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Caraway

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Posts posted by Caraway

    Spanish (HSA?)

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    The initial meeting did not go well.  My son (a generally eager to please, agreeable sort of student) said that it was laggy, and it was difficult to understand what the instructor wanted.  He is willing to do a second attempt with a different instructor, but I think I need to be looking for another option.  😬

    • Sad 1

    FYI—HAMILTON! Drops tomorrow on Disney+

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

    I will say, the only bummer was realizing again that even these amazingly intelligent men could be such idiots when it came to things like duels. UGH! Such a waste of life!

     

    I am deep into Yale's Open Course lectures on the American Revolution and this was addressed by the professor.  Apparently since social rank/standing were much more fluid and difficult to recognize in the colonies, dueling developed as a way to assert yourself as having a higher standing.  Still idiotic, but an interesting explanation.  

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 1

    Progesterone cream - experiences?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I use a bio identical form in a pill.  I'm currently on Reddit complaining about it. I take it cyclically, and the first time was great.  Now each time seems progressively worse.  My mood drops, I'm argumentative, short tempered and angry.  I bloat and cramp immediately, then all of my joints ache, and I develop a headache.  I sweat aggressively, and am starving at all times.  Like I cannot express how hungry I am.  I would binge on sardines - that's how hungry I am, constantly.  My weight is going up, as is my body dysmorphia.  Can you tell I'm on it right now, because I cannot think of  a single positive thing to say about it???  It is like the worst PMS I've experienced, but self inflicted for two weeks at a time.

    Spanish (HSA?)

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Runningmom80 said:

    Hi! My son has been taking classes with them for  4 years and we are very happy with it. You schedule each class individually and if you purchase your classes early enough you can get the same teacher for each class. They do have a set curriculum along with tests and grades.

     

    So, is there a sense of "finishing" a level?  Is the speed of instruction meant to cover a certain amount of material in a certain amount of time?  Do they use their own curriculum or something that is widely available?  Thanks!!!

    • Like 1

    Spanish (HSA?)

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    My son has taken two years of Spanish with a provider that has been "fine".  Now that provider has switched to non-native teachers and I am looking at other options.  I have three kids, and would potentially enroll all of them depending on what provider I was using - so I would have one high school Spanish 3, one middle school Spanish 1, one elementary Spanish 1.

    I would like a program with a reasonable workload and difficulty level.  We are looking to achieve a fluency that would allow travel or communication with local Spanish speakers.  We are not looking to be the family that finds a hidden Spanish grammar pun in Don Quixote.  

    I am considering Homeschool Spanish Academy.  Has anyone used them recently?  Does your student usually have the same teacher repeatedly?  Is there a curriculum they follow?  I am looking for something more structured than just tutoring.

    Is there some other provider I should be considering?

     

    • Like 1

    Anybody Else Considering NOT Taking the AP Exams?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    On 4/6/2020 at 7:27 PM, Farrar said:

    Considering it.

    Ds just does not shine on the FRQ's. He had the multiple choice to a point where I felt like we were going to get them down, then get him through on the FRQ's. He's terrible at tricky questions and honestly, I think they're going to make them tricky. It feels less and less worth it. I might want him to focus on doing some other engaged things with the subject instead of trying for this half-baked test, which will definitely take up his energy if he does take it. He's not a kid who can just blow through one of these.

    He is also really grieving about ballet and I just... I don't feel like I want to push him. He's a bit a of a mess.

     

    This is us, 100%.  We worked, and worked, and worked on the MCQ so that his score would still be high even if he bombed the FRQs.  I am struggling to envision telling him that the next month is going to be nothing but test prep.  My son is deeply grieving the loss of his sport, and honestly maybe I just the gentle way out.

    • Like 1

    Anybody Else Considering NOT Taking the AP Exams?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I am considering allowing my student to abandon this year's AP exams.  Is anybody else making this choice?

