Thank you for the link. I think the uses mentioned are what I would expect and "believe in", but my friend is way beyond that--like curing viruses or cancer. I'm not wanting to reject oils outright (thus "rejecting" my friend) since I'm sure they have value in that more limited sense, but if there's strong information indicating a bigger benefit I'd like to know about it. I'm like the poster above: if they were miracle drugs, I think we'd be seeing lots of miracles. "Show me the money", you know? Actually, I came here expecting to find some people who were real proponents of oils who might have some evidence to back it all up. Anyone? Anyone? This makes me want to do a SO thread on some of the other healing things she believes in strongly....

bump?

All I can ask is *where* have I been?? I knew of open courseware, but last time I looked it up it wasn't really accessible to an average student. But zowie! This stuff is amazing! I just signed ds up for The Way Things Work class. He's doing physical science and has been telling me all the cool facts he's learned; this should be a blast for him. Do you guys taking the class have the text or are you just using the online component?

My dd isn't working yet, but one surprising job that is "hot" in our area, and I assume in other places as well, is working in a nursing home. I know of several teens that are employed as unskilled dietary aides and several others who took a CNA class at the local CC and now work as CNA's in local nursing homes (though CNA's can also work in group homes, hospitals, etc). According to the kdis we know, the pay is great (even though the work isn't always pleasant) and they generally can get as many hours as they want. Apparently it's hard for homes to get help. Also, nursing homes will often offer to pay for CNA training (my dd is taking a CNA class through a dual-credit program). Just an idea--not the typical one I'd think of for teenagers, but one I'm excited to have stumbled upon for my dd.

I just finished reading reading the book Home Schooling: A Family's Journey. It was tonic for me right now, at a moment when homeschool looks fairly bleak. One thing they repeated over and over was that they tried to take advantage of the unique opportunities of their particular circumstances. They traveled broadly with their kids, were charter members in an Chinese language & culture school, took judo with a master teacher and former Olympic coach, etc. For them, taking advantage of their circumstances meant...well...having some pretty dreamy experiences. I read about what you've done, or what Nan's done, or others (the Cohen or Colfax families) and I think, well that's great for them...but what cool opportunities do we have here? It's ridiculous, I know, but I'm sadly blind to whatever wonderful things are lying right under my nose. So reading your words, and reading this book, both about the same time, cause me to want to step back and try to pry my eyes open so I can embrace whatever wonderful things I should be utilizing. I'm not a creative thinker, but I'm hoping (praying) that I can "see the light!" Your story came at a good moment for me. I'm a sucker for personal stories of endurance and triumph, anyway. :)

I have a friend who strongly believes in them as healing agents and I'd like to be able to read up on them and get some factual info, history etc. Thanks!

at the beach-- Yea for libraries! I just finished reading the book you mentioned above. It really helped me remember why I'm doing all this in the first place. It's the best homeschool book I've read in a long, long time. I finished it in tears and with prayers that somehow God will sustain and direct this crazy endeavor which means so much to me...to our family. Thank you for mentioning it.

