-=> Quoting Lisa Mcintosh to PAUL SCHLEUSENER <=-
 PS> Seems to me, though, that I've heard of a newsletter 
                
 
 LM> Thank you but I've already subscribed to it. Just got in touch with
 LM> them about a week ago. Very reasonable rate and a nice size
 LM> newsletter with some very good info. They even have a "Conference" in
 LM> August in Indianna somewhere.
 So, it sounds like you enjoy the newsletter.  Mostly parent-oriented
 contents (i.e., "teacher stuff"), or would an older teen enjoy reading
 it (i.e., "student stuff")?  Since I've (at least temporarily) "buried"
 my notes on it, would you please refresh me on the address, rate, etc.?
 Thanks!
 PS> What sort of curriculum (if any), do you use?  We're enrolled in the
 PS> Advanced Training Institute, sometimes called ATI.  It's 
 PS> working very well for us.
 LM> Is that the Bill Gothard stuff? I've heard that its good. A family I
 LM> know locally  uses it.
 You've got it right.  We've found both the seminars they offer to be
 helpful.  (I've been told that some public school systems are accepting
 the first of their seminars as qualifying for "continuing education" for
 their teachers...)  From there, we moved into the home education
 curriculum.
 I think the curriculum is tremendous, but I don't think it's for
 everyone.  Home educating families are too diverse for a "one
 curriculum fits all" approach.  ATI offers some very exciting
 opportunities for older children.  There are opportunities in Moscow
 (Russia), Taiwan, Chiapas (Mexico), and several U.S. cities, with 
 others pending.  There's even a law school via "distance learning."
 The oldest daughter of a family we know (also enrolled in ATI) has spent
 several months in Moscow over the past two years.  She spent some of
 her time teaching English in the Moscow public schools.  It's amazing
 how much a person learns in trying to teach something - *very*
 educational, and not just for the English.  She's learned a fair
 amount of Russian, too.
                
 Looks like you use a mix of resources.  It's really amazing how one
 family will thrive on publisher X material, and another will greatly
 prefer publisher Y.  We use some materials from two of the publishers you
 mentioned as support materials.  We've also purchased a number of high
 school level textbooks to function as a sort of encyclopedia.
 LM> My son, Travis, is 8. Andi, my daughter, is 7. Andi just started
 LM> second grade and Travis started third. We began our school year on
 LM> July 1 with the intention of going year round (4 days a week).
 We try to hit 170 - 180 days a year, and follow a somewhat "traditional"
 schedule.  We'll begin August 19, breaking in late December (20? - I
 don't have the calendar in front of me), resuming the week after January
 1, and trying to "wrap up" at the tail end of May.  The children have
 significant relationships with other children in local public and 
 private schools, so we'd rather not be *terribly* different from the 
 "standard" schedule.
 The ending time is mainly to avoid "spilling over" beyond the annual
 conference ATI offers us.  It's been very helpful for us, and it includes
 important sessions for the older students, too.  This past spring four
 of us went - our oldest daughter, my wife, the baby, and I.
 LM> Tell me more about you and yours. Nine years, my hats off to ya. We
 LM> are in our third year.
 Oldest to youngest - Beth Anne (15), Ed (nearly 13), Tim (nearly 10),
 Glenna (7 1/2), Matthew (4 1/2), Jonathan (8 1/2 months).  My wife is
 truly a "saint" - I'm trying to get more involved in active instruction.
 (I've mostly done "oversight" - "superintendent" stuff - so far.)
 We're also trying to learn Spanish as a family.  We got our materials
 about three weeks ago, and didn't wait for "school" to start - we've
 already begun.  I think it's going well.
 LM> Great to hear from you.
 I've enjoyed the discussion.  See ya online.
 Adios!
 Paul Schleusener       plschleusener@juno.com
... RAM DISK is NOT an installation procedure!
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