Robert Heinlein said that writing was a job, and like any other job, you had to have set goals and work every day whether you wanted to or not, for more hours each day than most other jobs required. I've forgotten how many books he wrote, but I've often contemplated that he had made a master outline which included details of each book in his series of sci-fi books *years* before they were actually written. Oppositely, most other authors that I enjoy, have stated that they write one book at a time and usually only have the vaguest outline in mind at the beginning, letting the story develop as it is written. I've also read that some authors describe the act of writing as "having a monkey on your back" or having an addiction where the daily agonies of unsuccess were far outwieghed by the momentary but glorious thrill of the occasional success. Tellya true, Michael: you write; I'll stick with the reading.

My husband taught himself French a couple of years ago, and he did it by downloading free programs from the internet and listening to them on his iPod during his commute. He supplemented this by getting a book on French grammar and studying that, and he took children's French books out of the library, and graduated to young adult novels. He also downloaded the French news every morning (and still does). We watch French movies, too. He felt that Rosetta Stone would tether him to the computer, and he wanted to have more flexibility. He is now fluent and his vocabulary is extensive. The last time he went to France on business he went alone, and had no difficulties (I am fluent and usually acted as interpreter). Now I'm superfluous!

Actually it looks like the school goes up to pre-calc in math and does well in sciences too. I don't think vet schools care that much about what high school you attend. I remember them asking for the name of my HS and graduation date and that was it. I think that if your daughter was serious about vet school, she could be very well-served by attending the ag HS as long as she goes to the top as far as the science and math courses. She would need to take Calc in college anyway. If you look at the vet school admissions pre-reqs, it's all about your college experiences, nothing about HS. As long as she does well and is accepted into a 4-year accredited college and does well there, vet school won't be a problem. What would set her apart from other vet applicants is all the ag experience she would get. Vet schools are looking for people with diverse backgrounds and a lot of animal experience, both of which she would get at the ag HS. She could emphasize her equestrian and other animal experiences on her vet school application and they would be suitably impressed. However I cannot stress enough her need to aggressively prepare for a rigorous college experience while she is in HS. The pre-reqs for vet school include challenging college courses such as physics, physical and organic chem, biochem, usually 2+ social studies course, some business courses (maybe), etc. If she is not on a level upon graduating HS to take these courses, she will be set back a bit in fullfilling her vet school requirements. Not that it's impossible- I did my first year of college as a pre-architecture student! I put a link to NC State pre-reqs so you can see what would be required should she take that route. Most vet schools are about the same in pre-reqs +/- misc courses here and there. Oh, I'm an NC State vet student :) Good luck to your daughter! Here is a link that might be useful: NC State-CVM pre-reqs

I don't know about a textbook kind of thing, but we've tried some software that impressed me. Last summer my son, now finsihing up 3rd grade, used a CD from Learning Company called "Clue Finders 3rd grade." That series starts for 3rd grade. This is the same company that makes the Reader Rabbit series, up to 2nd grade it's part of Reader Rabbit series, 3rd and after it's the Clue Finder series. So, anyhow, you can find a math CD for your son's age in the Reader Rabbit series, or take a look at the Clue Finder series depending on your son's abilities. We actually ordered this CD through the school, after the teachers reviewed it and said yes, this really fits with our curriculum, it will help students prepare for the next grade and is very good stuff. I was impressed with the variety of math and reasoning skills the game used, it challenged my son, and he had a lot of fun playing it. Here is a link for the company. We are no longer at that school, but I am planning to order the Clue Finders 4th grade on my own for this summer. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: The Learning Company