The Day the Knights Visited

What happens when you're woken up from nap to go watch some knights

(Picture by Tiffany)

fight on your playground?

You get very tired

(Picture by Shannon)

while watching them fight and win.

(Picture by Tiffany)

But then you wake up just before it's time to go in and the world is all happy again. (Picture by Shannon)

Tiffany

"And So It Begins"

Today we went back to school. It's funny, I was kind of dreading it in a way. I was worried about the children's behavior mostly. After not being in an environment like school, it's so easy to lose all that has been learned.

But they suprised me. They walked in, remember what they were supposed to do and did it without comment or complaint. I hadn't planned on getting much done (although I was prepared, I've learned to prepare more than you can do:-), but we got through everything!

That should teach me about worrying, right? Of course right!

I think this is going to be a good rest of the year. :-)

Tiffany

Did you know....?

Did you know that right here in my own town we have our own pirate ship? It was discovered this morning at 9:33 on the grounds of Trinitas Christian School. The discovery was made by six young adventurers.

The ship consists of a main mast and the main body. The bright blue, red, and yellow paint was very well preserved.

It was discovered that these pirates were very advanced for their time. Off the mast evidence was found of three slides.

Near the sight was found a sandy patch. This patch is believed to have been used to make treasure maps, as evidences of "x" (although very wobbly ones-we haven't learned that letter yet) were found at the spot.

These young adventurers also learned that these pirates were fond of rescuing captured ladies. These adventurers plan on discovering all they can about these pirates over the next few days by reenacting all they can learn about them.

Be assured that we will bring you the latest breaking news on this discovery.

Tiffany


It's amazing what you can learn on the playground. :-)

I should have known

I see now that I should have expected something like this.

I mean, what else would a little boy bring to Show-and-Tell for the letter "C"?

I was expecting the cars, cards, and wooden coyote that the others brought.

But the crickets?

Now I know, next year, I need to expect a parent to walk in in the afternoon carrying an insect case filled with about 20 crickets.

Now I know.

Tiffany

Benisms

When I taught 3rd grade, I had a little boy in my class named Ben. Ben had the funniest sayings. They were just classic student quotes. I began calling them Benisms because, while the others in the class would say some funny things, Ben was always saying funny things.

One of my favorites is: We were talking about Solomon and his wives. I was telling them that it was wrong to have more than one wife. Ben said, "It is really wrong to have a lot of wives, because you can't be a good steward of your money if you have to feed so many wives!" The family had been talking about being good stewards at home.

I have now discovered that "Benisms" aren't confined to Ben's class. They show up in K4 as well.

The other day I had given my four years olds a game for math. They had little cards that they were putting in numerical order. As I was working with one group, I heard a little voice say "Don't snatch, Paul. It's not Christian!" They had been talking about what a Christian looks like.

They are learning to connect what they're parents are saying at home to every day happenings. But their interpretations are so simple. If only we could be that simple. If we could just see something and know that it's wrong because "it's not Christian." It is true; "Out of the mouths of babes.

Tiffany

My Classroom

Well, I thought I'd give anyone who cared to see a glimpse into the classroom that has been keeping me from here for so long. When I arrived in the classroom, it looked very boxy. Everything was flat against a wall and didn't feel very welcoming. Of course I wanted to change that. So with the help of my dad (actually he did all the actual moving) I moved a bookcase and angled my desk.

Here is the view from the door:

This is the white board I spend most of my time in front of:

And this is where we have our morning Math Meeting (we use the Saxon K program if anyone's familiar with it):

I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but I chose a Classic Pooh/Beatrix Potter theme. I've accentuated that with pictures, stuffed animals and books all over the room. I really like the way they all turned out.

What you can't see is our reading area and nap room. I have a classroom that joins onto mine and so we move in there for reading and we share it with the K5 for nap time.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour! :-)

Tiffany

Signed and Sealed

Well, it's not sealed yet, but yesterday I sign a contract to teach K4 at Trinitas Christian School. It's the same school I taught at 2 years ago. I really love this school. I love the time I get to spend with my dad on the way in and back (even if I do sleep a lot of the time. :) I love that the administrator cares enough about daughters being under their father's authority that he brought Dad and I together in his office and explained to us that he understood that my father was my authority rather than him and he wanted to make sure that we knew we could come to him any time we felt that he had violated that hierarchy.

I have been looking forward to this contract since they asked me to come back at the end of the school year, but the school is trying to get more students and they didn't know what was going to happen. So I'm very glad to have it and I will be "sealing" it tomorrow and sending it off.

Now...to go find fun ways to teach the alphabet........

Tiffany

Hey, if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. I'm planning on having a fun, stimulating year with them and would love any advice/suggestions.

June Roses

At the end of teaching last year, I was given a miniature rose bush by the family of one of my students. It had gorgeous little deep red blooms on it.

My dad planted it for me, and I (knowing nothing about gardening and especially about roses) just weeded it every once in a while and helped my dad keep it watered. Because of my noviceness (I think I just made up a word) I didn't think I would get any blooms on it.

But the other day Dad casually mentioned that I had two roses on my bush. Out came the camera and here are the results.

Isn't it lovely?

I think I missed this one at its perfectness, but I love it as well.

I am ridiculously happy over these roses. Thank you to the family for the plant.

Tiffany

BTW, is anyone has any helpful tips or resources for caring for roses, I'd be glad to know about them.

Public Speaking

I think I have mentioned before that I taught 3rd grade at a Classical Christian school last year. I loved my job. When I learned that I wouldn't be able to go back this year due to a number of moves within the school family, I was heartbroken. I knew I would miss my "Trinitas family" greatly.

However, I know the Lord has a purpose in everything. I knew I was going to need to do something this year. I received my bachelor of arts in speech communication. So I decided to start a public speaking class for homeschoolers. After a rocky start (I only got back into America from England three weeks before it was to start), we had a wonderful class.

There were only two students, but I really enjoyed teaching them.

Tonight was their "performance" night. I chose the best speech that each of them did over the semester and they presented them to their parents this afternoon. They also recited the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. They did such a brilliant job. It was exciting to sit in the back and watch them and remember their first attempts at a speech. It was so encouraging to watch their progress.

I'm planning to start a new class in January, but I will always hold a fond place for these two boys (young men) who let me experiment on them and teach them public speaking.

Tiffany