Happy Easter!

Subbing in the Kindergarten Class

I sometimes sub at one of the Christian schools in my area. It's fun to teach for a while and it's nice to go home after and enjoy the quiet. This year all of my subbing (all 2.5 days) has been with the kindergarten class. There are around 19 of them (maybe 20, but they've never all be there) and they're all pretty good kids on the whole. There is the occasional dispute over toys, but those are easily handled. There are sometimes tears for whatever reason 5-year-olds get emotional (partly because change is hard), but they are also easily dealt with. The kids are also very sweet and I got a lot of hugs on Friday!

These kids are also pretty smart. They told me all the letter sounds, including short and long vowels, and were able to read words and simple sentences. They are also learning how to tell when a vowel makes a long or short sound. They know their numbers and can count to 60, and backwards from 10. 

What they did not know was where food comes from. We were talking about where their snacks came from. They're city kids, so for them, food comes from the store. It took an extra question: "Where was it before it got to the store?" for them to remember that apples and oranges come from trees and cheese and yogurt come from milk which comes from cows. (There was the suggestion that cheese also comes from trees, but he may have been joking.) Bread was a bit more complicated, but we managed "bread is made from flour, flour comes from wheat, and wheat comes from the ground." And yet they had not problem with "Carrots come from in the ground".

It was a crazy, busy, noisy, tiring day, but I quite enjoyed it. I don't think I'd do it for a living, though. I would do much better with older students on a regular basis.

First Lines: Picture Book Edition

 Because picture books deserve some love as well, here are the first lines of the books I have been reading the littles lately:

Hodges' Cafe was busy as usual last Friday night.

Mrs. Rogers was all in a dither.

When Joseph was a baby, his grandfather made him a wonderful blanket to keep him warm and cozy and to chase away bad dreams.

In the town of Aldo, Ohio, there lived a boy named Lentil.

In the walled Old City of Jerusalem, which some call the Center of the Universe, Avi waited.

Ivan was a happy boy.

Frank wanted to fly.

A Bad Simile

 I have recently finished The Staff and the Sword trilogy by Patrick W. Carr. I definitely recommend it if you want some Medieval-style fantasy from basically a Christian viewpoint.

There was just one bit that I'm not sure about. After they had a scare, he wrote a line something along the lines of "her heart was still skipping like a calf."

All I could think was "You might need to see a doctor about that."

Which only goes to show that you can have a good writer and a good story and still manage to get a bad simile past the editors.

First Lines

 From books I am reading or have recently read:

Sometimes I teach old books to young people, and recently I was teaching the Epistles of the Roman poet Horace to a group of undergraduates.

Deep within, Adora continued to harbor the possibility that her uncle, King Rodran, might still live, but the pallid faces of those on the ship, especially Errol's. refuted all hope.

The Percys lived in a large, old-fashioned stone house in New England.

The parcel came while the family were having breakfast.

As a veteran homeschooler and author, I field many questions about the lost educational and social opportunities homeschoolers face by not attending school, especially "How will my children get into college or find work without a proper school transcript?" and "How will my children socialize if they're not in school?"

Patrick Murphy hurried through the dark streets of Belfast.

In my fifteen years, I have stuck my arm in a vat of slithering eels, climbed all the major hills of San Francisco, and tiptoed over the graves of a hundred souls.

Redeeming Productivity

A bit of a review of Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose

I really enjoyed this book. The chapters switch between the "why" and the "how" of being productive; so many books have only focused on one or the other and I was happy to find both. I found the "why" chapters to be clear and demonstrating, through Scripture, a proper motive for our actions (e.g., to glorify God, to use the gifts He has given us, and to bear fruit). The "how" sections were very practical and had ideas that I could implement without too much trouble (e.g., establishing a morning routine, getting organized, and sorting out tasks and projects). It wasn't so much "you're doing everything wrong" as it was "this is how you can do better". 

I read the book slowly, taking time to consider the "why" parts and then to implement at least some of his ideas after the "how" parts (adjusting things to fit my life and preferences) before moving on to the next pair of chapters. By the end, I found that I was more organized and productive and that, since I had the proper motivation, it was easier to keep on track. The author also encourages regular reflection (weekly and yearly) to see how things are going, make adjustments, or get back on track. He doesn't expect (or promise) perfection, but improvement.

I read Redeeming Productivity several month ago and have found that, for the most part, I am getting more done for the glory of God, as the subtitle suggests. It wasn't a "good intentions that fail in the second month" thing, but a gradual movement towards using my time wisely. I enjoy the morning routine (although mine doesn't quite match his) and the end-of-week tidy and planning time. Not only my workspace but also much of my apartment is more organized, which just feels good. Planning my days, especially during my slower times of the year, has helped me get more done, although there will be more to work on in that area over the summer.

I definitely recommend Redeeming Productivity for anyone who wants advice on how to be organized and productive in a way that brings glory to God rather than self.