Notice a short, random post from earlier today? That was Jack, my new guest blogger. It'll be a weekly thing, his posting. For writing I'm having him compose weekly blog posts. My rationale for this multi-faceted. First, we live in a digital world and I want him to begin to learn to use the tools of that world. Second, writing for an audience is always a good idea. He won't get peer-reviews and such at home so this blog offers the next best thing. YOU!
I will not be proofing his work before he posts it nor am I giving him any constraints regarding topic. After each post, he and I will talk about conventions of writing and will discuss how to improve. Obviously, if you read the last post you'll notice we'll need to work on cohesion and how to pick a main topic!
How can you help? Comment! Ask questions, reply with your own thoughts. Don't worry about correcting him, that's my job as teacher. But feedback from an audience is something I can manufacture here, which is why we need you! But remember, like too much correction can frustrate him, too much praise can do the same (especially if he realizes the praise is unwarranted or unequal to his ability). The most important thing you can do is simply be real with him. Comment if you are a commenter, don't if you aren't. Comment if you have something to say, don't if you don't.
Hopefully we will see the growth of a writer through this process. And if nothing else, at least there will be something new here weekly!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
jack's week
I am going to Disney world in a week and I can't wait. Tonight is Halloween. On Saturday I have a
football game. I had guitar practice today. I have a new puppy.
football game. I had guitar practice today. I have a new puppy.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Red Ribbon week wonderings
My facebook newsfeed is blowing up with pics of kids getting ready for Red Ribbon Week. It's a week I remember well being a DARE graduate (DARE to keep a kid off drugs -- I can still sing the song). I've never really thought much about Red Ribbon Week other than the half-hearted acknowledgment that it keeps kids off drugs and all that.
Then something happened last week that has me wondering, does it actually work? We were on our way to Grace's gymnastics and rather than listening to KSBJ/AIR1/VBS preschool songs, I was actually listening to a classic rock station (stone me later). Steve Miller Band's The Joker came on -- a song my kids have heard countless times. The chorus came on and I was humming away when a little voice from the backseat said, "mom, what's a toker?" Uh oh. I decided to handle the question head on and quite academically (read sans-jargon) like all questions of this nature. I answered, "someone who smokes marijuana." Then Jack replied, "what's marijuana?" It was at that moment I realized my son's first exposure to drugs was ME. We can discuss all day whether or not that's the "appropriate" method. It was the advent of Red Ribbon Week that got me thinking -- does Red Ribbon Week do the same thing for many of the public school kids who participate?
I'm not arguing that some kids are exposed to drugs early in life and would benefit from frequent and early messages of drug resistance. But what about the other kids? In the name of prevention, are our schools the first "pushers" in our kids' lives?
This post isn't a warning against drug resistance education. It's just something I've been wondering about today...any thoughts from reader-world?
Then something happened last week that has me wondering, does it actually work? We were on our way to Grace's gymnastics and rather than listening to KSBJ/AIR1/VBS preschool songs, I was actually listening to a classic rock station (stone me later). Steve Miller Band's The Joker came on -- a song my kids have heard countless times. The chorus came on and I was humming away when a little voice from the backseat said, "mom, what's a toker?" Uh oh. I decided to handle the question head on and quite academically (read sans-jargon) like all questions of this nature. I answered, "someone who smokes marijuana." Then Jack replied, "what's marijuana?" It was at that moment I realized my son's first exposure to drugs was ME. We can discuss all day whether or not that's the "appropriate" method. It was the advent of Red Ribbon Week that got me thinking -- does Red Ribbon Week do the same thing for many of the public school kids who participate?
I'm not arguing that some kids are exposed to drugs early in life and would benefit from frequent and early messages of drug resistance. But what about the other kids? In the name of prevention, are our schools the first "pushers" in our kids' lives?
This post isn't a warning against drug resistance education. It's just something I've been wondering about today...any thoughts from reader-world?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Another one bites the dust
Curriculum that is...
We've thrown out IEW's Primary Arts of Language Reading and Writing. I slogged through that for a semester with Jack before I threw it out. I thought surely starting with a kindergartner rather than a first grader would be better so I hauled it back out with Sam. 9 weeks in and I'm tossing it out again.
I sooo wanted this to work but after 9 weeks I can honestly say that it's not. Sam isn't learning phonics rules and truthfully I think his reading is suffering (he was progressing better before we started this); he seems stunted. So I'm chunking it out in favor of Explode the Code. Grace is using the preschool version and I've been very impressed with what she's been able to learn with just a little instruction every other day.
