awww.... thank you! :grouphug:

I'd be happy to! We consider 9th grade our "introduction" year as many incoming students have had little exposure to the Bible. So we do a survey of the Old and New Testaments using "Popular Survey of the Old Testament" and "Popular Survey of the New Testament" by Norman Geisler along with "Discover the Bible for Yourself" by Kay Arthur to give them some basic Bible study skills. In 10th grade we give them the foundations of the Christian faith with an in depth study of Acts and Romans using some of the John Stott's materials as well as "Know What You Believe" and "Know Why You Believe" by Paul Little. We follow that up with Christian ethics using the book "Ethix: Being Bold in a Whatever World" by Sean McDowell. In 11th grade we go for more life application with a class called "Design and Purpose". We use John Piper's book, "Don't Waste Your Life" for a macro view of our purpose on earth and another called "How to Stay Christian in College" to give the students some practical advice. Second semester is a class on World Religions so they will be able to see how the CHristian faith compares to other major world religions. We use a book called "The World's Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Issues". Finally in their senior year we prepare them to defend their faith with a course in apologetics. We use "A Case for Faith" and "A Case for Christ" as well as "Evidence that Demands a Verdict". We are all really pleased with this sequence as it starts with "the basics" and goes on to more foundational things then on to real life application. It is far better than the workbook-y approach they were using for years. Hope that helps!!!

:lol::lol::lol:

I am finishing up my second year here and as I look back at all the changes I have instituted I am struck by how profound the effect of 6 years of homeschooling and hangng out on these boards is in my curriculum choices for the school. Observe.... -switched bible curriculum to Children Desiring God (preschool-grade 5) -switched to a more rigorous bible sequence of intro/survey-doctrine-application for grades 9-12 -brought in Singapore math to supplement our math curriculum (grades k-8) -brought in SOTW vol 1-4 for our social studies (grades 1-4) -changed science to a physical-life-earth 3 year cycle for grades K-12 using primarily hands-on science for grades K-4 and Prentice Hall Science Explorer for grades 5-8 and God's Design for Science for grades K-8. -brought in Voyages in English for grades 1-5 and Easy Grammar for grades 6-8 -raised the bar on literature choices in grades 7-12 away from all "high interest" modern books to the classics And I am not finished yet! Am I just bragging? No (but I am bragging a little). All of these choices were made possible because of homeschooling, because of SWB's book, because of curriculum info from all of YOU ladies. So much of what I have learned on the boards is informing choices I am making on the other side of the world... choices that will affect hundreds of children in years to come. All the changes have had positive results. The teachers, students and parents are all happier with the new curriculum. Good job ladies.

too true! I have now read the entire thread and it just makes me SO VERY GLAD for my OB. All the horror stories...wow. :grouphug:

In my school here in Malaysia we have a full, healthy salad bar every day along with a sandwich choice, an "asian" choice that is similar to the Singapore/Japan/Korea pics, and a "western" choice that is similar to what we in America would make for dinner (spaghetti, beef stroganoff, etc), and two different drink choices. The total cost to the student is RM6.50 per day (which is about $2 USD). Our lunches are wonderful and healthy (for the most part).

I voted other as I just wish I HAD a linen closet. Homes in Malaysia do not have closets. :glare:

That kind of sarcasm from a child to an adult would have consequences in this house. And I would definitely start with a conversation with my dh.

I haven't watched soaps since college but my mom always watched them when I was growing up and it makes me a little sad.

OK, bought a potty chair and told my ahma to try it out but not to "force" her. I guess we will see how it goes! :D

That made my heart hurt. :crying:

Both my boys potty-trained at about 2.5yo and they were both pretty easy to train. Natalie's ahma recently asked me to buy a potty chair so she can start potty training Natalie. She is now almost 16 months old. That seems really early to me. So I asked around and apparently that is pretty normal among the locals here (and among many non-American parents as well... we have several South African families that trained all their kids by 18 months). So what sayeth the hive? Earlier? Later? does it matter?

Oh I get it... So you are asking "If you believe in humans having a sin nature AND you also believe that humans are basically good, how do you reconcile the two?" At first I was confused as to what you are asking. Is that it? That question doesn't apply to me as I believe that having a sin nature means that humans are basically bad (but still do things that appear to be good sometimes). But my answer to the question above would be... I can't reconcile the two because I don't believe that to be true. :D

Ditto. Which is a bummer because the music is great.

I agree with Bill (write that on your calendar!). As a former coach, it was VERY detrimental to our team when a parent would pull their kid. It hurts the rest of the team. Honor your commitment...that's just as important a lesson as don't be disrespectful. In fact, not honoring your commitment IS disrespectful.

Yes we do.

This is where I am stuck. I LOVE my ipod touch. Do I need an ipad? Convince me please! I want to buy one but my other personality is telling me it is a waste of money. :D

:lol::lol::lol: :iagree:

Well "good" and "bad" are such subjective terms. I believe we are born with a sin nature. Does that mean we are "bad"? Well, yes. Does that mean we are all as "bad" as we COULD be? No. Some are more "bad" than others (like a pedophile for instance). Does that mean we never do anything good? Of course not. We (as in humans) do good deeds all the time. But do good deeds mean we are "good"? It depends on your perspective. From my conservative christian perspective, the defintion of "good" is GOD. So without Him I am not good. Even with Him I am only good because of the righteousness of Christ and not because of anything I have done.

Here is what we have done so far: PL LCI LCII Minimus Minimus Secundas One year of Henle (did not go super well) Cambridge book 1 and book 2 My ds is a rising 8th grader. His 8th grade year will be his last of Latin as in 9th grade he will be in school full time and most likely taking Spanish (they don't offer Latin). So with one more year left of Latin should we: 1. Continue on with Cambridge? 2. Do a different program for one year? Knowing that he will most likely not study Latin again after 8th grade (unless he chooses to in college), what is the best thing to prepare him to take Spanish AND do well on his SAT/ACT tests? I want to make the most of this last year in Latin since it is his last.

This week it is Desiring God by John Piper.

If Paul McDonald wins I will never watch AI again. That guy can. not. sing. period.

My "image" of homeschooling was the old front cover of the Five in a Row manual. Wish I had a pic. My "reality" is a hot mess sometimes.

3:18 pm here. :D

great post!!! Especially the bolded part. Some of you might remember that my dh was in a motorcycle accident here in Malaysia last July and broke his neck. We are suing the man's insurance company to cover the hospital bills. Here we are Americans in Malaysia...we don't speak the language and have no idea how the whole system works... but we were able to ask the right questions, find the right people, and figure it out. My ahma's husband was in an accident at christmas. They were both born and raised in Malaysia and they had NO IDEA how to even go about finding a lawyer to file a claim. We had to help her do it. I was really stunned at that. The ability to navigate a complex government system in a foreign country is a skill that even locals of that country often don't possess. On the flip side...she went with me to "Little India" in downtown Georgetown and helped me get a sari custom made for me. I NEVER would have figured that out...didn't know where to go, what to ask for, or how much it should cost. She has skills that are far different from mine. Really great post. Thank you.