Arizona Pictures - March 2009

We went to Arizona in March, 2009. It was so nice to get away from the rain. I would seriously move there! It is sunny and beautiful.


We stayed in Pat's cousin's house in Anthem.

This is a jumping cactus in the yard. It seriously jumped onto my shoe. Ouch!

We visited the Capitol building - another one checked off.

Alex bought these really expensive cactus candies - they were awful.



On our second day, we visited a Native American castle.

This picture is funny, because Rachel was paranoid about seeing a rattlesnake during our whole trip until the last day. That's when our captain (?? - you'll see!) told her they were not out yet - it wasn't hot enough!

We also drove up to Sedona. I wanted to continue up to the Grand Canyon,
but everyone wimped out.








Our friends arrived on our 3rd day. While they were in Arizona,
we went to a Cubs game - they won! Since the friends are Mariners fans
they were not very happy.

Rachel was able to get an autograph from Jeff Samardzija. She gave her hat to cousin Brock - a Samardjiza fan.

After the game we went to Spinato's for pizza, and then mini-golfing at the Family Fun Center - I think in Mesa.

Our favorite meal of the trip was at El Encanto. This was the best Mexican food I have ever eaten. The only problem with it is I somehow convinced Alex to try the guacomole. Now he loves guacamole and wants to eat it constantly!

The best part of the trip, besides the sun, was a huge surprise. We woke the kids up at around 5:00AM, and bundled them into the car. We drove about a half hour and arrived at our destination. The kids still had no idea what we were doing. We gave them the choice to look or not. Alex decided to find out where we were, but Rachel chose to wait. We loaded on to a van and drove further out into the desert. We got Rachel off the van and revealed the surprise - a hot air balloon ride! It was amazing! We spent about an hour in the air and celebrated with a traditional champagne breakfast. We'll never forget the ride.

Where are all the pictures???

(aka - What's with all the propoganda?)

So, the main purpose of this blog was really to post pictures of the kids and trips and such. But, it is so time consuming. Just today I started to try to upload pictures from when we went to Arizona in March. It took 20 minutes just to do 8 pictures. And, I still have like 20 more to post. I am looking to see if there is a better site for posting pictures. I might try the Shutterfly site for our trip to the East Coast.

As for the propoganda - you know how you get on a roll researching topics and it really takes over? Lately homeschooling and gifted education are what I've been thinking about here. Probably because APD is starting high school and I need to keep meticulous records and make sure he is doubly challenged. But I also have developed a view about why there are so many resources, websites, etc. defending homeschooling. Homeschoolers are a minority. And, as a minority they are subject to constant criticism - from the media, schools, family, friends, strangers, even the government. And when you're a minority, you become a bit defensive. I have to say, I have never really been in the minority before. I suppose a little bit working as a CPA at Arthur Andersen in the old boys network, but there were enough women that it wasn't too bad. It has been a little eye opening to feel like a minority. And don't get me wrong, I am not even remotely comparing my experience to the real life, day-to-day ongoing experiences and struggles of ethnic minorities here and abroad, past and present. But it is still very interesting to see how it is to be in the minority. In our case, we love it! Even the kids say they like not having to follow the lemmings, who are following the celebrities, who are following the rat mazes .... But anyway, homeschoolers are under so much scrutiny for taking the road less traveled that it is somewhat understandable that there are so many resources out there supporting a minority choice. I think it's fun to find them and interesting to read them. But it really all comes down to this: Everyone should do what works for them. If it's the world of public school, so be it. Private school - great. Early college - excellent. Study abroad - send me. And homeschool - yippee!


PS - I WILL get those Arizona pictures posted, and soon!

You deserve a break today....and everyday!!!

I found this article on how a lot of times school is so boring for "smart" kids, that they need a break. This was certainly the case for APD in his first year at middle school. He was sick so much, he missed at least 6 weeks. He would stay home, watch the history channel and ask "Can I just be homeschooled?" The only comment I have is - why are people so insistent that gifted kids should stay in school? There's just no point!

Giving Kids an Emotional and Mental Break - by Carol Bainbridge

Sometimes the stress of going to school every day gets to be too much for gifted kids. One could argue that school gets to be too much for all kids. What makes it so much worse for gifted kids?

