Since starting dual enrollment in middle school, my son has been the only one writing in cursive, and he is the only one reading it, too. His Russian teacher has him as the class reader for anything written on the board in English, lol. I've heard it helps with sat writing score, but I don't know if that's really true. So I would say based on what I've seen, unless he has a burning desire to learn, it is no longer necessary. As he is older, you could probably just print out free worksheets from the Internet for him to learn.

That about sums it up for me. It's very hard to watch, and why I never realized it would happen is beyond me. Time is just slipping through my fingers- I guess whoever said the days are long and the years are short is a genius. Cry all you want, I will be there soon to join you!

Thank you for the input!

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-027-asia-in-the-modern-world-images-representations-spring-2012/Syllabus/ DS wants to do 20th Century(ish) Asian history next year. I found this course from MIT and am considering using it as a sort of outline for the class. Its not history, per se. Its...communications? Anthropology? Dunno. Its interesting though, he'd like it. I wouldn't assign the assignments, but instead traditional papers. Add more reading (I have an extensive book collection on Asia already), add more countries (Korea more in depth, Vietnam and southeast Asia, maybe Russia or India). He is taking another open source class on modern China that is 4 weeks long through somewhere else (not on this computer). I can probably find some Russia-specific stuff too, via TTC or open source classes (He asked specifically for Russia to be included). What do you think? I think it will work great for a spine to hang my other topics upon, but I worry its a bit "out there" to be listed as high school history/social sciences for a transcript. My original plan of topics arranged geographically (4 weeks overview,6 weeks China, 5 weeks Japan, 5 weeks Korea, 4 weeks SE Asia, 4 weeks Russia, 4 weeks Central Asia, 4 weeks India) sounds kind of boring, but more traditional. Thoughts?

Ever since my second year home schooling, I've taken a "sabbatical" nearly every year. It usually involves dh taking the kids somewhere, normally his parents, and me staying home and NOT TALKING TO ANYONE. Which I need. I talk all day, constantly, and have for 15 years now, and it's very draining (for me). While we lived in Asia I went away, because it was cheaper and I could hit the road with my car and no plan, and let experience take me places I wouldn't normally go with kids in tow. Like going home with random old ladies to little mountain towns because they asked me too, lol. Now we are back in the us and dh just pulled out with the van loaded up, and my old dog and I are going to fire up Netflix, order take out and lay in bed the rest of the day. Or possibly week. Normally I deep clean and organize, home school plan, take some day trips with the dog. The Asian sabbaticals spoiled me though, since that all sounds dreadful! I don't even want to scrap book. Just sit and be still...and alllll alone. Since I'm not Asian (very obviously so!) I didn't have to talk if I didn't want to on those previous sabbaticals- the assumption was i didn't understand, which I have been known to use for days on end. Here, if I go anywhere, I can't by smiling vacantly and pointing, lol. Anyway, this rambling and random, but I wondered if any other home school moms take sabbaticals? I'd be certifiable without them!

Since he is small, diarrhea is a concern, but then again, he has been through a whole lot and it's probable that is just upsetting his tummy. Cats digestion is pretty fickle- they do a lot of random barfing, lol. If he is acting fine I'd give it a few days and just make sure he is eating and drinking well. I want a kitten soooooo bbbaaaadddddd.....but my 15 year old grouchy cat would never go for it.

Aw, I can sort of relate (commiserate?). We live in a Tony area...but with our one income family, our income is quite a bit below the average here. We are well fed, have housing, we have SO much, I get that...but I fall victim to the "green eyed monster" not for new kitchen counters or a nicer car, but for opportunities for my kids. Sometimes it physically hurts that I can't provide the wealthy, new cars, huge parties, Europe trip type of lifestyle for my kids their peers all seem to have. Not to mention the music lessons, dance lessons, tutors and hefty alumni contributions.... Here is hoping the job hunt looks up, and like i try to do, remind her that work ethic is something you can't put a price on.

My Ds has been the only one in his classes who can read and write cursive since he started dual enrolling in 7th grade. Perhaps there were kids in the school who could, but in 3 schools (one dodds, one international private, one highly rated us district) it's just been him. If she has spelling issues or an LD and asked a friend to write for her, I can see not being able to read it.

A few things: The number one dog breed responsible for bites is the Labrador retriever. If your dogs are free range, it's awfully disingenuous to be upset their dogs are too. Google Pyrenees dog bites. A dog "protecting" it's land (ie, inside a fence) is very different than a dog somewhere else. You have a right to feel safe, and pit bulls can and do kill. It is totally within your rights to ensure the neighbors dogs are fenced, leashed, or otherwise contained. If not, a shotgun is not unreasonable. And I'm a vegan for ethical reasons, so I don't say that lightly. Talk to the neighbor about your concerns. If they are responsible owner of this breed, they should be open to that. If not, you know where they are at, and can adjust accordingly (ie, shotgun). I had a chow, and they are very unpredictable and can be vicious. One incident of aggression, and she was on watch- another, and I had her put down. It was my only choice, and as the owner of a dangerous breed (IMO, much more dangerous than a pit bull, which at least gives warning signs) I stand by my decision, as much as it broke my heart. The people I know with dangerous breeds of dogs go far, far out of their way to ensure the dog is socialized, safe and most importantly under control at all times. if the neighbors are not, well then, they are part of the problem. But please give them the courtesy of knowing your fears and concerns first.

