After I returned from Haiti, it was a whirlwind of fatigue and extra effort to get back into the swing of things. The school puts on a grandparents luncheon every spring, and I am working with the students in some special music to sing for their grandparents. I also purchased a set of “boomwhackers” to use in my music classroom. These are basically plastic tubes of various lengths that play different pitches when tapped against something. The are super easy to use, fun to teach with, and I’m hoping that they will help the students learn notes and how to read basic music. I enjoy teaching with new tools that are fun and exciting for all of us, and some children learn faster when they don’t realize that they are learning!
We’ve had a few bumps in the road as far as sickness in our family too. I struggled with a cold and being very tired after returning from Haiti, and Emma got a short flu bug that kept her down for a day. Strep has made an appearance at the school, so when Chandler said his throat was very painful on Monday, I cancelled music classes to take him to the doctor. He has a viral cold, which is nasty, but not strep. Also this week, we were hit with a huge snowstorm that has caused us to miss school for two days! I’m beginning to think that we will be having a Fourth of July party combined with an end -of-school party! I’m not against having the kids at home, as I love that part, but summer is so short here already! I only remember one snow day ever being called in Wisconsin, so sometimes these snow days are a challenge for me. However, it is what it is! It’s one of the cons of going to school versus homeschooling...but I would definitely prefer to keep sending the boys to school! And God continues to provide for the kids to be educated at the Christian school in miraculous ways...I serve a God who provides right on time!
My friend, Allison and I coordinated a Family Fun Night at church a few Fridays ago. It was a fun evening for families and friends to get together. The turn out was a little smaller than I was hoping for, but the fellowship was sweet. I had a good time planning the games with Roger, and I’m thankful that Allison is good at coordinating events and working with me.
A few weeks ago, I had a meeting with the special education department people, Garett’s teacher and our school administrator. Garett is still struggling in school far more than I would like him to have to struggle. I’ll be the first to admit that we all learn differently and that school is just hard for some kids. While I agree, I also think that finding unconventional methods to teach or figuring out how a child learns are important for educational success. Garett has a great teacher, and I’ve worked with her on several different ideas to try to help Garett learn better. But it’s time to get him tested to see how we can help him better. He will be entering the junior high classroom next year, and we need to help him be prepared for this change. Garett has never thrown a fit about going to school or given me an attitude, but he does say often how hard School is for him...and it reflects on his grades. We’ve tried doing drills and extra stuff at school, but that is very difficult for both of us as Garett has put all his effort into learning for the day. When he comes home, he “checks” out. He will play outside for hours on end, he knows how to fly an airplane, he can give you directions to get anywhere in our area, he can tell you about gun safety, and he has a sweet heart and good attitude, but School is a challenge in his life like a mountain that has an unseen peak! I love this boy of ours, so I would ask that you would pray that we would be able to help him succeed in school. We need wisdom in how to teach him and he needs help in fighting discouragement.
We have the academic fair for the kids coming up in April, so we’ve been working in those projects. It’s amazing to me how these types of projects bring out the personalities of our children. We have one who is the “get it done right now” style. We have one who is the “I can’t turn this in until it’s perfect” style. We have one who is the “maybe if I put this off, it’ll go away style”. And we have one who is the “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’ll write something” style! Garett is doing his on Nate Saint and the missionaries to the Auca Indians. I’ve been reading several biographies to the kids, so we’ve been learning a lot about Nate Saint. Chandler chose to do his on drones, so Roger has been helping him find information. Wyatt has to do his on something to do with Maine. He chose to do it on the company that Roger works for and why this business is important to the islanders of Maine. Travis had to pick his topic on one of God’s creatures, so he is doing grizzly bears. It’s a lot of projects happening at once, and it’s a bit of a challenge when everyone needs help spelling something at the same time! However, it’ll all be over in a few weeks! Praise Jesus!
I’m preparing a video presentation for chapel on Friday. I was asked to talk about my Haiti trip, so I’ve been working on that for the last few days. It’s hard to pick out just a few pictures out of the 1200 that were taken in Haiti! Please pray that I will be clear, prepared, and that God will direct my words.
I know I’ve left out a lot of things that have happened in our family in the last few weeks, but I’m hoping that I’ll be back on track next week! Thank you for your love and prayers!
Love,
Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment