Equipping our Saints for Service - Homeschool Blogger

Surprise Graphing Lesson

Thu, 24 May 2007 16:10:00 -0500

Christy was messing around with the Cuisinere rods this morning. She pretended she worked advising farmers of what crops to plant each year. She gathered up Farmer Brown's pretend records and analyzed them, making a bar graph with the rods for each crop's sales the last four years.

Then she wrote out an analysis for Farmer Brown. She recommended he stop growing beets, as they were his lowest seller the past two years. Although carrots didn't do much better, she suggested he keep growing them, and perhaps buy a horse to eat any leftovers he couldn't sell. Also, since his sale of walnuts had risen steadily, she recommended he use the beet field to plant some almonds and pecans and take advantage of this run on nuts.

I love Boggle!

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:46:00 -0500

Man, I don't know about you, but I love playing Boggle with my kids! I learn so much about what is floating around in their heads every time we break out that little plastic box!

For example, my sweet just-finishing-sixth grader found the word "thermic." Thermic. This child has been unschooled since day one and she finds thermic. I still have the bruise from where my jaw dropped so far it hit the table.

Then my oldest. She plays "codicil." No, don't go get a dictionary, it's a real word, I promise. It is a legal instrument used to modify a will. No, she isn't studying law, but she does love words.

Wow.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Thu, 17 May 2007 08:53:00 -0500

Hubby and I watched "The Pursuit of Happyness" the other night and something has been marinating in my spirit ever since. (Irrelevant spoiler warning)

During a pivotal moment in the film, the main character and his son are attending church services at a homeless shelter. The choir sings "Lord, Don't Move That Mountain."

NOW LORD DON'T MOVE MY MOUNTAIN
BUT GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO CLIMB
AND LORD, DON'T TAKE AWAY MY STUMBLING BLOCKS
BUT LEAD ME ALL AROUND

OH LORD YOU DON'T HAVE TO MOVE THE MOUNTAIN
BUT GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO CLIMB
AND LORD, DON'T TAKE AWAY MY STUMBLING BLOCKS
BUT LEAD ME ALL AROUND

LORD I DON'T BOTHER NOBODY
I TRY TO TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME
BUT EVERYTIME, I TURN MY BACK
THEY SCANDALIZE MY NAME

BUT OH JESUS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MOVE MY MOUNTAIN
BUT GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO CLIMB
AND LORD DON'T TAKE AWAY MY STUMBLING BLOCKS
BUT LEAD ME ALL AROUND

NOW WHEN MY FOLKS WOULD SLAY ME
THESE THINGS THEY WILL TRY TO DO
BUT LORD, DON'T TOUCH EM
BUT WITHIN THEIR HEART
MAKE EM GIVE THEIR LIFE TO YOU

OH MASTER YOU DON'T HAVE TO MOVE MY MOUNTAIN
BUT GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO CLIMB
AND LORD, DON'T TAKE AWAY MY STUMBLING BLOCKS
BUT LEAD ME ALL AROUND

This made me wonder: How many times since I've been born again have I asked the Lord to remove this stumbling block or that, or to move that mountain on my behalf? Many times He has and I've accepted it as a matter of course, other times he hasn't, and I've felt abandoned. Have I not reached my full potential because I haven't learned to climb my mountains yet?

I even know what my mountain is: depression. I can count on one hand times in my life when the mountain wasn't there. Mostly, I remember an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and dread that was frequently mistaken as laziness. I remember from my earliest years trying to find ways around it - to avoid it.

Even now, I walk a fine line between the deep, black pit and the pharmaceuticals. Of course, I've asked the Lord to move that mountain. But what if my victory comes from scaling it? And how does one even go about doing that?

Do we need another reason to homeschool?

Mon, 14 May 2007 08:32:00 -0500

I could make so many comments about this, but I'll abstain. It speaks for itself.

Sunday, 05/13/07

Teachers' phony attack upsets Murfreesboro students, parents

Prank during trip had 6th-graders taking cover

By NATALIA MIELCZAREK
Staff Writer

MURFREESBORO — Parents of students at a Murfreesboro elementary school are outraged that teachers and an assistant principal staged a phony gun attack on their children, telling them repeatedly it was not a drill, while the children cried and took shelter under tables.

Sixty-nine sixth-grade students from Scales Elementary school were on a weeklong trip at Fall Creek Falls, a state park about 130 miles southeast of Nashville. On Thursday, the last night of the outing, the staff played a prank on the kids, convincing them there was a gunman on the loose.


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A teacher wearing a hooded sweatshirt pulled on a locked door, pretending to be a suspicious subject in the area.

The students were told to lie on the floor or crawl underneath tables and keep quiet. The lights went out, and about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said. Some held hands and shook.

