I got nothing…

No inspirational ideas, no though-provoking dilemna, no ethusiastic story are to be shared today.

Just a weekend filled with lots of outside chores, poison oak, and little sleep. The kids have been nicknamed “Itchy” and “Scratchy” for the near future.

Big announcement on the horizon….

The Curtain has Fallen

The weekend for Scout’s theater groups production is finally here. There are to be three performances, a matinee on Friday, and Friday evening performance, and a Saturday matinee. Scout was equal parts excited and stressed about it, but more than anything glad it would soon be over.

He really has the personality to be on stage, and was very excited to try theater for the first time. He is a natural. His stress is that high school group has a different director than the musical theater group, and her approach is quite distracted.

We were all rather surprised with the lack of structure, focus, and attention to detail. Especially since the class was taking on two one-act plays adapted from “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Shakespeare is challenging stuff, and many were worried. There was a lot of dissention in the cast, as a few of the leads, owning more attitude than consideration, would play PSP DURING run throughs, and the director did not say a word. For those kids who took the production seriously, this became a huge topic of bitter discussions amongst the kids.

We attended the evening performance, and I will say that Scout was terrific. He had his lines down pat, and he delivered them well. As Tybalt, he was in three sword fights, and had worked really hard at choreographing those as they used real fencing foils. In the performance, they played intense rock music in the background which added to the drama. It was very cool!

We were all surprised at how well our boy can dance, as the ball scene in R & J was given a swing dance theme. A few choreographers had come in and taught the kids the steps in January, and it was really cute to see them bopping around with their masks on. When they broke from their partners and picked audience members to dance, he called Girlie up and they had a blast. A very cute idea!

I do question what the director was thinking in doing TWO plays in one night, as we were there for over three hours!!!! My father-in-law fell asleep at least three times, and was stopped before the snoring hit crescendo!

As a review, there were some real bright spots in both plays, as some of the kids have real talent and delivered well. Some forgot most of their lines, and just adlibbed their way through to the distress of their stagemates. We won’t even discuss the sorely lacking excuse for costumes….

It was a great experience for Scout. Despite the utter lack of team spirit he has witnessed in his sister’s productions, he has learned something really valuable. He really wants to put on a production they can all be proud of, and over all the extra practices has developed some good friendships with the other kids that felt the same way. He has looked at himself and recognized that in the past, he was one of the clowns being a huge distraction, and doesn’t want to do that again.

He has also learned to work with people he does not like on a personal level. It is a challenge to choreograph fight scenes with real foils. Some of the kids took part in a Shakespeare teaching seminar at DeSales University in fall, and learned the techniques. They took what they learned back with them and practiced hard. Two of Scout’s three fights were with the same two kids that he has huge issues with that almost came to blows earlier in the year. While there is no love lost, they found a way to work together. The fights looked real, filled with jumps, kicks and rolls.

Scout had all but decided that he was not going to do drama next year. But then, he learned that the two who were causing all the dissention (and generally get the leads) were going on to college early. The group has already picked “Cheaper by the Dozen” , which would be much lighter than this.

A few of the girls, who will be seniors, are begging him to come back as he has a good chance of getting the lead and would do really well with it. It doesn’t hurt that these girls are either really good friends or really attractive girls he would like as good friends. They were begging him with hugs and batting eyelashes. Yep…I think he’ll be back.

Curriculum Snobbery and Thoughts on Success

A group of mothers from the learning center were excitedly chatting on Monday about some of next year’s class offerings. The kids are lucky to have such a variety. Since I will be there teaching for six periods, I am hoping that there are at least five classes and/or clubs that will fill the day out nicely.

I was excited to hear there was going to be a high school English class on American Literature. When I asked more about it, one mother told me it was a “Movies as Literature” class.

Come again? I really must have heard wrong. I asked more questions. It was further explained that the kids watch movie instead of reading the classic books ,and discuss them.

I laughed, loudly. With a snort. One mother said, “It really is wonderful that they get the idea of a book without reading it, and then you don’t have to fight.” Of course, something in me snapped, and I was sniggering uncontrollably.
As if I would pay for my high schooler to sit and watch a DIsney video INSTEAD of reading Mark Twain. THis class meets only once a week for an hour, so there can’t be much in-depth analysis happening.

“How ridiculous,” I exclaim, the then find out that they thought this program was a wonderful idea. I left the conversation to prepare for my class, knowing that I was guilty of curriculum snobbery. I tried to wrap my head around the concept, but I just can’t reconcile how this can be truly considered a for-credit class.