Not one to wait around once a decision has been made, I postponed the start of school today and drove to Mardel to buy the books. We started this morning; three pages in and I'm hooked. So much success so early!! Hoping this does the trick!
And yes...I know I only talk about homeschool. It's a safe topic around here while we still work through a lot of the mess the last 2.5 years made. I'll get deeper at some point!
We've thrown out IEW's Primary Arts of Language Reading and Writing. I slogged through that for a semester with Jack before I threw it out. I thought surely starting with a kindergartner rather than a first grader would be better so I hauled it back out with Sam. 9 weeks in and I'm tossing it out again.
I sooo wanted this to work but after 9 weeks I can honestly say that it's not. Sam isn't learning phonics rules and truthfully I think his reading is suffering (he was progressing better before we started this); he seems stunted. So I'm chunking it out in favor of Explode the Code. Grace is using the preschool version and I've been very impressed with what she's been able to learn with just a little instruction every other day.
Not one to wait around once a decision has been made, I postponed the start of school today and drove to Mardel to buy the books. We started this morning; three pages in and I'm hooked. So much success so early!! Hoping this does the trick!
And yes...I know I only talk about homeschool. It's a safe topic around here while we still work through a lot of the mess the last 2.5 years made. I'll get deeper at some point!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Two weeks in review
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Here's a shot of our homeschool room. All my little ducks working hard.
After 2 weeks I can definitely find some positives and some negatives.
Positives:
1. Rosetta Stone for Chinese. In the pic, Jack is actually working on typing but he'd just finished Chinese. He's already speaking in phrases and understands quite a bit of what he hears/reads. I'm impressed. How much will he retain? I don't know but he's definitely learning.
2. Rod and staff preschool for Grace. Simple, basic. She loves it. She's my workbook kid so this fits the bill.
3. Our word wall catepillar. I started this with Sam (and realized while writing this I should've posted a pic). He adds a "body" piece each time he learns a new sight word. I found the idea here.
This has been the best motivator for that little boy.
This has been the best motivator for that little boy.
4. Our morning routine. I bought, from Teachers Pay Teachers, a booklet of morning work for Jack and Sam. In the morning, the kiddos, independently (read -- without mom) say the pledges, recite a weekly memory verse, fill out "today, yesterday, tomorrow" and complete one page of morning work. FABULOUS! They love the independence; I love the last few minutes to finish my coffee or fold the laundry. I also love that the morning pages provide simple review for skills that either I overlook or that could use a little enrichment or that don't require a lesson but still need a little practice (like rhyming or alphabetizing).
I love most of my curricula choices -- Tapestry of Grace is awesome; Jack is in love with Growing with Grammar; Kay Arthur's Bible study is tough but so rich. There are a few negatives though.
Negatives
1. This biggest negative -- and this is a doozy in the homeschool world -- is science. I just do NOT like Apologia. I know, I know, I know. Everyone loves it. It's great. The best. Blah, blah, blah. I think it is soooooo boring. Dry, dull, snooze fest. And I like science. So Apologia is on the cut list for next year. It's like first round draft pick that just didn't pan out. I paid too much money to not let it finish the year but I don't think I'll be renewing that contract.
2. IEW's PAL. This isn't a HUGE negative. I actually think it's a fantastic curriculum. Sam is learning a lot and his reading is improving with leaps and bounds. BUT...it is very, very, very cut and paste heavy. And Sam (just like Jack) is so done with cutting and pasting. It's hard for a kid to learn if he hates the method of teaching. I'm improvising and I think it will work but I don't like having to even do that. This is the only year we will use IEW for Sam so I don't have to think too heavily about that choice. And I'm pretty sure I'll use it with Grace -- although as much as she likes arts and crafts, she may love it -- turning that negative into a positive.
3. Muzzy Spanish and our typing software are kinda stinky. Muzzy is odd -- very short lessons but games that are too difficult. The teaching seems incomplete. The typing is just boring. It takes too long to get to the games; it also presents this fantastic "island" to explore but then forces you to master one section before exploring another. The kids are bit burnt out on that one.
Other than that our first two weeks have been a success. Enrichment Fridays were a great idea, allowing the kiddos to either do something fun like Foam Dart Physics or to catch up on work from the week since we have so many doctor appointments with Sam. If the first two weeks are any indication, I think we are looking at a great year!