Our cat is a bona fide serial killer, but she is also wicked smart. She has killed squirrels and large birds (magpies) that are larger than rats, so it wasn't that. She just knew they were pets- no kidding. The rats got out once when the kids and I were out of town, and dh doesn't like rats. He would NOT pick them up and put them back in their cage, and they roamed free for 3 days until we came home, and the cat left them completely alone. It was really cool...except the rats pooped all over and I had to virtually dismantle the kitchen and clean it for fear they'd gotten into drawers, etc. Dh solution was to shut himself in the master bedroom, that had an outside door, and just leave the rest of the house to the rats. I couldn't get too mad as he told me he didn't like them, wouldn't touch them, etc. We've had a gerbil and a hedgehog with the same serial killer cat, and she leaves small animals alone if they are in cages in the house. She knows they are pets, I swear!

Well, to piggy back on rems mom, I've had actual arguments with people insisting I cannot be American because I'm not fat, and Americans are fat. I still can't figure out if I ought to be flattered or ticked off. But there it is.

My oldest took classes at a dod school in Korea in middle school. I can't remember specifically, but I believe enrollment is limited to available spaces for first military, then dod, then contractors, so your status could affect (effect?I never can keep that straight) a slot in the school if it's full. We loved it, though it does tie you down to the school schedule IMO we had no problems being out for travel. Many kids, full time students or no, will be out for travel opportunities, especially in Europe. The schools anticipate and work around those military things like parents returning from deployments, moving mid year, travel back to the us, etc that happen during the school year. He took classes at a private international school in another Asian country and they also had no problem with kids out for travel, etc. Now the local, us public high school he takes 2 classes at- they are draconian! So no school year travel for us any more.

My stand offish, semi feral, homicidal maniac of a 15 year old cat will come in from the catnip growing in a pot outside the deck, rub all over us (kind of frightening, as we expect her to bite!), flop down on her back, roll around and purr. Then she will fall promptly asleep, sprawled out in a very unladylike position. I don't know why it took me 15 years to start growing the stuff! Do you think it works on moody 15 year old teens?

I am in no way an expert, but the regression and escalating behaviors (especially the sleeping) makes me think there might be a physical something going on? Small seizures? (God forbid) brain something? An u diagnosed virus or infection causing confusion or something? I'm not articulating it well, but it seems so odd she would be so unteachable after...not being so. That's all I can come up with, which is not probably helpful as I'm sure you've pursued that. I'm sorry- I know what it is to have a struggling child! If it helps, my child I feared would never read or be successful is now a teen, and doing well. Ish. Well enough, lol. Just keep fighting the good fight, it will pay off, I promise.

One resource I found this year are the ap us lesson plans on the national endowment for the humanities "edsitement" website. http://edsitement.neh.gov/feature/advanced-placement-us-history-lessons Lots of great primary source stuff. Some is a bit class roomy, but can be modified. This was Ds favorite part of our year.

The only big ones I do not want to do (and Ds does not) are the state government and history credits. He would still have 4 years of social sciences, though, as needed for colleges we are looking at. Health and pe I thought we'd combine for 0.5 for each, but thinking more on it I think we will do one year of each- he needs meal prep, nutrition, child development, type health stuff. I've been remiss on that. And pe just because he is sedentary, and it's a way to get him moving, lol. Virginia state history has really been covered fairly extensively in our us history this year and years past, we lived here years ago, too. Ps is an all or nothing proposition- we closed that door by home schooling 9th grade, as he would not have the required sol tests to graduate or transfer in without starting nearly over. It's a risk, but if the worst happens all online school or a GED is the option, not ps.

I am in VA, and I can find nothing on hslda, heav, etc that says I must follow graduation requirements for ps kids. In fact, they are called "diploma course requirements" on the state Ed website, and they won't be issuing my child a diploma, so I guess I don't have to follow them. ;-) Whew! And, how did I get to the end of my Ds 9th grade year and not think of this already?!

I can't imagine why I would, my method has to look at colleges Ds may want to attend, then back plan requirements from there for high school. My state requires 2 credits of health and pe- I was thinking of doing just one combined health and pe credit. They also require state history (I credit) and state government (I credit) which I completely don't see a need to do. Ds will still have 4 social sciences, but of none of them will have any specific focus on our state, in fact they may end up being quite oddball as I am getting brave and considering letting him do "20th century Asian history" for next year. Since I am granting the diploma, not our state, this is fine, right? I had a small moment of panic and just checked our states requirements and want to be sure what I think is correct before getting any deeper into high school.

