Books, Books and more books

I happen to love books and so does Hannah.  She is my reader of the family and will often times turn me onto a series that is a must read.  She did that with Hunger Games before it was so popular and I loved the series.  In fact, I stopped reading another series because she was emphatic that I read the Hunger Games.  Now, I have to catch up with the James  Daschner series because she already has two more for me to read after that.  The problem is that when I begin reading a series, I often times can't put the book down.  That translates to reading into the early morning hours which does not work for me now that I am homeschooling Matthew.
Matthew, on the other hand, prefers graphic novels and honestly does not enjoy reading that much because of AR tests.   It seemed that even though he loved a book and could tell you all about it, his AR tests did not reflect that which then resulted in a low reading grade when in school.   He has always tested above his reading level so we have been puzzled by this and have yet to figure out what goes wrong.  We do read a lot at home whether it is informational articles on the web, library books to supplement what we are talking about in a certain area or classic literature that I remember that I think might appeal to him.  We have attempted Shakespeare and he didn't hate it which is a plus, in my opinion.  I introduced him to Edgar Allen Poe and he almost chose a graphic novel based on Poe's stories today at the book fair.  Yes, I was secretly smiling about that.  Last year, we read Animal Farm and although it was above his reading level, he stuck with it and we had great discussions.  I recently began Journey to the Center of the Earth with him and although it's going to be a challenge, we will finish it.
Today we stopped at the book fair because I can't resist the bargain books.  They are a great addition to our library at home and Hannah usually finds one or two that she likes, if she needs one in a pinch.  So, we spent 45 minutes in the library trying to decide upon some books.  I found several that I thought seemed interesting and I let him read the back.  Matthew thought they seemed ok but time will tell whether he will actually pick one up to read it.  If not, maybe Hannah will.  Matthew settled on a graphic novel that was on the NY Times Best Seller list.  I, personally don't care for graphic novels, but I also try to give him the opportunity to find a book that he would like to read.  He really prefers Manga and is kind of snobby when it comes to any other graphic novel.  When looking at the choices at the book fair, he would point out how the style of drawing was too cartoonish or the paper that the pages were printed on did not feel right.  He is a true fan of Manga and knows a lot about it.  With graphic novels, he starts with book one and then wants to go right to book two without delay.  In fact, he has already finished this graphic novel and we have been home since 1:15.  He finished it in 45 minutes and wants the next books so I will have to order those from the library.  He will then reread book 1 and then move on to book 2 as soon as he is finished.  That is one of his oddities, I suppose.  Well, I have a couple of books to skim through before tomorrow so I will end this post.  Happy Hump Day!

The love of learning

Good morning to everyone out there in "blog land".  I have been wrestling with something for about a week and a half now so today I've decided to share it with you.
Now that I am homeschooling Matthew, I am determined that I will not destroy his love to learn.  I refuse to get bogged down with ridiculous rules that do not affect the overall learning environment at LADS.  Granted, I understand and see the need for rules to be followed.  However, when these rules destroy the passion that students have for learning, I become concerned.  Some of the recent examples that have come to my attention just drive me bananas.  For example, when did the focus of name placement become more important than what is actually written on the page?  How can we ask for a student's opinion or interpretation of a piece of poetry only to tell them that it is wrong?  Why do we encourage discussions yet dictate how a student must contribute in order to receive points?  When did we stop encouraging our students to think for themselves instead of expecting them all to be cut from the same cookie cutter?  I could continue with the list but if I do I believe my head will explode.
Right now, I am sitting across from Matthew watching him work on a Science project and listening to him laugh and joke.  I still see that sparkle in his eye as he works to get something accomplished. Do I worry that the labels aren't 100% straight?  Am I going to make him re-do the project because it doesn't look exactly like the teacher's example?  NO!   I want him to comprehend the information and understand how it relates to the other concepts of earth science.  Isn't that what we are supposed to be encouraging in our students?
It is no secret that I would love for Hannah to choose to be home schooled.  The possibilities for her are endless and she would be much more content.   She has considered it and even made a pros and cons list in detail this past summer.  However, she loves poms and softball which are extra-curriculars and home schoolers are not allowed to participate. So, for that reason, she will continue to to hide behind her "everything is going fine" mask and sadly no one will know any different.

It's Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuump Day!

I titled this post in honor of a very special 3 year old who was in Tarzan with us.  She was an energetic young lady who would come up to me and say, Maria, do you know what day it is?  When I didn't respond quickly, she would say in a low voice filled with great expression...it's Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuump Day.  This was followed by the biggest smile and us both bursting into laughter.   What a little ham and such a cutie even though she kept me hopping behind stage trying to keep her busy.
We've been working on the earth's layers in science because Matthew has been interested in learning about evolution.  I couldn't just jump right into that without touching on the earth to lead up such an interesting topic.  He has been busy working on a foldable for the earth and it is looking great.  Besides, we've managed to have a vocab/spelling quiz already, a math lesson and a short discussion about those great Aztecs.  I'd say it's been a productive day and we're not even at 11 a.m.  Soon we will leave for Chorus which is by far his FAVORITE time of day.  And, I get to visit with Monica for 40 minutes which is sometimes my only down time for the day. ( In between his school work, I find myself sending emails for work and making phone calls to check on my foster parents.)



                                                      Scarlett

I'm back....

LADS is still going strong although our blog was deleted by someone(not mentioning any names) but he deleted an email account that was linked to many web based things and our blog was one of the casualties.  I have decided that I enjoy blogging much more than my student.  Matthew does not like to share much about himself, but he would blog all day about his Yugi-oh cards or plans for his video game.  So, he continues to have a blog for those interests.
As many of you know, our theater company just finished its run of Tarzan The Stage Musical which turned out to be one of my favorite productions that we have put onstage.  Matthew was cast as Young Terk so he had a solo which required some effort to learn.  He loved the part and enjoyed the choreography.  But, more than that, he loved being with the friends who accept him for who he is.  That is why I love our theater company.  We have become a safe place for those kids who don't fit in with the crowd at school.  In our shows, these children can do what they love to do without fear of ridicule.  These boys who aren't jocks can sing and dance and for a few hours make people smile with their talents.   And, I will not hop off of my soap box and move on....
So, I have found that in year two and a half of home school, my expectations of myself have decreased a bit.  I don't stress if we don't get everything done that I had planned for the day.  In fact, I give myself plenty of time to cover subjects in the morning because after chorus, Matthew has robotics or works on something of his own choosing.  I am beginning a new math curriculum this year and it will hopefully relieve Dan's worries about us not being able to prepare Matthew adequately with math.  I also tend to use my "excited" voice when I try to get a concept across(at least that is what Dan says) so having this curriculum means less lecturing by me.  That does not hurt my feelings at all.   The other subjects that we are continuing this year are vocabulary, earth science, history and anything else that I decide to throw in the mix.  I have found some wonderful books this year that are the Horrible Science and Horrible History series.  I think these will be wonderful to use to supplement our units and the books are fun to read.  
I will consider this a good start for my blog and end this post.