Hello, everyone! I will take a moment to introduce myself... My name is Vicki and I've been homeschooling my son, Brenden, (3rd Grade) since kindergarten. We live in South Florida and the public schools...and most of the private schools, for that matter...are just terrible. It doesn't help that he HATES school — always has. And I've tried everything. I have an entire room full of abandoned curricula at this point! He draws and writes from the moment he wakes up until he passes out in bed at night, but if I give him an assignment to draw or write something he is instantaneously disinterested!

I was so grateful that you had some free courses to try because there was not very much info on your curriculum yet when hunting around for reviews, etc. I was gun-shy to spend a lot of money — again — without knowing if it would be a good fit. He's been using Time4Learning and enjoying it, but I've noticed he wasn't actually learning anything, but instead becoming a fantastic multiple-choice guesser (I'm pretty good at that myself thanks to the public school system!). So when he successfully completed the "How to Do CTT" course without too much complaint I was willing to open my checkbook. And I'm so glad I did! We have been doing all the recommended courses for his age and everyday he seems to enjoy it a bit more. But even more important, he is becoming more independent in his studies and learning how to think for himself! It is truly the perfect curriculum for an artistic/creative type! The animation course, although recommended for older kids, is right up his alley. I hope you don't mind me mentioning it, but Brenden is a finalist this year in the Google4Doodle contest. We are really excited because he won a trip to New York next week for the ceremony and to see his doodle on display at the Whitney Museum, and even more importantly will have the opportunity to meet Jim Davis (Garfield creator) and Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) which is a dream come true for a future cartoonist/animator!

So, Steve....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for such a great curriculum! It accomplishes everything I hoped for in a curriculum. I homeschool because I want my children to be "think outside the box" people and your curriculum is a perfect match!

My name is Marie and I'm homeschooling two boys, Sam (18) and Nick (14). This is our second year of homeschool and I'm very happy with the Connect The Thoughts curriculum. We've tried other types of online and correspondence school but have found that offline works best for us.

Connect The Thoughts encourages both boys to take hold of their education and really make it their own. The last curriculum we tried was written in a very boring way and even though it ultimately would've been less work to get their diplomas with it, both Sam and Nick felt they liked Connect The Thoughts better. I'm happy that they care enough about what they're doing to pick the curriculum that's more of a challenge. That's a big step for them.

I started Nick with the Upper School curriculum and Saxon Algebra and Sam has jumped into the middle of Upper School while being dual enrolled at our local community college. Sam is into writing fiction and Nick wants to study ballistics. I'm a graphic designer working at home.

I learn a little bit more every day and I'm excited to mark the changes in my kids' attitudes toward their education.

The "How to do CTT Courses" is the first course you should use when starting this excellent curriculum. It teaches what is expected from the student in all the CTT courses and familiarizes with them with the philosphy and procedures for completing the courses.

I am homeschooling my 14 yr-old son & his 16 yr-old friend using CTT courses, while working full time as a Technical Writer out of my home office. The boys have finished the How to do CTT Course, Information Right or Wrong, and the Computer Literacy course, They are now working on the Manners Course and Upper School How to do Research Course, and will start the Upper School Science I, Upper School Pre-History, Creative Writing III, and Animation I course in November. In addition to the CTT courses, my son is using Saxon Math and a 9th Grade Grammar textbook and his friend is working through McGraw-Hill's GED Mathematics and Language Arts books.

In just a few weeks they have both gone from writing one or two word answers to the CTT exercises (I'm only doing this because you're making me do it...) to writing whole pages in response to the exercise questions. I highly recommend this course and this curriculum! - Grateful Homeschool Mom in El Paso, Texas

We started Connect the Thoughts several years ago when CurrClick offered the Spelling course as the free Monday give-away. I was immediately impressed with the brilliance of the author, Steven Horwich, as he recommended exactly what we were already doing.

When we needed some Creative Writing assistance it was easy to turn to Connect the Thoughts for aid. My daughter, then 9, flat out refused to attempt any of the multiple creative writing aids we had purchased. All of the courses varied in price, cuteness, length, reviews, and recommendations. The only thing they had in common was my daughter’s resistance to anything they offered.

The Connect the Thoughts Creative Writing turned her around and did so quickly. She went from not wanting to put anything on paper to asking me how to write on the computer so she could save the book she planned to author. She became proud of her writing.

During her first Connect the Thoughts year our daughter entered and placed Third in the Georgia Public TV’s Reading Rainbow contest. She hasn’t stopped writing, yet. After reading the How to Do Connect the Thoughts Course, my daughter decided she wanted to try a few of their offerings.

We started with Manners, Science and History. She became excited about learning in a way that we had not seen before. Giving her control over how fast and how in-depth she studied changed everything for her. She started notebooks for her courses and would study a subject for hours spending time at our local library and at the home computer. She would have discussions with her friends about the things she was studying and seek their opinions. She would chat, daily, with her father and I about things she had learned.

We are a Connect the Thoughts family, now. We use Saxon for Math and Grammar and Connect the Thoughts for everything else. I converted my loyalties after hearing my daughter quote Connect the Thoughts during a play date. We had just finished the Information, Right or Wrong course. The course is one of the best and I believe it should be required for all students. It is a course that teaches students to think. I don’t know of any other course like it. The course suggests to the students that they get the proof of information given to them. My daughter was discussing something with a playmate and when they could not agree on the facts of the matter she asked, “Where is your proof?” I was so proud of her. She has since become comfortable enough to ask the same question of her father and me. I am still proud of her. The question tasks me on occasion because I am forced to think, rather than mime my answers.

The Upper School courses are as well done as the Lower School courses. Steven Horwich is more than fair in his pricing of the various courses. The courses include free web sites for required movies, suggested books that can be found in most libraries, experiments the students can do (almost on their own) and hints and instructions for the parents/teachers. My daughter has friends who are public schooled and home schooled. All her friends have made positive comments on her course notebooks. One of her public schooled friend asks every visit to see what is new in the science notebook. She says my daughter “gets to learn so much more” than she ever learns.

Our family will be staying with Connect the Thoughts through Upper School. I am sure our daughter will take the lessons, so beautifully presented, with her on her life’s course. “Where is the Proof?” is part of our daughter now and we know it will serve her well. Some people never learn to ask that question. Because of Steven Horwich our daughter learned to ask the question before she had a real need to ask it. Her father and I will be thanking Steven in our prayers for the rest of our lives.