This is very much what I needed. Thank you so much for spending the time to type it all out. I have a better idea now of how to search the old style boards. Thank you again!

old boards-about how to start with a nearly 12 yo boy who cannot read fluently. My nephew-goes to ps. I think you recommended Rewards first, then if no improvement, vision therapy? And your daughter also was helped by cognitive skills training? What program did you use? How did you get testing done? Thank you so much!!

Minimus is a fun intro, lightweight and not intimidating. Getting Started is cheap, great for non-Latin knowledgeable teachers, very straightforward and quick. Get it from Amazon.com. Authors website offers free downloads of both classical and ecclesiastical pronunciation.

I second the nursing/midwifery idea. It's a profession that is recession-proof. There are serious shortages and hence a great need for qualified people. Nursing or health care in general are fields that often offer flexibility that is a boon for those of us with children or other interests. You can very easily find work anywhere, do charity care, specialize as much or little as you like, and choose part-time with no problem. The challenges tend to be to one's stamina and emotional fortitude, not to one's patience. "Difficult people" are ones that have chosen their own fate, not ones that harass or berate you, generally speaking.

Hmmm...you could always use the ones on your own body that NEVER get lost.... That is what I did-but it's an approach that has its own liabilities-LOL!

I am mom to three boys, two of whom are homeschooled now, first and fifth graders. My ninth grader, original reason for beginning this project, went back to school for HS this fall and is surprisingly thriving and is very happy. I started teaching him 3 years ago. Wish he was still home, but I'm OK with it. We follow TWTM fairly closely, but truly I know little else, though many of my acquaintances use Oak Meadow or Calvert. I love being able to work at their level and go at their pace. Each child is so unique. Personally, I differ from many of you in that I am employed-I am a doctor, working on the weekends at night (half time). It's a challenge, but truly, a breeze after 14 years of part time primary care, which I loved, but was just too much for this mother of three. I may return to it eventually, when they are grown and I have more energy (and am paying for college educations!). We use Singapore for math, Rightstart for the first grader and supplement with singapore, R&S for grammar, FLL, SWO for the older, All About Spelling for the younger, SOTW, lots and lots of reading. I'm on a first name basis with the librarians-thank goodness our local library (Baltimore's Enoch Pratt) is excellent. My boys take music lessons and each do a sport-swimming for the oldest and youngest (a beginner, obviously!) and soccer\baseball for the middle. I will out myself as a liberal politically. I haven't read this entire thread, but am I the only one?? Currently , I don't follow much news as I simply don't have the time. We attend a UU church. I've been married to dh for 15 1/2 years-he's a patient, wonderful man who makes all of this possible by doing daddy duty weekends-plus attending many swim meets (our 14 yo is a swimmer) that mean leaving the house at 5:30 AM Saturday and Sunday. What a guy! He's an academic. I hope to keep homeschooling my younger two sons until they leave home. It is so much fun, they are close, we are thoroughly enjoying it. I also read all of these boards when I have time, and have gotten so much moral support and so many great ideas from all of you. Thank you!

We do. Helpful: giving them a chance. Some recommendations, like outlining the KHE, sounded, frankly, too difficult or boring. I found my first could not do it, even in seventh grade, and hated it. The second, I decided to try at least, and in fifth grade, he does it without difficulty. Same for dictation. When my 4th grader could not really do any writing assignment, he asked for just dictation for 6 months, and we did it. It *really* helped his writing. Proved challenging: Just finding the time. I now homeschool only 2 of my 3. Not because we wanted to follow the method more fully (he wanted to go back and we found a reasonable opportunity) but I agree with the poster who pointed out that following TWTM closely is not very doable when teaching more than one child (particularly boys, may I add?) Also, my current first grader needed some different for math, so I started Rightstart with him this year. It is a good curriculum, meshes will with singapore which I use as a supplement, and really promotes understanding (mastery you have to pursue yourself as needed). Proved surprisingly easy: the science recommendations. Last year I used RS4K, for my 4th grader. I took an entire year to do this 10 week curriculum with him! This year we are using TWTM method, doing the experiments, at least some of them, and truly is is no more work. I help this situation by keeping a lot of science books around, having my fifth grader choose the topics ahead of time so that I can prepare the needed materials. First grader uses the Kingfisher books, and tags along for experiments and field trips. I also tweak the literature lists, and make us of study guides when I can, as I haven't found a way to read everything yet.

I am using Getting Started in Latin, by William Linney, and like it vvery much. My ds is 11. It is a very simple workbook, very straightforward presentation of grammar and vocabulary, no art, culture or history. It has about 135 lessons, and we will probably complete it in one year, but it might take longer. We do it almost daily, and it takes 5-20 minutes. I love this program! It is available on Amazon.com, it's about $18-20. I think my ds will be ready for something like Henle or Cambridge Latin (high school level programs) after completing it. And very much self-teaching, for the motivated. Great for me, who knows no Latin, though ds is quickly outstripping me.

We use this too for my 11 yo ds and it is great. I highly recommend it.