My husband would be very offended by that assumption.

Congratulations! He does look tiny to me, too! I gained 5 pounds after oldest Ds was born due to fluid- I cried and cried. Give birth to an 8 pound baby and the assorted yuck that also comes out and...gain 5 pounds?! When it finally went away I marveled at how ,y tiny little ankles could possibly have ever held me up, lol, it was like I'd never seen them before!

Thank you for the link- interesting reading! He also has tourrettes and I never considered tics being a problem. He hasn't done standardized testing in a group setting since early ele,entry, so I think he will just do the PSAT this fall, we will see how it goes and go from there. He isn't a nervous test taker, and while the whole "bubble in, look at the answer, look at the test booklet" thing is trying for him due to ADHD, I'm not sure he really does need more time. I guess we will see. Thanks for the hugs, all. I could hear him muttering to himself "do I need a common denominator? Which way do the decimals move again?" during the test, and when I saw what was on it (and realized how long it's been since he's done any of that) my heart just sunk. He doesn't know I'm worried, and he isn't particularly so, except talking about it after his little brother was poking him about fractions since as a 6th grader they are fresh for him and he had to mention that, of course! He did the other math portion in about 4 minutes (math concepts?) and I'm pretty sure from glancing at it he got them all correct. His LA skills are much better, so no worries there, so hopefully one bad section won't tank his scores overall. I'm feeling much better with some "distance"!

Well, I goofed. Ds (9th grade) is nearly done with geometry and getting ready to start algebra 2 in the fall. It's been a looonnnggg while since he did any fractions, decimals, percent type problems. Which is the entire cat test for his level. He didn't finish that portion, and from what I saw, it doesn't look good. We didn't review at all, I didn't look at the test until today whilst he took it. Yikes! If he tanks the math computation section, but aces the rest (he should), will be alright? I'm in Virginia, and I can't remember what he has to score- we lived overseas for years before this, and the last time I tested him was in 6th grade. We have a portfolio option, which he would do fine in. I feel like this is partly my fault for not looking at what was on it, since he does fairly well in math anyway, usually. Or I guess I could order a different test and do it, once he has reviewed some? Also, if a child has ADHD (diagnosed, takes medication) they are allowed accommodations in school like extra or no time, test in a smaller group, etc. How does this work in a home testing situation? I just haven't made any accommodations at all ever, and since he scores well enough to satisfy the state, let it be. I haven't given much thought to sat/act type situations that are coming up next year, I figured we would just see how he does and go from there. I need a hug...

Actually, pneumonia is what it sounds like to me. One of my kids is prone to it, and he feels like you do. Not "sick", per se, but run down, trouble breathing, lung and rib pain. It usually presents with a fever and feeling sick, but for Ds, it doesn't, he can do normal activities and have his lungs full of gunk and need to be admitted overnight to the hospital.

Birds in general freak me out, so yes, I'd think they may attack! I've been attacked and chased (and bit...if a thing without teeth can bit?) by Canadian geese before. And my moms terribly mean parrot has trapped my sister in her room on more than one occasion. I see kids chase ducks and geese at parks and think- whoa, little dude, just wait until they day they turn around, beat you with their wings, and bite you on the butt. Big birds are no joke!

My big worries (not that they ever really stop, lol) came to head this past October. Wed taken the plunge to keep on home schooling through high school, and family members (and even dh) were very taken aback by that, as we moved back to the us and live in an area with some of the best schools in the country. And high school is an all or nothing proposition here- no putting them in half way through. We did us history and I planned for Ds to take the ap us exam in spring. Document based questions were not going well. Ds was super stressed at the thought of the test, at the thought of the PSAT the next fall, at pretty much everything. Me too. One day he practically burst into tears and said he was so worried he'd never get into college. I sat him down and we talked about options. Option 1- drop out now, goof off, get it together in a few years, take the GED (which he could pass now), go to cc, maybe take remedial classes, but whatever, transfer to a 4 year school, no ap or sat required, graduate with bachelors. Option 2- finish high school, tank all aps and sat, go to cc for a few years, transfer to 4 year college, graduate with bachelors. Option 3- finish high school, do well at aps or sat, go to 4 year college, graduate with bachelors. At the end, they all have the same result. They ALL have the same result! I was even more struck by my little pick me up speech than Ds was. We can do this. It will be ok. There are many roads to Rome, and he will get there. We dumped taking the us ap (and in retrospect, by years end, I think he would have done well but it wasn't worth the stress). He is shooting for 4 ap tests total, that's enough. Maybe more, maybe less. He is going to do his own interests for history and literature, and we aren't going to worry there is no ap test for that and it isn't like ps.he is going to be ok. I feel practically giddy at handing over the reins and letting Ds work on his goals, his way. Probably most smarter parents than I have already done this, lol. Now my youngest Ds...I've got enough worry there for 3 parents. But like Scarlet Ohara, I'll think about that tomorrow!