I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. Honest.
1- Christmas, and what has become a near annual family tradition of getting sick around it, has kept me away from the blogosphere. Believe it or not, my daughter spiked a fever today and is complaining of a sore throat, just a few days after the last of us seemed to be all well and moving on. The other two have this blank deer in the headlights look about them. They have concluded that it's only a matter of time before they get sick again as well. I'm in complete denial.
2- Aside from playing nurse whilst recuperating myself, I've succumbed to a new addiction. My dear husband got me an iPod Touch for Christmas. I never thought I wanted one, but when I opened it up on Christmas morning, I couldn't contain my excitement. It was a complete surprise. Now I find that I can't put the thing down. The free game apps are way too addictive. I find myself playing "Trace" all the time now, and just earlier today, I discovered "Creeps." It's not like I need another time-suck, but boy are they fun! Number of songs currently on my iPod? Zero. It's all about the apps.
Oh, I did just start reading G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" on m iPod, and I am greatly enjoying it. There is nary a page or capture that doesn't include some pearl of wit and wisdom. I should really keep notes while I'm reading it.
3- I told myself I'd finally get some pictures on here, and sort of made that a condition for writing my next post. I have tons of pictures I wanted to share. TONS. But I can't get them onto my pretty useless laptop and for some reason, they're not loading onto the Mac. We've spent inordinate amounts of time just trying to download pictures. So for now I'll have to content myself with just sharing stuff via text blogs. Some of the pictures I wanted to share show some of the stuff the kids have been up to...stuff like needle felting (thanks to a good friend who sent us a sizable package of wool and felting needles for Christmas), digital art one daughter has created with the help of a graphic tablet she got for her birthday, and other stuff the kids have made, particularly in their art class.
4- We've been busy playing board games, watching films, and watching on-demand television. Each of the kids received a game for Christmas, and my niece's sweet boyfriend was kind enough to gift us with a few more. We've greatly enjoyed all of them, and truth be told, I've kind of beaten the pants off of everyone (for the most part), which as can be imagined, greatly enhances my enjoyment of these.
We also all received DVDs for Christmas, so we had plenty to watch this week. Of course, once I had exhausted all of those, I gave into my guilty pleasure--Gene Simmons Family Jewels on demand. Yes, I admit it. I enjoy the show. I think the Simmons kids are absolutely adorable and funny, and I mainly watch because of them.
5- We had a blizzard, and that certainly kept us from roaming about, and it was pretty darn cozy. We got about 28 inches, and while I think I've had my fill of snow, I can't say it wasn't a welcome excuse to just stay put and enjoy doing fun things at home. Yes, things that didn't include blogging.
So there you have it. I've done nothing at all substantial or constructive in the last week or so, and it's been just what the doctor ordered. There's nothing quite like taking some time to just be.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Shopping, the Bane of my Existence
Back in September I declared that I would be done with my
Christmas shopping by the first week of December. I had every intention of
following through with that. And then the kids got sick with a stomach virus. I
soon joined them. They say that misery loves company, so I just did my part in
complying with the adage. My plans for getting out to shop on Black Friday
were a bust. I decided to roll with it and did some online shopping, but I
didn't have much luck finding everything I needed. Having to brave the stores
was becoming necessary. I hate shopping, particularly during busy seasons. The
malls at Christmas time are not happy places. People are downright irate
instead of jolly. Want to see people a hair away from losing their minds? Visit
a mall around Christmas.
Anyway, some days later,
my husband and I decided that he'd take a vacation day, and that we'd make that
our shopping day. As an aside, just a few days before the scheduled shopping
day, I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, but I was determined
to not let health, or lack thereof, get in the way of my shopping again. I thought that I had foiled the universe! But of course, the universe had other plans. Earlier
that shopping day we all went to the museum, and guess who missed the last few steps
on her way down the stairs? Yes, that would be me. My left foot spazzed out,
and I landed on it twice while it was bent inward, spraining my ankle. Another
wrench in the works. But no matter! After a quick detour home for some Advil
(three!) and a high-speed binding of my ankle, we were back on our way, with me
moving at a snail's pace.
After a few minutes on the
road, I was reminded that I still didn't know what to purchase. I can often
only entertain one thought at a time, and until then, my mind was solely
focused on the throbbing in my ankle. I had had days to gather ideas online,
but I found little to no direction. It doesn't help that 1) my kids have
obscure tastes, and 2) one or two of my children often decline asking for
anything at all. Let me interject here to say that I'm prodigiously proud of my
children for not being hyper-focused on gifts and the whole unfortunate
commerciality of Christmas, but it would have been nice to have a bit of
direction, especially as we seemed to be averaging one gift per hour spent shopping.
So yes, I finally got to do some shopping. But I'm still not done.
Self-proposed Christmas shopping challenge failed.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
One Stick, Two Stick
Nope, this isn't going to be a post about knitting, although you will likely see knitting posts from time to time.
When we all first started taking kung fu, there were certain things we expected to learn at some point during our training. We knew that eventually we would learn traditional forms, fighting applications, and well, we hoped that at some time we'd get to learn how to use weapons. We expected those to be the tai chi sword (straight sword), the broad sword, and my husband's most anticipated--the long staff. My husband had taken kung fu for a brief time several years ago, so he had an idea of what was to come. As for me, the only kung fu that I knew came from what I saw in Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li films. Over the years, we would regularly all gather around the computer screen while my husband went from one video to the next on traditional kung fu forms and styles. It was through those videos that I became acquainted with the traditional weapons used.
Imagine our surprise when we started learning kali (also known as eskrima and arnis). This is a Filipino martial art that uses sticks as weapons. There's more to it, in that eventually you can use improvised weapons in the same manner, and like most martial arts, the applications are endless. In any case, this was not something we ever expected to learn, thinking that we probably wouldn't stray far from the traditional weapons used in Chinese martial arts. I have to add that this is a testament to how wonderful our sifu is. He sees the value in teaching us a broad curriculum of styles and applications, and his enthusiasm is infectious. We've been learning kali for a few months now, and I'm greatly enjoying myself with these sticks. While I've had the opportunity to use the straight sword, so far I feel more "at home" with the sticks. The sword is a beautiful weapon that I'm looking forward to using more often, but it certainly doesn't feel as instinctual for me. The stick and arm movements seem infinitely more natural. The footwork however, continues to be a challenge. My husband believes that I find it generally more natural because I used to be a majorette years ago, and therefore feel more comfortable with a stick weapon I can "twirl around." This is not to suggest that batons are weapons of course, although when one cracks you on the head after you fail to catch a toss, you may just think otherwise.
Kali has definitely become something I greatly look forward to every time I go to class. I think it's funny for my husband to see just how invested I am in this whole kung fu and kali experiment seeing as I was so reluctant at the very beginning. It was only supposed to be about the kids and getting them involved in a martial art. And yet here I am, enjoying it all as much as they do. I'm so glad I tagged along that first day.
Probably the most famous name in kali stick fighting is Dan Inosanto, who was one of the three men Bruce Lee certified to teach his own style of Jeet Kune Do. I've spent inordinate amounts of time watching videos of Dan and other kali practitioners on youtube, and find myself getting more and more excited about this martial art. But the funny thing is that really, there hasn't been a single thing I've learned that I haven't enjoyed.
Click here to watch Dan Inosanto in action. It's a shame the video cuts off at the end, but it's the most recent, and best quality one I could find on youtube.
When we all first started taking kung fu, there were certain things we expected to learn at some point during our training. We knew that eventually we would learn traditional forms, fighting applications, and well, we hoped that at some time we'd get to learn how to use weapons. We expected those to be the tai chi sword (straight sword), the broad sword, and my husband's most anticipated--the long staff. My husband had taken kung fu for a brief time several years ago, so he had an idea of what was to come. As for me, the only kung fu that I knew came from what I saw in Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li films. Over the years, we would regularly all gather around the computer screen while my husband went from one video to the next on traditional kung fu forms and styles. It was through those videos that I became acquainted with the traditional weapons used.
Imagine our surprise when we started learning kali (also known as eskrima and arnis). This is a Filipino martial art that uses sticks as weapons. There's more to it, in that eventually you can use improvised weapons in the same manner, and like most martial arts, the applications are endless. In any case, this was not something we ever expected to learn, thinking that we probably wouldn't stray far from the traditional weapons used in Chinese martial arts. I have to add that this is a testament to how wonderful our sifu is. He sees the value in teaching us a broad curriculum of styles and applications, and his enthusiasm is infectious. We've been learning kali for a few months now, and I'm greatly enjoying myself with these sticks. While I've had the opportunity to use the straight sword, so far I feel more "at home" with the sticks. The sword is a beautiful weapon that I'm looking forward to using more often, but it certainly doesn't feel as instinctual for me. The stick and arm movements seem infinitely more natural. The footwork however, continues to be a challenge. My husband believes that I find it generally more natural because I used to be a majorette years ago, and therefore feel more comfortable with a stick weapon I can "twirl around." This is not to suggest that batons are weapons of course, although when one cracks you on the head after you fail to catch a toss, you may just think otherwise.
Kali has definitely become something I greatly look forward to every time I go to class. I think it's funny for my husband to see just how invested I am in this whole kung fu and kali experiment seeing as I was so reluctant at the very beginning. It was only supposed to be about the kids and getting them involved in a martial art. And yet here I am, enjoying it all as much as they do. I'm so glad I tagged along that first day.
