Dd (9th grade) is taking AP Latin with Lukeion this year. I mention this because she has a strong background in foreign language and grammar. Next year, she would like to take Spanish, specifically because she plans to travel where it may be needed directly after graduation. I do not speak Spanish (or any other foreign languages) nor does my dh or anyone we know well. We are looking into DE at our local university. I worry that coming in cold will be a problem as I suspect many of the college students in the class will have taken Spanish in high school. But I also don't want to "double dip" on her transcript by taking a year (or two) of high school Spanish from an online provider then Spanish 1 at the university as a DE student. Is it completely insane to consider putting her in DE without any background? Anyone done this? How did it go?

Yes. This is the root of my question. I plan to use a cumulative final as well but wondered how others handle it. And I also wonder what one is to do if you have worked to "mastery" all year but then the student performs poorly on the final? Without periodic testing, a student may not know they struggle with retention until the end of an entire year.

For those that do not "test," how do you determine a grade for the transcript. We also work to mastery but I'm struggling to quantify.

That is not out of the question. Good to know. Thanks!

There are not a lot of D3 schools for dd's sport, unfortunately. She has her eyes on a D2 school. We have some time to sort this out and a lot can happen in 3+ years but this just makes me so mad. Anyone know what the rules are for walk-ons? Do we still have to jump through the eligibility hoops?

Ugh. Maybe I will just start trying to talk my dd out of pursuing her sport in college......

We are staying in. I just don't have another plan and not enough time to do anything else. Hoping for the best!

That is very good to know about the intro to algebra book! Phew. I knew it was "broader, deeper, and more challenging" but assumed that I could still call each book a single credit with some sort of title that somewhat resembled the normal high school progression. It sounds like that is still the case. Dd will just be getting a little extra and I may be able to cull some chapters in the intermediate algebra book if necessary.

This has been a source of continual confusion for me. As outlined in the above posts, is "Algebra 2" considered a full credit? As in would "normally" be taken after geometry and before pre-calc in a regular high school a la 1995? We plan to use AoPS all the way through because dd likes the approach. She is doing geometry this year and completed the entire intro to algebra book last year. But the time it takes is overwhelming. I may have to cull parts in future years. I guess I just assumed each book was a regular full high school credit following something resembling the regular high school math sequence, just perhaps a little out of order on certain topics. But every time I read these threads I worry that I am asking too much of a bright-but-not-mathy kid.

Dd expressed interest in joining our local school's debate club. She does not know anyone that participates and was not even sure our school had one. But she knows what debate is from reading and movies and thinks it is something she would like to try. So, I looked into it and sure enough our local school does have a debate club. It also has a Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) club which from what I can gather includes a debate component. Our local high school is quite small so I was surprised to find both clubs that seem to have a significant overlap. I am also quite dubious that the school will let dd, as a homeschooler, participate in either club anyway but I am willing to at least ask. They have 100% turned us down for all other requests (athletics, AP exam proctoring, band, etc....) so I am not hopeful but dd was solicited by the math club advisor (which dd has no interest in doing) suggesting there might be hope. Any btdt with either type of club? I'm trying to figure out which would be a better fit for dd.

We are getting ready to tile the backsplash in our kitchen. This is a sorely overdue job. I cook a LOT and it seem to be impossible to keep the painted drywall clean. Hence, the tile idea. So I am sitting here with tile samples all over the place trying to figure out what I want. I know for sure that I want a subway tile shape. I have narrowed down the color/types based on how I like to look of them. Now I am seeking advice on whether any of them will be more or less difficult to keep clean looking. We have a plain ceramic tile with gloss finish, a clear glass tile, and a frosted glass tile all in the same color. I like the frosted glass the best. The tile shop warned me that it can smudge, especially with oily substances. So, I dripped drops of all sorts of kitchen stuff on the sample tile they gave me and it appears that everything has wiped off just fine with a plain wet washcloth. The clear glass tile is my second choice. The tile shop told me that those streak and get smudgy easily. Again, I experimented and again, plain water seems to clean everything off with a shiny finish just fine. The plain ceramic tile is my fallback. The tile shop recommended this as the best option. But it is not my favorite. Can anyone who has any of the above tile types in a kitchen weigh in with your experiences?

