Michelle and Ella just got their school spring pictures back. They turned out quite cute, I think.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Spring Pictures
Michelle and Ella just got their school spring pictures back. They turned out quite cute, I think.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Spring Break/Why go to a dual immersion school?
I am on Spring Break. My two older girls are not. So many people have made comments about how nice that must be and it has made me think about whether it is or not. There are some advantages and some disadvantages.
Advantages:
*I've had lots of one-on-one time with Gabrielle. She cracks me up. And, particularly during the fall break in October, we became much more closely bonded.
*I've been able to get a lot of things done...work in my classroom (while Gabby plays with blocks or paints), get Chester's shots and get him sterilized, clean the house, clean out several closets and drawers, etc.
*I've been able to go to both Michelle and Ella's music show and tells. Tomorrow, I'll be able to volunteer in Michelle's classroom for an hour. These are things I can't usually do because I'm at work.
*It's much easier to finish homework, have Michelle practice violin, fix and eat dinner, read to my kids, etc. when we are home at 4 rather than 5:30ish.
Disadvantages:
*I still have to get up early, cook breakfast, drive my kids 25-30 minutes to school and then turn around and drive home and then repeat that 50-60 minute drive in the afternoon to pick them up. (It doesn't seem so bad when I'm going to work because my school is five minutes away. 25 minutes doesn't seem too bad...but an hour, twice a day seems like more of a sacrifice and guzzles a lot more gas. Also, it would be nice to sleep in a little bit when I'm off work. But I guess if I'm being honest, I"m more productive and feel better when I get up early so maybe it's a good thing.)
*I don't get to spend as much time with my kids as I'd like. I feel like I'm already away from them so much at work that I'd like to spend these 2 weeks going to museums/zoo/aquarium/etc., having playdates, reading together, playing games, etc.
Several people have also asked me why my girls go to the school they go to. Interestingly, they rarely ask why my kids don't go to our neighborhood school...they almost always ask why they don't go to the school where I teach. There's a short answer and a long answer to that. This is the longer answer.
First, their school has a dual immersion program. Mine has a bilingual program. Let me explain the difference. The purpose of a dual immersion program is to teach literacy and mathematics (and really all of the curriculum) in two languages...in this case, English and Spanish. (Although there are other programs out there...Chinese, French and I'm sure others.) Generally, a dual immersion program tries to have a 50-50 split of kids with about half speaking each language as their native language (although this isn't always the case). The kids are immersed in both languages so that part of their time is spent in their native language and part is spent in their foreign (or at least less dominant) language. The purpose is to become fluent readers, writers and speakers of both languages.
A bilingual program has a different purpose and usually a different demographic. We know that kids learn literacy most easily in their native language. Once they have learned to read in their native language, it is easier to attach their new learning in their second language to what they already know about reading in their first. (This philosophy is also an important part of most dual immersion programs as well...they focus on literacy in the first language first.) So in a bilingual program generally all of the students' first language would not be English...in our case it would be Spanish. They are trying to give them Spanish literacy in kindergarten and first grade and then by the middle of first grade they begin transitioning them into English literacy. The goal is to maintain the first language and then build the second language. So the amount of time spent in each language might vary, especially in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Because my children's primary language is English, they do not qualify for a bilingual program.
Alfredo has always spoken to our children in Spanish at least 75% of the time. But I speak to them in English, our babysitters have primarily spoken to them in English and most of our friends and neighbors speak to them in English. My kids have entered school with the ability to understand quite a bit of Spanish, but only speaking a little bit. Since much of Alfredo's family lives outside the country and only speaks Spanish, it feels important to us to have our children be bilingual. In addition, it will be a great life skill and provide extra job opportunities. Furthermore, it is easier to learn a second language at a young age than as you get older. Also, speaking a second language opens your mind and allows you to see things in a different way, can help you develop compassion and empathy for those from different backgrounds (although there are definitely other ways to develop that as well) and will challenge my children and make their schooling more difficult but also more rewarding.
So that is why they go to the school they go to.
In addition, we love the teachers there. We love the population...so many children of diverse backgrounds and families from a variety of backgrounds, socio-economic levels and educational backgrounds, etc. They have a great music program. And all of this available in a public school. :)
Oh, one last comment: It does make some things more difficult. They rarely get to play with their friends after school because their school friends live too far away and because by the time we get home there often just isn't time to do homework (including reading in both languages), violin practice, dinner and family time before bed if they play with friends. Michelle, in particular, gets very little down time and I do worry about that sometimes. She does comment at times that school is hard and that she doesn't get to play like she wants to. But it's building character and responsibility and we do try to include fun times as often as possible.
Also, people often ask if learning the second language makes school hard. My kids have done very well. They both love school. But I'm fortunate because my husband speaks Spanish fluently and my kids began school with quite a bit of Spanish background and a good foundation to learn to read in English. It definitely isn't for everyone. There are kids who struggle to learn to read in one language and trying to handle two is just too much. At my kids' school (and my school as well) kids that are struggling in both languages and sometimes even kids just struggling in one language are moved to a regular English class in 3rd grade. They are provided interventions to hopefully help them be more successful and if that doesn't work they are often tested for special ed to get additional help and support and to see if there is something (such as a learning disability) that is keeping them from learning.
Advantages:
*I've had lots of one-on-one time with Gabrielle. She cracks me up. And, particularly during the fall break in October, we became much more closely bonded.
*I've been able to get a lot of things done...work in my classroom (while Gabby plays with blocks or paints), get Chester's shots and get him sterilized, clean the house, clean out several closets and drawers, etc.
*I've been able to go to both Michelle and Ella's music show and tells. Tomorrow, I'll be able to volunteer in Michelle's classroom for an hour. These are things I can't usually do because I'm at work.
*It's much easier to finish homework, have Michelle practice violin, fix and eat dinner, read to my kids, etc. when we are home at 4 rather than 5:30ish.
Disadvantages:
*I still have to get up early, cook breakfast, drive my kids 25-30 minutes to school and then turn around and drive home and then repeat that 50-60 minute drive in the afternoon to pick them up. (It doesn't seem so bad when I'm going to work because my school is five minutes away. 25 minutes doesn't seem too bad...but an hour, twice a day seems like more of a sacrifice and guzzles a lot more gas. Also, it would be nice to sleep in a little bit when I'm off work. But I guess if I'm being honest, I"m more productive and feel better when I get up early so maybe it's a good thing.)
*I don't get to spend as much time with my kids as I'd like. I feel like I'm already away from them so much at work that I'd like to spend these 2 weeks going to museums/zoo/aquarium/etc., having playdates, reading together, playing games, etc.
Several people have also asked me why my girls go to the school they go to. Interestingly, they rarely ask why my kids don't go to our neighborhood school...they almost always ask why they don't go to the school where I teach. There's a short answer and a long answer to that. This is the longer answer.
First, their school has a dual immersion program. Mine has a bilingual program. Let me explain the difference. The purpose of a dual immersion program is to teach literacy and mathematics (and really all of the curriculum) in two languages...in this case, English and Spanish. (Although there are other programs out there...Chinese, French and I'm sure others.) Generally, a dual immersion program tries to have a 50-50 split of kids with about half speaking each language as their native language (although this isn't always the case). The kids are immersed in both languages so that part of their time is spent in their native language and part is spent in their foreign (or at least less dominant) language. The purpose is to become fluent readers, writers and speakers of both languages.
A bilingual program has a different purpose and usually a different demographic. We know that kids learn literacy most easily in their native language. Once they have learned to read in their native language, it is easier to attach their new learning in their second language to what they already know about reading in their first. (This philosophy is also an important part of most dual immersion programs as well...they focus on literacy in the first language first.) So in a bilingual program generally all of the students' first language would not be English...in our case it would be Spanish. They are trying to give them Spanish literacy in kindergarten and first grade and then by the middle of first grade they begin transitioning them into English literacy. The goal is to maintain the first language and then build the second language. So the amount of time spent in each language might vary, especially in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Because my children's primary language is English, they do not qualify for a bilingual program.