Probably the most famous name in kali stick fighting is Dan Inosanto, who was one of the three men Bruce Lee certified to teach his own style of Jeet Kune Do. I've spent inordinate amounts of time watching videos of Dan and other kali practitioners on youtube, and find myself getting more and more excited about this martial art. But the funny thing is that really, there hasn't been a single thing I've learned that I haven't enjoyed.
Click here to watch Dan Inosanto in action. It's a shame the video cuts off at the end, but it's the most recent, and best quality one I could find on youtube.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Really Learning Latin
Just yesterday, as I struggled to translate a Latin sentence through what this site refers to as a "crossword puzzle" reading of it, I realized that I had a problem that needed addressing. Deconstructing sentences this way is wholly inefficient. I tend to follow all of the steps thusly: pick out the verb, determine the conjugation (1st, 2nd, etc.), determine the personal ending, the number (singular or plural), the tense, the voice, the mood, pick out the subject, determine the number, check for an object, again check if it's singular or plural, determine the noun cases, etc. And I didn't even get to adjective declensions, or issues of gender. Not to mention that I'm still learning all of the vocabulary.
The article I've hyperlinked above details the Dowling Method for learning Latin. It speaks of learning Latin grammar via "brute memorization." Well, after yesterday's exercise in frustration, I've come to the conclusion that yes, nothing but brute memorization is required here. Surely, internalizing all of the forms by way of daily recitation and keeping copywork notebooks full of charts would be more than helpful. The article recommends that these charts and tables be copied 200 times each--100 times for the adjectives table. That's a lot of copying. If I'm not able to master the paradigms after that, I'd have to pack it all in. But how could one not get it after all of that? Now, despite my agreement with all of this drilling and copying, I just don't see the point in holding off so long before introducing reading selections. The article explains how the forms must be mastered first, and asserts that this could take about six months' time. That's a big time commitment to nothing but rote memorization. I'm a big believer in the immersion method to language learning, which requires little to no prior familiarity with the target language. And yes, while immersion in Latin is very different than immersion in a modern language (it's not like you will be surrounded by native speakers or anything like that--unless of course there's some society of classicists that do nothing but hang around together and speak Latin all day), I still see value in exposing oneself and one's children to Latin readings early on. In my opinion, it gives children (and adults) something for which to strive. Drilling forms, I've determined, is essential, but why hold off on something as pleasurable as reading? Why can we not have our cakes and eat them too?
As far as Latin reading material is concerned, I do own the first of Hans Orberg's series, also referenced in the above article. I've only read through a dozen or so pages, but I was able to understand everything I've encountered there so far. I understand there is a huge jump in difficulty as you go along, but that's to be expected, and brings us closer to our goal of eventually reading more complex material. It's such a neat idea. In fact, I wish such a series existed for most languages, but especially for ancient Greek. The illustrations basically help you understand the text. Really, i
t's as much of an immersion program as can be found for Latin students.
Some other books I either own, or am contemplating purchasing for the kids are Ecce Romani (similar to Orberg in that you are immediately immersed in Latin, although Orberg's books are far better and infinitely more thorough), and an assortment of children's books/stories translated into Latin (Fairy Tales in Latin: Fabulae Mirabiles, Harrius Potter books which I recently found are also available in ANCIENT GREEK, and various Dr. Seuss titles as well). There are just so many options now, and it would be a pity to hold off on them until all of the Latin grammar is committed to memory.
The article I've hyperlinked above details the Dowling Method for learning Latin. It speaks of learning Latin grammar via "brute memorization." Well, after yesterday's exercise in frustration, I've come to the conclusion that yes, nothing but brute memorization is required here. Surely, internalizing all of the forms by way of daily recitation and keeping copywork notebooks full of charts would be more than helpful. The article recommends that these charts and tables be copied 200 times each--100 times for the adjectives table. That's a lot of copying. If I'm not able to master the paradigms after that, I'd have to pack it all in. But how could one not get it after all of that? Now, despite my agreement with all of this drilling and copying, I just don't see the point in holding off so long before introducing reading selections. The article explains how the forms must be mastered first, and asserts that this could take about six months' time. That's a big time commitment to nothing but rote memorization. I'm a big believer in the immersion method to language learning, which requires little to no prior familiarity with the target language. And yes, while immersion in Latin is very different than immersion in a modern language (it's not like you will be surrounded by native speakers or anything like that--unless of course there's some society of classicists that do nothing but hang around together and speak Latin all day), I still see value in exposing oneself and one's children to Latin readings early on. In my opinion, it gives children (and adults) something for which to strive. Drilling forms, I've determined, is essential, but why hold off on something as pleasurable as reading? Why can we not have our cakes and eat them too?
As far as Latin reading material is concerned, I do own the first of Hans Orberg's series, also referenced in the above article. I've only read through a dozen or so pages, but I was able to understand everything I've encountered there so far. I understand there is a huge jump in difficulty as you go along, but that's to be expected, and brings us closer to our goal of eventually reading more complex material. It's such a neat idea. In fact, I wish such a series existed for most languages, but especially for ancient Greek. The illustrations basically help you understand the text. Really, it's as much of an immersion program as can be found for Latin students.Some other books I either own, or am contemplating purchasing for the kids are Ecce Romani (similar to Orberg in that you are immediately immersed in Latin, although Orberg's books are far better and infinitely more thorough), and an assortment of children's books/stories translated into Latin (Fairy Tales in Latin: Fabulae Mirabiles, Harrius Potter books which I recently found are also available in ANCIENT GREEK, and various Dr. Seuss titles as well). There are just so many options now, and it would be a pity to hold off on them until all of the Latin grammar is committed to memory.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Lists, Lists, Lists
Hello, my name is Patty and I'm an obsessive "lister."
My to-do lists are often as long as my must-read lists, and believe me, those are long ones, often further cataloged by genre. One list per genre, obviously. What's the point in keeping all of those lovely books unsorted? My Amazon wish list, until just the other day, included a whopping 876 titles. I have self-improvement lists, task lists, curriculum lists, long-term goal lists, short-term goal lists, menu lists, grocery lists, character development lists (I dabble in a bit of creative writing on the side), and well, the list (ha ha) is endless. Today's list contains directives on making a few last Christmas-related online purchases, reminders about pending appointments, last-ditch motivational pleas to myself to complete and/or start a handful of homemade gifts, and of course, a daily affirmation or two--itemized of course. Do these all keep me on task? Well, of course not, but I'm always hopeful that they will help me stay on task whenever I begin a new one. At the very least, I like to think of them as reminders. I have a terrible memory, and if something is not written down, I'm apt to forget it. Writing things down, whether these are plans, goals, or whatever, makes them more concrete, and therefore seemingly more attainable. Seemingly. Now, writing them on this blog means another thing entirely--accountability.
I obsess about any number of things really, but listing things is high up there on my, um, LIST of quirks. I am certain to never consciously leave home without a paper and pen handy, as I'd surely be lost without them. (Oh, and it must be a pen. The right sort of pen, too. But that's a whole other issue. I swear I can write yet a whole other blog post or two about my fascination with pens. I'm less stuffy about the paper I use, although I do drool over nice quality paper stock, a symptom I think, of having worked in the publishing industry years ago. But I digress...) I write lists, keep lists, and even contemplate future lists. I have even been known to recopy lists. These are things I do practically non-stop.
I first realized that I had a "problem" a while back when I stepped out of my home without, (Gasp!), a writing instrument. Seems as if someone, possibly a little someone, entered my purse and extracted my pen. After a thorough search of my purse which ended with most of its contents poured out onto my lap (that's a lot of stuff, by the way), I came to the realization that I didn't even have anything I wanted to write down. Nope, not a single thing. Perhaps if I had wanted to write a list at all at the time, it would have included just one item. "Double-check purse for writing instrument before leaving home." But of course, one item does not a list make. I reference this story because along with the "not-having-anything-to-write" realization, came another more enlightening one. Had I been in possession of a pen, I would have just come up with something to write. Yes, possibly in list form. So for me at least, having the right instruments, or vehicles of expression at my disposal, can sort of goad on a bit of list creativity. And seeing as most, but not all, of my lists consist of tasks that need to be done, I invite yet another factor into the equation. I am also seeking to sort out priorities and organize the "to-do" chaos that is often undecipherable in my head.
What can all this mean, and what does this say about me? Well, some people seem to think it's a sign of artistic genius, or rather that incidentally, many great artists have had this obsessive list-making trait. Seriously! Oh boy, you better believe I considered jumping on that bandwagon immediately as I'm a wannabe great artist and all that! More likely however, as boring as it may seem and as much as I hate to admit it, perhaps it's just all part of human nature to catalog things on personal lists. And perhaps those who consider themselves list-writers can be further divided into groups, as the BBC article I've hyperlinked suggests. If I had been in charge of dividing them, I'd have done it differently...perhaps classifying these as occasional list writers and obsessive list writers. I just happen to fall into the latter group. Yes, perhaps this list making trait is all haphazard and ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but then again, maybe it's not. I mean, perhaps the level of obsession is relative to the level of genius?
Should I develop an insatiable urge to paint something magnificent, I'll be sure to come back and update.
My to-do lists are often as long as my must-read lists, and believe me, those are long ones, often further cataloged by genre. One list per genre, obviously. What's the point in keeping all of those lovely books unsorted? My Amazon wish list, until just the other day, included a whopping 876 titles. I have self-improvement lists, task lists, curriculum lists, long-term goal lists, short-term goal lists, menu lists, grocery lists, character development lists (I dabble in a bit of creative writing on the side), and well, the list (ha ha) is endless. Today's list contains directives on making a few last Christmas-related online purchases, reminders about pending appointments, last-ditch motivational pleas to myself to complete and/or start a handful of homemade gifts, and of course, a daily affirmation or two--itemized of course. Do these all keep me on task? Well, of course not, but I'm always hopeful that they will help me stay on task whenever I begin a new one. At the very least, I like to think of them as reminders. I have a terrible memory, and if something is not written down, I'm apt to forget it. Writing things down, whether these are plans, goals, or whatever, makes them more concrete, and therefore seemingly more attainable. Seemingly. Now, writing them on this blog means another thing entirely--accountability.
