OMG, I have so been there. The child who carries around completed assignments, not turning them in, until they are lost. He'd lose his own head if it weren't attached, I tell ya... And he's only in 6th grade. I'm fearful of high school. First, I told him that he had two choices - I can go to school with him and make SURE he turns things in, or we could figure out a system that would work for him. Of course he chose the second option, lol. He's required to have one big binder for all of his classes and as a result, the thing is like the black hole. Things go in and go into the abyss. I assume he looks for things in class but just gets frustrated and decides he doesn't have it. So, we went and got a sturdy thin folder with pockets on the inside. This is the HOMEWORK FOLDER. The left side is labeled for assignments TO DO. The right side is assignments TO TURN IN. This is kept totally separate from the black hole. Nothing else is allowed in that folder but assignments that are done at home. We've had a bit of an issue with him putting things into the homework folder while he's at school (they sometimes get shoved into the binder), but at least at home I can make sure that all of the assignments he did that evening get put into the homework folder TO TURN IN pocket. And there they are supposed to stay until they are turned in. That way when he's in class he doesn't have to fish through the black hole, just pull out that folder and there it is. It's not foolproof, but it's definitely helped.

Andrea, Marriage gives you some measure of protection in the eyes of the law. Without it, you will have very little rights without a well written contract done with a good lawyer. At this point, without the marriage protection, I would consider your finances separate for big things, ie retirement savings, house purchases, and things that affect your credit because you/he have separate financial entity. If you have a life insurance, I would NOT make him my beneficiary. I would make my parents the beneficiary. When you marry, the finances merge whether you like it or not. If you want a part ownership, you must write a good contract regarding a buy out as Kudzu describes. If he and his father want to buy a house and can qualify for a loan on their own, it's their house. If they NEED your income to qualify for a loan, I would insist on a part ownership with a buy out clause that is fair to everyone. You need to specify the percent ownership not just have your name on the deed. Don't think of this as buying a house with a boy friend you may marry so you two can starting building a nest but as a business contract or an investment opportunity where all parties need equal protection. Until you get married, that's what this is. Yes, it's complicated. But you are asking for something complicated. Talk to a loan officer with your current income and see if you would even qualify for a decent house in the area that you are looking at. Unless you ask, you will never know. Dont' ask them to pull your credit report until you are ready because if they pull too many reports, it affects your credit score.

My son studied on his own, so did most of his friends. It depends on what type of student your child is. Have your child do anearly test to get a baseline and see how well he/she does, and what areas they need to work on. The ACT will send you a break down (or have it on-line) so you know which sections your child needs to work on. My son got a 33 on his first test so he was pretty much done. The prep classes worked best for kids who initially scored below 28. Kids who scored higher than that on their initial test did not see any significant improvement using the ACT class provided by the school. A few students who scored 28 and then took the class lowered their scores. After taking the baseline test, try for one of the tests in the fall so there is plently of time for a prep class or independant study, go over the results with your child to see what they need to work on. It really isn't worth investing in the class until you know if it will be any help. Most kids felt the class helped most with the math or science sections, with their reading speed (for slower readers), or just with little tips on how to handle stuuf you don't know how to answer. It does seem like there is not enough time to answer all the questions, but there is. My son is a meticulous reader so he is a bit slow when he reads. I had him get a practice book from the library and do a practice test from each section, timed to see if he could finish. He finished every section with time to spare. The same happened when he took the test. I hope this helps. Sorry if it is rambling, it is 6:30AM here and I have not had any coffee yet! Oh, I forgot about the new writing section. Some kids did feel that the class helped them with the essay. My son did not score well on the essay, nor did most of his friends who take honors or AP language arts classes. The kids who took the college prep level classes scored better on that part of the test.

I'll ignore your childish name calling. For the benefit of others, if you want to compare schools, take a look at the annual US News rankings. It's not without its critics, and there are shortcomings in its methodology, but it provides one set of measures/assessments that can be used as an indication. Those engaged in looking at college choices for accomplished students know or can access what the Top 25 colleges are with this or other sources. The US News report is really more interesting and useful for most people when looking at public institutions and also looking at the middle of the ranges to see whether a particular school of interest is viewed as more or less accomplished compared to its similar peers and alternative choices. Those ranked near the bottom are usually there for good reasons and tend to stay low on the lists year after year. To do your own quick look, consider the following data points in comparing schools. This info is readily available (including from the US News site): Acceptance rate - lower is better. It suggests the school is in demand but they're picky about who they want. Does the school take all applicants or is acceptance selective? Schools with higher acceptance rates arguably have diluted talent pools and less capable students, overall. That can adversely affect the educational experience for more capable students. As an example but not the only one, take a look at the traditionally very large Big 10 and similar schools. The ones that are state institutions with very high acceptance rates. Most of these schools have Honors colleges or Honors programs so that the better students can have more advanced courses and more capable peer groups in their classes, as would be the case at a school with more selective admissions. Retention rate- How many freshmen return for the sophomore year. Higher is better. Graduation rate - What percentage of incoming freshmen complete their degrees within 4 or 6 years. Higher is better. While life happens and some students choose or need to drop out or discontinue their studies, lower percentages suggests admittance of students not capable of completing a degree program. Or, schools offering less than stellar programs that fail to complete an educational cycle with the vast majority of its existing students.