Algebra!!

Today I was helping Amy to review for her Algebra test. Since she is a kinesthic learner I had her use the dry erase board and instead of x's and y's as variables I chose to use sunshine and smiley face symbols. She can relate to those more than x's and y's. So in the middle of one problem I asked her how would the product of 5 plus smiley face and sunshine be written? (of course I used the symbols!) So she wrote the sentence as "5 smileyshines." We had a nice laugh over that, but the point is that she grasped the concepts. I explained to her that if she comes across an algebraic sentence that has variables which confuse her, replace those variables with symbols that she likes. It can be anything from Howard the Duck to a rainbow. It made her feel as if she was in control of the algebra, (which she is) and not the other way around. This is another reason I love having her home...being able to teach her concepts in a way that she actually learns.
Smileyshine for now!!

Dust is settling

So, Amy got off to a very bumpy start. Her schedule was just too overwhelming with honors classes as well as a class that she chose to take as a freshman but actually should not be taking until her sophmore year. The first week she was working until 9:00 p.m., not finishing, stressing out and just plain hating school.
After a quick consult with her counselor within 45 minutes her schedule had been changed and within a day I had my carefree daughter back. Love Connections!!
Amy is finding that this year Biology will be her toughest course. The teacher, Ms. Patzin, is super, but she is also super tough and the curriculum is very demanding. Amys favorite class is definitely Digital Photography-I think she will finish that class early because she ends up completing two or three assignments each time it is scheduled.
On a side note, we are leaving for a family vacation to Hawaii in two weeks (can't wait, have never been!!) And Amys teachers have been great about working with her to either work ahead, take some work with her for the plane trip or just catch up when she gets back.
So, goodbye to Summer, hello to Fall and it looks like the beginning of a great freshman year!