We've gotten behind

[kidsforHim]

We've gotten behind.... I read this recently from the new hod blog :
("What did our family do when we were “behind”?
I share this tip with you, because I know from personal experience what it’s like to be “behind."
In one of our years of schooling, we were behind by 10 weeks by year-end. The year had started with some medical challenges that ground our year to a halt before it even began! My husband finally stepped in and set a finish date for school regardless of where we were in the guide. During our break, we reassessed our boys’ placements. Our older sons needed to move forward to a new guide. So, after our break, they did.")

We're only through week 19 in Preparing for my DD 11, grade 5. We made two 1100 mile trips to be with/help my parents during this past school year. They are both facing big physical issues. At the beginning of the school year we were also getting my father-in-law's apartment cleaned out after he needed to be put into a nursing home. Little school was done on those trips to my parents. We were quite loaded and bringing even the books just for a couple weeks just added up to be too much. I have 4 children & though the older 3 are not using HOD, they still use various curriculum that are not workbook in nature (which would be much more compact to bring along). They use the 'living book, narrrating' approach, just not the HOD curriculum. This Teaching Tip helped me to at least get a measure of calmness. (btw, I didn't include the whole article)

I have a question though, IF we would choose HOD for high school for one or two of my other children for next year, & this scenario would be repeated again or a similar situation,(and there is some potential) how could/would we get the guides done in one year.... how would we finish high school...what about giving them credits, say, IF we didn't finish up a guide. ?? OR, if we just move them up to the next guide, what about the credits??

See, I am really, really close to just going with a workbook curriculum for all subjects, just so it would make it simpler, easier? They really don't want that. We tried it before and they don't remember a thing they 'learned' and attitudes were 'just get it done'. Do we have to use a workbook curriculum just because of LIFE?
Any thoughts would be appreciated & may even help us in our present situation - my two high school boys are still trying to finish up this year's school. Again, they are not use hod, but they are using a CM curriculum for history.

[kidsforHim]

Can credit still be given if one does not finish the guide in a school year?? They would certainly be learning a whole pile more than what would be covered in a workbook approach.

[rumkimom]

I do. You get as much done as you can. My kids both have special learning needs so we take it slow. It took us 2 years to complete one guide and it will take 1.5 years to complete the next.

[Nealewill]

For Ohio's graduation requirement, they give the amount of time spent on a subject (120-180 hours for 1 credit, 60-75 hours for .5 credit) and they also say that as long as a student has finished 2/3's of a text book. That means that you don't have to finish a level to award credit. And I know life is hard in instances like - for example, I have had shoulder surgery 2 years in a row and that put a huge hamper on our time with all my doctors visit and physical therapy appointments along with time I just couldn't do anything at all....and my kids had to take care of my house. But, I personally don't feel comfortable just saying the year was a wash and awarding credit if they really haven't spent the time or covered at least 2/3s of the material. Life does happen and hopefully you have at least met the time requirement or the 2/3s of the material.