regentrude Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Why is that? Why there are few accelerated high schoolers on the accelerated board? For one thing, many issues and questions pertaining to accelerated high schoolers are high school specific issues: questions about credits, college admissions, fulfilling requirements, comparisons of high school curriculum. These questions are primarily discussed on the high school board, and they are questions for accelerated and non-accelerated students alike. (Some of the accelerated students may be of a younger age, but the questions are high school typical questions.) I pretty much stopped posting on the accelerated board when DD was in 8th grade because the issues I needed help with needed a broad knowledge base of people conversant in high school matters - which you find on the hs board. I have greatly benefitted from advice from parents from all kinds of students; the accelerated board does not provide the same breadth of experience and the number of users. So, relegating the parents of accelerated students to the accelerated board robs them of an important resource. If somebody asks about curriculum for high school physics, it does not matter whether that particular student is 13 or 17 years old - if he is ready for algebra based physics, the parent needs to discuss algebra based physics curricula with other parents who may have experience at that level. All my questions about college admissions needed the input from people who had been there before me, or were in the same boat. The fact that my student applied to highly selective schools may have altered a few aspects of the admissions process, but did not change that we had to deal with transcripts and the common application, and letters of recommendation and the FAFSA. There are many commonalities between parents of accelerated and non-accelerated learners. It would be detrimental to send each to their corner, because we can all benefit from mutual exchange of ideas. Edited February 25, 2016 by regentrude 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 If people feel like too many of the posts on the high school board deal with advanced content, I think the solution is for people with average kids to post more, rather than making it the responsibility of parents with advanced kids to put warning labels on their posts. Well, fair enough. But I'm happy to do my share to make the board good for everyone. Currently, I self-censor. You do not read about my older ds here, do you? So I help out with advice on the high school board, but don't share my own journey. Certainly, not ideal for me, so I would love another way. Ruth in NZ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. Edited February 25, 2016 by jewel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Why is that? Kathy, apart from and like what pp's have said...there is also some very obvious disparity in needs. There is one poster with an elementary aged child (or maybe young middle school aged now) who needs answers on graduate-level research. Or a not yet high schooler contemplating early graduation to go directly into upper division research and coursework. Or a still young high schooler (but middle schooler when he started) working on international olympiad level problems, (ETA) let me rephrase that...not problems but the actual contests. As learned as other parents who post on the accelerated board are, some may not have the parenting experience to answer questions that only the high school board parents can. For some, there are other avenues to ask these questions but it is difficult to find the level of "academics-focused" experience we need. The parents who can answer are all congregated in one space (here) so this becomes a go-to Q&A space for us. ETA: apologies to all the accelerated learner families I left out in my haste to respond to support my point! Edited February 26, 2016 by quark 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no body responded. Won't help me because we don't have AP in NZ. Plus, what I would write about is international competitions. Couldn't really put that on an AP prep board. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. If that would help I am all for it. But we are not AP prep per se. :tongue_smilie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Won't help me because we don't have AP in NZ. Plus, what I would write about is international competitions. Couldn't really put that on an AP prep board. True Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Also, I do not think the perception that only accelerated students' parents post on the hs board accurate. If i just look at the fist page of posts showing for me today: La Clase Divertida, a student with a B. Emergency homeschooling, a 9th grader, taking physical science Saxon Precalculus switch to TT AoPS general course sequence question Easy documentary based history class 9th graders struggling with writing Junior who does not like to write and is not gifted in it looking for comparison between two providers bio class - do we need teacher manual for online course Mr Q how long does Advanced Science course take Charlotte mason similar history curriculum Quest for an online calc 2 course for a senior geometry for student who liked Dolciani but is not an AoPS type... These are run of the mill regular questions from people with regular students with a mix of levels. Calc 2 as a senior? strong student, but not extraordinarily advanced. The sample gives a pretty good cross section of possible students, some stronger academically, some less so. But I see no overwhelming dominance from accelerated students. Edited February 26, 2016 by regentrude 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. Many high achieving high schoolers are not interested in AP, so this only applies to a fraction (none of my kids have taken or will be taking any). OTOH, AP is not a hallmark of an overachiever anymore. "Accelerated high school board" - what is that supposed to mean? If you mean younger students taking high school level course work: they face mostly the same issues as regular hs age students. OTOH, many high achieving high school students are not accelerated - they don't