Christmas Rants, Ramblings and Pesky Pets

Another distressing dinner conversation:

Our boy: "I was chased all during recess."
Me: "Were the girls chasing you again? Whatever you do, do not let a single one catch you."
My husband: "Which girl chased you?"
Boy: "Girls, Dad, as in plural tense."

Our son doesn't mind nearly as much as I wish he did when girls catch him and throw him in "jail" during recess.

Christmas parties and concerts are filling up the school schedule this week, which is ironic considering it's "Dead Week" for high school students.  My tutoring schedule has been filled to overflowing as students prepare for semester exams.  I even left my higher paying job early today, so I could earn half as much tutoring since these students have my heart, and so much is riding on their exam scores.  If only students realized how much teachers and tutors feel their pain and care as much or more than they do.  In between tutoring appointments, I got to watch my daughter perform in a skit featuring her as "the dragon" in which she delivered a series of long, amusing, and dramatic monologues. I also watched the third graders sing classical worship songs, quote chapters from the book of Luke, and deliver a Christmas concert on their recorders.

3rd grade Christmas Concert (Our son is a third of the way from the right)

Our facilities director also serves as our upper grammar, middle school and high school band director, and our third grade recorder instructor. He has very patient and tolerant ears, a remarkable gift as a teacher and musician, and a wonderful sense of humor.  Mr. Minor (appropriate name for a music teacher and jazz/blues performer, eh?) is such a blessing to our school.

Political Rant

It's been a long time since I've posted anything political that offends and unfriends, so I thought some mud slinging was overdue, especially now that each party is finishing up its series of televised debates.

So, polls suggest that we'll get to choose between a socialist nitwit who wants to shrink America into a state of total poverty and depravity and a self-serving, arrogant, temper-tantrum throwing, spoiled, angry, insensitive, rude, inconsistent (he says what people want to hear while giving his money and votes to the opponent...he even voted for Obama in 2008) jerk at the presidential elections next year. (Sadly, both candidates would consider my assessments to be true and favorable.) Whatever the outcome, we'll no longer be able to sing, "I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free". One will rob us of any self-respect and national pride, while the other promises to take away our freedom and the hope of freedom for the rest of the world. Now that that rant is over, I'm thinking politics are much too depressing for my wall. It's back to kids, kitty cats, and bunnies for me.

A distant relative noted, "The lack of moral character on all sides of this election is frightening. We once again have a choice between evils. Americans need to wake up from their slumber. Lord gives us eyes to see and hearts to care! Let us do what is right in the eyes of the Lord."

Yet, there really are some very decent candidates, so I just cannot believe that people are really going to vote for Trump. Knowing how polls are often biased to steer voters toward the perceived (though false) herd, I can't help but wonder if Trump isn't buying those polling results to steer people away from other candidates with more character. None are perfect, but any (except Hillary) would be better than these two leading the polls right now.

In a nation crying for anything but more Obama, I find it ironic that of the top two candidates, Bernie espouses all the same rhetoric and socialistic polices that Obama has been pushing, while Trump uses the same political strategy and carries himself in the same arrogant, self-serving way as Obama.  Obama may be an apologetic sissy in foreign policy while Trump carries a big stick and acts like a bully, both are inwardly empty of heart or soul, yearning for what only Christ can give while trying to fill that void with all the stuff this world offers, completely motivated by self absorption, lacking any genuine empathy for anyone that cannot serve their own selfish motives. Both are spoiled rich kids who simply cannot (and would not if they could) relate to 99.9999999% of American voters.  Both are hypocrites, saying one thing and doing another, although whereas Obama said one thing and did something else, his actions have always shown him to be a radical liberal whose hatred for America and American ideals runs deep, despite what he may say.  Both go to great lengths to be perceived as anything BUT a gentleman or a statesman.  I hope and pray we are not facing another four years of utter depravity, deceit, wickedness, and concerted efforts to destroy America's dignity and hope, but the current outlook is grim indeed.  My hope is not in government leaders, however.  My hope is in the coming King!

Christmas Craziness
 
And while I'm on a negative roll here, may I admit that I do no like this time of year AT ALL?   I loathe buying gifts and the stress of this season.  I hate the pace and the effect it has on my spirit.  I just want to worship my God in spirit and in truth, with stillness and peace.  Why should I spend my Decembers reeling in absolute exhaustion, adrenals depleted, sleep illusive, always dragging, never getting it all done, never finding time for people or even exercise both of which I need desperately to recharge my emotional and physical batteries.  Just as I long for the old days in politics and  prefer pre-1940s classical education, I long for the simpler days when Christmas was more about eternal things instead of material.  As much as I try to make Christmas what I think it should be, I can't convince family members to give up gift exchanging, stockings, decorations, traveling...oh the traveling ...40 hours in the car with our two kids this year just to see one side of the family, and we have THREE SIDES who want us to visit!  Oh and the guilt....for not taking the kids to see this show or that Christmas light display...for not hosting enough parties, or bringing cookies to every classroom or kid party...for feeling overwhelmed by commitments to loved ones when I should be grateful to have people who want us to to be with them, knowing full well that so many don't and must spend this season alone and depressed. I certainly don't want that scenario either. I just want it all to slow down and enough time to savor the moments instead.  Maybe when I'm old and alone and in a rest home, I'll wish for more activity, but right now, I just want some sleep.

So to simplify my life, I've taken to shopping on-line for Christmas gifts. It sure beats dragging kids all over the malls...where it takes at least 45 minutes just to find a parking place..and then someone throws trash all over your van because you parked too close to the line ONLY BECAUSE the car next to you when you arrived (which is no longer there when the angry, exhausted trash thrower arrives) was parked clear across the line, and it was the only space left, so you spent 5 minutes trying to squeeze in and make it work.  

I'm usually really good about getting all my gifts ordered by Thanksgiving so they'll get here in time, but that wasn't early enough this year. Since our Christmas celebrations started last weekend to fit them all in and still have time to make the 40 hour road trip and since shipping is delayed for whatever reason (or comes from China now when you thought you were buying something made in America), some of my gifts simply will not arrive in time to take with us to the family gatherings.  If only those family members could start singing, "All I want for Christmas is an IOU!"  That's what they'll get...because I know the long drive getting there isn't enough for those whose love language is gifts.  Gee..I needed this vent session.  I hope a good night's rest will improve my attitude.  I do love Easter, though (no gifts...and since the grandparents do Easter baskets, I never bother), since it represents new life for the believer because of Christ's resurrection, and it involves no shopping, unless I throw a party which I sometimes do because I'm not so stressed out over buying gifts for what feels like 624 people.  I'd much rather write each loved one a poem or invite them all over for simple fellowship and Bible study.  That sounds very hypocritical I know, but love languages are different for everyone and I really stink at giving the right gift.

Advent
Okay so here's something more positive and lighthearted.  I do enjoy our Advent reading tradition each year.  We use the advent lighthouse we received as a gift many years ago.  Inside each drawer or door, I place a Bible verse and a small gift item (coins or candy, usually).  Of course, as you might expect in my current emotional state, I totally forgot to put the gifts inside the lighthouse this year.  It wasn't until we opened the drawer for the first day and the kids noticed the drawer was empty that I realized I had forgotten.  I usually fill up the lighthouse when I decorate, but since I was at the radiology center with my son all day and at the chiropractor for his whiplash and my back before that, our daughter put out most of the decorations this year, so I forgot without my customary schedule in place.

At least I remembered to pick up a new Advent reading study this year at the church library.  As before, the readings take us from Genesis to the fulfillment of God's curse on Satan the garden through Christ.

Genesis 3:15

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Those advent readings are a special time for our family, and as we prepare to travel to Israel, the kids seem more interested as they making more connections and insights and ask more thoughtful questions.  I had always expected our family to have nightly Bible readings together but sadly, Advent season is the only time we are consistent with it as a family, though the kids are doing quiet times on their own in the mornings and Bible study with their dad at bedtime most days. There are so many things I wish I could improve about our family schedule...but there is never enough Bible study and prayer time in my opinion.  I don't want to be one of those parents who outsources much of that Biblical training to the school or the church, for we are primarily responsible for their training and spiritual nurture, though I am grateful to have found a like-minded church family (It is so rare these days to find Bible believing and whole Bible teaching churches now that false prosperity gospel teaching or politically correct though completely FALSE teaching has become so pervasive in churches) and a school that teaches Biblical precepts.

A few nights ago, our bunny joined us for the advent reading and prayer time.  The words must have lulled her into a trance, because she leaned back in my lap with her eyes closed and her paws together as if she was praying with us. She was so cute. 

 

Orwell tried to look like he was praying, too, but he's the biggest hypocrite of us all.  I still don't like that cat and am furious over all the damage he has done to our house that I spent five years waiting to build (keeping our house on MLS all that time) and two years decorating and furnishing only to have that monster tear it all up.

Speaking of Orwell, the kids say Orwell doesn't like me because he understands what I say about him (I much prefer dogs to cats). Then when I threatened to get him declawed, he climbed up in his tree and glared at me as shown here.  My husband will sent the cat to Oklahoma to live with his mom before he'll let me touch his claws.

At least Muffin puts up with me and lets me hold her and pet her for a long time while seeming to enjoy my company.  However, she tends to shed....a LOT!

STEM GEMS Mega Update

Our STEM GEMS stayed really busy and had great fun over the past month. We took our first field trip to a nearby university where we saw projects similar to some we've been studying (hovercrafts, rockets, buoyancy, etc.) and where we supported school alumni (and a former student of mine) who were competing in the Freshman Engineering Design Day.  That was the day my son got whiplash, so we missed much of it.  Sobs...

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Our STEM GEMS classes walked as a group in a local Christmas parade behind our school's float.

School nativity float with STEM GEM kids in lab coats

I was AMAZED by how many people came out for the parade.  This town has a beautiful, bustling downtown with risers set up all along the streets for the evening parade.

I do not mind speaking in front of large groups, but I cannot stand venues in which people just stare at me without communicating with me in a meaningful way.  I still get the willies when I remember the time Belk's management made me walk in a fashion show as a teenager. I was mortified.  I also do not like the cold or crowds.  I have never intentionally gone to a parade except when I had to participate as a member of the marching band.  So, yes, I am a holiday party-pooper when it comes to parades, but when a parent suggested that we walk as a group in the parade and the kids expressed excitement over the idea, I agreed.  Then I beat my head against the wall crying "What was I thinking?"

I knew I could not possibly make a decent sign or banner, so I begged another parent to do that.  I bought lab coats (which were about 12 sizes too big) and safety goggles to set us apart as part of the STEM club, stuffed my pockets with hand warmers for the students (apropos after studying sodium acetate and supercooled liquids earlier in the semester), hats, and gloves, and tried to make the most of it.

Some families actually enjoy parades and all walked together with us.

A STEM GEMS Family

 Giving instructions to my little STEM nerd while waiting for the parade to begin

Thankfully, a parent made a banner for us since I am so artistically impaired.  She accidentally misspelled "Mathematics" however, so I worried over how to fix it without ruining the gorgeous artwork.  My husband told me not to draw attention to the mistake and to hope no one notices, but our PR staffer insisted we fix it before we march.  So, with limited tools on hand, we tore up a lab coat I had brought for the STEM kids to wear and tried to zip tie the fabric over the misspelled portion of the word, truncating it to just "Math".  The zip ties did not work, but we eventually found a staple gun in the truck.  It looked ridiculous, but at least people did not think we could not spell!  The sign is still so nice, I plan to paint over all the words and repaint them for later use.

Our daughter wanted so much to participate (though she isn't in the STEM program), so she marched with the school float while donning some of the safety goggles I brought for my students.  Her friends wanted safety goggles too.  So funny!

The parade took forever, and the logistics of getting students back to their families with half the roads blocked off in a town I had never explored before was not fun, but the kids thought it was so awesome to be in a parade and see so many people they knew waving at them from the crowds.  And at least now the town knows that our classical school is serious about STEM education...well at least the board, parents, and a few teachers are.  So I continue to pester, nag, debate, defend, push, and  persist, all while loving the students God brings me lavishly, surrounded by unexpected and exceedingly appreciated support from grateful parents.

