A Birthday and a Field Trip

Baby Joey is now in the double digits like the rest of them! Does he look happy or what?  Emily (third from left) got her braces on a couple of days ago.  She now joins Hayden and Samuel in the braces club. She still managed to eat cake and ice cream (although mostly the softer ice cream)!

After spending a day on James Island at the Department of Natural Resources, we returned home to celebrate Joey's 10th.

     We had another opportunity for a free field trip today and we took advantage of it!  I can't say enough about the Department of Natural Resources.  I am so impressed!  

Today's topic: Sharks and Fish.

Does this response look familiar?  Reminds me of his brother, Harrison.  Here, Joseph is touching a dead fish.  I have to say, today's classes smelled a little like CAT FOOD.

First, the younger kiddos had to locate and identify the outer parts of the fish. Our friends, the Blauchs were there too! Joey and Nathan worked together.

After watching a presentation and learning the outside parts of the fish, Joey and Nathan cover it with paint.

Big sister, Hayden helps them to make a fish print.

Hayden watches over the little artists. They learned that fish prints were made by the early Japanese before cameras were invented to brag about the size of their catches!

 After everyone's work is hung to dry, the next activity begins.

The instructor teaches them an interactive song about the parts of a fish sung to, "Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes......"

Can you sing, "operculum"?

Meanwhile........

The teenagers dissect a shark in an outer building.  As usual, Emily and Benjamin (Blauch) did most of the cutting.

A couple of funny moments: Here, Jacob realizes his brother Benjamin just wiped his hand on Jacob's shoulder.  He is about as thrilled about this entire experience as Harrison.

The group next to ours had a "fresh" shark so it was uh, juicier.  When the group turned it over, all the "guts" spilled out.  Harrison looked over just in time to see it.  Emily ran over there shortly afterward to see it on purpose.......

After the first hour, the two classes switched buildings and the teens learned about fish and the younger ones learned about sharks.

Here, Joey and some new friends locate the outer parts of the shark after a presentation.

Next, they went outside.  Each child had a card clothes-pinned to his clothes with a picture/name of a type of shark on it.  After learning the different characteristics of the several varieties, several games were played to practice their "shark senses".

A blind-folded student tries to identify which child gently threw a bean bag at her by her sense of touch.

 Joey's label said, "Dogfish".  The three dogfish had to compete in an obstacle course wearing goggles and a boot. 

Here, Joey weaves through the tables.

He gets under the limbo bar for the win!

The teens have been given the fish from the earlier group.  Yes, they still had some paint on them.

Emily is partnered up with her good friend Avery Gibson for the fish dissection.

Harrison is back with Benjamin and a new friend named Gabriel.

Samuel works with Avery's brother, Harlan.

Could it be?  Is Harrison actually performing an incision?

No, he wanted to REMOVE THE EYEBALL.  This was OPTIONAL.  In the picture below, he is DANGLING the eyeball.  I don't think he is squeamish at all.  I think he likes DRAMA and testing his mama.

What do YOU think?

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward,

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-5

A Beachy, Wintry, Field Trip

A lovely, little squid is presented to my teenagers for dissection.

Can you guess which child of mine wants to major in biology and which one does not?

    South Carolina offers mild fall and winter months with a rare day or two of snow.  But even with the milder temperatures in December, it was still a pretty chilly day for a trip out to the coast! Yes, today we found ourselves zipping over to the Department of Natural Resources on James Island for FREE science opportunities for the kiddos. My three teenagers, Emily, Harrison, and Samuel, met with other home schoolers in our support group to learn everything they ever wanted to learn about squid and even stuff they didn't.
   Harrison is taking biology this year, and as you can probably imagine, he has not been the most enthusiastic student. Emily, on the other hand, has been a little scientist ever since she could mix things. I can't tell you how many times I have discovered mystery items in my freezer, had my baking soda disappear way too quickly, or found her outside in the dirt, planting something new. Emily insisted on taking Honors Biology her Freshman year and desires to pursue it in more depth at our local, Christian college next year. She is a Senior now and is LOVING her anatomy class.
   Emily followed me to my "mole removal" procedure last summer because she WANTED TO WATCH (yes, they let her), and then joined me at the hematologist when I had my blood tested because of a low platelet count. She will be accompanying her sister, Hayden to her orthodontist appointment next week, and then will have the personal experience herself in January. Every doctor's appointment around here is an opportunity for a field trip for Emily. She wanted to be here today because to her, the idea of dissecting anything is a thrill.
    I was horrified to find two deer legs in my garage refrigerator last week. Emily had talked her dad into bringing them home from his seasonal part-time job at a deer processing business. She was studying joints in anatomy and wanted to study some real knees. I shudder to think what our trash collectors think of us. Yikes. Interestingly enough. Harrison has frequently assisted Scott in deer processing and doesn't seem to have a problem cutting up deer. He says blood doesn't bother him. It is the slime.........Emily, interestingly enough, hates blood. What a pair.