want to graduate early. They simply take harder courses than the average hs level class. Edited February 25, 2016 by regentrude 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Well, fair enough. But I'm happy to do my share to make the board good for everyone. Currently, I self-censor. You do not read about my older ds here, do you? So I help out with advice on the high school board, but don't share my own journey. Certainly, not ideal for me, so I would love another way. Ruth in NZ It makes me really sad that you self-censor and don't post about your older DS here. :sad: Sometimes I go to the accelerated board specifically to read about what he's doing, because I think it's awesome! I've been reading your posts about your boys since they were much younger and I love seeing how they've grown and developed. I still remember something your younger son said when he was doing a science project in elementary — something along the lines of "wow, you could study dirt for your whole life and never learn everything." I found that so moving and inspirational, and I just loved reading about their big science projects every year. I'm so sorry that you feel you have to hide your son's accomplishments on the accelerated board so no one will feel bad that their kids aren't doing what yours are. I joke that DS's transcript is going to list Math Crying 1, Math Crying 2, and Advanced Math Crying, lol. I still love reading about the amazing accomplishments of your son. Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. Because not every advanced kid is doing APs, not every kid doing APs is advanced, and there aren't enough accelerated kids to have a separate HS board. And why should people with kids at one end of the spectrum be excluded from the board that provides the primary resource for every other parent of high schoolers? Honestly, this is starting to sound like "you can't sit at our table, because you're not like us." :sad: 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Honestly, this is starting to sound like "you can't sit at our table, because you're not like us." :sad: Yes. Especially since we would love to share the table because we also want to share in all the joys and frustrations, share the journey. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 This whole discussion is making me sad. I stopped posting much on the accelerated board when dd was in 7th grade because the topics just weren't fitting our needs. I started hanging out on the high school board, absorbing everything I could in case dd decided to stay home for high school. I thought this board was supposed to be for everyone homeschooling a high school student, not just accelerated or Christian or "average" or secular or school-in-box or unschooler or whatever. I don't want posts and posters to be separated. Our community is small enough! I make the decision to read a thread or not, to respond or not, based on the thread content. I don't read or respond to topics that might bother me (young earth science, for example). Why can't we all just take what we need? 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 :grouphug: Maybe it is the February doldrums :( Or that people feel that there is no out once they start homeschooling high school and get all anxious about the four years "slog". I know that knowing I can put my kids into my nearby CC at an affordable to us cost is an emotional lifesaver for hubby and me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Why is that? I never frequented the accelerated board, because I always assumed that I had a lot to learn from a lot of posters, not only from people who self-identified as working with accelerated students. I don't know if it's your intention, but the sense I'm getting from your posts is that you'd like folks with students working above the "average" level to keep quiet or go to some other section of the board. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding. I will also bow out at this point. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 This conversation has taken a turn that is making me really sad, too. I just want to say that I think further segregating the high school board is a terrible idea. I love the wide diversity of posts and posters here, and I learn from their wide range of experience. I am capable of glancing at a thread title or an OP and noticing whether the thread is relevant or of interest to me, whether I have something to contribute, whether I have something to learn, or neither, in which case I just skip that thread. I am frankly shocked at the suggestion that people should be expected to self-censor their posts or to post somewhere else than here if their kids don't fit . . . what? Whose standard of "average" must we meet to be allowed to post here? Who gets to decide who is worthy? Really? I'm stunned. 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Well, fair enough. But I'm happy to do my share to make the board good for everyone. Currently, I self-censor. You do not read about my older ds here, do you? So I help out with advice on the high school board, but don't share my own journey. Certainly, not ideal for me, so I would love another way. Ruth in NZ :sad: :grouphug: I'm so sorry, Ruth. That's just not right. Yes. Especially since we would love to share the table because we also want to share in all the joys and frustrations, share the journey. I thought this board was supposed to be for everyone homeschooling a high school student, not just accelerated or Christian or "average" or secular or school-in-box or unschooler or whatever. I don't want posts and posters to be separated. Our community is small enough! To both quark and Luckymama - yes, yes, yes. It's too sad to think that the high school board needs to be segregated in some way. I think that would take away from the richness of the community. :( 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) I was suggesting a place for parents of accelerated high school students to talk about their specific concerns related to acceleration during the high school years which looks very different for many children on the general hs board. I love the rich community as well however many are feeling depressed. Does