:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: I can't believe that using only the text there'd be anything resembling mastery of material. I want to be sure my son's basic math is rock solid. We use the text, WB, HiG, CWP, IP, iExcel, and I'll occasionally supplement with additional practice problems if he needs review on a topic (long division, multiplication with decimals & fractions). I'm a strong proponent of overlearning in math. If you've got a shaky foundation, algebra will be very difficult and calculus will involve a lot of basic arithmetic and algebra review. With Singapore, which I adore, I think text, WB, HiG is bare bare minimum....I think it really shines with CWP and IP.

You might also talk with her therapist to see what is suggested to say to family members. Lots of :grouphug: to all of you. Sounds like you're doing a really good job. Your support will be helpful to your daughter.

Love my b&w laser printer. Don't have any color printers (although there may be an ancient inkjet in a closet somewhere). We just print in b&w.

The biggest question though is how the school he's going to go to will view it. W doesn't affect GPA at your current school, but it may be looked at differently by the transferring school. There's not much you can do at this point, but it is worth considering for future classes. Too many W's can look bad. And with financial aid changes, W's do count for satisfactory progress at our cc. More as a heads-up for others...each school has very different policies. Our cc records W's after the third day of the semester! So a student from regentrude's school would be very surprised at my school if they expected to drop a course now without it appearing on the transcript. Read college policies very very carefully.

I would not recommend taking a mini-mester stats class if he's having trouble with a different math course. If he's taking a calculus course that requires trig, then the stats course may be easier. If he's taking a business calc course with only college algebra as a prereq, then stats will likely be at a similar difficulty level. At our cc, students can only change status in the first 3 days of class. I have allowed students to officially drop the course, taking a W, but still attend class to see the material so they have a better chance of passing in a later semester. This definitely varies according to college policy as to whether it's even an option. A lot of steps will be skipped in the higher level courses. That's just the expectation and what is needed with the material. For instance, once you're at a linear equation, you may jump to the answer without showing any of the steps of solving the linear equation. This would be true in stats as well. There are also just some bad instructors, so that could be an issue as well. The InterAct software is available for some calculus texts. That can be a useful tool for additional practice no matter what program you choose to go with. I would strongly recommend against the mini-mester stats course though. Seems to be setting your son up for failure. (Speed of course in particular.)

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

WWS 2 is going to be out this fall. There's a thread on the logic board with a lot of info about it.

This is the one I have. I wouldn't think it'd be for high school though....

(Let me know if you want me to edit & delete the bit I did quote.) It's also terribly frustrating that this student is disrespectful of the work and effort you've put into preparing for the class & it's rotten that he's disrupting the class with his attitude. At the cc, I talk with the student, tell them to keep quiet, and then flunk 'em. At a co-op, I'd talk with the parent & then I'd boot the kid if his attitude didn't change unless there's something that prevents you from kicking out a kid. If there is something that prevents the ejection, I'd change it for future terms so you can tell them to leave. I can guarantee with an attitude like that, he's likely the reason that some of the other kids aren't coming anymore. :grouphug:

Thanks, but you'd also probably fire me pretty quickly! When things go well, it's great. Today (within the past hour in fact), poor boy made the mistake of misadding, which is fine, but then when i was showing him the problem (angles in triangles with exterior angles) he tells me, "No! you're wrong!" without following up with a "because...." Did NOT go well from there! Sigh. And I'm off to teach word problems at the cc tonight. Blech, blech, blech.

This is also a place where you really want to be looking at articulation agreements if you're going to a university in state. Also keep course descriptions from the cc. I needed to use course descriptions when I petitioned for my foreign language requirement to be satisfied by a cc course I took when in high school for high school credit. At our cc's, MAT 101 is beginning algebra and won't transfer for college credit at any university. MAT 102 won't transfer either. However, ENG 101 and ENG 102 do transfer as college credit. I think it's ridiculously stupid course numbering and very unclear, but that's how it is. Many courses that will count for an AA or AS degree (just AA/AS... not any majors) will be courses that are likely to transfer to universities. Double check with articulation agreements though if you want all classes to transfer.

I did. We have dropped Latin for the time being, but I expect we'll come back to it. I found it interesting that my son picks up the vocabulary much faster than I do, but the skills I bring to learning (how to study and make connections) help me remember more long term than he does (especially when we take breaks). But we each have our own textbook, workbook, and activity book and history reader for level A. When we move on to level B, I don't think I'll get the activity book for me, but I will for him.

