The girls are enjoying their first week at home. We've played with friends and went on fun field trips. God has blessed the girls by having their best school friends continue to be a part of their lives. I was nervous that Paige and Allie's best friends would no longer be able to play with them. Their friends' parents are teachers at the school the girls no longer attend. One of the moms has asked if the girls could have a regular Wednesday play day! She also offered to bring information about community activities, so my girls don't miss out on soccer, baseball or art classes.
I'm also thankful that the girls have been industrious with their schoolwork this week. They have worked diligently on their assignments, so we have been able to have fairly short school days and lots of time for other interests. We're hoping to be able to go visit their grandparents over the next couple of weeks. We haven't had time to see either side of the family recently. I know everyone will enjoy a nice long visit.
Mike called me this afternoon to tell me that my sewing machine is repaired! It's been several months since my machine was in working order. On Friday, I will have a newly cleaned, working machine. Time to do some serious sewing! The best information was that it was less than $100 for the repair! Mike and I were afraid that the repair would be several hundred dollars. What a blessing! Let the sewing begin.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
More on Spelling
Paige has continued to bring home incredibly difficult spelling words each week. We're still spending hours each week studying spelling. They do not do any spelling in the classroom. I've fumed to my family, but have not spoken to the teacher about the ridiculousness of these lists. Obviously, I'm not the only parent upset by all the homework. Monday, Paige's teacher sent home an information sheet about her expectations with assigned homework.
The children were given a placement test at the beginning of the school year for spelling. After the results were tallied, the students were divided into various groups based upon their skill level. Paige is in the top group. The students in each group are provided a huge list of words. Each child chooses 20 words for the week. If a child misses any of the words, they are placed on the following weeks list. PAIGE has been choosing these words!
We had a (reasonably) calm discussion on choosing words for her spelling list. She can pick 3 very difficult words each week, MAXIMUM. The rest of the words need to be middle difficulty words. I won't force her to pick what she calls the "baby words". Hopefully, this discussion will greatly decrease the amount of time we spend of learning new words each week.
Btw, Paige's teacher is thrilled with Paige's spelling ability! She should be. We've worked hard enough! :)
The children were given a placement test at the beginning of the school year for spelling. After the results were tallied, the students were divided into various groups based upon their skill level. Paige is in the top group. The students in each group are provided a huge list of words. Each child chooses 20 words for the week. If a child misses any of the words, they are placed on the following weeks list. PAIGE has been choosing these words!
We had a (reasonably) calm discussion on choosing words for her spelling list. She can pick 3 very difficult words each week, MAXIMUM. The rest of the words need to be middle difficulty words. I won't force her to pick what she calls the "baby words". Hopefully, this discussion will greatly decrease the amount of time we spend of learning new words each week.
Btw, Paige's teacher is thrilled with Paige's spelling ability! She should be. We've worked hard enough! :)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Life's Little Inconveniences
Sunday after church, I took the kids to a nearby park to do some hiking in the beautiful fall weather. The colors are popping in our area and the temperature was around 80. Some of the kids were less than enthusiastic, but I wanted to spend some time with them anyway, so I forced them to come.
When we reached the park, one of the children offered to put my purse in the under-seat storage container. He had a difficult time getting it to close and forced the seat down.
Some of the kids were disgruntled during the walk. One child refused to climb a steep hill until we left her behind. Another child repeatedly complained about hunger pains. A third child grumbled about the sun being too hot. When another child whined about the stick-tights, I decided to end our wonderful family bonding experience.
I planned to stop at the grocery to pick up chips to go with our sandwiches for lunch. One of the kids tried to open the storage container and couldn't get it open. The child pulled harder and harder, until the strap broke off. A couple of the older children and I tried to get it open, but were unable to find a way to undo the clasp. We returned home without chips.
Our misadventure of the afternoon left me a little depressed. I don't see the children too often now that they are in school. It would be nice to enjoy our time together. Mike suggested that he and I drive down to Indiana to get pizza from a restaurant that boasts the best pizza in Indiana. The drive was only about 45 minutes and we could talk and enjoy the scenery on our journey.
The trees were beautiful and the sunset spectacular. When we reached the small town and located the restaurant, we discovered that it was not open on Sundays. We decided to try one of the several local pizza places that we had passed on our trip. Unfortunately, it was getting later in the day and the local pizza places had closed before we reached them on the return journey. Eventually, we ended up at our local Mancino's and ordered pizza.
