Ting Tang
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Posts posted by Ting Tang
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11 minutes ago, HazelAnne said:
I think it’s completely reasonable to rehome this dog. Aside from the peeing issue, having a dog who hates kids in a house with kids sounds like a big problem to me- and potential for injury to one of your kids or their friends. Hopefully one of your siblings would be willing to take the dog.
If none of your siblings want the dog, they wouldn’t have any valid reason to be upset with you for not wanting him either. (But I know feelings aren’t always reasonable). I imagine there is an elderly person who would love having this dog as a companion- and the dog may very well be happier too in a home without kids.
I don’t think an only dog would be lonely in a house with kids.
I agree that this is perhaps a dog that should be in a home without children. It sounds dangerous. You can always think about another dog after you deal with this situation. Sorry you are dealing with this! Our puppy shewed our old carpet, and we have to replace it now, too.
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44 minutes ago, wendyroo said:
Thirding the suggestion to read The Well Trained Mind. If you can find the first edition, it focuses more on how to DIY a classical education. The later editions recommend a lot of curriculum options and discussing who they might work best for.
Another resource is all the Grade Planning threads on this board. Every year we tend to start a thread for each grade where a bunch of people list what they are planning to use with their kids in that grade. So, for example, you could look up kindergarten planning thread for the last 4-5 years and have a ton of examples of what a classical education could encompass for kindergarten (and what is not necessary). If you browse some of the threads for each of the grades you are planning, they can give you a ton of curriculum ideas and give you confidence to choose the best resources for each student for each subject rather that settling for an all-in-one package that isn't really serving your needs well.
Thank you so much. I will take some time to do some research and look at those threads, too. I honestly feel like I could throw a lot away that I purchased for this year. When I bought them, I thought they all seemed essential, lol.
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1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:
Seconding the suggestion to read The Well Trained Mind.
Another (shorter!) book that helped me catch a vision for homeschooling is For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.
Thank you very much! I haven't heard of the second reference. I feel like I am grasping at straws, looking for the perfect curriculum. I know that is a trap for many newish homeschoolers.
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On 1/3/2022 at 9:41 AM, Xahm said:
@KrisTom Have you read The Well Trained Mind by the host of this site? She also has a lot of great articles up here to read for free. Reading (again) through that might help you come up with a vision for how you can do the elements of classical education that you value while also valuing your children's preference for color and beauty. Don't forget to really, really focus on only including what you know you can do well, at least to start. You can always add in more later. (I am assuming you have a way of doing math and reading well. Don't wait until later to add those, haha.)
I have read a bit, but maybe I need to revisit some of the articles. Thank you for the reminder. I feel like we are not doing much well at the moment, lol.
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At one point, wasn't the country reporting 0 cases per day? Emotionally, I just have a distrust of information that comes from China, but it's a big human rights violator. Just reading how they treat "political prisoners" is enough to make you physically ill. Too bad we are so dependent on them. 😞
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4 hours ago, ktgrok said:
Yes - we all tested before gathering as well, even though the adults were either triple vaxed or double vaxxed plus recent infection. But my sister had access to free tests, so it was a simple matter to test everyone as we were getting ready to leave. Had anyone popped up positive their family would have avoided the gathering.
THIS is what rapid tests should be for, and it is awful they are not available free and easy to come by in the US.
We were able to all test before our Christmas gathering with my other SIL's family and husband's parents. I know they are not 100% accurate, but we'd also had some time between possible exposures and getting together, so I felt a lot more at ease. It's hard to point any fingers right now. Almost everything is a potential exposure opportunity. I did grocery pick up today. I went alone, and the employee loaded my groceries into my truck. I wore a mask in the van with all of my windows partially rolled down. The employee was masked, too. I figure if omicron is as transmissible as they say, that could have been an exposure. But we don't have grocery delivery, so this is the next best thing for us.
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1 hour ago, Catwoman said:
I would absolutely try to get him started on antivirals ASAP!
Praying that he gets a very mild case of Covid.
Thank you so much! I will contact him in the morning with the suggestion.