Academic Stress

Gifted kids learn quickly. That means that they can pick up new concepts after one or two repetitions. Average children need ten to twelve repetitions. That means that gifted kids are sitting through anywhere from eight to eleven unnecessary repetitions. Even bright children need at least five repetitions, so even in a roomful of nothing but bright children, the gifted child will be sitting through some unnecessary repetitions.

However, being able to grasp concepts quickly is just part of the problem. Another part of the problem is that many gifted children start the school year, especially in the early grades already knowing a majority of the information that will be taught. That means that they don’t need any repetitions because they already know the material. For example, a five-year-old might enter kindergarten already knowing how to read, yet that child will have to sit in class and learn about the “letter of the day.” He or she will have to engage in all the activities that are supposed to help children learn the letters and the sounds they represent, activities meant to get students ready to learn to read.

Children who already know the material being taught or who pick new material up quickly can get bored (although parents should avoid using the word “bored” when ). Trying to sit still and pay attention under those circumstances can be quite stressful. While we might say that children should learn to be patient and to sit still, the reality is that few of us could sit still after hours of being bored. Some adults can’t tolerate being bored for two hours and will leave in the middle of a boring movie rather than sit through to the end. Yet many adults expect children to accept being bored not for two hours, but for sometimes up to six hours a day. And not just one day, but five days a week. And not just one week, but for the thirty-six weeks of the school year.

Giving Kids a Break FOR Learning

The lack of intellectual stimulation and challenge can take its toll on gifted kids. They can lose the motivation to learn. Parents often notice the sparkle in their child’s eyes begin to fade. These children with so much potential can become underachievers, and once a pattern of underachievement sets in, it is hard to reverse.

Perhaps worse than the effect on achievement, the lack of intellectual stimulation and challenge can affect gifted kids emotionally. They can become frustrated, angry and even depressed. They can suffer from psychosomatic illnesses, a common one being a stomach ache. For some parents getting their children ready for school in the morning can be a heartbreaking battle since parents know they are sending their children off for another day of monotony, while their children are crying and complaining of various physical ailments.

Under these circumstances, parents might consider giving their child a “Mental Health Day.” That is a day on which the child is allowed to stay home from school. These days should not be handed out lightly. That is, parents should not allow their child to stay home every time the child is feeling stress at school. All children get stressed in school. However, most parents of gifted kids recognize the moments when the stress gets to be too much and their children are beginning to suffer physically and emotionally, not just academically.

Mental Health Days are not days on which children escape from the pressures of learning. On the contrary. They are days on which gifted kids are given an opportunity to learn more. They don’t have to sit in a room waiting for the other kids to catch up. They can unfurl their wings and fly. Parents who want to give their child a Mental Health Day should be prepared to spend time with their child. It’s not a day for sitting idly in front of a television.

Instead, it is a day for visiting a museum or for going to the library. It is a day for working on projects near and dear to the child’s heart, projects that can’t be done in school. It is a day on which a child can explore a topic he or she is passionate about. If both parents work, parents should make plans in advance for a sitter who would be available during the day and who would be willing to take the child on trips or work with a child on projects.

Mental Health Days are not just for young children. I knew a high school girl who, in the early 1960’s, before computers made mass letter writing a simple process, was interested in learning about segregation and its effect on education. When she had the opportunity to stay home from school, she typed, on a typewriter, fifty letters to the education department of each state in the U.S. asking them about segregation in their schools.

Achievement vs. Ability

Achievement vs. Ability

Here's a good blog post I found. It's really good for APD, too. It means I'll quit making him do things over and over again when we learn history! Anyway, here's the part I found most interesting:

From research analysis by Karen Rogers, PhD and author of “Re-Forming Gifted Education”

-the learning rate of children above 130 IQ is approximately 8 times faster than for children below 70 IQ
-Gifted students are significantly more likely to retain science and mathematics content accurately when taught 2-3 times faster than “normal” class pace
-Gifted students are significantly more likely to forget or mislearn science and mathematics content when they must drill and review it more than 2-3 times
-Gifted students are decontextualists in their processing, rather than constructivists; therefore it is difficult to reconstruct “how” they came to an answer

A high I.Q. simply means that you process information differently, more quickly. In America we seek to educate everyone to the same level. The disastrous consequence of that is typically the slowing down of the pace in the classroom to meet the needs of lower ability students. The high ability child is left to languish. Democratization, indeed.

