Oh my goodness, Cathy, yes!! Feel free to call/text/email me with any other questions. How fun it would be if M_ and L_ were in the same class! M_ for sure can handle the work load!!

My oldest took one year of Latin (in 7th grade) with MPOA, and then moved to another provider before finally switching to Lukeion. I wished we had started with Lukeion from the beginning, but the reviews always made me hesitant because it seemed so rigorous (which it is!) But my ds really loved Mrs. Barr and did very well on the AP Latin exam (As an aside, when he was applying to graduate school he did not have time to study for the GRE. He did very well on the exam, and he said the only way he knew the "crazy hard" vocabulary on the GRE was because of Latin. And that really says something because he took AP Latin in 10th grade!) I had our dd start with Lukeion from the beginning (all of my kids start with Latin at home in 4th grade, and start with high school Latin in 7th or 8th grade). While she loved Mrs. Barr, she did not LOVE Latin. She took Latin 2 years at Lukeion, studied one year at home, and then switched to Spanish (which she loves and is majoring in it in college). I would say that for both older kids, the workload was about 8-10 hours/week. Our oldest is a STEM kid but very bright and works quite fast, so he was probably more at the 8 hours/week for Latin III and AP Latin. Our dd probably spent closer to 10 hours/week, but I would say this may have had more to do with the fact that she was young (7th and 8th grade for Latin I and II) and she really did not love Latin. She did do extremely well in the classes and could translate Latin exceptionally well even after just two years with Lukeion. Unless things have changed, Mrs. Barr posts the names of the individuals with the highest scores for quizzes and exams (first names only). This is motivating for some (but maybe not for others?) I am signing our ds up for Latin I with Lukeion for next year (he will be in 8th grade). He does really seem to like Latin, so I think it will be a good fit. I sat in all the classes with my dd, and Mrs. Barr is a fantastic teacher. She is very timely with all grading and answering questions. Lukeion is definitely a quality class with superb instructors. I do think of all the Latin classes available, it is the most intense, but I felt like it was time well spent.

Thank you, both. Your feedback is very helpful!

I am having trouble deciding between these two. Any thoughts? Ds will be 13 and a decent writer, but of course he has room to improve. I really like that with Circe they have a class that has literature that will correspond to our history study, but I have not seen one bad review about Cindy Lange, which makes me really want to go with Integritas.

With my two oldest (and now with our youngest) we used Saxon math with the teacher CDs. This worked well for us. I feel like I am pretty solid with math until about 1/2 way through Algebra II, so I also was able to supplement with my explanations in addition to the teacher on the CDs. After the Saxon Advanced Math book I did have our oldest do Derek Owens precalculus because ds was so young when he finished the Advanced Mathematics book (9th grade) and I was wondering if he needed more before he started calculus. He aced the DO class and went on to breeze through calculus (he actually loved it!) This worked well for our dd as well (she only took a college algebra class but found it to be very easy). I know a lot of people dislike Saxon, but it has worked well for us. Also, outsourcing math is a great option, as you can select a great teacher (thanks to the reviews on this board!) and the student can receive expert help when needed. I tried to plan high school carefully so my children were only taking two outsourced classes at the most each year (except senior year was more for each of my oldest). This way I did not overwhelm them and we stayed within our budget.

Mrs. Richman is of Jewish heritage and all materials used are secular in nature. I imagine the discussions students have will be different from year to year based on the make-up of the class. While I would say the class was not religious in nature, I can not say that the faith of those being studied was never discussed. All I can say is that was not the focus. The questions the students are asked to discuss/write about each week were not religious in nature. However, if you have any questions I would not hesitate to contact Mrs. Richman.

Our dd took APUSH with Susan Richman at PA Homeschoolers when she was sophomore (2016-2017 school year). She absolutely loved the class. The class is asynchronous, which was perfect for us as dd was swimming competitively and was gone Thursdays-Sundays many weekends due to swimming and speech and debate tournaments. The class is set up on a rotation of weeks (A,B,C,D). Mrs. Richman assigns certain homework to be completed depending on which week you are currently on, as well as weekly homework. At first this was a little confusing, but I made a "cheat sheet" for dd that had the assignments due each week (not specific assignments, just general), as well as weekly assignments due. I can not remember all of the different assignments, but I do remember that they had to analyze political cartoons (I think that was weekly) and write written responses to readings weekly, but then some other assignments were just once/month and were due either week A, B, C, or D (I hope this makes sense). The students are required to be active on the message boards, and the class was quite engaging even though it was asynchronous. Mrs. Richman has quite a detailed description of the class on the PA Homeschoolers site. This class was one of our daughter's favorite classes! I am happy to try and answer any questions you may have 🙂

Both my ds and did have taken AP Claases with Maya Inspektor, and dd took her college essay class last summer. She gave excellent feedback! Ds has been accepted at all 10 schools she has applied to with merit aide everywhere. Mrs. Inspektor is really an amazing instructor.

Congratulations to everyone on acceptances so far! This is favorite thread to read every year. Dd has heard from most schools, but is still waiting to hear about honors programs at most of the different schools. Here is her list so far: Union University (Trustees scholarship + Interviewing for Scholars of Excellence), Samford University (scholarship + Global Missions Scholarship and waiting to hear about Samford Fellows), Messiah College (Provost's Scholarship), Wheaton College (Presidential Scholarship), Cedarville University (President's Excellence Scholarship), Calvin College (Trustees Scholarship + Collegiate Scholars Program), The Ohio State University (Provost's Scholarship), Liberty University(Academic Scholarship), Berry College (Dean's Scholarship + Alumni Scholarship). I have had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of everything!! I am sure we will all here of more decisions in March!

I am a physical therapist (I work one day/week), but I obviously work with OTs and COTAs. Occupational therapists work in a wide variety of settings, from schools, to clinics, to nursing homes, to private industries. In each setting they may be working on different goals with patients. In a skilled nursing center they might be working with a patient to make adaptations to allow them to care for themselves more easily at home. In school, they may be working on fine motor skills to improve writing/keyboarding. I would have your daughter ask herself a few questions: What interests her in art therapy? Does she have a motivation to improve the lives of others? Does she enjoy art and wants to share that joy with others? Does she enjoy science (at least anatomy, etc). I could definitely see art being incorporated into occupational therapy, but it would also require so much more than that. And art therapy may not be appropriate for every patient depending on the goals of the patient and the deficits they currently have. Most people I know in therapy really enjoy their jobs. It often requires problem solving, and we generally get to spend significant amounts of time with patients, developing great relationships with people. But, it can also be challenging. Not everyone enjoys therapy and this can make the job difficult. Also, COTAs (occupational therapy assistants), must work under an OT and must consult them prior to changing a treatment plan (although we all USUALLY have good working relationships and this is not usually an issue). One other thought is that since the program is new, it MIGHT not be accredited. Most accredidation does not happen until the first class graduates. It usuallu is not a problem, but it is something to take into consideration. Being in rehabilitation is a great profession and very flexible for people like me who want to homeschool!! I think it COULD be a good fit for someone who has an interest in art therapy. It is helpful to try to do some observation of OTs/COTAs if possible, but I know around here it has become difficult for anyone under 18 to get observation hours due to HIPPA regulations. But hopefully she can find a place that will allow her to observe and get a feel for what COTAs and OTs do. I am happy to try to answer any additional questions as needed!

I was going to suggest asking permission for this with Lukeion as well, since she records all the lectures.

Thank you @Rebecca for your insights!!!!

Thank you all so much! I have been reading your replies to dd. @DawnM I will take you up on your offer and try to pm over the next day or two with questions. @ByGrace3we all really love the heads of the TESOL and Spanish department at Union!! Thank you all who have responded so far! I always know I can count on the Hive!!

