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.

It looks like I need to go back to work, so we are looking at a homeschool to traditional school transition within the next year. Honestly, I'm looking forward to it. If I can find the right "place" to land. I'm looking at a few private schools and public. Either way, I'm here seeking advice from others who have gone down this path. Any advice is much appreciated. So, my son who will be returning to school is in 6th grade right now. He is currently excelling in Algebra I. He has a January birthday. I'm considering putting him in a year ahead. He tends to get along better with older kids and mathematically it will be closer to being accommodating. His strength is not in English, history type classes. But, he does okay. He has done the classical academic press books for four years in Latin, and IEW for three years. He isn't bad. He is probably above grade level, just not really his passion like math, kwim? Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone else has done this (skipping) or thought about it and didn't do it. How did you figure out the right choice? Are you happy with your choice? I feel like I need to know what I want (re skipping) because I think most schools are anti-skipping these days so I know the direction they will point me regardless of the academics. FWIW, the cutoff is November 1st in our state. So, he would be three months younger than the rest of the kids. THANKS!

Thanks Mathwonk. I appreciate your feedback.

It is more the best way to learn geometry. I'm trying to possibly get credit (after the fact) so that is more of a hope rather a known. The places listed above make the possibility more likely so if I can go through one of those places, that is better. But, I'm not opposed to new ideas if they are good in terms of learning geometry. I'm trying to figure out the best way to: 1. learn geometry 2. learn it well 3. get some interactive classroom time (via online resources). Thanks for responding

Has anyone had experience with Hopkins CTY Course: "Writing for an Audience." Any feedback you can offer? Thank you!!!

Hi, This is a repost from the High School Board. I didn't get any responses so I was hoping someone here would have some guidance for me. ------------------------------- Here is the question: I have a very mathy student who completed Algebra I in 6th grade. She will start Geometry this fall as a 7th grader. I'm really stuck on an online geometry course. I'm trying to go with a company that will provide a transcript as I'm fairly certain she will go to a Brick and Mortar High School. And, I want to keep open the door of transferring the credit. I love the idea of Art of Problem Solving Geometry, but I'm afraid it won't be accepted as credit. My other options are Apex Learning, Florida Virtual School, Aventa Learning, and Educational Options. (I would consider EPGY and Hopkins CTY if those classes were way better, but I would be nervous about the credit.) Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have a very mathy student who completed Algebra I in 6th grade. She will start Geometry this fall as a 7th grader. I'm really stuck on an online geometry course. I'm trying to go with a company that will provide a transcript as I'm fairly certain she will go to a Brick and Mortar High School. And, I want to keep open the door of transferring the credit. I love the idea of Art of Problem Solving Geometry, but I'm afraid it won't be accepted as credit. My other options are Apex Learning, Florida Virtual School, Aventa Learning, and Educational Options. (I would consider EPGY and Hopkins CTY if those classes were way better, but I would be nervous about the credit.) Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Um, I'm not sure that you read my email correctly or I wrote it poorly. I said "The people I've talked to [They] always read in the first language." I'm not sure why this would require a "beg to differ" statement. I was also using it as a reference to our situation, which I described as having limited choices. I said, "But honestly, this comes from having a difficult time just finding people to teach/tutor that I've lowered my expectations a bit. If I had more choices, I'm sure I would look at the situation in a different way." I use to work with translation companies, I know there are people who read in multiple languages equally. I wasn't making a blanket statement about all dual-language speakers only the people I've talked with in a casual way as I tried to figure out what to do. It seemed that in general, the people that I've talked to weren't that interested in reading beyond the basics. This is probably due to time constraints. With what limited time/resources we have, I decided it was more important to focus on listening/speaking. If you are able to do more that that, you are blessed. I wish we had more options.

We went to Chinese school for two years (Taiwanese). And, the schedule just got to be too much. I heard the debate, and people feel strongly about their choices. For us, I decided I would just be happy if my kids got to a point where they understood Chinese at a basic level. Since I don't speak Chinese, I figured understanding would be an accomplishment in and of itself. So, we hired a tutor who comes for once a week. She is teaching simplified. I'm fine with it. I don't have a strong opinion either way. I just want my kids to have the verbal skills and knowing a few of the frequently used characters (simplified or traditional) would be nice. When I talked to people who learned English as a second language, they don't seem to be big readers. Most have a more rudimentary reading/writing skills in the 2nd language. They tell me they would never sit down and read a book in the second language because it would be distracting. They always read in their native language. So, knowing that I feel like for my kids reading is going to be more of "can you read the signs in the airport" kind of thing. That is my approach to learning. But honestly, this comes from having a difficult time just finding people to teach/tutor that I've lowered my expectations a bit. If I had more choices, I'm sure I would look at the situation in a different way.

I sent my youngest to PS K this year. I think homeschool or ps is a personal choice. And I think a lot depends on the child's personality and the family's needs. The thing is there are compromises in any situation. You just have to decide what compromises you are willing to make. I don't believe homeschooling or ps is without compromises. I could give you my list of pros/cons, but it would be a list specifically related to us that may not apply to you. You really have to decide what will work best for you. Having said all that, my son has had lots of fun in ps this year. He loves art, music, P.E., math, literacy centers. He is excited to go every morning. Yet, he is well aware and excited about homeschooling in the future.

hi there, we're another homeschool family that started homeschooling thanks to EM! I have a mathy kid who was just HATING math. Singapore Math was a good choice for us. We pulled her out at the end of second. We did third grade over the summer, then 4th grade during the year. She is 1/2 through 5A, and she is technically just finishing her 3rd grade year, so you can see that Singapore can move quickly if the child is understanding the concepts. We are now thinking about moving to another curriculum for next year. I'm not a mathmatical person, I don't even like it. So now, I'm a bit worried about me teaching it. I'm thinking about going with a program that has teacher instruction over the computer or with DVD. But, I'm glad I started with Singapore, it was a good transition program out of EM. It also can move quickly so you can catch up to make up for lost EM years.