If It's Not Broken...

Just a quick post to say how much I am NOT thrilled about how Blogger is now set up. I can't seem to find much of anything!  If it's not broken...please...don't fix it!!  I just don't have the time to figure it out!

"It Really Doesn't Matter"

Hannah gets the exciting pleasure to go to the public school next week for 3 days for testing. In the state of Washington, they require the kids who are home schooled to get tested once a year. I think it's kind of silly but hey, when in Rome...

The lady from the school called me a few days ago to make sure Hannah was still planning on coming to the testing. I took the opportunity to chat with her about a few things that irk me about this whole "testing" thing.  My first issue is that Hannah won't be in a familiar environment for the testing (some random classroom filled with random kids and a teacher she doesn't know) and so I asked if she could do the testing online. The lady said that at this point it's not an option but the school district is working on it. I was ok with her answer though it didn't ease the small amount of anxiety I had about the environment issue.

The next issue was bigger in my mind, though I wasn't sure what response I was looking for... BUT, I'll tell you what, the response I got was NO WHERE NEAR what I had expected!!

So, my bigger issue...I have been homeschooling Hannah and mentoring her in the areas of her interests. If she wanted to learn about sharks, then we learned about sharks. If she wanted to learn about Black History, then it was Black History...the solar system, our Nation's history, etc., etc. I'm sure you get my point.

Now, in the area of Reading that's no big deal...reading is reading...comprehending is comprehending. And our Math, I assume is pretty much the same as what they are teaching at the public school but it may not be. It could very well vary a bit from the program she's been using...so only a slight issue.

My biggest issue is in the area of Science. The chances we are studying the same thing as the public school, aren't good. I worried that the testing would not only stress Hannah out (because she won't know the answers) but also that it will not be an accurate assessment of her progress this past year...

I know, I know, those of you who are doing  TJEd in your home are wondering why I'm even bothered by this and here's why...I know my daughter and she'll be nothing but hard on herself if she doesn't know the answers to the questions. I've spoken with her and she understands that she just needs to do her best but, again, I know her, and I know her "I've got to be perfect" personality...it's going to be a long couple weeks after that testing. The other reason (accurate assessment) was more to make a point...the testing is pretty much useless because it's not ACCURATE!!! Why are you making my daughter go through 3 days of testing when it isn't ACCURATE?!?!?  It's just a waste of tax payers money....

Anyway, back to the lady's response...

I went through my last concern with her and I about fell off my chair with her response...

"Ma'am, this testing doesn't mean anything. It doesn't go toward college admissions, it doesn't affect the child's grade (letter grade), it doesn't affect if the child passes their current grade or not. Kids come into the office worried about these tests because they think if they fail the test they won't go to the next grade, which is just not the case. The test really doesn't matter"... as she continued on, the impression I got was that the testing was to pretty much to make the government happy so the school can get funding.

REALLY?!?  Are you kidding me?!?

And I'm NOT joking!!

Obama's Baptism...

I saw this on Facebook and had to laugh!! Thought I'd share to give whoever reads my blog a smile :)

Maybe Someday I'll Figure It Out

Sometimes I just have to wonder what's going through Gabe's little head. And it seems like as soon as I figure him out, I realize I haven't.

Today, I had to get very upset with Gabe because he wasn't following the rules concerning his baby sisters. He tends to like to grab onto their arms, get into their faces, and roll on top of them. We have been trying to break him of those habits practically since the day they were born!!  But every day it's the same thing!! In fact, it can be just minutes between each of the offenses. I just can't imagine why he would do something that he was just told NOT to do...and that he's been told NOT to do for the past 20 months!!

So back to today. I had sent him to his room because he grabbing onto Emma's arms, which ended up twisting it and freaking me out because I don't want her to have another broken arm. I do want to state that I had told him less than two minutes prior to "let go of her arms!!" 

I brought Gabe down from his room so we could talk about why he had gotten into trouble. We were sitting on the couch having a deep conversation about how I HATE to have to get upset with him but when he chooses not to follow the rules I have to, etc. I was truly trying to attempt to get something to seep into his adorable little head. I kept thinking..."this time I think he gets it. I can see it in his eyes". I just knew that I had found the right words to get through to him...I could tell by the way he was answering the questions and the sincere look on his face. And I believed it when he said he was doing it just because he thought they were "just so cute!". I understood his temptation but I had to, once again (for the millionth time), explain to him why he can't.

Then, in mid-"I think I'm getting through to him" thought, I see the look on his face change, his eyes light up and I could tell that I lost him. I quickly looked around as I tried to figure out what was causing his retreat, but saw nothing. In a split second, I saw all my carefully chosen words go out the window! I moved my face into his line of vision and asked "what?" as his now excited body, slowly slid down to the floor. Still confused I waited for his answer...."a fort!"  Huh?!? A fort? What the heck was he talking about?!?  Then his little body began crawling under my legs that were propped up onto the coffee table.

His little boy mind had gone from "yes, I'm listening and learning" to "Wow!  Look at that fort that mom's legs are making" in a millisecond. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!?!?!

I attempted to reel him back in and insisted that he sat back onto the couch. I tried hard not to show the grin on my face but I was so shocked by what I had just witnessed it was hard to hide. I looked him straight in the eye and began once again to get his attention. I wasn't sure if anything was getting through so I thought I'd ask him a question to see if he was actually listening to me. What was his response?  "Wow! I can see myself in your eyes mom!!" Yes, that's right, he was looking me in the eyes but he wasn't listening to a single word I said...he was checking out his own reflection in my eyes!!

At that point I explained to him that he needed to concentrate on what I was saying because it was important...but all he was worried about was if I could see my reflection in his eyes.

Needless to say, our "please follow the rules" moment turned into an "aren't forts & reflections cool?" moment.  Not exactly what I was looking for...

Maybe someday I'll figure it out...sigh!