Curriculum or Learning

This year has been a tough year. New house, new town, new friends, new church, new vehicle, and new challenges had all taken their toll on our routine. Sitting at my desk, going over papers and tests, I was frustrated. What had my kids really accomplished this year?! I was trying to do an honest assessment so that I would have a starting point for planning the curriculum that I would use next year. I’m sure you’ve been there. It’s that time of year.

Our West Texas Wildlife project had fizzled and died after my computer crashed and we lost all of the pictures we’d taken. We’d only gotten half way through our Astronomy because we needed more work in Math. The Rosetta Stone Spanish got abandoned in January when my computer crashed again! The kids have been told that they will be doing Math through the Summer in order to get back on track.

The more I worked the more discouraged I became. What had happened?! Why couldn’t I follow through?! I had visions of them being 21 before graduating high school.

I came up for air to look around for the suspiciously quiet ladies and gentlemen in question. Adrian was on his computer working on yet another logo in Adobe Photoshop to go with his skateboarding video he was working on in Windows Movie Maker. Terence was out cleaning out his car that he’d bought and fixed up with the local mechanic. Deanna was at the sewing machine making a purse for her sister out of an old pair of jeans, decorating it with scraps of fabric she’d found in my stash. Mikayla was in the art center up to her eyeballs in acrylics, painting a beautiful picture of summer fantasy flowers. Leilani was at the stove in the kitchen making herself a scrambled egg burrito and salad.

Gradually, I began to relax. So, we didn’t get through all of the curriculum I had planned. Life had happened! Opportunities had arisen that we had seized as they came across our path. The children had gravitated toward learning those things which were important to them, which is good. Besides, we did complete their 2nd year of Latin all the way through with straight As and the kids had all made new friends.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we won’t do Math through the summer, but it does mean that I’ll quit stressing over the curriculum that we didn’t get to this year. There will be time for Astronomy and Spanish next year.

I remembered the baby birds that the kids had been keeping an eye on in the beams of our carport and the horny toad that the boys caught so that the girls could examine him. We’d taken field trips to the Guadalupe Mountains, the Davis Mountains, Balmorea and Las Cruces. Just because we hadn’t finished our photography journal, didn’t mean that we hadn’t learned anything -- it just meant that we didn’t get all of the paper work done.

When the opportunity arose for the girls to do a play with some other home schoolers in Alpine, we took it and they learned the 8 parts of speech in a totally new way. When Terence got the opportunity to work with a mechanic and learn about his own car, he took it and learned a lot. When the boys were given the opportunity to clean out the abandoned pool in front of our house and use it as a makeshift skate park, they took and had a blast. When the girls were given the opportunity to take piano lessons, we jumped in with both feet and they all did well.

What am I stressing about?! Isn’t this what home schooling is all about? Of course, it is! We home school so that we can have flexibility and not be tied to any one curriculum or one subject just for the sake of the “points”. Learning, living, laughing, and loving each other are the real goals.

As I went back to my “assessments”, I was looking at them from a different perspective. The curriculum had been only a starting point toward our real goals and we’d done pretty well with those. There were some places for improvement -- attitudes, responsibility, follow through, showing love to one another -- but those were things that needed more practice that any curriculum could provide.

I began writing down what my children DID learn this year and by the time I’d finished I was surprised at the list. Wow!! Learning had been happening in spite of the paperwork! Yea! Success!! I now had so many ideas for next year that I had to tell myself to slow down. After all, there are only so many hours in a day.

So, as we do Math and Reading through the Summer, I’ll relax and tell my children how proud I am of them and what they have accomplished this past year. I’ll take some time to read aloud to them and plan summer trips and outings. Most of all, I’ll take the time to hug them, discover with them and play with them. That’s what it’s really all about.

Summer's End

At Summer’s end, sylvan comrades plan
Their Autumn Rainbow Ball again.
Each Maple dons her glorious gown,
And Pines, their floor of green lay down.
As Autumn noon shines cool and clear,
The height of celebration near,
And so this happy, leafy bower
Splendidly arrayed from toe to tower,
Waves red, orange, gold and green,
And dances in a yellow sheen,
To say farewell to Summer’s heat,
And lay their treasures at Winter’s feet.

Working Cowboy

Desert daze…
Lazy haze…
Rising from the heated ground.
Reddened sand…
Dusty land…
Thorns and cactus all around.

Walking slow…
Bending low…
Sweat trickles down my brow.
Searching here…
Looking there…
We have to find him now.

Broken fence…
Bushes dense…
Water’s very rare.
Stupid steer…
Cowboy career…
Right now it’s hard to care.

