Surviving Test Week

ITBS Testing Booklet for Second Grade.

It is testing week for two of the Degonias.  This is also known as boring and arduous week, No. 2 pencil week, keep up the hard work week, and no chores because you've suffered enough week.  We will all be glad when it's over today.

A highlight of the week:
Seeing how well Denver can read!

Spencer does not enjoy standardized
tests.  The only thing worse is
having your mom take pictures
of you while testing!

John Robert escaped standardized testing this year
because he dedicated himself to completing
ninth grade Algebra a year early. 

Although Spencer seems to be handling it rather well, I won't know for sure until the results are in.  He has been laughing about some of the questions since he feels they are outdated.  For instance, in the Reference Materials section, the test asked questions about encyclopedias.  Spencer only half jokingly said that he would rewrite this section offering Wikipedia as a possible answer, and it would be the correct choice almost every time!

For Denver, it's a different story.  A lot of his test requires me to read statements to him.  He then chooses the correct answer from a series of choices.  He likes to entertain himself by shouting out a clearly incorrect answer and then watching me attempt to remain straight-faced.

Example
Me: Which of the following pictures is an example of a natural resource? I was a little concerned about this terminology.  I knew I had never actively taught it.

Denver: Clearly, the answer is SOCKS!

Me: Looking away and down at the floor.

Denver: Don't worry Mom, I know what natural resources are.  We search and dig for natural resources all the time on Minecraft in order to survive.  Here, the natural resource is water. 

Me: Grrr . . . Darn that little Smarty Pants!

Denver practices being a Bad Guy.

All the boys enjoyed a demonstration
given by our wonderful Porterdale Police
at the Montessori School this week.

John enjoyed trying on the kevlar vest.

Boys, Muskets, Cannons, and Swords

It was one of the best games of pretend I have witnessed. Hundreds of reenactors pretended to be Union or Confederate infantry and cavalrymen.  There were people in 1860's civilian clothing.  There were doctors, shopkeepers selling food of the time, Civil War memorabilia, and women in period clothing sitting outside their canvas tents cooking over an open fire.  We even met General Robert E. Lee.

Denver was in Heaven.

For over eight and a half years, Denver has been taken on field trips and adventures of many kinds: museums, aquariums, state parks, caves, beaches, forest hikes. Although he normally has a good time wherever he goes and whatever he does, I have noticed (and Denver has pointed out!) that the trips are usually not his idea. This trip was for him.  And he loved it.

Denver is currently interested in the Civil War, and this trip was for him (but we all enjoyed it-- except John Robert.  He stayed home with Mimi and Paw Paw to attend both swim practice and a friend's birthday party.  He's growing up, and we missed him!).  

Spencer wearing the Captain's hat
and holding his pistol after the
artillary demonstration.

On Friday morning, we drove to Resaca to attend the Student Day program prior to Saturday's Civil War reenactment.  It was fabulous.  We were able to get up close and personal.  We asked as many questions as we wanted, and the knowledgeable reenactors loved telling us what they knew.  I loved that we were with the homeschool group, which only had about 12 people.  It was a much better experience than the large school groups with 50 or more people at each station.

Denver standing proudly beside
the cavalry leader.

We met women of the day who followed their men and cooked for them.  We met cavalrymen and learned about their weapons and horses.  We talked to a doctor about his gruesome work.  We met the infantry and learned about their hard lives and need for shoes, food, and weapons. 

Denver got to meet each person individually and hold their pistols and muskets.  We looked in their tiny tents that sometimes slept up to four men, but only had space for one.  We attended an artillary demonstration and heard the BOOM!

We all loved it.  John was in his element, explaining the mechanics of the different weapons.  Spencer was taking it all in and learning new things.  Denver was loving the whole thing-- especially that he was the only one of 500 students carrying a musket that his daddy had specially modified for him to make it more realistic.  Many other boys were admiring his musket, and Denver was more than happy to show them how it worked!

Lookout Mountain:
Look out, it's about to rain!

After a morning of being outside with the reenactors, we drove to Lookout Mountain, hiked around, and enjoyed the view.  We walked through the memorial park and the boys played with the cannons.  The air was cool and we could see for many miles.  It was beautiful.

Silly boys at Red Lobster.

We followed with a wonderful meal at Spencer's favorite restaurant and then we were off to the hotel to swim in the pool and relax.  The boys found four other boys to play with.  It was a great day of fun, and there was more.

On Saturday, we drove to the Southern Museum in Kennessaw. Although we had been there years before, the boys didn't remember much, and they loved learning again about the Great Locomotive Chase.  They practiced sending telegraphs to one another, and Denver and Spencer both wanted their pictures taken with the statue of General Lee.  From there, it was on to the reenactment.

 Over the course of the afternoon, we watched the cavalry attack, lines of infantry fighting from their trenches, and cannons booming thunder.  Denver and Spencer moved through the crowd to see from every angle.  The weather was perfect, and John and I were happy to see the boys learning and having fun.

The trip was a marvelous success.  Boys, muskets, cannons, and swords.  How could it fail?

Playing taps at the end of the battle.

Hilarious Parody of Homeschool Myths--LOVE IT

Rocks & Minerals--but he doesn't call it Science

In his free time, Spencer studies
the properties of various rocks and minerals
to create iron and other metals
on Minecraft.

It was 10am, and the boys had completed very little homeschool.   

I was just about to get grumpy with Spencer.  Why was he sitting there reading that little Rocks & Minerals book when he had so much work to do?

Then he said, "Oh, Mom! I figured out how to make steel to create a protective barrier for my Redstone machine on Minecraft. You heat iron and coal to make pig iron and then follow some more steps to purify and make steel.  And I also learned how to make sulfur using a brine.  And then you skim it off the top.  That's going to be handy."