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I'm very sorry. I know it must feel so scary. My dad is in his 60s, hospitalized/in rehab back and forth due to complications from cancer. He was Covid positive today and said he took some cough medicine. I wonder if I should be asking if he can get antivirals? Maybe if your mom is diagnosed, she could get those? I am not too familiar with their safety, but at least we have a new tool. Honestly, even the most careful of the careful are getting it. It is hard not to judge, of course, and I think some people have enjoyed carefree lives at the expense and stress of others. Adults can do better.
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4 hours ago, Spryte said:
Welcome to the world, little baby!
Hoping everyone has a mild, easy case , and as healthy as possible.
Thank you so very much. Baby and parents are doing well! Hopefully everyone, and my dad, will recover quickly and easily.
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54 minutes ago, KSera said:
I'm sorry about your SIL and dad. Do you mean she's on her way to have her own baby or that she's a doctor? If she's the one having a baby, I hope everything goes well for her and that her vaccines protect her baby from it. In either case, I hope she and your dad feel better soon.
She had her baby in record time! I don't want to make light, but they said a perk was they skipped a lot of the registration/triage steps. And thank you so much! My father is high risk. He has been battling cancer complications this entire past year. He sounded in good spirits. My SIL's family will hopefully be okay. I can't even imagine getting that news on my way to the hospital!
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12 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:
It’s worth keeping in mind when you’re looking at our vax stats that everyone over 60 and many over 50s got Astra Zeneca which is less effective against omicron. But yeah. We had someone triple vaxed and two double vaxed die in NSW today.
Oh, ok. Thank you for the clarification. I think at this point, hopefully a vaccination does help keep most of us out of the danger zone.
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I have a relative scheduled for surgery Friday, so I hope all goes well. I agree. Nothing really makes sense. It feels like what will happen is Omicron will rip through society, and life will be disrupted. Two of my relatives got positive tests today, one fully vaxxed and boosted. The other with just one dose because he's been in the hospital/rehab and nobody would get him a second dose. Both are ok, for now. I think they are just throwing their arms up in the air. I'm not sure what more can be done. I just pray this becomes endemic.
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My brother and his wife, unvaxxed, had Covid over Christmas. My sister-in-law got her positive Covid test results this morning---on her way to an induction. She is vaccinated and boosted as of recent. So far, she is asymptomatic. They are pretty cautious. My dad called me this morning to let me know he is also Covid positive. He only received 1 dose because he has been in an out of the hospital and rehab. He said he took cough medicine. He generally doesn't feel well, but in this regard, he said it wasn't too bad yet. He just got his positive. Two days ago he was negative.
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3 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:
@popmom I thought you might be interested in this stat from QLD. I haven’t seen similar for our state yet but will let you know if I do. I’m taking from this that 27 of the cases are in hospital for other reasons.
QLD: Vaccination rate of hospitalisations
Dr Gerrard says there are 170 people in hospital with COVID-19 but Queensland Health figures say 147 of those are "specifically requiring treatment for COVID-19".
Of those, 39 cases are unvaccinated.
😔 maybe I’m tired, but that does not help me want to get my kids vaccinated tomorrow…
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10 minutes ago, Spirea said:
It is dull and dreary. Monotonous. The lessons are all the same format. Loved their catalogs, and finally sprung for their steep prices since I discovered their charter school secular options and could use through our public homeschool. SO disappointing. Honestly hate getting back to it next week but we need to complete our courses for the year. I am not testing unless dd12 asks to do a test (I guess she likes the feeling of accomplishment...). I am largely ignoring classical studies unless they have a question. I do not make them write in complete sentences since there is so much writing. I often tell them word definitions so they don't have to do so many dictionary searches (every lesson, most subjects!). Astronomy is so not science! History and classical, maybe, and a memorization exercise, but almost no science.
We did Getting Started with Latin and Keep Going with Latin before dd started FFL this year. Ds10 is doing GSWL this year. I think it's a great, easy way to start.
Dull and dreary, thank goodness--I thought I was the only one feeling this way! lol I don't do all the tests, either. We're doing astronomy, and I ended up buying a magazine subscription with beautiful pictures, a planisphere, etc. Often because of all the tiny details and the burden of the core, those non-core subjects feel like afterthoughts. I will have to check out that Latin program you mentioned. Maybe I have, but I don't remember. I figured if we did keep some MP, such as lit, I would not buy the student guides next year and just use the teacher guide. I know the MP people don't feel kids need every subject to have colored pictures and feel they can be distracting, but I feel like my kids feel happier with them to do their work. It's why I've considered moving away from classical.