Squinting eyes…
Scanning skies…
Swinging up on trusty horse.
Footing sure…
Seat secure…
I let him follow his own course.

Cresting ridge…
Crossing bridge…
The river bed is dry.
Circling ‘round…
Quarry found…
The sun is not yet high.

Shaking rope…
Easy lope…
A loop around his neck.
Turning back…
Giving slack…
Avoiding any wreck.

Walking quick…
Mesquite thick…
We reach his normal place.
Mending wire…
Fingers tire…
The sun and I will race.

Another chore…
Many more…
The work is never done.
Mounting up…
Shouting “giddiup!”…
We’ll go find the other one.

Ending day…
Happy play…
Sun setting in the west.
Today flew…
Tomorrow, too…
We’ll do our very best.

Hope in the Lord

“Motherhood is very sweet…but very terrible.” Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

“I don’t care. I’ve stopped caring about you and what you want. I just don’t care anymore.” Adrian and I had gone around and around again over the last couple of months. This was just the latest in his assertions to me. Granted, my communications to him had not been perfect either, but this was a low blow.

“I haven’t asked you to care. I’ve asked you to get your school work done. The rest is between you and God.” I looked cool and unconcerned on the outside, but on the inside I was dying. My heart was being wrenched out of my chest and the tears of my inner soul were flowing hard and fast.

“I might just become an atheist!” he told me with a hard look.

“I guess that is between you and God, too.” I was determined not to let him see what I was really feeling even though I was crumpling with failure.

Over the next couple of weeks, some of these phrases would be repeated each time he was held accountable for something (ie. cleaning his room, using a mean tone of voice, not completing his assignments, neglecting his chores, or speaking disrespectfully) or pushing my buttons when I was angry. Others were added to them, like “I’m never going to be good enough for you guys,” or “I know you don’t love me and never did!” Each time, I wondered ‘God!! Where are You?! Please do something!’

At night, when my mind was quiet and I allowed it to wander, I would try to remember where I went wrong. Was there something that I had done to make his heart this hard? Where had I failed?

I remembered a time when he was about 10 years old. I was up to my neck in what seemed like a lot of work at the time and I was fed up with his constant questioning and following me from room to room insisting that I look at this or listen to that. I had snapped and shouted for him to quit following me like a little puppy! He had only wanted some affirmation. Why had I not given it? Why had I been so selfish?

I remembered times, when he was younger, coming up to me and asking to be hugged. Usually he would ask at those times when I was up to my elbows in dishes or dinner preparation or some other work and I would be impatient and sometimes refuse to hug him. He had needed those hugs! He had needed my love and my tenderness. Now, he will not accept my hugs and refuses to give any. Why had I not seen it? Why hadn’t I given him what he needed?

My heart and mind cried out, just like King David, ‘God! Why have You forgotten me?! Where are you when I need you the most?!’

Then…one morning…

We were sitting around the dining room table. I had wrestled everyone out of bed as I do each school morning. Trying to get everyone up and started on the day is like pulling teeth most of the time. No matter how early we go to bed the night before, it seems that everyone but me has a hard time getting up in the morning.

The boys were getting started on their rowdy renditions of the adventures in skateboarding that they had had the night before. Adrian in particular is very entertaining. The girls were all listening in rapt attention as the two of then related the silly quotes of their friends and the soap opera sagas of the ‘public school’ community in which these friends were involved.

I opened my Bible to Psalms and selected one at random. Just as I was about to read, Adrian reached over and closed my Bible. He was just kidding with me. He and Terence wanted to tell one last joke or something. I told him to find the Psalm again for me since he had lost my place.

“Which one was it?” he asked.

“Psalm 42.” I had glanced at the number just before he closed it.

“Will you just read aloud to us today?” he asked. I usually have each one of them read a few verses from their own Bibles.

After a few minutes, I said, “Okay!! Let’s get started. Everyone listen.” And I began reading the Psalm.

It was just as if God were telling me exactly what I needed to hear. In this Psalm, David is crying out to God regarding his frustration with his enemies. He says “God!! Where are you?! I feel like you aren’t doing anything or answering my prayers!!”

Then he remembers that what God is doing has nothing to do with how he feels and more to do with his choice. He then says, “Why are you so depressed, Soul? Why are you worried? Put your hope in God!! For I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God!”

It reminded me of the song by Barlow Girl: “Never Alone”, where she admits that she can’t see or understand what God is doing and it seems like He is not there, but she makes the decision to put her faith in what she knows rather that what she feels. She realizes that God is there whether she feels him or not.

