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It's facinating to me how your worldview and perspective influence how you react to life's joys and trials. So many areas of life are affected when you believe that the Lord gives and takes away, that all good things are gifts from the Lord and that He is sovereign over all. I actually cannot imagine going through life without the peace these truths give. We got off to a great start to our school year the past 2 weeks!! All the planning, preparation and praying have eased the transition and given us so much joy to use our minds and bodies in new ways. If this tells you anything, I gave them the day off Monday beacause I hurt my back and was in bed all day, but Esther still insisted she drag all her books up to my bed and do all her subjects!! It's my mission during the planning weeks to find curriculum that will suit their learning styles and challenge them without being frustrating! Seems like this year the eclectic mix of resources is a great fit. I'm using a century old grammar primer for 2nd/3rd graders that I bought with a little caution. I realize modern grammar has gotten more involved and technical so I didn't know if the simple focus on memorization, dictation and copywork would be a good learning tool. I deciedd to go with the tried and true methods of a time ago and am so impressed with the results already!!! A boy who normally gets very frustrated with writing is cheerfully writing sentences I dictate with few spelling mistakes. He is memorizing the sweetest poems and learning grammar forms just from copying famous pieces of literature. He put me to tears when he recited the poem "If I Knew" after a few days of practicing. I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach them and see their eyes widen with excitement over every new discovery and achievement! These days are going by fast and I'm trying to savor them. Our 2nd/3rd grader (this "cloak" hasn't left his back since I brought it home from the plane a month ago. It is an airplane blanket that I inadvertantly stole, but since the kids found it has been a king's cloak, baby sling, superhero cape and fort roof: Who would've thought?)
Our spunky kindergartener (she's still four but she likes a challenge!)
Our cheerleader!
On another note, Phoebe had her first day of preschool today!! While it is our goal to homeschool her also we thought having her regularly in a theraputic environment would help her reach some milestones. Since she is oblivious to the influences we seek to protect our children from in school, we don't think we are compromising having her in a school setting. It is actually more like her therapy. We didn't think she understood anything, but she showed an unusual excitement this morning that proved me wrong. She even gave us lots of smiles for the camera! Taking her to school was a strange experience - the other kids just looked around at all the kids and activity in amazement & asked lots of questions. What are they having for lunch? How long is recess? Where are all their mommies? When do they go home? Phoebe had a few sad moments but overall she did great today according to her teacher. It'll be a huge adjustment for her but one we hope and pray will be good for her! Our sweet preschooler!!!
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Posted by Anonymous
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