madameblogalot

I always find it funny to explain words to my kids and then hear them learn to use them. I told my daughter that something was “sappy” the other day. She’d not heard that one and asked what it meant. Like any good mom, I told her to look it up (which is really easy on the new computer!) Here is what she read out to me:

“sappy-oversentimental, mawkish”

I liked the description and told her that I did want to “mock” the thing I’d been talking about. She corrected me then and told me the word she’d read out was m-a-w-k-i-s-h. I didn’t know that one. So…we looked it up too. Here is what we found:

“mawkish-sentimental in a feeble or sickly way”

She loved it! She said she can’t wait to use it the next time she sees any PDA going on!!

I have seen a lot of places offer tutoring to students of all ages. One of the biggest areas of tutoring seems to be Reading Intervention. I have never had experience with any of this kind of tutoring, unless you count the year I homeschooled my nephews. But even then I pretty much started at the beginning by using phonics to give them keys to decode nearly all words.

There are many different forms and approaches to tutoring reading. I think my favorite is the one offered by our public library. They use dogs to have the hesitant students read aloud to!

I think learning to read and to read well is the key to all other learning. No matter what else a person wants to learn, they can learn it if they first learn how to read and to become a proficient reader.

My daughter and I are going on a field trip with my parents and my nephews. And I am really looking forward to it! We are going to the State Fair in Dallas and then to see Mary Poppins! It should be a day filled with fun, sweets (the kids are already planning all they want to eat!), and an evening of fun and song. I think I am ready for a little time away doing something fun!

Today was my first parent/teacher phone conference with my daughter’s homeroom teacher. As she is attending a virtual school, we have never met the teachers. I have known for at least a week about the phone conference today, so I was ready for it. Or so I thought. The questions were fine, mostly she was just getting to know my daughter and her preferences and learning style. However, my phone started beeping at me during the conversation, letting me know it was about to die. I told the teacher that it was about to die and was about to plug it in to the charger when it did die! Right in the middle of the interview! I was very embarrassed! What a bad first impression. When we did reconnect, after a couple of tries, I did apologize and she was gracious about it. Still, I was very embarrassed!

My daughter got her rough draft back from her fist assignment. She did really well! She got the 15/15 points with some good comments from her teacher: “Beautifully done! Great story! It was a joy to read.” She was very happy about that! The only editing comment the teacher made was to say that my daughter should have written “my brother and me” instead of “me and my brother”. My daughter knew that and wished she had not made a “stupid mistake”! I told her that after all, it is a rough draft!

My daughter submitted her first written rough draft to her online school today. It was rather stressful for her as the rough draft had to be typed, have things in proper order, voice, and person. It also had to have proper spellings throughout the piece. It was a very polished rough draft she sent in!

My daughter will be starting a new venture this school year. I have signed her up for an online school. She will have most courses online (obviously) as well as have some text books and work books. This is all provided tuition free and we will even be given a computer (for school use only) along with a subsidy for internet access. This is because the school is part of the public school system. It serves students in grades 3-8. We will have to show work done every day and my daughter will also have to take the state tests. She will have teachers and I will just be a facilitator. We’ll see how it goes. If it goes well, I would prefer her to continue this route (another online school offers high school) than have her attend a brick and mortar public school next year. It should be interesting and will definitely bring some changes with it this year.

Folks around here are getting ready for their kids to go back to school. Many private schools start next week with public schools starting the following week. As for me, I have not even started getting things ready for my daughter! My son has been unhappy with his school this past year. He was trying to get a transfer, which was denied. We looked at a private school, but at the price, we could send him to college. Of course I wish he would come back to being homeschooled, in a different manner of course. I have found some really good online school options. I am looking at one of those for my daughter as well. An acquaintance asked me yesterday when I will start school with my daughter. I told her since I am trying to get things situated with my son, I am holding off a bit, but by the end of September for sure!

My cousin has been homeschooling her middle school aged son. He enjoys his freedom, but has also been known to put tasks off. The other day, he found out that he could even pursue post high school education using online degree programs. When he brought this up to his mom, she talked with him about the habits he is establishing now and how that would affect someone pursuing an online college degree.

I came across a very helpful and informative website for folks who are truly interested in continuing their education online. It is full of information, articles and links which would be a great springboard for those just starting to research the possibility of getting an online degree or certification.

The site starts with basics, even giving a glossary of terms used when discussing online educational options. There are articles explaining accreditation, choosing a school, degree differences and for-profit vs. non-profit schools. These articles have some good basic information to get the prospective student ready for what they may find in online education planning. There are also many helpful links. Students can access online college sites as well as learn how to finance their online education. Learning about loans, scholarships and grants will prove helpful to any prospective student.

The trend toward pursuing degrees online seems to be growing. It no longer attracts only the older, strongly motivated adult student. The movement is showing more and more younger undergrads gravitating to the opportunity of online degree programs.

I did not know that Debutante Balls were still given for young girls coming of age. But we recently learned that a friend of my son’s is joining with several other girls this summer for just such a party for their “Sweet Sixteen” birthdays. My son was asked to escort his friend to this grand occasion.

This is a very formal affair, one which takes a lot of preparation and commitment on the girls’ parts. Of course, this being “After Six“, the escorts have to wear a tuxedo. The girls are required to wear a formal white gown. But before all this gala can even take place, the students have to commit to several nights of etiquette classes and rehearsals. The girls involved have to write an essay and follow several rules of conduct before being permitted to take place in the ball. They will also be expected to gain a sponsor and write the appropriate Thank You Notes.

I hope all goes well for my son’s friend and that he will be able to be her escort (he will be out of town during the last rehearsal, so we are not sure they will allow him to escort for the occasion.) His friend’s mother said that if he did attend all the classes and such, she would even rent his tux for him!