Teacher Notes

There’s been a lot going on this week.  Let’s just start with that.  I worry so much on weeks like this that we’re getting into a pattern of always being busy, and it’s not going to be just this week.

David has really been enjoying our read aloud Follow My Leader.  It was one of Silje’s favorites last year.  I pulled it all out of order for his core, but I wanted to see if he would get drawn in or not.  It was sort of a test to see if he was ready for the advanced reading core I picked for Silje last year.  Normally when I read to him, he stops me every once in awhile to ask me a question that has absolutely nothing to do with the reading.  Last night he stopped me and asked me more about Jimmy, and blindness.  His mind has been on the main character throughout the day too.

The main character was a boy very much like David.  He was active and athletic.  He was smart and loved to play ball.  Then an accident with firecrackers happened and he was left blind.  Yesterday I blindfolded both Silje and David, and they tried to walk around the house the way Jimmy was being taught by his instructor.

I love that this book makes people with disabilities on my kids’ brain in a very real way.  David is amazed at all the ways that “Jimmy” is learning to develop his other senses, and all the things he’s able to do when he’s blind.  He’s in love with the idea of a secret code of “braille.”  He’s learning the differences between using a white cane and using a guide dog and what that means for the quality of Jimmy’s life.  He’s told Knut several times that they need to be really, really careful around firecrackers.

On another David note, I had to take away the computer from him and I’m not sure how either of us are going to survive that.  I caught him twice lying to me about going to play chess, and then playing computer games instead that are reserved just for weekends.  I know that as a good mom, I need to teach him not to lie, but the frazzled mommy in me misses him getting sucked in there during quiet time every day.

So while I did dishes during quiet time the other day, David set up the chess bored on the kitchen table, and said, “Mommy, do you know all the basic forms of check mate?”

“Um, nope, I don’t think I do.”
“While you’re working over there, I’m going to set up just the basic check mate scenarios, so you can think about them.”
“Okay, David.”

I’ll honestly say I normally have no idea what he’s talking about in chess.  I know it doesn’t take much to get beyond my understanding of chess, but he’s most definitely passed me in knowledge in this subject.

Silje is missing choir, even though it’s been done only one week.  I need to find some more situations for her to be with other friends, because she seems annoyed with her brother most of the day these days.  Next week we have both homeschool group, and possibly a field trip scheduled, so I don’t have to stuff anything more then, but I’m looking ahead to this summer.

All of us are a bit stir crazy at home.  I think we all have the end of the year blues.  I need to think up a project for Silje to pour herself into right now.  She’s going through the motions in school lately, and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen her light up about something she learned.  Not every day, and every week needs to be exciting.  I realize that.  It’s just getting to that time of year.