Alfredo has always spoken to our children in Spanish at least 75% of the time. But I speak to them in English, our babysitters have primarily spoken to them in English and most of our friends and neighbors speak to them in English. My kids have entered school with the ability to understand quite a bit of Spanish, but only speaking a little bit. Since much of Alfredo's family lives outside the country and only speaks Spanish, it feels important to us to have our children be bilingual. In addition, it will be a great life skill and provide extra job opportunities. Furthermore, it is easier to learn a second language at a young age than as you get older. Also, speaking a second language opens your mind and allows you to see things in a different way, can help you develop compassion and empathy for those from different backgrounds (although there are definitely other ways to develop that as well) and will challenge my children and make their schooling more difficult but also more rewarding.
So that is why they go to the school they go to.
In addition, we love the teachers there. We love the population...so many children of diverse backgrounds and families from a variety of backgrounds, socio-economic levels and educational backgrounds, etc. They have a great music program. And all of this available in a public school. :)
Oh, one last comment: It does make some things more difficult. They rarely get to play with their friends after school because their school friends live too far away and because by the time we get home there often just isn't time to do homework (including reading in both languages), violin practice, dinner and family time before bed if they play with friends. Michelle, in particular, gets very little down time and I do worry about that sometimes. She does comment at times that school is hard and that she doesn't get to play like she wants to. But it's building character and responsibility and we do try to include fun times as often as possible.
Also, people often ask if learning the second language makes school hard. My kids have done very well. They both love school. But I'm fortunate because my husband speaks Spanish fluently and my kids began school with quite a bit of Spanish background and a good foundation to learn to read in English. It definitely isn't for everyone. There are kids who struggle to learn to read in one language and trying to handle two is just too much. At my kids' school (and my school as well) kids that are struggling in both languages and sometimes even kids just struggling in one language are moved to a regular English class in 3rd grade. They are provided interventions to hopefully help them be more successful and if that doesn't work they are often tested for special ed to get additional help and support and to see if there is something (such as a learning disability) that is keeping them from learning.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Music Show and Tell
Ella had her first annual (since she's in kindergarten) music show and tell. So far, these have always been held during my spring break and I've been able to attend. That is one of the things that I will miss when my school goes to a traditional schedule next year.
Ella and Michelle have music for a half hour a week, taught by a certified music teacher. (I mention this because most districts don't have certified teachers teaching music anymore.) And their teacher is wonderful. She teaches them to use their singing voice. She has a word wall with music terms. They use instruments such as drums, bells and rhythm sticks. They learn about a few classical composers. She works on rhythm. She listens to them sing individually and as a group. She keeps them engaged and they have so much fun while learning wonderful lessons.
Then starting in 3rd grade every child learns to play the violin. Such a wonderful music program at their school.
Anyway, Ella (and every other child) got to sing several songs, move to different rhythms and play the drums, bells and rhythm sticks. I thought it was especially cute that they sing Old MacDonald...but in their version, Old MacDonald has a BAND!!! Here are a few photos of Ella and her classmates at their music show and tell.
Ella and Michelle have music for a half hour a week, taught by a certified music teacher. (I mention this because most districts don't have certified teachers teaching music anymore.) And their teacher is wonderful. She teaches them to use their singing voice. She has a word wall with music terms. They use instruments such as drums, bells and rhythm sticks. They learn about a few classical composers. She works on rhythm. She listens to them sing individually and as a group. She keeps them engaged and they have so much fun while learning wonderful lessons.
Then starting in 3rd grade every child learns to play the violin. Such a wonderful music program at their school.
Anyway, Ella (and every other child) got to sing several songs, move to different rhythms and play the drums, bells and rhythm sticks. I thought it was especially cute that they sing Old MacDonald...but in their version, Old MacDonald has a BAND!!! Here are a few photos of Ella and her classmates at their music show and tell.