    Harrison is more of a political guy.  He loves history and watching the news almost as much as watching football. These two are currently taking a Constitutional Law class together. This class is more of a challenge for Emily, who is doing very well; but Harrison eats that stuff with a spoon.

Meanwhile in another building...............

My nine year old, Joseph (center), enthusiastically raises his hand during a salt marsh study while my faithful assistant, Hayden (a home school graduate) keeps an eye on him while sitting on the floor, (at the back of the class).  She continues to pursue her writing, but will attend college with her sister next year.  Like Harrison, she is a history lover.

Joseph hasn't had much classroom experience outside of our home, and it is always interesting to me to see how my kids respond in a group setting away from their usual classmates (siblings).  

The dissection class held about twenty teenagers. Another group of twenty from our group met an hour before we did.  My husband is standing in the back keeping an eye on our three while I "float" back and forth between the two classes observing and taking pictures.

The materials and presentation were well-organized and informative.

The kids receive their squid and work in teams of two. Our friends, the Blauch family, also participated today.  Harrison's friend, Benjamin (sitting next to him), who wants to be a marine biologist, patiently listens to Harrison explain why this activity is inappropriate for young minds
due to its grossness.

Dad wanders over. My husband, Scott, had actually begun to pursue a degree in marine biology about eight years after receiving his degree in business, but decided not to continue after we began expecting child number two (Emily). Over the years, he has had several salt water fish tanks and even experimented with tilapia farming. Harrison is surrounded and outnumbered by biology lovers today!

Samuel and his lab partner count appendages on the squid. Samuel enjoyed this activity far more than he expected today. 

Joey's group goes outside on a marsh scavenger hunt to locate some of the items and critters they discussed and touched during their lesson.

Back at the lab, Emily uses the probe to locate the "beak".

Sammy cuts the squid to identify more parts.

Emily and Harrison have a male.  Samuel and his lab partner have a female.

Somehow, Harrison managed to get through the entire lab without actually touching the squid.  When Emily insisted that he at least break open the ink sac; he used her hand to do it.  Sigh.  I can't be too hard on him.  I did the same thing in college.  I was always the "scribe" in these types of labs.  I took the notes while the other partner did all the messy stuff.

Now for assessment.  The students complete a labeling worksheet.

Joey's group finished up their scavenger hunt by taking a few minutes to "clean up" pollution in the marsh area and returning all the shells, hermit crabs, etc. that the students had collected.

The kids returned to the shelter and volunteered to reach in to the "mystery bag".  The objects in the bag were used to explain how the marsh is used and contributed to by animals, plants, and water.  Some of the objects were a pillow (migrating birds use the marsh to rest), coffee filters (oysters filter the water), an apple (the marsh provides food) and a whisk (because the marsh is where the salt and fresh water mix).

Joey tastes a tiny "sea pickle".  This salty, little plant grows among the marsh.  Joey learned that these are sometimes used as a salad topping in some of the fancier restaurants. I think Joey harvested enough of these to store in a pickle jar!  He even put a couple on his chicken sandwich for dinner!

Fascinating Fact:  Below is a picture of a squid "pen".  The kids located and removed these during their dissection.  Because squids are invertebrates and have no backbones, these "pens" give the squid support instead.  They are located where a backbone would be and are nestled underneath the ink sac.  Seriously, a pen and ink are found inside these little guys!  The Lord definitely has a sense of humor!

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that is in them;

Who keeps truth forever.......

Psalm 146:5-6

~Jennifer

Teaching Our Children to Teach Series Part III: The Virtue of Patience Practiced Though Assessment

Sammy and I grade and discuss his Language test.  His planning notebook is in front of me.  

