The Countdown

My first year back in the classroom is drawing to a close and I am exhausted, physically and mentally. I've poured a lot of heart and energy into this class! We finished up the Bible curriculum with a brief look at the trials of Job. We have several more history cards to study--presently we're learning about John Calvin. For the first time in their careers, the fifth graders will be completing their math book. We're on lesson 134 of 138. When we finish our math exams sometime next week we'll be playing math games until the end of the year! We've finished grammar, but will continue writing. Right now, each one is writing his autobiography. One student is tracing his family tree back to Adam and Eve! After that we'll study short story writing by examining what I consider to be a model short story--"Peter Rabbit". They'll each write and illustrate a children's book of their own.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of the year we're having a party next Friday. There will be two plays, written primarily by the students themselves: the boys on Daniel, the girls on Esther. (I'm sure that sentence is inaccurately punctuated.) We'll also present a guided tour through the history of art from Egypt to the northern Renaissance in our museum of original works. A spelling bee pitting parents (and other visiting adults) against the students should be entertaining. Finally, in celebration of completing the math book, we'll have an ice cream sundae social.

The last day of actual classes will be May 25. Then, following a long Memorial Day weekend--happy birthday, Matt--happy anniversary, Ben and Michal--welcome newest Crum--there will be a Field Day of fun?? and games on Tuesday, and a half day on Wednesday, the 30th. I hope to have report cards done soon thereafter.

Then, SUMMER VACATION--hurray!!! Look out, Indiana and Colorado. Here we come!!!

Spring Break

There are two more days of school before our Spring Break begins. We will, of course, be staying close to home for the weekend. There is a communion service on Maundy Thursday evening; an afternoon service on Good Friday; a sunrise service and then the regular service of Morning Prayer on Easter. In addition, Pop and I shall attend the wedding of William's teacher, Miss Snyder, on Saturday. She will then be Mrs. Bauman.

So, after a busy week both at school and church, we will be ready for a restful vacation. We are heading south to visit Grandmother and Grandfather, Aunt Beth and Uncle Scott, and Aunt Marty and Uncle John, Sarah, Trey, Bobby, William, Jeffrey, and the newest addition, Rebekah Rose. We will leave on Monday morning with a stop in Quantico, VA to see the Marine Corps museum which opened there in November 2006. We plan to spend the night in North Carolina and arrive in Simpsonville around lunchtime on Tuesday.

If I knew how to add pictures to my blog I might send pictures of the various activities--Grandfather's 80th birthday party, swimming at Aunt Beth's, etc. Perhaps Aunt Beth will show me how to do that!

Fun Guy

Actually, I just wanted to capture your attention with that title. I'm teaching high school biology at St. Stephen's and we're on the fungi module. Perhaps you're blase, like most of my students, to these fascinating creatures, but you should stop and consider what may be going on beneath your feet--probably not at this very moment, unless you're blogging on a nature walk--but in your yard and all around the woods. If it weren't for these remarkable saprophytes the trees would have choked in their own leaffall long ago, fallen logs would clog the woods, and recyclable nutrients would still be trapped in their originally bodies.
One morning, on the way to school, we saw a live, but dying, tree with a ladder of pumpkin-orange shelf fungi spiraling up its trunk. Over the course of a week or two the color changed from orange to gold to yellow, and finally faded to tan--as brilliant as the turning of the leaves. At school, in the bark mulch near my classroom I discovered striated birds' nest fungi. They look like miniature spiky puffballs until they pop open. Then they resemble tiny bird's nests complete with spore sacs that look like four tiny eggs. Most people would simply pass them by without noticing them, but now I've got the high schoolers and my 5th graders on the lookout for fungi! The amazing thing is--those are not the bodies of these "plants", they are actually the fruit. The real organism is a network of threads below the surface--imbedded in their organic dinner. These filaments may stretch for yards and are among God's decomposers. They break down dead plant material, like leaves and twigs and fallen logs, returning the nutrients to the soil to be used by other plants to grow.
God's designs are so amazingly intricate, yet practical--and beautiful, too. Enjoy!

Ships Passing in the Night

The first month and a half of school have gone by in a blur. It could be worse--I could have lesson plans to write every night in addition to papers to correct. I don't have to write lesson plans every night because I have to write and submit them for a month at a time. I decided to make mine more comprehensive than required so I would know what to do for review, instruction, and homework each day before the month begins--sort of like the monthly menu rotation at home! I finally feel like I'm getting into the routine, but the school day still ends long before all the material I'd like to cover has been touched.