I was also reminded of the song by Jeremy Camp: “I Still Believe”, where he chooses to continue believing in the Lord even though it seems like the world is falling apart around him.

After reading, we discussed what was being said. The boys both had some good things to contribute about how our culture today is ruled by how we (as a society) feel rather than what we know to be right or our faith. We even talked about how loving someone is a choice rather than a “warm fuzzy” and how putting our trust in God even when we don’t feel Him there is always a better choice.

Later, I realized that God had shown Himself to me at a time when I had been wondering if He was around. He is the one who picked the Psalm – reassuring me that I can put my hope in Him even when I don’t see or feel Him. It was just what I needed to hear.

Yes, I’ve made some mistakes as a parent, but God is still in control. I may not see Him working in Adrian’s life or feel Him guiding my own, but He is there and He is still “working all things together for good” whether I see Him or not. He can and will fill in the gaps. All I have to do is put my hope in God and trust that He has the best plan.

Now the question is “Will I follow my feelings or will I choose hope, life and faith in Him Who is able?”

Destination 3

Next, we drove to Israel. The drive wasn’t that long, but all the security and stuff took a little bit of time. Once we were past all that, we went straight to a trail called David’s Waterfall. It is believed that that was where David hid from Saul in the wilderness.

At the beginning of the trail, we almost walked into an Ibex herd. (A type of deer that looks like an antelope.) The moment one of us spotted them, all the cameras flew into action. Only after everyone had taken a picture did we continue on with the trail.

A little further down the trail we came to a small pool of water. There were school kids in their shorts playing in the water and some closer to the water’s source: a mini waterfall.

The trail was so beautiful! Again, I wanted to live there for the rest of my life. The water was fresh except where the animals had been in and out. There were perfect places for my project “live out”. The only problem was that I had family to get back to and friends who would hunt me down to see the pictures.

On we went toward the main waterfall that was supposedly David’s. It was huge! It seemed that the water had come from miles away just so we could see it. I wanted to go and dive in but it was blocked off. All I could do was watch in amazement and wonder.

On the way back, I went ahead and found the perfect place to wait for my Grandma. It was a small rock that went half into the water. I was sitting on the part that was out of the water when some teenagers came by. One of then said something to me. He spoke in Arabic so I asked if any of them spoke English. One did. It was the girl in the small group of teens.
She told me that her brother had warned me not to fall in. I was embarrassed and told her I would try not to. Just after they left, my Grandma came from around the corner. I got up, jumped the little trickle in my way, and we went on.

When we got back to the beginning, I wanted to go back with my book and read in my spot – but, of course, not enough time. We needed to make it on time to our next tour stop. We all regrouped and loaded the bus once more.

The Garden. Our next and last stop was the Garden of Gethsemane. This is also known as the place were Jesus brought his disciples, and prayed. He prayed to the Father asking if there was some other way to save everyone from sin. If you’ve read the Bible, then you know what God told Jesus.

When we got there, there were already some other groups from China, Mexico, and other countries. I could tell because of the languages. Of course, some of the languages I didn’t recognize. We had to wait in line for a little bit. Than we all prayed and entered the garden.

Inside there were olive trees everywhere and a dirt path leading around the whole thing. I felt happier than ever in this place. (Don’t ask me why I was happy, of all things.) Grandma reminded me to stay quiet because some people were praying and reading their Bibles. We decided to pray, too.

After we were done praying, we went over to the guide. He was holding a basket and asked us to give the gatekeeper a tip for allowing us all in. We did and when we all regrouped, we left the garden and went back to the hotel to pack up for the last time.

The Airport. Saying good-bye to all our new friends. Boarding the plane. Landing in the U.S.A. Going to my Grandma’s to spend the night. Heading back home again. What a trip! It’s one that I’ll remember forever.

Destination #2: Jordan

In the bus everyone was restless and wanting to move around, as was I. The thing was that we were all driving to Jordan; stopping only a few times for the bathroom. It was a beautiful place and I wanted to live there forever, maybe as a cave woman or something like that.

El Dan, Jordan. First things first. We went to the hotel to drop off our luggage. Then we went to one of the trails called El Dan. As we walked to the trail, I was mesmerized by all the different things there were that would make great pics.

The trail was wonderful! It was full of life, and not one stone was man made or put there on purpose. The trees were very large and squiggly; some went in loopty loops all the way up. The bushes were also beautiful; overflowing with flowers and colorful leaves.

