Sad apple to Glad Apple

the last soldier in the fruit bowl, always looks so sad. but I can not throw him away. just a little soft. so I cored and diced him up in a bowl, sprinkled and tossed with cinnamon, sugar, and a sprinz of nutmeg, sprinkled 1/2 hand full of carmel bits put in saucer over the top to trap the steam.

microwaved for 2 minutes, and let rest for 10 minutes, on diet, so skipping the ice cream topping, but this is pretty good too.

what if?

Master of Education (M. Ed.) in Gifted and Talented Education

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers this degree program.

Is this program for me?

The Master’s program in Gifted and Talented Education develops awareness, knowledge, and understanding about teaching gifted and talented students. The program is designed to lay instructional foundation, and provide specific knowledge. Program and elective courses will provide graduates with the ability to fulfill the academic, social, emotional, and cultural needs of gifted children, youth, and/or adults.

The practicum experience offers opportunities for students to demonstrate their competence by applying their skills with children and youth.

The program is designed with several courses offered online. They are presented with a live chat room/whiteboard complemented with a web enhanced asynchronous environment on discussion boards. This allows participants to engage at their own convenience.

It will typically take 2 to 3 years to complete the degree if students are enrolled full-time (9 hours per semester).

What will I learn?

Through Gifted and Talented program coursework, specialized electives, and a Comprehensive Exam or Master’s Thesis graduates will obtain the following skills:

• Diagnostic Teaching
• Curriculum differentiation
• Teach TEKS/TAKS in order to support state testing
• Evaluate Student Products
• Reflective teaching

Graduates will also develop competence in:

• Curriculum development
• Content development
• Delivery and evaluation

Students work closely with faculty and fellow classmates to explore and conduct educational research as they improve their research writing and presentation skills. Students will learn to critically evaluate as well as implement gifted and talented curriculum programs.

Since degree plans change periodically, students will follow the degree plan that is in place at the time in which they complete an official, approved degree plan. Following is the most current sample degree plan for the M.Ed. in Gifted and Talented Education.

What can I do with my degree?

The Gifted and Talented Master’s Program is designed to prepare skilled professionals to serve in diverse educational settings including:

• Public and Private Schools
• Early Childcare Centers, schools, hospitals and related agencies
• Community College Settings

Graduates with a M.Ed. in Gifted and Talented Education may pursue the following careers:

• Curriculum Specialist
• Educational Director
• Community College Instructor
• Early Childhood-6th grade General Classroom Teacher
• Fourth-8th grade Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies Classroom Teacher

good watch

I'm Not Finished, Yet.

I remember the point of exhaustion in my junior year of college at the University of Montana. I was balancing a full class load heavy in mathematics and science without the benefit of self believe that I was gifted or talented with the overwhelming task of raising three small children under 5 years old. A high school guidance counselor prepared me to go a different way with an enlightening 'talk'. “Your grade point average is only 2.5, you can expect your GPA to drop a full grade point in college level courses. Perhaps you might consider other options.” I defied her, and took the ACT but without any idea of what the scoring system was, I thought I failed it with a score of 24. I thought that it was on the 100% scale, that she was correct, and I was not qualified to be in college.

It was with a lot of determination and tenacity that I did finish my degree's. I sacrificed myself. I tried to give at least 80% to every other aspect of my life. My children were already the center focus of my life, my personal health and relationships took a backseat to their needs, yet coursework still consumed hours of each day. However, failure was not an option, so each semester was filled with anxiety about getting to class on time, preparing for exams, and revising each research paper and written report competing with Christmas recitals, birthday parties and Easter egg hunts for my time and attention.

After completing college, I went to work for a brief period but discovered that work continuously conflicted with my natural propensity to put my children first. I just never could seem to master the juggling of school negotiations for my special needs children, the physical, speech and occupational therapy sessions seems to always take the front seat on my life. I always expected that if I could just get through the next crisis, complete the next hurdle, my life would slow down and I could rest and recoup.

First it was just get my daughters through high school. Then it was just get through a wedding, or get this grand baby through the first year in one piece. Get that daughter through her first military deployment while her husband was serving overseas. Get this son through scout rank requirements or through the latest swim team season. Each milestone was never a finish line though, and I never had a moment when all was settled, well, and I was done.

