GANEIDA'S KNOT.

Go mbeannai Dia duit.

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Quaker by conviction, mother by default, Celticst through love, Christ follower because I once was lost but now am found...

Thursday, June 11, 2009


An excessive study of mathematics absolutely incapacitates the mind... Sir William Hamilton
Yes, we do school at home...just not this week. Well, Ditz has done some reading but mostly she's slept & coughed & slept some more. As we've mostly been on track all term [once we ditched the math] I haven't been too fazed about having this week off. We're actually ahead on the music & we've had a concert in there as well so I think we've done pretty well.

One of the nice things about homeschooling is you pick up exactly where you left off. No worry about the class getting ahead of you or missing learning a vital step. Nope. You just pick up exactly where you left off. Just the same Ditz appreciates these unexpected little breaks in routine & was happily wallowing under doonas with a good book [of her choice] & her drawing materials when our supervisor rang. Something has been sorted out about Ditz's math.

Now *something sorted* is unlikely to thrill Ditz to the ends of her little pink toes. It hardly makes me dance with joy either but a certain amount of math is necessary to function in society. The *enrichment* people have put together some booklets for us ~ going back to somewhere Ditz is more comfortable & which she should just wizz through ~ at least that's the idea. Then we do the practical stuff in years 11 & 12. I can live with that. Whether Ditz can remains to be seen.
Plus somewhere in the conversation I pointed out that Alison is starting to slot her graduates into the music industry ~ & not as stars [though some of them will be] but as work horses who can do anything asked off them. Our supervisor now has the picture Ditz doesn't just have stars in her eyes but is actually training to work in a very fickle industry & in such a way that she should always be employable. Let's hope so at any rate.

7 comments:

Homeschoolmum4Christ said...

Hi Ganeida,
It sounds as if you have worked out what will work for Ditz - well done.
As long as Ditz has a sound understanding of "business maths", she will do well in life.
Blessings,
Jillian
<><

Diane Shiffer said...

i think i would have liked sir william hamilton;)

and oh my, how fortunate you are to have people to help you sort out things like ditz' math... hereabouts if we give any glimmer that we are having trouble of any sort with our homeschooling the powers that be will descend upon us like a mighty flood... certain that we lowly parents sre not up to the job of educating properly. *rolleyes*

every once in a while we have what i call a "make-up" week.. when we don't move ahead in the curriculum, but rather just kind of hold steady and pick up loose ends, do activities that we didn't have time for originally.... and sleep late;)

seekingmyLord said...

Some of this sounds vaguely familiar. ;)

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

LOL I miss doonas. So soft and fluffy. They don't exist here.

Hopefully Ditz will find the perfect job. :] It sounds like she knows her stuff.

Ganeida said...

Jillian: our umbrella school is such a blessing ~ or rather we have been exceptionally blessed with our supervisor. She is maths & science & I feel so sorry for her being lumped with us but we truly appreciate her at times like this.

Diane: I couldn't believe that quote when I found it! It's a beauty, isn't it? We've done it your way. Horrible people who just tried to cut the parent out & take over. Never sits well with me, that.

seeking: just making sure y'all know I haven't let math completely drop out the bottom. ;D

MrsC: I couldn't live without a doona in winter! How do you manage?

When it comes to music Ditz does know her stuff. So weird. Lots of the music math is far harder than anything in her textbooks.

MamaOlive said...

Well, I looked it up and one place says a doona is a duvet, and another says it is a quilt or blanket. Which is it? Of course we (in America) have quilts and blankets, but thankfully no duvets. I like the sheet/blanket option - with a duvet it's all or nothing.
...
But you were talking about school.
I think it's incredibly cool that your supervisor would put something together for you rather than penalize you for admitting to a difficulty. I agree with Diane, in the states (depending on which one) if you can't learn and teach at genius levels you must not be homeschooling properly and the child should be forced to public school where s/he can happily slip through the cracks unnoticed. grrr.

Ganeida said...

MamaO: That could happen here too & would at a different umbrella school. Not the sending to public school but a lot of harrassment & pressure & you don't need that when you already have difficulties. It's one reason among many we changed umbrella schools. Our first one was very unacommodating & infexible & we were locking heads. I wanted out for some time before Dearest said to go. To not admitt difficulties is stupid. The only thing stupider is to not be flexible about solutions. God has been very good to us with this wonderful, supportive supervisor who I'm sure secretly thinks we're all quite mad here.

As for the doona: quilt is perhaps the best description. Lightweight & stuffed with an artificial filling they are machine washable & compact. They are warmer than blankets & may be used in combination with sheets & blankets, on their own or as multiples. Ditz, who doesn't feel the cold, has a doona. Liddy uses 2 doonas & I use a single doon & a double I double over on those really cold nights. The boys use doonas & blankets in various combinations.