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27 minutes ago, Xahm said:
Maybe a good first step would be to list out the areas you want your children to study, then look at the curriculum you already have and like and see how many areas it covers. For example, if you have Latin that includes grammar, plus writing in English, you probably don't need separate grammar and vocabulary programs. You could get a simple, run-of-the-mill LA workbook to hand the kids as independent work, which would check those boxes and allow them to stay busy when you are attending to the needs of your toddler.
After you've assessed what you've already selected and enjoyed, look at your time/attention budget. This is a very real issue in our house, too. There are only so many one-on-one sessions I can have and only so many things I can keep track of. You can rotate which things get close attention. That might mean one month you just watch science videos over lunch while you do the mapping and fun projects in history/geography, then the next you just listen to SOTW audiobooks in the car while doing science demonstrations.
You said above that you lack confidence to exclude things, which is why I would encourage you to start with thinking about your goals and your children's needs and build up from there rather than starting with a list of what someone who doesn't know your children is trying to sell you and paring down.
I am thinking about that with Latin, too. I started to like the EGR program that compliments the Latin for grammar, but sometimes I don't feel like they get anything out of it. Mostly, I just like that it is quick, and that's not really a great reason to continue with it. I think what I will likely do is not buy anything this school year for next year. When we are finished, we will do some soul searching. I really liked The Good and the Beautiful approach, but the company disappointed me once, and some call it a hot mess. I just like that a lot is covered in the language arts in one book.
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43 minutes ago, Spirea said:
We are using a lot of MP this year. I think I would only use their Latin again, maybe their grammar. We hated their writing and after a month switched back to IEW. It is ok for me this year because I needed more independent work for the kids while I am figuring out life with a 1 yr old again. I would never use their science again. Their history is not interesting for my kids who always loved history. We'll be back to SOTW next year. I should write a detailed review on the hits and misses thread but haven't wanted to take the time. Overall, MP is just so disappointing. I do like the recitation for my 1st grader. Dd7th likes the lit guides. MP is a ridiculous amount to keep track of. I can't keep up with grading it all. I'm always behind. There is way too much writing. Next year will feel like a breezy fun year after this.
If you like parts, keep those parts, but don't feel you need anyone's full program. It doesn't have to be as hard as MP makes it. A lot is just boring busy work and I feel my kids are learning much less than before.
I see my children learning from it, but yes, it is a lot. I hyped it up so much in my mind last year when purchasing it, that I have also been disappointed this year. Many say it is beautiful, but sometimes I feel like it is dreary and dark, which seems like an odd thing to write! I have absolutely no idea what I will do next year, none whatsoever. I know if we went back to Abeka or a BJU program for the older two, they'd get a solid education, but programs like those leave little room to maneuver, too. I just feel like there are so many little intricacies of MP. My oldest son doesn't like the Latin at all. I explored other programs, but MP seems to be the most "efficient" and I like that it has a separate textbook rather than a work-text. I am glad I am not alone!
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1 hour ago, Farrar said:
The co-op where I teach decided to go virtual for January. I think that was the right call. Every school system in America ought to take a pause for 2 weeks. Yeah, it SUCKS. But I think that's probably the right thing to do. And I say that as someone who supports them staying in person overall. Just... take a two week longer pause.
Omicron may be milder than other waves... at least in my city, which has been Ground Zero for this wave, it's also literally EIGHT times BIGGER (highest daily case rate previously here was around 250, it's now around 2000) than other waves. So it doesn't matter if the disease it produces seems to be milder - some people are still going to get sick. And healthcare systems are about to be overwhelmed on a new level. Like, here, we're not using as many ventilators as in previous waves, but we have more hospital admissions than at any other point. There are staffing shortages. Everyone should be very worried. If you get in a car accident, if you have a surgery that needs to be done... or if you have Covid and are getting worse... this wave is worse for the hospitals.