Naya Nuki: Little Girl's Book Club
We were able to host our neighborhood's Little Girl's Book Club again this month. The book was Naya Nuki, a historical fiction book about a Native American girl who was friends with Sacagawea. Both Naya Nuki and Sacagawea were captured by an enemy tribe. Naya Nuki escaped and traveled hundreds of miles by herself to return to her family and her tribe.
Because Michelle has so much reading homework for school, I do most of the reading aloud of teh books for her book club. Ella and Gabby also listened in to parts of the book and Gabby was fascinated by the bear. She asked "Why? Why?" (a million times) as I read and wanted to see the drawing of the bear over and over. Michelle also had lots of questions as we read the book.
We had a fun time with the girls. We started by discussing the book for a few minutes. Then we had a scavenger hunt. I had cut out buffalo and strawberries out of cardstock which I had hidden around the house. The girls had to search for "food" as Naya Nuki's tribe, the Shoshoni, had to and as Naya Nuki did while returning home. But searching was not without danger. I warned them before they began that some of the buffalo and strawberries (which were numbered) had dangers and some were bonuses. One of the buffalo represented the time Naya Nuki found a large pile of buffalo and used them to make new mocassins and this gave extra points. But one strawberry patch was by a bear and she had to climb a tree to escape. One buffalo had wolves nearby and another was near an enemy tribe. These caused the person to lose points.
After that, we had a snack of berries (strawberries and cranberries) and nuts (peanuts and almonds) and jerky (beef in our case).
Then I gave the girls some examples of Native American picture writing and had them write a story in pictures.
I think they had a fun time.
Because Michelle has so much reading homework for school, I do most of the reading aloud of teh books for her book club. Ella and Gabby also listened in to parts of the book and Gabby was fascinated by the bear. She asked "Why? Why?" (a million times) as I read and wanted to see the drawing of the bear over and over. Michelle also had lots of questions as we read the book.
We had a fun time with the girls. We started by discussing the book for a few minutes. Then we had a scavenger hunt. I had cut out buffalo and strawberries out of cardstock which I had hidden around the house. The girls had to search for "food" as Naya Nuki's tribe, the Shoshoni, had to and as Naya Nuki did while returning home. But searching was not without danger. I warned them before they began that some of the buffalo and strawberries (which were numbered) had dangers and some were bonuses. One of the buffalo represented the time Naya Nuki found a large pile of buffalo and used them to make new mocassins and this gave extra points. But one strawberry patch was by a bear and she had to climb a tree to escape. One buffalo had wolves nearby and another was near an enemy tribe. These caused the person to lose points.
After that, we had a snack of berries (strawberries and cranberries) and nuts (peanuts and almonds) and jerky (beef in our case).
Then I gave the girls some examples of Native American picture writing and had them write a story in pictures.
I think they had a fun time.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Our neighbor
Michelle made me chuckle a couple of days ago. There was a magnet on our fridge for Keller Williams Realty. It must have come in the mail or something. So Michelle was reading the magnet and said, "Hey, Mom, that's our neighbor." I asked what she meant and she said, "Yeah the people around the corner have a sign in their yard that says "Keller Williams. Why do you have a magnet for our neighbor?" I smiled and explained that it is a realty company and that they must be using that company to sell their house. Too cute!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Temporary Home (perspective,part 2)
I have a song on my playlist that I love. It is sung by Carrie Underwood and the first time that I heard it on the radio, it brought tears to my eyes. Partly because my heart is always touched/broken by stories of children suffering but also because I think it has such an important message.
Temporary Home Lyrics
Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to bein' alone.
Another new mom and dad,another school,
Another house that'll never be home.
When people ask him how he likes this place...
He looks up and says, with a smile upon his face,
"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."
Young mom on her own.
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go.
She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out,
Because a half-way house will never be a home.
At night she whispers to her baby girl,
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world."
"This is our temporary home.
It's not where we belong.
Windows and rooms that we're passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is our
Temporary Home."
Old man, hospital bed,
The room is filled with people he loves.
And he whispers don't cry for me,
I'll see you all someday.
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."
"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know... this was
My temporary home."