I love most of my curricula choices -- Tapestry of Grace is awesome; Jack is in love with Growing with Grammar; Kay Arthur's Bible study is tough but so rich. There are a few negatives though.
Negatives
1. This biggest negative -- and this is a doozy in the homeschool world -- is science. I just do NOT like Apologia. I know, I know, I know. Everyone loves it. It's great. The best. Blah, blah, blah. I think it is soooooo boring. Dry, dull, snooze fest. And I like science. So Apologia is on the cut list for next year. It's like first round draft pick that just didn't pan out. I paid too much money to not let it finish the year but I don't think I'll be renewing that contract.
2. IEW's PAL. This isn't a HUGE negative. I actually think it's a fantastic curriculum. Sam is learning a lot and his reading is improving with leaps and bounds. BUT...it is very, very, very cut and paste heavy. And Sam (just like Jack) is so done with cutting and pasting. It's hard for a kid to learn if he hates the method of teaching. I'm improvising and I think it will work but I don't like having to even do that. This is the only year we will use IEW for Sam so I don't have to think too heavily about that choice. And I'm pretty sure I'll use it with Grace -- although as much as she likes arts and crafts, she may love it -- turning that negative into a positive.
3. Muzzy Spanish and our typing software are kinda stinky. Muzzy is odd -- very short lessons but games that are too difficult. The teaching seems incomplete. The typing is just boring. It takes too long to get to the games; it also presents this fantastic "island" to explore but then forces you to master one section before exploring another. The kids are bit burnt out on that one.
Other than that our first two weeks have been a success. Enrichment Fridays were a great idea, allowing the kiddos to either do something fun like Foam Dart Physics or to catch up on work from the week since we have so many doctor appointments with Sam. If the first two weeks are any indication, I think we are looking at a great year!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Second week slump
It's official. We've hit the second week slump. Maybe not all homeschooling families experience this, but we do, annually -- hence the actual name I've given it.
The first week of school is always rough for me. The kids are uber-excited to get started and to learn new things and to crack open those books they've watched me collect all summer long. Their excitement can be a bit exhausting, between the what-now's and the what's-next's and the can-I-just-do-a-little-more's, mama needs her space by the end of the day. We spend the first week working and reworking order and routine and procedure back into our days. Ex.haust.ing.
The second week is always rough for the kids. Truth be told, the second week slump can actually last a month. The second week is when they realize that school work is actually work. The new has worn off the books, the lessons are no longer reviews, and the call to return to summertime play is louder than ever. Yet mama-teacher insists that this work be done, daily.
So it's during the second week slump that I start to hear lots of agains, can'ts, don't-know-hows. The second week slump is when the tears begin to fall for minor reasons and a simple math mistake is cause for quite the temper tantrum. It's usually during the second week slump that my math-minded kid forgets basic addition facts, making his pre-algebra almost impossible. And it's during the second week slump that my blossoming reader forgets what letter his name starts with, the whole ordeal ending with tears because he insists it's an F. And it's during the second week slump that my preschooler no longer sits contentedly and practices matching but decides to be a bit avant-garde in her definition of what color a watermelon is.
For me, the second week slump is hard because I don't want them to be miserable. I like giving in to their wants. It's also a bit hard because I start to look for reasons why the slump has started, which means I grow discontented with my less-than-fave parts of our curriculum...the curriculum I've spent all summer researching and procuring. We're 3 days into this slump and I've already got plans to scrap things for next year.
The silver lining in the second week slump is that it begins with regularity and it always ends. In about a month, the fog of the slump will disappear, giving way to the comfort of routine and consistency. Here's to hoping this is a short slump!
The first week of school is always rough for me. The kids are uber-excited to get started and to learn new things and to crack open those books they've watched me collect all summer long. Their excitement can be a bit exhausting, between the what-now's and the what's-next's and the can-I-just-do-a-little-more's, mama needs her space by the end of the day. We spend the first week working and reworking order and routine and procedure back into our days. Ex.haust.ing.
The second week is always rough for the kids. Truth be told, the second week slump can actually last a month. The second week is when they realize that school work is actually work. The new has worn off the books, the lessons are no longer reviews, and the call to return to summertime play is louder than ever. Yet mama-teacher insists that this work be done, daily.
