Learning things

Conversation with Sarah on the way to gymnastics.
Sarah: I've learned so much at school that I never learned at home.
Me: Like what?
S: Like how straws work.
M: Oh. Well, I guess that's good to know.
S: And how air pressure works.
M: I taught you that. Remember the experiment we did with the balloons lifting the pile of books?
S: Oh yeah.  I also learned that there's a census every ten years.
M: I taught you that at home.  You just weren't listening.
S: And that you have to be born in the United States to be President.
M: Yes, I never told you that, because I didn't want you to know.  I was hoping that stupid law would be changed before you found out about it.

Am I qualified?

Over the last 16 years, people have asked if I'm qualified to teach __________ (fill in the blank with whatever I'm currently teaching).  When my kids were in second grade, I was a second grade teacher, and people would say, "Do you have a teaching certificate?"  I don't, but I think I can handle the second grade curriculum.  I have to keep learning and growing and changing as my kids do, so when they were in fifth grade, I had to become a fifth grade teacher.  The academic side of homeschooling has never been super difficult, but now that I have a student in high school, it's challenging.  It's been 30 years since I was in high school, and I don't remember it being this hard.  I have to be a high school English, biology, history, foreign language, driver's ed, P.E., and math teacher, whereas I had a different teacher for each of those subjects.  I have to do a lot of planning, reading ahead, and studying in order to know all this stuff well enough to teach it.  It sure makes me use my brain! 

Most often, the "Are you qualified?" question comes in the form of: "Are you qualified to teach higher math?"   I got A's in math in high school, but my college degree is in English.  Honestly, the subject I've had the most trouble teaching has been math.  I like it, but sometimes there's a problem I have trouble figuring out.  Usually if I spend extra time studying the student book and the teacher's manual, I can do it, but if I can't, I ask the principal to look at it.  Sometimes he gets it or we talk it out together and get it.  Once I had to ask a friend for help with a biology problem.  Sometimes I can google an answer.  But there have two or three times when I've had to take it to the next level, which is emailing the guy who wrote the curriculum.  I established a relationship with him a few years ago when I wrote to the company about a problem with the curriculum, and they connected me directly with him.  We exchanged several emails.  He is very smart, patient, thorough, and open to my questions and comments.  When there is something I can't figure out, he'll send me a long, detailed explanation. 

So am I qualified for this huge responsibility?  I don't have a degree in education, and I don't have a teacher's certificate, but I love my students and want the best for them; I'm committed to them; and if I don't know the answers, I know how to find them. 

crossing over

I love it when subjects overlap.  Noah likes biology but hates math.  Today I found a way to bring biology into algebra, and he liked it!  I was teaching him how to multiply binomials.  I taught a vertical method that he wasn't fond of, so I taught a horizontal method that he liked better but still wasn't really connecting.  I remembered that he liked the Punnett squares from our study of genetics, so I brought that into our algebra lesson.

Just replace the alleles with the terms of the binomials, and there you go!  He understood it and actually said it was fun.  :) 

Making new vegans in high school English

Part of Noah's English class today.
Me: Make up a sentence that includes an elliptical adverb clause that does not use a subordinating conjunction.
N: When baking cookies, Maria uses vegan butter.
M: Good!  By the way, who is Maria?
N:  I don't know.  I made her up.
M: I thought you'd use Nerma or Ann or me.  (the only vegans he knows)
N:  Well, Maria is the first one who came to mind.
M: Yay!  A new vegan!