I returned to my High School 20th reunion with some trepidation. High school was never a pleasant memory, a fond experience, mostly it is like a really bad movie cliché. So it was pleasant to see that 90% of the students had done some considerable growing up and were significantly more pleasant than they had been in the halls and cafeteria two decades previously. However, that being said, I did feel a sense of disappointment in my own life to learn that at least one of 1200 students went on to a distinguished military career in Washington, D.C., (why had I not done that?) and at least one had gone on to work and live in London, England (why had I not done that?) and several had explored Ireland, Tibet, and a yet, here I was once proud of my passport with 6 stamps, was not as well traveled as I had previously thought.

What had I done with my life? A brilliant career? No, that was not what I had to show for it all. I had not conquered the world after all. I never seemed to live up to my own expectations. I have had many goals in life, but finishing any project was usually an accident. What could I say about my career? Memories of Little League, Soccer, and providing hospice for my family when my grandfather passed away from cancer highlighted with family trips to Great Smokey Mountains and Mardi Gras in New Orleans flash in my mind. Spending hours teaching my children how to fix a leaky toilet or how to grout a tile floor, mixed with cross country road trips through Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and visits to the family farm in Wisconsin are interspersed with getting to the parking lot at 5 am for church camp retreats at Utmost or driving to Painted Rocks Reservoir to help the girls pitch a tent when I was 7 month pregnant. Days spent at Silverwood Park, fishing and water skiing are dotted with lunches in the cafeteria, and long walks with talks, and heart to heart interventions in the walk in closet. Signing off community service hours for friends of my kids after they made bad choices, and the laughable joke of Scouting being just one hour a week, honestly, it is more like 10.

My first mission statement 25 years ago, “When you love someone, you help them, whether it is convenient or not” is still true and yet, today "making a difference" has been my consistent mantra. Each difficult choice has been, can I make a difference here? Will volunteering 200 hours in one month, have a far reaching benefit to someone in lieu of the sacrifice to my family and myself. Even if it is not now, but 10 years from now?

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

Spiritual Story by Unknown

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

I do not have the big pretentious house, the two cars, or a comfortable bank account that I expected would give me happiness and a sense of accomplishment. When I have dinner with rich and successful people I feel outclassed, even with a college education, there is always going to be a barrier because of my own perceived self worth. That limitation is most likely why I never achieved anything of noteworthy recognition.

When I enrolled in college, it was to save the environment. Today I teach cub scouts about Leave No Trace and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Years ago I took an photography elective in college, it was to have fun, today it is how I not only chronology my own family's history, but I provide a service in my community for other families as well. Now as I virtual school my two youngest and virtual tutor my two oldest in college, I think back to my own college education, I am sharing my knowledge with at least 4 of my children. As a scout leader, I am influencing young men, what will the ripple effect be from that? Will there ever be the point of recognition within myself or from those that I have had an impact on, that I achieved greatness if only by 'being there' in a time of need when no one knew that they would need help?

Friday

okay, so Tuesday was pinewood derby / cub scouts

Wednesday was Math lab, downtown traffic, three cops in my ''bubble'' at discovery green with my two children obviously not in school and erik had boy scouts and a frantic g'ma calling me to go get her grandson scout 11 miles away and get him to scouts on time.

Thursday was court in the morning, civics class, piano in the afternoon, and science after that, got the entire front yard raked last night, leaves and dead grass and then study island and math class connect / achievement series

today is make up day and then at 4 we have scouts community service project for 2 hours and then I think I will ship the kids off to Friday night live at the Cypress Creek Community Center for 4 hours of P.E. and Socialization. also have to have a check ready for venturing girl scout today for mulch for the front yard.