Maybe I shouldn’t judge without looking at the teacher’s guide, but I just don’t get how you let your teenager off the hook from reading great books because they don’t want to do it. I am not a purist, and feel that videos can have a place in the classroom as an occasional compliment. But this sounds too much like “Rocks for Jocks” and other lame-o courses that encourage the least amount of mental effort possible.

This morning I read Shannon’s interesting post “When did success become a curse word?” . I really never thought I was so success oriented, but more and more I wonder why many folks are so uncomfortable with the idea of challenging their kids?

It seems as if the backlash against constant competition and push toward warm fuzzy parenting has gotten off course, in a way. Not challenging your child can be a detramental as over-challenging. If they are never challenged, how will they handle real life?

I premise this stating that each child should be challenged as an individual and not against some arbitrary age/grade based standards. But I still believe their are significant and long-lasting benefits to being challenged, working hard, and succeeding. These benefits include self-confidence, work ethic, diligence, independence, and pride.

Has everyone forgotten about the theory of self-fulfilling prophecy? If you, the child’s parent, do not feel they are capable of handling a challenge, whether it be a math concept or reading a classic novel, does your child over time internalize this and believe they really are incapable of handling challenges? Do they become defeatist about life in general because they do not have the tools necessary to success? How will they handle problems at work, or in relationships, if they have never practiced doing things that stretch them?

I worry that society has gone too far to the other extreme, as we face a generation of kids who are lacking those skills, and who feel entitled to all those things that are normally earned through hard work. I do feel institutionalized schooling has a lot to do with that, as many are passed through for showing up with minimal effort.

I hope that homeschoolers will realize that we are teaching more than math and English, but are raising the future leaders of tomorrow.

Girlie’s Trip Around the World

I have really been having fun watching Girlie go with this idea of hers. Once on board, I let her do a little reading of a blog called “the Lost Girls” about three twenty-something women who left their power jobs in Manhattan behind for a year long trip. After reading a few entries, she was stoked.

I printed out some pages for her to get started with. She chose China first, and got out the atlas and found out all the information. She announced that she was going to take me out to lunch at the local Chinese buffet, so we were off. While there, we talked a lot about chinese culture. She decided she needed to try new foods, and use chopsticks, and drink hot tea. The whole lunch has a much different feel, because she was so fascinated about it. She asked questions of the waitressess. She quickly chose Japan as her next destination, and added sushi to both our plates. (she is quite unimpressed, but ate the whole thing.)

We went to hte library, where she got out a Chinese cinderella story (I don’t have the exact name) and a few other books for the next few days. We went into the garden shed and picked out two pots that would do well for our bonsai, and will be picking them out tomorrow. She wants to put the passport together over the weekend, and start planning an itinerary.

Very fun…. to see her run with this idea!

Geography page for Passport

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Originally uploaded by all4reagan.

As requested, I created a form for Girlie to record the info that she learns as part of this project, such as population, location, currency, religion, government, and three interesting facts. The open section in the bottom is for her to do math calculations of the distance traveled between stops. The box will be for a stamp/sticker representing the country. The opposite page will be blank for a collage, drawing, or a story.

Sometimes I am a mule….

Since last August, I had a finish date for our school year in mind…May 14th. It was the last day that our learning center meets for the year. The kids will be all excited with the sunshine and spring. It is the perfect time to move our focus outside to the gardens, and get the pool ready. We can get the patio set up and work on the pond expansion.

But, then we all go sick this winter, and we got a little behind. This trip came up for Scout, and we moved back a little further. Now my DH has a huge job that needs seeding and mulching, and could use the extra hand getting it all done before the rain. So there goes Scout again.

At the same time, we keep following rabbit trails and the end of my lessons plans seems to be getting further and further. I keep running across all these really cool ideas of things that would be fun to add. Theresa has inspired us to attempt bonsai Girlie studied Japan last year, and has wanted to get into bonsai since then.

Suddenly, she is back into Japan, and into this idea of creating a passport to visit other countries. She learned about them at Girl Scouts, and now wants me to get her stickers for other countries. She wants to go to the library to get out books, and make up a report form so she can do stuff on wikipedia.

I love her initiative, I really, really do. But I really didn’t want to start a geography unit with THREE WEEKS left to go in my year. I want to be done with this year. I want to go to town with the three hole punch and fill that portfolio.

And then, like a mule-kick to the head, I realize I am being a stubborn ass, literally. I have a child that has come up with her own project to study geography and I am discouraging it? I have a teenaged son who wants to do physically demanding work of a man to help our his dad without complaint, and I am looking at the calendar?

There is NO good reason that we have to be done my May 14th. We have no trip planned, nor any invasive surgery looming. There is NO good reason why we can’t stretch things out a few more weeks, and still get done all the things around the house. I am just being a mule.

