Hmm ... you could always get them into world of warcraft instead ... *ducks the tomatoes*

College level texts for non-majors are usually scientifically accurate but written to interest, engage, and inform college students who don't much care for science. They're also usually written to get selected by individual subject-area experts rather than by committees of non-scientists, each of whom has a separate axe to grind. I think they're a great set-up to prepare for a serious college course.

Dual enrollment for math and physics courses. AP or DE chemistry is probably useful, ditto computer science. Potentially online courses through Stanford OHS? I can't see HS being a good fit unless they let him skip math and science and go straight for dual enrollment, or fund his online classes.

AWESOME!

Is he doing imacs on separate days from the thinkwell? I'd probably quit the thinkwell and just do imacs if you like it, and finish their progression. It's *supposed* to have you calculus-ready at the end but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there would be un-covered material in the AOPS intermediate series at the end of it -- however, you can cross that bridge when you get there. Also, it could lead into the imacs mathematical logic/set theory/etc courses which are very rigorous math-major courses. Imacs should get more challenging as he moves through the progression -- it's designed for kids who haven't yet had algebra so it's unsurprising that it's only making him think "a bit" at the beginning.

Imacs is very good. Where is he in the progression? To check whether AOPS would be just rehashing material or not, try the "do you need this" tests on their website -- for the classes, not just for the texts. Their alg 2 class uses the second half of the beginning algebra book and is recommended for those who had algebra 1 in PS.

Out of curiosity, what did she do last year for math?

Yes. Singapore is a solid program. I would double-check for the appropriateness of the level with the placement test -- http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_Test_s/86.htm -- and then rock it out.

Not possible in many areas.

As Arcadia said, most of the worst stories are in the humanities. A few of them are in STEM but they are generally people who are geographically limited (if you cannot move more than an hour away from your husband/wife/ailing parents/whatever, your chances of landing a permanent position are minute), delusional (i.e. expecting to get a research position based on a dissertation without publications), or simply unwilling to change. The employability for a PhD in STEM outside of academia is sufficiently high that there's no need for permanent adjuncting unless you really can't move. By constrast, there are far fewer non-academic job openings for a PhD in English, History, or something similar, and the ones that there are are far less obvious. There is a fair amount of outsourcing to adjuncts in STEM (everywhere I've been) but many of the ones I have seen are people like retired high school teachers who teach an algebra class or two because it's enjoyable and for the extra money, not people trying to cobble together a living wage solely out of adjunct positions.

Yeah, she's 13. I doubt the teacher will really believe it. http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2011/02/24/

There are also a lot of people who want to be professors but are simply less qualified. There are multiple reasons why this might be so -- here's a couple: 1) Because of the way our high schools run, students who are not lucky enough to go to a really excellent high school are entering university a year or two behind students from other countries. 2) Because of the emphasis on general education in our universities, a student may complete a major having taken roughly 50-60 credits in their major (the minimum is more like 40, but a student who completes only a minimum major is not a competitive candidate for graduate school). In contrast, in other countries with more focused undergraduate degrees, a student might have more like 90+ credits in their major. This puts them another year ahead. For a specific example, I had 80 credits of undergrad math and the Chinese students were STILL ahead of me. 3) This frequently results in a student taking longer to finish graduate school and publishing less while there. It is much more difficult to get publications in graduate school if you need to spend 2-3 years taking coursework before you can even start thinking about a research problem. 4) This then makes these students less competitive for postdocs, in which they can churn out ever-more papers to make themselves competitive for faculty positions. Many of the foreign students come over at the graduate school or postdoc stage, having completed high school and undergrad in their own countries. It is in the university's interest to hire the best person they can for the position regardless of origin. I don't think, though, that it's the university's social responsibility to hire less qualified Americans and hope they can perform, rather than foreigners with a proven track record.

In that case, I'd go with something inexpensive and see how it works for you. I don't see any need to start off with something expensive unless you've seen it and are convinced that it is The Right Program For Your Kids. Math Mammoth is also black and white workbooks. The grades 1-3 bundle on CD is $64 from Rainbow Resource, and that would serve both your kids. You'd have to print it yourself. Or you could buy the printed version at Rainbow Resource for $45 per year per kid. CLE is black and white workbooks, and a year with teacher manual is about $50. Both of these are traditional enough in scope and sequence that you should be able to transfer to something else if you don't like them. Both of these go all the way through arithmetic and should easily prepare a student to start algebra when finished (math mammoth's pre-algebra is not out yet, but it should be soon). ETA: Also, both of these are open-and-go (well, once you print math mammoth).

Maybe Horizons?

It depends -- how rapidly and accurately can you work the algebra 1 problems yourself?

I would absolutely not skip problems, especially if she is not getting 100%. I would go ahead and skip the math fact sheets if she is acing those. Is she making careless errors (e.g. writing 2 and then reading it as 5 in the next line) or conceptual errors? Sometimes kids who are capable math students make more careless errors when they are overwhelmed by the amount of work they need to do. I would consider splitting the lesson in half and either doing them at separate times of the day or taking two days per lesson. You may end up needing to work into the summer if you take 2 days per lesson, but I think that 2 hours on a given day is too much for math if the kid is not begging for more.

How old are your kids and what grades have they completed in PS? Do you prefer black-and-white or colorful? Do you prefer manipulatives or not? Do you prefer mixed problem sets, single-subject problem sets with mixed review, or doing one thing exclusively for some time? But seriously, for neurotypical kids and parents who aren't afraid of math, most standard curricula will work just fine.

It's going to depend on the school. I'd play it safe and include live ones as well.

Make sure he passes the placement test on their website. If he passes, go for it.

For math, this is very true at research universities (you're also looking at a frighteningly long career path, as you are unlikely to get a job at a research school without at least one good postdoc), less true at primarily undergraduate institutions without a research focus, and not really relevant at community colleges.

Reading any sort of YA classics that you somehow missed or would like to revisit (I suggested YA because they are easier on the brain). My mother's been very weak lately after some medical issues and has been working her way through the complete works of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Hulu some sort of show that you're sorta interested in but wouldn't normally watch because of lack of time/whatever. Best wishes for your continued recovery.

I do think you should leave ... your ILs. Every time he opens his mouth. Man. What a piece of work.

A tag might work.

If his interest is piqued I'd run with it. If he doesn't like it he can stop reading it.

+1.