More Tears, More Reasons

               This morning Ally decided that she would sit in Grandpa’s chair – even though theoretically it is the best choice for him as it is close to the stove.  He should have not given into her – but wanted to make peace apparently.  He had already confided in me that he thought she was spoiled.  I don’t know how much of that is giving in to her and how much is giving in to the Kabuki syndrome or whatever other illnesses arise.

         He asked her how many eggs she wanted.  She claimed two which he said he would do just one at a time for her.  But he gave her both – none of which she ate.  She did try her sausage but said it was spicy – which I agree.  I am not fond of that sausage.  Clair usually sits next to her to monitor her feeding but as Ally was sitting in Grandpa’s chair and Grandpa was sitting in Clair’s, Ally and Clair were not sitting together. 

        Ally claimed to have had pancakes but no one saw her eat them and there was no evidence that she had.  She appears that she overeats which is actually not the case. She dismissed herself after trying to feed the dogs which I said were not allowed in the kitchen while we ate.  Bonnie is such a loud whiner.  I don’t think I have ever heard any noises (barking included) coming out of Char.

        Ally went to her room to get her electronics.  It is still my house and they need to adjust to our rules and not the other way around.  I told her no electronics at the table.  She said she was going back to her room. Grandpa insisted that she stay at the table until we have each finished.  I can’t control her whining.  I’d just assume she was in a different room than being bratty at the table.  But she’s not mine to discipline.

        Clair said that she would not turn on Ally’s electronic device until Ally was dressed at which point Ally threw a fit.  If that had behavior had been Jaime – I would not be turning on the electronic device at all.  Jaime didn’t even have a cell phone until she was sixteen.  Hadn’t wanted one.  She prefers human interaction to electronics.  Ally doesn’t know how to interact – at least not that I can tell. 

        I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it, cleaned out the container cubby, and cried.  The second counselor in the RS presidency offered me a place to go if I need a few hours of solace.  I may take her up on that – but not today.  Clair and Ally are suppose to be going out of town today.  Perhaps all three of them.  Going back to Utah to keep an appointment they made six months ago.

        Clair’s been through a lot.  She lost her mother right before her birthday.  She has health issues.  She has more reasons to be upset with our living conditions than I do.  And yet she always appears calm and tends to be the peace maker among the rest of us.  I still cry though.  I don’t want them to be here another ten years like they were with Biff’s former mother-in-law.  Richard says three months.  Now he’s saying two years.  Two years?  Really?  We can’t have them out for summer so that Jaime has a room to return to?

100 plus days

                I believe it was Thursday when the kindergarten celebrated the 100^th day of school.  They had used 100 beans to fill in the number 100 on a paper and glued their beans in place.  I wasn’t there for that part.  I saw their papers set aside to dry.

            It had rained on Sunday.  I’m assuming that the rain chased the fog away as there was none impairing my vision during yesterday’s drive.  It was cold and the sun remained hidden and so was not blinded as I approached any off the exits. 

            First class: 7^th grade math.  17 students who for the most part are respectful to the instructor and pay attention to what she is doing on the board – except for two who constantly visit.  I can’t stand between them as there are two students behind the talkers.  If I stand between them, I will block the view of the other two youth.  I stand to the side.

            Next class: 8^th grade math.  12 students.  Pre Algebra.  XY slope.  Yuck. I mostly just sit in the back of the class.

            Prep Class: teaching respect and humane concepts in addition to academics.  Last month they learned math. This month is writing. 

            After that is homeroom for 15 -20 minutes.  I just don’t get the Canyonville schedule.  What is the purpose of homeroom?  To get caught up on missing assignments.  Most of the students seem to be under the impression that it’s a time to socialize.

            Student lunch.  I have usually preferred monitoring the middle schoolers as opposed to the younger children.  Middle schoolers don’t say, “That kid pushed me/called me a name”.  But I noticed behavioral attitudes with several after the 100 days.  Coincidence?

            “No balls in the playground area.  It isn’t safe.”  “Don’t play tag near the playground equipment.  It you’re going to play tag, take it out into the grassy area.”  Do they listen?  No, they are middle schoolers and the rules don’t apply to them.

