I just realized

[sweetgrace]

That my kids will end up finishing high school early if we continue on with HOD (which we love!). It's like they will be missing a year with the way the guides are set up. Can someone explain how this works? Do the guides take longer than a year to complete? I just purchased Beyond to use as our 1st grade curriculum after we finish LHFHG.

[Kalle]

Each guide is set up to take a year. Yet often people start off a guide half speed before jumping into it full speed. You may have to do this some so that your little one can be ready for the guides skill wise. If not and you find yourself with an extra year there are always AP courses and community college courses that your child could take while still in high school.

[Rice]

Agreeing with Kalle and want to add I've also heard of others doing the last year or two over 1 1/2-2 years each to make room for all the other things they're doing in High School (music study, jobs, apprenticeships, travel, college courses, etc. etc.)

I'll have one like that, too. He's 9yo and in CTC so will finish in Grade 11, if we follow at regular speed all the way through. He's also my most motivated (so far) as an entrepreneur and to learn other things, so I'm sure he'll give direction when we get there as to what he'd like to add to his plate during or after HOD.

Blessings,

[Nealewill]

I am planning to just let my kids graduate earlier if we get done a year early. My girls are on track to finish a year early and my son will graduate in the middle age range.

I think HOD is set up this way because kids are so different! What one child does at 7 may be the same thing that another child does at 9. I have found this to be true in my own household! My youngest has definitely had the easiest time catching on to anything and everything while my middle child has had the hardest. I have been glad that each could work at their own speed in their own level. For us, once we finish the last High School level we are done! I am not planning to add another year for my girls if they finish early. Likewise, with my son, if he ends up finishing the last level at 19 instead of 18, then that is fine too. For us, because we are in the recommended age range and on target to maintain that for now, I plan that my kids will just graduate from high school once they finish the last level.

[jenn in nc]

Likewise, with my son, if he ends up finishing the last level at 19 instead of 18, then that is fine too. For us, because we are in the recommended age range and on target to maintain that for now, I plan that my kids will just graduate from high school once they finish the last level.

This is an interesting approach.... I would love to do this but I'm not sure I could get my hubby or kids on board. Could you tell me more about how you plan to work this out? Are you concerned that your son will resent graduating later than others his age? I really want our kids to finish all the guides but we came to HOD just last year and several of mine won't make it to the last guide if we follow traditional age guidelines for graduation.

[LynnH]

My son came home from ps at the end of 4th grade, but due to where he fit on the placement chart we started with Preparing for what should have been 5th grade. He has mild CP that causes hand tremors so he was behind in writing. He and I talked quite a bit when he was in 7th and 8th grade and he saw how challenging high school was by watching his sister, so he decided he was fine with schooling an extra year and graduating at 19. He has a late May birthday. He is now in 9th grade and is using the WG guide and I am really seeing some maturity and also some great gains in writing this year. I am glad we did what we did. His senior year he may do 1 class at the community college or online so that he feels like he is moving forward when his friends at church go off to college. I will just see what he wants to do at that point.

[Nealewill]

My son has a June birthday and is currently on target to graduate right before his 18th birthday. My girl's birthdays are over the winter and they would then graduate at 17.5.

I personally am trying in some ways to get away from a traditional school year. I feel bound by it. So far, my kids have been able to move up in level with no problem each year. My youngest this year is doing Little Hearts but last year she did Beyond with her big brother so I bumped her down for the year. Next year she will start Bigger at 7.

For both of my girls, school has come more easily. However, my son is very different. I can see huge improvements this year in him and that growing tremendously in so many new skills that I am absolutely amazed at his stamina and abilities. Today he had to copy a Bible verse, draw a rooster and a hen from one of his books and then copy a paragraph the hens. He did the whole assignment alone and was very excited to show it to me when he finished. My son has auditory processing disorder. For him, some things don't come so easily. Reading was a HUGE struggle and burden until recently. He is finally reading very well for his age, planning to start DITHOR by March (I am letting him and my youngest finish a few choice books they picked a while back before we jump into formal literature study). For him, I do think that as he gets into the more independent guides, he is going to have a harder time with completing work independently. He is doing very well this year in Bigger with the things he is supposed to do but he also has issues with fine motor skills. I am trying to take a step back this year and give him space and time.

The only thing I anticipate holding him back is that he still frustrates very easily still. For example, I tried to start dictation recently with him. He got confused when I said one of the words and he immediately shut down. He took his pencil and chucked it across the room. Then he jumped up, tears rolling down his face, ran screaming to the playroom and threw himself down behind the couch. Needless to say, I gave him some space and let him cool off for a good 10 minutes. Praise the Lord that He has finally given me a good spirit to laugh when sometimes I want to cry LOL. Will my son be frustrated that he can't graduate with his friends.....well, maybe. For us, we don't really tell the kids what grade they are in. We just tell them that they need to finish each level and when they are done, then they are done! He doesn't seem to care too much that he isn't on the youngest age range at all. I don't know that he will care if he is on the oldest either. The only thing I must avoid at ALL costs is that his younger sister and him are not combine! If that happens, heaven help us! My youngest is so fast at everything - math, reading, spelling, memorization, she pretty much puts me, dh and the other 2 kids to shame. God made her great at book learning And while my son doesn't resent her at this point for how easily school comes to her, he will if they are combine in a guide. I don't know that I think it will ever become an issue either because my youngest is 20 months younger than my son.

But back to your question about his thoughts on his friends graduation and not him, most boys I know that are the same age as him are a grade below. If I had sent him to school, I would have held him back a year. I guess for me, I feel like I have a year to play with already. For his sake though, I know in my heart that God uniquely knit him together and he is a little bit higher maintenance than my other kids. But some of the gifts God blessed him with steal my heart! While describing his actions above is sometimes a standard reaction of his, he does this because he struggles with using language and words to express his emotions (what boy doesn't, right?). As he gets older, he will continue to increase his vocabulary and maturity will naturally develop within him. He is already night and day different from when he was younger - these types of outburst occurred almost hourly. They are now every few days. My goal as his mother is to continue to help him grow into the Godly man that the Lord has called him to be. And for him, if takes graduating a little bit later than his peers, so be it

I definitely don't think you NEED to complete every level of HOD to graduate your kids. RevtoRev and MTMM are very easy to modify and make high school worthy. For us, if things reveal that my son would be better off modifying a lower level to make it high school worthy and not complete the last level, then we may do that. At this point though, I don't think it will be an issue. I personally would only hold my son back from graduation more so because of the emotional need, not an intellectual one if that makes sense.

[jenn in nc]

Yes, that totally makes sense! And actually, that is the exact thing I am dealing with here. My son is dyslexic/APD too, so I totally get what you are saying about difficulty expressing emotion in acceptable ways. I just think that for this particular child it would be good to add another year of maturity before graduation. That, and I would really love for him to be able to complete all the guides.

Well, you've given me something to ponder and pray over. Thanks for sharing your thoughts; I really appreciate it.

Lynn sometimes the simplest answer is the best. Maybe just having a talk with him would be the thing to do. Sounds like our sons are almost the same age, mine has an early May birthday. With him currently in 10th (just a title, I know) he would graduate just after turning 18. That just seems so young! But ... that is still a while away. I'm sure we'll figure out what to do.