[SOS improving writing tutor or ?]

I agree with freesia.

Maturity will help, if that makes you feel better 🙂

[Best Ancient World History]

We use Great Courses for high school (sometimes combined with K12 Our Human Story textbook). Foundations of Western Civ combined with History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective - both are excellent! The professors have very different styles but the lectures go together nicely. They take notes and we discuss, then once a week they write a summary of what we watched/talked about.

As far as novels go - we like to read The Odyssey and The Iliad, The Burial at Thebes (a retelling of Antigone by Seamus Heaney), Ben Hur, and The Eagle of the Ninth trilogy

[After Logic of English]

Analytical Grammar is very concise and complete and easy to use for the teacher. I don't use the junior program, just the full program in 6th-8th.

AAS is a good fit too.

We use CAP's Writing & Rhetoric and I find it to be easy to teach from, with a few modifications because it is written for a classroom. It's easy to be consistent and do a little bit each day. It's been great for my strong reader/natural writer. Not sure if my reluctant writer would have appreciated it very much. The reluctant one did IEW and did fine with it, but writing was not her passion.

[Group/ family style subjects organization]

I have a basket (it's a big basket lol!) where I put misc stuff that doesn't really fit into a "subject" category. Every morning we do morning meeting and we sing a hymn, read a poem and discuss it, and then do something from the basket. Over the years we've covered lots of holiday related stuff, art appreciation, music history, ballet, philosophy, world cultures, learning ASL, etc.

Eating an elephant a bite at a time really does accomplish a lot! 🙂

[So this is happening...]

I had my last baby a few weeks after my 45th birthday and she was/is healthy and a delight for our whole family ❤️ My next youngest was 7 at the time and my oldest was 19 and in college. There were sooooooo many things I worried about (and honestly still do sometimes) but God has been faithful and He knew we needed this sweet little girl even though I never in a million years would have chosen to get pregnant at that time. Having a sweet little sister to come home to play with made my oldest boys come home from college more often and the oldest even chose to shelter-in-place at home instead of at uni so he could be with her/us during covid. So so so so many blessings that I never anticipated!

Keys to my spiritual and physical and emotional health:

Being pregnant in your mid-40s is no joke physically. Give yourself grace and time and realize that it's not going to be the same as it was in your 20s and 30s. That's ok. Take naps. Let school slide (a little bit). Let housework slide (a lot - you have older kids now! use them!) Eat healthy, read, pray, walk, meditate, whatever it takes to keep you unstressed - take the time for it. You need it and so does baby and the rest of the family needs to see you taking good care of yourself. It's not selfish, it's prudent. Take advantage of your more mature perspective to see that it really is all just a short time and a short season in life.

Be able to laugh at it all because other people certainly will be rude and/or incredulous and how you respond to that will help your attitude about it. "Yes, I'm glad it's me and not you too ma'am!" lololololol! "Yes, Dr. Optometrist, I do have a nursing baby while you fit me for bifocal contacts!" lololololol! Rinse and repeat. It *is* funny and unusual! It's also miraculous and life-changing and a blessing, so don't forget that part 🙂 ❤️

[Algebra 1 Options for a Math Minded Student]

We have used Video Text successfully with both my mathy and non-mathy kids. The first few units might be review for him though.

Lots of good math students don't enjoy the AoPS methodology, it's definitely not for everyone. My oldest loved it but the rest of mine begged not to have to do it lol!

If you have a background/ability/confidence/desire which would make you able to teach directly from a textbook you could look at Jacob's or Lial's or Forester's. They are all good reliable algebra texts.

[How many classes at a time?]

My 3 oldest kids have all had 6 academic credits each year. Sometimes maybe they'd have a half credit of PE or piano/Fine Arts if they wanted to take more academic classes and have those added in as extras. They have some pretty stellar ECs on their applications too, but academics-wise just the 6 credits. It was important to us that they have a balanced life not filled entirely with school. There were also many things they learned about and studied that we didn't "turn into a credit", they just did it because it was interesting. So I guess we could have put more credits on their transcripts, but we chose not to.

The oldest was admitted to a selective competitive major and the other 2 have received merit scholarships, so it hasn't hurt them at all.

[AoPS Calculus after Saxon Advanced Math]

My oldest self studied for the BC exam with AoPS and a test prep book. He also used an old oop workbook suggested by @Kathy in Richmond but I can't remember what is was called or who wrote it. I found it used on Amazon for $20.

[Help me think through this math sequence dilemma]

I would do whatever I had to do to get Algebra rock solid and figure out the transcript later.

We used Video Text and I did watch the video with them, but that only took 15-20 min of my time every day. From watching the video I knew enough to help when they got stuck but I didn't have to teach it. Maybe then a once a week tutor could fill in the gaps? 

Once you figure out where they end up at the end of junior year, you can decide how you want to do the transcript. You could sort it by subject and as long as there were 4 credits of math most colleges are not going to bat an eye.