We've got articulation agreements, so the courses transfer exactly the same. Having TA'ed at the university, I saw similar depth to the courses.... but then I was teaching the class at the cc :) I'd also put a friend's calc I class up against those at the local university. This is also another of those places where it really helps to know individual faculty! It's also why it may be a better idea to take the courses in a series at the same location. I know some students have had difficulties transferring and being expected to know material from calc I that they hadn't covered in their calc 1 class... despite the articulation agreement! I intend to have my son take some courses at the cc or uni in high school....but I'll be using them only for verification of my grades and to give him some exposure to group classes and college classes. I don't expect them to count for college credit other than possibly getting into more interesting courses faster in college.

It's been referred to as WarCrack because of how addictive it can be. I don't think I'd let my son play it at 12. He does have addictive issues with gaming though, so we've started limiting his gaming. I haven't played WoW (played the original WarCraft games before they went online). I found them addictive enough without being MMORPGs :)

I find it fascinating that our cc did more in the Calc 1 class than our university. I haven't checked the comparison recently, but about 15 years ago I went from teaching a Calc 1 course at the university to teaching the same transfer level course at the cc. The cc course covered a bit more material than the university. I think an average student would do better at the cc as well since we have instructors who have a language requirement (really wild... it's actually in the college information that instructors have to be able to speak English clearly) and you're less likely to get a grad student teaching the course. I don't know how accurate that is now, although I know the cc description hasn't changed. I haven't taught it in a long time.

The protection isn't a guarantee. But it can help, so we'll keep getting it. My husband and son both have asthma. The flu is going to be worse for them. More people die from the flu if they have underlying conditions. Any protection is worth it. I had the flu in high school and again with the first wave of the swine flu. In both cases, I was absolutely wiped out. If the shot gives me any protection, it's worth it. I do think sometimes that my son's severe food allergies that led to extreme hand washing in our family may also help us with flu and colds a lot. (Keep trying to look for that silver lining!)

That sounds like where you just need the paper and a diploma mill degree (U of Phoenix? other for-profit schools... online only?) might do enough?

I used my fingers for the "trick" for the 9's times tables all through my undergrad math degree. I finally got my 9s memorized during grad school (math & education). So yes...crutch in some ways...but doesn't necessarily prevent one from progressing. I do feel that it slowed me down, so I covered the pages in Singapore that showed the trick for 9s when my son was learning it and have done my best to be sure he knows his times tables (drill, drill, and more drill... separate from math). I love algebra tiles, base 10 blocks, and Cuisinaire rods. I think seeing algebra tiles would have helped me. I didn't see the difference between x^2 and x because they both had x's! I did get it... but I think algebra tiles would have led to an "ah-ha" a lot faster. Base 10 blocks really show why our algorithms work for standard arithmetic. I made my son show long division with base 10 blocks for a couple of days. He really didn't like it quickly...took too long. But it helped him see what was going on with the standard algorithm much more clearly. I would encourage manipulatives for a while when learning a new concept. Then I'd start pulling away once I thought the concept was there, unless the child really wanted to continue using them. In our case, I had to yell at my son to use the manipulatives after getting a problem wrong with pencil & paper :)

If he's in 7th grade this year, he'd need the SAT or ACT to qualify for their courses. All the talent searches go by grade, not by age. At 7th grade, everyone has to requalify.

But they are in school because you think it's best for them. It's best for them at this time. You didn't fail. You're readjusting your views of what's necessary and essential at this point in time. Just like in a plane accident - put the mask on yourself first. That's where you are right now. Sounds like your kids are doing well in school for now (not miserable and begging to return home). They're getting some of the structure that they weren't getting recently at home, you're all getting a break so you can enjoy the time you have together, and you can reassess in a while. Sounds like you're doing great.... even if it doesn't feel like it. You haven't stuck with something that wasn't working just because it's what your ideal was. You've adapted your desires and wishes to do what's best for your family. Well done!!! And lots & lots of :grouphug: . I hope you'll find peace with your decision and you'll see where you go from here. Them being in school doesn't have to be permanent, but it does sound best for now. Reassess in a while.

:grouphug:

Interesting.... I've only taught in this one state. We have common course descriptions at all the cc's in the state, so all the courses cover the same general material at any of the cc's in the state. Each cc I'm aware of (2 I've taught at and a couple others where I've had friends teach) has a departmental text and syllabus for all courses. Instructors can adjust to some degree.... for instance in the math department, I can assign my own weighting for assignments, but in the developmental department, percentages are fixed by the department. Even at the university here, they have common departmental texts for lower level math courses and a common list of chapters and sections covered.

Unfortunately, no, students wouldn't necessarily be able to eliminate a and b. It's appalling how little some students know. However, the tests I've seen don't generally mess with different units unless the question is about units, in which case you'd have similar numbers and units like 8 cm, 8 sq cm, 8 cu cm, ??. I graded some open-ended questions on a state math test that was being piloted when I was in grad school. It was interesting to see what students did.

Placement info, including placement tests. I like the Standards version more than the US edition. It's also got a very good Home Instructor's Guide.

Thanks!