I've been meaning to write about it for a couple of months and never got around to it, but it seemed to fit perfectly with my previous post about perspective. If we can just remember that this is just our temporary home, not where we belong, and that we are headed somewhere so much better, to be with those who love us most (family, friends and most especially our Savior and Father), it will change our perspective and help us cope with the challenges that come. It will help ME to focus on what's really important and help me to make better choices. I want to always remember that this is just a temporary home. I want to do my best to make this a great home, filled with love and peace, so that those I love will want to be with me in the future. I want to do all I can to alleviate suffering and comfort those in need of comfort. I want to help guide others so that they, too, can leave this temporary home behind when life ends and return to our permanent home. That is the perspective I want to maintain on bad days. I'm far from being where I want to be... but I home I'm on the road there.
Temporary Home Lyrics
Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to bein' alone.
Another new mom and dad,another school,
Another house that'll never be home.
When people ask him how he likes this place...
He looks up and says, with a smile upon his face,
"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."
Young mom on her own.
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go.
She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out,
Because a half-way house will never be a home.
At night she whispers to her baby girl,
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world."
"This is our temporary home.
It's not where we belong.
Windows and rooms that we're passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is our
Temporary Home."
Old man, hospital bed,
The room is filled with people he loves.
And he whispers don't cry for me,
I'll see you all someday.
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."
"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know... this was
My temporary home."
I've been meaning to write about it for a couple of months and never got around to it, but it seemed to fit perfectly with my previous post about perspective. If we can just remember that this is just our temporary home, not where we belong, and that we are headed somewhere so much better, to be with those who love us most (family, friends and most especially our Savior and Father), it will change our perspective and help us cope with the challenges that come. It will help ME to focus on what's really important and help me to make better choices. I want to always remember that this is just a temporary home. I want to do my best to make this a great home, filled with love and peace, so that those I love will want to be with me in the future. I want to do all I can to alleviate suffering and comfort those in need of comfort. I want to help guide others so that they, too, can leave this temporary home behind when life ends and return to our permanent home. That is the perspective I want to maintain on bad days. I'm far from being where I want to be... but I home I'm on the road there.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Perspective
This past week has been a hard one. Well, in some ways the past month. It seems like illness has followed us around for the past month. We'd get one person feeling better for a couple of days only to have someone else get sick. I got a sinus/ear infection and bronchitis. The kids all got colds. Then the kids each got high fevers and felt awful. It is miserable to be sick, but I think I'd definitely prefer to all be sick at once and get it done rather than thinking were done and then a few days later having it start all over again.
Then this past week, Chester escaped and was taken to the pound. (Don't worry, we rescued him.) The same day, Alfredo's grandma died. He was very close to her and hasn't seen her in a long time, and he wasn't able to make it to see her before she passed. The next day, because I was so distracted worrying about Alfredo, Chester, and my own grandparents, I got a speeding ticket. My grandparents are suffering from age related dementia and things are not going well. My dad has been caring for them, and yesterday they were placed in a home. I think it is for the best. But it is sad to see two people whom I love dearly lose their physical and mental abilities. I think it will be a blessing for them to pass and yet I don't know when that will happen. It seems so sad to be locked inside a body that no longer works properly, unable to care for yourself, and unable to remember most of your life or those you love.
Anyway, it was a rough week and I was worried about family, money, etc. Most of the problems weren't problems I could solve and I was just feeling pretty discouraged. But sometimes when problems strike, what you need is a little perspective. On Friday, Alfredo called me in to watch the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We have watched quite a bit about it in the past few days. And while I still have some problems, it sure put things in perspective. So many people lost their lives. Thousands of others lost everything...their homes, their cars, and everything they owned. There is the nuclear threat. And they face months (*hopefully not years?) of rebuilding. And well, that puts things back in perspective. Compared to so many others, my problems are relatively small. We will be fine. We still have so many blessings.