I obsess about any number of things really, but listing things is high up there on my, um, LIST of quirks. I am certain to never consciously leave home without a paper and pen handy, as I'd surely be lost without them. (Oh, and it must be a pen. The right sort of pen, too. But that's a whole other issue. I swear I can write yet a whole other blog post or two about my fascination with pens. I'm less stuffy about the paper I use, although I do drool over nice quality paper stock, a symptom I think, of having worked in the publishing industry years ago. But I digress...) I write lists, keep lists, and even contemplate future lists. I have even been known to recopy lists. These are things I do practically non-stop.
I first realized that I had a "problem" a while back when I stepped out of my home without, (Gasp!), a writing instrument. Seems as if someone, possibly a little someone, entered my purse and extracted my pen. After a thorough search of my purse which ended with most of its contents poured out onto my lap (that's a lot of stuff, by the way), I came to the realization that I didn't even have anything I wanted to write down. Nope, not a single thing. Perhaps if I had wanted to write a list at all at the time, it would have included just one item. "Double-check purse for writing instrument before leaving home." But of course, one item does not a list make. I reference this story because along with the "not-having-anything-to-write" realization, came another more enlightening one. Had I been in possession of a pen, I would have just come up with something to write. Yes, possibly in list form. So for me at least, having the right instruments, or vehicles of expression at my disposal, can sort of goad on a bit of list creativity. And seeing as most, but not all, of my lists consist of tasks that need to be done, I invite yet another factor into the equation. I am also seeking to sort out priorities and organize the "to-do" chaos that is often undecipherable in my head.
What can all this mean, and what does this say about me? Well, some people seem to think it's a sign of artistic genius, or rather that incidentally, many great artists have had this obsessive list-making trait. Seriously! Oh boy, you better believe I considered jumping on that bandwagon immediately as I'm a wannabe great artist and all that! More likely however, as boring as it may seem and as much as I hate to admit it, perhaps it's just all part of human nature to catalog things on personal lists. And perhaps those who consider themselves list-writers can be further divided into groups, as the BBC article I've hyperlinked suggests. If I had been in charge of dividing them, I'd have done it differently...perhaps classifying these as occasional list writers and obsessive list writers. I just happen to fall into the latter group. Yes, perhaps this list making trait is all haphazard and ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but then again, maybe it's not. I mean, perhaps the level of obsession is relative to the level of genius?
Should I develop an insatiable urge to paint something magnificent, I'll be sure to come back and update.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Personalized Learning and Finding Joy in Life
Entertaining and spot on, as usual.
If anyone has missed Sir Ken Robinson's first TED talk on creativity in schools, you can view it here.
If anyone has missed Sir Ken Robinson's first TED talk on creativity in schools, you can view it here.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
About Those Phonograms...
In my last post, I mention how reading didn't come easily for my daughter. What I didn't mention, was that teaching reading didn't come easily to me either. I was a voracious reader as a child, and I just assumed, wrongly so, that my daughter would just naturally take after me. She loved to be read to, and I spent many days, cuddled with her on the couch, reading through countless books. She memorized several stories line by line, and often begged me to read her favorite books over and over again. I was thrilled that she loved books so much, and was certain that she would enjoy reading all on her own just as much. Of course, as per my last post, that just wasn't the case.
I went through several reading and phonics books, and I can't really say what eventually worked. I'm sort of leaning toward it just having been due to her readiness, but I may be wrong. We used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and that was a bust. I know it works for many children, but I kept getting annoyed with their orthographic method. Perhaps that was just my hang-up, but we dropped it after a while. Next came Phonics Pathways. I liked it. It was traditional, and straightforward, but my daughter found it boring. Then we tried Reading Reflex. That worked much better! I was getting warm! All the while, I had been "hearing" about the Spalding method, but reviews out there describing the method as difficult to wade through, really intimidated me and I kept passing it up. Eventually however, I built up the nerve to try, particularly when I found a helpful companion program called Reading Works. Thanks to that program, and the consistent hand-holding it offered, I was able to wade through the Writing Road to Reading (Spalding). The program made sense to me, and my daughter was progressing.
In working through the phonograms, I was finally cognizant about just how difficult the English language can be to learn. In this post, I'm referring specifically to English language reading, but spelling is also a stumbling point for many. Take the phonogram OUGH for instance--bough, though, through, rough, bought, cough! None of these is pronounced the same way! While I pronounced them properly, with nary a thought to their differences, seeing them listed all together like that really made me a lot more able to understand my daughter's confusion. I realized that it would take some work, and I ceased pressuring my daughter to understand something which was quite illogical to her at the time.
All of the above has reminded me of an episode of I Love Lucy, in which Ricky aptly illustrates what he regards as the "problem" with the English language. I quite agree with him.
I went through several reading and phonics books, and I can't really say what eventually worked. I'm sort of leaning toward it just having been due to her readiness, but I may be wrong. We used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and that was a bust. I know it works for many children, but I kept getting annoyed with their orthographic method. Perhaps that was just my hang-up, but we dropped it after a while. Next came Phonics Pathways. I liked it. It was traditional, and straightforward, but my daughter found it boring. Then we tried Reading Reflex. That worked much better! I was getting warm! All the while, I had been "hearing" about the Spalding method, but reviews out there describing the method as difficult to wade through, really intimidated me and I kept passing it up. Eventually however, I built up the nerve to try, particularly when I found a helpful companion program called Reading Works. Thanks to that program, and the consistent hand-holding it offered, I was able to wade through the Writing Road to Reading (Spalding). The program made sense to me, and my daughter was progressing.
In working through the phonograms, I was finally cognizant about just how difficult the English language can be to learn. In this post, I'm referring specifically to English language reading, but spelling is also a stumbling point for many. Take the phonogram OUGH for instance--bough, though, through, rough, bought, cough! None of these is pronounced the same way! While I pronounced them properly, with nary a thought to their differences, seeing them listed all together like that really made me a lot more able to understand my daughter's confusion. I realized that it would take some work, and I ceased pressuring my daughter to understand something which was quite illogical to her at the time.
All of the above has reminded me of an episode of I Love Lucy, in which Ricky aptly illustrates what he regards as the "problem" with the English language. I quite agree with him.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Classical Education or Bust
When we first decided to homeschool our children, I was filled with all of these romantic thoughts of how joyous it would be to educate them. Actually, I probably would have not even used the word "educate." I preferred saying that I would facilitate my children's learning. Somehow, that seemed less controlling in my view. I remember having read John Holt's Teach Your Own, and being completely enthralled by the idea of unschooling. Heck, I still am! It made sense to me. It was organic, and wonderful, and yet really really tough--at least for me. Within a few months of starting out as "unschoolers" (in quotes because I'm sure there will be those who may believe, as even I do, that I went about it all wrong, and therefore wasn't technically a practicing unschooler), I was stressed beyond belief. A large part of it was because I didn't trust the method would work for me. I still wholeheartedly believe that it can work for nearly any child (if not all children), but perhaps not for every parent, as was the case with me. So I branched out and my homeschooling library grew to include books on other methods.
I think I ascribed to the "better late than early" philosophy for as long as it took before I was inundated with questions from well-meaning friends and family regarding my daughter's progress. Some people are able to field these questions effortlessly, but I was still working on thickening my skin in all matters related to home education. And frankly, the only reason I decided to jump on board with the whole "better late than early" view to education, was because I had already tried pushing early academics and made absolutely no progress. I guess you could say that personally, I was a reluctant advocate of the "better late than early" approach to homeschooling. Choosing to wait wasn't my preference, but it made me feel better to know that there was a school of thought out there that saw nothing wrong with waiting. Still, I felt conflicted.
I went on to read about the Charlotte Mason approach, and then moved on to other books on classical education. That's when I became interested in The Well-Trained Mind. It was the sort of education I wished I had had. I quickly fell in love with the method, and tried to follow the schedules perfectly. I later learned that those schedules were only added to the book at the insistence of the publisher, and that they were only just loose suggestions. Still, I wanted to do it all. But I ran into a wall. My daughter was not learning to read as effortlessly as other children I read about on homeschooling boards. She struggled so much. I found that my perfect schedule was getting left behind. There was no time for all of the cool and interesting things I had planned to teach her, because our days turned into hours-long reading lessons. It ceased to be fun, for her and for me. And here's where I feel very ashamed of myself. I built that initial difficulty up into this insurmountable obstacle. I wasted precious time getting my daughter to excel at reading, without realizing that I was making it all such a tedious chore. Thankfully, it was around this time that I started to seek out support again online. And go figure, there were several other homeschoolers out there who were experiencing the same things! These homeschoolers also wanted to give their children a classical education, and were finding ways to do so, regardless of their children's struggles with reading. This was a major a-ha moment for me, because in my mind, I was still regarding the task of reading, and writing, to be prerequisites to a classical education. Once I eased up my expectations, and we started to conduct a lot of our lessons orally, setting aside a decent amount of our time each day to reading and writing instruction, things started improving. Those romantic ideas I had when I first started out, were not wholly unfounded after all. Granted, among our good days, were a smattering of difficult days. And as good as the good days could be, the difficult days were HARD, often bringing me to the verge of tears. But we pressed on. (Note: We eventually made our way into a more Latin-centered classical approach, but that's another story, best kept for another post!)
