Liana had a better attitude the next day. Some of our work was beyond what she has learned, so we skipped it. Better to review what she knows than to teach something new right before the test. I realized too that the test prep book we are using covers the entire third grade, and we are only halfway through the year.
Arielle enjoys worksheets. She always has, so she is not complaining. I remember the early Explode the Code books that I thought were great. I would have to ask Arielle to please stop doing so many pages in one day and save some for later! Then I bought them for Liana. She would cry when I asked her to complete one page. The books were torture for her. Different kids, different learning styles. That is one of the main benefits of homeschooling. I can find books and methods to suit each child. I had to learn this the hard way though. Hard on Liana. I regret how I tried to conform her into a little twin of Arielle. Thank goodness Liana is a tough little character and fought back until I finally caught on that she is her own person.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back to School
The girls had no school for two weeks. This is the longest mid-year break we have ever had. With Christmas and New Year's Day falling on Thursday, it just made more sense to do that.
Now we begin again and I might be regretting my decision. At 9:00 as we sit down to begin, Liana is in tears because she doesn't want to read aloud. Then, she isn't at all happy about our plans for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, our state requires standardized testing in grades 3 and 5, so both girls have to be prepared by the 23rd. That means most of our month is wasted on test prep. I say wasted because now I have to teach to the test rather than continuing our regular studies in the textbooks I have chosen for the girls. We have to pull topics out of context from what we have been working on all year.
Liana is stressed. We did a practice test last spring at home and both girls did quite well. But today Liana feels pressured and keeps saying, "I can't do this!" Her hair is bothering her. She takes it in and out of a ponytail, impatiently pushes back the little flyaway hairs around her face. She says, "My hair never feels right." I wet it down, slick it back, tie it back, anchor it with a barrette. I need to remember to do that on test day too. I don't push her too much. She has blocked her brain from learning today. We'll try, try again tomorrow.
Now we begin again and I might be regretting my decision. At 9:00 as we sit down to begin, Liana is in tears because she doesn't want to read aloud. Then, she isn't at all happy about our plans for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, our state requires standardized testing in grades 3 and 5, so both girls have to be prepared by the 23rd. That means most of our month is wasted on test prep. I say wasted because now I have to teach to the test rather than continuing our regular studies in the textbooks I have chosen for the girls. We have to pull topics out of context from what we have been working on all year.
Liana is stressed. We did a practice test last spring at home and both girls did quite well. But today Liana feels pressured and keeps saying, "I can't do this!" Her hair is bothering her. She takes it in and out of a ponytail, impatiently pushes back the little flyaway hairs around her face. She says, "My hair never feels right." I wet it down, slick it back, tie it back, anchor it with a barrette. I need to remember to do that on test day too. I don't push her too much. She has blocked her brain from learning today. We'll try, try again tomorrow.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Questions
My pulmonologist got me through a serious illness a few years ago and I respect him for that. But as I've gotten to know him better, he seems more comfortable asking me about homeschooling. And I feel more uncomfortable answering his questions. (His wife was a public school teacher.)
Every homeschooling mom's radar picks up the subtle thoughts behind the questions. "How long do you plan to homeschool?" "Are your kids involved in outside activities?" "Do you have any other families you interact with?" Interpretation: Surely you're not going to continue this through high school! Your kids do associate with "normal" kids, don't they? They aren't isolated from the world, are they? I always feel the need to assure him we are quite fine, thank you.
This last visit he focused on me. After a discussion about my health, I happened to say I am only so concerned because of my girls. I've never been one to obsess over aches or pains or illness. So the doctor now thinks I'm obsessed with my daughters. He says, "What do you do for fun?" Fun? The question takes me by surprise. He elaborates, "Do you have any hobbies?" Who has time for hobbies? I try to think...yes, I do quilting. Right now I've making quilts for my grandchildren. Oh, that plays right into his stereotype. He gives me a knowing smile. He's sure now I'm holed up in my house, alone with my girls and my sewing machine.