"I was like, 'Oh my God,' " Shay said Saturday afternoon as she recounted the incident. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out. (A teacher) told us, 'We just got a call that there's been a random shooting.' I was freaked out. I thought it was serious."

Some parents said Saturday they were outraged, especially in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman.

Scales Elementary Principal Catherine Stephens held a meeting Saturday afternoon at the school to discuss the matter with a handful of concerned parents who contacted school officials Friday night.

She said she was saddened by the situation and that the school was handling it, though she declined to elaborate on whether the teachers involved would face disciplinary action.

'Poor judgment' blamed

Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip, said the entire scenario lasted about five minutes, after which the teachers gathered the students and explained it was a prank.

"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.

Several parents said they were troubled by the staff's poor judgment.

"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.

"This was not a good experience," said Alisha Graves, whose son attended. "Those kids were crying, and they were terrified."

Brandy Cole said she found out about the incident shortly after her son returned home from the trip Friday afternoon.

"I was shocked," said Cole, whose husband, Jimmy, immediately sent an e-mail requesting a meeting with Bartch.

Barbara Corbetta, whose child also went to Fall Creek Falls with the group, said she spoke to several different parents and kept hearing the same details — kids on the floor crying and begging for their lives.

"The circumstance that occurred involved poor judgment," Stephens said. "My hope is that we can learn from this, and in the end, it will have a positive result of growth for all of us."

Shay and her mother, Niki Morris, said they forgave the teachers and wanted to move on. It "went too far because it was too gruesome," Shay said. "You'd think a teacher wouldn't do it, but they did. But they're great teachers. If (the assistant principal) loses his job, I will break into tears. He's the best assistant principal I've ever had."

Kathryn Sherrod, a Midstate psychologist who works with children, said she can see how kids could be traumatized by this, especially in light of the Virginia Tech shootings.

"That's too close to real," she said. "It's important for teachers and school administrators to realize they have a degree of trust with children. When you play a prank of that nature, you run the risk of losing that trust."

Serve when ready

Mon, 7 May 2007 10:01:00 -0500

There are a lot of things I love about homeschooling. But my #1 favorite, first place, all time list topper is that children can wait until they are ready to learn concepts.

We have run the gamut in reading instruction, for example. I embarked on a rigorous phonics, spelling and reading course with my second-born at age 4. She seemed ready, and was. We never made it to year two because she took off. My next child taught himself to read when I wasn't looking so I call him my "stealth reader." He took off as well, despite only three months of formal phonics instruction at around age 6. The next child up to bat was far more interested in physical activities than sitting with books. She learned the alphabet on a large hopscotch pattern I drew for her, and learned to spell her name while jumping rope. She wouldn't sit still for phonics, but will read now if the book catches her interest. Her younger sister is "all emotions all the time" and learned to read by listening to and reading emotionally-charged stories like The Velveteen Rabbit and Charlotte's Web. We got out the phonics book and looked through it with her. My youngest is only interested in important reading. She won't sit still for a story from the Pathway reader, but she will often get out a Bible and read it aloud, asking for help with unfamiliar words at the end of a sentence. I didn't even get out the phonics book for her. She seems to understand spelling instinctively.

My #1 favorite, first place, all time list topper example, though, is my subtraction with regrouping story. When I was in school, we called it "borrowing" and it took up three full months of math instruction. Some kids caught on the first day, others took the full three months and came away not quite understanding still.

One day, my nine-year-old came to me and asked how to take 26 from 135. Five minutes later, she walked away with an answer to her question and an understanding that stuck. Boom, she got it. No reteaching, no constant review until it finds a home in her long-term memory. That is my kind of teaching, and I love it when it happens. It's teaching "in the zone", like hitting that perfect tennis shot when the zing of the racket vibrates your arm all the way to the shoulder; or the perfect powmmmmmm of the bat when you hit the sweet spot and the ball sails over the outfield wall.

Not all our days are filled with successes like these. But every one of them has earned a spot on the Teaching Hall of Fame in my mind.

Off to Grandma's Houae

Sat, 5 May 2007 08:51:00 -0500

Since we moved closer, my mother-in-law has been picking up the children, one or two at a time, and taking them to her house for a week. This has generally worked well, but there have been problems.

What's working well:

The kids have a chance to meet the relatives that live close to Grandma S and get to know her much better.
The kids are exposed to all kinds of strangers and bragged about, something every child should have to endure from time to time.
Last year, our oldest daughter spent a day at her cousin's work with her. Loved the cousin, loved the horses, but she came home talking about perhaps a future teaching high school literature rather than working with horses.