My little girl is now fourteen years old. She's a reader. She's still a reluctant writer, but she's making progress. She works very hard, and has taken ownership over her education. Yesterday, as we were discussing John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," and really getting into our literary analysis, I was just struck by how much she's matured. She's grown to be such a sweet, mature, and introspective young lady. I don't think I've ever enjoyed homeschooling her as much as I do now. She is such a pleasure to be with, and discuss things with. This is exactly what I had hoped to get out of our homeschooling, all those years ago when I first romanticized about setting out on this journey. She may not be getting a "by the book" classical education, but she certainly seems to be no worse for the wear.
I think I ascribed to the "better late than early" philosophy for as long as it took before I was inundated with questions from well-meaning friends and family regarding my daughter's progress. Some people are able to field these questions effortlessly, but I was still working on thickening my skin in all matters related to home education. And frankly, the only reason I decided to jump on board with the whole "better late than early" view to education, was because I had already tried pushing early academics and made absolutely no progress. I guess you could say that personally, I was a reluctant advocate of the "better late than early" approach to homeschooling. Choosing to wait wasn't my preference, but it made me feel better to know that there was a school of thought out there that saw nothing wrong with waiting. Still, I felt conflicted.
I went on to read about the Charlotte Mason approach, and then moved on to other books on classical education. That's when I became interested in The Well-Trained Mind. It was the sort of education I wished I had had. I quickly fell in love with the method, and tried to follow the schedules perfectly. I later learned that those schedules were only added to the book at the insistence of the publisher, and that they were only just loose suggestions. Still, I wanted to do it all. But I ran into a wall. My daughter was not learning to read as effortlessly as other children I read about on homeschooling boards. She struggled so much. I found that my perfect schedule was getting left behind. There was no time for all of the cool and interesting things I had planned to teach her, because our days turned into hours-long reading lessons. It ceased to be fun, for her and for me. And here's where I feel very ashamed of myself. I built that initial difficulty up into this insurmountable obstacle. I wasted precious time getting my daughter to excel at reading, without realizing that I was making it all such a tedious chore. Thankfully, it was around this time that I started to seek out support again online. And go figure, there were several other homeschoolers out there who were experiencing the same things! These homeschoolers also wanted to give their children a classical education, and were finding ways to do so, regardless of their children's struggles with reading. This was a major a-ha moment for me, because in my mind, I was still regarding the task of reading, and writing, to be prerequisites to a classical education. Once I eased up my expectations, and we started to conduct a lot of our lessons orally, setting aside a decent amount of our time each day to reading and writing instruction, things started improving. Those romantic ideas I had when I first started out, were not wholly unfounded after all. Granted, among our good days, were a smattering of difficult days. And as good as the good days could be, the difficult days were HARD, often bringing me to the verge of tears. But we pressed on. (Note: We eventually made our way into a more Latin-centered classical approach, but that's another story, best kept for another post!)
My little girl is now fourteen years old. She's a reader. She's still a reluctant writer, but she's making progress. She works very hard, and has taken ownership over her education. Yesterday, as we were discussing John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," and really getting into our literary analysis, I was just struck by how much she's matured. She's grown to be such a sweet, mature, and introspective young lady. I don't think I've ever enjoyed homeschooling her as much as I do now. She is such a pleasure to be with, and discuss things with. This is exactly what I had hoped to get out of our homeschooling, all those years ago when I first romanticized about setting out on this journey. She may not be getting a "by the book" classical education, but she certainly seems to be no worse for the wear.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Smile, You're on Candid Camera!
Note to self (and whoever else may be reading out there): Think twice before getting your children a video camera. I'm only half-serious here of course. I would never dream of stunting my children's intellectual growth by planting obstacles keeping them from their chosen mode of artistic expression. But today, I came >thisclose< to doing just that, right after I heard the unmistakable sound of my own voice coming at me from the living room. I peered over in the direction of my voice, now emanating loudly from the television set, and there were my two youngest children, having a nice laugh over what they had candidly captured. And what did they capture, you may ask? Why, an embarrassingly frequent episode of my freaking out over yet another misplaced item, of course! In the video, I accuse my prankster daughter of hiding the item (this time it was her kung fu shirt that I had only just washed and dried). Don't worry guys, I'm never forceful when making these accusations, even though I'm seldom off-base. If something is awry, you can pretty much assume "prankster daughter" is behind it, but really, that's beside the point.
Anyone who has, ahem, ever had the pleasure of knowing me for more than a nanosecond, will have undoubtedly witnessed many such episodes. I lose everything. I lose my glasses daily. Well, it's not like I can see them when I'm not wearing them! Pencils mysteriously go missing. My keys? Heck, I lose those in my own purse. I'd be hard-pressed to turn up a matching pair of socks, particularly if they're patterned ones. Oh, how I love just plain white socks! Anyway, I know I haven't written much, but surely this post will clue you into the chaos that has currently unpacked and settled into my own head. And now I have digital proof of it all! There's nothing like seeing and hearing of your faults in full color and surround sound. Perhaps I should thank the kids for bringing this to my attention. But that would just encourage them to keep taping. I guess I'll consider my self-improvement in this area an early New Year's resolution.
Anyone who has, ahem, ever had the pleasure of knowing me for more than a nanosecond, will have undoubtedly witnessed many such episodes. I lose everything. I lose my glasses daily. Well, it's not like I can see them when I'm not wearing them! Pencils mysteriously go missing. My keys? Heck, I lose those in my own purse. I'd be hard-pressed to turn up a matching pair of socks, particularly if they're patterned ones. Oh, how I love just plain white socks! Anyway, I know I haven't written much, but surely this post will clue you into the chaos that has currently unpacked and settled into my own head. And now I have digital proof of it all! There's nothing like seeing and hearing of your faults in full color and surround sound. Perhaps I should thank the kids for bringing this to my attention. But that would just encourage them to keep taping. I guess I'll consider my self-improvement in this area an early New Year's resolution.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Incapacitation via the Hindu Squat and Other Such Things
Just the other day, in an effort to supplement my current weekly exercise routines, I went onto youtube and started viewing instructional workout videos. I stumbled across one for the Hindu squat. My interest was piqued. It seemed like a good idea, that is until the next day when I found myself nearly incapacitated.
Falling out of shape took no time at all. In a matter of weeks, I started to feel sluggish. Walking up a flight of stairs was enough to get me out of breath. As my work schedule became more demanding and I was spending even more time seated in front of my computer screen, the pounds started piling up. I found myself getting into cooking ruts, making tons of pasta and rice dishes which were quick and easy, and of course, that didn't help at all.
In the meantime, I was intent on keeping on top of the kids' levels of activity. It's funny how I was so hyper-focused on their keeping physically fit and active, while dismissing my need for the same. The girls had been involved in dance classes for several years, but I had yet to find something for my son, who is very physically active anyway. He's the sort of child that has to move to think. He needs frequent breaks from his schoolwork to stand, walk around, jump, and run. Yet despite his high levels of physical activity, he wasn't particularly interested in sports. He was however, very interested in pursuing martial arts, especially kung fu or jeet kune do, thanks to his love of Bruce Lee films, brought along in large part by my husband's love of the same. I set out to find a kung fu school which proved much more difficult than I thought. There are karate and tae kwon do schools seemingly everywhere, but kung fu lessons were much more difficult to find. Thankfully, before too long, I was able to find a place not terribly far from home that offered a free introductory lesson for my son. We all tagged along and the sifu insisted that we all take part as well. Yes, even me. This was definitely not my intention in going, but I figured, I may as well give it a shot. Not fifteen minutes later, I found myself quite unable to move. Every muscle in my body ached. Even just lifting my arms to adjust my glasses, was painful. It's funny to me now, but right then, it all became a major epiphany for me. I quickly talked things over with my husband, and we all decided to enroll. It is one of the best decisions I've made for myself and my family in a long while.
The past few months have made such an amazing difference in my life. Not only have they tested my will in so many ways, but I am sharing this new journey with my family, and what great motivators they have proven to be. Just a few short months ago, I could barely make it through fifteen minutes of training, and here I am, able to do that and more. Granted, the Hindu squat experiment has shown that I have a long way to go, but I'm less disheartened by that realization now, considering how far I feel I've come already. I will from time to time, update this blog with my progress in this area, and as I discover new aptitudes and challenges along the way. Until then, in the words of Bruce Lee: "There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." I hope to do just that.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Letting go of that OCD (or trying to)
Recently when I was proofreading a friend's paper for a graduate class she's been taking, I noticed that her spacing between sentences wasn't uniform. I had to fight against an intrinsic desire to update all of the spacing to two spaces as was common when I first learned to type on an antiquated machine called a typewriter (remember those?), but of course that is no longer considered the proper form. No longer is it correct to follow a colon with two spaces either. Oh, the horror! And just now, I was reminded of this new (yes, it's still new to me) and now firmly established form as I look over my last post and see that my left margin isn't all lovely and flushed against the side because I still subscribe to old school spacing! I'm not necessarily of the "you-can't-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks" variety, but why mess with something so basic and as ingrained as proper sentence spacing? I mean, really. I understand that the computer has made all of it irrelevant, as it adjusts for proper letter spacing all on its own (shudder), but yikes.
If it wasn't for that dang left margin looking so well, NOT uniform, I'd probably stick to my guns and just type as I always have. To have to catch myself after every single sentence is just torture, akin to Chinese water torture I'd fathom. How such an insignificant (to most) little detail could grate on me so much, I'll never understand.