People here don't even want their kids to stay home if they've had close contact/exposure/symptoms. I'm thinking, shouldn't their parents be at home anyway? I agree with you.
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Well, my anxiety is sky high right now. It has been a confusing time to be alive. People have different opinions, experiences that make all arguments convincing to me. So I struggle with my decision making. It can be paralyzing. I am sorry your plans got derailed. Does the family member feel safer now that it didn't happen? That is me some of the time. I pray things get canceled or don't happen because at least I won't feel bad about not engaging. I am sorry. I am not a help, just a little glimpse inside of an anxious person. It has gotten bad during the pandemic.
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28 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:
There's one that started up two years ago called Completely Classical. It gives grade level lesson plans and online community but the work is done offline/independently. I tried to find it again but it looks like their website is down. Another possibility is Creek Edge Press, but it's not open-and-go. It's more like 'here's a plan to use the resources you have or pick from our suggested list.'
There is a happy medium. We don't use one publisher. We pick and choose based on what is best for each subject at that time. It helps us decide how to allocate our time and what is actually needed in our house for each subject.
I will have to take a look at that Creek Edge Press. I think I just lack the confidence to exclude things, thinking they would be missing out.
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59 minutes ago, Xahm said:
People have different things they mean when they say "complete curriculum." Are you wanting a grade level package that includes all subjects and tells you when to do what? Are you wanting to streamline and have one curriculum per area, for example a LA curriculum that includes all reading, writing, grammar, etc in one place? Something that combines most subjects, like weaving together LA, history, science, and art?
I think classical educators are less likely to use a grade level package, so those are probably going to be pretty sparse. There seem to be a number of choices that do most everything except math, which you add in at your child's level.
I wish things were more streamlined with MP. I feel like if I choose one of those, it won't allow us to do the parts of MP we like. A lot of the traditional programs seem to combine the language arts. I would love to keep MP's writing and Latin, but it seems like Latin on a complete other grammar curriculum would be a lot. History with MP is timelines, classical, geography, and optional American History living books--and sometimes it just feels like a lot to keep track of.
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14 hours ago, Spirea said:
I think it's impossible to use one publisher. I never like all the components.
I love to look through Veritas's catalog. They use multiple publishers and always have good options. I've never used their grade packages or their own curriculum though I have a friend who loves it.
Sonlight/Bookshark is more CM, though so much reading, which is difficult if your kids are young and you are doing all the reading. I liked using their science and history when my kids were early elementary, but didn't like their language arts.
Maybe that is part of it, my kids are not very independent with reading, though my oldest is an excellent reader. I agree, it is hard to choose just one publisher. But sometimes it seems hard not to do all the things because they work together.
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We began homeschooling last year using entire Abeka core curriculums for three children. This year, I switched my older two (3rd/4th graders) to classical---mainly Memoria Press materials and a Classical Academic Press writing/rhetoric program. Next year, I will be adding our 4th to the mix for Kindergarten. I really like Memoria Press, but there are so many pieces to the curriculum. I know some are just tiny chunks, but it sort of adds to my personal chaos, no matter how much I "organize." Half a year in, and I still don't have my bearings. I considered switching to a more Charlotte Mason approach, and we tried a little, and my son wondered why he had so many different living books to read at once, so we sort of just went back to our Memoria Press.
What other classical programs exist that have less pieces but are complete curriculums?
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1 hour ago, Syllieann said:
Two shots are somewhat effective at preventing infection, but a recent booster is even more effective. The main thing is that the shots (1,2, or 3) reduce the likelihood of severe disease, hospitalization, or death. By extension, they also reduce the likelihood of misc and long covid. If the kids become infected after vaccination they clear the virus faster, which reduces transmission risk for the community at large. Any new variants that develop in the future are unlikely to evade t cell response, which is kind of a continuous, evolving process.
So two shots plus recent booster > two recent shots >1 recent shot.
Thank you very much! That is helpful to know for the present! It's hard that things continue to change. I am not sure we thought things would be this bad again.
Omicron and school question
in The Chat Board
Posted
When schools go virtual, for the littles, I think teachers should be more of directors/guides. Virtual was taking longer than homeschool because of the screen time around here. I had considered sending my oldest back to a school this year, and now I am glad I didn't.