Saturday, September 21, 2013

Scalping, scheduling, school, and steps

This week my nephew Michael came over-twice. He was up the stairs every five minutes. 
Sadly, he can't exactly make it back down yet. 
His mom was worried that he was going to fall down them, but he generally stood at the top waiting.
He knew that someone would carry him down. 
Come running to his rescue. 
Besides, going up is so much fun. 
Why think about going back down in advance?

This reminds me of myself. Although I have a few years on Mikey (he's 1.5 years old.) I understand what he's going through. Often I find myself jumping into "good ideas" without really thinking them through logically first. I don't think about whether I can be disciplined and carry through, or whether I will regret it. Why think about the downside in advance? No one wants to go down!
I did think about home schooling in advance, but I didn't consider the scheduling and how difficult it would be. I'm that person that procrastinate well, it's almost an art form! Generally it works, but for children you're supposed to do a little better than that. My boyfriend told me that I would need a schedule (two weeks or so into schooling.) I agreed. How will I get things done if I don't? 
  1. Write schedule
  2. Write separate schedule for the days I go to the gym in the morning
  3. Enforce the schedule
Although it was difficult, I did manage to set a fairly early wake-up time (and no I won't tell you in case you wake up at 6 or something and judge me.) The girls are now waking up even if I hit the snooze--all I ask is five extra minutes! 
So you were wondering how school is going? Pretty decent. I go to the library two or three times out of the week. I check out books relating to what they're learning in their school books, and they're doing several book reports a week. I am planning (that WORD) on starting a journal so that I can remember why I put this or that book on hold, or what the end result was supposed to be for...Well you get the drift. Monnie is learning about Native Americans. I personally feel like I've accomplished something when she comes to me and asks how they went about scalping a person
That may be just me though.
I feel that it's important for people to retain their curiosity. 
Don't ask why? Ask "Why?", then "How?", then "When?", and "What were they thinking?"

When they don't know something, I want to have an answer, but I've found that it's even better to make them search for the answer...Because in life rarely is it easy to find.

And that's how my week has been.

Elisabeth Arona

6 comments:

  1. Schedules are hard to get into, but once they're in place it gets easier.

    I read my Little House on the Prairie set and other history-based titles enough times growing up to get immensely curious about scalping. My own scalp tingles just remembering it all.

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    1. Little house on the prairie will do it. This reminds me to get that for the girls. The classics :-)

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  2. well done Lizzi! Keeping a schedule will really help in the long run. I will admit I am not always the most organized person but in the classroom I always had my lesson plans done two weeks in advance. Now that I'm tutoring I had to make myself a schedule to set aside one da a week to work on lesson plans and a schedule for the kids I work with. I love how you are making them search for their own answer! I also bring a large dictionary with me when I tutor and if a child doesn't understand one of the words in our book . . . .I make them look it up ;-)

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    1. Uh Kim, I'm just trying for two days in advance girl! I'm not on your level by a long shot.

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  3. Lizzi, that's a BIG enchilada you bit off. It'll be successful because the great Teacher is going to direct the proceedings.

    You need to post your latest blogs on the cast blog blitz - Tuesdays -PM

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement! Ah, and today is Tuesday. What luck! I was just about to write a post too.

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