Adventures of The Haven School for Boys: A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

Our week started with a trip to the McCallum Theater to watch a performance, Water is Rising. Performers from the low-lying Pacific islands of Tuvalu, Tokelau, and the Republic of Kiribati, performed traditional dances and songs in an effort to impart a greater message about the effects of greenhouse gases on their little coral inlets, whose boundaries are being slowly eroded by rising ocean tides (and when I say "little," I do mean little. The audience members were as many as their given populations). No matter where one lies on the political topic of global warming, it is true that the industrialized world is one that lives in excess, and much of that excess could be curbed in a manner that pays greater respect to the environment, and in turn, could slow the effects of climate change. They dimmed the theater to near blackness, and we could hear the rustle of grass skirts and the soft tinkle of wooden instruments as the performers made their way down the aisles. Soon after, a tribal cry pierced the darkness, followed by the echo of a woman's voice in kind, and then a chorus of voiced joined in. I fail to describe the beauty of the sound; tears sprung to my eyes from the raw quality of the moment. In the confines of the theater, their sound was undiluted by distraction, and enhanced by their presence. It was powerful, and an experience unlike any other. In short--a great way to start the school week.

We have begun a little book called Little Pear, by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. It is a story about what can only be described as a naughty little Chinese boy who has a propensity for adventure and disobedience. But, as is often the case with protagonists, he is lovable in spite of himself. I am quite sure his antics will prove to be fodder for conversations regarding respect and obedience. That, and we will get a few good laughs at his expense.

James plowed through a reader this week entitled Amazing Rescues. The first and most interesting story was a mid-air rescue by a parachuter who risked his own life to perilously dive and deploy the parachute of a fellow jumper who had been knocked unconscious from an accidental collision. It was part of a renowned parachuting event that features groups of experienced parachuters jumping and then falling into unique formations mid-air, so I was able to find a reenactment of this very rescue on You Tube. The main "actors" were the actual main characters from real life scenario! I do love that homeschooling allows for extensions such as these. And I have already made up my mind that the boys are n-e-v-e-r allowed to parachute. : )

I am channeling my teaching credential program while I start wading through a recommended read (thank you, Pris!) entitled Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics Grades K-3. First off, I cannot believe that I am torturing myself with an educational philosophy book. Secondly, I'm glad that I am. I have only just begun, but it is already helping me think about math instruction in a new way. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I don't like to think about math instruction. Therein lies my very problem--I put math in a little box that we pull off the desk and open up once a day and then quickly cap and return to its rightful place. It SCARES me, I think. The introduction to the book talks about the theory of constructivism--in short, that children construct meaning based on meaningful connections. How do we build those connections? Well--in a variety of ways, but the point is that the connections should be plentiful and varied in order to create the greatest depth of understanding. Do not get me wrong--there is nothing wrong with my math book series. In fact, I think it is one of the better, conceptually-based ones out there. But, the buck doesn't stop with the book, or start there for that matter. I need to create opportunities for the boys to make meaningful connections with numbers and mathematical ideas on a daily basis--within the construct of their own little lives. Our home, grocery stores, and books are rife with mathematical interactions, and I endeavor to capture them. The waffle and pancake recipes are building blocks for fractions, and the produce scale is a foundation for measurement. I simply need to realize that building math-based connections, however brief or seemingly insignificant at the time, has the potential to be exponential in the long run. As Nike says, Just Do It!

Our social studies reading this week took us into the fields of the world--looking at farming and all of its facets. We read a section about science in connection to farming, and I delved a little further into genetically modified foods and their contribution to the world of farming. It is a little too sci-fi for my liking. And, frankly, I think I am in the boat that the United States should be required to label genetically modified foods as such. Europe does it. Maybe I am opening a can of worms here. After all, genetic modification over time has allowed for greater quantities of food to be produced, which is hard to sniff at when one sees the starvation in third world nations. Still, I cannot help but dislike the trend of the food industry to take the natural out of seemingly natural foods such as tomatoes, rice, corn, etc. These small alterations could have huge impact over the long run, especially since we cannot turn to the results of long terms studies in regards to genetic modification. And, let us just say that in preliminary research, the rats did not bode well.

It must be the late hour I have to blame for the fact that my blog has turned into the O'Reilly Factor. That is my cue to sign off. I will end on a more positive note to say that church was a real upper tonight (we attend on Saturday nights). I have had my doubts about youth ministry as of late, and I am sure that I will continue to do so, but I have come to the conclusion that despite their entertainment-style approach, they strive for deeper meaning, and their goals are admirable. They really do want to bring these kids into relationship with Christ, even if their modes are not reminiscent of one-room schoolhouse churches of old. Far from it--we have LIGHT SHOWS and SKITS, and GAMES WITH GREEN SLIME. Okay--I digress. This was going to be a positive paragraph. And it will be. Upon picking the kids up from their assigned destinations, Joshua leaped out of class and piped up, "I can do ALL things through Christ!" with a smile that warmed me to my toes. And then James went on to talk for a good seven minutes about the pastor from Uganda who had shared about his place of ministry (Cherish Uganda--a self-sufficient community that adopts and support children with AIDS). The childrens' tithe goes to support this particular ministry. The conversations we shared about what exactly we can do through Christ (ALL things), and the power of our love for God's least of these, was priceless, and a boon to my spirits in regards to the importance of worshipping in community with other believers. Our prayer on the way to church, today and every Saturday evening, is that God will open our eyes to be servants. How can we leave disappointed if we go looking to serve rather than be served? I must say, that it makes the dividends even sweeter, such as those recounted tonight.

Sweet Dreams, Family (and Friends) Mine,

The Haven 5