While we were gone, I asked one of the boys to make spaghetti for everyone. He couldn't find the sausage....or the angel hair pasta....or any hamburger. The kids ended up eating tri-color rotini with meatless spaghetti sauce.
Mike tried to get my purse out of the storage locker without any success on Sunday night. The kids had doctor appointments on Monday and I knew that I would need the insurance card in my purse.
We have been unable to find local doctors who are able to schedule appointments in less than 4 months. I've called all the doctors in the large city to our north and cannot get appointments in a timely manner there either. The school system would not allow the kids to attend classes after October unless their shots are current. Eventually, I called our former pediatrician in Battle Creek and was able to get everyone in promptly.
We woke up early for the appointments. One of the boys laid on the floor of the SUV and tried to pry open the storage container. He couldn't get it open. About 1/2 way through our 75 minute drive, we all switched places so Mike could work on the storage locker. He wasn't able to open it and we went to the appointment without our insurance card.
I always knew that my purse contained important information, but not having access to my purse made getting through the day difficult. My debit card and checkbook were both inside. Would a policeman understand if I got pulled over and couldn't produce the license that was inside the vehicle. Happily, that situation didn't occur, but I was a little uncomfortable thinking about the possibility.
After the appointment, we headed to Yankee Springs to have a picnic and do a little letterboxing. Mike stopped in Hastings and picked up sandwich supplies. The park was almost empty. We ate our picnic at the water's edge and there was no one in sight. After lunch we drove over to some hiking trails. We were getting our bearings and had started reading some clues to the letterbox.
One of the children decided to be as difficult as possible. It was kids stuff, but incredibly annoying. After awhile, I was out of patience. I couldn't think about the clues with someone singing loudly in my ear. It's difficult to read when someone is throwing stick-tights in your face. Eventually, we headed back to the car without finding any boxes. Why do children want to be "fun-suckers?" I've decided that I am through taking that particular child anywhere for a long time.
This morning, Mike was able to get my purse out of the storage area. My children did all get their physicals and shot, so they can remain in school.
When we reached the park, one of the children offered to put my purse in the under-seat storage container. He had a difficult time getting it to close and forced the seat down.
Some of the kids were disgruntled during the walk. One child refused to climb a steep hill until we left her behind. Another child repeatedly complained about hunger pains. A third child grumbled about the sun being too hot. When another child whined about the stick-tights, I decided to end our wonderful family bonding experience.
I planned to stop at the grocery to pick up chips to go with our sandwiches for lunch. One of the kids tried to open the storage container and couldn't get it open. The child pulled harder and harder, until the strap broke off. A couple of the older children and I tried to get it open, but were unable to find a way to undo the clasp. We returned home without chips.
Our misadventure of the afternoon left me a little depressed. I don't see the children too often now that they are in school. It would be nice to enjoy our time together. Mike suggested that he and I drive down to Indiana to get pizza from a restaurant that boasts the best pizza in Indiana. The drive was only about 45 minutes and we could talk and enjoy the scenery on our journey.
The trees were beautiful and the sunset spectacular. When we reached the small town and located the restaurant, we discovered that it was not open on Sundays. We decided to try one of the several local pizza places that we had passed on our trip. Unfortunately, it was getting later in the day and the local pizza places had closed before we reached them on the return journey. Eventually, we ended up at our local Mancino's and ordered pizza.
While we were gone, I asked one of the boys to make spaghetti for everyone. He couldn't find the sausage....or the angel hair pasta....or any hamburger. The kids ended up eating tri-color rotini with meatless spaghetti sauce.
Mike tried to get my purse out of the storage locker without any success on Sunday night. The kids had doctor appointments on Monday and I knew that I would need the insurance card in my purse.
We have been unable to find local doctors who are able to schedule appointments in less than 4 months. I've called all the doctors in the large city to our north and cannot get appointments in a timely manner there either. The school system would not allow the kids to attend classes after October unless their shots are current. Eventually, I called our former pediatrician in Battle Creek and was able to get everyone in promptly.
We woke up early for the appointments. One of the boys laid on the floor of the SUV and tried to pry open the storage container. He couldn't get it open. About 1/2 way through our 75 minute drive, we all switched places so Mike could work on the storage locker. He wasn't able to open it and we went to the appointment without our insurance card.