As we passed the beginning of the trail, we needed to cross a bridge. Under the bridge, there was a glorious waterfall. It was not a large one, but still just as beautiful. Almost everyone wanted a snapshot. We moved on and to our right there was a small river called the River Dan, which later joins the River Jordan.

The further we moved into the forest the more I wanted to live there. (My grandma probably got annoyed because I kept telling her I wanted to convert into a tree dweller for the rest of my life.) In our group, some people were walking faster than others and some slower. Grandma and I were in the middle. It seemed that we were all alone, because we couldn’t see any one in front of us or behind.

Since the guide was in the front of the group, we couldn’t get any info as we walked. But, what I do know is that the trail passes within ½ a mile of Lebanon, (the country above Jordan.) We could see the small villages across the border.

We moved on and finally got to the ruins of a village. I wanted to keep moving but the guide had to give a speech; telling us where the villagers came from and how they built the houses, etc. Then we were able to move on to the end. I really wanted to go back and do it again but we had other things to do. I think one of these days I’m going to go back and stay there for as long as I can.

As we drove to the next part of our tour, I was getting a little drained from the days of touring and moving around all the time. Looking at the schedule I saw there was a day coming up that we were going to be able to rest from lunch on. I couldn’t wait till that day came.

The Siq and Petra.. We were walking through the Siq (another common tour place) when near the end there were some ruins (Petra). I turned to our guide and asked what they were. He told me to wait and he would explain that to us all. After a little bit of waiting, he told us the story of the Castle Bent.

Once upon a time there was a king, and his daughter. The princess was very beautiful and it seemed that every man in the kingdom wanted her for a bride. One day, a wealthy prince came to ask for the princess’ hand in marriage. The king was enraged!
Yelling at the Prince, the King told him “ All you men want is my wonderful kingdom, and not the love of my daughter. Be gone with you, and never come back!”
The prince was heartbroken. Instead of marrying the woman who was his true love and whom the Prince had seen only once, he was sent home with nothing.
The king was so frustrated with all the men coming around asking to marry his only daughter that he took all his best craftsmen and built her a castle. The castle was not a large one but of good size and strength. The Princess was locked in the castle with all of her servants. Guards were appointed to watch over her day and night. Only the king was allowed in and out.
The King died without giving his daughter in marriage. The new Queen (his daughter) tried to rule, but only failed in the attempt. Soon, the whole kingdom was overruled and destroyed. The Queen was captured and held until her death; not a painful death but one of natural causes.
In the end, the King had lost everything that he had attempted to keep.

After the story, I was spellbound. The only thing on my mind was that I wished my dad would build me a castle. Then we took a few pics and went off to a lunch nearby.

Holy Land Trip by Deanna

Destination 1. Egypt

I’m going to begin my story at Kairo, Egypt, where I got to see one of the great wonders of the world . . .

As we stepped off the plane, I began to think about how long ago my grandmother and I thought about this trip, and how long we had waited to get here. I also remembered my family and friends telling me that if I didn’t take pictures they would strangle me and hang me by my toes in the town square. Of course, they are all Christian people so I doubt they would carry that out.

Kairo, Egypt. We were walking out of the small airport with our luggage in hand when we saw them, blending together beautifully with the darkness, the lights of the city Kairo. We found our guide and the bus, loaded our luggage, then set off for the hotel.

The traffic was horrible! Everywhere you looked people were jammed together and not even using the lines on the road. It took us 45 minutes to get to our hotel, which was only 20 miles away. At first glance, you might think these people don’t care. Actually, it seemed like they never have to worry about murders, thieves or traffic accidents like we do all the time. This might be because there is a grave consequence for each crime…like losing a hand for theft or a head for murder. Anyway, we finally got to our hotel and settled down for a good night’s sleep.

The Pyramids. The following morning we were heading out to see the pyramids of an official and his wives. When we got there many tourists were gathered around to see the tomb and the Sphinx. The moment I saw both of these great wonders, I felt all the excitement was about to burst out of me all at once. I was hardly listening to the guide until he said we might be able to go inside one of them for a look at the actual tomb. I couldn’t believe my ears!

When my grandma asked if I wanted to go inside, I couldn’t control myself. I flung my arms around her neck. With a big hug, I said yes over and over just to let out my excitement (somewhat). Half the fun was that I would be able to brag about it when I got home.

After we got our tickets, we headed for the line of people near the tunnel entrance. We were in the front of the line before you could say “pyramids”. The ticket master ripped our tickets in half and gave them back. I stuck my two halves into my pocket, took a deep breath, then entered the shaft toward the tomb.