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As outside activities picked up speed, classroom entertainment and enthusiasm also accelerated.  Pictures taken by my son during class suggest that I continue to prefer teaching with my hands and with various multi-sensory aids.  I was amused to see how excited I get when explaining math, science, Biblical precepts, apologetics, technology and engineering to these students. I still cannot believe I agreed to do this teaching gig in the first place, but by golly, I think I like it!

Describing the  rich mineral deposits found at the bottom of the sea, just as God told us 3500 years earlier in the book of Job.

Discovering how pressure & temperature differentials cause underwater volcanoes to erupt

You know they are getting into the instruction as well when they mimic my hand motions.

I tried throwing in more corny jokes and puns as I did last year with my stats seniors, but whenever I make these younger students laugh, it's hard to reel them back in to being fully focused on the instruction.  They make me laugh, too. Never too classy for corny science jokes, I asked my students, "What did the volcano say to his wife?"  The answer is supposed to be "I lava you very much", but in every single class the students have given me the same response, "Hey babe, you're hot!"

When explaining how white smokers produce & emit methane gas (in a STEM class where the goal is to get students to apply what they have learned to other real world topics), I wished I had prepared myself to answer the question, "How does the human body produce and emit methane gas (flatulence)?" in a way that doesn't make the little boys snicker.

Black smoker demonstration

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The oceanography and water pressure units I wrote were lots of fun, and given that I made up almost all of the demonstrations myself, I didn't have to worry about the kids saying, "We've already seen that on YouTube." YouTube is such a buzz killer.

Dysphotic zone demonstration:  She's wondering if she should trust me with all that water.

Learning how to minimize pressure differentials when diving deep and why it works

Solar salt water distillation

Verifying that water pressure increases with depth

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After months of planning, building, enhancing, revising, rewriting, and refining, our STEM class finally started the unit on air pressure which I would conclude with the human hovercraft project.

Comparing air pressure & water weight

Proving that air does not suck

Proving that air exerts equal pressure in all directions and that I have no control over my class (kids on chairs - what?)

In case you were wondering why I had one pink shoe on the table, we used it to compare pressure differences when the weight is dispersed across different areas.

I wanted to introduce the students to the engineering design process, so the students first had to construct hovercraft prototypes. We had competitions for speed, distance, and aesthetics.  The prototype work helped them discover the key strengths and weaknesses of their designs and to troubleshoot problems.  I also hoped to get them thinking about how they could modify the prototype to carry up to 400 pounds (vs. the 0.8 oz prototype system).

Prototype design and build

Enhancing aesthetic appeal

My boy refuels his vehicle

 Let the races begin!

Racing for speed

Distance Races

Passionate competitors

 

Very close distance race finishers

After troubleshooting the prototypes and figuring out what makes them move in different ways, the students were challenged to consider the hovercraft constraints and to brainstorm ideas for modifying the hovercraft to carry people.  

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Then the following week, we finished up our unit on air pressure and I showed the students how we addressed those problems and constraints with the hovercraft prototypes (air runs out quickly, air pressure is not enough to hold much weight, balloon keeps slipping off or tipping over, etc.) while using the same design concept to build a human hovercraft that could carry up to 400 pounds (though we only tested it with 300 added pounds not counting the weight of the hovercraft).  The kids were fascinated as they made connections and grasped air pressure principles and engineering design techniques while using them in such a fun hands-on way. 

Several parents posted great videos and pictures on social media while expressing gratitude for the impact STEM GEMS is having, but I reminded them that behind every great project in STEM GEMS has been my dedicated, loving, supportive, brilliant husband and his power tools!  I could not do this program without him, but I am so grateful for the response it is receiving and for the way the school is embracing and owning it.  I wrote a blog series defining STEM as more than the four subjects it represents but as a teaching methodology that is entirely consistent with the classical model and especially beneficial for an education founded upon a Biblical worldview.  Now the administration wants to own the program (which means I will be working for them instead of for myself & the parents) and market it as its own.  They recently even had me right a blog post about it for the school's website, but now I'm struggling to find more teachers to teach more classes, as I cannot do it all myself, especially now that my consulting business is taking up more of my time.  Thankfully, my son's second grade teacher has agreed to assist me next semester.  She is far more capable than I am with a long career of teaching professionally at this school and before that.  She is especially good at classroom management while keeping learning fun.  We have so much fun in this class that classroom management is a struggle for me, so I'm so grateful to have her help.

