Teacher Notes

The big news lately is Silje learned how to ride a bike.  With her younger brother mastering this art 2 years ago, it has been bothering her for a long time now that she couldn’t do it.  Well, she finally got it, and so she’s outside anytime she can ride.  That’s a big switch for her.  Her confidence has skyrocketed, especially in physical areas.  For instance, in swimming lessons I see her push herself more.  No longer does she see herself as the smart one, and David the athletic one.  She now sees herself as athletic too, and that makes me very happy.  She wants to get better on the bike, and I see her getting stronger.  All in all, it is a very good thing. 

The big thing for me was going to another Mom’s Night Out with my homeschool mom group.  It seems way longer than a month since we last got together, and it was getting to the point where I was counting down the days.  This time of year I feel like I needed that jolt of energy from the homeschool conference, and yet I decided not to go this year.  It would have been too difficult to manage, so I’ll have to attend from afar.  The group we’re a part of buys all the MP3s of the speakers from the big weekend every year, so that we can all “attend.”

I finished the long process of buying curriculum for next year, which seems to be the April activity.  I’m pleased with our choices for next year, although for the most part it is just continuing on the path we are on.  There were very minor changes I made.  We’re stepping away from Shurley English next year, and into Sonlight Language Arts.  That’s pretty much all I’m changing.  Don’t get me wrong, we love Shurley English, but I’m realizing it’s the same every year.  Same way of learning, same games, same activities, same worksheets.  I’m all for repetition, but I don’t think the kids or I really look forward to doing “the same” quite to that extent.

So we’re going to try out Sonlight Language Arts to mix it up a bit.  I’ve already started looking through it, and I think it looks fun.

I was encouraged and convicted last night at Mom’s Night Out on how my attitude sets the tone for my kids’.  Do I rejoice in work or complain?  Do I take joy in my kids and praise them, or is everything they do wrong?  It’s tough, isn’t it, when what bothers us most about our kids are things that they learn from us.

Already this morning, I have snapped at my kids to just eat their breakfast.  I tire of them saying the same thing 5 times in a row before I have a chance to respond once.  Already I have been impatient.  However, this morning I do not feel defeat.  God likes second chances…and third…and fourth…seventy times seventy.