Inside it looked like a coal mine. On the ground there were boards with notches in them for grip. The air was so stale you could hardly breathe, and the deeper you went the worse it got. The shaft was so small that we had to crouch, to move through it at all. We went up, then down, then up again. The walk took only 5 minutes but it seemed like forever.

Finally, we walked into a larger room at least 20 times bigger than the shaft. On one side of the room there was a large tomb with the top taken off and leaning on the wall. I went over to look in side, with grandma following behind me.

When I got over there, trying to lighten up the mood, I pretended to die and fall into the stone box. One of the people from our group told me not to touch the tomb.

When I asked why he said that one of their myths was that if you touched the tomb, then you would be the next to die. I took my gaze from the stone to look at his face. As I suspected he had a very large grin about 2 feet wide. In the dim light, I felt uneasy. He looked scary without his hat on. He probably took it off because he is sweating. We all are. I thought as I looked away.

After a few moments of silence, I urged everyone in our group toward the exit. It was getting really hard to breathe. When we were walking back, I kept hitting my head on the ceiling. I guess it was because I was anxious to get fresh air. When we got out, the first thing you could hear was everyone breathing deeply. The second was the people shouting, laughing, and screaming.

The Sphinx. We all made our way back to the bus to see the Sphinx just around the bend. We didn’t have time to stop. So, the guide told the driver to slow down so that we could take pictures.

It was beautiful, even if it was old. My grandma gave me the camera because it was on my side of the bus. The sun was going down, blinding my sight, so I was shooting blind. (Later the photos turned out to be pretty good.) After everyone found his or her seats again, we headed off to the hotel. The rest of the night would be ours to do as we please.

Mt. Sinai. The next night at dinner the guide told those of us who wanted to go to Mt. Sinai that we had to get up at midnight and be at the bus stop. He also said that we would need to put on every scrap of clothing that we could. It would be cold. That night Grandma and I decided to go to bed early so we could get some rest before we had to get up again.

I woke up to the phone ringing off the hook. Of course, it was the wake up call. Grandma answered it and then hung up. As I started to wake up completely, I realized that Grandma was already up and mostly dressed. Fighting drowsiness and sleep, I yanked myself out of the warm covers and started to pull on some clothes. Scarves, hats, gloves - everything went on.

After we were done dressing, we walked over to the bus stop. No one was there - not even the bus. Thinking we were early Grandma checked the time. We were, by about 10 minutes. So, we decided to sit on the curb and wait for the others.

Finally, the bus and the others came and we loaded up. When we all got to the entrance of trail going up the mountain, it was very crowded with people who had come to see the sunrise from the top. We made our way to the line and began our waiting to enter the trail. When we got to the front of the line, there was a security metal detector and 3 guards. We had to go through one by one.

After we regrouped, we headed for the trail up Mt. Sinai. We had walked ½ a mile when we passed the monastery of St. Catharine. We had walked another ½ mile when we reached the stables for the camels. We paid for the rides, and got on the camels. We were all separated the whole ride up but we all knew where to meet.

Riding the camels was quite an experience. They are not the same as horses. But, they made our trip to the top of the mountain much easier. We could only go so far with the camels and then we had to leave them and walk the rest of the way. We weren’t going to ride them down because we had been told that it was much harder riding down than up.

After maybe 10 minutes of waiting, we headed to the top as a group. In the black darkness of early morning, we climbed with nothing more than a flashlight to guide our way. A few steep steps, a couple turns and we were at the top. Everyone split up to find a spot in the crowd to watch the sunrise.

It seemed like forever before it even seemed to get brighter. I was looking beyond the horizon wondering if this would be like all the other sunrises I’ve seen. Soon my question was answered. I kept looking beyond the mountains where I expected to see the rising sun. The sun was coming and we could tell as the sky got redder.

Just at the moment I least expected it, the sun came into view. It was not where I thought it would be. It seemed to come up in between the mountains; not on the other side. Everyone was trying to get pics as the sun rose within seconds.

In the end, everyone was satisfied. Our group met up at one of the shops and the guide brought all of us some cocoa or some coffee. I need to tell you the cocoa probably tasted just like the stuff at home but at the time it was the most delicious cocoa in the whole world!

We decided we would meet at the monastery at the bottom of the large mountain. Grandma and I tried to set off at a jog but the line of people seemed not to move at all. As soon as the road got bigger and had more traction, Grandma and I were passing everyone. When we met up at the bottom and loaded the bus, all of us let out a sigh of relief. It had been a long and exhausting morning.

(To be continued.)