I volunteered to help in Kooka's class. I'd homeschooled her for two years - no way I could send her off into the wild blue yonder without my occasional interference. So every Tuesday I show up, and do whatever I am asked.
Today it was handwriting.
And the spitter was on my list.
Remember him? First week - spitting in Kooka's hair - never sits still, always sent to the principal's office, talking out of turn.
Lucky me.
So there we sit - the two of us. We are writing numbers - and as I expect, his handwriting is about as nice as his reported behavior. So he plops down at the table and starts to write. My job is to make sure he starts at the top of the line and make his letters the right way.
He starts at the bottom.
"OK, dude," I tell him, "What we have to do on this page is start at the top - right where that little green dot is."
"Why?"
"That's what the rules in this book tell us to do."
"Who made those rules? Why are there so many rules? Can't I just make this stupid six however I want?"
"Well, sometimes people who write school books try to give us rules to make our brains think about something in a certain way.
"Yeah, but whoever wrote this book does not get how my brain works - because this makes nooooooooo sense."
Whoa.
Whoa.
Where had I heard THAT before?
Not three years ago - at my own kitchen table. I cannot count the times that Punk had said them - still does sometimes. And suddenly, the spitter was somebody else - the spitter was a kid who could be helped with a little creative thinking, and maybe even a little hallway homeschooling. He was not a bad kid - just hated pointless rules - and really - who can blame him?
So I say to him, "That is a really good point Spitter. And I agree - sometimes rules do not make sense and we have to make up some new ones. So tell me how your brain works Spitter - what is in there?"
"Cars - a lot of cars are in there."
"OK. So we are gonna make this eight. We are going over the hill first."
"Why?"
"Because that is the way the road goes - otherwise we will smash into other cars."
"Alright."
"But at the top of the hill - there is a cliff we didn't see - and he falls all the way to the bottom - AAAGGGGGGGHHHH! Come on - you can scream . . . "
So he does - the two of us out there falling down cliffs, and then chugging slowly back up to the top. Three tries later - he is making eights the "right" way.
He tries a seven. "Oooooh - ooooh - this one starts at the green dot too, " he says. "And then the wind blows him sideways, and he falls down another cliff - but this one is so steep he can't even get back up - so he stays down there."
"Perfect, " I tell him - and we do the fist bump - but gently - because as he says, you never want to hurt somebody when you are trying to tell them "good job."
Soon he has a page full of numbers and a smile on his face.
I send him back into class and sit there for a minute. I think about what would have happened to Punk, if I had dropped him off at the door in kindergarten. I do not think he would be a hitter, or a screamer, or even a spitter. But I have no doubt he would have asked too many questions, talked out of turn, and wondered who made up all of these stupid rules.
So on behalf of all the struggling Punks out there, the ones who need a kitchen table more than they need a supervised study hall, I will keep going to Kooka's class - even if I never get to work with her at all.
Rock on Spitter.
Rock on.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Halloween
For the first time ever - we will not go trick or treating this year. Punk - who has long been fascinated with skeletons, haunted houses, and things that go bump in the night, has finally convinced his dad to decorate the yard for Halloween. They are nowhere near done - but already the neighbors are starting to notice. It's gonna be hard to miss once the fog machine, purple lights and thunderclaps get going.
I will post pictures when I can - but in the meantime, feel free to drive by.
I will post pictures when I can - but in the meantime, feel free to drive by.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
conferences
Parent teacher conferences today - interesting, very interesting. For years I have wondered where they stood. I thought I had a good handle on it - but could not wait to get legitimate feedback. It went something like this:
Both Principal and Teacher were outwardly shocked that my homeschooled son had absolutely no social issues and was even (wait for it) . . . popular. His only concern with Punk was that his work does not actually show how smart he is - which has been a battle with that child all along. The teacher's comments were something along the lines of "I expected to be talking to you about his advanced algebra equations, and the fact that he really needs to learn to make friends . . . " But that is not how it went down. According to Teacher, Punk is doing just fine and dandy in school, with the exception of hating timed tests - which again has been a battle all along.
However - there are issues that cannot be ignored. Each child was asked to write a self evaluation for conferences - rate their own behavior, explain what they are good at, and write out a goal for the year. Here is Punk's:
Dear Mom,
So far fourth grade has been OK. Art and music are going well. I can't write bad things on this paper, but I have made all those friends you wanted me to make, so now my goal for the year is trying to get you to home school me again.
love,
Punk
And that little nugget did not escape teacher's attention - it was a bit awkward. Punk likes his teacher a lot - he does not love the structure of school.
But his gifted and talented teacher says that she sees amazing things in Punk - and she can tell that he loves when he comes to that class - and she's right. Overall about what I was expecting.
As for Kooka - both teachers raved about her. Apparently she works very hard to use her Spanish every day and does not just shout out the English answer. I was glad to hear that - because we are counting on her to teach the rest of us. She also has (check this out) a "lot" of friends, and gets along well with everybody. Her artwork was fantastic, and her writing is coming along really well.
Kooka is also being put into a special gifted program. Technically that would not start until third grade, but there are some kids who really need this - so there will be some small group stuff with three kids in her class. She also asked for harder math - and her teacher was happy to oblige. Again - just about what I would expect from Kooka.
Both Principal and Teacher were outwardly shocked that my homeschooled son had absolutely no social issues and was even (wait for it) . . . popular. His only concern with Punk was that his work does not actually show how smart he is - which has been a battle with that child all along. The teacher's comments were something along the lines of "I expected to be talking to you about his advanced algebra equations, and the fact that he really needs to learn to make friends . . . " But that is not how it went down. According to Teacher, Punk is doing just fine and dandy in school, with the exception of hating timed tests - which again has been a battle all along.
However - there are issues that cannot be ignored. Each child was asked to write a self evaluation for conferences - rate their own behavior, explain what they are good at, and write out a goal for the year. Here is Punk's:
Dear Mom,
So far fourth grade has been OK. Art and music are going well. I can't write bad things on this paper, but I have made all those friends you wanted me to make, so now my goal for the year is trying to get you to home school me again.
love,
Punk
And that little nugget did not escape teacher's attention - it was a bit awkward. Punk likes his teacher a lot - he does not love the structure of school.
But his gifted and talented teacher says that she sees amazing things in Punk - and she can tell that he loves when he comes to that class - and she's right. Overall about what I was expecting.
As for Kooka - both teachers raved about her. Apparently she works very hard to use her Spanish every day and does not just shout out the English answer. I was glad to hear that - because we are counting on her to teach the rest of us. She also has (check this out) a "lot" of friends, and gets along well with everybody. Her artwork was fantastic, and her writing is coming along really well.
Kooka is also being put into a special gifted program. Technically that would not start until third grade, but there are some kids who really need this - so there will be some small group stuff with three kids in her class. She also asked for harder math - and her teacher was happy to oblige. Again - just about what I would expect from Kooka.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
update
This new schedule is seriously cramping my style . . . there is no time to write, and I absolutely hate that. Here are some highlights of the week:
Kooka was moved up another 12 levels in reading - putting her at level 24, which is short chapter books. She was thrilled about this - so were we. She also took an Irish step dance class at my school, with Celtic Spring - a family group that was featured on "America's Got Talent." She was the youngest one there, as most of the kids in the class were high schoolers, but she managed to keep up (thanks to a little help from Lucy).
Punk started his gifted reading program - which he loves. He also started art club at my school, and orchestra at his own. He is whipping through his rocket math now, and seems to be settling into a routine. He still claims that school is terribly boring . . . conferences are next week - we will see what happens then.
I gave my first test last week - and nobody aced it. Midterms are due this week. Conferences are the week after. Kooka, Punk and I attended a concert at Hogwarts (what they call my school), and they met some of my students. They asked Punk if he was going to go to school there and he said "OH yeah!"
We'll see . . . . .
Kooka was moved up another 12 levels in reading - putting her at level 24, which is short chapter books. She was thrilled about this - so were we. She also took an Irish step dance class at my school, with Celtic Spring - a family group that was featured on "America's Got Talent." She was the youngest one there, as most of the kids in the class were high schoolers, but she managed to keep up (thanks to a little help from Lucy).
