Just checking in - I saw this thread on my phone and had to have my son show me how to post from it. We live near Katy, but we're safely in Austin right now. My two youngest boys and I brought Ds18 to college here on Friday morning, and stayed here to wait out the storm. Ds20 drove Dh's parents on Saturday, while Dh and Ds14 stayed behind until yesterday to finish securing the houses and check on friends. Ds22, who lives in Austin, drove toward Houston four friends and two large pick-up trucks on Saturday morning to volunteer with evacuations. They spent last night doing home rescues (125 rescue requests in Katy alone), this morning bringing supplies to the two high schools set up as shelters, and helping to set up a third school because the first two have reached capacity (1000 people each). He's texting me every two hours, on the hour. So that helps.

Ds18 is heading to college in the morning. :crying: This should be the easy one. He's ready, confident, and not the least bit nervous. He's only going 150 miles away, to the same university where our oldest is a graduate student and where his two best friends will be sophomores this year. Unlike my older boys, I'm not anxious at all about him starting college, just excited for him and trying to hold off on feeling too sad until the drive home. And, because he's taking his truck to school, he had the audacity to suggest that my presence there tomorrow is unnecessary. Yea, right.

We let our kids decide for high school. The older three stayed home, but Ds14 chose to start public high school last week. Before high school, we would strongly consider sending a child to school if they wanted to go. None of ours have even brought it up.

Ds20 has worked for a landscaping company for the last two summers. He works on a crew of 4, usually with the same guys. For most of this summer, it's been with an 18-year-old, that guy's father, and another older guy. It's a nice balance for him - he gets some casual conversation with the other guys, some working together, and some independent work - and he doesn't have to deal directly with the clients.

When Ds14 was younger, he (and his brothers) got a few comments here and there from older boys. The comments hurt Ds's feelings at the time, but weren't enough to make him want to quit dance. Dancing has become a lot "cooler" for boys in our area in the last few years, and I don't believe that Ds8 has ever been teased about it. The boys' class sounds like a great opportunity, and I wouldn't allow your son to miss out over one mean comment. Honestly, if he's mentioned wanting to dance, I would sign him up and just tell him, "The best thing ever happened! Your sister's dance studio decided to make a class just for boys this year! How awesome is that? You're going to have so much fun dancing with all the other boys. It starts on Saturday so we're going to go out today and to buy you some shoes! We have to get black ones, not pink like your sister's, because boys wear black shoes to dance." He's so little that your family's attitude toward dance is going to have a much bigger impact on him than a few mean kids.

I know a number of people who've gone into teaching at the post-secondary level after another career. The only person I know who's gone on to teach in k-12 education is my oldest brother. He worked as an engineer until he was laid off about 4 years ago at age 53. At that time, his wife was an elementary school teacher with one year of teaching left before she could get her full pension. My brother went back to school and got his BEd in primary/elementary education, so that they could both teach overseas for a few years after she retired. They spent two years teaching in the UAE, are spending this year traveling, and plan to take one more two-year contract before they retire for good. They'll be 58 and 60.

We haven't used the elementary levels, but my first thought was Math-U-See. There is one teaching day for each topic, and then 4-5 days of practice. There isn't much reading required, lots of white space, and not nearly as much repetition as something like Saxon. My ASD/dyslexic/low processing speed kid had a lot of success with MUS for high school math.

Am I recalling correctly that this child is around 13? I have never heard of a child with a math LD actually being ahead of grade level, unless they are using accommodations for a deficit in a very specific area (e.g. using a calculator because they struggle to recall math facts). It sounds like he has been placed too high, and could benefit from taking a few steps backward. I would encourage you to call the psychologist and ask for a recommendation for either a math tutor or an "educational therapist" (which I'm still al little fuzzy on, but seems to be a term that specialists in addressing learning disabilities have recently started using). Can he write equations from word problems that only require arithmetic, and not algebra? I don't believe Janeway said that her son has specifically been diagnosed with dyscalculia. There are various types of learning disabilities in math, which do not always include difficulty with mental math.

