My child just left high school to homeschool. This student wants to go into engineering or math and was in AP Calc. We found out that the school classes for Geometry/Pre-Calculus were weak. So, I want to find a way to strengthen math and move forward at the same time. Meaning, I'm thinking about doing self-paced AOPS contest prep that forces discovering gaps, then filling them. But at the same time, moving forward with Calc in a self-paced class. Does anyone have any suggestions? This is for a kid who needs a strong math background for engineering, so I don't want programs that just get you through math. I want programs that really help you to learn the math if you complete it. I'd prefer programs that have lots of video help and/or a teacher you can email. Thanks for any suggestions!

If you take an AP Class through PA Homeschoolers, where can you take the AP Exam? Does PA Homeschoolers offer a testing location? Thanks!

Has anyone taken the "Introduction to JAVA" class through CTY? If yes, do you have any thoughts on the class? I'm looking for an introductory class than can be done during June/July timeframe. Thanks!

Thank you. This is incredibly helpful to me.

I feel that. I'm either holding him back, which feels wrong. Or, I'm creating school problems. My choices don't feel nice.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking after Algebra 1 we could go sideways for a bit because he wants to continue math instruction. Meanwhile, I have to work on the current issue.

Part of the issue is that his spacing out is causing bad grades. He isn't following verbal directions because he isn't paying attention. For example he got a sheet of 5 problems. He got a 50% on it. He got every problem correct, but the teacher verbally told the kids to write out explanations to the problems. So when he was handed the worksheet, he didn't write the explanations because it wasn't written on the math sheet. He wasn't paying attention to the verbal instructions. Stuff like this keeps happening.

He is in the 6th grade class, accelerated by one year. The school mathbook is Mcdougal Littell 7th grade, but it is barely used. The main curriculum is written by the district. They won't accelerate him anymore than a year. He is just finishing up Foerster Algebra 1.

I started afterschooling in math because (1) the mess of new textbooks and curriculum with common core is so confusing. I decided to stay one step ahead of the math teacher to keep my kid from losing all ground in math and (2) a way to teach advanced thinking skills. Now, a year+ later, the kid has accelerated his school math by two years. Now, there are issues with boredom and complaining. The teacher is getting upset because the kid is spacing out in class. Is afterschooling a bad thing? Why can other kids be ahead, but not start to zone out at school? Do other people have this issue?

These are great suggestions. I love the idea of going to lectures, this is exactly what we need to find. I also love the story about flying a kite, that is such a great learning experience! Thanks for your help.

No lasting damage. :) If I could go back, I wouldn't worry so much about a curriculum. But, I would have a checklist of math concepts and make sure I covered them all to make sure the foundation was really strong. And, I would stick a Math Olympiad problem in a few times a week to work on those problem solving skills. The real problem with changing curriculum is the missed content. So, you just want to make sure you've covered everything, then don't really worry about the curriculum itself.

He is obsessed with Physics. I don't know where to go from here. He has started watching online Physics videos. But, he is craving more, and I'm not sure how to help him. Any suggestions on what some options are? Thanks in advance!

We USE to be like that until.... I said, "you can play Wii once you are fully dressed and backpack is by the door w/ shoes and lunch." Then, you can play until we have 5 minutes to walk out the door. (I don't let kids play video games any other time.) All the sudden, I had a kid waking me at 6 o'clock fully dressed asking me to make his lunch. At that point, I had to put in a new rule about the Wii couldn't come on prior to 7:00 a.m. We don't have any issues any more.

We did this over the summer http://www.time4writing.com/ , and I liked it. The teacher will keep sending the assignment back until the student does all the steps. When my child did it, he couldn't type yet. So, I had him write on paper, then I would type it in exactly as written. I would ask him to proof it and hit the send button. It was usually sent back for not proofreading. :) I would let him make the corrections. Having said that, I think writing has a long learning curve that takes years to master.

Thanks everyone who responded. It does help.