Original title, eh?
I just thought I'd stop in. Life has been crazy with school, puppy, family get-togethers, puppy, other life stuff, puppy, computer problems, puppy... Yes, puppy takes up a lot of my time. I no longer spend the time I used to in the morning on the computer, which was my primary time for doing things like blogging! I actually spend no time most mornings on the computer.
Can't say much right now. Just wanted to stop in!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I don't get it
I'm quite good at math. Quite good at physics. Or at least I was good at physics when I was in school. Haven't had any problems with the 17yo's math--pretty much ever, except for Challenge questions.
But this dang Physics 11 of hers... Thank God there are answers, although they don't show how to get the answers. I'm having to do most questions more than once to get to the right answer. I don't know how much more stuff a classroom teacher would be providing that this textbook isn't providing, but good grief!!!! Hours upon hours trying to get these problems done! I think I need to find a support resource. I did find one website which could be helpful, but geez... I don't know if my brain is just not approaching it correctly, if I'm skipping over things in the text or something. I don't get it. Some questions I've given up on for now. How are kids supposed to be able to do this work?? I suppose it doesn't help that I've NEVER done the work that she's currently doing. Quite sure of it. And the textbook is somewhat lacking in their examples. They'll give a super basic example, then have a "practice problem" which has to be approached in a completely different way.
Argh.
But this dang Physics 11 of hers... Thank God there are answers, although they don't show how to get the answers. I'm having to do most questions more than once to get to the right answer. I don't know how much more stuff a classroom teacher would be providing that this textbook isn't providing, but good grief!!!! Hours upon hours trying to get these problems done! I think I need to find a support resource. I did find one website which could be helpful, but geez... I don't know if my brain is just not approaching it correctly, if I'm skipping over things in the text or something. I don't get it. Some questions I've given up on for now. How are kids supposed to be able to do this work?? I suppose it doesn't help that I've NEVER done the work that she's currently doing. Quite sure of it. And the textbook is somewhat lacking in their examples. They'll give a super basic example, then have a "practice problem" which has to be approached in a completely different way.
Argh.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
I know it's been a while!
Over a week. It's just very time-consuming with our puppy and just life. I get up at 6, get ready for the day, spend time watching the puppy and getting some school stuff done, then it's breakfast and get ready for the school day, then the school day, kids leave at 4, there's some cleaning up to do, supper to prepare, eat and clean up after, then maybe a small bit of computer time before school stuff and bedtime routines for the kids, then some more school stuff and maybe 30 minutes relaxtion, then sleep.
Our first week back was okay. The 17yo has been working quite well, despite being tired. I realize as I type this we could work on CELEBRATING progress more! Her brother didn't get a whole lot done this week, but man, is he still progressing nonetheless. He will be 14 in June, and that means he will be eligible to get his learner's licence. He has been reading the past couple of days. He struggles with it, but is capable of reading sooo much! He wrote a couple of times this week and that's improving, too. It's been really great. I guess I have to take back my "okay"--it was really better than okay, looking back, it just didn't feel like it going through it since not a whole lot of work got done by the 13yo and dd.
Ds is able to ride his bike everywhere now--up and down sidewalks and our driveway and all around our loop... He's obsessed. lol.
Puppy is doing great! She's just such a wonderful pup. Has at least one crazy, out-of-control, hyper period each day, but she's great.
All I have to say for now!
Our first week back was okay. The 17yo has been working quite well, despite being tired. I realize as I type this we could work on CELEBRATING progress more! Her brother didn't get a whole lot done this week, but man, is he still progressing nonetheless. He will be 14 in June, and that means he will be eligible to get his learner's licence. He has been reading the past couple of days. He struggles with it, but is capable of reading sooo much! He wrote a couple of times this week and that's improving, too. It's been really great. I guess I have to take back my "okay"--it was really better than okay, looking back, it just didn't feel like it going through it since not a whole lot of work got done by the 13yo and dd.
Ds is able to ride his bike everywhere now--up and down sidewalks and our driveway and all around our loop... He's obsessed. lol.
Puppy is doing great! She's just such a wonderful pup. Has at least one crazy, out-of-control, hyper period each day, but she's great.
All I have to say for now!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
It's been a while, hasn't it?
While life with puppy is not as crazy/chaotic as I was afraid it might be, having to spend more time watching her, plus just time being spent doing other things that have come up, have left me forgetting to blog!
At this moment, dd is out on her bike, proud to have finally figured out how to pump while standing up. Ds has decided to learn (finally) without training wheels. Keep in mind he's 7! We tried a bit last year, but he was just not psychologically ready to do without them. He's determined this year to learn, which is great.
School-wise... I don't know. It's been a while. We're on spring break now, so no official schooling going on. The 17yo (yes, she had her birthday since my last post) fractured her wrist when we were at the ski/snowboard hill last week, but didn't start thinking it was fractured until the day after when her wrist wasn't acting like a sprained wrist. They put her in a half-cast, but it's only gotten worse, so she's going in today for a full cast.