I always knew that my purse contained important information, but not having access to my purse made getting through the day difficult. My debit card and checkbook were both inside. Would a policeman understand if I got pulled over and couldn't produce the license that was inside the vehicle. Happily, that situation didn't occur, but I was a little uncomfortable thinking about the possibility.
After the appointment, we headed to Yankee Springs to have a picnic and do a little letterboxing. Mike stopped in Hastings and picked up sandwich supplies. The park was almost empty. We ate our picnic at the water's edge and there was no one in sight. After lunch we drove over to some hiking trails. We were getting our bearings and had started reading some clues to the letterbox.
One of the children decided to be as difficult as possible. It was kids stuff, but incredibly annoying. After awhile, I was out of patience. I couldn't think about the clues with someone singing loudly in my ear. It's difficult to read when someone is throwing stick-tights in your face. Eventually, we headed back to the car without finding any boxes. Why do children want to be "fun-suckers?" I've decided that I am through taking that particular child anywhere for a long time.
This morning, Mike was able to get my purse out of the storage area. My children did all get their physicals and shot, so they can remain in school.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Educational Philosophies
We sent several of the kids to traditional school this year. Some of the experiences have been successful, others have been less positive.
I'm currently annoyed with spelling. Granted, I have a lot more time on my hands to get upset about things, but poor Paige is beginning to believe that she is a weak speller. What irritates me so much is that she is a good speller. She can spend 5 minutes looking over a spelling list and spell all the words correctly. She hasn't just managed to put the spellings in her short term memory for a test. She consistently spells the words correctly in her writing.
Last week, Paige brought home her list of words for the week. I was a little surprised at the list, but we worked every night on these words. Some of the words seemed silly to me for a third grade child. Here are my personal favorites:
absolute location
direction words
relative location
geography
Her list was made up of 20 words. Five were "normal" third grade words. Two were super easy words. Three words were challenging words. The remaining words were very difficult. I looked up the very difficult spelling words to check the spelling grade level. The words ranged from 7th-9th grade. No wonder it took so long to learn how to spell them!
I like to challenge my children and don't have a problem with them learning to spell difficult words. My gripe is that spelling words should be made up of words that they actually use in their normal vocabulary. Spelling words are even more meaningful if they consist of words that the child uses to write. I can't remember the last time that I used absolute location in a sentence. Wouldn't it make more sense to learn the differences between they're, there and their? We spent about 45 minutes each night studying these very difficult words, breaking them down into syllables that she could sound out.
Paige took her test Friday and missed absolute location and relative location. She wrote the letter c backwards. She came home from school crushed and cried when she showed me her spelling test. Her teacher had said that Paige hadn't studied the words enough last week. I understand that Paige was incorrect when she wrote the letter c backward, but the words were actually spelled correctly. The teacher should have focused on the penmanship aspect of the error, instead of assuming that Paige hadn't spent time learning how to spell the words. I was there.....we spent plenty of time on these words.
I hate to see Paige getting discouraged, but I know that she expects to always get everything right. There is a learning curve to adjust to the traditional school procedures and ways of assessing progress. Paige needs to learn that she will make mistakes and how to shake off her feeling of failure.
The girls are getting more and more homework each evening. This is a typical evening's homework assignment:
Read for 20 documented minutes-Paige
Read a book 5 times for testing by a classroom helper the next day-Allie
2 pages of math-Paige
1 page of math-Allie
2 pages of penmanship-Allie
2 pages of English/writing-Paige
30 minutes of outside activity with a family member (must be documented)-both girls
study spelling words-Paige
write sentences-Allie
To me, the amount of homework seems excessive. What are they doing at school all day? Why do the young elementary students need to spend 1-2 hours doing homework after being in the classroom for 7 1/2 hours? When do they get to be children?
There isn't much time for playing outside, helping mom cook, listening to stories before bed, or even keeping their bedrooms picked up.
Children need balance in their lives. Endless hours spent doing busy work deprive children of their ability to solve problems and think outside of the box. Growing children need time to run, jump, shout, imagine and absorb vitamin D.
I am struggling to accept that the kids no longer have time for family activities. My girls are missing their dad and wanting to cuddle with me more than usual. We are missing our time together.
Philosophically, my priorities for our children are different than the public school's emphasis. I resent spending all our time together doing homework, especially when much of it is busy work. Filling out endless paper irritates me.