What's not working so well:

Grandma S lives way out in the countryside. There are no dogs or other kids or anyone to distract a lonesome child from the vast nothingness. I know--it's a good thing and develops character and all that, but it doesn't make it any easier for a tender-hearted grandma to hear "I'm bored and lonely" often.
Grandma S is a snowbird that spends her winters in Texas and her summers in Indiana. She picked up her first set of children on her way to open her summer home for the season. She wasn't really prepared to spend time with kids as she had many legal, accountant and medical appointments already made and waiting for her. That first set of kids spent more time sitting in waiting rooms than with her.
Grandma S has health problems all of a sudden, suffering three colds in a row with just a brief recovery time between, so very few visits to relatives have been taking place this year.
Grandma S does not like to make the drive from her house to ours alone, so transport has to wait upon friends that can accompany her. That's fine for when the two older girls took the youngest with them, not so fine for the next-to-youngest that needs to come home NOW because she is miserable!
Grandma S, despite raising three boys as a single, working mom, has great difficulty providing the necessary oversight for our teenage son. She wants to spoil him (that's what Grandmas are for, she says) but eating McDonalds three meals a day and renting four R-rated movies a day just isn't her style; nor is it what we allow.
Grandma S likes to "tease" our children about things we do differently than she did. For example, why our oldest girl isn't dating yet. "You'd better get your bedroom cleaned up! That's the first thing a date will want to see, you know!" Ahem.

We are still working out the bugs, and I'm not at all sure how it will all work out in the end. But it's a long road, this parenting thing.

She's Baaaaaaaack

Fri, 4 May 2007 09:55:00 -0500

Anyone who reads this (and you know who you are, Kim) will already know this, but just because it's the best thing to happen to me in months,

OreoSouza is blogging again!!! I'm dancing and shoutin' for joy over this, and if you've read her blog, you are, too!

Ketchup

Thu, 3 May 2007 09:30:00 -0500

I've had a nice, long break and now it's time for a little catch up! This will take several days of short entries.

Our wonderful guinea pig, Chutt Chutt (now called Lady Chutterly most of the time) has a friend! Her name is Ginger (after Ginger Rogers) and her birthdatish is November 6, 2006. Ginger is so sweet, never bites, doesn't shed and talks incessantly. She also "goes" everywhere she goes! Not only did she not potty train the way we had hoped, but she un-trained Lady Chutterly! OH NO!

We are also now the proud owners of three hermit crabs, Obi Wan Crabobi, Yoda and Anakin Sandwalker. I would love to take some photos of our new additions, and all the old residents, but my camera broke! So, you will just have to wait.

But at least I'm blogging, right?

The Big Chill

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 08:45:00 -0600

I always knew I was flaky. But it's true - I live for snow!!

***You Are a Snowflake***

You live for the winter - blizzards, cold nights, snowball fights! The holidays are just a bonus!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatchristmasornamentareyouquiz/

What's My Gift, Mommy?

Wed, 8 Nov 2006 17:54:00 -0600

My friend, OreoSouza (sorry, but the link thingy isn't working today) posted an incident on her blog with her children asking what their gifts are.

I have seen this in my own family. My children will ask what their gifts are and sometimes it's easier to answer than others. This week it's easy.

Blair makes clothing out of old sheets and pillowcases. Interesting, creative stuff, not just a head hole and two armholes, but capes with pockets and hoods, medieval gowns that lace up the back, amazing things.

Jonathan is quite a leader. He can round up a group of neighbors and get them going on a game of freeze tag before you can say, "Time to come in and do chores!" Even teenagers and adults want to play when he's organizing it!

Kate can do just about anything physically. She can teach herself how to do a backflip on the trampoline without even getting hurt! She does sit ups hanging upside down just for fun, and walks on her hands around the house, even up and down the stairs.

Christy is the most amazing servant. She looks for ways to help others and bless them. She takes a lot of heat around here for doing it, too. But, she shows us how to love like Jesus.

Rose has this amazing three-dimensional brain. She can make a flower out of construction paper and a stapler, that when you turn it on its side becomes an elephant's head complete with ears and trunk. I have NO idea where she gets that, but it's not from me!

I know I've touched on some of these things before, but it bears repeating. And reminding myself that each one of my children is distinctly blessed with unique gifts and talents.

When I was growing up, no one ever talked about my gifts or talents, it wasn't part of our vocabulary. Mom says she didn't want me to get conceited, so she never brought up that I did anything particularly well. But I still feel that urge to know what my gifts are, where do I shine? How am I special?

I guess that's what my heart is yearning for when I watch Phil Mickelson play golf, or Michelle Kwan skate, or Billy Joel play piano. Just once in my life, I'd like to do something - anything - that well.

What's my gift, Mommy?