Erik has to be UP and at Scouts Merit Badge Workshop at 6 am (it starts at 7 am but is a 6 mile drive.

we are trying to get Krystal enrolled at SHSU for PreLaw for the fall, financial aid and taxes done by the end of the month.

still no word on the 504.

waiting for my coffee to brew. last time I took time for me? I had me time in November 24th, 3 hours from 6 - 9 pm LOL

no, I never take 'me' time, it is all about my family, it is my downfall. as for the hubby, he is on his own schedule, we did have dinner last night together, that was different. I even cooked, that was really different. giggle

I was feeling productive after cleaning the yard, and whatnot, so cooked a bow tie pasta / marinara / peas and carrot dish with green chilies and mozzarella cheese.

I think our next big project is to put in a fire pit in the back yard, then I could sit out and roast marshmallows for relaxation. oh wait, that would require that I put in about 20 hours to actually PUT IN the pit. hee hee yeah, see, there I go again.

you know, I keep telling myself, I just need to get through just one more hurdle, I just need to get the twins graduated from high school and my job will be done. I just need to get through Krys / Jason's wedding and my job will be done, I just need to get Krys / Jordan through their first year and I can coast. Jasmines first year in college and then Lilly's first year and just through Erik / Magnus cub scouts, and now Erik's boy scouts, and it just never seems to stop, there is always just one more milestone that I need to facilitate, coordinate, navigate, and orchestrate. now it is getting Erik through to Eagle, and Krystal enrolled in pre-law, and erik / magnus through taks, and there never seems to be an end of my worry and stress that I will drop the ball and leave something 1/2 done.

Now we just need to get through Blue and Gold, which means to do volunteer hours to facilitate donations from the store, to pay for the amenities. I remembered to get the track for pinewood derby, but misunderstood that I was responsible for awards as well. I thought the awards was for Blue and Gold, which I am responsible for as well. and I have truly neglected the outdoor hikes, I must get those schedule as well.and we have four months to plan the Arrow of Light ceremony. And I need to complete my Woodbadge ticket this spring. I would take a walk down the nature path, but no car today, scouts this afternoon, the boys are working on earning Friday Night live tonight, scouts tomorrow, and church chili activity tomorrow night that I have not even begun to prepare for yet. so maybe sunday I will have a couple of hours to just commune with nature. highly unlikely though. heehee

I noticed that the Houston Gem and Mineral show is in November, Friday the 11th is good for homeschool kids, Saturday and Sunday is classes for Scouts and Badges, Belt loops, and Pins.

okay, back to school for us. I have to teach science this after noon.

Everyone Loves Flowers

• Fundraiser Start Date: 02/01/2011

• Fundraiser End Date: 04/15/2011

Most Popular Offer

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1. Make a Purchase! Shop (beginning February 1st )

2. Send This Message To Friends and Family. Refer a Friend

stress

I cried today.

I was so overwhelmed last week that I quit every day.

I have an abundant guilt at checking off work that is not completed to my satisfaction.

while I am well aware that there is a 'liberal interpretation' and that you do not have to do everything in every lesson. FOR ME and mine, there comes a point that we can not do ANYTHING in a lesson. If all we did was use the 5 - 7 question assessment as an OPEN BOOK test and have unlimited time to research the internet to find the answer, we STILL do not stay caught up, and yes, we spend up to 12 hours a day struggling through the curriculum.

For instance, in order to GET THROUGH spelling each week, I am happy if he can just get through the spelling test with 100%, http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=4465749, I check off all the spelling helps for that unit. and move on. it gives him a chance to keep testing the words until he gets / guesses them correctly. I should be doing a better job of teaching him, but I am hoping that spell check will catch his mistakes later. That makes me feel bad because I know that it is wrong.

I send him to http://wordlywise3000.com with his headphones on and he listens to the words and definitions and I trust that the exposure will be enough, because am not really that good at the droning teacher at the front of the class that drags on for hours about crap that I do not care about, and I seriously doubt that my kids want to endure it either. when it comes to knowing this stuff, yes, I know most of it, but I get so overwhelmed when this one is asking about that, and that one is asking about this, they are not doing the same stuff, so I can not combine teaching moments, we have not even really had more than two opportunities to even get to the manipulative. out lives are consumed by moving the % across the dotted line, so we end up skimming the requirements just to keep up, never really getting to the meat of anything because we are paddling so hard to keep our head above water, we never realize that we are swimming at the beach of a Caribbean port, all we can see is the next wave coming in and from this perspective, it looks like a tsunami.

