lot of work for him. This year he is taking Geometry at the highschool to slow down the pace for him. He'll probably go back to the CC for Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) next fall. Hope this helps.

I feel the same way. Both my boys will be in highschool this fall. Where did the time go. We are all excited about it, though. All will be good.

I don't have anything to add, but just wanted to tell you that I am impressed with you two! :thumbup:

I'll be joining you this fall! I usually pick second row center for my seating position. It makes feel somewhat safe in that spot. I am not right in the instructors face, but close enough to focus (like Regentrude says). Good Luck to you.

Cosmos, The school is on a semester schedule. Only Math classes run all year (and some electives) He'll have Spanish I, English 9 the first semester; and Spanish II and Biology the second semester. Algebra I runs all year. Photoshop at the CC the first semester. German online from all year. That's how he ends up with Spanish I and II in the same year. The school requires only 3 years of social studies. I am fine with that because we had so much history in the past; we are ready to move on. He'll do World History in grade 10, US History in Grade 11 and Econ/Gov in Grade 12.

I know you are right, but you wouldn't believe what this particular teen thought was a lot of work. To choose English Honors over regular English is a big step for him. Here is a link to Synthetic Biology http://syntheticbiology.org/ . In the spring there will be a competition called igem. Check it out. I had never heard of it before either. Ds is extremely excited about it. We shall see.

Thanks Cleekland, There is always the possibility that we may meet in Florida in three years. :001_smile: We may need your feedback indeed. Thanks so much for being part of my homeschool journey.

Nan, Thanks for responding. I always loved reading about your homeschool journey. Thanks for reminding me that I indeed belong here and on the college board. This way I won't have to leave the board just yet.

I think your plan looks good. My boys finally have found some books they like to read (free reading) Here are their summer titles thus far: Divergent (series) Game of Thrones (series) The Leviathan (Trilogy) Hope this helps. Susie

Hi Everyone, Our homeschool journey has come to a rather sudden end! Both boys will be attending a public charter highschool this fall. I never really expected to have them attend highschool. In my mind we would homeschool until college. Things didn't work out that way. Older ds is entering into 10 grade. He just picked his schedule two days ago. He has always been my challenging student. He is also the reason things turned out this way. We are all happy, however, because we do think this will be the right choice for all involved including him. I was surprised about the heavy schedule he chose. It will be interesting to see how he holds up. He will be taking: English 10 (honors) Geometry Drama (with a performance at the end) Chemistry World History Synthetic Biology German (still through OSU) When we left the office he said:"Wow, my schedule looks a lot more interesting than I thought it would. Maybe I'll be able to meet some other geeks who are interested in talking about DNA." Younger ds is starting in 9th grade. He decided he just wanted to have 'normal' classes like everyone else. He is taking: Algebra I English 9 Spanish I Spanish II Biology German (through OSU) Photoshop at the CC Wish us luck. This is the first time that we are truly entering the school system. I guess it is still not mainstream, but to us it feels like it. :-) And like Creekland posted recently: "It's over just like that." As for me....Well, I'll be going to school full-time, too. I am finishing off an AA in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). I'll be done with that in the Spring of 2015. Since I suddenly have time I decided to hang on courses that would also finish off my transfer requirements to a university. Depending on what I decide to transfer with I'll be either transferring in the Spring of 2015 or in the Spring of 2016. I am torn between Ecology and Anthropology. Really I would like to get a BS in Ecology with a minor in Anthropology. I'll decided at the end of this semester how much studying I want to do. :-) Thank you all for all the help, support and encouragement over the years. We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks also to Susan and her Mom for writing the WTM. This was the book which showed me that homeschooling was possible and gave me a road map to follow. Hugs to all, Susie