Punk started his gifted reading program - which he loves. He also started art club at my school, and orchestra at his own. He is whipping through his rocket math now, and seems to be settling into a routine. He still claims that school is terribly boring . . . conferences are next week - we will see what happens then.
I gave my first test last week - and nobody aced it. Midterms are due this week. Conferences are the week after. Kooka, Punk and I attended a concert at Hogwarts (what they call my school), and they met some of my students. They asked Punk if he was going to go to school there and he said "OH yeah!"
We'll see . . . . .
Saturday, September 20, 2008
week 3
Week three of school is just ok.
The first week was novel (and short) week two was a drag, and now there is some sort of routine.
Kooka has been moved up 12 levels in reading - which is a blessing to us all. Her rant of "I hate first grade - this is pathetic!" was getting old - especially because we knew it wasn't true. The fact that her initial books were peppered with photos of an evil clown leering at elementary children as he passed out toys, probably didn't help. Not to mention the fact that the creep was pointing out colors to ten year olds. "Are these kids morons?" she kept asking me. "How can they be Punk's age and not know their colors - and why would they ask THAT evil guy to help them?" Now she is reading Aesop's fables, and funky poems - which as she says "is totally up her alley."
Kooka is also refining her Spanish skills. Nothing we did not learn last year - days of the week, colors numbers, basic introductions, but she is much more confident about them. I am sure she will surpass us all by year's end.
Punk has been moved to the gifted program for his reading, which he is really looking forward to. He also starts orchestra on Friday, and will be having art class once a week at my school with the high school kids, so hopefully he will be sufficiently challenged. Here is the instrument he chose:
I expected his first song to be something like "Ode to A Dying Cat" or "Fingernails on the Chalkboard #9" - but in actuality, he was pretty decent. He plucked out a pretty good rhythm and was able to work the strings individually for some good sound.
As for mom - week three finally has me in my groove. The first two weeks I could have done with my eyes shut, but now I am figuring out where my students are at and what they should be learning.
The worst part for me, was realizing that all of the kids had to call me "Ms. - something". Yuck.
So on day one, I told them that they had to help me out - because there was no way I was answering to that all year. At first they settled on "Ms. J" - but then the conversation went like this:
"Can we just call you J?"
"YES! That would be even better."
"What about "Teach J?"
"Yep."
"Or YO! J!"
"Yo J?"
"Noo Nooo - I got it . . . Master J. NO! Masta J. Can we call you Masta J?"
"Yes you can."
I thought they were joking. I really did, but that is indeed what they call me - in class, in the halls, when they refer to me to other teachers. Masta J. We'll see if that name holds when we finish jazz and move on to ballet.
The first week was novel (and short) week two was a drag, and now there is some sort of routine.
Kooka has been moved up 12 levels in reading - which is a blessing to us all. Her rant of "I hate first grade - this is pathetic!" was getting old - especially because we knew it wasn't true. The fact that her initial books were peppered with photos of an evil clown leering at elementary children as he passed out toys, probably didn't help. Not to mention the fact that the creep was pointing out colors to ten year olds. "Are these kids morons?" she kept asking me. "How can they be Punk's age and not know their colors - and why would they ask THAT evil guy to help them?" Now she is reading Aesop's fables, and funky poems - which as she says "is totally up her alley."
Kooka is also refining her Spanish skills. Nothing we did not learn last year - days of the week, colors numbers, basic introductions, but she is much more confident about them. I am sure she will surpass us all by year's end.
Punk has been moved to the gifted program for his reading, which he is really looking forward to. He also starts orchestra on Friday, and will be having art class once a week at my school with the high school kids, so hopefully he will be sufficiently challenged. Here is the instrument he chose:
I expected his first song to be something like "Ode to A Dying Cat" or "Fingernails on the Chalkboard #9" - but in actuality, he was pretty decent. He plucked out a pretty good rhythm and was able to work the strings individually for some good sound.
As for mom - week three finally has me in my groove. The first two weeks I could have done with my eyes shut, but now I am figuring out where my students are at and what they should be learning.
The worst part for me, was realizing that all of the kids had to call me "Ms. - something". Yuck.
So on day one, I told them that they had to help me out - because there was no way I was answering to that all year. At first they settled on "Ms. J" - but then the conversation went like this:
"Can we just call you J?"