I didn't tell him this: I've never been more at peace in all my life. It is the contentment of being totally at the center of God's will, doing exactly the work He's called me to do at this moment in time. It's not about fun or hobbies. It's the joy of spending the days with my precious daughters, raising them to be godly women, enjoying their desire for knowledge and celebrating their achievements. I value this time to let them grow at their own pace, keeping them children for as long as possible, not pushed to adulthood ahead of schedule by our culture. The world will never understand this.
Every homeschooling mom's radar picks up the subtle thoughts behind the questions. "How long do you plan to homeschool?" "Are your kids involved in outside activities?" "Do you have any other families you interact with?" Interpretation: Surely you're not going to continue this through high school! Your kids do associate with "normal" kids, don't they? They aren't isolated from the world, are they? I always feel the need to assure him we are quite fine, thank you.
This last visit he focused on me. After a discussion about my health, I happened to say I am only so concerned because of my girls. I've never been one to obsess over aches or pains or illness. So the doctor now thinks I'm obsessed with my daughters. He says, "What do you do for fun?" Fun? The question takes me by surprise. He elaborates, "Do you have any hobbies?" Who has time for hobbies? I try to think...yes, I do quilting. Right now I've making quilts for my grandchildren. Oh, that plays right into his stereotype. He gives me a knowing smile. He's sure now I'm holed up in my house, alone with my girls and my sewing machine.
I didn't tell him this: I've never been more at peace in all my life. It is the contentment of being totally at the center of God's will, doing exactly the work He's called me to do at this moment in time. It's not about fun or hobbies. It's the joy of spending the days with my precious daughters, raising them to be godly women, enjoying their desire for knowledge and celebrating their achievements. I value this time to let them grow at their own pace, keeping them children for as long as possible, not pushed to adulthood ahead of schedule by our culture. The world will never understand this.
Testing
My special ed reading teacher friend offered to test my daughter in reading so Liana will be prepared for the California Achievement Test she must take in January, as required by our state. We drove to Colleen's house on Election Day and she generously gave Liana about two hours of her time, and I was able to listen in from the next room. My difficult daughter amazed me!
Liana alternated between reading a passage aloud and then answering questions, to reading silently and then answering questions. I heard no complaint from her and there were no tears. She was cooperative and willing to do all that Colleen asked of her. Liana has never in her life read so much for so long! Results: Colleen said reading is difficult for her but she is reading on level and I should continue teaching her on grade level. We need to review some forgotten phonics concepts and push sight words that seem to hold her up. She reads slowly, but she can do it! That was encouraging to me. We will keep plugging away. Some other advice from my friend was helpful too. I should ask Liana to look for certain facts or ideas in the story before she begins, so she can anticipate what might happen. I should also ask increasing more complex questions about the story after she reads it and also allow her to ask me questions about it. Liana loved that part. Colleen also said she should read independently below her instructional level. I've found she then doesn't protest and actually seems to enjoy reading.
I've wondered for awhile about some sensory-overload issues and one thing Colleen said confirmed this. Liana's comprehension is better when she reads silently. (I would have thought the opposite--that she would skip over words.) Colleen said she understands more because she isn't trying to articulate words plus keep track of the story. A homeschooling friend of mine gave me another great idea--I read a page from the book, then Liana reads a page. Then the passage doesn't seem so overwhelming to her and we end up actually reading more.
Liana alternated between reading a passage aloud and then answering questions, to reading silently and then answering questions. I heard no complaint from her and there were no tears. She was cooperative and willing to do all that Colleen asked of her. Liana has never in her life read so much for so long! Results: Colleen said reading is difficult for her but she is reading on level and I should continue teaching her on grade level. We need to review some forgotten phonics concepts and push sight words that seem to hold her up. She reads slowly, but she can do it! That was encouraging to me. We will keep plugging away. Some other advice from my friend was helpful too. I should ask Liana to look for certain facts or ideas in the story before she begins, so she can anticipate what might happen. I should also ask increasing more complex questions about the story after she reads it and also allow her to ask me questions about it. Liana loved that part. Colleen also said she should read independently below her instructional level. I've found she then doesn't protest and actually seems to enjoy reading.