            Their lunch and recess are finally over and I get to take my lunch.

            Kindergarten:   Usually I have helped with assignments involving the letter of the day.  Yesterday was math.  New numbers introduced: 16 and 17.  Though they have been counting to the current days-in-school each day.  They have counted from 1 -100 by ones, by fives and by tens.

            2^nd grade reading: the room is so loud I can’t even hear my own group.  I wasn’t having issues with them but the teacher was.  She had reprimanded several of the students several times.  I thought my group was doing okay – except maybe one who wasn’t following directions.  She couldn’t seem to hear me.  It was loud.  I couldn’t even hear myself.

            15 minutes of recess and I’m done.  I will follow that same routine today.  But Thursday and Friday will have me at a different schedule.  I won’t be working with the middle schoolers.  I might only have to do lunch recess.  I’m not sure. 

Math and English

          I saw this sign in a math class at school yesterday. 

It made me laugh.  I have observed many students now and find that people in general are either math people or English people.  There are some who excel in both.  And there are those who don’t get either.

          Jenna prefers math.  Although there may be different ways of getting the same answer – the answer is consistent.  It won’t ever change.  There is only correct answer.  No exceptions.  English, on the other hand, is full of exceptions.  It’s a wonder that anyone is able to learn it at all!  I would think learning it as a second language would be even more challenging than it is as a first language – but I can’t say for certain as it is my native language – but still confusing at that.

         Math NEVER ends.  Some of us are taught to count before kindergarten.  We are taught that numbers start with 1.  Somewhere along the way we are taught that "1" is really not the starting number, nor is 0 as there are all the negative numbers that take place before 0 comes along.  And then there are a whole slew of fractions and decimals that take place between each number causing numbers to have no beginning and no end.  Nothing about numbers is final - except for the answer to every problem - well, except for complicated algebra that may have no definite answer except for C-2x=xyb.  What kind of answer is that?  Why are we using letters in math anyway?

          I don’t think there are any “solid” rules in English.  There are ALWAYS exceptions. “i” before “e” except after C.  And yet we have words like forfeit, weird, and science that destroy that theory.  Or how about G takes on a different sound when followed by a, o, and u as opposed to e, and i which would make the “g” take on the “j” sound such as “giraffe” and “gem” but uh-oh.  What about  “girl” and “geyser’?  And what is up with Y sometimes passing itself off as a vowel and a consonant? 

          I don’t have a problem with the basics of math.  It gives me a headache when we have to start finding the value of X and Y and the chart that points up and down and to either side and how y dominates these two areas while x I part of something else.  Huh?  And triangles will always add up to 180 – a term that perhaps I had learned in my youth but did not store it in my memory and so had never even thought much about it until yesterday when the instructor explained it to the class and I re-explained to a couple of students who weren’t either paying attention or just didn’t care – sort of like me.  I mean, really, what relevance does that triangle value have in my life?

Oh, and let’s not forget all the vocabulary words that are needed for math.  Words like integers, diameter, circumference . . . why is it that English is needed for math, but one doesn’t have to be familiar with shapes or numbers in order to  learn English?  Even with all the silly rules and exceptions, I prefer English to math. 

150 Words More To Go

The topic for this mod's final assessment is

to write 1000 to 1250 words on the topic:

major disclosure and conceptual objectives of 

consolidated financial statements. 

How in the world does is an instructor able

to get through 15 - 30 assessments. 

The topic alone - let alone an entire paper

- is enough to put me to sleep. 

I know that there are instructors who might

not even read the paper, just

scan through it, make certain that

everything meets APA standards -

does not seem to matter what the

contents are.  I hate that!  What

difference does my APA paper make if

I don't understand the material I'm

supposed to write about?!

My current instructor doesn't seem

like a stickler about keeping the

paper in third person and boring.  Thus I

am keeping it in first person - unless he

says otherwise.  The lecture is at 10:30.  Hopefully

there will be enough insight that I

will be able to come up with at least

100 more words.