Funny Girl makes a comeback this week as Gracie takes another crack at guest writing. She did not go anywhere glamorous like New York City this time, just our kitchen. Unfortunately, she was moved to write about the sights she saw there, just as she had about New York City.
This is quite an endorsement for homeschooling.
When you finish reading, say a prayer for Cheryl and the kids----and me! Enjoy!
"I" before "e" except after "c" and in sounding like "ay," as in neighbor and... gay?
Two days ago I skipped was sick, and stayed home from school. I had a one-on-two encounter with my mom and little brother, Noah, as they went through their normal homeschool routine. (I, too, will be homeschooled in the fall.)
I woke up and came downstairs to get breakfast, and found that my mom and Noah had already started school. Hmmm, this homeschool thing is a bit more structured than I had thought. I sat down on the couch to observe them in their “natural habitat.”
Things were off to a pretty good start. Noah was working on a math test (who knew homeschoolers took tests? I’m beginning to rethink my desire to go along with this), and Mom was putting some markers away. Noah had been doing pretty well with his lessons.
Things were off to a pretty good start. Noah was working on a math test (who knew homeschoolers took tests? I’m beginning to rethink my desire to go along with this), and Mom was putting some markers away. Noah had been doing pretty well with his lessons.
As the morning progressed, I, too, was learning a few lessons... like the fact that Noah has the attention span of a goldfish (which, by the way is only about three seconds). The conversation went a little bit like this :
Noah: Hey Grace you want to see some of my new cartoons I’ve been working on?
Mom: No, Noah. Finish your math test...
Noah: Oh yeah! Sorry mom...
Mom: Its ok, just finish your test.
three seconds later...
Noah: Oooh oooh!! It’s 10:00 (Noah then proceeded to run through the house to look at all the clocks. This is an on-the-hour-event at our house.)
Mom: Hey, Noah...How’s that math test coming?
Noah: Oh right, sorry!
three seconds later...
Noah: Hey Grace, you want me to show you my science notebook?
Mom: Noah! Sit down and finish your test! NOW!
three seconds later...
...You get the drift. This went on for some time and a ten question math test took over an hour and a half to finish.
The second thing I learned is that Noah cannot spell. After his math test, he was writing in his science journal about a huge turtle we had seen in our yard. He spelled neighborhood wrong, and so my mom made a list of “eigh” words. She had asked him if he could think of any other words that had that sound. He replied with a giggle and said, ”I have a word, but I don’t want to say it out loud.”
I had a sneaking suspicion of what the word in his head could be, but I kept my mouth shut and let my mom handle it. She told him to tell her the word, and that he would not get in trouble for saying it out loud. Noah burst out laughing and was able to stop in between giggles to scream... GAY!
My mom and I could not help but laugh. Mom told Noah that you don’t spell it g-e-i-g-h, and explained that that’s the gay way of spelling it. Now, at this point, I’m thinking to myself... Hmm, so is this really what goes on all day when it’s just Mom and Noah? But the show was just beginning...
While he was still working on his science journal, he misspelled the word turtle... spelling it... turdle. Again, I couldn’t help myself from laughing as my mom explained to Noah that a turdle is “a little piece of poopy,” and he certainly did not see THAT in our front yard!
Homeschooling is way more entertaining than I ever thought it would be. But the show still wasn’t over. Noah did a repeat of the math test, only with his science journal. He got up every few seconds. Now I understand what his old teacher was talking about when she said he had trouble staying on task.
I have to admit this was all starting to get a bit annoying, and it was obvious that my mom was getting frustrated with Noah. This became clear to me when she looked at the clock and turned to me and said, "At 12:00, I can start drinking!”
Two thoughts crossed my mind when she said that. One was that if she starts drinking at noon when only homeschooling Noah, then I don’t even want to know what time she’ll start drinking next year when she’s homeschooling ALL THREE OF US. My second thought was PHEW! I thought she was always acting so frazzled because of something I did!
Two thoughts crossed my mind when she said that. One was that if she starts drinking at noon when only homeschooling Noah, then I don’t even want to know what time she’ll start drinking next year when she’s homeschooling ALL THREE OF US. My second thought was PHEW! I thought she was always acting so frazzled because of something I did!
When my mom first decided to homeschool, my dad had his doubts, but I am here to assure him that we will all be just fine... except maybe him... and our pet turdle.
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