I've wondered for awhile about some sensory-overload issues and one thing Colleen said confirmed this. Liana's comprehension is better when she reads silently. (I would have thought the opposite--that she would skip over words.) Colleen said she understands more because she isn't trying to articulate words plus keep track of the story. A homeschooling friend of mine gave me another great idea--I read a page from the book, then Liana reads a page. Then the passage doesn't seem so overwhelming to her and we end up actually reading more.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Recipe for Delight
1 empty plastic juice or soda bottle
1 wooden chopstick
birdseed
wire
Poke the chopstick through the bottom of the bottle and out the other side. This is a perch. Cut small holes above each end of the stick in the bottle. Fill the bottle with birdseed. Attach feeder to a tree branch with the wire. Hang it near a window so you can see it well. Watch closely.
This was Liana's science project in her study of birds. (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.) Within an hour of hanging the feeder we had a flock of white-breasted nuthatches zipping around our huge lilac tree. (Yes, tree. It's almost as tall as the house!) Then we saw a bird I never in all my years have seen before--a tufted titmouse! The next day dozens of tiny black-capped chickadees arrived. The girls and I sat right under the tree on the deck for a good half-hour one sunny morning and still the birds came. They seem to have no fear of us. How enchanting they are! We are so much enjoying these beautiful, cheery creatures. And this is sch
ool? Liana is logging each bird in the chamois-covered explorer's journal we made.
1 wooden chopstick
birdseed
wire
Poke the chopstick through the bottom of the bottle and out the other side. This is a perch. Cut small holes above each end of the stick in the bottle. Fill the bottle with birdseed. Attach feeder to a tree branch with the wire. Hang it near a window so you can see it well. Watch closely.
This was Liana's science project in her study of birds. (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.) Within an hour of hanging the feeder we had a flock of white-breasted nuthatches zipping around our huge lilac tree. (Yes, tree. It's almost as tall as the house!) Then we saw a bird I never in all my years have seen before--a tufted titmouse! The next day dozens of tiny black-capped chickadees arrived. The girls and I sat right under the tree on the deck for a good half-hour one sunny morning and still the birds came. They seem to have no fear of us. How enchanting they are! We are so much enjoying these beautiful, cheery creatures. And this is sch
ool? Liana is logging each bird in the chamois-covered explorer's journal we made.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Field Trip
On a beautiful October day we headed off to camp once again. Twice a year this camp holds an Outdoor Education Day for homeschoolers. The kids go off with counselors to learn something new about God's creation and moms get some down time to chat. This season the children learned about atoms and were able to observe some experiments on chemical change.We came together for lunch and then the rest of the afternoon it was free time on our own. We took a long hayride through the property and then explored the woods. We once again tried the rowboats. Arielle and I just get frustrated when we go in circles. It is not our thing. We couldn't wait to get back to shore. My friend Connie went back out with her daughter, and Liana wanted to go with them. Connie said Liana was pretty good at row
ing.A suspension bridge crosses the shallow creek and it is a favorite of the girls. They criss-crossed it several times. We are studying the Oregon Trail right now and a covered wagon sits right out in the middle of the field, so the girls were able to explore that too.
We have all been working hard the past month and this was the perfect day to just enjoy the lovely weather and get together with friends. We leave tired, but refreshed.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fine-Tuning
After about six weeks, it's time to evaluate and make some adjustments. What is working well? What isn't? I admit I've been a little lax with the schedule, especially our starting time. When I don't seem to be hurrying to get ready for school, the girls don't either. The church chimes across the street announce it is 9:00 and the girls are dilly-dallying in their rooms. Also, I need some quick lunch ideas so I don't spend so much time preparing food for our noon break. If lunch goes too long, we all lose interest in getting back to school. What does everyone else do for lunch? My girls hate sandwiches, so that makes it hard.
We are doing more creative writing this year. It's part of Arielle's Abeka language arts, to her dismay. For Liana, this is what she craves, so I have an additional poetry book for her. It is called Writing Poetry with Children. The difference in my two girls is summed up in this conversation.
