Water Workout

On Thursday I used my kick fins to swim 18 laps. Then I took them off and did 6 more laps for a total of 24 laps. That took about an hour to do. That is 2/3 of a mile. Then I did water aerobics for another hour. That is a total of two hours in the water. My knee feels much stronger. I am amazed how much more mobile I am.

Earthquake

On Wednesday, just before 5:00pm, my recliner started to shake. Then I felt a swaying motion followed by a loud rattle of the windows. We were having an earthquake. It was centered near Borrego Springs in northeast San Diego County. It registered at 5.4 and lasted about 30 seconds, which seemed long to me. Marc was taking a nap and it woke him up, but not enough to realize what was going on. It was a gentle rolling shake. It was scary to realize that the entire house was shaking.

Popsicles

I go through phases where I want to eat the same thing over and over. Right now my choice is popsicles. Technically I like Edy’s Fruit Bars. Grape is my favorite. I also like strawberry and lemonade. Tangerine is nice too. They are only 80 calories each. I recently had a cold that lasted over two weeks, and a cold popsicle felt really good on my sore throat. I usually crave cookies or brownies, so this is certainly a healthier choice.

Kick Fins

Today I swam 12 laps. One lap is two lengths. My goal is to swim 36 laps because that equals one mile. I did a third of a mile today, plus one hour of water aerobics. For the laps I used these kick fins. They are designed to maximize my workout while eliminating ankle fatigue and knee strain. At least that is what the package states. Actually they worked well. I liked that they are adjustable, and fairly easy to get on and off. I felt more mobile for the rest of the day. It seems that workout was good for my arthritic knee.

Plan of Salvation

Yesterday our ward was in mourning for the loss of sweet 10-year-old boy. After much prayer, speaking with many people, and searching the internet, I planned sharing time for Primary. I thought that this might help someone else, so I am posting it.

Ship at Sea: I drew stick figures, a shoreline, and waves on the left side of the chalkboard. I asked the children, “Who has gone to the beach this week?” Since we live a beach community, most of them raised their hands. I asked, “When you looked at the ocean, what are of some of the things you have seen?” Their answers included seaweed, seals, dolphins, and boats. Boat was the answer I was looking for. I thanked them for their contributions, and then talked about the ship at sea going over the horizon. I told them the people on the shore are sad to their friend leave. On the right side of the chalkboard I drew another shoreline and stick figures. I asked, “Since the people on the left shore are sad to see their friend go, how do you think the people on the right shore feel to see their friend coming toward them?” The children told me they would be happy to see their friend. I compared this to death. When a person dies, we are sad because we won’t see them. At the same time, someone else rejoices to receive that person on the other side of life.

Plan of Salvation: I gave a mini lesson on the plan of salvation. I found good visuals online, and I asked questions to prompt the children to tell me about the pre-mortal life, receiving a body, death, the spirit world, and resurrection. We did not go into the judgment or three degrees of glory. The visuals can be found at the link below.

Visuals for Plan of Salvation

Cards: The children colored a picture for the family. Some of the older children wrote messages to the family. It was an opportunity for the children to express their love and concern for the family. I prepared the pictures on cardstock. Each page had four pictures. Then I cut the pages into fourths. I used white cardstock and black and white clipart.

Result: The children were all engaged in the activity and did their best on the cards. There was a sweet spirit in our Primary during this sharing time activity.

Someone Is Always Left Behind

Recently I was reflecting on the sentiments of the “No Child Left Behind” program outlined by the US government. I understand that each child needs to be challenged and motivated academically. What the US government does not take into account, is that each child is an individual and needs to progress at their own speed.

The one-room schoolhouse of frontier America placed each child in the grade where they were performing. One student might be in 4th grade math, but 2nd grade reading, and the ages were mixed. The student progressed when they had mastered the level they were at.

As a special education teacher I have to write grade level goals for my students. If they are in 7th grade, then I have to write a 7th grade goal. Some of my students read at a 3rd grade level. It would make sense to write a goal to get to 4th grade, but instead I have to write a goal for 7th grade. Many of my students are “Late Bloomers” and they begin to catch up in 7th grade.

Some of my students will never excel academically. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have talents. I have students that sing well enough to be soloists, others that are gifted at drawing, and some students that would do well in a drama class. Unfortunately, there are no choirs, art, or drama classes available for them.

Not everyone is destined to go to college, but everyone can make meaningful contributions in their life. One of my students will make a great Mom. She is patient and kind. She helps the other students whenever she can. She has told me that she cooks for her family, and helps to care for the younger children. She will most likely never be a scholar, but she is a fine person.

I think the US government has fine ideals, but they don’t understand that “One size” does not fit all. From my viewpoint, the government could change their slogan to “No Child or Teacher Left Unstressed.”

School Is Out!

School ended on Wednesday, 6/16/2010, at 11:55am. I have learned a lot from working with seventh graders for the past seven years. I learned math that I didn’t learn in high school, and more about grammar than I ever thought I wanted to know. Seventh grade seems to be a year for many of my “Late Bloomers” to finally bloom.

Next year I will move to sixth grade. This has many advantages. The sixth graders tend to be more willing to listen. They aren’t the hardened veterans of middle school that the seventh graders are. They haven’t figured out how the system works in middle school, and they are willing to try. Another advantage of sixth grade is the location of the classroom. I will be very close to the office, teachers’ lounge, copier, restroom, and parking lot. I need to become familiar with the sixth grade curriculum, but I figure if I can do seventh grade, I should be able to do sixth grade. Some of my summer reading will be spent reading sixth grade textbooks.

The saying, “Change is as good as a rest,” has me hoping that next year will be invigorating. In that sense it will be refreshing. I am now looking forward to a new and exciting year.