    On one hand I feel like we should finish what we started.  On the other hand this production is exceeding my willingness to put up with the CB.  I feel like their need to make money/stay relevant is overshadowing their desire to give a fair and equal test.  

    Thoughts?  Opinions?  How are you all handling this?

    • Like 1

    wuhan - coronavirus

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Arcadia said:


    They might pull something like this 

    “March 10, 2020, 1:58 PM PDT

    Mitty-St. Joe's girls CIF NorCal Open final moved to Miramonte High

    A last-minute relocation of the NorCal Open Division girls basketball championship game will result in a longer bus ride for top-seeded Archbishop Mitty, as the Monarchs will now play No. 2 seed St. Joseph Notre Dame tonight at Miramonte High in Orinda. Tip-off is still at 7 p.m. “It's just an interesting turn of events,” SJND interim coach Brian Sato said. “I didn't expect this at all.” The game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday night at Gunn High in Palo Alto. But Monday night, in lieu of the Santa Clara County ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people that will take effect Wednesday at 12 a.m., the Palo Alto Unified School District announced stricter limits to no more than 100” https://sports.yahoo.com/m/78b75da2-1844-375b-ae0d-8a0ef9a2e373/mitty-st.-joe%26%2339%3Bs-girls-cif.html

     

     

    This, to me, does not solve the problem.  There are cases through out the Bay Area, and athletes will be en masse, staying at hotels, eating at restaurants, etc.  I understand how they might consider this okay for a championship though.

    • Like 1

    wuhan - coronavirus

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

    https://abc7news.com/health/coronavirus-impact-archdiocese-of-san-francisco-to-close-90-schools/6001212/
    “SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Archdiocese of San Francisco announced it will close its 90 schools because a student tested positive for coronavirus.

    The announcement came Monday afternoon. The schools are located in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin.

    "San Francisco Public Health Department confirmed that an ASF student has tested positive for COVID-19. Additional diagnoses of COVID-19 across our schools are likely," officials said in a statement.

    All classes in addition to all student-related activities will be canceled from Thursday, March 12 through March 25.“

     

    I have a child who is supposed to travel to a sporting event in this area this weekend.  They are refusing to cancel at this point, despite advice from the county to stop all non-essential activities.  I hate being "that parent" but this seems really poorly considered to me.  My child's team can't compete without him, so I'm not really sure what to do at this point.

    • Thanks 1
    • Sad 6

    Micro Econ Videos - Is this really the best?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    37 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

    Every course provider comes with a specific "slant" or perspective or worldview. Hillsdale College has a very conservative Christian "slant" or worldview. As the homeschool parent, you get to decide what type of "slant" or perspective or worldview best helps your family to learn. You also get to decide to change materials / curricula / courses if they are not working academically for you or the student, or if the material is bringing in too much "off topic" material, or spending too much time on emotional or extreme presentations and is not balanced in presentation. 😉

    If Khan, or another video series, is presenting the material in a way that fits better for your family, switch! -- No guilt, no need to look back. 😄


    ETA -- my personal opinion 😉 
    I always looked first and foremost for quality of academics of the materials, and also how close of a learning style/teaching style match the material was for us. Teaching materials with extreme perspectives or with strong opinions/appeals to emotion did not work for us. I do think that looking at examples of extreme perspectives can be useful when studying Logic and fallacies, or in understanding events in History, Politics, etc.

    Speaking as a Christian, I also think that, sadly, the Christian community has fallen into the same trap that our country as a whole has fallen into -- rather than civil debate with opinions backed by facts and evidence and a willingness to actually listen to and try to understand opposing opinions, people seem to feel desperate, and as though they need to "win" converts to their opinion by outshouting and using emotional tactics and fallacies. 😪

     

    If I were doing the course independently I would look for another resource.  I guess I'm surprised that these materials are presented as the same as other materials used in the course - as though they are neutral.  I think that is my issue, because we often use non-secular materials, but I know that going in.  This course is more like secular resource, secular resource, Bible verse, secular resource.  It seems like there should have been mention of this before, or clear labeling or something.  Maybe there was and I missed it.