     I shared in an earlier post that my primary motivation for teaching my children how to teach was to equip them to pass their faith, values, knowledge, and skills successfully on to the next generation.  I do not know my grandchildren yet - but I know that I will love them and want them to honor God and be excellent in all things.  I have another motivation as well.  I desire for you to do the same so that we may build and strengthen the Kingdom of God through healthy, intelligent, and faithful family relationships and instruction as disciples of our shared Heavenly Father.
      I have learned so much over the last twenty-three years as both a public school teacher and as a homeschooling mother and I know full well the pitfalls that can so easily undermine us as we educate our children.
     I have already addressed the first two pitfalls in earlier posts:  a failure to establish a secure, stable, and consistent learning environment because of a distracted and absent teacher (mother); and a failure to spend time in prayer and in the Word to be refreshed and instructed by our Master Teacher.  I know these pitfalls only because I have experienced them personally.  I can better equip my children and you to avoid them if I reveal them beforehand. Learning from our mistakes is the point of my next topic: Assessment.
   

Harrison and I rework a geometry problem.  I also have Harrison's "Planning book" in front of me.  It is a simple, humble notebook with 180 dated and numbered boxes he drew with a ruler for each subject. He writes his assignments in the boxes himself and then highlights them with a blue highlighter when he is finished.  I initial each box as we go over an assignment.  They don't "count" unless they have been initialed by me. This keeps us both accountable.  He is not allowed to take a test until all boxes are initialed for that unit. When all 180 of his numbered boxes are signed off, he is finished with that subject for the year!

     Assessment is a fancy way of referring to "grading" your child's work. This important component of instruction has been abused, misused or neglected both in the public and private school systems as well as in the homeschooling community.  Assessment informs both the student and the teacher whether or not the information taught has been learned.  Our children need to not only experience assessment as a student, but learn to utilize it as a teacher.  Individuals like to be successful and "get things right", but the purpose of learning is to acquire something new. It is humbling the first time a new concept or skill is attempted because there is always the risk of failure. This process is difficult for the student because he is wrapped up in proud flesh and doesn't want to get things wrong; and it is difficult for the instructor because he is wrapped up in impatient flesh that really doesn't want to sit there and work through another problem.
     In a public or private school classroom, it is more challenging to meet the individual learning needs of each student.  Since these are institutional environments with up to hundreds of students and tens of teachers, it is not unusual for a learner to go year after year with a gap in fully understanding a specific concept.  This can occur because of a failure to recognize the problem or because of the lack of a willingness to sit down one-on-one and work the child through the material. There are remedial classes for those who are seriously behind, but this is usually not the case for the average student who simply "missed something" somewhere.  This is not always the teacher's fault. In an institution, there is a genuine lack of time, parental support and involvement, and consistent communication between multiple teachers over several years.
     It is also very likely that a parent may not even be aware that a learning gap has occurred.  Although standardized testing may reveal some gaps, most parents don't understand how to translate test scores and address a weakness.  The information is available to next year's teacher; but with a large class of students with a variety of needs and a plan for the year that must be fulfilled, who has time to go back to previous elementary concepts?
    The homeschooling parent, however, does have that luxury and should take full advantage of it!  Assessment is incomplete, however, if reteaching does not occur when a student does not master a concept.  Simply marking an answer wrong is not enough.  The student must have his faulty thinking corrected or a gap will occur.
    Most of the time, the purpose of a test is to identify whether or not a learner has information or a skill memorized when the period of instruction is completed.  If the test is truly a final assessment, then a child's failure also means that the teacher may have failed to recognize that her student needed more instruction or practice and was not ready for such an assessment. "Whoa!", you say.  You mean it is my fault if my kid fails a test? What if my student is lazy and unmotivated?  Is that my failure?  Not necessarily, but be aware that a teacher who gives a test knowing full well about her student's attitude problem has a different purpose for the test in mind. The purpose of a test given under those circumstances was not to assess but to punish - and that is a form of instruction - not an assessment.  I am not stating that administering tests as a wake up call is wrong - but what I am saying is that you need to call it what it is.
     Our Lord tests people who frequently fail.  We know the Lord is the perfect Teacher, so a failure can't always be the fault of the instructor. Sometimes a test is given to humble the student because he believed he was an expert when he was truly only a novice.  An assessment can be just as revealing to the student as it is to the teacher.  In the case of the Lord, He knows the results before the test is given, but we do not!  As for we human teachers, we also know that there should be consequences for lazy behavior; but students fail tests everyday in the public and private settings because the material simply was never mastered as a result of poor monitoring.  For a student who sincerely wishes to learn, that is a failure of the instructor or an unavoidable failure of the institutional method simply because of time constraints.  Sometimes an assessment method or its timing is just inappropriate and that is another reason for failure.  That again, is not the student's fault.  Don't be guilty of poor monitoring of your child's progress! Model to your child how monitoring works.

