Weekly Report

Eleanor: Eleanor's doing so well. I'm seeing big leaps in spelling across all subjects, her penmanship is quite good, we've moved from narrations to her completing short summaries on her own and we have conquered, to a large degree, problems with dawdling. We're really hit a groove with Classical Writing. Its not an easy program to implement but once you (the teacher and the student) figure it out its really a great tool to have in the arsenal. I'm very pleased with her writing and the difference between where she is now versus where she was in the fall is a testament to my superlative teaching skills both her growth this year and the efficacy of this program. This week she memorized the first stanza of "The Bells" by Edgar Allen Poe. It was our last week of earth science before we begin our space unit. In history we are in the throes of ancient Greece. She is particularly taken by the story of Alexander.

Our read-aloud, as I've mentioned, is "Little Women" and we're nearing the end. I read this book for the first time in Kindergarten and based on that, decided that it would be an easy read with a third-grader. Reading it now, I have a greater appreciation for why my parents were always bombarding me with complaints about not living up to my potential when I brought home Bs and Cs...in English. I never quite managed to get across that it wasn't that I couldn't get an A, it was just that I didn't care about doing well in school. Big difference, Guys. I bet you feel silly now that you know that, huh? Anyway, a couple of chapters in I worried that the unfamiliar language would lose my thoroughly modern Millie but it didn't and she loves the book.

I'm not going to let her read the other book that I read in Kindergarten that made a lifelong impression, "Are You There God Its Me Margaret". Hello? Who thought that was a good idea?

I totally lied about switching math programs. We did two weeks of Singapore only and then I got cold feet and called off the wedding. Yesterday both kids worked on drill sheets. Next week we're going to do a modified Saxon week and some more drill before both kids move on to new concepts in Singapore (the math program, not the country). I think we might do that for a while. Use Singapore to introduce new concepts and then Saxon to reinforce and drill. Doing it this way I can skip many lessons in Saxon that were already mastered and were boring the kids to tears.

Henry: Henry continues to do everything exactly right. Its alarming. He's missed about 4 math problems all year and typically just because he wasn't paying close attention to the signs. He has never made a mistake in his Explode the Code books. He'd be the perfect student if it didn't take a team of experts to hold his attention long enough to hear what the lesson is. Its getting better. I'm actually very upbeat about his progress. I truly don't know how this child could have gone to school and learned anything. He needs to be redirected to the lesson constantly and no classroom teacher could be expected to do that. This week he memorized "Brownie" by A.A. Milne. He continues to study animals in science, insisting that we complete the entire book before moving onto our human body study. He tolerates history and its too bad he doesn't really seem to love it because he has an amazing memory for details.

More of the same next week and then we'll have a crazy week and then another partial week. I'm only now starting to lose my anxiety over missing days like that. I have to constantly remind myself that learning isn't about how much time you spend pegging away at lessons. Tea parties and vacations all lend themselves to learning. I'm getting there.

Edited to add:

Susannah: I am still working with Susannah from Kumon books in the mornings but I have delayed starting a formal preschool program. I decided that that was just me rushing along in typical Zelda fashion and that adding another thing to my plate was not conducive to sanity at this time. Even if we were still educating the kids conventionally I wouldn't be placing her in preschool program for a least another year. She knows all of her letters now. Well, she mixes up R,K and X but seems to understand that she's getting them wrong when she does. She is also starting to write some letters independently and will compose notes to us made up entirely of Os, Ss, Zs, Hs, and Fs. She is taking swim classes with Rick on Fridays.