Thanks, I also had a hard time believing that there aren't any issues at all. When I spoke to Ds further about this, he admitted that his friends have told him of issues coming up with trans kids, but not with gay kids specifically. From my conversation with the guidance counsellor and what we've heard from friends I do feel reassured that any outright bullying or harassment would be dealt with appropriately by the school. Ds is quite sensitive about what people think of him, so I think we have to expect and prepare for some minor issues to come up. Today, when we were shopping for PE clothes, I overheard Ds asking Ds18 about locker room protocol. So, he's definitely thinking ahead. Thanks for sharing this, I do get the same sense from this school. They had an LGBT club for several years, and have teachers interested in sponsoring/overseeing the club if any students are interested in leading it.

I have a niece attending graduate school at the University of Calgary, if you have any questions or would like to get in touch with a current student. She chose U of C because of the city more so than the university, and ended up loving the university as well.

I went to France to teach English after university, and ended up traveling across many parts of Europe and the Middle East during school holidays (including both summers). I lived at home during university, and had some funds saved up from summer and part-time jobs to supplement my income from teaching. Dh spent a few months working for an NGO in Costa Rica, then almost a year traveling around Central and South America. Ds22 seriously considered taking a year off after graduation to travel and work abroad. Several of his close friends have gone ahead with it, but Ds ended up beginning graduate school right away. Last summer, he spent about 7 weeks traveling in Southeast Asia. My FIL gave him some money toward the trip, and he drained his savings account to cover the rest of the costs. He had already been awarded a decent graduate scholarship and had a research assistantship lined up, so it wasn't completely reckless. When he finishes graduate school he wants to work somewhere interesting, but I don't think he has any intention of delaying work to travel. Ds18 hopes to travel and work in Australia for a year after graduation, but that's a long way off.

I think you're on track with thinking that it's better to have an assessment done now, so that your Ds can be set up for success in college, rather than to wait and see how things go when he gets there. My oldest son knows of a number of students who've undergone psychoeducational testing while in college, and it honestly sounds like a nightmare. In terms of how to present it to your son, I think focus on wanting to learn more about how his brain works and how to make things easier for him. I think he will agree that writing is difficult for him, and will be open to finding ways to make it easier. They will very likely include some academic testing. Probably either the WIAT-III or WJ-IV Achievement, and potentially some tests or parts of tests to further investigate specific academic areas. In order to qualify for an LD diagnosis, they'll want to see evidence that he's performing below the level expected for his age, or that he's performing at an appropriate level only due to extreme effort or support.

After a full morning at the school, we have one very excited kid and an even more relieved mother! I am so, so impressed with Ds's guidance counsellor. I just wrote him a thank you e-mail, which I had Ds look over to make sure it didn't sound like I was hitting on him. We met for almost an hour, he was able to answer all of our questions, and gave us a lot of information that we didn't even know to ask for. He's also young and cool, and I'm sure Ds will feel comfortable going to him if there are any issues. He echoed most of the advice you all shared with me, and convinced Ds that the Pre-AP classes will be a better fit for him. So, math, English, biology, and world geography will all be Pre-AP. He called one of the math teachers in to discuss placement and look over what Ds has already done in math. Ds has to take the Algebra 1 CBE on Wednesday after school, but they went ahead and registered him for this teacher's Pre-AP Geometry class anyway. If he scores less than 80% on the test, he'll be moved into Pre-AP Algebra 1. The French teacher wasn't available today, and they don't have a French 1 CBE, so they registered him for French 2. The French teacher will look over the French 1 packet I put together, interview Ds or give him a placement test if she feels it's necessary, and decide whether he should be moved back to French 1. For electives, Theatre was a given, but Ds decided against taking the Dance class he'd been excited about. He heard negative things about the class from his friends, and the decision was made easier for him when the guidance counsellor looked up the class list and saw that no boys had registered for yet. Instead, Ds opted to take a regular PE class. The guidance counsellor encouraged us to drop in and speak with the theatre teacher/director before we left, and I am so glad we did! Auditions for the fall musical start this Thursday after school, and Ds has been preparing since we got home. Tomorrow, we shop for PE clothes. It's going to be a busy week!