Liana: "Why can't we work on writing poems today?" Arielle: "I better not have to do any poetry!" Liana learned about couplets and wrote a poem about India (her latest passion). I told her I would post it. Arielle is actually doing some interesting journal entries and I am impressed with her thoughtfulness.
Spelling has been a problem for Liana. How can she learn 20 words in a week? She just can't do repetitive work such as writing them out over and over. It would be absolute torture for her. I want to channel her energy in a more productive work. Using the words in different exercises didn't seem to work so well either. So we make flash cards. I write each word, broken up by syllables on 3X5 cards. She uses a marker to go over the letters and then cuts each card into pieces like a puzzle. (Kinesthetic learner.) For example, "attention" has 3 syllables, so three parts to the card. Each day she puts the puzzles together and reviews the words. We also write them out each day and talk about what's tricky about certain ones or which ones "follow the rules" and are spelled just like they sound. I make up silly sayings like: skaters have to pract-ICE on the ICE. We still do Stair Day for an oral quiz. Overall, she is actually doing quite well.
I am a pretty rigid homeschool mom. I like to follow the books. This worked fine with Arielle, but it does not work with Liana. I am being constantly stretched and challenged, but I am learning how to teach her. After a lot of headache, I bounced this idea off my friend, a relaxed homeschool mom. I told her I was abandoning the Abeka reading program for Liana. (It still scares me to do this.) My friend congratulated me and said simply, "Read good books with her!" My goal is to inspire this child of mine to love reading. How can I do that when she struggles with her reader and hates every minute? My breakthrough came when I checked out from the library an adapted version of The Secret Garden. It was a Level 3 book and Liana could read it. In fact, she asked to read more than I required of her! This was a big event for us. I will search high and low for GOOD stories and forget the curriculum. For now. Not that there is anything wrong with the Abeka reading program. Arielle loves the stories in her readers and each day tells me, "That was a good one. You should read it, Mom."
We are doing more creative writing this year. It's part of Arielle's Abeka language arts, to her dismay. For Liana, this is what she craves, so I have an additional poetry book for her. It is called Writing Poetry with Children. The difference in my two girls is summed up in this conversation.
Liana: "Why can't we work on writing poems today?" Arielle: "I better not have to do any poetry!" Liana learned about couplets and wrote a poem about India (her latest passion). I told her I would post it. Arielle is actually doing some interesting journal entries and I am impressed with her thoughtfulness.
Spelling has been a problem for Liana. How can she learn 20 words in a week? She just can't do repetitive work such as writing them out over and over. It would be absolute torture for her. I want to channel her energy in a more productive work. Using the words in different exercises didn't seem to work so well either. So we make flash cards. I write each word, broken up by syllables on 3X5 cards. She uses a marker to go over the letters and then cuts each card into pieces like a puzzle. (Kinesthetic learner.) For example, "attention" has 3 syllables, so three parts to the card. Each day she puts the puzzles together and reviews the words. We also write them out each day and talk about what's tricky about certain ones or which ones "follow the rules" and are spelled just like they sound. I make up silly sayings like: skaters have to pract-ICE on the ICE. We still do Stair Day for an oral quiz. Overall, she is actually doing quite well.
I am a pretty rigid homeschool mom. I like to follow the books. This worked fine with Arielle, but it does not work with Liana. I am being constantly stretched and challenged, but I am learning how to teach her. After a lot of headache, I bounced this idea off my friend, a relaxed homeschool mom. I told her I was abandoning the Abeka reading program for Liana. (It still scares me to do this.) My friend congratulated me and said simply, "Read good books with her!" My goal is to inspire this child of mine to love reading. How can I do that when she struggles with her reader and hates every minute? My breakthrough came when I checked out from the library an adapted version of The Secret Garden. It was a Level 3 book and Liana could read it. In fact, she asked to read more than I required of her! This was a big event for us. I will search high and low for GOOD stories and forget the curriculum. For now. Not that there is anything wrong with the Abeka reading program. Arielle loves the stories in her readers and each day tells me, "That was a good one. You should read it, Mom."
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