Thursday, January 29, 2009

Figuring out the area of a Trapezoid

Okay- I'll just be flat out honest with you- I DO NOT LIKE MATH. I do not like math in a tree, on a bus, in a boat or with a goat. I just do not like math. What is hilarious is that I have to teach math to my children. Please understand me here when I say that I hate math. It makes no sort of sense to me. If I had the money I would hire out this part of the homeschool journey.

My sweet Emily has a knack for math. She really does. Despite her severe and profound dyslexia she is really good at it. She can see the 3-D aspect of the problem (I say that as if I knew what that meant). She holds all of these figures in her head and is irritated when I make her show her work. Now that the problems are getting a little more intense and involved it's much harder for her to hold them in her head and she's missing the problems about half the time.

Today, for the second day in a row, we attempted to find the area of a trapezoid. About half way through the lesson I could tell Emily knew exactly how to do the problem and she was struggling because she was trying to hold those numbers in her head. She is more than comfortable trying to figure out the problem this way. Even if it's the wrong answer. To her she doesn't see the importance of figuring it out on paper. She can do it this way most of the time, why not all the time?

Started me thinking....she is tripping over herself because of her strengths. Her strength is a good understanding of how math works- her weakness is her resistance to writing out the problems and showing her work.

I am so like that. My strengths become excuses for my laziness. Instead of grasping my strengths and being committed to nurturing them I lean on them at the expense of them. That is a story for another day!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Ugh! Not posting enough!

Okay- so 2009 is still new. It's only the end of January but I feel like I have already let you all down by not posting. I have been so encouraged to post more after reading so many great Blogs.

One I have to tell you about is a post called Audrey Caroline and here is the link http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com/. I can not tell you in accurate or appropriate words how wonderful this blog has been for me to read. If you check it out you must start at the beginning of the blog. Just to give you a heads up- you MUST not have on make-up when you read this blog. God is good and faithful I just don't give him the worship and credit due Him.

The girls and I are starting a memory verse challenge. If you'd like to join us we are starting with Psalms 143:8.