Do you ever feel

like you belong on a different planet? Do you ever feel like everybody got bit by the crazy bug, except for you? Do you feel like the insane minority of one?

Yeah, me too.

 

Crescendo

The other day I had a glorious moment with James.  Mornings can be a busy blur.  James usually will take a wonderful morning nap, at least an hour plus, and that’s kinda a golden time of sorts.  I get a lot of the girls’ focused school time done, I get dishes/laundry moving, I kidwrangle Judah and Joshua and drink delish coffee to boot.  Anyway, I love James, but I doo make sure he gets his morning nap.  Once I get him asleep I am usually quickly off to take advantage of the time.

I still swaddle him and put him in a swing because he seems to like it still and if it ain’t broke I really don’t have time to fix it.   On this particular morning, I was upstairs with James wrapped in his blue blanket and he was ready to conk out.  His eyes were so heavy, his head leaning on my shoulders.  Downstairs, Eden was likely to be staring off into space instead dutifully doing her math page  and Judah was probably just about to launch a stealth attack on Joshua.  Maria was probably about to do 2 Bible lessons instead of just 1 , so I wasn’t really worried about her “antics” (gotta love a girl who loves her workbooks).

Even so (stealth attacks, Bible lessons and all), I just stayed up there for a few minutes longer and held and beheld my sweet lump of baby.  I held him tight and was just blown away.  I was thankful and I loved him so much.  I was painfully aware of how much my life right now is about me dying.  I give and give and lose sleep and work so hard at times to co-ordinate five little schedules and wants and needs.  I get covered in snot and pee and tantrums and on the days that I give into irritation I feel like the worst failure ever.  I give and I give.  Aware of the giving and dying, I was also wonderfully aware of how much I’m getting.  Getting and getting and getting. He was so sweet and so good and felt like such a treasure.  I was so utterly grateful for my child. It was so real.  I was almost glad for all the depressive episodes I’d had.  Holding him made it feel like all that was “worth it” or something,  and even as I thought that, I also thought “well, that’s a dumb thought because it’s not like I needed to have terrible breakdowns to appreciate a child.”  But, whether depression made joy that much more joyful, no matter, it was good.  Gratitude abounded.  I put the child down (because, grateful or not, baby boy was still going to take his nap) and went off downstairs to protect Joshua from Judah and make Eden erase her doodles.  Back into the busy day, but with such a refreshed heart.  It’s good to get those types of moments… what gifts, eh?

I’ve also been realizing lately how glad I am that I can live the Christian life wherever I’m at.  In a typical day of being busy with housekeeping stuff, and caring for children and trying to help them not be mud-dumb there is so much room to be Christian.  To practice kindness, to reign in your tongue, to fight being a sloth, to be truthful, to pray to God always, to fight against all the host of yuck that can be in one’s mind and desires.  I think, before these last few years, I felt like the pinnacle of living out Christianity was going out and doing.  While I still think specific Christian ministry “out there” is very, very important, I am just enjoying how much, it seems, that one can grow spiritually while just minding your home, minding yo’ business, and doing your daily tasks.  Every moment can be put to good use when I keep this perspective in mind.

God bless you and may we all use our moments well.  :)

An oldie, but goodie

FREE Scientific Calculator Replacement!

Why spend big money on a scientific calculator when you can just print this out!?

Table of SIN COS TAN

This table approximates sin, cos, tan to FOUR decimal places.  Plus, you get three tables each time you print.  This way, you can always have extra copies on hand to give to your envious friends.

Yes, I know.  I’m your new favorite person.  Enjoy my hard work.

Why you so cruel, Liping Ma?

I am almost done reading Liping Ma’s “Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathamatics”.  This was my New Year’s present to myself.  Reading Ms. Ma’s research, however, is not too good for your self-esteem if you at all identify with being American.  She took a group of Chinese elementary math teachers from various types of schools and American elementary math teachers (many who were designated as being “above-average” in math instruction).  She presented  the two groups with different types of problems that are encountered in elementary math instruction.  The teachers worked out the problems and discussed how they would present the topics in a classroom setting.  Ms. Ma made graphs that showed which percentage of the teachers couldn’t DO the problems correctly.  Ouch.  She quoted the teachers’ explanations.  Double ouch.  Needless to say, the American teachers didn’t come off as all that impressive.  A large portion of the American teachers couldn’t successfully divide by fractions.  Many of the Chinese teachers’ explanations of the math problems were coherent, well reasoned mini-lectures that would refer to things like the distributive law and so forth.  Some of the American teachers’ quotes went something like, “Well, I would tell the student that we do that it that way because that’s the way I was taught to do it” or “Uh, this is kinda hard…I don’t really remember…”  Ouch, Ouch, Ouch.

I am so motivated by Ma’s findings in this book.  I really want to have a deeper knowledge of foundational mathematics, and be a better teacher to my small class/herd/household.  I was really struck by how much effort the Chinese teachers stated that they put forth in their teaching…doing all the math problems they assign their students, routinely doing math with and discussing how to teach specific topics in depth with their colleagues, and intensely studying the student textbooks.  I know *I* don’t do that!  This book, while being yet another concrete indicator that our students and teachers aren’t all that and a bag of Chinese chips, is really inspiring to the teacher of elementary math.  There may be some discouraging realizations, but there is also higher ground to be found.