And I thought it was bad enough when Pluto was demoted. Sure, I understand that it is neither terrestrial or jovian, but again, really? Well, I just wanted to say, Pluto, I've got your back. And all this because you're a dwarf and a bit of a tag-along. In my world, "My Very Educated Mother" still serves us "Nine Pickles." (Note: for those not familiar with the planet order mnemonic, it's My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles--or Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). Kids today are being served Nachos. Nachos! Can you stand it?
Tagentially related, I think I preferred living in a world where brontosauruses (brontosauri?) existed, and were still known as brontosauruses. "Apatosaurus" just doesn't have the same ring to it. And from the looks of it, the triceratops might be on its way out, too. Oh, the inhumanity!
Busy-ness
Well, October has been kind of busy, and I've been in a haze precipitated by a near constant dosage of allergy medication. 'Twas my pulmonologist's idea...something about nipping symptoms in the bud or some such thing. The result however, has been that I've been in this zombie-like state for weeks--zombie-like yes, but with no appetite for brains. I've managed to avoid allergy induced asthmatic flare-ups, but egads, this is intolerable. I feel as if I have to broadcast that I'm really not this slow...at least not regularly...as far as I'm aware anyway.
School has gone well, particularly considering all of the above. Dd1 seems to be taking greater charge of her education. I've always felt like I've had to be her cheerleader in all things. Well, that's not entirely true either. She does do some things without any prompting, but keeping on top of her assignments has always been a challenge. Then of course, sometimes I doubt whether or not the reason for this is that perhaps I'm expecting too much of her. If anyone is out there, reading my blog, please feel free to opine on this topic. I originally set out to expect her to write about two one-page "response" papers per week, in addition to the assignments required in her writing program. I often provide her with an essay question to answer, but she is welcome to write on any relevant topic she may choose. There is a bit of writing involved across our curriculum, but nothing too over-the-top--i.e. the occasional outline of a passage in one of her books (Chemistry, Rhetoric, etc.). I haven't quite gotten comfortable with her just reading through her history book on her own. Maybe it's just my hang-up, but I don't believe that she really absorbs the information in one reading. So, I've taken to reading ahead of her, keeping my own notes which she's welcome to reference, and we just chat about the section's material. Is this too much hand-holding? I'm genuinely curious. Every now and again, I pop on over at the WTM boards and check to see what other children her age (14) are doing, and it seems that several are way more autonomous at that age. I realize that no two children are the same, and that ultimately, I should follow my conscience and do what is best for my particular child, but I'm always worried about making her too dependent in the process.
Dd2 is proving to be challenging in another way. She is such a driven child...but only for things that she loves to do. She's an amazing artist. Really and truly. And I'm not just saying this because she's my child. She has an amazing eye for subtle detail, and she is such a visual learner. Rather than pry her away from her sketchbooks, I'm trying to incorporate art across her curriculum. Her eyes just brighten up when she knows she can turn whatever she's learning into a drawing of some sort. And oddly enough, this excitement even plays a part in her math lessons. We use Singapore Math, and there are many opportunities for drawing models with that program. Yes, she even gets excited over something as simple as model drawing. Granted, she takes some artistic liberties with regard to these diagrams, but I'm not complaining. Oh, and we did decide to take part in a special homeschool series of art classes at one of our local museums. The first session was on contour drawing, and she was just so excited. This was our first time taking part in something art related outside of home, and so far, so good.
As for my ds, well, he is about as well-rounded as they come. He seems to be equally interested in everything, and shows an aptitude for everything we've covered as well, with the exception of the physical act of writing. Even small amounts of handwriting frustrate him, and he's permanently attached to his eraser. I've never seen a child so intent on erasing, even when erasures aren't even necessary. I'm guessing this could be a tendency toward perfectionism, and frankly, that scares me a bit. Sounds a bit like me actually, hence my worry. Why couldn't he have inherited something else from me? Well, he does have his Mama's hair. ;) While I don't want him to be careless, I certainly don't want him to be so hung up on being perfect either.
And that seems to cover things as they currently stand. Oh, I did go ahead and assign some long term assignments for the kids...stuff I think they would enjoy. In an effort to capitalize on their love of art (all three of them enjoy art, it's just that my middle dd LIVES it), I've asked the kids to come up with their own manga. They are open to developing their characters and storylines fully into a short graphic novel, but really, there are no real requirements. This is just something I think they'd enjoy. Last year, I had them make short claymation stop-motion films, and they were hilarious. If I can figure out how to post a few of their videos here, I will. Given their interest level, I may just have them design their own board games based on their manga characters and storyline. I bought those game kits from Bare Books a while ago, and I actually had forgotten I had done so. I stumbled across them the other day and got excited all over again. 'Tis the one positive aspect of being a bit absent-minded. Everything old, seems new, as you're always looking at things with new eyes. Uh-huh...this is a glass half full kind of day.
Happy homeschooling!
School has gone well, particularly considering all of the above. Dd1 seems to be taking greater charge of her education. I've always felt like I've had to be her cheerleader in all things. Well, that's not entirely true either. She does do some things without any prompting, but keeping on top of her assignments has always been a challenge. Then of course, sometimes I doubt whether or not the reason for this is that perhaps I'm expecting too much of her. If anyone is out there, reading my blog, please feel free to opine on this topic. I originally set out to expect her to write about two one-page "response" papers per week, in addition to the assignments required in her writing program. I often provide her with an essay question to answer, but she is welcome to write on any relevant topic she may choose. There is a bit of writing involved across our curriculum, but nothing too over-the-top--i.e. the occasional outline of a passage in one of her books (Chemistry, Rhetoric, etc.). I haven't quite gotten comfortable with her just reading through her history book on her own. Maybe it's just my hang-up, but I don't believe that she really absorbs the information in one reading. So, I've taken to reading ahead of her, keeping my own notes which she's welcome to reference, and we just chat about the section's material. Is this too much hand-holding? I'm genuinely curious. Every now and again, I pop on over at the WTM boards and check to see what other children her age (14) are doing, and it seems that several are way more autonomous at that age. I realize that no two children are the same, and that ultimately, I should follow my conscience and do what is best for my particular child, but I'm always worried about making her too dependent in the process.
Dd2 is proving to be challenging in another way. She is such a driven child...but only for things that she loves to do. She's an amazing artist. Really and truly. And I'm not just saying this because she's my child. She has an amazing eye for subtle detail, and she is such a visual learner. Rather than pry her away from her sketchbooks, I'm trying to incorporate art across her curriculum. Her eyes just brighten up when she knows she can turn whatever she's learning into a drawing of some sort. And oddly enough, this excitement even plays a part in her math lessons. We use Singapore Math, and there are many opportunities for drawing models with that program. Yes, she even gets excited over something as simple as model drawing. Granted, she takes some artistic liberties with regard to these diagrams, but I'm not complaining. Oh, and we did decide to take part in a special homeschool series of art classes at one of our local museums. The first session was on contour drawing, and she was just so excited. This was our first time taking part in something art related outside of home, and so far, so good.
As for my ds, well, he is about as well-rounded as they come. He seems to be equally interested in everything, and shows an aptitude for everything we've covered as well, with the exception of the physical act of writing. Even small amounts of handwriting frustrate him, and he's permanently attached to his eraser. I've never seen a child so intent on erasing, even when erasures aren't even necessary. I'm guessing this could be a tendency toward perfectionism, and frankly, that scares me a bit. Sounds a bit like me actually, hence my worry. Why couldn't he have inherited something else from me? Well, he does have his Mama's hair. ;) While I don't want him to be careless, I certainly don't want him to be so hung up on being perfect either.
And that seems to cover things as they currently stand. Oh, I did go ahead and assign some long term assignments for the kids...stuff I think they would enjoy. In an effort to capitalize on their love of art (all three of them enjoy art, it's just that my middle dd LIVES it), I've asked the kids to come up with their own manga. They are open to developing their characters and storylines fully into a short graphic novel, but really, there are no real requirements. This is just something I think they'd enjoy. Last year, I had them make short claymation stop-motion films, and they were hilarious. If I can figure out how to post a few of their videos here, I will. Given their interest level, I may just have them design their own board games based on their manga characters and storyline. I bought those game kits from Bare Books a while ago, and I actually had forgotten I had done so. I stumbled across them the other day and got excited all over again. 'Tis the one positive aspect of being a bit absent-minded. Everything old, seems new, as you're always looking at things with new eyes. Uh-huh...this is a glass half full kind of day.
Happy homeschooling!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The Trilogy Curse Strikes Again
Okay, to be fair, most of the third (bad to awful) installments I was thinking about when I chose the title of this blog post were films. What films you ask? Well, Return of the Jedi is one. Lucas lost me with the Ewoks, and the horrible dialogue, and don't even get me started on the prequels. Then there are Superman III, Spider-man III, The Godfather III, and Shrek the Third (actually, I didn't like any of the Shrek films, except for maybe the fourth installment which redeemed itself a bit for me). I'm sure there are more that I'm missing.
When it comes to books, I've had better experiences with trilogies. The first trilogy I remember having read was John Christopher's dystopian sci-fi Tripod Trilogy. I loved that series, all the way through, and have been meaning to go back and re-read them. I also remember enjoying John Jakes' North and South trilogy, which was a grossly inappropriate read for me at the time. I was only about eleven or twelve, and really shouldn't have been exposed to such adult themes, but my Mom, who didn't speak English, didn't realize she had to censor my reading. I read the first two books in the Bourne Trilogy in high school and loved them, too. The third book was released shortly afterwards, and was just okay, and not nearly as good as the first two. Again, I'm sure there are several others, but now that I think of it, several of the series I've read consist of more than three books.