My first and only high schooler begins 9th grade this year. This is our plan: Math - AoPS Geometry at home (1 credit) Science - TWTM Biology (1 credit) Foreign Language - Lukeion AP Latin (1 credit) History - The History of the Ancient World meshed with Great Books (1 credit) Language Arts - Literature and Writing meshed with Great Books (1 credit) That is about the max we can do and only 5 credits so will add one additional credit with either: PE - Set goals, log workouts (outside of her team sport training), and monitor/chart stats. Music - Violin lessons Both of the above are dd's huge time-suck extra-curricular activities but she does more than enough of both to count for both. I think we have some credit flexibility as I plan to count middle Lukeion Latin 1-3 and AoPS Algebra from middle school.

Memorial Press Biology is all full. I will be contacting TWTM about this but there is not much that can be done at this point. I am not in a position to pull this subject together myself for home instruction with this short of notice. I am not at all opposed to dd taking classes from first time instructors. Someone has to, right? And I think there is value in dealing with a variety of teaching styles and experiences. But this is a case in which I would not have registered for the class if not for the instructor. I would have taught it at home. I prioritize other classes for outsourcing given my budget and this class took a BIG chunk out of that budget. It was the glowing reviews of Mrs. U that prompted me to forgo our other outsourcing plans for this year. I know this cannot be controlled but I do worry about expectations, workload, format, etc.... with a new teacher. I am an engineering instructor at a university and every time I teach a new class, the first year, or even two, are rough. It cannot be helped. That is just part of the deal. I want to know how much support the new instructor will be given. Sigh.

I am also concerned. We too registered for this class based on the teacher. It appears the replacement has not taught (at least in this format) before. This worries me. This is already going to be a tough class for my dd. This probably should be its own topic.....

Well, apparently there will be a different teacher for this class now. I just got an email this morning.

I am also interested in knowing the answer to #1.

I don't know is DO Physical Science if considered "high school level," but my dd took it in 8th grade and she found it enjoyable and the labs are easy to do at home.

It sounds like you find the HoAW workbook helpful? I have not had the chance to look at one in person and am on fence about utilizing it rather than just reading the chapters myself and coming up with discussion points. I don't want to limit our readings based on hard/long but want to be careful to select readings that won't be overwhelming, especially at the beginning. Dd gets frustrated easily so I need to tread carefully. I am curious as to how Thucydides was received by your child (and you, for that matter).

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I'm so glad someone else struggled to grasp it all and how to actually put it all together. I have a weak writing, literature, and history background from high school and am continually questioning whether I am leaving gaping holes in dd's. There are writing program recommendations in the book and I think we may try one but I would prefer to incorporate it into the whole package rather than its own additional half credit.

Thanks you! Comments inline.

Anyone?