"YES! That would be even better."
"What about "Teach J?"
"Yep."
"Or YO! J!"
"Yo J?"
"Noo Nooo - I got it . . . Master J. NO! Masta J. Can we call you Masta J?"
"Yes you can."
I thought they were joking. I really did, but that is indeed what they call me - in class, in the halls, when they refer to me to other teachers. Masta J. We'll see if that name holds when we finish jazz and move on to ballet.
Pirate Day
In case you missed it, yesterday was National Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day. To celebrate, we bought pizza, ale and cupcakes, and ate our dinner like this:
Saturday, September 13, 2008
better late . . .
. . .than never. Here are photos of the kids first day of school.
Kooka spends her day with two teachers. Senora S. (in the picture) teaches in Spanish for the first half of the day, and Mrs. L, teaches the second half.
Punk has Mr. D - who he claims is both strict and funny - but mostly funny.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
structure
I suppose my ADD thrives on a bit of structure, we are having some great new adventures - but this schedule is grueling . . . maybe I will get used to it. Yesterday it went like this:
7:30: Wake up - wake kids up, cook breakfast, fix Kooka's hair, check Punk's. Double check homework assignments.
8:35: Head out the door, walk kids to school. Hang with them until 8:45 when the bell rings.
9:00: Get home, enter grades, check faculty email, review lesson plans.
10:00: Leave for work
10:20: At work - check mailbox, carry stuff into class, sound check the amp, review choreography.
11:00: Class starts
2:35: Done with class, head home.
2:55: At home, do laundry, dishes, exercise the dogs, enter grades for last two classes, plan lessons for next day, make dentist appointments.
3:35: Walk to school to pick up kids.
3:55: Get back home with Punk and Kooka, make them snacks and talk about their day.
4:15: Homework time with Punk. Math - worksheet also reading. Then I work with Kooka - a little bit of both.
5:00: Put dinner in the oven and set up Punk on the laptop so he can blog or work on his short story.
5:10: Mow the lawn. Run to pet store to buy crickets for various amphibious pets.
6:00: Dinnertime
6:30: Dance lessons for Kooka in the basement.
7:10: Bathtime for Kooka - run between upstairs and down, trying to help Punk with spelling and blogging, and washing Kooka's hair. Listen to Punk's story - it's pretty good.
7:30: Punk's bath - help Kooka clean her room. Take out garbage and clean the kitchen until Punk is ready to do flashcards.
7:50: Flash cards with Punk. Feed the dogs.
8:20: Make bedtime snacks for kids.
8:45: Tuck kids in, hang with Punk for a bit.
9:15: Run to grocery store
9:45: Make Kooka's lunch
10:00: Shower
10:25: Grade written assignments, check prices on bulk orders of tap shoes.
11:00: Make a list of all the stuff I cannot forget to do tomorrow.
11:15: Go to bed.
Not that I sleep in bed - nothing seems to solve that little issue, at least now I will be able to afford prescription narcotics.
7:30: Wake up - wake kids up, cook breakfast, fix Kooka's hair, check Punk's. Double check homework assignments.
8:35: Head out the door, walk kids to school. Hang with them until 8:45 when the bell rings.
9:00: Get home, enter grades, check faculty email, review lesson plans.
10:00: Leave for work
10:20: At work - check mailbox, carry stuff into class, sound check the amp, review choreography.
11:00: Class starts
2:35: Done with class, head home.
2:55: At home, do laundry, dishes, exercise the dogs, enter grades for last two classes, plan lessons for next day, make dentist appointments.
3:35: Walk to school to pick up kids.
3:55: Get back home with Punk and Kooka, make them snacks and talk about their day.
4:15: Homework time with Punk. Math - worksheet also reading. Then I work with Kooka - a little bit of both.
5:00: Put dinner in the oven and set up Punk on the laptop so he can blog or work on his short story.
5:10: Mow the lawn. Run to pet store to buy crickets for various amphibious pets.
6:00: Dinnertime
6:30: Dance lessons for Kooka in the basement.
7:10: Bathtime for Kooka - run between upstairs and down, trying to help Punk with spelling and blogging, and washing Kooka's hair. Listen to Punk's story - it's pretty good.