Like many people, granted, mostly teens, I had been eagerly anticipating the release of Suzanne Collins' third installment in the Hunger Games trilogy (Mockingjay). As can be inferred from what I have written, I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy. The second book received some negative press as to many, and to be frank, even to me, it seemed that the second book was nothing more than a rehashing of the first. Ultimately, this didn't matter to me, as I had enjoyed the first one so much. And I grew even more excited about the series when I heard that it was being adapted for the screen. I felt that it had everything necessary to translate well into a summer blockbuster--tons of action, an interesting story, a strong heroine, a love triangle, and a battle against good and evil. Well, that's what I used to think anyway.
I received a copy of the book later than I had anticipated, and then didn't find the time to read it until last weekend, and what can I say? I was sorely disappointed. The people you had grown to care about, were all out of character in this book. It felt to me that Collins sought to vilify one particular character for the sole purpose of having things tie up nicely at the end. The dialogue was stilted, and the heroine found herself unconscious a lot of the time. Huge developments in the story were told to you, rather than experienced in the narrative. Major characters' deaths were glossed over. The relationships between characters in this book weren't as developed as they were in the previous books, and at the end, characters were simply dismissed without fanfare.
All in all, it was a dreary read. Sure, the book deals with war, and it's a given that war is not a pleasant thing. But most of the pivotal action, i.e. the actual defeating of the enemy, happens behind-the-scenes. Shouldn't this be the most exciting bit? And to make matters worse, the over-all feeling left behind after reading it, is sheer and utter hopelessness.
I'm not one to demand happy endings. I don't expect there to always be a silver lining, but I do like when stories make sense. Some may think that the ending was realistic, but for pity's sake, the world depicted in the novels is one where unrealistic things are possible, as evidenced by the technology used by the opposing forces. Sigh. It just fell flat for me, and I can't for the life of me understand how it is receiving favorable reviews at all.
When it comes to books, I've had better experiences with trilogies. The first trilogy I remember having read was John Christopher's dystopian sci-fi Tripod Trilogy. I loved that series, all the way through, and have been meaning to go back and re-read them. I also remember enjoying John Jakes' North and South trilogy, which was a grossly inappropriate read for me at the time. I was only about eleven or twelve, and really shouldn't have been exposed to such adult themes, but my Mom, who didn't speak English, didn't realize she had to censor my reading. I read the first two books in the Bourne Trilogy in high school and loved them, too. The third book was released shortly afterwards, and was just okay, and not nearly as good as the first two. Again, I'm sure there are several others, but now that I think of it, several of the series I've read consist of more than three books.
Like many people, granted, mostly teens, I had been eagerly anticipating the release of Suzanne Collins' third installment in the Hunger Games trilogy (Mockingjay). As can be inferred from what I have written, I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy. The second book received some negative press as to many, and to be frank, even to me, it seemed that the second book was nothing more than a rehashing of the first. Ultimately, this didn't matter to me, as I had enjoyed the first one so much. And I grew even more excited about the series when I heard that it was being adapted for the screen. I felt that it had everything necessary to translate well into a summer blockbuster--tons of action, an interesting story, a strong heroine, a love triangle, and a battle against good and evil. Well, that's what I used to think anyway.
I received a copy of the book later than I had anticipated, and then didn't find the time to read it until last weekend, and what can I say? I was sorely disappointed. The people you had grown to care about, were all out of character in this book. It felt to me that Collins sought to vilify one particular character for the sole purpose of having things tie up nicely at the end. The dialogue was stilted, and the heroine found herself unconscious a lot of the time. Huge developments in the story were told to you, rather than experienced in the narrative. Major characters' deaths were glossed over. The relationships between characters in this book weren't as developed as they were in the previous books, and at the end, characters were simply dismissed without fanfare.
All in all, it was a dreary read. Sure, the book deals with war, and it's a given that war is not a pleasant thing. But most of the pivotal action, i.e. the actual defeating of the enemy, happens behind-the-scenes. Shouldn't this be the most exciting bit? And to make matters worse, the over-all feeling left behind after reading it, is sheer and utter hopelessness.
I'm not one to demand happy endings. I don't expect there to always be a silver lining, but I do like when stories make sense. Some may think that the ending was realistic, but for pity's sake, the world depicted in the novels is one where unrealistic things are possible, as evidenced by the technology used by the opposing forces. Sigh. It just fell flat for me, and I can't for the life of me understand how it is receiving favorable reviews at all.
Autopilot
I'd be lying if I said that things were going smoothly. Sure, the autopilot thing is true, but most of the time it feels as if we're flying by the seat of our pants. And we've been at this for years! But high school has really made me extra anxious. I know I'm capable of teaching it, and I made sure to purchase what I felt were the best materials, offering tons of teacher helps, but I'm still anxious. And when I'm anxious, I tend to over-compensate. So there have been several projects, and even tests. I'm not a "tester" per se, but I figured that it wouldn't hurt to start, particularly considering the fact that my daughter has exhibited a sincere interest in enrolling at our local high school for her sophomore year. I guess we'll cross that bridge soon enough.
Fifth and Sixth grade are going along swimmingly actually. I'm glad I decided to combine my younger two this year. My son, a full year and a half younger than my sixth grade daughter, has been ready for a bit of a challenge anyway. He keeps up very well, only he hasn't yet mastered written speed. While he comprehends everything, and composes well, his physical writing is still painfully slow. And slower yet when he makes an effort to write neatly. Any assignments that require writing are still challenging for him. He is learning to type now, so that may help matters, but it's still important to me that he gets past this little bump in the road.
And in other news, it's 86 days until Christmas. EIGHTY-SIX! As is common for me every year, I always plan to get done with my shopping early. Every year, I broadcast this plan, making a futile attempt to establish some sort of accountability. And yet, I recently read that telling others your plans is the absolute worst thing you can do, as it sets you up for failure. Oh well, I still think I work best under pressure, so consider this my disclosure.
I fully intend to be done with Christmas shopping by the first week of December.
There, I've said it. And I really wavered for a moment there, as I had initially planned to write that I'd be done by Thanksgiving weekend. Now, while getting done early has been tough for me in the past, I think the greatest challenge I have this year is to really stick to my budget. But this is always a challenge. And it's not because I can't realistically stay within budget. My problem is that I love to give gifts, and I have to keep myself from over-purchasing. Lest I be mistaken for the type of person to go grossly overboard, rest assured that I am not. Our budget is very modest, and what I consider as going overboard would seem laughable to most people.
The urgency of staying within budget is due to our recent transition back into being a one-income family. Overall, this transition hasn't gone badly. Of course, I planned in advance, so we are still able to share a lot of the financial responsibility. Eventually however, my husband will be doing it all on his own, and that does concern me a bit. But I'm still hopeful that I will think of something to do to make money. The only thing that worries me is how to continue going at the pace I'm going now with our schooling, once I'm gainfully employed again. Sure, I managed for about three years, but we certainly weren't as busy then as we are now. This year we're out of the house for activities and volunteering at an average of about four days per week. This doesn't include once a month classes/activities, or weekly errands. When I see everything written out like this, I can't help but feel panicked.
Fifth and Sixth grade are going along swimmingly actually. I'm glad I decided to combine my younger two this year. My son, a full year and a half younger than my sixth grade daughter, has been ready for a bit of a challenge anyway. He keeps up very well, only he hasn't yet mastered written speed. While he comprehends everything, and composes well, his physical writing is still painfully slow. And slower yet when he makes an effort to write neatly. Any assignments that require writing are still challenging for him. He is learning to type now, so that may help matters, but it's still important to me that he gets past this little bump in the road.
And in other news, it's 86 days until Christmas. EIGHTY-SIX! As is common for me every year, I always plan to get done with my shopping early. Every year, I broadcast this plan, making a futile attempt to establish some sort of accountability. And yet, I recently read that telling others your plans is the absolute worst thing you can do, as it sets you up for failure. Oh well, I still think I work best under pressure, so consider this my disclosure.
I fully intend to be done with Christmas shopping by the first week of December.
There, I've said it. And I really wavered for a moment there, as I had initially planned to write that I'd be done by Thanksgiving weekend. Now, while getting done early has been tough for me in the past, I think the greatest challenge I have this year is to really stick to my budget. But this is always a challenge. And it's not because I can't realistically stay within budget. My problem is that I love to give gifts, and I have to keep myself from over-purchasing. Lest I be mistaken for the type of person to go grossly overboard, rest assured that I am not. Our budget is very modest, and what I consider as going overboard would seem laughable to most people.
The urgency of staying within budget is due to our recent transition back into being a one-income family. Overall, this transition hasn't gone badly. Of course, I planned in advance, so we are still able to share a lot of the financial responsibility. Eventually however, my husband will be doing it all on his own, and that does concern me a bit. But I'm still hopeful that I will think of something to do to make money. The only thing that worries me is how to continue going at the pace I'm going now with our schooling, once I'm gainfully employed again. Sure, I managed for about three years, but we certainly weren't as busy then as we are now. This year we're out of the house for activities and volunteering at an average of about four days per week. This doesn't include once a month classes/activities, or weekly errands. When I see everything written out like this, I can't help but feel panicked.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Want some whine with that?