I spent 1 hour driving to the museum yesterday, and 2 hours driving home, 6 hours there and felt guilty that we are not working to get caught up. we took 4 days off for Christmas so that the kids did not completely mutiny. Magnus swears that he is going back to school just as soon as he wakes up early enough to get on the bus.

I must be an ineffectual teacher because it should not be this hard. we should not be putting in 12 - 16 hours a day, and then I still have to go in the last week and check off a bunch of lesson to get up the % goal even though we NEVER wrote that essay or read that passage, or even come close to looking at that art project. I discovered that we sit so long at the computer just trying to catch up that we have put on 10 lbs, the kids included, and we never see the light of day. we do not play with the kids in the neighborhood anymore because we never get close to being done before dark. it is always 5:30 before we stop, and then that only allows 30 minutes of free time before dinner must be served.

magnus: we hate it. because it is boring. takes time out my sleep and free time.

yep, I make a lousy spokes person for virtual schooling.

kat

BRØDRENE MYLIUS "Tele"

Searching for to purchase:
Manufacturer Brodrene Mylius, Kragero, Norway
830S Mylius Norway NM

(10) Dinner Knives
(10) Dinner Forks
(10) Desert / Soup Spoons

Digital Holiday Card

We Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Another Birthday Coming up

Not sure how that happened, it is a good thing, would hate to see them end.

Grey Hair Sucks!

God is Here

Sunday morning and this is what I was blessed with. A vision of peace and tranquility in the middle of the city of Missoula. It was quiet, I could imagine that I was alone in the world and that there were no wars, no hunger, no pain, an issues. If only for just a moment.

I wish all my friends and family, far and wide this same peace within.

Menu changes to Holiday

POMEGRANATE CRANBERRY EGGNOG BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients

non-stick spray

10 large eggs

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup Pomegranate Cranberry Compote or Sauce (see recipe)

1 cup pecan pieces, toasted and rough chopped

1 cup eggnog

1 1/2 cup half-and-half

10 slices Wheat Montana bread dried to smithereens, broken up into 1/2 inch pieces (about 5 cups)

Bourbon Spiced Cream, recipe follows

powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 6-cup (9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pan with butter.

Whisk together eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and cranberry sauce until very smooth. Stir in half-and-half. bread and pecans. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the pudding is set in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

To serve, cut the pudding into 1-inch thick slices. Top with the Bourbon Spiced cream. Garnish with confectioners' sugar and mint.

FRESH CRANBERRY COMPOTE:

1/2 pound fresh cranberries

1/2 pound pomegranate

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cups water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Put the cranberries, orange and lemon zest, orange and lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups of the water in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/2 cup of water and add to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, then stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Yield: 2 cups

BOURBON SPICED CREAM:

1 quart heavy cream

1/2 cup bourbon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Beat the cream and bourbon with an electric mixer on high speed in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat again until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks, another 1 to 2 minutes. Yield: 4 cups

SCALLOPED GREEN TOMATOES

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 bunch celery, including leaves, coarsely chopped

1 shallot, skin-on, sliced

1/2 small onion, skin-on, sliced

3 peppercorns, crushed with the back of a knife

1 small bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups fresh cream

3 to 4 pounds green tomatoes

Fresh breadcrumbs from 1 baguette

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, shallot, onion, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs, and season with salt; cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and translucent.

Add cream and bring to a simmer; remove from heat and let steep 15 to 20 minutes. Strain cream into a small container with a spout, gently pressing on solids to extract flavor. Discard solids and set cream aside.

Using remaining tablespoon butter, butter a 9-by-7-inch or 2-quart baking dish; set aside. Using a mandolin, very thinly slice tomatoes into 1/16-inch slices, discarding any irregular or unusable pieces. Layer tomatoes close together and slightly overlapping so that they cover bottom of entire dish; season with salt and pepper. Repeat process, making 5 layers of tomatoes and seasoning between each. Let stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a second baking dish about the same size as the one containing the tomatoes, press down on surface of tomatoes and drain any liquid that has accumulated in the dish; discard liquid and remove second baking dish.