It was also encouraging for Jeff (aka “math nerd”) to hear of someone singing the praises of teaching both the “how” and “why” of math.  He often doesn’t find much like-mindedness with other math teachers in this area.  He thinks the teaching of the “why” of math and seeking for students to deeply understand what they are doing is important, whilst other people just think he talks too much.  He has often felt like quite the oddball.  The Chinese teachers generally seemed to value that the students know both the “how” and the “why” of the algorithmic math processes and that emphasis in instruction is paying off quite well.  Much food for thought is to be had in Ma’s slim little book, even if she’s kinda harsh with all those quotes and hard numbers and using words like “incorrect” (ha ha ha).  God bless and good night, squared.

Phases of Pretend

Children (well, at least ours) go through phases in their pretend play. They fixate on being one character for several months, then transition into being something else. I’ve been disappointed, to say the least, that Judah’s Great Hunter days are pretty much over. He was so cute with his bow and arrow or gun or sword. He’d vow to protect me from the wild bears outside our condo. I was often able to trick him into going to bed w/o complaint by saying that Joshua (who’d be in his crib) needed his protection.

Well, he’s been Jack from Little House on the Prairie for at least a month now, and it looks like there might be no going back. Yes, it’s kinda cute when he barks and I have a little fun making him do tricks for imaginary treats. And I guess it’s sorta interesting to see playfulness and hostility emerge in “Little House” themed interchanges between the children. Eden (Laura) and Maria (Mary) really can break Judah’s heart by proclaiming that Jack’s dead or that he was left behind as the wagon moved on to Pa’s next (insane) venture. Joshua, in his first serious pretend venture, is alternately Spot (random dog) or Bandit (an official Little House character according to the girls, but I really don’t remember a Bandit in the books). I’m Ma (of course), Jeff is Pa, and James got stuck being Baby Carrie (good thing he’s too young to get pesky about this one). This phase of pretend has its high points, and it’s nice to see them being literary and all that. But, oh, I was so fond of Judah’s Great Hunter persona…so brave and dorky at the same time. Great Hunter, you will be missed.

In other news, Eden and Maria’s newest soccer team played their first game today. Maria was BRAVE! The team had only two practices before the game and, during those, Maria was often too shy to really do the drills correctly (she’d give a “love tap” to the ball instead of good kick). I wasn’t sure how our extremely shy child would do in this situation. Sister’s on the team, which I knew would help, but this time around Maria doesn’t have to comfort of having her dad and gramps as coach and assistant coach like she did on the famous “Wild Ponies”.

Well, she played in today’s game with little reservation…she even scored the first goal! She was often very alert and aggressive.   Her coach, who was rather surprised, rejoiced with her post-game during the team’s “praise card” time, calling her “Silent, but deadly” (funny). I don’t really care if she’s a soccer star or anything. Okay, well I did scream “YOU MUST BE MVP OR I WILL BURN ALL YOUR STUFFED ANIMALS” once during the game, but hey, isn’t that what any reasonable soccer mom would do to encourage her children? Er, anyway, I don’t care about stardom, but I am really glad to see Maria overcome her shyness step by step in arenas outside of home. Wow, what a difference from the pigeon-toed first soccer practice a year ago. Go, Ms. Mia.

Out of the Valley, yet?

2011, well, even 2010 stunned me.  My pregnancy with James found me struggling with morning sickness (whereas with previous pregnancies I hadn’t really had it) and fatigue.  I had too much to do with homeschooling/caring for my young children to deal with being nauseous and fatigued.  I cried.  A lot.   I gave birth to a beautiful, wonderful child after a beautiful labor.  I was cared for and loved during James’ newborn days.  I had much to be grateful for, yet still the grief of post-partum depression (or, more clearly,  ”being really, really tired and overwhelmed”) would strike me on almost a rhythmic, weekly basis.  So many tears have blurred my vision these past nine months.  At times I’ve felt so robbed, like I know I’m missing some of the wonder of my baby’s first year due to the black spiral in my mind.

However.  I sit here at 9:23 pm.  I know I have at least an hour’s worth of prep for tomorrow’s school group.  But, praise God, the thought of many tasks doesn’t bring me to tears.  I bathed James tonight and nursed him and enjoyed his soft baby-ness.  I know I have so much to do…but I, right now, can realize that me trying to homeschool 5 children ages 7 and under (and still feed them too!) is much like shoveling snow in a blizzard.  Tonight I can face that truth and find humor in it and press on, instead of falling into the spiral of hopelessness and blackness.  Misty Edwards plays in the background, God is on the throne of my life, and my house is messy, but (what joy) my soul isn’t.  Perhaps I am not completely out of the black valley of post-partum depression.  But, oh, how I have enjoyed this current respite.  Thank you, Lord.

Diamond Ranch – Honors Geometry

Thank you!  I enjoyed this Summer class.   If you have any questions about your grade, email me at Mr.Geibel@Gmail.com

Notes about notebooks:  Great job some of you!  Others, not so good.  25% (100 points) of your notebook grade came from turning it in organized with dividers.  The other 75% (300 points) came from completion of all definitions, postulates, logic, theorems, and notes.  REMEMBER to pick up you binder within the first two days of school if you want it back.

FINAL Grades:

• Semester 1
• Semester 2

Data spreadsheet, showing all grades on tests, homework packets, and final exams.

• Gradebook (both semesters)

Don’t forget to always be kind and that time is the currency of success.  Bye.