Sunday was Stake Conference. I always go, but I admit that this weekend I just didn't want to. But I was taught that when you don't feel like doing the right thing it is the most important time for you to do the right thing. And a wise young woman's leader of mine would always say that she felt her most discouraged and worried right before a blessing would come into her life. That hasn't always been the case for me, but there have certainly been times when that has been true. So I went. And President Isaacs spoke about seeing the Savior and hearing his voice. He shared all that he has learned as he has cared for and sat with his dying mother. He taught/reminded us that our Savior wants to succor us and that literally as we turn to Him, he runs to us to help us. Others bore testimony of times that they have seen the Savior and heard his voice as they served or as others served them. (I"m reminded of a favorite song from my youth.. "Have you received His image in your countenance? Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes? Will He know you when He comes again because you will be like him? When He sees you will the father know his child?" by Janice Kapp Perry) My heart was lifted and I was able to remember times that I have felt loved by others and through them, felt the love of my Savior. I was able to be reminded of ways that my prayers have been answered. Times when I've heard the voice of the Lord. And this meeting also brought added perspective. Life on Earth really is a short time and while it can be difficult, we will not be here for long. We are on our way home. We need to live so that we can go home, but we are not alone on this journey and we can receive the help we need so that we can go home. I'm grateful for the gospel and the peace it brings. I'm so glad that I do not have to endure the trials of life without a knowledge of its purpose or without knowing that I have help along the way.
Then this past week, Chester escaped and was taken to the pound. (Don't worry, we rescued him.) The same day, Alfredo's grandma died. He was very close to her and hasn't seen her in a long time, and he wasn't able to make it to see her before she passed. The next day, because I was so distracted worrying about Alfredo, Chester, and my own grandparents, I got a speeding ticket. My grandparents are suffering from age related dementia and things are not going well. My dad has been caring for them, and yesterday they were placed in a home. I think it is for the best. But it is sad to see two people whom I love dearly lose their physical and mental abilities. I think it will be a blessing for them to pass and yet I don't know when that will happen. It seems so sad to be locked inside a body that no longer works properly, unable to care for yourself, and unable to remember most of your life or those you love.
Anyway, it was a rough week and I was worried about family, money, etc. Most of the problems weren't problems I could solve and I was just feeling pretty discouraged. But sometimes when problems strike, what you need is a little perspective. On Friday, Alfredo called me in to watch the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We have watched quite a bit about it in the past few days. And while I still have some problems, it sure put things in perspective. So many people lost their lives. Thousands of others lost everything...their homes, their cars, and everything they owned. There is the nuclear threat. And they face months (*hopefully not years?) of rebuilding. And well, that puts things back in perspective. Compared to so many others, my problems are relatively small. We will be fine. We still have so many blessings.
Sunday was Stake Conference. I always go, but I admit that this weekend I just didn't want to. But I was taught that when you don't feel like doing the right thing it is the most important time for you to do the right thing. And a wise young woman's leader of mine would always say that she felt her most discouraged and worried right before a blessing would come into her life. That hasn't always been the case for me, but there have certainly been times when that has been true. So I went. And President Isaacs spoke about seeing the Savior and hearing his voice. He shared all that he has learned as he has cared for and sat with his dying mother. He taught/reminded us that our Savior wants to succor us and that literally as we turn to Him, he runs to us to help us. Others bore testimony of times that they have seen the Savior and heard his voice as they served or as others served them. (I"m reminded of a favorite song from my youth.. "Have you received His image in your countenance? Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes? Will He know you when He comes again because you will be like him? When He sees you will the father know his child?" by Janice Kapp Perry) My heart was lifted and I was able to remember times that I have felt loved by others and through them, felt the love of my Savior. I was able to be reminded of ways that my prayers have been answered. Times when I've heard the voice of the Lord. And this meeting also brought added perspective. Life on Earth really is a short time and while it can be difficult, we will not be here for long. We are on our way home. We need to live so that we can go home, but we are not alone on this journey and we can receive the help we need so that we can go home. I'm grateful for the gospel and the peace it brings. I'm so glad that I do not have to endure the trials of life without a knowledge of its purpose or without knowing that I have help along the way.
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