anyone else have any ideas? Edited February 26, 2016 by jewel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Since I, and my kids, mostly aged out of the AL board information 4-5 years ago, this board has been the one place I haven't felt completely alone, weird, left out, or otherwise expected to go off into some obscure corner and figure it all out on my own...until tonight. I have relied on parents of all kinds of children to provide insight and information about various textbooks and courses. I've asked many questions that cross all kinds of needs. Now, I'm wading into the college board...but I'll still have kids who all become different high schoolers for 11 more years. This board helped me reach a decision to drop APUSH -- to even question why I was pursuing that test for my oldest at all. We didn't drop it because he couldn't handle the material, we dropped it because it was sucking all the joy out of that course, AND he is not a history lover to begin with. This board helped me create new classes to feed LEGOManiac's interests, because of the resources people are willing to share. In the same vein, it's helping me develop better coursework and a freedom to veer away from all of the mindless box checking that will directly benefit all of my kids. This board has helped me when a child was struggling with issues relating to maturity and poor curriculum fit. This board gave me the confidence that I could homeschool through high school, even on a tight budget, without the availability of CC, an ocean away from everyone and everything I knew. This board has helped me help many others choose curriculum and programs that best suit them. Thank you to everyone who has developed a class, posted what worked and didn't, offered evaluations of textbooks and curriculum, shared resources, experiences, held my virtual hand, calmed my nerves, and offered support. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I cross all the boards, my needs include resources for kids with learning challenges, accelerated, middle school and high school. I'm very aware of my audience in each group. I've never felt unwelcome in any group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I think the Accelerated Board should include a sub-board for middle&high school not a split in the hs board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicentra Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I was suggesting a place for parents of accelerated high school students to talk about their specific concerns related to acceleration during the high school years which looks very different for many children on the general hs board. I love the rich community as well however many are feeling depressed. Does anyone else have any ideas? I think the Accelerated Board should include a sub-board for middle&high school not a split in the hs board. I am truly sorry that folks feel depressed reading on the high school board - and this gets back to the OP's first post. I just don't think that sending the posters with accelerated high school students off to play in their own sandbox is the answer. I guess some people do think that would be better and I'll have to agree to disagree with those posters. When I created those pinned posts on the choices for homeschooling high school sciences, I tried to include choices for everyone. I really do believe the high school board is for all who have students working at the high school level - regardless of age. Our local high school finishes their morning announcements with the same quote every day: "Be the change you want to see in the world." I think other posters have already said a variation of this and it's the best advice, I think, for the situation. I don't think problems are ever solved by getting rid of those whose opinions and experiences don't mesh with one's own. If more posts are needed on kids who are not academically inclined, then make those posts. If more posts are needed on kids who are academically capable but HATE schooling and refuse to try (oh, the stories I could tell about my younger sister...), then make those posts. I'm sorry - I don't mean to sound preachy. :( Maybe I'm one of the posters who make other feel uncomfortable and I'm truly sorry if I do. If anyone does have a concern with anything I've ever posted, please don't hesitate to contact me through PM and we can hopefully discuss and work things out. I know I don't post often but I do have strong feelings on science education and if I need to re-examine those feelings, I don't mind being challenged to do so. I just don't want to see more sub-boards and segregation. I don't think it's the answer. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) Well, it took awhile but we seem to be coming closer to successful communication. The point of most of the initial replies was that the high school board seems to contain majority posts from the accelerated community, making it difficult for the general population to take part. It might be nice to see this addressed. Based on your description, then people with struggling students shouldn't post on the high school forum but only post on the learning challenges board. Or is your logic restricted to only kids who are high achievers? They are the only ones who should be excluded? ( fwiw, I do NOT think that should happen. I think people should post wherever they think they will find the most support for what they need.) I'm sorry. Really. But if you have to ask the question... Quark, I am sorry this post was directed toward you. I am guessing that some posters don't view the WTM as a community of real friends if they only know each other virtually. I do. You truly are a very kind and respectful poster. :grouphug: No, no, I read that in her post. I'm sincere though, if you cannot imagine the parent of an average child wandering over to the high school board to see what everyone is doing for grade 9, seeing the overwhelming number of posts dealing with advanced academic topics, then I can't explain it well enough for you to understand. Not everyone who posts on the forum has advanced students. Some people have kids advanced in some areas and avg or behind in others. Some have kids who are all working on grade