We talked about his discoveries and how amazing it is that people have learned to create so many different metals.  The time and experimentation necessary to make these discoveries was amazing. We laughed and shouted, "Whoo!  Go People!"


The curriculum for me was another lesson in the series entitled: People do not always need to be taught.  We learn well on our own when we're encouraged to follow our interests.  Whoo!  Go People!

When this is what Spencer spends time studying
for Minecraft, how can I possibly call it
"just playing" or meaningless "screentime"?

Dangerous Exploration

Denver runs the weedeater wearing
 safety goggles and a skeleton mask?!

Homeschool looks so much tidier in my lesson plans.

The trouble with homeschooling is that unlike teaching a classroom full of children, you may end up letting each child explore his individual interests.

This is dangerous.  It messes up your lesson plans.  Suddenly you have three kids learning vastly different things and you may look outside and see an eight year old with a skeleton mask and a weedwacker making a labyrinth in the backyard.  It happens!

As the school year draws to a close, I look back in amazement at what the boys have and have not done.  It is time to create a written summary of their learning, and it is not as easy as a one page list of subjects and grades.  

Spencer wrote a quick letter to his cousin
without a bit of help from me.

John Robert launched himself back into a traditional school setting for three days a week.  He stays on top of his work without a word from me, and has made only As.  He has also been a committed member of his year round swim team.  He is looking forward to going to high school next year.   

Spencer remained excited about history this year, and began to enjoy the math offered by Calculus for Young People.  He has deepened his understanding of computer programming, and is thinking about returning to the Montessori school next year.

We enjoyed seeing the Barred Owl
at a recent festival.

Denver's reading ability exploded.  He reads constantly now . . . though not very often from books.  Menus, signs, television, computer games, mail.  He can solve nearly all of the mysterious word puzzles he has been seeing around him for over eight years.  He is thrilled.

So what about my lesson plans that included monthly Shakespeare workshops and a renewed commitment to Latin?

The boys are changing and growing
faster than I'd ever imagined.

Dropped like a hot potato.  The boys like Shakespeare plays, and we went to a few this year; but they did not like being onstage at the workshops.  

Spencer and I both love words and their history.  We enjoy talking about Latin words, their meanings, and how they've changed over time-- but we all tired of memorizing rules for word endings in Latin.  When our Rosetta Stone program stopped working, I just quietly put it in a drawer for now.

I don't know what will happen next year.  Will they go to school?  Will the two younger boys and I continue to homeschool?

Homeschooling is a dangerous exploration.  It does a teacher no good to make lesson plans too far ahead.  It's like paving a road upon which no one wants to drive.  

If I have learned one thing from homeschooling, it is this: 
I trust my children to learn.
I am here to support them in their many quests to explore and understand the wide world around them.

It isn't always easy.  For instance, Denver has requested a family field trip to Ancient Greece; and he would like a tuxedo, top hat, and cane.
Any ideas for supporting this?

Making Gak:
Exploring polymers.

The Price of Being a Star

John Robert receiving his Duke TIP award last spring.
He doesn't look too thrilled, does he?

Being a star isn't easy.  A lot of people are looking at you.

It is with hesitancy that I share this; but I think it may be helpful to any parent or grandparent who may read it.

Our eldest son gets a lot of unwanted attention: he is handsome, intelligent, and a talented athlete.  All of that is a good thing . . . right?

Yes and no.  On Monday of this week, John Robert was very unhappy (not a normal event).  After letting him know repeatedly that I love him and want to understand, he chose a time to share his feelings with me.  For that I am extremely grateful.

These are a few of his favorite things:
phone with earbuds, apple juice, and
chocolate chip waffles

John's swim coach repeatedly urges him to work harder if he wants to be a great swimmer.  John told me he enjoys swimming, but doesn't have dreams of being a great swimmer; yet he doesn't want to disappoint the coach he admires.  

I think this may be true; or it may be that he fears failure, and so doesn't risk it all.  Thankfully, I was so happy to hear his thoughts that it didn't occur to me to offer my opinion.

John also shared that for the past year he hasn't really been interested in anything in particular.  He is worried about this.  He doesn't know that it's normal for a teenager to feel confused by thoughts of career and adulthood; disoriented by expectations and the unknown.  I listened, shared a little bit of my high school experience, and ordered his favorite pizza for delivery.

I think John feels pressure to know what he wants to "be".  I have noticed people (including me!) thinking and talking about careers John might be interested in.  I didn't know it was creating pressure for him.  This explains why he wasn't thrilled about the Duke TIP national honor award-- to him, it's just more pressure to succeed.  It also explains why he wants to go to high school.  He wants someone else to tell him what to do.  He doesn't trust himself.

John Robert playing chess
with Papa Dale

I was incredibly grateful just to know what was going on in John's mind.  He holds so much inside.  After talking to me, he was willing to hang out with me and his brothers, eat pizza, and watch a movie with me.  It was wonderful to talk and hear him laugh.

The rest of the week went well.  He perked up and now seems happy.  He said his science test went well.  He turned in a good essay for the writing class I teach, and gave an adequate presentation.  The rest of the week's swim practice was fine, and he's looking forward to hanging out with his buddy today and going rock climbing.

John Robert at swim practice.

John Robert is the child I rarely worry about.  He appears to need me only for rides to a friend's house, making or buying enormous quantities of food, and buying bigger clothes.  But this week, I hope I was able to help by being a good listener.  

I am going to be more careful not to burden him with my well intentioned praise that he carries as heavy expectations to be met.

He is just a fourteen year old young man feeling his way toward adulthood.
   

John giving a presentation this week for writing class at the Montessori school.