I'm sick. And whiney. Yes, despite the heaps of vitamin C, increased exercise, making an effort to observe an earlier bedtime, experimenting with acupressure points to unblock my nose, and generally trying to keep positive about all of the above, I succumbed to a cold. Now, if I were like my husband, I'd contract the cold, and a day or two later, I'd be as good as new. But of course, I'm not like that at all. Colds linger with me...for several days, and even weeks. These often (but not always) turn into bouts of bronchitis, and when that happens, my asthma flares, and well, we're sometimes looking at a few months' worth of frustration.
The kids have been sick, too, which has meant that our schooling has been spotty. Not a big deal of course, as I always add lots of wiggle room to our schedule anyway, to account for days like these.
Okay, I just thought I'd update as I've been MIA for a few days. I've just had some Theraflu (yick), and I'm going to try to get some sleep.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Stuff, or How I Lack Blog Post Title Creativity
Last night I went to my first ever Catechist meeting to usher in the new school year. This will be my fourth year teaching CCD, but it's the first time we've all gotten together for a meeting. The primary motive was to go over our new parish curriculum (Benziger). I'm teaching the 2nd grade this year, so I received two smallish books for sacramental preparation (Eucharist and Reconciliation manuals). I guess the program is okay--seems easy enough to implement in a classroom situation, and is fairly well laid out, but it's still not my preference. I'm more of a "back-to-basics" kind of catechist, and I appreciate resources like the Baltimore Catechism, so these parish programs drive me up a wall. I keep feeling that there's a lot of beating around the bush involved, rather than just getting to the point. If you beat around the bush enough, the children are bound to get confused. All that said, I am pleased that our new parish program seems a bit less cluttered than what we used previously (Sadlier), and some of the language does seem clearer. I'm sure I'll have more to add, both positive and negative, once I've gotten the chance to teach from it for a while.
Also, on a positive note, our new DRE is just wonderful. She is so efficient and organized. I admit, I was just a tad bit envious of her organizational skills. She seems to have thought of everything. We all received complete packets with masters of activity sheets, as well as schedules, special prayers to share with the children, and tips--lots of tips. If only I could bottle up a bit of her organizational know-how and enthusiasm, I'd be a happy camper. Actually, I could use more than a bit of these this year!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Still Recuperating
As usual, I labored on Labor Day, and I'm just wrecked this week. Yes, the exhaustion is carrying over this far into the week, but I hope I'll somehow get a renewed burst of energy today, particularly after our kung fu class tonight. But of course, then that would mean that I'd be too wired to settle down to sleep later. In the meantime, I suppose I could just opt for a caffeine fix.
School is going as well as I had hoped, and the deeper we get into our materials, the more pleased I am with them. We're still relatively new to IEW, but so far, so good. There are things about the program, however, that are rubbing me the wrong way--for instance, the composition checklist prompting you to add a who/which clause (Why is this necessary? I urge my dd to skip it if tacking it on seems well, too tacked on), and some of the models they use aren't the best, but it's the sort of hand-holding I needed right now, so for that I'm appreciative. I don't want to rush to make judgments either way, so I'm riding out these little annoyances for now. I'm hoping it will all make sense eventually. So far, it seems easier to use than I had expected. Granted, we're using SWI-C, so I'm sure that changes things a bit. Some reviews made it out to seem super time intensive, and perhaps it will be so later on down the road, but for now, the time commitment seems reasonable to me.
As I think I have mentioned before, we're also incorporating some of the writing guidelines Susan Wise Bauer mentions in her writing MP3's (the frequent short persuasive essays), and we are going through Anthony Weston's A Rulebook for Arguments right now for Logic/Rhetoric. The aforementioned MP3's actually prompted me to pull out my copy of D'Angelo's Composition in the Classical Tradition, and this time, I took more than a cursory look through its content. I love D'Angelo's explanations of the progymnasmata exercises (the clearest I've seen yet), and I'm sure I'll be incorporating these as well. As an aside, apparently, SWB suggests using D'Angelo's book alongside Corbett's (i.e. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student). I wonder where this leaves Kane's New Oxford Guide to Writing, which The Well-Trained Mind suggests we use after Weston's A Rulebook for Arguments? I'm confuzled. I think I need a nap.
School is going as well as I had hoped, and the deeper we get into our materials, the more pleased I am with them. We're still relatively new to IEW, but so far, so good. There are things about the program, however, that are rubbing me the wrong way--for instance, the composition checklist prompting you to add a who/which clause (Why is this necessary? I urge my dd to skip it if tacking it on seems well, too tacked on), and some of the models they use aren't the best, but it's the sort of hand-holding I needed right now, so for that I'm appreciative. I don't want to rush to make judgments either way, so I'm riding out these little annoyances for now. I'm hoping it will all make sense eventually. So far, it seems easier to use than I had expected. Granted, we're using SWI-C, so I'm sure that changes things a bit. Some reviews made it out to seem super time intensive, and perhaps it will be so later on down the road, but for now, the time commitment seems reasonable to me.
As I think I have mentioned before, we're also incorporating some of the writing guidelines Susan Wise Bauer mentions in her writing MP3's (the frequent short persuasive essays), and we are going through Anthony Weston's A Rulebook for Arguments right now for Logic/Rhetoric. The aforementioned MP3's actually prompted me to pull out my copy of D'Angelo's Composition in the Classical Tradition, and this time, I took more than a cursory look through its content. I love D'Angelo's explanations of the progymnasmata exercises (the clearest I've seen yet), and I'm sure I'll be incorporating these as well. As an aside, apparently, SWB suggests using D'Angelo's book alongside Corbett's (i.e. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student). I wonder where this leaves Kane's New Oxford Guide to Writing, which The Well-Trained Mind suggests we use after Weston's A Rulebook for Arguments? I'm confuzled. I think I need a nap.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Children Have Spoken
I was just informed by the Littles that they miss doing Greek (Koine). It wasn't my intention to just drop it this year. Frankly, I very nearly just forgot about it--not surprising really, considering the general disorder of things in my head. It's not like we really need something else to add in, but if the kids don't protest, and in fact ask for something more, I guess there's no harm in obliging. But oh, what of the schedule? When to fit it all in? Guess that we'll be picking up where we left off in the Elementary Greek program (from Open Texture), but we'll surely need to review after our extended time off from the program. Joy! It's not like I'm dreading getting back into it or anything, just maybe a little frustrated about having to do all of that reviewing first.
Oh, and tangentially related, the Littles have also shared that they miss their Latin Prep (LP) program from Galore Park. We were going through this primer series at a ridiculously slow pace, which is why I made the choice to switch to First Form Latin in the first place. I can see why they miss LP, what with its conversational style and distinct British humor. While the order of the cases is different from that of American programs, that hasn't been an issue for us. LP suggests a silly, and mildly irreverent (made me lol) little mnemonic to aid in learning the order of the cases:
Naughty - Nominative
Vicars - Vocative
Always - Accusative
Go - Genitive
Downstairs - Dative
Awkwardly - Ablative
We've just come up with another mnemonic to help us remember the American order.
Napoleon - Nominative
Gives - Genitive
Deb - Dative
Agita - Accusative
And - Ablative
Vexation - Vocative
Okay, not very imaginative, I know. But it sent the Littles into fits of laughter as soon as I thought of it, and they haven't forgotten the American order yet. A mild success the way I see it!
Oh, and tangentially related, the Littles have also shared that they miss their Latin Prep (LP) program from Galore Park. We were going through this primer series at a ridiculously slow pace, which is why I made the choice to switch to First Form Latin in the first place. I can see why they miss LP, what with its conversational style and distinct British humor. While the order of the cases is different from that of American programs, that hasn't been an issue for us. LP suggests a silly, and mildly irreverent (made me lol) little mnemonic to aid in learning the order of the cases:
Naughty - Nominative
Vicars - Vocative
Always - Accusative
Go - Genitive
Downstairs - Dative
Awkwardly - Ablative
We've just come up with another mnemonic to help us remember the American order.
Napoleon - Nominative
Gives - Genitive
Deb - Dative
Agita - Accusative
And - Ablative
Vexation - Vocative
Okay, not very imaginative, I know. But it sent the Littles into fits of laughter as soon as I thought of it, and they haven't forgotten the American order yet. A mild success the way I see it!
Because Dave Ramsey Said So
For anyone who has read Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover," I'm sure that his oft-repeated phrase turned mantra will ring a bell.
If you'll live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.
For those not in the know, basically the gist of the message is this: If you make sacrifices now, like keeping your clunker instead of trading it in for another more expensive vehicle, or even foregoing that expensive meal at a fancy restaurant, opting instead for a nice homemade meal, you will eventually be able to afford that flashy new car, and an occasional meal you wouldn't have to cook. I was just struck however, by how my own concepts of "sacrifice" and "luxury" have evolved over the years, particularly after "living like no one else" for what seems at times like forever (I'm referring here to the former, rather than to the latter meaning of the phrase). Ultimately, I've come to see our family as privileged even to have a moving vehicle (even if our little beat-up car has earned the nickname of The Banshee, due to the ungodly sounds it makes), and while it would be nice to be able to afford to eat out more often, it's certainly not high up there on the list of luxuries in which we're dying to take part (well, come back and ask me about that when I'm having a bad day!). Basically, "living like no one else" has had a very different effect on our family than the one I had initially thought it would. Instead of making us more desirous of luxuries, it's made us more cynical of them. While living this way will indeed allow us to afford more in the future, I'm thinking we probably won't skimp on the continued frugality.
If you'll live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.