This is really long. My apologies. I have a lot stirring around in my head and time is ticking away. I could use some advice and tips from people who have handled history and LA following the methods recommended in TWTM. We plan to do this for my 9th grader this school year. A little background for context: Dd has what I worry will be a heavy course load this year. She is taking Lukeion AP Latin and WTM Biology. Both of these are going to take up a great deal of time. She is also studying AoPS Geometry with me. Dd is a good student but tends to need more time than many report on here for most subjects. She also spends a great deal of time on two major interests that eat up 3-4 hours of her average day, sometimes much more. One major reason we homeschool is to allow time for those activities. They are important enough to her that we are willing to sacrifice some academics. One of her interests might even result in her not taking the traditional college path and even if she does, it is highly unlikely that she would be interested in pursuing admission to an elite institution (meaning we have some wiggle room in the courses she takes). Due to the time crunch and her other challenging classes, my original plan was to take a more get-it-done approach for history and LA for high school, or at the very least the 9th grade. She has already completed WWS 1-3 and AG so has a pretty solid writing and grammar foundation. She is also a natural speller and voracious reader. That combined with her Latin studies has given her a pretty solid vocabulary and spelling base. She has also been through the four-year history cycle twice now. I have been asking for her feedback as I was exploring options for curriculum choices. Assuming she would bite at the less-demanding options, I was surprised to find her with her nose in my copy of TWTM with a request to handle history and LA using those methods. This is such a 180 from what I had in my head that I am feeling very unprepared and concerned that she (and I) will be overloaded. Given her past studies and strengths, I do not plan to attempt anything in the spelling, word study, or remedial writing categories. That leaves rhetoric, history, literature, and writing. Literature/Writing Questions: Knowing that time is going to be a factor, I am shooting for the minimum of 8 Great Books. We have been pouring over the list for the Ancients and dd seems to have interest in many of them. I am hoping I could get some tips from people who have traveled this path. 1. Are there any books that have been very difficult, very long, and/or very boring for your student? I know this can vary widely based on taste but I am woefully lacking in familiarity with most of the books and do not want to set dd up for failure. 2. Has anyone done the four-sectioned notebook that is spelled out in TWTM? Did you find it to be a good method or cumbersome? History Questions: 3. We plan to use SWB's "The History of the Ancient World." Dd has pre-read a few chapters and likes the style. If we are combining this with the reading and writing methods spelled out in TWTM, can I consider this enough to be a history credit without supplementing? I love the idea of movies, additional texts, map work, etc.... but I know we will run out of time. The history reading and Great Books (plus writing and discussion) will take FAR more than 240 hours so it seems like a solid 2 credits (one history and one literature) to me. 4. I am looking for recommendations for an encyclopedia/atlas. I see the recommendations in the book but cannot tell which would be the best. I am hoping to find a single stand-alone resource if that is possible. If not, that would be good for me to know too. Rhetoric: 5. TWTM recommends 3 hours a week. If time is an issue and the credit is not needed, would you do this? I would like to. I would LOVE to. But at some point a line must be drawn. I am not sure I am a good enough writer myself to help steer dd's history and literature writing with an adequate emphasis on rhetoric. 6. If the answer to #5 is that you would make an effort for stand-alone rhetoric instruction, would you indeed assign credit to it? Or somehow lump this along with the literature into a single LA credit? There is a workbook style recommendation in TWTM that looks the most appealing to me, but it seems a little odd to have a half credit of rhetoric hanging out on a 9th grade transcript when there is already another full LA credit. For anyone that read this all, THANKS!

Does the yearbook require a professional photo? I know our local schools will allow any photo as long as it fits a list of guidelines for the background and size. You may be able to take it yourself. You might also ask the school if someone from the yearbook committee can take the photo.

That does seem really heavy for a PUP. I agree with others that you want to go well below towing capacity. I would also research your specific van as some "tow capacities" are much different than their real capacities. In some cases they are under rated. We have an old bare-bones PUP and love it. It does not have a bathroom and we removed the sink and all plumbing. We never used the sink and we were trying to bring our weight down because we are right up against our tow rating. Our empty-weight is 1200 and our tow capacity is 1500. In our case, our car really is capable of towing significantly more than 1500, not that I would recommend it. Same vehicle is rated much higher in other countries. With the removal of the sink (and cabinet) but adding our stored gear, we are right at 1500. We only drive on relatively-flat roads and try to avoid interstates or other high-speed situations. We have slightly less braking but no other issues towing. We have been towing this trailer with this PUP for 12 years. You can take your loaded PUP to a transfer station to weigh it. We have also found some PUPs actually weigh more than listed. We have wanted to replace ours for years but cannot find one that weighs less. As far as recommendations, obviously you want to know if it goes up and down easily, that the canvas is not damaged and not terribly mildewy, and that all features work. One thing that I would really REALLY like in ours is a 3-way fridge. I don't mind roughing it in every other way but truly hate fishing dinner out of four days worth of cooler water. Our PUP does not have a fridge at all but even some that do are electric only which is limiting in places with no hook-ups or while you are in transit. A 3-way would be a dream. At the weight your are talking, it sounds like more PUP than you need. Unless it is a steal, you might want to seek something lighter.