The only tutors we've used on a regular basis were for Ds20, who has learning disabilities. In 2nd/3rd grade, we went through a handful of reading tutors before I took over reading instruction myself. I was new to homeschooling and didn't have the confidence to tackle this area until I grew frustrated enough with everyone else. In 12th grade, we hired an amazing writing tutor, and she continued to help him throughout his first year of college. She is a retired high school English teacher who has also taught remedial writing at a community college. Ds18 has hired tutors for 3-5 sessions to help him prepare for AP exams. One was a high school teacher, and the others were university students who'd taken the exams the previous year.

I actually thought there would be a few more choices for science/social studies, but it looks like Biology is required for all 9th graders and World Geography is the only social studies course open to them. Definitely lots of choices for electives though. Two of Ds's friends went in on Friday morning to change their course selections and were able to get all of the classes they asked for, so I'm hopeful that Ds will be able to get at least most of what he wants. Thanks! I've heard that cross-country attracts a really nice group of kids.

Hmm. I don’t think he’ll refuse to do the work once he’s actually registered for a class. But, this is all new for us and he could very well surprise me, especially if he doesn’t care for the teacher or doesn’t care about their opinion of him. I’ll get as much info as I can from the guidance counselor as I can, and I’ve also suggested to Ds that he ask a few friends if there are any especially good or bad teachers to watch out for. Ds was excited to see that Dance counts as a PE credit. He’s also considering the cross-country team, depending on practice times, which means that I have to get him a sport physical this week. Getting Health over with seemed obvious to me, but it’s listed as is a 1/2 credit course and I don’t see any other 1/2 credit courses available to 9th graders. And Ds just told me that his friends say everyone takes Health in the summer. Great. Organization. We’ll work on that. Okay, avoiding the behavioral stuff might be enough to motivate Ds to take the tougher classes. It doesn’t look like there’s a study hall built into the schedule, but I’ll inquire about tutorials if they aren’t announced. I’m always on my college kids to make use of their professors’ office hours, and with Ds I’ll have the added tool of being his ride home. I came away from my conversation with the secretary with the impression that it would be up to someone at the school whether Ds would have to take any tests, but this actually makes more sense. Ds has no problem sitting for these two exams, we’ve just got to hope now that the school will be able to offer them some time next week. And am I right that there’s nothing we can do about STAAR exam until it’s offered in the spring?

CONGRATULATIONS! This sounds like the place for him! :hurray:

Sorry I’m late getting back to this! I started to respond, then got tied up fulfilling my kid’s volunteer commitment. Thanks for all the input about course selections! It looks like the choices are: 1. English 1 (regular or Pre-AP) 2. Geometry (regular or Pre-AP) 3. Biology (regular or Pre-AP) 4. World Geography (regular, Pre-AP, or AP) 5. French 2 (regular, there’s no Pre-AP option until level 3) or Spanish/German/Latin/Chinese 1 Plus two electives: Theatre 1 (covers both Fine Arts and Speech requirement) Theatre Production 1 (covers Fine Arts, audition only, which I just realized, eek) Dance 1 (covers PE requirement) Health Education (1/2 credit, required for graduation) In terms of the actual level of the material, I feel Ds can handle the Pre-AP classes, but I’m worried about the extra time commitment. The 9th grade parent packet warns, “Students should limit themselves to a manageable number of Pre-AP/AP courses taken in one school year, because of time requirements. If you are involved in extracurricular activities, signing up for many Pre-AP courses can be stressful. We highly recommend that you consider the scope of time needed to study when choosing your course load.†Students are also required to sign a contract that states they are “willing to spend hours outside of class completing research, projects, and supplemental readingâ€, which might put Ds off the whole Pre-AP/AP thing. I’ll ask about the time commitment when I meet with the guidance counselor, and also ask roughly how many kids actually take each version of the class. If there are only 1-2 slots of each Pre-AP class, there must be plenty of good kids and decent students in the regular classes. The more kids who take Pre-AP, the weaker the regular classes are likely to be. The secretary told that transferring credit for math and languages is usually routine, but that there’s a chance Ds will be asked to take placement tests. We’re only asking for credit for Algebra 1 and French 1 (he’s completed 19 chapters of AoPS Intro to Algebra and two years of French), so hopefully this will go smoothly. I actually really appreciate this post, it’s given me a few things to think and check in with Ds about. And I don’t mind unsolicited advice at all, so feel free to lay it on me. We live deep in the suburbs, and have do have quite a few activities and opportunities out here. We’re 60-90 minutes (crazy traffic) away from a large city with endless options. I’d drive him there every day if I could, but I’m just not going to be able to make that happen this year. I think what made me always consider public school the most likely option for DS is that he’s by far the most social of our kids. Our older boys would have been happy with a few close friends, but each ended up having a large social circle the high school years, mostly formed through sports. Ds dislikes most team sports, and has never gotten much socially out of his music and dance classes. Joining a competitive cheerleading team in 6th grade made a huge difference for him because it gave him a ready-made social group, but he’s decided to give up cheerleading this year. A pre-professional dance program, which we have nearby, could probably replicate this if he wanted to devote that much time to dance. Theatre is not very popular where we live. The options are one children’s/youth theatre program (rehearses once a week, doesn’t produce high-quality performances), two community theatre companies (very political, may or may not have roles for teens), and the public school. I really get what you’re saying about skipping the whole high school stage. It is appealing. I think Dh, Ds and I are all considering this a one-year commitment, so I’m a little surprised that several posters mentioned making sure that Ds knows he doesn’t have to stick it out in public school if it doesn’t go well. Definitely something we’ll have to talk about this week! Thanks for sharing your experience with this. I don’t think Ds will be upset at all by an older teacher who’s stuck in his or her ways. I was thinking more about the male students talking badly about him, or even avoiding/ignoring him. All but two of friends are cheerleaders, so his sample is a little biased. :lol: We're also not in any rush for him to earn AP credits or finish college early. In a year or two, I expect that Ds will decide whether to take AP classes, but this time I think it's going to have to be a shared decision. If it were up to him, he'd probably ask his friends for their schedules and try to weasel his way into their classes. I’m not even going to pretend to understand teenage social rules or what makes a high school student “coolâ€, but I think Ds is doing okay in this area and has managed to avoid most of the homeschooler stereotypes. He has an iPhone 6 and is active on social media. He keeps up with pop culture and listens to all different types of music. He spends most of his money on clothes, and has a pretty classic, inoffensive look. I just asked him how his “shoe game†is, and he responded, “It could use some work, if you’re paying.†:rolleyes: Thanks for the tip about the endorsements, and your daughter’s experience! Ds lucked out on the Pre-AP English assignment – the assignment is to choose one selection from a list, and he’s already read two of them. My proudest homeschool mom moment. This is why I was thinking we needed a one-year commitment starting out. My two college students took until the second semester to find their footing and make real connections, so I feel like high school would be the same? So far, Ds has only gotten comments from strangers and acquaintances, which he’s been able to get over pretty quickly. I think it would be a lot harder if he had to see the same jerk (teacher or student) in class every day. Wow, this is encouraging! And yes, I already asked if we would be allowed to wander around the school after our meeting on Monday, and the secretary said she'd have a map ready for us. :)