7:30: Punk's bath - help Kooka clean her room. Take out garbage and clean the kitchen until Punk is ready to do flashcards.
7:50: Flash cards with Punk. Feed the dogs.
8:20: Make bedtime snacks for kids.
8:45: Tuck kids in, hang with Punk for a bit.
9:15: Run to grocery store
9:45: Make Kooka's lunch
10:00: Shower
10:25: Grade written assignments, check prices on bulk orders of tap shoes.
11:00: Make a list of all the stuff I cannot forget to do tomorrow.
11:15: Go to bed.
Not that I sleep in bed - nothing seems to solve that little issue, at least now I will be able to afford prescription narcotics.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
PLEASE
Punk needs your help to save the prairie dogs - go to his weeping rhinos blog, find the post, and follow the link to sign the petition. Please tell your friends - the destruction is set to begin in two weeks!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
pros and cons
So - as much as we miss the whole homeschool thing, there have been a few upsides to the new arrangement. So in the interest of fair and honest reporting - I will lay out both sides of the story:
PRO: Both kids have met some really nice friends
CON: I don't know the friends names, because neither of them can seem to remember - maybe they are imaginary.
PRO: Punk is taking more responsibility for memorizing math facts, because he doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of the whole class.
CON: His conceptual math is actually really good. he was tested at a seventh grade level at the beginning of third grade. But now the only thing he is concerned with is SPEED.
PRO: I am really enjoying making Kooka's lunch every day. It used to be just another chore, but now it feels really good to do something nice for her when she is away. She is such a good eater and can't wait to find out what healthy surprises I made for her.
CON: Punk takes hot lunch - which has the daily option of a Smuckers Uncrustable if you don't like the main entree. I don't even WANT to know how many he has eaten.
PRO: Kooka is learning Spanish.
CON: So is the kid who spit in her hair - and we have not yet learned the word for "hyperactive looser with minimal social skills." We have mastered a fairly decent "STOP IT" and a nice two-handed-shove - which I think translates well in any language.
PRO: Kooka's teacher looks like a Disney Princess.
CON: We have spent nearly $300 to make sure Kooka can look like that too.
PRO:Punk is bringing home a new friend every day.
CON: I am having to feed those new friends every day.
PRO: It is nice to have a modicum of time to myself.
CON: Who am I kidding - I never have time to myself, I am just teaching somebody elses' kids now.
PRO: Both kids have met some really nice friends
CON: I don't know the friends names, because neither of them can seem to remember - maybe they are imaginary.
PRO: Punk is taking more responsibility for memorizing math facts, because he doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of the whole class.
CON: His conceptual math is actually really good. he was tested at a seventh grade level at the beginning of third grade. But now the only thing he is concerned with is SPEED.
PRO: I am really enjoying making Kooka's lunch every day. It used to be just another chore, but now it feels really good to do something nice for her when she is away. She is such a good eater and can't wait to find out what healthy surprises I made for her.
CON: Punk takes hot lunch - which has the daily option of a Smuckers Uncrustable if you don't like the main entree. I don't even WANT to know how many he has eaten.
PRO: Kooka is learning Spanish.
CON: So is the kid who spit in her hair - and we have not yet learned the word for "hyperactive looser with minimal social skills." We have mastered a fairly decent "STOP IT" and a nice two-handed-shove - which I think translates well in any language.
PRO: Kooka's teacher looks like a Disney Princess.
CON: We have spent nearly $300 to make sure Kooka can look like that too.
PRO:Punk is bringing home a new friend every day.
CON: I am having to feed those new friends every day.
PRO: It is nice to have a modicum of time to myself.
CON: Who am I kidding - I never have time to myself, I am just teaching somebody elses' kids now.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
first day
Here is it how it went - just a few minutes before blastoff:
Kooka had a marvelous time, and rumor has it that Punk was the Mac Daddy of the art class. Punk had some hip new friends and an invitation to play already. But the verdict is still out . . . one kid is sold - the other will take some work.
Kooka had a marvelous time, and rumor has it that Punk was the Mac Daddy of the art class. Punk had some hip new friends and an invitation to play already. But the verdict is still out . . . one kid is sold - the other will take some work.
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