got a little behind--can we do all the high school guides?

[creekmama]

My son, who will be ten in April, is only on week 5 of Preparing. We started with Little Hearts when he was five, but we got a little bogged down in Bigger and Beyond--first due to an illness and death in the family then due to a lot of resistance on my son's part. It took us a long time to get up to full speed in Beyond. So he's finally in Preparing. He's in the appropriate age range without extensions, and more importantly, he seems to be in just the right place for him. He loves it! He's working very independently and enthusiastically. I'm satisfied with the quality of his work. All is well.

But I'm looking down the road a few years, and I can't figure out how he'll be able to complete all the guides by the time he's eighteen since he'll always be at the top of the age range for his guide. Am I thinking about this correctly, or am I missing something?

And I don't want to fall into the trap of worrying that we're "behind". I know that part of the beauty of learning at home with HOD is that he is properly placed in his guide. Any insight you ladies who are farther along in this journey can give me will be greatly apprectiated!

[Nealewill]

I wouldn't be worried that you are behind. Even if he is 19 when he graduates, that is very normal. My husband started his senior year when he was 18 and turned 19 when he graduated. I know several kids who are 8 years old in 2nd grade. Your son is very normal.

What is most important is that your son is correctly placed. I struggle myself nearly every day of my life with my own son and this same issue! I know I need to just let it go. I actually should probably hold my son back a year. And any outsider looking it would say exactly that - hold him back a year and he will do great! I go back and forth on it too. He is SO smart but emotionally, verbally, readiness - honestly an extra year would do him a world of good. The only thing right now he is ahead in is math and that is fine. That is the beauty of homeschooling, meet the child where they are. And I have honestly come to the conclusion I am probably going to hold him back about a half of year at this point.

Now - one thing to think about, if you son is progressing quickly, you could definitely do 5 days a week instead of 4. That would get you through the levels quickly. Also, we school all year long. We actually started this year off with HOD at the beginning of October. And I am not worried about where we are now because if I want to get back on a traditional schedule, all I need to do is an extra 3 weeks of school this year and then 3 weeks next year. This will put me back on target to start my school year off with the next level. But I also don't know how hard I want to push my oldest DD at this point. She is 9 and perfectly placed. I don't want to "rush" her through Preparing because she has always had a harder time with reading and I feel like this is just the right amount that she can complete confidently. If I push too hard, she will probably struggle with CTC. Same for my middle child. I could probably start him in Bigger in a few months but he might struggle. If I start him in Bigger in September, he may be fine. If he isn't ready in September, then I will go half speed until he is ready (mainly I am going to start him when we finish Beyond and see how it goes)

Honestly - I just want to pray for you that you have peace about where your son is. I constantly have to remind myself that God made my son perfect in his own image. It doesn't sound like your son has any learning disabilities but my son does have some sensory disorders, language & speech delays, anxiety, and some other things that affect him. Sometimes I really worry about him because my youngest and him are practically the same level (my youngest is gifted and she can complete work at a 2nd to 4th grade level depending on the subject). I don't actually want to hold him back because I want him and my youngest separate. But I also know - from mistakes I have made with my oldest - that if I push to hard, then the only thing I accomplish is frustration, tears, and zero learning. It has been a HARD lesson for me.

So I will pray for you if this is something that weights heavy on your heart. And a last thought is that you don't have to do the last level necessarily. You could always make MTMM high school worthy and use it for 9th grade. Several moms on this board have done that before as well. I know for myself, I probably won't do that. I will probably have each of my kids go through each level because I love all of the books so much. But it is definitely an option.

[StephanieU]

Another thing to consider is your school year. If you went more year round, you might be able to make up the half year you are missing over the 8.5 years. Since each guide is 34 weeks, you would have to do about 4 weeks extra a year though. That is still about 40 weeks of school a year, which could be possible. It just depends on what you want to do.

[8arrows]

You are definitely right. Your son is NOT behind!!!! You do not need to worry about anything. As an older mother here, with 2 graduated, another in high school, and 5 more younger than that, left me assure you that you are just fine. My 15 year old daughter is doing MTM with extras for her sophomore year. HOD is flexible. Your son is in the age range, even without extensions. You don't have to do every guide. If you approach high school and see that he is able, you can skip a guide. If you don't think that is a good idea, you can add the extensions. If he is well-placed and excelling, count your blessings and enjoy the ride. He will have an awesome school experience! My oldest is married and holds down a nice job. I assure you that I did not do every single thing perfectly concerning his schooling. I did what I could, and God took care of the rest. He will do the same for you. It is definitely OK if your sons does not do all of the guides.

[LynnH]

To me it seems like he is pretty close to on target. If he was in public school he would be considered 4th grade so Preparing is the on track guide for that grade if you are looking at getting all the guides done. If you do either the 5 days a week school or work some during the summers it won't take that long to catch up. You would most likely get caught up by the end of CTC or RTR at the latest.

[my3sons]

It sounds like you have landed your ds in a solid placement that is going incredibly well! That is exactly what you want!!! I'd not mess with that happy well-fitting working wonderfully placement one jot or tittle. Just enjoy the journey now. There are many paths through high school with HOD, and all are good. Here is a thread that explains this...

Three High School Paths within HOD…
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8208&p=59681

Here is another thought provoking thread Carrie wrote...
Choosing RevtoRev or MTMM for high school or bumping up to World Geography guide for high school:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13690&p=97830#p97830

I'm so sorry that you had so much to deal with the past few years, but you have now walked into the sunshine, and it is time to smell the roses. Savor it! You deserve it, and so does ds. PHFHG is a delight - no need to rush through it, no need to fast forward to another guide, just good days ahead with lots of choices down the road. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[creekmama]

Thank you so much, ladies, for your encouraging and helpful responses! I will heed your advice and enjoy the ride! We are happy, happy, happy in our learning--what a blessing! Thanks also to those of you who offered suggestions. I see now that if I really see the need to fast forward a bit, it will be easier than I thought. We're looking forward to a quieter summer this year, so perhaps we can extend our school year a little. It seems so clear that if we could do that a few times over the years, we could really make some progress. Neither my son nor I want to miss any of HOD--we both love it! And I will go back and read those threads, Julie. Thanks for providing those links.

You're all so lovely. God's blessings on you and your families!