Emily grades her English page.  If she gets an answer incorrect and does not understand why, she gets me and we go over it together.  I reteach the concept if necessary.  Like Harrison, she also keeps records of her assignments.  Emily also writes a specific daily assignment sheet with all of her subjects for the day to keep her focused until her work is done.  Some of my kids need that and some do not.  I use the daily sheets for my two younger boys because I need them!  I also maintain the planning notebooks for my two younger boys because they are not ready for that responsibility yet.  

    Not all assessments are tests.  Not all assessments are written.  Each time my child demonstrates a skill and it is measured against a standard of some sort, my child as well as I are informed of his progress. I can assess whether or not my child can jump rope simply by watching him. If he or she is getting the answers wrong, or demonstrating a skill incorrectly, then we must discover the source of the problem and fix it.  THAT is where the real learning occurs! Each time my child gets an answer right, that means he or she already knew the material.  Learning occurs when my child's level of knowledge increases or improves and that is what I'm after!  Where there is no challenge, there is simply practice.  And that has value too.  Mothers, PLEASE sit with your child and go over his work carefully - especially before a test!
    Self-assessment is when a learner grades his/her own work.  There are times when that is perfectly appropriate - even more appropriate.   Two of my children are learning Algebra I and II through a video series.  The only work I grade is their tests.  It is more helpful and productive for them to use the solutions manual and check each step by themselves than for me to look at the final answer.  Self-assessing detailed, complicated work where the process is multi-stepped helps the learner catch exactly where he/she made a mistake. Self-assessment is also important in self-teaching.  
    In Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit is listed.  There you find the word "longsuffering" or as we call it today: patience.  As a homeschooling mother, my Lord teaches me patience and assesses my patience in this role.  It is not always easy to sit still and sound out words with a second grader, rework equations, or edit a paper again and again.  As my family and I work together, we are all under the tutelage of Christ, learning and practicing His ways in a great exercise of patience!

Hayden is teaching herself how to play the violin with the help of Youtube.

Harrison watches an algebra video before completing his assignment.  

Teaching Our Children How To Teach Series Part II : Learning From the Master

Teach:  To cause to know something
Presume:  To expect or assume with confidence
Merriam Webster

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.  
James 3:1

....Just as he (Jacob) crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
Genesis 32: 31

So, I had just finished my previous article about teaching our children to teach and how we must prepare our children to impart knowledge to others, when the Lord brought James 3:1 (above) to my mind.

sigh.

This happens to me.  A lot.  No, it is not necessarily a rebuke - although sometimes it is - when my Teacher does this with me.  It is a challenge. Something to think about - something on which to dig deeper.

     I have prayed about these articles.  In fact, I felt led to write this series, which, as a busy, homeschooling mother is not an easy thing to do.  I asked the Lord to lead me to the topics of His choice, and just as I was prepared to write about curriculum - He gave me the verse.  Yes, I have been learning from the Master, and today I want to talk to you about encouraging and leading your children to do the same - especially when it comes to teaching.

     I am a master too.  A master of presumption, that is.   My father was an elementary school principal and during the summers, "his" school was my playground.  When I finally entered elementary school at another location, I boldly entered the teachers' lounge on the first day to get myself a soda from the soda machine.  How dare those teachers chase me out of there!  Didn't they realize who I was?  Couldn't they tell I was one of them?  Two days after entering kindergarten, I announced to my mother that I wanted to quit because, "I already knew everything".  I had decided at the age of five that I wanted to be a school teacher and from that age onward I sat in class after class convinced that I could do it better than the one standing in front of me.
     In my twenties and thirties, I was a cute little thing dressed in a sharp suit, manicured nails, and a mic on my lapel; sharing my insights and strategies to others in my profession. Then, since that wasn't a large enough audience, I wrote articles on the subject as well.  I was also an avid distance runner who sought the runner's high and a perfect body.  I was the iconic American career woman applauded by her worldly peers.
      At the age of thirty, I was training with the Leukemia Society for a marathon.  During a sixteen mile training run, I fell to the ground with a pulled hamstring.  This came on the heels of just recently abandoning my teaching career (after the birth of my second child).  Now I had to pull out of a marathon.  I was also still recovering from the divorce of my parents after over thirty years of marriage.  I had lost my identity and my world of perfection was falling apart. I needed a Savior - badly.
     Immediately after my salvation, I became consumed in a busy church.  The leaders knew I was an experienced, certified teacher, so I was given the assignment of Sunday school teacher.  True, I hadn't read the Bible yet - but I was just so dynamic and well, confident - surely the Lord must have wanted me to lead His little ones.... and then the women.....  and then, yes, even the men.  I led ministries and workshops during that first year all under the presumption that that was what the Lord wanted me to do because I was just so good at it. :) In fact, many of the "ministries" that so desperately needed workers were themselves birthed from presumptions that they were actually necessary and part of the Lord's plan.  It seems to be human nature to identify a need and then feel "led" to design a program around it. I've learned over the years that when the Lord reveals the need(s) of another person or even several persons, He isn't calling me to pioneer a program, He is usually just encouraging me to be a friend.  Sometimes He is also revealing a trend of the enemy against the church that needs a season of proactive prayer.
    Isn't it funny (and yet so tragic) how we will do anything to avoid serious prayer time or an intimate friendship?  The truth is that a lot of folks who are in need of special friends are in messy situations that we prefer to handle from the safe distance of a "program".  We'd rather call some embarrassing individuals a "ministry" rather than claim them as our friends!  That is not the Lord's way!  He calls us His friends and we are surely needy and messy in His sight. Although, in hindsight, I now realize the error of my ways (and of the church's leadership for that matter), there was an assignment during that time I am convinced was truly from the Lord.  The church was in need of a cleaning lady and I was in need of some cash.  I scrubbed the church's toilets.

     In addition to learning that the "best" man (or woman) for the job from our perspective isn't always God's choice, I obviously had to learn first and foremost that a teacher must be humble.  If I had presumed I had been qualified before, I was even more presumptuous after reading the Bible a few times and completing numerous discipleship courses.  My faithful Teacher pressed on, however, instructing me and humbling me until I was afraid to teach anyone. Then, and only then, He decided, was I finally trustworthy to do some teaching (like, uh, homeschooling my own children and writing some articles every few months on a couple of blogs - with few followers!) Someday, I am hoping I can also be trusted with that athletic body again too, but I digress............

    In the Book of Genesis, Jacob had an encounter with the Lord and he was never the same.  His name was changed and his walk was changed.  The Lord has a way of doing that with His learners.  He transforms that strut into a limp.  The limp slows you down, makes you tremble, and makes you think.  You stop blurting and become more thoughtful.  My limp?  It started literally on the day of that training run and continues to this day.  The Lord blessed me with five, beautiful, dynamic children with the same sinful nature that I have to show me how annoying I can be  - and yet, still lovable.
   In addition to the new lifestyle and attitude, I lost that focus on myself. Perfect body? Hahahahahahahahaha!  The body went when the knees did. A fall and a twisted ankle last year gave me another literal and occasional limp. Manicured nails?  I'm lucky I get a bath and my clothes on right-side out! Nope, people don't admire me because I'm cute and dynamic anymore. My students don't adore me quite like the former ones did. No one wants to talk to me and pat me on the back after a lesson.  My glory has faded so Another's may come forth.  If it hadn't been for the Lord and aging, I would have stayed on that fast track, and I would have been a doomed and dangerous woman - and on the wrong team to boot.

Ah, the tongue.  That was what James was referring to when he wrote that verse above.  We are so full of advice and so quick to give it, but beware! The Lord is The Shepherd and He jealously guards His flock.  Be careful before you give that counsel and that instruction.  Is it Scriptural?  Is it from the Lord, or are you shooting from the hip, just citing your personal experience and trying to lead without even being asked?

And yet.

Don't bury that talent or you'll be thrown into outer darkness.
Don't hide that light under a bushel.

What is one to do?

Yes, keep your feet at home, my dear sister, but you must also consistently sit at the feet of the Master so He can teach you how and when to share the treasures He shows you with others.

If you begin to lose that limp and stop trembling, pray until you get it back. Teach your children the fear of the Lord and that teaching is serious business. Whether the teaching is academic or spiritual - you are leading His little flock. Remember, if He hands you a staff and calls you to teach His children or women, you'd better make sure you show up for His teacher's meetings!

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:19