Maybe I should start a new thread, but I wanted to add a little different perspective. In my family we've talked a bit in the last couple of years of the value of a college education, so I found this thread interesting and good food for thought. Someone mentioned the assumption that college = success. That's a fair statement, but even more fundamentally I think the assumption is that college = education. No doubt there are colleges, or departments within colleges, where real, authentic education takes place. I think those are the exception rather than the rule (can I, myself, please, please be allowed to enroll in Thomas Aquinas College?? :001_tt1: ) In my education at a major state university, I feel that I received lots of information about lots of specific things--how to balance a feed ration, how the cow's digestive system works, the various diseases of the bovine specie, etc.--and not much *education*. I got handed information, and I was quizzed and tested on it. There were no stimulating lectures and discussions. There was no real exchange of thought. There was no training in how to think or reason or speak (well, I did have speech, but I'm talking of the classical ideal.) Of course I'm only speaking anecdotally ;) because I don't have broad experience in the classrooms of many colleges, but I'm willing to bet that my experience is fairly normal and common. Perhaps the value of smaller or liberal arts colleges is that they provide this type of educational environment. I really don't know. So I suppose I assume, a priori, that college for my children will have little to do with education in the classical sense, and much to do with preparing them to assume a certain role in the working world. College, then, is a means to an end, rather than a worthy endeavor with intrinsic value. I've never questioned for a moment that each and every one of my kids will go on to a 4-year degree. It's the expectation I grew up with and the one I've always had for them. And yet, despite my ideas, I've found myself with a dd who isn't going to go that route. She's a mediocre student without much motivation. The one career interest that she has is "something dental". After researching options, she latched on to dental hygiene--quite firmly and happily. Other family members keep pushing her to "dream bigger" than that--which she finds hurtful, and only shows how little these people know her. We've outlined a plan utilizing the 2-year training program at the local CC. It's the first time in her life I've seen her excited about school and eager for the challenge of gaining entrance (it's competitive) to her program. If, later on, she should decide to want a four year degree she can pursue a degree completion program. The whole thing is reasonably priced and will allow her to enter a decent paying profession. She *could* choose to go to the state U and get a 4-yr degree in dental hygiene, though in the end her career prospects and pay rate would be much the same. I really, reeeeeally had a hard time letting go of the university idea. She'd have a bachelor's degree. She'd be able to say she graduated from So-And-So U. I figured out that in *my* case, it was about pride and prestige, not about getting a good value or enriching her future with "education". But even beyond that, what concerns me is spending *any* amount of money on higher education that is more about indoctrination in a particular ideology. It seems the trendy thing everywhere is the inclusion of a "core" curriculum--the idea being that students need "breadth" and exposure to various cultures and disciplines. While it sounds so noble in principal, and is based in the rich educational traditions of the past, this recent iteration has very little to do with what I would call true education. In fact, I'd say it's diametrically opposed to true education. If that's what I get for my $$, I'd rather keep it, thank you very much. I didn't spend this much time and money, blood-sweat-and-tears, home educating my kids just to pay someone a small fortune to tell them that it was all a bunch of hooey. Don't misunderstand; my kids have minds and can decide for themselves where they stand on particular issues. I'm not about protecting or shielding them, or seeing that they only hear a unilateral view. But at this point, there isn't even room for honest disagreement in many college classrooms. Dogmatic much, eh? That's no education, and nothing I find of value. And finally, as far as the idea of value goes, I've seen sooo many kids going off to colleges who were all about the name of the college. Many of these are strictly of a local reputation, though some would be tier 1/2 schools of perhaps lesser fame. They have price tags that rival the Ivies. Now, if you can find a college that's a great fit, that offers a unique opportunity or program with great job placement--AND you can work out the financials so you don't come away with $200,000 in debt, then I say "great!" But among the majority that I know of going to *this type* of university, this isn't the case at all. It seems like with education, kids and parents both seem to have (as I believe someone put it above) a sense of "I'm worth it". Like no amount of money should prevent Johnny from going wherever his heart desires; as long is it's what he wants, he should have it. We've lost the idea of being wise consumers--or even consumers at all. It's more like buying a fancy car that other people can admire and that you can show off. People don't buy Bentleys or Lamborghinis because they make financial sense or because they are gas efficient, or even because they are comfortable. It's a status thing. And when you shell out the big bucks for many of these places, the hard fact is that they do not necessarily offer a better education or a better job placement in the end. I wonder all.the.time where the people come from who fill these places and where they get their money. It's quite mind boggling to me. So I didn't meant to disrail the OP's topic, but like I said, it's something that has been coming up with greater frequency around here.

You really sum up the whole journey so well. Your family's experience, to me, is the real heart of homeschooling. I'm in awe of your perseverance, commitment and triumph. It's so nice to see. Thank you for sharing!

I found that little linky. There are quite a lot of groups in my state, but the only one remotely near me doesn't offer the Challenge leve. :/ It sounds like such a cool idea. Oh well! Thank you again for the info.

Brenda, I looked at Homeschool Connections last year and now that I think of it, I'm almost positive it was you who recommended them. No doubt I had posted a similar angsty and desperate plea. Maybe it's that time of year. :) I thought they had a neat offering and signed up for an initial trial. For some reason we were never able to establish a good web connection--probably due to my wireless connection, which isn't the greatest. Maybe I will try it again just for kicks. Thank you for reminding me...and for indulging my annual whine. :tongue_smilie:

I have little respect for the local p.s., yet I'm sure he would do fine there whether for a year or permanently. He plays sports for them and likes to joke that he's the most popular kid in the school even though he's homeschooled. It's kind of true, too. The nearest cc is a 45 minute commute, and so he'd have to be a least a junior to make that drive. Otherwise, I'd be right on that! As for Seton, btdt. Don't want to speak ill of them, but let's just say never, never again. I'm not in charge either way, but with an online charter school, I think I (and maybe he, too) would be entering into the program with the idea that we were still "homeschooling" (not wishing to start a debate over this touchy subject). Ultimately, though he would be home, it would be me helping him find a way to jump through their hoops, which would just grate on my nerves and disturb the homeschooling I'm trying to do with other kids. At the b&m school, I think he and I would both be clear that a change had been made. It's maybe just a matter of semantics or perception, but there it is nonetheless. *Thank you* for the remainder of what you wrote. I need to breathe deeply, and thoroughly think through (and discuss with him) all of those things. I appreciate you taking time to help me think over all the details. I was more in the stage of :willy_nilly: re: Classical Connections--I appreciate the suggestion very much. I was trying to read a little about it and didn't quite understand what they offer. You attend classes locally, or they are online? I'm willing to read up on anything.

Now and then I come crawling to the board at the point of despair. So here I am. Again. I'm an "experienced homeschooling mom". lol Guess it's never gonna get easier in this house. I have a ds who'll be in 9th grade next year. This year we've had struggles getting work done in a timely manner, and it's come with enough attitude that I'm quaking in my boots. If I can somehow hang on through 9th and 10th grades, then he can enroll at the cc for 11/12th. But I can't do this on my own for the next two years, when grades actually count. I have an older ds that literally broke me and I can not and will not put myself through it again. I don't think I could go for online charter, either. Call me crazy, but it's gonna be my way or the highway. After homeschooling this many years I don't think I can do it with them in charge. So I feel that my only option is to give up and send him to p.s. The thought of it makes me grind my teeth. It's goes against everything in me. And yet...that's where I'm at. I want to hear from anyone who maybe has struggled through a difficult situation and now is on the other side. Or maybe from someone who has found a good option for helping with accountability. I don't see outsourcing as a real option because of cost. I'd do it, but dh would have a heart attack if I enrolled him in 6 classes @ $400/ea. So. I'm feeling pretty bottom-of-the-barrel right now: failed mom (bad discipline), failed homeschooler (giving up). Blah. And actually, rereading this--he's a good kid, and not so rotten as the above implies. He's lazy. And when I push, he pushes back. What it comes down to is that I can't push-pull-drag a kid through school. help?

Since ds graduated high school four years ago, I have spent little time on these boards. I'm back now, trying to find my way again, and it's really neat to see this thread and familiar names and faces who went through the high school ed/college app process alongside me. I always credit the people here with helping me have the wisdom to get ds through. I would have been so lost otherwise. He's graduating in early June, and has a job that's keeping him in the same city--he loves it there. As far as the job market, he initially interviewed with a company he was excited about, but didn't get called back. Later he learned that that company had laid off a significant number of employees, so I guess things work out for the best. Best wishes to all!

Heartfelt congratulations to her, and to you, too. As the old saying goes, "Cream rises to the top." No matter where!!!

This is a real concern of mine--yet I can't justify sending her to college to broaden her husband prospects. But yeah, the whole college thing is outta control, imho. We should have another thread on that.

All good things to bring up to *her*. I will do so. I guess these things have been in my mind, but I haven't taken the time to talk along these lines with her.

Hmm, I wouldn't have thought of both. But yes, the small fortune is why I'm worrying myself about this right now--because she'll dual enroll her senior year. Gotta take the "free" college while you can. Actually (going back the whole "edu-snob" theme) this is another reason why the tech school has less appeal for me. I feel like her "pool of candidates" will be much different, much less education oriented...and with less earning potential. This is when I need to stop worrying over her life, I believe. Maybe I'm the over-invested, over-protective, over-controlling homeschool mom I never wanted to be.

There is some overlap, but not as much as I thought (unless you speak from personal experience, in which case I stand corrected.) Hygienists complain that they are often only part time (because they do get paid more, and this way the dentist can employ lots of part timers w/o paying benefits); stress (lots of competition for their position, despite this job being a "growth area"); repetitive injury (lots of carpal tunnel). I love this point --true dat! I guess it just raised some red flags worth thinking about.

Lori D, thank you--how sweet to spend your appt. making notes for me--lol! Of all these points, the one I've wondered about is checking the reputation of the school. I have no idea how to find out that kind of info. The program nearest us is a tech school, and they list the historical stats of those who were accepted into the program...including past D.A. experience. Another part of the whole equation in my mind which I hadn't mentioned before...I have doubts about her ability to get accepted into the hygienist program. They actually have a very high average g.p.a.; it's quite competitive. :( But you've got a point. Maybe do D.A. for a year, then go for hygiene. She has job shadows planned, so maybe that will reveal a lot.