I finally felt confident enough in my class that I could prepare lessons for them to do with a substitute in my absence. So, this past weekend I went on a denominational women's retreat in Williamsburg. It was a long drive down on Friday--about six hours in rain and heavy traffic. But the conference was good and I got to spend Saturday afternoon in the rain touring Williamsburg with Katelynn who goes to school at William and Mary, just about across the street from the historic restored village. The drive home on Sunday was more scenic, less hectic, and much drier.

Pop left on Tuesday morning to spend a week in Indiana. He was returning Jon's car that had broken down here when Jon came to visit, but Pop had actually planned to make the trip even before that. He will go to Midnight Madness (IU's first practice of the season, I think) with Matt on Friday night. On Saturday they'll go to the IU vs. Iowa football game. He's visiting many of our friends and spending as much time with Jon and Matt as he can.

But, I'm feeling like he and I have hardly seen each other in the last month. I'll be very glad when he gets home.

Alive and Well

After spending the first two school weeks with either a headache or a head cold, or both, I am finally well! I made it to school every day of those two weeks--and even managed to enjoy it!

The new menu rotation plan seems to be working. We had four weeks (or more) in the freezer from the Sam's shopping in August and I just went to Sam's again last Wednesday. It took me over an hour to fill the cart completely. The cashier "allowed" me to repack the cart myself and commented that she would not have believed it would all fit if she hadn't seen it for herself. I got home just in time to serve dinner. Afterwards, Stephen and I spent a couple of hours grilling chicken, browning ground beef, and packaging meat into meal-sized portions. Now I should be good for the next four or five weeks. If this month is a success I will post the menu next month.

I cannot believe the fast pace of the school day. I don't have enough time for any class, but particularly Bible and History in the afternoons. There's so much more to say than is printed on the students' cards and we're trying to read Beowulf, too! We just finished a round of projects on the various Barbarian invaders of the Roman empire, and the Vikings. The 5th graders did remarkably well, so I will try it again in the future. I think part of the success was in giving them reading material with worksheets they had to complete. Then they could use their imaginations in presenting the material to the class. (When they have to find the material and present it, too, the presentation gets all the work and the educational value is almost nil.)

Elisabeth is on the volleyball team. Their first scrimmage was on Saturday and she was a starter. They lost all four games in the match (I don't know the correct terminology) but contested closely. After only two practices, I think this was very good. They didn't make a lot of stupid mistakes, but saw how important team work really is. Poor E didn't get a single serve over the net, so she needs some coaching in that, but she did well otherwise.

Stephen's Bible teacher was discussing Pharoah's refusal to let the Israelites go. He asked how many students thought Pharaoh could have let them go if he wanted to. Stephen was the only one to stand on the side of Pharaoh's inability to let them go, and gave a reasoned explanation of God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart. A couple of students were persuaded. The teacher, who had loaded the question for the opposite answer, was very pleased that Stephen stood his ground and defended his position well.

William and Jesse are each struggling with the workload, but enjoying school, nevertheless. I'm glad they all made it through without being sick, and hope we'll continue with good health for the next 8 1/2 months. Pop hopes so, too.

Exhausted!

Yes, I'm exhausted! The first two days of school have sped by and I haven't accomplished all that I set out to do in those two days, but there are many more to come and I'm hoping soon to get into a good rhythm. I'm enjoying every class I have--math, grammar/writing, spelling, biology, history/literature, and Bible. I still feel like I'm in homeschool co-op mode--I'm surprised every time I say good-bye to a class that the next time I'll see them is (not next week, but) tomorrow!

The Lord graciously gave me what I had not felt free to ask--complete relief from Latin! I was working at learning it and asked the headmaster for help--which he was willing to provide, but it was the upper school humanities teacher who gave me the best gift. He exchanged his fourth grade spelling class for my fifth grade Latin III! He now teaches back-to-back Latin classes while I teach back-to-back spelling. I hope he is as content as I am.

Stephen, Elisabeth, William and Jesse have made an easier transition than I expected. Each one likes his teacher and classmates. Jesse was happy to get a check plus on his first math paper. William likes math best, but he also likes reading Grimms' fairy tales. Stephen told his teacher everything but math is his favorite subject. Elisabeth will enjoy the competition--and the friendships.

Overwhelmed but Motivated

I've just returned home from the second of four days at a Classical and Christian school conference in nearby Millersville, MD. The amount of information has been overwhelming, and very helpful at the same time. I have been motivated to get busier with my plans--on many levels.

Each of the conference speakers has been careful to remind us that our mission is to train and equip the next generation for God's glory. What an awesome task! Which of us is qualified for that? and yet God does call and equip. His strength is made evident through our weakness, so I anticipate seeing a great deal of God's strength this coming year.