Top tomatoes with breadcrumbs; do not press down. Evenly pour reserved cream over top so that breadcrumbs are moistened. Transfer to oven and bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Top with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.

DRESSING MUFFINS

Baking this cornbread dressing from Miller Union chef Steven Satterfield in muffin tins gives each serving crispy, savory edges.

Ingredients

Serves 12

3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Cornbread

3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

3/4 cup chopped pecan pieces

3/4 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

2 teaspoons fresh finely chopped sage

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 3/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using 2 tablespoons butter, butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin; set aside.

Break cornbread into medium-fine pieces by hand in the pan it was baked in; add cherries and pecans; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, shallots, sage, and thyme; cook, stirring, until onions are translucent. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer; let simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Pour vegetable mixture over cornbread and mix to combine; let cool slightly. Stir in eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Using your hands or an ice cream scoop, fill prepared muffin tin with cornbread mixture. Transfer to oven and bake until set, about 40 minutes. Let cool before removing from muffin tins.

We Love China Gardens

http://speakupmissoula.com/answer/4062/China_Gardens

Insanely Exhausted

here are some catch phrases that I learned from my 9 year old his last year in B&M

"I hate my life"

"just kill me now"

"would you like some cheese with your whine"

"did that hurt? I didn't feel a thing"

LOL

everyone has a breaking point. each person will find it, hopefully before the brink of sanity and desperately before they self destruct.

I would love to say that this is fun, IT ISNT

I would love to say this is rewarding, The Jury is Still out on that one

I will not tell you that it gets better and this is why

if you can not handle this, and you hold on until you can handle it, you will take on something else that you can not handle, because you figure that you have mastered this and so you can handle a little bit more. this is a fatal flaw with some personalities (mine included)

I couldnt handle two at home, but then I had two, I couldnt handle two at home and scouts, but then I did, you just keep piling it up on your plate until you can not handle it anymore. I wish I had good news, but I am still desperately trying to clear my plate this week, why? to rush clear across the country to HEAP more on my PLATE. because that is what I do.

I am my college child's study buddy, because she went to B&M and doesnt have a clue of how little she knows

I am teaching my 5th grader and terrified that I will not get all the math and science stuffed into his head

I am teaching my 4th grader that HATES to write and I seriously doubt that he will master it by spring.

so let's revisit:

I hate my life, it will not get any better, just kill me now, I chose this for myself, yes it hurts, so what, there is no plan B, I have to suck it up, walk it off, and drag my kids kicking and screaming into the 21st century and get them to understand that the internet is a research tool, not a animae portal, and will someone POLEZZE tell my 25 year old daughter to GOOGLE before asking me, and NOT tell me that GOOGLE takes TOO long.

This is NOT how I planned my life when I was 17 and KNEW IT ALL.

time demands:

Magnus: 9am - 4 pm

Erik: 11 am - 6 pm

Sverre:8 pm-12 pm

Jasmine: 10 pm to 6 am

Kat: yeah, good luck with that

Re: 3 Nice Things Today

I have been in such a bad mood for days that I must revisit this:

1. my socially challenged child that is the whole catalyst for us being here had a FANTASTIC weekend socially and I am grateful that he did so well.

2. Even though I am worried to distraction that both of my older boys ( both LCpls) are in Afghanistan, they will be ok. and Lili-anne is not here yet, and THAT is a GOOD thing. she will be done cooking by Halloween.

3. we have a curriculum that I can implement as I see fit, a house we can afford, an steady income to provide, and our health is very good. all other challenges are just distractions.

Frequently I reply to the 'lastest' posts in online discussion groups, not sticking to one particular clique or group. I consider myself pretty liberal, and it is rare that I look up and see anything other than title of the the discussion or topic, rather than which 'group' that topic traditionally belongs to.

so it is very reasonable for any innocent to walk into a 'room', not hunting out any particular group to annoy, aggravate, or irritate. frequently I do manage that objective with very little effort what so ever. LOL

that being said, let me chime in here, because I can. and No I will not apologize for my opinions, they free and worth about that much.