The Davidson Institute estimates that nearly 20 percent of all high school dropouts test in the gifted range. If we really want to improve achievement levels in this country then please, by all means, go about the task. Start with encouraging students to be successful and smart, build upon their strengths, introduce new and relevant role models, give as much effort to their academic education as you do to their athletic training. If you want to improve the number of high I.Q. students and their opportunities for success – do a better job of identifying them (a mandated national ability test would do nicely) and then serve their needs for a faster paced curriculum so they can remain engaged in school and have an opportunity to fulfill their potential.

Quote of the Day

"I have never let my schooling

interfere with my education."

Mark Twain

I'm reading a new book called "The New Global Student - Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition and get a Truly International Education" by Maya Frost. I just started it, but I already love the quotes!

Firequest

Last night APD experienced Firequest - a graduation / coming of age ceremony through the Wilderness School he attends. He stayed up most of the night alone in the woods tending a fire that was originally started with a bow-drill. How cool is that? He's so tired now, it's 3PM and he's still asleep. In fact, I better go wake him up, or he'll never sleep tonight!

The Case Against Homeschooling - WOW!!!!

I stumbled upon this blog - actually a newsletter I get - pro-homeschooling, of course - linked to it, along with a list of rebuttal articles.

Teacher-Revised - The Case Against Homeschooling

At first I wanted to cry - really! My first split-second reaction, I will admit, was OMG - am I really screwing my kids up, that badly!!!!! And then I scrolled to the end and found 625 comments and solace. My favorite comment - so far, I have yet to read all 625 + - is the one reprinted below. I wish I had written it myself, because it describes almost exactly the "why" for me (and the kids too.)

We homeschool for all the PRO reasons~ not because the schools are bad, the system is corrupt, the kids are worldy, the curriculum is liberal, etc….Actually, on the face of it, the philosophy and practice of homeschooling is a very Liberal approach in itself. It goes against the Conservative “status quo”.

My kids were in traditional school. A good one, where the teachers cared and tried and the Principal supported the teachers. I dropped them off at 8am, picked them up at 3:15. They had not been together all day, but yet within 60 seconds inside the car they were already quarreling. 1 1/2 hours later, after brain-fried and homework, we headed out to soccer or dance, etc, returned home for more homework, exhaling thru dinner time, baths and maybe signing the endless teacher papers, tweaking homework, finding out about last minute details for the next day. All the while (though academically the kids were doing well) my family lifestyle was competing with the sub-culture of “school”. We simply did not want to live this way anymore.

If a single-mom sees a way out of a drug/gang infested ghetto or trailer park, works hard to make a better life (in her opinion) for her children, she is praised. I wanted a way out of my “curb and gutter” suburb-good-school district, high expectations but low family priority lifestyle. You seem to disrespect that. You have no value that we are working diligently to produce 4 well-balanced, educated, respectful adults for our society. Frankly, bringing them home~ simply to take the time required to learn to serve and love one another~was the best thing, and the only thing I knew to do. You call me “selfish” for this, but that adjective is as pointless as labeling a non-homeschooling parent as”lazy”. I’m certainly busier than ever before, but I was not lazy then either. And Dad is over-seeing more than ever, when before he was relying heavily on the schools, teachers, systems to do the job. This gave him more time for golf, chill time with his buddies, veg time with the remote. I would call that selfish.

My children could have been kept in the school where they were with their fine teachers and glorious transcripts. But I’m not certain that they would have a future that meant that they could look back on their childhood and remember days of Peace, Serenity, Laughter, Quiet, Fun, Grace, Ownership, Parent-governed, Sibling focused, Self-responsibility. These are all the PROS I mean, and this was the vision I desperately wanted for my family.

I understand that there are pros in the traditional school model. I’ve been there, and I’ve experienced them. So, I think then, it really comes down to what the heart vision is for that child and for your family as a whole. If your point is that education is the rainbow label for a myriad of “subjects”, then I agree with you. But you are forgetting that these years are more than just subject learning, but are formative for future lifestyle choices.

The world needs more kids like mine. With their father, I’m hoping to change my family tree by producing children and grandchildren who know how to put aside a personal agenda for a higher call, bottom line. I’m not saying a school system cannot do that. I am saying that homeschooling is the only way I know how, and now that I’ve been there for 7 years, I’m seeing the fruit. And it’s all good.

Now that makes me want to cry - but good tears - of relief! Homeschoolers - rock on!!!!!!