I have been using this week as a testing ground of "mothering" through with the additional responsibilities. My morning prep time must allow me to get out of the house to meet a schedule. Dinner is still my family's expectation at 6 pm. The Lord has graciously granted refreshing sleep, the stamina to stay alert in all the sessions, and hot meals on the table. I will be taking some cooking short cuts, I must confess, and have worked out a new 4-week menu with a modified "cook ahead" approach that I hope will streamline meal preparation while still satisfying our needs.

Procrastination

I've had my school books for the coming year for several weeks now. In bits and spurts I've been working on "classroom procedures and policies" and lesson plans. I've come to the conclusion that there is no way for me to be amply prepared for September. I need to get up to speed on Latin; select the key people and events of the Middle Ages and Renaissance that I really want to highlight (beside famous artists); learn how to teach Shurley grammar; and write 3 lectures for each of 16 biology modules. So, am I motivated by all this work to get up early in the morning and burn the midnight oil? Do I work all day long, studying and preparing?

I have discovered that what I suspected all along is true. I am miserable at making myself do in advance what needs to be done for the future. My unspoken motto has been "Don't do today what you can put off for tomorrow."

I wish there was a positive, spiritual message to end this post. I wish I could tell you how I have pulled myself up with determination and self-discipline. But, the message would be false. So, instead, I will confess my sins and faults; ask you to pray for me; and resolve, with the Lord's help, to pick myself up and do the next thing.

The Next Chapter

When we first visited Bishop Cummins I saw a notice posted near the pastor's office door advertising the need for teachers at the sister Reformed Episcopal church school, St. Stephen's Classical Christian School. The opening that interested me was for secondary humanities--history, Bible, literature and writing. I applied for that position, but did not get it. Instead, I was offered and have agreed to teach 5th grade, and possibly secondary level Biology, beginning in September.

Stephen, Elisabeth, William and Jesse will attend the school, so this will be a new chapter in their lives, too.

I am hoping to have the stamina to sustain the course load. I will probably be teaching history and Bible (integrated with writing and literature), grammar, math, and Latin daily, (plus science less regularly) if I have "only" the 5th grade. I don't know what will drop from that schedule if I am teaching Biology, too. Most fifty-three year old teachers are looking forward to retiring, not just beginning their classroom careers!

Please pray for me as I begin writing lesson plans this summer, and for the younger children who are anxious about whether they will survive in the new environment.

Maryland Update

I rarely get online these days since we are not connected to the internet at home. The younger children take a gym class on Monday afternoons that gives me about an hour "off". If Pop is not using the computer or counseling in the office he lets me use the computer there. As I check everyone else's blog and read the Baylyblog the time slips away.

Tonight after Evening Prayer I again have free time in the office while Pop is in a meeting and the children are still in their classes to post a quick update.

We have located a house we like and have begun the process of purchasing it. It has four bedrooms with space in the (finished) basement that can easily be walled off to make a fifth. In addition, it has a small den that I will be able to use as my own study! There is a living room, dining room, kitchen, one bedroom, a full bath and the den on the first floor. The second floor has three more bedrooms and a full bath. The basement has a family room, half bath, open room for a fifth bedroom, and a large laundry room with storage. It is about a five minute drive down the main street of Catonsville to the church and convenient to the Beltway (695), too. Financing it will be the biggest challenge, but Pop is working hard on all those details and, thankfully, leaving me out of it! If all goes well we expect to close at the end of April and could be moved in at the beginning of May. The home is beautiful and needs no work that we can see (the home inspection is scheduled for tomorrow) and has a very nice yard, too. Not big, but in a nice, established neighborhood.

I have interviewed for a teaching position at St. Stephen's Classical School in Eldersburg, MD, about a 40 minute drive. I had hoped to be considered for a logic or rhetoric level humanities position, but those have been filled. Instead, the open position is for a 4th or 5th grade class. I have not been offered the job (yet), but I did have a very productive interview last Friday and will be teaching a class this Friday on the art history of the American Revolutionary War era--primarily miniatures and other portrait work. If I am offered the position it would allow the four youngest children to attend the school for free. This is the education philosophy I most admire but have been unable to sustainably teach at home. The first year would be particularly difficult for them since the curriculum would be more rigorous than they are accustomed to, and a lot of work for me as well, so I appreciate your prayers as I consider this huge step.

We are looking forward to having company during Spring Break next week. Matt and Thomas will arrive early on Monday (after stopping in Pittsburgh to watch a Penguins vs. Flyers game). We expect Ben and Michal later in the week. I haven't heard if Jon is coming. He recently began a new job that he loves, but I don't know if he's free to take the time off.