level. Some have kids that are all working below grade level. My children are all over the place....advanced, avg, disabled. My 22 yod had a brother who worked multiple grade levels ahead of her when she was in high school. He in turn had a sister 3 yrs younger than him surpass him in other subjects when he was in middle school. That is IRL and up close and personal. It is also real life in the real world. (How do families with kids in schools deal with the fact that kids are in a broad range of classes?) I didn't hide my kids' siblings' achievements from them. Neither the older or the younger sibling had anything to be ashamed of. They were all working exactly where they were capable of working. All of them their own strengths and their own struggles. And everyone respects each other for who they are. On the high school board there is not much for the average homeschooler to lurk on. I too enjoy learning from other folks, but in order to challenge comfort zones, there needs to be a comfort zone in the first place, no? No one wants to send anyone away. The average person feels unwelcome. They are not trying to say others are unwelcome. They are looking for their place here, if possible. Actually, I think a great many people are being made to feel unwelcome. I, myself, am avg. I guess it is my kids that are making me feel unwelcome. Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. We are not an AP oriented family. My kids altogether have taken a grand total of 2. We don't approach school that way. There isn't a single category that would quantify what we do. We just do what we do. Edited February 26, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I think the Accelerated Board should include a sub-board for middle&high school not a split in the hs board. No thank you. I will continue to post here. I will stick a disclaimer on my posts so that they can be ignored if need be. This is the first time since I joined WTM in January 2010 that I have not felt welcomed. Time for my kindle. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I hesitate to jump in here so late in the game. I am someone who can get easily offended or feel a blow to my self-esteem. BUT, I participate quite often on the high school board AND I have two average kids. I have never felt inferior, unwelcome, less-than, etc. I gain so much from everyone there - take what I can use, disregard what doesn't pertain to me, and post questions and get helpful responses. It would be sad to be so segregated. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. Some issues are better discussed on the other forums. When my Aspie went off the deep end and had to be institutionalized, my freak out went on the SN board (that is what it was called back then.) When I discuss his major life struggles, that is where I post. When people on that forum ask questions that I think are relevant to my experience with him, I share. The accelerated board is its own little world. It is not a place that really represents our world. Even my advanced kids don't fit that dynamic. We have a very different educational view and it doesn't mesh well with most posters on that forum. If the point of the forum is conversation, shouldn't people post where they feel the most comfortable getting answers to their questions? 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. Because there are some issues that are specific for the accelerated learner, especially in young ages. Problems of very asynchronous development, extreme discrepancy between academic interests and general maturity, questions of curriculum adaptation for those students - some questions clearly only pertain to accelerated learners. Just like there are question that are specific for students with learning disabilities. But then there are also general questions - like high school curriculum or credits,where it is irrelevant that the student is of a younger age or works on an advanced level. Those are best answered on the high school board, because the acceleration does not play any role for the question. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. Jewel, I'm thinking it really serves those who have kids in elementary school well. The problem with segregating the high school board, imo, is that the pool of homeschoolers drastically dwindles by high school. By segregating a subgroup, I'm thinking there wouldn't be enough feedback on an accelerated high school board. Plus, there is such a wide range of class levels in high school, where would you draw the line? One AP class or 5? Most people on this board are having their kids take high school classes, though some are a little younger than high school age. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I think the Accelerated Board should include a sub-board for middle&high school not a split in the hs board. But my children weren't accelerated in most of their subjects, especially once we got to high school, so that would not work for us. Where does that leave those of us whose children are just quirky? I switched to following this board when my children hit high school as well as continuing to use the accelerated board when this one became too overwhelming or when we were failing at accomplishing the things people were doing here easily. Which sounds backwards but worked because the accelerated board was more familiar with the struggles my children faced. I needed this board for the breadth of experience represented. If there were a sub-board, would it mean that I was not welcome here because at some points in their lives, my children required the solutions that the accelerated board provided? I don't think an AP board would work because many of us don,t do APs. Ruth, I am so sad for you. We are the losers. Your posts were so helpful. Nan 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I guess I'm referring to a place where we can talk about homeschooling kids who are accelerated doing hs work. The AL board doesn't work for me any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) On the high school board there is not much for the average homeschooler to lurk on. I too enjoy learning from other folks, but in order to challenge comfort zones, there needs to be a comfort zone in the first place, no? No one wants to send anyone away. The average person feels unwelcome. They are not trying to say others are unwelcome. They are looking for their place here, if possible. There are LOTS of parents of average kids who post here who do not feel the least bit unwelcome — I am one of them. I have one weird kid and one average kid. I had to laugh when someone posted upthread that she felt "discouraged" that her 9th grader was "only" doing Honors Bio and Geometry. I'm hoping my DD will be doing Algebra 1 in 9th — and not have to repeat it in 10th. But if she does have to repeat it, then that's what we'll do. Whatever science she does, it won't be honors level. And yet, miraculously, that doesn't make me feel the least bit discouraged or depressed. It certainly doesn't make me feel like everyone whose kids are more advanced than mine should go somewhere else so I don't have to hear about it! I was suggesting a place for parents of accelerated high school students to talk about their specific concerns related to acceleration during the high school years which looks very different for many children on the general hs board. I love the rich community as well however many are feeling depressed. Does anyone else have any ideas? If someone is seriously depressed by the knowledge that there are other students in the world — some of whom are even homeschoolers — who are smarter or more ambitious or more advanced than their own kids, then their problem is not the WTM High School board. Do parents of average PS students go looking for a school with no AP or honors classes? And no sports if their child happens to be not very athletic, because that would be depressing to see other people's kids excelling in sports. And for sure no art or music program if the child doesn't have a talent for that. What do parents of average kids with above-average relatives do? "We'd better skip Christmas with your family, honey, because it makes me too sad that your sister's kids are doing AP sciences and ours aren't even doing honors level." That's a self-esteem issue, not an academic issue. Edited February 26, 2016 by Corraleno 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. Younger parents starting out. I started back there back in the day. Questions and resources related to giftedness, testing, special programs, feelings of frustration and even fear. It is/was a safe space for exploring those issues without being a lightning rod for truly unhelpful comments such as: slow down! if you're teaching 3 grade levels ahead, what will you do in high school? All kids are gifted, yours will even out in a few years. There is no reason any child should be reading before they are 7. They probably don't really understand what they are reading. If a child hasn't learned their math facts they absolutely should not move ahead conceptually. I've personally heard all of the above and more. For years, I didn't list anything which would indicate how old my kids were. Because, especially at the elementary grades, they stuck out. They don't stick out nearly so much in high school on paper (in real life, they still do with their teachers at the high school and other adults in their lives). While curriculum is discussed, it is usually geared towards elementary level...because once they are ready for high school level, we ask those questions here...where the vast majority of parents who are in the midst of it, or have BTDT can answer. Once we're finished panicking over kid #1 who, at 5, lectures a college group about how they should properly care for a cold, and how viruses and bacteria multiply, we are usually not as freaked out when kid #2 can draw detailed, recognisable pictures at 3, or completes 3 math levels in a year, and by 10 asks for a college textbook on Marine Biology for Christmas they found on Amazon, because they've already read the books in the library. You grow past the AL and gravitate to the next level...the high school and college board. There aren't that many homeschooling high school as it is, even fewer who are homeschooling accelerated learners. AP coursework is not limited to accelerated students. Most high school math, lit and history suggestions aren't either. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I mean this with the utmost respect and care....why then do we need an Accelerated Learner Board in the first place? I'm not trying to be contrary. Because some of us have needed particularly creative solutions to our problems. I think we need it for the same reason that it is handy to have a bilingual board and a special needs board - the posts don't get lost amongst the many more ordinary inquiries. It is more efficient this way. I think, anyway. I have found them to be a life saver. Our lives would have been very different without all my friends here. I am really sorry your experience has been different and you feel you are not getting the help and support you need on these boards. Nan 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Hugs, Quark. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 … I love the rich community as well however many are feeling depressed. Does anyone else have any ideas? Humbly, and probably extremely naively, I thought that was the purpose of thread subject headings?? Looking at thread subject headings -- or even going ahead and reading into a thread to sample -- allows each of us to enter the well-stocked store of WTM, browse the shelves, look at labels, and decide which items to engage with, and which to put back on the shelf... I have never felt depressed or envious or "one-upped" or as though anyone were boasting or rubbing it in. I think a lot of this is just the nature of conversing/interacting in a long-distance, not-face-to-face format. Lots of different personality types, lots of different goals, lots of different types of students, lots of different curricula options -- that's lovely! I think further sub-dividing the boards would be rather futile -- we would never have enough "boxes" to sort all the differences each into a different box, and it would make trying to navigate the boards nearly impossible with oodles of sub-division categories. ;) How about we all just agree to allow diversity