So it's during the second week slump that I start to hear lots of agains, can'ts, don't-know-hows. The second week slump is when the tears begin to fall for minor reasons and a simple math mistake is cause for quite the temper tantrum. It's usually during the second week slump that my math-minded kid forgets basic addition facts, making his pre-algebra almost impossible. And it's during the second week slump that my blossoming reader forgets what letter his name starts with, the whole ordeal ending with tears because he insists it's an F. And it's during the second week slump that my preschooler no longer sits contentedly and practices matching but decides to be a bit avant-garde in her definition of what color a watermelon is.
For me, the second week slump is hard because I don't want them to be miserable. I like giving in to their wants. It's also a bit hard because I start to look for reasons why the slump has started, which means I grow discontented with my less-than-fave parts of our curriculum...the curriculum I've spent all summer researching and procuring. We're 3 days into this slump and I've already got plans to scrap things for next year.
The silver lining in the second week slump is that it begins with regularity and it always ends. In about a month, the fog of the slump will disappear, giving way to the comfort of routine and consistency. Here's to hoping this is a short slump!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
A little venting about our medical team
I heard from Sam's rheumatologist today. Well, actually I heard from her nurse practitioner. She passed us along to him after the first visit. No diagnosis but not sick enough to warrant her time? I don't know the reason for sure so I shouldn't speculate but it's hard not to think that might be the reason.
We just repeated bloodwork (for the 3rd time in 4 months) and a bone scan; all to re-check for malignancy (doctor speak for cancer). I've mentioned before how tired I am of hearing the word "cancer" in Sam's medical visits. We've checked for malignancy before and everything came back clean. I guess because we have since ruled out arthritis we are returning to other possibilities to make sure nothing was missed.
Anyway, all the re-checks came back normal. Now we are expected to re-do an MRI (pelvis and spine) to check for lesions and possible malignancy. The best part of this is when the original MRI was done, a lesion was seen and deemed an undefined contusion, probably a bruise. Now, that lesion is cause to re-scan. I'm struggling to logic that one out.
We've also been referred to a neurologist to investigate possible nerve issues. If the neurologist comes up empty, then it's on to a musculo-skeletal specialist and a urologist (an urologist? unsure of the proper article there...) to search for more, rare possibilities.
Here's where things begin to stick me a bit. We are re-scanning for cancer -- kind of a big deal. But since the newest round of testing was normal, and the upcoming scans are presumed to be normal (but still necessary?) we don't need to be seen by the rheumatologist until November.
So let's get that straight. Son has been in pain for 15 months; we have no diagnosis; search for diagnosis leads to potential cancer diagnosis; quickly perform scans; no cancer found but kid still in pain; we don't need to see the doctor for 2-3 months despite not having a diagnosis.
Urrgggghhhh
I don't mean to complain. I just need a place to purge all the things that rumble around in my brain. I'm grateful for the doctors; I'm grateful for the no-cancer diagnosis; I'm grateful that despite being in pain, my son is really healthy. I'm just ready for some answers.
We just repeated bloodwork (for the 3rd time in 4 months) and a bone scan; all to re-check for malignancy (doctor speak for cancer). I've mentioned before how tired I am of hearing the word "cancer" in Sam's medical visits. We've checked for malignancy before and everything came back clean. I guess because we have since ruled out arthritis we are returning to other possibilities to make sure nothing was missed.
Anyway, all the re-checks came back normal. Now we are expected to re-do an MRI (pelvis and spine) to check for lesions and possible malignancy. The best part of this is when the original MRI was done, a lesion was seen and deemed an undefined contusion, probably a bruise. Now, that lesion is cause to re-scan. I'm struggling to logic that one out.
We've also been referred to a neurologist to investigate possible nerve issues. If the neurologist comes up empty, then it's on to a musculo-skeletal specialist and a urologist (an urologist? unsure of the proper article there...) to search for more, rare possibilities.
Here's where things begin to stick me a bit. We are re-scanning for cancer -- kind of a big deal. But since the newest round of testing was normal, and the upcoming scans are presumed to be normal (but still necessary?) we don't need to be seen by the rheumatologist until November.
So let's get that straight. Son has been in pain for 15 months; we have no diagnosis; search for diagnosis leads to potential cancer diagnosis; quickly perform scans; no cancer found but kid still in pain; we don't need to see the doctor for 2-3 months despite not having a diagnosis.
Urrgggghhhh
I don't mean to complain. I just need a place to purge all the things that rumble around in my brain. I'm grateful for the doctors; I'm grateful for the no-cancer diagnosis; I'm grateful that despite being in pain, my son is really healthy. I'm just ready for some answers.
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