I think that homeschooling is easy once Dad told us about Richard Dawkins new book, ‘The Magic Of Reality’, because it gave me a lot of questions. Before that, I was clueless with no ideas or big interests. How I like it? Well, I miss friends and all, but I bet I’ll adjust and get used to it. Besides, I still go to art, and strings (Which is so easy I was bored to tears).

I always imagined homeschool like public schools, but at home. Instead, I’m on my own. That’s probably what I’m not used to. Already several people at school that I see when I go to art or strings are very confused when they see that I have a visiter badge.

I’m going to be home schooled until high school. I spend my time with my violin, researching, and reading, and math.

Yesterday Kirsten and I had the opportunity to visit Hayley’s kindergarten class for an end-of-the-year beach party. It was a lot of fun. Mrs. Arnold’s pupils went through their usual morning routine before reading to us a book they’d written and illustrated. Then Mrs. Arnold played for us a slide show that was absolutely wonderful (a tear jerker). She is an extremely talented photographer and was able to capture not only the activities of the students, but their personalities as well.

Kirsten and I feel very fortunate that Hayley had Mrs. Arnold this year. She has great command of her students and exudes compassion for them.

Hayley was Star of the Day

Hayley got to sit in the rocking chair

Hayley reads her book to Kirsten

The Flying Dog, illustrated by Hayley Danler

The slideshow was phenomenal!

Hayley's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Arnold

Today Kirsten and I had the opportunity to visit Jenna and her classmates for an “Author’s Tea Party”. Jenna read to us a non-fiction book and then a book she wrote titled, “All About Wildlife”.

She did a fantastic job writing and illustrating her book. She discussed classes of animals, geology and the environment, dietary requirements, evolution, extinction and predation.

While reading her book she skipped the following sentence so as not to offend her classmates or their parents:

None of anything is made by Mother Nature or God. It’s all called Science.

After each pupil read their book the group was allowed one comment and one question. After one boy read about “little stars” Jenna asked, “How do you know the stars are small unless you’ve seen one up close?” Brilliant question, I thought.

Jenna listened as Miss Holland addressed the audience

Jenna read to us a non-fiction book

Jenna read to our group her book, All About Wildlife

Jenna likes the science section best

Jenna and Thomas, a past crush

Jenna and her second grade teacher, Miss Holland

Skye had to build a “float” about Arizona for a school project. At first she wrapped boxes with brown paper, made a banner out of paper and drinking straws, and affixed onto all that a plastic lettuce leaf. I couldn’t watch her flail and fail; she needed help, and I was glad to give it.

We talked about the requirements (flag, banner, six to ten items) and design. She did a lot of research on Arizona and the things that makes it unique and special. She made a list of possible items and revised it several times after I explained why certain items were neither unique nor special (e.g. high pollution).

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I had the pleasure today of having a conference with Skye’s teacher to discuss Skye’s progress. Skye is doing very well. No surprises.

What troubled me about our meeting were a couple of statements made by her teacher.

She doesn’t give more homework because, quite frankly, it wouldn’t get done. The students are too involved with extracurricular activities, video games, and television. She said that for many parents academics takes a back seat to everything else in their children’s busy schedules.

She said her primary responsibility is to work with the pupils who struggle the most. Anything she does to challenge Skye and other bright kids, such as assigning independent work or helping them with advanced concepts, is beyond what is required. She has limited time and resources and is mandated to focus on the kids who need the most help. If it weren’t for her teacher making extra efforts Skye would be left to teach herself or simply go at a much slower pace than she is capable.

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The girls’ artwork is current on exhibition at the Saco Museum. We visited yesterday morning. It was our first time at the museum.

Hayley made a stuffed fish in her art class. It’s isn’t a fish you could filet and eat for dinner. Nor could it swim in the ocean. It’s mostly made of paper. They drew with oil crayons over the paint. With the red crayon Hayley made lipstick. Then they cut out fish shapes, stapled the edges together and stuffed them with newspaper.

Hayley's stuffed fish (with lipstick)

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In 2008 we went to the beach a lot. There’s only one reason I don’t like the beach: I don’t like taking a shower after. At the beach I like to make sand castles and sand angels. Sometimes I make a person with sand. My person is funny when I make boobies on her.

Hayley at the beach

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Kirsten earned a 4.0 GPA this semester. She worked her butt off and deserves some recognition. I am wicked proud of her!!

You go girl. I love you, Kir.

She also aced (100%) every category of the math portion of the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) and earned a composite score on the entire exam that puts her in the 96th percentile of the nation! Hooray!

I think she deserves lunch at Gilbert’s Chowder House, at least. ;)

This morning I was so excited to go to the play of “A Christmas Carol.” My dad asked to chaperon earlier during the month, so he got to. The number one reason he offered to chaperon is to ride on the bus. He hasn’t rode a bus since he was a kid. Three more reasons he offered to chaperon is so he can see Mr. Reinhartsen, spend time with me, and watch the play. When I got to school I couldn’t wait until 9:05 am. That was the time we were supposed to get on the bus. I did the day starter (morning time work) I’m supposed to do in the morning. I waited and kept looking at the clock. I was so excited. Soon they called us to the front doors. I got to see my old friends from my class last year because they are in fifth grade reading. Mr. Reinhartsen wanted all the reading kids to come to “A Christmas Carol”. Suddenly I saw the bus and my dad, so we got on.

While we were on the bus I taught my dad Concentration 64, Tom Boy, (those are hand shakes) and talked to him.

When we got there we sat in comfy seats. Before we watched the play we had to sing “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. They divided the audience into twelve groups, one for each day. When it was our turn we had to stand and sing our part and do our hand motions. It was fun. Finally we started watching the play. It was really good. Some parts were so scary I gasped! It was about a grouchy man named Ebenezer Scrooge who hated people and Christmas so he was haunted by three spirits. At the very end he had a happy life and he was nice to people. It was the best play I’ve seen in a long time. After the first act we got to eat a donut.

On the bus ride home my dad and I did a debate about god. When we got to C.K. Burns, I said good-bye to daddy and went inside. Since we were late for the regular lunch time, Mrs. Walton said we could eat lunch in the classroom while we work. We ate a pasta kind of stuff, strawberry juice with cut up strawberries, bread, and chocolate milk.

When we got home there were fresh-baked cupcakes on the counter. Mommy told us that we could decorate them. It was fun. I did cool designs.

That was my day.

Since it’s getting to be Festibond we did a little bit of Festibond stuff at school. We got to put designs on our antlers. We took one long piece of lined paper. Then we traced our hands and cut them out of brown paper. Mrs. Arnold put our name on the paper after we put our designs on it. The first sticker was Santa. The next sticker was a candy cane. The next sticker was a reindeer. The last sticker is holly.

The way to make a circle to put it on our head is first to put the paper around our head then carefully take it off while it was connected still. Then we stapled it. Then we stapled the antlers. And then we got to put them on for the whole time we were in school.

Hayley