Fifth Element
Remember that movie with Bruce Willis and the supermodel alien girl, Milla something? And remember that scene where she watches all of these videos trying to learn an enormous amount of information? I feel like her character sometimes. I’m trying to learn tons of information that either my kids are learning simultaneously, or that I’m trying to learn to help me to become a better teacher. Only wish I was absorbing as much as Milla did in that movie.
The schedule today was full as usual. I went from kid to kid to kid teaching the different math levels and giving them independent problems and drills to do when they weren’t one on one with me. I threw something together for lunch, and we spent the afternoon going over co-op homework and making Valentine’s day cards to exchange with friends tomorrow. It was fun to work on the cards with them. Sometimes it’s just nice to break from the busy academics and spend time together doing miscellaneous things. It’s those moments that especially remind me to make mental notes of how their hands look or how their noses curve or how their hair lays a certain way. I know I will blink, and my children will be young adults going off into the world, so I really try to cherish our time together.
The evening was spent assisting my fifth grader with his research paper before I scurried off to a homeschool meeting. Upon returning, I prepped for my co-op classes that I’ll be teaching tomorrow after catching the end of the State of the Union address. I wonder if that 102 year old lady had any idea where she was. She was such a cutie!
Right now, it’s 1:00 a.m., and I’m reviewing history timeline cards from Veritas Press. Our students at Excelsior co-op memorize these cards during the school year and recite them from memory. They are a great resource tool to have in your home studies. They are pricey ($100 for the set) but worth every penny. I’m still memorizing them myself, so I have to keep reviewing. Must sleep soon..
I called Archie Manning
My girlfriend was asking to see a picture of me from my dancing years during college. I was the captain of the Ole Miss Rebelettes many, many moons ago.
And then, last night, I was watching a commercial with Eli Manning (or was it Peyton?) mentioning his father calling. I can remember in college actually calling Archie Manning asking if he’d like to donate money towards our national competition and uniform purchases. He was very pleasant on the phone and sent us money to help with our fundraising.
Boy, how life has drastically changed for me since those college years and how the focus of my thoughts is so different!
Well, must run make four breaksfasts before the madness begins (again)! Can I get a “hotty totty”? My MSU friends aren’t going to like that!
What is the hallmark of an educated person?
We eased back into the schoolroom today with a small amount of material covered: cursive, reading of classics, phonetics, memory work and geography. I provided each child with their own chore chart complete with a list of specific jobs they should complete each week. Surprisingly, they spent part of the morning completing some of those jobs. You could tell they enjoyed marking the chores off of the list with the goal of receiving their allowance at the end of the week.
I’m spending some time in the schoolroom tonight going through the vast amount of academic materials we will hopefully go through this year. I ran across an interesting quote in one of Calvert’s manuals. It states, “a mastery of English grammar and usage is the hallmark of an educated person.” Interesting..would you say that? I guess it would depend on how you define “educated.”
Coffee to make and books to read..
Getting a tune-up
I’ve spent the last day taking care of me. Got the annual woman’s exam to include mammography along with the eye exam. I use the summer to pause and do these sorts of necessary not-so-fun events.
As I was sitting in the gyn waiting room, I noticed a mother there with her baby in the infant carrier. I thought to myself how thankful I am not to be in her situation! That probably sounds awful, but for several years I was slammed with either birthing someone, nursing someone, carrying someone around or changing diapers. If somebody told me right now that I was pregnant I would lay down on the floor and cry for a long period of time because I’m so over that phase. I don’t make light of the fact that some women can’t get pregnant. That must be very hard to process, but that season of life for me is over (I hope, Lord willing).
After the mother left the waiting room I turned my attention to the tv. George Stephanopoulos was on with James Carville talking about his latest book on the middle class. They were discussing how the next generation will struggle in the job market, and many will move back home. Much to ponder there..
So, then I get called back for my exam, and don’t you know it but the young nurse practitioner is a graduate of Penn-yummy. We discussed her time there and how much in debt she was now from her college loans. She felt that her experience at Penn was well worth her current financial hole, but I thought to myself, is it really? Is there a better way for her to receive a quality education without all of the loan baggage? Where’s Peter Thiel?
Well, it’s almost 2 a.m., and I’m drinking leaded coffee. Better go to bed before Groundhog Day begins.
Ivy League Homeschooling 