With all except my oldest, we started Alg 1 in 8th but took 5 years to get through 4 credits (Alg 1 and 2, Geom, Precalc) and I just didn't say on the transcript that they started in 8th 🤷‍♀️ 

[Favorite Algebra 1&2 resources/curriculum]

We go from MM 7 to Video Text. It's the only curriculum we haven't changed since I began hs'ing 😊 I wish I'd been taught math this way and I finally learned why instead of just "do this".

[Can I Leave Phonics Behind?]

My older ones learned to read using a whole language program in public school, and it was easy and effortless for them. When we started hs'ing I realized my then 4th grader who had learned seemingly by osmosis couldn't sound out the longer and bigger words that were necessary for older kids to know and use. She had skated by so far because she had learned by sight without any trouble, but more complex words in her history and science assignments were challenging. So we hit some phonics with her at that point.

I definitely don't think you need to do any more phonics with a preschooler who isn't interested and who is getting read to plenty for enjoyment! 😊 BUT ... when he's ready, at some point you will probably want to go over some more in depth phonics with him in order to cement that knowledge and prepare him for reading bigger words.

[American History, Gr 6-8, for more independent learning]

23 hours ago, Green Bean said:

Share?

Sure! Anyone who wants it, just pm me your email address 😊

[Apologia General Science 2nd Edition]

My oldest 3 did not (they weren't available then) but the 4th one did. The oldest 3 do well with conventional study methods, but the 4th one needed more help being organized and knowing what to take notes about, so it was good that they came out with them for her to use.

[Math, science, history for dyslexic middle schooler]

Video Text doesn't require much reading and is very conceptual. My mathy one used it before we found AoPS and was able to complete it very quickly.

We like K12's Human Odyssey for middle school history. I've never read it aloud, but I know some who do and say it's a good one for that. And Hakim's concise 4 volume set for US History would be a good read aloud too I think.

No help for science, sorry! 🙂

[Middle School History Options]

On 1/15/2023 at 10:23 AM, Green Bean said:

How are you using this? Anyone made outline maps? Fill in outline? Questions?

I have the readings separated out into sections and after their reading each day they are supposed to : (1) find the location on a map or a globe, (2) enter any relevant dates into their timeline book, and (3) write down several important facts from their reading in a notebook.

In addition, for volume 1, which we use in 5th grade, once every couple weeks they write a simple outline of a section of their choice. For voume 2 in 6th, they write a more detailed outline of a section of their choice. For volume 3 in 7th, they write a summary with a clear topic statement and supporting details of a section of their choice.

In 7th they also write a simple informational report on nationalism in the early 1900s, a simple cause/effect report on the resolutions of WWI and WWII, and a simple compare/contrast report on colonialism, imperialism, totalitarianism, and fascism. My kids aren't typically ready for real analysis and essay writing in 7th, but these simple imformational reports on the big themes of the 1900s are within their abilities.

[Apologia General Science 2nd Edition]

My oldest 4 have all used it and learned a lot from it in 7th grade.

[American History, Gr 6-8, for more independent learning]

We have done Hakim's 4 volume concise set too. I developed a worksheet set of questions and short essays to use alongside, but I think it would be fine to just have them write down important facts a la WTM.

[Ap computer science options]

Agreeing with previous posters. My oldest DS self studied for CS with Compu Scholar back when it was called Homeschool Programming and it easily got him a 5 even though it was his first intro to programming, so I imagine your studnet could self study pretty easily.

[Self-paced java course or resource/text]

We used CompuScholar back when it was called Homeschool Programming. My oldest DS got a 5 on the AP exam and went on to major in CS at Purdue and now works a major tech company, so it definitely was a good start for us.

[American Literature]

Titles we've enjoyed that have led to good discussions:

Huck Finn, Hunger Games trilogy, Moby Dick (if only to discuss how much Melville needed an editor! lol), My Antonia, Old Man and the Sea, Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Up from Slavery

[Balanced History Books]

I just discuss discuss discuss with my kids to suss out the finer details and nuances. Things we've used successfully in high school: American Odyssey and Our Human Story (textbooks by K12) and Great Courses lectures (History of the Ancient World A Global Perspective, Foundations of Western Civ, and History of the US)

[Logic Curriculum - Informal Logic]

We did AoA without a video just fine. We followed it up by Argument Builder and it was solid. But I don't remember if it had a lot of religious references or not, sorry.

[What is your favorite tools or curriculum for teaching math?]

Math Mammoth

I think I would have enjoyed math when I was in school if I'd been taught this way. I remember thinking how much more sense math made the first time I went through the whole thing and how logical and beautiful it was, and I NEVER would have thought that when I was in ps lol!

[8th grade writing options]

Does she know how to write a good essay? If she's a natural writer, than Wordsmith Craftsman might be a good fit to teach that specific skill. I personally wouldn't want to go on to a research paper until the standard essay was mastered. Or is that what you meant by research report?

[Middle School History Options]

Another vote for K12 Human Odyssey