Not only did this mom bravely serve as our demo girl, but she also provided extra hovercraft propulsion with those strong legs of hers. Obviously, she's one of the CCS Mighty Moms and is one of the most faithful in attendance. [ I'm still teaching the "Mighty Mom's Movement and Muscle Class" and loving it. It's my way of giving back to the school without charging for my time and making new friends in the process.]

Instead of using leaf blowers or fire extinguishers for propulsion, I let the the kids propel each other!

 

Younger sibling and future STEM GEM

 

Just when I thought my running days were completely over!...

 

Our boy (he's the one running next to the craft) pushed and chased a lot of kids and helped me tote that craft all over the place, but he never got to take a ride since he waited until everyone had ridden at least once to take his turn. By then, both batteries had run out of juice. He didn't complain, though, so now we're considering some automatic propulsion enhancements just for him, so if we ever gain access to another flat, smooth place as ideal as this one (our entire neighborhood and driveway are nothing but hills), he can finally ride the hovercraft his daddy built for his STEM class, and propel it himself. 

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In STEM class during "hovercraft week", we examined Isaiah 31:5 and Genesis 1:2 and considered how God hovers all around us, always right there with us, yet we cannot see Him because He is over us, protecting us, sustaining us, nourishing us. Like a mother carrying her growing baby in the darkness of her womb, God carries us, loving us, aware of our every movement. Like that unborn child in the mother's womb, we cannot see Him, nor are we aware of all the work being done outside of us to protect us, but after we are truly born (or reborn) we can see Him, know Him fully, and better understand.

Over the past few days, our family has experienced in an overwhelming and tangible way God's divine protection. That inner nudging to see a doctor for what was surely just a virus was the Holy Spirit's voice. The willingness of the medical clinic to call in people after hours to read labs was God's army obeying orders from their commander. The one stranger remaining in the waiting area as the office was closing who offered to pray for and with my beloved family member (aloud at that moment without hesitation) was God's angel sent to encourage and build faith in the power of prayer during a time of unexpected need. The over cautious decision by the doctor to order a CAT scan after calling in antibiotics for what was probably "just a virus turned into an infection" was the angel's trumpet sounding the alarm. The timing of emergency surgery performed only a few hours before an imminent rupture that would have taken his life was God's declaration that He is sovereign, ever hovering, ever protecting, working all things out according to His perfect plan and perfect timing. It wasn't God's time for him to enter the gates of heaven yet. God will move heaven and earth to bring about his perfect plans and purposes. Sometimes His plans are not what we want at the time and sometimes suffering and death must take place to fulfill a greater purpose we cannot see, but we can trust that He is still there, hovering, loving, doing what is best for His kingdom and His glory. And we can know with confidence that death is never the end.

When someone we love so much (my dear daddy in this case) comes that close to sudden death, it makes us think about how ready we are for our last day. Have we told others we love them? Even better, have we shown them we love them? Have we given them the greatest gift ever given to man, the hope, joy, and everlasting promises found in the gospel of Christ? We are not promised tomorrow, but we are promised salvation through Christ and His eternal presence for those who know Him. If you don't know Him, I'd love to introduce you.

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Not only did my husband build the human hovercraft for my STEM students, but he also agreed to be our guest speaker during the last week of the semester, and the mere research for that presentation likely put him on the NSA watch list, and the animations will surely put mine to shame. Clearly, love for these students is contagious, and he's been afflicted by the same unexpected virus as I have.

He taught the students some very interesting history behind computers dating back to 200 BC, key components, and how computers think, operate and are programmed. The students learned to convert numeric numbers into binary language and performed various computations.  The students finished the class by creating a very basic (in Basic language no less) old school computer program which they compiled and ran.

 

 

 

 

Since my husband was our STEM guest speaker this week, I took some of the extra planning time to bake cupcakes for my students. Knowing me too well already, the first student asked, "Are they edible?"  Never trust a science teacher who cooked up chemistry concoctions all semester to give edible baked goods.