Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Seeking

A list of things I am seeking for a better solution for. Feel free to comment if you've found something that works for you or know of some hidden tip or trick.

*Teaching a very intelligent child who has great difficulty learning. My wonderful husband spent over an hour today re-teaching our wonderful 3rd grader, who we love very much but are a little exasperated with, the city that she lives in and the difference between city, state, country, and continent. Yes, we've had her tested with child find and no learning disability was found, but she still has major difficulty with basic definitions. (Before, after, etc...)

*Walking in the morning. It is my lifeline to not hurting, but it is too cold outside to do anymore. What are some of the best indoor workouts or should I just give in and buy some serious winter-wear?

*Dealing with another teacher who doesn't take the time to include us as parents even though we have made ourselves completely available. My child wastes an entire day not doing work because you can't find a way to  entice her to get to it and are afraid to make her accountable and I'm not even notified? Bursting into the school swearing doesn't seem like the best way to handle said situation. 

One thing I did learn a trick to that has NOTHING to do with the above (Let me emphasize nothing at all, and some could say it's on the superficial side of things. Of course, this blog isn't just about a spiritual journey...) - if you can't ever make your long hair stay un-tangled, try using shampoo just on the scalp, conditioner just on the length below the neck, and end with a cool rinse. Brush at night and don't wash every day. Found this little trick recently and wish I would have known about it during high school. Loved having long hair, hated that it was a pain in the tuckus.

Highlight to my day was, of course, scripture reading. Major focus is still seeking to have a better relationship with my Savior. This is what establishes my hope and my sanity. I'm so grateful for faith in a being so much more powerful than I, one that is merciful and loving. I'm grateful for faith in a perspective so far beyond my own that gives reason and order to a sometimes chaotic life. Emily Freeman said of hope: "There is a moment of epiphany after the soul has doubted all it knows, when it begins to reach out for solid answers and firm ground. This moment is defined by one emotion that sustains and creates a desire for change. Before faith or knowledge is found, before joy or happiness is experienced, before the healing begins, one emotion starts to stir from deep within the depths of despair. It is hope." (21 Days Closer to Christ) Hope is a definite worthwhile.

3 comments:

  1. Here's my two cents about working out. I do yoga in the morning to stretch and strengthen my muscles and then I go out and run or walk (depends on the day of the week). I go out EVERY morning and it's frickin' frackin' freezing right now. I wear long exercise pants (but am contemplating adding thermal underwear), a thermal top, hoodie, sweatshirt over the hoodie and finish it all off with gloves and a scarf. The one thing about the cold is that my dog and I go much faster so we can get back home to where it's warm!

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  3. 1. Teaching gifted children is often more difficult than teaching 'regular' ones. Since they learn some things so easily, they don't always want to make the effort, or sometimes even have the skills, to learn things outside of their 'gifted zone'. Trying to relate the difficult topic to the area that they are gifted in can help sometimes.

    FYI, if you do disagree with the results from their testing for a disability, you can usually demand that an outside agency redo testing, at the district's expense. Just remember, she's only got so much time at the school each day. If they pull her for additional support in one area, she will get less instruction in another area, and you usually don't get to pick what it is that she'll miss.

    2. Remind me where you live? Cold?! You can't believe the number of people I see running around in the snow here. I've decided that it's a culture thing. There, people are just used to staying inside most of the time, since the window of good weather per day or season is relatively small. Here, they're used to being able to go outside most of the year, so a bit of snow isn't going to stop them. That said, I do my exercising in the basement with my Wii, be it snow or sunshine. I'm still reacclimatizing...

    3. I hear this quite a bit. I'll try to avoid a rant on public education. You're not going to change the broken system. You either have to leave it, or learn to work within (manipulate) it. What I can say is that there isn't enough time in the day for one teacher to do all that is being asked of them for all the kids in the class; they're going to have to pick and choose. If you want to get more help from them, you're going to have to make yourself a priority. The trick is showing them that it'll be _less_ work for them to communicate with you than to neglect/avoid you. If they know that a 2 minute email, or a 5 minute call will prevent a 30 minute visit, or something more intrusive, like observations and meetings with the administration, they might be more likely to contact you. Spending time volunteering in the class can let them know that you're available for those 30 minute meetings if necessary, but that you'd rather spend your time freeing her up to do something more productive.

    4. I've been trying to spread that tip about hair care for years now. Even on short hair, washing it with abrasive shampoo daily is awful for it. If it feels too dirty/sweaty, just give it a cool rinse. If you need something to combat the hard water, use just a bit of conditioner, or get a filtered shower head. It's like $20 every 3 months to replace the filter, but you'll save that in hair products during that time.

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