Patrick Henry College has a forensic camp this summer in June (2009)

Welcome back Clara from Miami. I hope you feel like 'you' again:)

Like others, my children did Alg. I, then geo, then Alg. II. We had two reasons for this progression: 1) my kids needed a break from Alg. I, and 2) geometry is required for the SAT and we didn't want to wait another year to start taking the SAT. I think it would be ideal to take Alg. I and then Alg. II if the SAT timing is not a concern (other than the info from the one post about precalc) and the student is doing okay with algebra, i.e. doesn't need a break. TT has a lot of review so I'm thinking that having geometry prior to precalc may not be an issue due to the amount of review they have. Additionally, TT saves some material from alg. II and specifically puts it in precalc (different from the chalkdust program) so this might help make the transition to precalc from geometry easier.

My children have all done Apologia Biology with a group. I found using a group kept all of us on track, however, for one of my kids I needed some real flexibility due to other priorities. I was very upfront with the teacher that Jan-Feb would be challenging months with everything on our plate. She was quite understanding and even though the class has now ended my student is still playing catch up, which is no big deal. Attending class and weekly labs happened with or without being caught up on the reading and study guide questions.

One of my children used the entire curriculum. We found it very interesting but some of the answers were not easy to find and this was very frustrating. We found it helpful to have several general history book references available at home, though the internet was used a lot.

TT has been a wonderful curriculum for our high school students. In fact one of my children said I could stop paying for a tutor because TT is so effective. TT has a precalc program coming out this sumemr but no plans, as of yet, for a calculus program. So that might factor in your decision. The head guy from TT said they were looking into putting together a calculus program but they found that most high school students taking calculus took it at the community college level so they could get dual credit. If that isn't a stumbling block for you TT definitely gets the thumbs-up from me!

What is FLVS (its a brain moment)? We've done Apolgia Chemistry and felt very well prepared for college.

Great idea, Robin!

A super clear answer may depend on the state in which you reside. Many states do not have set criteria for what constitutes a credit. The accepted norm is 120 hours or 120 days/entries or 3/4th of a textbook. If you use this norm then you need to decide where to log the literature book - under English time or history time. If, however, you live in a state like PA, they have one diploma program that has odd requirements for what constitutes a credit in English and you can actually count the literature book toward the reading list and log the hours under history - but I'm guessing this state is the exception and not the rule.

Congratulations! Question: Did he want to graduate early? I love CLEP testing so I think that is a wonderful route and certainly something he can do now that he has "graduated" high school. So he can still be at home but earning college credit. Very cool!

If you live in a state that does not issue a state-recognized diploma, then I'm not sure I see any benefit in checking. However, one or two states do offer state-approved diplomas (not to be confused with accredited diplomas) and the one benefit I've seen is colleges in these states relax a little when they hear that your student is doing XYZ diploma program, as they know what the guidelines are without further research on their part.

We love our telescope. Enjoy your new baby!

What a special Mother's Day present!! Thanks for sharing!

We, too, had our considerable shares of ups and downs over a 10+ year dance career. The director of the school ruled with an iron fist, but thankfully, my daughter really liked one of her teachers. so that made the not good stuff a little more bearable. We learned to pick our battles and just grin and bear some junk. Things got a little better as my daughter moved up, and like you changing was not a viable option. Oh, I should also mention that we tried setting up a conference, but she also wanted to be "informal". What I did find most successful was talking with her in an off-season and not specifically about the issue over the year, but more about what my daughter could do to improve. That type of conversation seemed to soften her the following year.

I like aspects of several curriculums: 1. TOG (Tapestry of Grace) - top pick for overall flexibility, selection of books, teacher notes, geography maps, and oddly enough, ease of use once you get through the initial learning curve. Oh, and ability to stick with the same program for 4 years of high school 2. NotGrass - wonderful Government curriculum and other years are pretty good, too. Easy to use and great for students that like textbook, reading material, and tests all in one place. Another curriclum that is easy to stick with for 4 years. 3. Sonlight - like selection of reading books. Not as crazy about their lesson plans (prefer TOG) 4. Veritas - nice selection of reading books. I have not used the omnibus level. 5. Beautiful Feet - again, nice book selections. US History is a very challenging year in terms of the quantity of books. Recommend not using all the books or taking more time. 6. Truthquest - I like how they incorporate detail to connect one "living" book to another. Nice program if you want reading books without needing tests or lots of detail/background other than what is in their guide.