My husband is a devout atheist. actually a humanist, but few know about that point of view. I am a possibly a right wing democrat or a left wing republican (the Left is called "the party of movement" and the Right "the party of order".) depending on the topic. (Traditionally, the Left includes progressives, social liberals, social democrats, socialists, communists and anarchists. The Right includes conservatives, reactionaries, capitalists, monarchists, nationalists and fascists.) I am obviously a progressive and anarchist if I am willing to buck the establishment and home school my children, but I am a a conservative nationalist if I am going with such a restrictive program that demands accountability.

So I do not believe that any one stance is perfect, any religion is perfect, any one curriculum is perfect. or any one discussion room is perfect. as with any buffet, you dish up what you want, take what you like, and leave the rest. that is not a secular decision, a racial decision, or a scientific decision, it is just a COMMON SENSE decision. The fact that this topic was raised, and brought to my attention is a 'blessing' since I didn't know that there was a bible study in the literature program perked my interest. Yes I am considered one of THOSE people since it is obvious that I have been lurking over in THAT mormon discussion group, but that does not pigeon hole me to only one track mind set. I chose k12 because it was non-secular, on purpose.

btw, political correctness tends to really irritate me. I watched a new pilot, and I kid you not, they got in one white, one black, one asian and one female to make the cast Barney Diverse. SERIOUSLY? why? life is not Barney Diverse. my family is not Barney Diverse, my kids education is not Barney Diverse. I think sometimes people try to hard.

I recently read in another book The Educated Child and while I find some of his opinions laced with a tad bit more conservatism than I am, the point that he makes is valid. To few parents establish what they believe with their children, they dance around the subject, they never come right now and force their views on their child and they leave the child to figure it out on their own. To teach or not to teach a topic or subject, to censure or not to censure is entirely up to the parent and at least with k12 we have the choice to do so without interference. The local B&M did not offer that choice. They are militant here in conformity to a set of standards that are not MY set of standards, which is why I am in k12.

My point (and I was getting to it) was that I want to be INFORMED, I want to KNOW what is being offered, in the B&M, in k12, on the TV, and I want to make my own choice and my own decision. not because I am part of this party, or that, because I am part of this mindset or that, because I am in this group or that one.

Not everything we say or do is going to be confrontational, not everything we say or do is going to be embracing diversity, but we should be able to make a rational observation and draw a conclusion without constantly apologizing or getting defensive because someone may or may not share our point of view.

End of family reunion dinner

Smores

Education.. not school

this is our second year and with one it was bad, but with two, it is just as bad as last year when I didn't have a clue. but not unforeseen. I knew it was coming. be careful what you wish for.

okay, here is my brainstorming.

A; this is not SCHOOL, this is EDUCATION. so how long is that going to take?

how long does that job take? 40 hours a week? hmm that is 8-5 not 9-330. so if the WORK at hand is to get an education, not just go to SCHOOL. we are looking at 30 hours of instruction and 10 hours of enrichment.

now the k12 program doesn't say MAXIMUM of 30 hours a week, they said MINIMUM. if your family drives the exact precise speed limit on the freeway, then follow the minimum, if your family goes over about 10 mph, then I would say that they would be acceptable to a 10 hour fudge factor on school work as well. SOUNDS reasonable to me.

remember I am in the same boat, my husband says that this is MY project and I am the PROJECT MANAGER if it succeeds or fails, it is all on me.

so we tried following the k12 recommended day for 21 days. THAT was a FAIL. we do not transition well, I found the kids wandering aimlessly around the house when they KNEW what was on the schedule for that time slot, and they were basically avoiding me and working.

we have a stellar home office with three work stations with three computers with a comfy couch, multimedia surround sound and it is really nice DSL. they are extremely well set up with functionality and all the tools. so it is not THAT, it is lack of direction. the map is in thier hands, the GPS in the pocket, and they still get lost going to the kitchen for a drink.

so here is my plan:

we have a strict menu each week:

• SUNDAY is Pizza, every Sunday, every week, pizza, cheese pizza, cherry pie pizza, veggie pizza, two kinds of pizza, but always PIZZA
• MONDAY, is Mac n Cheese, lasagna, some kind of pasta
• TUESDAY is TACOS, if it is Tacos, it is Tuesday and if it is Tuesday, beef tacos, chicken tacos, it is tacos. you can set your watch by it.
• WEDNESDAY is Soup and Sandwich, usually tomato and grilled cheese, but always S&S
• THURSDAY is spaghetti, every Thursday, every week
• FRIDAY is Fish and Veggies, without fail. fish fillet, fish sticks, fish
• SATURDAY is Crepes, it just is, always, every Saturday, CREPES, sometimes with jam, sometimes with fresh fruit, sometimes just sugar, but always crepes

so we have embraced the menu, I need to chunk up the lessons

Monday obviously must be MATH, math monday, monday math. no problem, makes sense P.E. is every every day, 2 hours of pe, 5 hours of math, that I can pull off

Tuesday... Silly Science (3)and Social Studies(2)

Wednesday... Health & Music

Thursday.... Music - Composition

Friday... Language Arts (GUM, Spelling, Vocabulary, Literature)<~~I am not sure about this one at all

Saturday... Art and Foreign Language

Sunday... Music

and yes, I think we are going to have to go to 7 a week...

Island Girl Workouts - Tahitian Hip-Hop (Part 1)

Island Girl Workouts - Tahitian Hip-Hop (Part 2)

why virtual school

THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI

CHAPTER 3

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

8 And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord.

here is my take on it, and this is just personal reflection. I spend so many hours doing enrichment activities, that we more than cover the basic expectation of commitment. I have a running tally sheet on an envelope that I have for my own accountability, when I was home sick from the hospital, my son laid down next to me on the bed, and he watched 6 hours of walking with dinosaurs on PBS, you can bet that he is getting credit for that spread out over the school year, I call it bankable hours. he hiked 21 miles through Glacier National park with a Geologist / Park Ranger, he participated for 4 hours a day for 2 days, and each night he sat through 3 one hour lectures and slide shows about geology by the time we were done, he earned a Scout Conservation badge from Washington D.C., you can bet that we banked those for Science and P.E., 21 miles... in 5 days is a lot of hiking.

So what I do, is I push him, not watching the clock, but getting 3% assignments done each week. I give credit on each subject that we do work on, if he works hard, 1 hour, really hard, 2 hours, and really really hard 3 hours, until we have 6 - 8 hours. Our program only reimburses us for internet if we have a minimum of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, not 30 hours a week over 6 days. I keep the lessons separate from the time. There are days that we work in a subject and do not complete a lesson, the program doesn't care. Lessons are A, B, C, D grades, attendance is 30 hours a week for 38 weeks, one does not have anything to do with the other.

1080 hours over 38 weeks or 180 days...

anyway you divide it, that is what you need.... at least 180 days of attendance and a minimum of 1080 hours.

there is not a lesson / hour police, they do not call you and question you, you do not have to PROVE that it took xx number of hours, it is an HONOR system, so if you work 10 minutes a day on each subject, and are done in 3 hours, fine, whoohoo, come the end of the year, who won? who benefited? what did you accomplish?

the 1080 hours is RECOMMENDED for the child to get the best possible opportunity to have an enriched and positive day. you get out of it what you put in to it. nothing comes without work, sweat, and striving for excellence. I think that we have become a nation of time clock watchers. it was just a while ago that we had apprentices, they were lucky to get a job training with the best, and they didn't clock in or out, they got up, they learned their craft, and they went to bed, that was their job. they were young children, but they learned their craft.

I would rather do it right, or not do it at all. I tell my children, don't disrepect my time and talent, this is truly a sacrifice for me and if you do not respect my time any better than giving me 110% you can go back to school and be happy with mediocre. I know what my education is worth. What I do for them, is a gift, the ultimate gift. I invested 8 years of my life in college to learn what I did, and I can share it with them, in the ultimate hands on learning experience in the world. We are taking the opportunity to change the educational process. I am not looking for a way to get out of school, I am not looking for a way to beat the clock and spend the day on my butt or worse at the mall. I am striving for an opportunity to give them a college level education before they finish high school, so that when they go to college, they build on that to the next level.

I do not have gifted and talented children, but I believe that "geniuses are made, not born".

That is my $.02, and that is why I am here.