We just began our second month of the public school experience and I'm beginning to think that the benefits are outweighed by the negative aspects.
I'm currently annoyed with spelling. Granted, I have a lot more time on my hands to get upset about things, but poor Paige is beginning to believe that she is a weak speller. What irritates me so much is that she is a good speller. She can spend 5 minutes looking over a spelling list and spell all the words correctly. She hasn't just managed to put the spellings in her short term memory for a test. She consistently spells the words correctly in her writing.
Last week, Paige brought home her list of words for the week. I was a little surprised at the list, but we worked every night on these words. Some of the words seemed silly to me for a third grade child. Here are my personal favorites:
absolute location
direction words
relative location
geography
Her list was made up of 20 words. Five were "normal" third grade words. Two were super easy words. Three words were challenging words. The remaining words were very difficult. I looked up the very difficult spelling words to check the spelling grade level. The words ranged from 7th-9th grade. No wonder it took so long to learn how to spell them!
I like to challenge my children and don't have a problem with them learning to spell difficult words. My gripe is that spelling words should be made up of words that they actually use in their normal vocabulary. Spelling words are even more meaningful if they consist of words that the child uses to write. I can't remember the last time that I used absolute location in a sentence. Wouldn't it make more sense to learn the differences between they're, there and their? We spent about 45 minutes each night studying these very difficult words, breaking them down into syllables that she could sound out.
Paige took her test Friday and missed absolute location and relative location. She wrote the letter c backwards. She came home from school crushed and cried when she showed me her spelling test. Her teacher had said that Paige hadn't studied the words enough last week. I understand that Paige was incorrect when she wrote the letter c backward, but the words were actually spelled correctly. The teacher should have focused on the penmanship aspect of the error, instead of assuming that Paige hadn't spent time learning how to spell the words. I was there.....we spent plenty of time on these words.
I hate to see Paige getting discouraged, but I know that she expects to always get everything right. There is a learning curve to adjust to the traditional school procedures and ways of assessing progress. Paige needs to learn that she will make mistakes and how to shake off her feeling of failure.
The girls are getting more and more homework each evening. This is a typical evening's homework assignment:
Read for 20 documented minutes-Paige
Read a book 5 times for testing by a classroom helper the next day-Allie
2 pages of math-Paige
1 page of math-Allie
2 pages of penmanship-Allie
2 pages of English/writing-Paige
30 minutes of outside activity with a family member (must be documented)-both girls
study spelling words-Paige
write sentences-Allie
To me, the amount of homework seems excessive. What are they doing at school all day? Why do the young elementary students need to spend 1-2 hours doing homework after being in the classroom for 7 1/2 hours? When do they get to be children?
There isn't much time for playing outside, helping mom cook, listening to stories before bed, or even keeping their bedrooms picked up.
Children need balance in their lives. Endless hours spent doing busy work deprive children of their ability to solve problems and think outside of the box. Growing children need time to run, jump, shout, imagine and absorb vitamin D.
I am struggling to accept that the kids no longer have time for family activities. My girls are missing their dad and wanting to cuddle with me more than usual. We are missing our time together.
Philosophically, my priorities for our children are different than the public school's emphasis. I resent spending all our time together doing homework, especially when much of it is busy work. Filling out endless paper irritates me.
We just began our second month of the public school experience and I'm beginning to think that the benefits are outweighed by the negative aspects.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Learning to Navigate the Public School
In Paige's class, the teacher has given each child a card with his name. Each time the child misbehaves, a marker on the name card moves down the bottom of the card. After 4 times, the name card is "flipped." Paige was appalled the second day of school when a classmate flipped his card.
Tonight at bedtime, Paige remarked that she is very tired during the school day. She stated that it would be nice to miss recess and take a nap. I said that I didn't think the teacher would let her skip recess. Her response? "She will if I flip my card!"
Tonight at bedtime, Paige remarked that she is very tired during the school day. She stated that it would be nice to miss recess and take a nap. I said that I didn't think the teacher would let her skip recess. Her response? "She will if I flip my card!"
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tears, Grumpiness, and Exhaustion
The kids made it through their first week of school. Monday morning, Steve wasn't thrilled to go back. He's grumpy and doesn't appear too thrilled with the "school" experience. Unfortunately for him, I'm mean and am making him stick it out. He doesn't have to return next year, but he made a commitment for this school year. He's also gotten really grumpy. Steve's normal personality is cheerful. He loves to make people laugh. That isn't the case right now. He shares minimally about his school day, so I'm not really sure what is going on at school. Hopefully, we'll get this figured out soon.
Last night, Allie began to cry. She misses me. She asked if she could not go back to school. We talked about the friends that she had made and the book that her teacher was reading aloud to the class. I mentioned how much she enjoyed recess. She still wants to stay home. It was tougher, but I am going to make her go back to school too. Part of her problem is that she's exhausted. The younger girls are in bed by 8, but the early morning isn't giving them enough sleep.
When the girls get home from school, they change into play clothes and immediately head outside to play with friends. I call them in for dinner and then they race outside again. The weather is so perfect right now, I hate to make them spend time inside. They will get enough inside time this winter! I think that I'll take the kids for a picnic and hiking day over the weekend. We won't letterbox, but simply enjoy being outside. I would enjoy spending time with the kids and it might help Allie.
Poor Joe is constantly on the go. Yesterday, he woke up at six, went to school, then had cross country practice until 5, raced home to eat, left the house at 5:45 for a choir performance, got home at 9 and did homework until 11:40. Today is just as busy. He is so tired! School has been good for him. He's happy, organized, and applying himself to all his interests. I can't express how much I enjoy watching him mature.
Madelyn is working hard on her school work and has decided that she wants to be a contortionist. She was already pretty flexible, but now it's scary. Amy has been spotting her while she works on new positions. I don't know how long this phase will last, but it's fun to watch her.
Last night, Allie began to cry. She misses me. She asked if she could not go back to school. We talked about the friends that she had made and the book that her teacher was reading aloud to the class. I mentioned how much she enjoyed recess. She still wants to stay home. It was tougher, but I am going to make her go back to school too. Part of her problem is that she's exhausted. The younger girls are in bed by 8, but the early morning isn't giving them enough sleep.
When the girls get home from school, they change into play clothes and immediately head outside to play with friends. I call them in for dinner and then they race outside again. The weather is so perfect right now, I hate to make them spend time inside. They will get enough inside time this winter! I think that I'll take the kids for a picnic and hiking day over the weekend. We won't letterbox, but simply enjoy being outside. I would enjoy spending time with the kids and it might help Allie.
Poor Joe is constantly on the go. Yesterday, he woke up at six, went to school, then had cross country practice until 5, raced home to eat, left the house at 5:45 for a choir performance, got home at 9 and did homework until 11:40. Today is just as busy. He is so tired! School has been good for him. He's happy, organized, and applying himself to all his interests. I can't express how much I enjoy watching him mature.
Madelyn is working hard on her school work and has decided that she wants to be a contortionist. She was already pretty flexible, but now it's scary. Amy has been spotting her while she works on new positions. I don't know how long this phase will last, but it's fun to watch her.
Monday, April 19, 2010
First Day of School
Katie attended her first day of school today. It seems kind of weird to have her gone during school hours. The school audited the classes that she did in our home school. Most of her classes were accepted without any problems, except her history classes. We've been following a classical approach to history. The public school only accepts United States history and World history. They would have like to see African history and social studies.
Katie was able to sign up for non-core classes for the remaining 6 weeks of the school year. She's taking creative cooking (which should be interesting because she doesn't cook), choir, web design, business law, and something else with computers that I can't remember, and composition.
Her classes went well. Katie felt that the classes were easy and would pose no difficulties for her. A number of students approached her and introduced themselves. A couple of students walked her to her next class. She mentioned that everyone seemed friendly and helpful. (She even stated that living in our new town isn't so bad!!)
I'm sure that there will still be a period of adjustment, but I'm so relieved that she had a good beginning.
Katie was able to sign up for non-core classes for the remaining 6 weeks of the school year. She's taking creative cooking (which should be interesting because she doesn't cook), choir, web design, business law, and something else with computers that I can't remember, and composition.
Her classes went well. Katie felt that the classes were easy and would pose no difficulties for her. A number of students approached her and introduced themselves. A couple of students walked her to her next class. She mentioned that everyone seemed friendly and helpful. (She even stated that living in our new town isn't so bad!!)
I'm sure that there will still be a period of adjustment, but I'm so relieved that she had a good beginning.
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