to flourish, knowing that sometimes we'll get our toes stepped on, but at other times we'll be given unexpected boosts? (says the INFJ homeschooler for whom unity and relationship and mutual support are supreme traits… :laugh: :tongue_smilie: ;) ) 31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) I don't have a horse in the field yet, but have been trying to do my due diligence in preparing for high school level teaching. Just thought that this was pretty cool to think about. I sometimes struggle with trying to decide how many of "the things" I should do and really, I might be better served by spending more time with a few things. I'm going to have to think more about this. For purposes of staying on track, yes, I plan to homeschool high school with two very average students. :D And I'm only slightly intimidated when I visit. Except at night. Y'all scare me at night. :willy_nilly: Yup. Nights are scary. Sigh. What we did was pick one or two subjects through which to really work on thinking skills each year, one or two to skimp on to make time for the thinking, and the rest we just tried to do fairly efficiently or double up on (like reading history in French and using Latin for English grammar). There were times when we just focused on one subject (plus math and music) for awhile until we got it figured out. Like essay writing. Which subject you choose to teach heavy duty thinking skills depends somewhat on what type of person you are. If you are a STEM person, you are likely to choose math in which to work on problem solving and emphasize textbooks that have challenging word problems and proofs, or programming, or robotics. If you are a multilingual family, then you are likely to do this via foreign languages. If you are a social activist family, you are likely to pick social studies. Literary analysis appeals to the Literature people. Some people choose logic. I personally did not see the point of doing logic as a subject when I could accomplish the same thing via math, but I know plenty of people for whom logic would make more sense. Good luck! Nan Edited February 26, 2016 by Nan in Mass 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) I had to laugh when someone posted upthread that she felt "discouraged" that her 9th grader was "only" doing Honors Bio and Geometry. I'm hoping my DD will be doing Algebra 1 in 9th — and not have to repeat it in 10th. But if she does have to repeat it, then that's what we'll do. Whatever science she does, it won't be honors level. And yet, miraculously, that doesn't make me feel the least bit discouraged or depressed. It certainly doesn't make me feel like everyone whose kids are more advanced than mine should go somewhere else so I don't have to hear about it! If this is what you took from my post, then you misunderstood me. My post had nothing to do with other people and everything to do with my recognizing that I have to accept my kid where she is and not feel like she has to try to keep up with some other people's kids. That's a lesson that I'll have to work on even more with regards to my son, who is delayed. Edited February 26, 2016 by TaraTheLiberator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I think the high school board is small enough as it stands. I would not want to see it further subdivided. My kid is certainly not accelerated. He is all over the place, so I need to read posts across the spectrum. It does make me sad to read that parents don't want to post here because their kids are too advanced or not advanced enough. I think we need as many voices as possible. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I hope the OP has been helped. I agree with Lori D and it's better to work it out together. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Maybe an AP prep high school board? I suggested an accelerated high school board earlier but no one responded. 15 secs of googling shows that 25% of all (not college prep)national public high school graduates took at least 1 AP course in 2007-2008. This isn't some enriched, accelerated pool. Are you seriously suggesting 25% of the population should some how segregate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 15 secs of googling shows that 25% of all (not college prep)national public high school graduates took at least 1 AP course in 2007-2008. This isn't some enriched, accelerated pool. Are you seriously suggesting 25% of the population should some how segregate. No, I think we are all just brainstorming ways to fix this problem. We are just throwing out some ideas. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I never frequented the accelerated board, because I always assumed that I had a lot to learn from a lot of posters, not only from people who self-identified as working with accelerated students. I don't know if it's your intention, but the sense I'm getting from your posts is that you'd like folks with students working above the "average" level to keep quiet or go to some other section of the board. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding. I will also bow out at this point. Absolutely not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I'm not sure how my post to Quark came across so badly. Often if people have to ask a question, it's enough right there to see further communication is going to be difficult. My internal tone was not meant to be rude at all, so I apologize if it came off that way. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 It does make me sad to read that parents don't want to post here because their kids are too advanced or not advanced enough. I think we need as many voices as possible. :iagree: 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 If skimming thread titles were easy, I'm not sure how so many posters who are not discouraged ended up inside this one. :tongue_smilie: The point was to encourage the op that there are many average homeschoolers who understand, not for people to assume they were A) being personally referenced and B) being told to go away. I was surprised to see so many accelerated homeschoolers on this thread, frankly. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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