After the Zimmerman verdict

I could tell you how much I fear for my son's safety. I could tell you that in spite of the stellar efforts into his upbringing, and in spite of his strength of character, at a glance or on a dark rainy night, he would be perceived as dangerous. But I won't tell you anymore.

This post from an inner city school teacher about her student in a similar situation is much more powerful, and no matter how much I have sheltered my son  he is no different than Trayvon.

She's 17.

It's my baby's birthday.

It's weird how birthdays work.  You know they are coming, but when you wake up on your child's birthday, it's like you've been hit by a rock... especially when you realize they are pretty much all grown up.

But when I look at her, I still see this.

I'm all for school dress codes.... if in fact you decide to use traditional schools

I'm all for school dress codes.... if in fact you decide to use traditional schools, but they need to be more careful about dictating hairstyles.  READ MORE HERE: http://www.bubblews.com/news/765838-this-is-how-my-hair-grows-from-my-head-i-should-be-able-to-wear-it-this-way

Free Algebra resources

Master Math
Master Math teaches middle school math from grade six through Algebra 1.  It is a full, stand alone curriculum great for homeschooling, but I have found that it is also a great supplement for whatever curriculum you may already be using.
It it's core it is a free program but the creator of these math videos and accompanying program also does online tutoring should you need it and you can purchase more practice problems as well.


CK12 free open source algebraWhether you are homeschooling, or if your kids just need help with Algebra, check out this open source algebra book.   
If that is not Awesome enough Khan Academy has recorded instructional videos to coordinate with this book.  Yay!  Here is the first page of the Khan Academy playlist.   This set of videos is currently at the very bottom of the Khan Academy playlist page.

Virtual Math Lab from West Texas A&MCollege Algebra by West Texas A&M has full online math classes for:
Beginning Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra    (can be used for passing the College CLEP), Math for the Sciences, GRE Math, and Thea and Accuplacer Math.


Algebra 2 at Glencoe.com Take advantage of the study tools meant to supplement the Glencoe Algebra  2 book.  Purchase the book new or used for just a few dollars and use the online extra examples, self-check quizzes, vocabulary review and chapter tests.  When you get a problem wrong, the website not only gives you the right answer, but refers back to the page in the textbook that will explain the problem.


Glencoe Algebra 1 Online Study Tools With or without the addition of the textbook, that you can purchase at Amazon, for just a few dollars, The Glencoe Algebra 1 online study tools will walk your student through each and every step of Algebra 1.  They can use self check quizzes, learn vocabulary and take advantage of extra examples, and do chapter tests online.  The tests and quizzes are graded.


Algebra 2 onlineIt took me a year to find an Algebra 2 online course.... just in time for my daughter to start it.  My son had to use a textbook.  Anyway, here it is. http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/math/hcpsalgebra2/  It is provided by Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia  


FREE Math Workbooks and (subscription) Math HelpHotmath.com has a few FREE online workbooks to help students practice math problems. They include Middle School math, Pre Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2,Precaluclus, and Calculus. In addition to the free workbooks, hotmath.com is also a subscription website where you can view solution to the question is any number of math textbooks that you may already own such as Algebra 1 (Applications, Equations, & Graphs) or McDougal Littell Algebra 2: Pupil's Edition. They support over 300 textbooks. They also have subscription based video lessons.


College Algebra Book OnlineIf you are studying for an Algebra Clep or math AP exam, you may purchase an expensive college math textbook or you can download this free online college algebra book. 
The Online Textbook Was Written By:
We are two college mathematics professors who grew weary of forcing our students to purchase expensive college algebra textbooks whose mathematical content has slowly degraded over the years. Our solution? Write our own. The twist? We made our college algebra book free and we distribute it as a .pdf file under the Creative Commons License.


AAAmath.com
I am surprised that I never listed AAAmath.com before. I had been using it as long as I have been homeschooling to help the kids figure out concepts in their math books or online program that was not clear. This site does a great job of explaining difficult concepts clearly.


Quick Math
How do you get to the answer?
I you want to know how to work out a problem step by step, visit quickmath.com.

QuickMath is an automated service for answering common math problems over
the internet.
Think of it as an online calculator that solves equations and
does all sorts of algebra and calculus problems - instantly and automatically!
When you submit a question to QuickMath, it is processed by Mathematica, the
largest and most powerful computer algebra package available today. The answer
is then sent back to you and displayed right there on your browser, usually
within a couple of seconds.
Best of all, QuickMath is 100% free !

Free College prep courses
The University of California has college prep courses available online. 
University of California College Prep publishes free high-quality online courses and content to benefit California students, with a special emphasis on helping underserved students gain college eligibility. We make our UC-approved Advanced Placement® and college prep courses freely available to California students, teachers and schools. Our courses are aligned to California content standards and are College Board certified. Start with our Courses, explore Tools to support them, and see how University of California online courses can provide Solutions to California educational challenges.

Khan Academy UPDATE

Khan Academy delivers math and finance tutorials through Youtube videos. It is well detailed and my kids say it is very easy to follow. In addition to that, they have a free, adaptive math program available here. I can't believe this is free. I spent 2 hours on the site today, just testing myself and could not stop. The site finds your level and fills your learning gaps. Plus it progresses you through math seamlessly.