Thank you to all who have posted so far! Morning Glory, your post was particularly helpful. I am really praying Union works out because as of right now it is her top choice. I completely understand going where the money is. Our oldest was a NMF and has a full ride at a large state school. I believe God can use our kids wherever they go, and I have told my dd this. When we went to Union, dd (and my husband and I) talked to the department heads in the ESL and Spanish program for over an hour. We were all very impressed. I did get the impression from that visit that they would work with students to get the price within an affordable range. Your post gives us hope!!

Hi Hive. I would like your input. Dd has been accepted to the above schools. She has been selected into the Global Missions Scholars program at Samford, and just interviewed this past weekend for the Samford Fellows program. She will be heading to Union the end of February to interview for the Union Scholars of Excellence program. The following Monday she has an interview at Messiah for their honors program., We have a visit to Wheaton planned in April. Have any of your children attended any of these colleges, or made the choice between them? Right now Union is at the top of her list. As with our older ds, I know that much of this depends on the right "fit" for the student (ds is attending a large state school and dd would like a small, private Christian school). Dd intends to major in Spanish and education, and would like to get an ESL certification. Her goals is to work in missions by teaching English to others abroad. I just wanted to hear the experiences of some other students if possible. Also, has anyone had a child compete in the Scholars of Excellence program at Union? We would like to get an idea of the amount of additional scholarship money she could possibly receive. She has done well with scholarships so far, but if she could get a bit more it would mean she could attend without any loans :). Thank you for your help!

My dd took AP Lang last year with Maya Inspektor at PA Homeschoolers and is taking AP Lit this year with Mrs. Inspektor. The classes are set up the same, but as stated above, AP Lit concentrates on literature and analysis. Some schools will give credit for both, and some will not. I think it is worth taking AP Lit because the content of the class is completely different.

I know you have talked with her, but I just want to give another plug for Maya Inspektor at PA Homeschoolers. Sbe is an amazing teacher, and so organized. My ds took her AP Lit class during the 2015/2016 school year and scored a 5 on the exam. My dd took AP Lang last year with her and scored a 4 on the exam (100% of th class scored a 4 or a 5). Dd is taking her AP Lit class this year, and once again loves it! She really is gifted in teaching the students and improving their writing and analysis. I can not recommend her class highly enough!

My ds is a junior CS major at a large university (and he will graduate next fall). There are many different paths one can take when selecting courses to take in high school, and that depends on the goal of the student. My ds took 11 AP classes. At the time we were not sure if he would utilize all of the credit he has earned (55 hours of credit), but as it turns out he used all of his credit EXCEPT his CS credit. Ds took all the AP sciences available to him (AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics (algebra based), and both AP Physics C courses). He utilized all of this credit and did not have to take a science class in college. He also had AP Eng Lit, and by scoring a 5 on the exam he did not have to take an intro English Lit course. Ds also took AP Latin and was able to test out of 9 humanities classes with this credit. All of this credit meant that ds only had 6 core credits to take. Because of this, he will be able to graduate a semester early (and probably could have graduated a year early). IF your ds would like to graduate early, double major, or have a few "lighter" semesters to pursue other interests, he might want to focus on getting some common core classes out of the way. I am not endorsing this path as this was not our intention initially. I just wanted to challenge my ds academically, and I chose the best teachers I could find (utilizing Lukeion and PA Homeschoolers) to achieve this goal. As it worked out, he did end up utilizing these credits. He is also in the honors program at his university, so he has instead taken some really fun honors courses. Ds also took AP Calc AB and BC (scored a 5 on both). At his school, Cal I and Calc II are weed out courses, so he was happy to move on to higher level math. Some recommend NOT doing this, but it really depends how well your child understands calculus. I think it is important that engineering/CS students have calculus (if they are ready for it) before the end of high school. Most students (not all) will have had calculus before college, even if they are re-taking it in college. With that being said, I think students should be WELL prepared for whatever math they are taking, and if that means not having calculus before college, so be it. Ds also took AP CS, but this class was in Java. At the university he attends the intro CS class teaches C++, and ds felt he should take the intro class to learn this language (and he is glad he did). He could have learned it in the upper level class, but it certainly made his first semester easier. The drop rate for the intro class was over 50% (part is that because at his university, studenst may major in anything they wish once accepted, so I think the "weeding out" comes once the kids start the class). While anyone can major in CS without having prior CS experience, as a whole, the kids who have had programming prior to college have done better at his university. Your ds may already be doing programming, and there are plenty of free resources to learn different languages. I would just make sure my student had exposure to programming if possible. Also, I should add that my ds took LOGIC (at home) during middle school and he has felt this has been extremely helpful. With all this being said, colleges have WIDELY VARYING POLICIES with regard to dual enrollment/AP credit. I have a friend whose child is at a very selective university. Her child was a recruited athlete and she was told by the admissions office to have her child take AP classes and NO DUAL enrollment courses as the school did not look favorably at those. I recommend that you select the classes that are best for your children now, keeping in mind that if your child chooses to take credit for the dual enrollment classes, those grades usually transfer as well (unlike AP classes). We are in the process of our middle dd applying to college. She has some AP credit and dual enrollment courses, and each school she is applying to has different policies, so we don't know how much credit she will be able to transfer. I realize this might not be of primary importance to you, but I wanted to address it. I hope this was helpful This is only ONE possibility, and this is how things worked out for ds. There is not one "right" path. I think it is good to get ideas about what others have found beneficial, and then pursue a path that makes sense for your children. (also, writing this quickly, so some of my thoughts might not be completely "fleshed out") Blessings!!