Her brother, "Bob"... Self-sabotage in all areas. School-wise before spring break--was doing well then right downhill. 75%+ on some ELA worksheets for a while, then he decided he wasn't going to try anymore and got 50%-. He had a chance at making a provincial team last week, a team that would be going to Australia to compete this summer, but he decided to walk off the board for his best dive during competition. He apparently is saying he did try, which maybe he did, maybe he didn't (his truthfulness lately has been severely lacking), but if he did actually believe he was trying, then it was still self-sabotage. Why? Perhaps rebellion against his coach and mom, perhaps a way to ensure that he doesn't go to Australia, thereby avoiding going on a plane. Unconsciously, he was not going to make that dive. Other self-sabotage: he had a dentist appointment last week and has a bunch of cavities, with one tooth really rotting away. Why does he have so many cavities? Because he doesn't really brush his teeth and he eats lots of sweet junk. What does he eat the following day? A bag of Skittles.
Back to school... I've been through the oldest's work and she should be able to do her Math 20 exam early to mid-May, be caught up in Bio by April 19, in Physics by early May. English is fine. French... Got to figure out still what she really needs to learn for her exam. I've decided that she has just hit into such a personal funk that I can't let her "suffer the consequences" for not keeping herself on top of things, so I'm going to insist she keep up with a scheduling I've worked out for her. She just ends up feeling more down about herself, so if I can take over the scheduling and we can focus on success in other areas, perhaps she'll find a bit more of her motivation. So many things going on in her teen life! Any little bit of feeling successful will be wonderful.
For "Bob", I'm working out a vision then mission statement. I'm also going to plan out what he will work on a little more in detail. By this, I don't necessarily mean he has to learn this and that for social studies; it could be more of a daily scheduled time for social studies project work--with me doing my own project while he does his, and maybe dd does her. When I do my own related work on the side, they are so much more motivated to do their own projects. I do already have some general things that I expect him to do--with less than 3 months of school left, it's time for him to get working on them!
Other than that... I don't know. I could really use a nap at the moment. lol
At this moment, dd is out on her bike, proud to have finally figured out how to pump while standing up. Ds has decided to learn (finally) without training wheels. Keep in mind he's 7! We tried a bit last year, but he was just not psychologically ready to do without them. He's determined this year to learn, which is great.
School-wise... I don't know. It's been a while. We're on spring break now, so no official schooling going on. The 17yo (yes, she had her birthday since my last post) fractured her wrist when we were at the ski/snowboard hill last week, but didn't start thinking it was fractured until the day after when her wrist wasn't acting like a sprained wrist. They put her in a half-cast, but it's only gotten worse, so she's going in today for a full cast.
Her brother, "Bob"... Self-sabotage in all areas. School-wise before spring break--was doing well then right downhill. 75%+ on some ELA worksheets for a while, then he decided he wasn't going to try anymore and got 50%-. He had a chance at making a provincial team last week, a team that would be going to Australia to compete this summer, but he decided to walk off the board for his best dive during competition. He apparently is saying he did try, which maybe he did, maybe he didn't (his truthfulness lately has been severely lacking), but if he did actually believe he was trying, then it was still self-sabotage. Why? Perhaps rebellion against his coach and mom, perhaps a way to ensure that he doesn't go to Australia, thereby avoiding going on a plane. Unconsciously, he was not going to make that dive. Other self-sabotage: he had a dentist appointment last week and has a bunch of cavities, with one tooth really rotting away. Why does he have so many cavities? Because he doesn't really brush his teeth and he eats lots of sweet junk. What does he eat the following day? A bag of Skittles.
Back to school... I've been through the oldest's work and she should be able to do her Math 20 exam early to mid-May, be caught up in Bio by April 19, in Physics by early May. English is fine. French... Got to figure out still what she really needs to learn for her exam. I've decided that she has just hit into such a personal funk that I can't let her "suffer the consequences" for not keeping herself on top of things, so I'm going to insist she keep up with a scheduling I've worked out for her. She just ends up feeling more down about herself, so if I can take over the scheduling and we can focus on success in other areas, perhaps she'll find a bit more of her motivation. So many things going on in her teen life! Any little bit of feeling successful will be wonderful.
For "Bob", I'm working out a vision then mission statement. I'm also going to plan out what he will work on a little more in detail. By this, I don't necessarily mean he has to learn this and that for social studies; it could be more of a daily scheduled time for social studies project work--with me doing my own project while he does his, and maybe dd does her. When I do my own related work on the side, they are so much more motivated to do their own projects. I do already have some general things that I expect him to do--with less than 3 months of school left, it's time for him to get working on them!
Other than that... I don't know. I could really use a nap at the moment. lol
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