    I agree that we could all do with more civil debate in all categories. 

    • Like 1

    Micro Econ Videos - Is this really the best?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Caraway

    My student is taking a Micro Econ class that uses videos from Hillsdale College.  I understand that Economics can be political - but do these videos really represent the BEST exposure to these ideas?  I do not usually react to religious materials, but I find these videos so offensive.  I guess I could overlook it if its truly the only/best way to teach the material, but I don't have enough exposure to the topic to understand.  Seems like Khan/ACDC covers the same material without the Bible verses and anti-government rants.  What am I missing here?

     

    Edited to clarify:  Student is taking an online course and these videos have been assigned along with other resources.

    PCOS, Doctors, The Unwillingness to Help

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, Loowit said:

    That is sad but not surprising.

    I wasn't diagnosed until after all my children were born, and then only because I researched what was going on and requested testing.

    I have basically been told there is not much they can do except to treat symptoms.  I have been on metformin for years and recently agreed to bc because the pain and bleeding were so bad and I was house bound about half my life.  I had tried various bcp and none worked and many had horrible side effect including more weight gain.  Right now I have an arm implant thingy that is actually working pretty well for me.  I have decided that doctors aren't really able to help so I exercise, try to eat right, and take the meds that alleviate most of my worse symptoms, except sadly weight issues.

    I have never had a very sympathetic doctor, which is sad.  I hope you are able to find one.

    When my DD started showing signs of also having PCOS, I took her in to get tested.  They have mostly told her to lose weight and take meds.  The weight gain came on suddenly despite eating healthy and exercising hours a day (she was a dancer).  She is almost 19 and I think she has given up hope that the doctors will do much to help her.

     

    I've been controlling mine, all except for the cycle length, with keto.  Total game changer for me.  I think that this flare up has been caused by a thyroid medication adjustment and that given some brief treatment I could return to relative (although not spontaneous) remission.

    I guess I just keep thinking that someone who considers themselves to be an expert should know more on the topic than I do.  However healthcare based on Reddit information continually seems more reliable. 

    PCOS, Doctors, The Unwillingness to Help

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

    What did she say when you told her she was crazy? 

    Find a new doctor. 

    PCOS = metformin, and some other things, as I'm sure you know from researching....

     

    I asked her over email to show me, via lab results, what causes her to believe this will solve itself.  I can't wait to hear 🤣

    • Like 2
    • Haha 5

    PCOS, Doctors, The Unwillingness to Help

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    7 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

    Wow. Just wow.

    Did you tell her it hasn't resolved in 26 years? I mean, eventually you'll not have some of the PCOS symptoms because menopause, but by then, other things will have gotten worse. You are trying to get in front of this, seek help & she sure isn't helping.

    As someone who has likely had PCOS myself since puberty but who was only diagnosed recently when I went in for a bunch of other testing, I get it. Do you know what you want to try or are you looking for your doc to proffer ideas?

    ETA:  my doc offered BC to deal with symptoms of perimenopause but nothing for PCOS specifically. I am not accepting the BC offer, FWIW.

     

    To a certain extent I'm already "self medicating" with diet but age/stress/time has meant that diet is not strong enough to override the symptoms.  IME, birth control just covers up the symptoms and allows the doctor to feel like they've done something.  I went along with that scam for a decade.  Never again.  

    There are a number of potentially helpful treatments, each with pros/cons.  Berberine/Metformin/Inositol can help.  Recent studies have shown berberine (an herb) to be more effective than Metformin (a diabetes drug).  Other approaches might be cyclical progesterone, or other hormone manipulation.  

    I am willing to do all the research myself and basically demand what I want, but I would rather have a doctor who is willing to brainstorm and problem solve with me. 

    Doing nothing is not an option I will consider.  😉

    • Like 4
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