overwhelmed with life and upcoming high school- help!

[Corbster98]

Ok so I will just lay it all out in the open. Though I have been a member on the forums, I don't post often but really need some input and/or encouragement. Sorry if this is long... I will try and keep it to the point.

 

So here is my reality. We are an active duty Army family and just moved to NC to be close to my parents ( about 45 minutes away), who are both terminally ill. Dad has ALS and looks like he will be leaving us sometime sooner than later to go home (Heaven) and my Mom is terminal with Stage IV metastatic Breast Cancer. Mom is currently Dad's full time caregiver and my siblings and I help on a regular, rotating basis. The decision has been made that once Dad passes, Mom will move in with me and I will become her caregiver once it is needed, with help from Hospice.

 

I homeschool both of our sons and am needing ideas on what would be the best curriculum path for high schoool, which begins next Fall. I have homeschooled for the past 5 years and have used curriculum ranging from TOG to Textbooks. My son is a competitive swimmer and is looking for a college scholarship. So with that said, we will also need to go through the NCAA eligibility process, which I am knowledgeable of. I need curriculum that is college prep but also not too extremely time consuming on my part, given my involvement needed with my parents, and still schooling my other son, as well as being a wife and swim taxi daily! My son is smart but isn't necessarily loving school unless it is fun. He does school because it is required not because he really enjoys school.

 

Any ideas or thoughts are more than appreciated. Please be considerate- I don't need to hear that I need to maybe put them back in a brick and mortar school or sacrifice swim training at this time. Those are just NOT options.

[Chris in VA]

Could you continue with TOG? I do like that it is discussion based, but that the discussion only takes place once or maybe twice a week.

 

We enjoyed Omnibus I and II. I have not used the upper levels, but I think I or II are really good for 9th grade. It's very easy to use. We didn't do the writing portion (used something else), and both added and subtracted books. We also did Bio with Apologia, Latin w Henly, Rod and Staff grammar, and math with Jacobs (but we needed something else--a good program but not a good fit).

 

It's so dependent on the kiddo, so it's hard to recommend. My own son was a bit older than average, and 9th was his first year of homeschooling, so we were just finding our way.

 

If you don't need super-rigorous, TT is ok math-wise (but didn't work for us for Geometry).

 

Are you classically inclined?

[2boysmom]

How about the Potter's school? or another online school?

[Lolly]

Btdt! We lived a block from dh's parents. HIs mother had Parkinson's. She passed away right before my eldest started high school. We started living with fil a few months later when it became obvious he couldn't do it alone. He died the middle of last year. My kids are also swimmers. I'm down to two of those now! (We are in TN; wonder if we've been at some meets together!!!)

 

I have used a lot of BJUP materials. I limit the dvd usage to two subjects a year. It just takes too much time and is...boring for more than that. It is also NCAA friendly. I am assuming my booklist has been approved...I haven't been told anything is wrong with it. (My swimmers are seniors this year.) I also used Notgrass, Teaching Textbooks, and Lial's (math). All are pretty open and shut. With Notgrass, I used them for just the one subject--not multiples like it says you can do.

 

That said, there were times when school was just put on the back burner. It was okay. There were more important things going on in our life. It doesn't seem to have caused any damage whatsoever to my kids. If anything, it has made them more compassionate and understanding. It has allowed them to be more mature than others their age. They know how to keep a house running. They volunteer to run to the grocery store for me. They voluntarily do the dishes or cook dinner. They aren't perfect, but they are incredible. I think seeing/helping to take care of their grandparents, even when I didn't have very good feelings towards them..., has made them more understanding or what family is/should be. These lessons have been far more valuable than any school subject.

[Corbster98]

Yes we tend toward Classical at least some. I have been thinking of some online help next year... maybe Memoria Press for Henle Latin, BJUonline for a subject or 2, maybe Potters school for an elective, Robotics.

 

As far as TOG, I found that it is just soooo teacher intensive and to save some money, we use the library for many of the required books. Though we still use the library on a weekly basis, I just honestly don't have the time to research and put books on hold, pick them up, return them, etc....

 

Teaching Textbooks... btdt... switched back to Saxon Math, which I am pleased with.

 

Thank you for the suggestions.

 

Lolly... I will send you a private message. Thank you for sharing your story.

[Mandy in TN]

(((hugs)))

 

Can y'all afford to use something like Keystone for a year for the high schooler? If not, American School is cheap. It may not be academically stellar, but you can add to it when you are able. When you are not able, you can at least be comfortable knowing that it is accredited and he is at least moving forward.

 

Mandy

[dhudson]

Look into MFW. It is basically student led and you only need to meet with the student once a week. It has the 4 year history rotation as well.

 

I hope and pray that your sacrifice of being with your parents will be a blessing to all of you.

[Corbster98]

Mandy....not sure we want to do only an online school, but I will add it to my possibilities for a class or two.

 

Dawn... Thank you for the encouraging words. Funny how God works but we continue to see his blessings daily in what has to be the most difficult situation we have found ourselves in. God is good.. all the time!

[Hunter]

I strongly suggest looking at American School. It's snail mail, not online and has been around for...I don't remember, but maybe 100 years. One of my boys graduated from it, and the other almost finished, before I got talked into doing something "better" with him, that he "deserved".

 

American School was dirt cheap and a stellar fit for my older son. He had enough time to keep working, and still get through the general program at an accelerated rate. He graduated at 16, started junior college paying his own way through, graduated at 19, and moved to Las Vegas debt free and with $5,000.00 savings. He lost 50 pounds, but he survived and by 24 years old he was married and built a house in a nice neighborhood that he is planning to raise children in.

 

American School was a good enough fit for my 2E younger son. I should have stuck with it. We improvised and things worked out, as much as they can we a 2E kid, but...it would have been better if we had FINISHED "good enough", instead of pursuing what he "deserved".