For those not in the know, basically the gist of the message is this: If you make sacrifices now, like keeping your clunker instead of trading it in for another more expensive vehicle, or even foregoing that expensive meal at a fancy restaurant, opting instead for a nice homemade meal, you will eventually be able to afford that flashy new car, and an occasional meal you wouldn't have to cook. I was just struck however, by how my own concepts of "sacrifice" and "luxury" have evolved over the years, particularly after "living like no one else" for what seems at times like forever (I'm referring here to the former, rather than to the latter meaning of the phrase). Ultimately, I've come to see our family as privileged even to have a moving vehicle (even if our little beat-up car has earned the nickname of The Banshee, due to the ungodly sounds it makes), and while it would be nice to be able to afford to eat out more often, it's certainly not high up there on the list of luxuries in which we're dying to take part (well, come back and ask me about that when I'm having a bad day!). Basically, "living like no one else" has had a very different effect on our family than the one I had initially thought it would. Instead of making us more desirous of luxuries, it's made us more cynical of them. While living this way will indeed allow us to afford more in the future, I'm thinking we probably won't skimp on the continued frugality.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Week One
We're a week into our homeschooling for this academic year, and while so far, the children have raved about our choice of curricula, it's become painfully apparent that something will have to give. This is probably one of my greatest challenges. Everything looks so good, and it all seems so enriching, and at times, even necessary, especially when considering the big picture. But just looking over at our schedule, it all seems super language heavy, and already I'm thinking that we'll be having a bit of overlap. I'll be following the WTM writing suggestions for frequent persuasive essays for my 9th grader. I think the recommendation is about two per week. I'm considering cutting it down to one short persuasive essay per week as we're also using IEW this year (SWI-C), and doing any more may very quickly turn into too much.
Generally, I think I'm most stressed out when it comes to teaching writing, and I tend to over-compensate in that area. Language arts came easily for me as a student, but it has always been the most challenging for me to teach to my own children. What seemed to come naturally for me, was daunting for at least one child, so I found myself having to reassess and adjust our methods. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about it all right now, but as mentioned before, I do see some overlap.
Here's what's on our school shelves for this year (some of which I'll have to tweak):
dd14 - Grade 9
Algebra
Foerster's Algebra I - Big hit! I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and purchase the Math Without Borders CD to go with this. The Solutions Manual from Pearson was a great addition as well. My dd is able to do this independently, freeing up some time for me. Granted, she hasn't gotten very far in the book yet, but the CD lessons are thorough and clear, so I don't anticipate a problem when she gets further into the book.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Language Arts - Our one multi-pronged subject...
Literature - Still not fully planned out yet, but here are some of our definite selections:
Animal Farm + Portals to Literature Companion
Of Mice and Men + Portals to Literature Companion
Flowers for Algernon
Lord of the Flies
Pride and Prejudice
Literature for Classical Studies -
The Iliad (Prose translation by Martin Hammond)
Essays, Short Stories, & Poetry -
Wide selection from several anthologies, primarily American
History-related -
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Diary of Anne Frank
Writing -
IEW - Student Writing Intensive - C
Interdisciplinary persuasive papers/essays
Grammar -
Seton Grammar - 9
Vocabulary -
Vocabulary from Classical Roots - A
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
American History I - We're using American Vision along with Oak Meadow's syllabus.
Logic-Critical Thinking-Rhetoric -
Critical Thinking: Problem Solving, Reasoning, Logic, Arguments - Book 1
A Rulebook for Arguments
Latin -
First Form Latin
Ecce Romani
Chemistry -
Conceptual Chemistry
High School Chemistry DVD Course from The Teaching Company
MicroChem Kit
Religion -
My Catholic Faith
The How-To Book of the Bible
Ignatius Bible
Computer Skills - with Dad
dd11 - Grade 6 & ds 10 - Grade 5
Math: Singapore
Language Arts:
Grammar - Rod & Staff (through grade 5 book only)
Writing - Writing with Ease 2 (requiring a bit more from both) & Writing Skills workbooks (plus written narrations for history)
Spelling - Spelling Power
Literature, including Classical Studies related - Father Brown Reader, 50 Famous Stories Retold, The Trojan War by Coolidge, and more yet to be determined
Science - Complete Book of Science along with Animal and Science Encyclopedias
History - Story of the World
Latin - First Form Latin
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome along with Memoria Press Guide
Religion -
My Catholic Faith
Concise Bible History
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In addition to the above, the children will also be doing/taking part in the following, some things together:
Runkle Geography (hoping to get to it!)
Art - possibly an outside class
Kung Fu and Tai Chi
Piano lessons
CCD classes and youth group, with dd14 acting as teacher's aid for me during my 2nd grade CCD classes
The girls are taking a break from dance for this year, Deo gratias, so that frees up an extra night of the week. Joy!
Generally, I think I'm most stressed out when it comes to teaching writing, and I tend to over-compensate in that area. Language arts came easily for me as a student, but it has always been the most challenging for me to teach to my own children. What seemed to come naturally for me, was daunting for at least one child, so I found myself having to reassess and adjust our methods. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about it all right now, but as mentioned before, I do see some overlap.
Here's what's on our school shelves for this year (some of which I'll have to tweak):
dd14 - Grade 9
Algebra
Foerster's Algebra I - Big hit! I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and purchase the Math Without Borders CD to go with this. The Solutions Manual from Pearson was a great addition as well. My dd is able to do this independently, freeing up some time for me. Granted, she hasn't gotten very far in the book yet, but the CD lessons are thorough and clear, so I don't anticipate a problem when she gets further into the book.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Language Arts - Our one multi-pronged subject...
Literature - Still not fully planned out yet, but here are some of our definite selections:
Animal Farm + Portals to Literature Companion
Of Mice and Men + Portals to Literature Companion
Flowers for Algernon
Lord of the Flies
Pride and Prejudice
Literature for Classical Studies -
The Iliad (Prose translation by Martin Hammond)
Essays, Short Stories, & Poetry -
Wide selection from several anthologies, primarily American
History-related -
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Diary of Anne Frank
Writing -
IEW - Student Writing Intensive - C
Interdisciplinary persuasive papers/essays
Grammar -
Seton Grammar - 9
Vocabulary -
Vocabulary from Classical Roots - A
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
American History I - We're using American Vision along with Oak Meadow's syllabus.
Logic-Critical Thinking-Rhetoric -
Critical Thinking: Problem Solving, Reasoning, Logic, Arguments - Book 1
A Rulebook for Arguments
Latin -
First Form Latin
Ecce Romani
Chemistry -
Conceptual Chemistry
High School Chemistry DVD Course from The Teaching Company
MicroChem Kit
Religion -
My Catholic Faith
The How-To Book of the Bible
Ignatius Bible
Computer Skills - with Dad
dd11 - Grade 6 & ds 10 - Grade 5
Math: Singapore
Language Arts:
Grammar - Rod & Staff (through grade 5 book only)
Writing - Writing with Ease 2 (requiring a bit more from both) & Writing Skills workbooks (plus written narrations for history)
Spelling - Spelling Power
Literature, including Classical Studies related - Father Brown Reader, 50 Famous Stories Retold, The Trojan War by Coolidge, and more yet to be determined
Science - Complete Book of Science along with Animal and Science Encyclopedias
History - Story of the World
Latin - First Form Latin
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome along with Memoria Press Guide
Religion -
My Catholic Faith
Concise Bible History
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In addition to the above, the children will also be doing/taking part in the following, some things together:
Runkle Geography (hoping to get to it!)
Art - possibly an outside class
Kung Fu and Tai Chi
Piano lessons
CCD classes and youth group, with dd14 acting as teacher's aid for me during my 2nd grade CCD classes
The girls are taking a break from dance for this year, Deo gratias, so that frees up an extra night of the week. Joy!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
So I've finally done it...
After years of loyally reading other people's blogs, with more than a twang of desire to start one up myself, I finally decided to give it a shot. Ultimately, it was the misfortune of losing my job to offshoring that finally provided the means to do so. In other words, I suddenly had a lot of free time. Well, that's not exactly true. In reality, losing my job gave me less of an excuse to avoid blogging. I'm busy enough as a homeschooling mom with three children--children I've been schooling for over a decade (has it really been that long?).
As for the choice of a blog name? Well, we are classical homeschoolers, and follow a somewhat Latin-centered model. Yes, just somewhat. Our educational philosophy is too broad and varying to subscribe 100% to any one method...but at its core, our homeschooling is unequivocally Classical. In that sense, we really are old schooling. But I felt the title fit in other ways as well. For starters, I'm the only thirty-something I know without a texting plan, not that I'd know what to do if I had one. I've met six year olds that are more technologically savvy. [Feeling sort of guilty now for giving my Mom a hard time about not knowing how to work the VCR or the microwave.]
So what can you expect from this blog? Possibly a lot of my thinking out loud about any number of things (e.g. parenting, news items, my good and bad days, pop culture, food, Catholicism, music, etc.), but primarily about our educational journey. The way I see it, all of the above is often relevant to our educational pursuits anyway.
As for the choice of a blog name? Well, we are classical homeschoolers, and follow a somewhat Latin-centered model. Yes, just somewhat. Our educational philosophy is too broad and varying to subscribe 100% to any one method...but at its core, our homeschooling is unequivocally Classical. In that sense, we really are old schooling. But I felt the title fit in other ways as well. For starters, I'm the only thirty-something I know without a texting plan, not that I'd know what to do if I had one. I've met six year olds that are more technologically savvy. [Feeling sort of guilty now for giving my Mom a hard time about not knowing how to work the VCR or the microwave.]
So what can you expect from this blog? Possibly a lot of my thinking out loud about any number of things (e.g. parenting, news items, my good and bad days, pop culture, food, Catholicism, music, etc.), but primarily about our educational journey. The way I see it, all of the above is often relevant to our educational pursuits anyway.
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