We allow our kids to decide whether they attend public high school or continue homeschooling. The first three chose homeschooling, but I always expected Ds14 to choose public school when the time came. I brought it up with him in May, and he quickly told me that he wanted to stay at home. I encouraged him to take more time before making his decision, but he said he didn’t want to waste time worrying about it and that homeschooling was his final answer. Last night, he sat us down (which always makes me very nervous) and told us he’d changed his mind. He’s 100% sure he wants to go to public school, which starts on Wednesday. :willy_nilly: I called the school today and began the enrollment process. I was able to make an appointment with his guidance counselor for Monday, and I’ll have to sign some forms with the secretary as well. She assured me that the guidance counselor will be able to explain the various diploma paths (we’re in Texas where there are “endorsements†that kids complete in addition to the core graduation, which I’ve completely ignored as a homeschooler), transfer Ds’s high school-level credits from middle school, draft a 4-year graduation plan, and register him for classes all on the spot. I’m skeptical that he’ll have the time and patience for all of this, so I want to do as much of the work for him as I can. I’ve spent all evening poring over the course catalog, 9th grade parent packet, and a PowerPoint the school put together about course selection. I understand what’s available and what’s required, but I’m not sure where Ds fits. There are no “honors†classes. The core 9th/10th grade classes have three tracks - applied/foundational, regular, and Pre-AP. Where does a bright kid without any real interest in academics fall? Is there anything I should know about choosing courses, or anything you wish you’d known? This school requires that students take 7 credits in 9th grade, and doesn’t use block scheduling. I'm think the academics will fall into place. Ds does care about electives (theatre, music, dance, creative writing, art, PE) and will have strong opinions in that area, so I'm hoping the counsellor can help guide is in the right direction for the core courses. I haven't even started worrying about the social side of high school. Ds is a tall, handsome, likeable, confident kid, and I think he’ll be fine socially in the long run, but I do think his expectations are too high starting out. First off, he has a bunch of friends at this school, but they’re all older than he is. I’m not sure that it’ll be as easy as he thinks it will be to hang out with them and be accepted by their other friends. More worrying for me is that he’s gay, has no interest in keeping it under wraps, and might not have the life experience to handle other kids' or the staff's reactions. He hasn't been "sheltered" in the traditional sense, but he and the rest of our family definitely gravitate toward people and groups that are exceptionally accepting. One of his reasons for wanting to attend school is to get involved in theatre and make friends that share this interest, and I think he’s envisioning High School Musical. When I asked him if he thought anyone at this school would bully kids who are gay or into theatre, he completely blew me off: “Mom, it’s 2017.†I reminded him that we live in Texas and not to expect everyone to be as accepting as they are in the cheerleading, theatre, and social media worlds. Still, he thinks his generation is “over itâ€. Ds has never been to school at all, and has never even taken an outsourced academic class, so I’m sure I’ll have to help him get organized and develop a system/routine for keeping up with his assignments. Any tips for this transition? Any advice for getting him ready to begin school next week? Any words of wisdom for me? I usually have months to stress over big transitions, but I’m sure good at cramming it all into a few days when I have to!

I agree with the other posters that it would be difficult to come up with a high school credit-worthy anatomy course for a student who hasn't yet taken biology, and that both Apologia and Guest Hollow are too light for high school. If she has the math, I would go ahead with either chemistry or physics. If not, environmental science is a viable option. This can depend on the college, and even on the individual student or admissions officer. You list the textbook (or other major resources) in the course description. If your student has a solid transcript and test scores, the admissions officers at colleges with high acceptance rates likely won't even read your course descriptions. More selective colleges are more likely to read them carefully and question anything that is not at a high school level.

I would not drop an activity that provides such great social experiences unless the child hated the actual activity, or wanted to replace it with another activity with social opportunities. Ds14 has recently decided to quit an activity that has been a big part of his life for the last few years, and where he made most of his closest friends. BUT, he is quitting this activity (cheerleading) so that he can devote more time to other passions/activities (theatre, music, and dance). I am not worried about him missing his friends from cheerleading, because he's old enough to keep in touch with them if he chooses to, and he'll have the opportunity to make lots of new friends in theatre.

Even if it worked well with our plans, I would have trouble justifying spending $2000 on an "adventure trip" for a 13-year-old. In your situation, I would absolutely say no.

Double.

I would make sure she has deodorant and an extra set of clothes in her locker, in case she becomes extra sweaty/stinky during PE one day. Otherwise, I think her plan is fine. :)

I wear light make up every day because I want to look awake, healthy, and ready for the day. For special events, I wear make up to look appropriately formal.