So, today I am going to make the country report form my wonderful daughter wants, and let her go to town, or rather, explore the world. I am going to make my hard-working son his favorite meal. And I am going to pick up a case of beer on the way home from riding, so that Big Daddy and I can sit outside on the patio and relax together in the middle of summer. After all, the calendar isn’t all that important anymore.

Carnival of Homeschooling-Bee Edition

Just this weekend, we were greeted by the happy buzzing of bees in our small garden. It was like tiny harbingers of spring, calling to us to join them outside.

Aptly titled the Bee Edition….this week’s carnival of homeschooling is hosted by Spirittibee. There are a lot of great articles…so please stop by and visit.

Rachel Carson Online Book Club

I came across a great site when perusing info on Rachel Carson. This year is the Centennial celebration of Rachel’s life and work, and a group has started the Rachel Carson Online Book Club blog. Although I am jumping in late, they are currently reading Silent Spring. The calendar is on the page, and there still is a great deal of her work to read over the next months.

Girlie and I have been talking about visiting her homestead in Pittsburgh on a trip to friends this spring. Now that we know about the celebration, the calls are in the works.

Earth Day Inspiration

Each year, we try to honor Earth Day. We will do a good deed for the Earth, such as cleaning up a trail , naturalizing a section of the yard, or building water sources for animals. We also try to get out and celebrate in nature.

Yesterday Girlie and I had a great time with her Girl Scout troop. We went to a huge stable, and took part in a trail ride. For Girlie, it was just another day in the saddle, but for many of the girls it was their first time. They were equal parts excitment and nerves.

I was as excited as they were , for I had not been on a horse in twenty years. When I was 11, I started taking formal lessons. I had a lovely seat thanks to years of dance and progressed quite rapidly to jumping. Yet I hated the snotty girls that were at that stable that I rode with. Me, I was drawn to the rough and ready gang that barrel raced and calf roped across the way. After two years, I begged loudly enough and gave western a try, and I never looked back. When my parents divorced, I worked at the stables so I could continue on. But my gymnastic coaches told me I needed to make a choice, and I couldn’t earn college scholarships for riding.

It was wonderful to ride again, and I was thrilled that they gave me an ornery old fellow that made the ride through the woods interesting. The comfort was there, so I was able to just focus on the rocks and trees and green shooting all around. The smiles on the girls faces spoke volumes…there is just something about riding a horse.

After our trail ride, I gathered the girls up to wait a bit and Girlie noticed tons of frog eggs in a nearby puddle. Not one of these girls had even SEEN a frog egg before, nor knew that they grew in puddles. I jumped at the chance to teach them, and they were fascinated to hear about vernal pools and spring peepers and asked tons of questions.

While the girls moved inside the barn for their badgework, my brain kicked into over drive. All this talk about secular science, and my problems with finding something of quality for the middle school years slapped me in the face. Why not create a literature based unit study focusing on the environment? We could bring enough science in from other sources to really fulfill a full year’s requirement.

I started writing notes, outlining the pioneers in the field: Rachel Carson, John Muir, Thoreau, etc. There are now biographies for children featuring these amazing people. I was fascinated with Muir when I was ten and walked through Sequoia National Park on vacation. I wanted to live among those majestic giants. Then a friend’s older sister gave me “Silent Spring” to read when I was in 8th grade, and it opened my eyes in a way I had never imagined.

One book I have been wanting called “Girls Who Looked Under Rocks” would be perfect. More challenging books like “Walden” can be broken down into sections that younger kids can digest.

Unless we teach our children about nature, and share with them its magic, they will never understand the big picture. Girlie loves nature already, but is fascinated by the idea that she would make nature and ecology a career. I am certain she would love a year where we take our nature study to the next level. We could spend time with forest rangers and field biologist and soak up whatever we can.

Sara, Doc, Jove, and any others out there…start those book recommendations rolling…. I promise I’ll share once its’ put together! Happy Earth Day!

The Case of the Disappearing Bird Seed

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Originally uploaded by all4reagan.

In the last two weeks, I have been having to refill one of the bird feeders almost every day. We often have increasing feeding in the spring, but it was so odd that it was almost five times the normal amount and only at this one feeder. We decided to try to solve this nature mystery ….

Suspect #1
This male northern cardinal is one of several year-round residents. We have noticed some changes in his feeding…he was eating twice as much as normal. But , on closer watch, we noticed the female cardinal sitting on the shed roof, waiting for him to bring her the yummy black seeds. This is known as mate feeding, and is a big part of the courtship ritual.

While precious to watch, it still wasn’t enough extra seed to explain a five-fold increase. We needed to watch on….