Just an encouraging note. My ds took Lukeion AP Latin during the 2013-2014 school year (as a sophomore....I think I was trying to kill him!). It was tough, but he passed the AP exam with a 4 and ended up earning 9 Latin credits for college. Mrs. Barr was always critical of his papers, but she really does give excellent feedback. He just took the GRE for graduate school this past summer. He did not study, but did really well (especially on the verbal section...96th percentile). He said the vocabulary was extremely difficult but Latin helped him figure out the words. Who would have guessed 4 years later Latin is still helping him!

I just thought I would add that my ds took both AP Physics C classes with Lanctot during the 2014-2015 school year and did well on the exams. Ds swam and did debate and Mr. Lanctot was great about adjusting die dates. Ds always offered to take exams early but Mr. Lanctot always allowed him to take it a day late when he had a conflict with a due date.

Shmoop also has free guides: https://www.shmoop.com/literature/

Frances pointed this out, but I think it is very important to note that most schools are not 'meets need', and the ones that do are usually very selective. We chose to save for retirement, so we have very little saved for college. While my ds did apply to some 'meets full need' (very selective schools), he did not get into them. We did have schools he applied to that we could afford (thankfully). The selective school he did get into gave him over a $25,000/year scholarship, but it would have still cost $40,000/year. We did not get anything extra because we did not save for college. I should add that the plan was for me to go back to work full time once our kids were in college (I am a PT and have a company I work for on Saturdays and switching to full time would have been easy). But we had another child who is only nine, so things have changed. I am not complaining at all. We have made choices, and so far everything has worked out, but it has also meant that our kids have not/will not go to their first choice schools. But, they will still graduate debt free which is HUGE!

I started using CLE when my middle daughter was in 4th grade, and I have continued to use it with our youngest (who is now in 4th grade). I love that it teaches about literary devices, inferences, etc and that it can be done fairly independently. I also use Sonlight, because I really want my kids to read whole literature as well, but I think CLE does a great job at preparing kids for literary analysis, especially in the middle grades.

Thank you, both. I think Environmental Science sounds like something she will really enjoy. I think she will be able to handle AP Govt well after taking APUSH with Mrs. Richmond (lots of assignments every week to keep track of!). I am just not sure if she will enjoy government in general. She loved APUSH.

Thank you! That review is very helpful? Any other thoughts on the above courses?? ?