Palpatine: “You don’t need guidance, Anakin. In time, you will learn to trust your feelings. Then, you will be invincible. I have said it many times, you are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met.”
Anakin: “Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Palpatine: “I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, Anakin. Even more powerful than Master Yoda.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
There’s nothing like knowing your kid is off doing something important that you have absolutely NO control over. Not that I have control issues or anything. Me? No, never. Oi vey. I’m a right regular basket case this morning.
Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Modern English, (vintage) U2, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure, Men Without Hats, INXS - I’m filling myself up with the comfort music of my high school and university years on Pandora Radio to keep myself sane. OK, I’ve just seriously dated myself. If I end up cutting my hair asymmetrically and dying it flame red, you’ll know why. Seriously, I really, really want to have flame read hair again. I blame that mostly on Ramona from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
And tea, I’m drinking vats of tea: Santa’s Secret from my dear friend, Eileen Cook. This may or may not be a good idea as it’s packed full of caffeine and has real, miniature candy canes pieces scattered through out the mix, but that’s not going to stop me. I received a Saeco Electric Water Kettle
Padawan Learner is taking the first half of his very first mid-term exam today, the verbal Italian segment. I spent all last night saying, “Shouldn’t you be studying for that Italian test?” only to keep hearing, “No, it’s under control.” He glanced over his notes, made a few pretty sounding utterances (strange, I know, but I really miss hearing those guttural G’s from his Dutch-language days), and watching an episode each of The Big Bang Theory and CSI before going to bed. Who IS this child and how could he have ever come from Dad Windu’s and my DNA? I was a compulsive study-freak in school and I’m pretty sure DW was too. I kept thinking – but thankfully not screaming out – “What the blazes does that have to do with anything? ” In the end, I went and finished up my latest library find (Death of a Valentine
I really don’t have reason to worry too much, PL is doing well in his Energy and Italian classes, but I think one of the underlying reasons is that I feel a fair bit of pressure due to the fact that this is his first leap into the unknown of what is commonly referred to as “real school” by family and friends that were not terribly homeschool-friendly in the first place. This semester has felt like it is, in their eyes (and I fully admit that I could be completely projecting my own insecurities onto others here), the proof in the pudding of homeschooling in general and of our homeschool family in particular. How about you other homeschool to traditional school or duel-enrollment folk? Did you experience this the first time one of your kids started thinking inside the educational box?
OK, on to other things now. Like those dust bunnies lurking in the bathroom and under the beds. Time to slay them all.
It is great music though
Sounds nerve-wracking, but I look forward to being there one day too
Yup. All these years of telling the relatives, “No, we don’t focus on GRADES, we focus on LEARNING…”, and now that Lobot is doing well in his Chem class, I just want to crow about his A average, and yet I can’t. (Smugness, meet Karma.) And yeah, I spent the first two months of the year asking, “don’t you have Chem to do? Are you done with Chem? Do you think you’ve studied enough? What’s your grade *today*?” Because I’m sure that was TOTALLY helpful, don’t you think?
I’m sure that PL will either a) do really well, or b) not do well, and learn that he needs to study more. In either case, learning has taken place.
Doesn’t help with pacifying the relatives or your own internal angst, though… sorry. You would look cute with flame-red hair, however.
OMG you totally just described life between Baby Boy and myself. I am a pscycho-study-all-the-time kind of person, and he’s a read-and-let-simmer type of person. I hate it when I know he has a test and he isn’t up all night wringing his hands and cramming. I guess I’m missing out of the irony that I taught him to take plenty of notes, learn, and prepare along the way so he won’t have to cram. *SIGH*
I hear you on the vindication-schooling. It has worked out for us, but those first couple of semesters were VERY touch and go!
Love that Santa tea.
Hate the study stress. Here’s hoping he knocked it out of the park. If not there is still plenty of time for him to develop study OCD like the rest of us.
OMG – I didn’t know you know Eileen. Not that I really KNOW Eileen but I do belong to the same RWA chapter & I once sat beside her at dinner at conference. I probably said nothing, agog at hobnobbing with the talented & glamorous…..
As for your student – I think ScoutMom speaks wise words. Right down to the hair advice…..
Andy and I had this discussion after his first few weeks of his first community college course last semester. He only got a B in the course, and that was FINE ((gulp!!)) with him. He said he was learning what he needed to know…paying attention to the parts that would help him in the future, and letting the rest go. Okay, so that sounds really smart and stress-free and low-key, and all that, but…but…but… Doesn’t he understand that he doesn’t really GET the whole freakin’ college experience if he doesn’t stay up till 2am throwing back Volt Colas (yes, dating MYSELF there) and studying until he is absolutely sure he will ace the thing??!! I nearly gave myself an aneurism trying to get As on everything in college. I graduated with a 3.90 grade point average and my first grey hairs (not kidding…I started prematurely going grey in COLLEGE!). And not one single employer has ever asked me what grade point average I got…and believe me, I’ve hinted till I’m blue in the face, but nada. Zero interest in my grades. So, I decided that if he wants to get C’s and watch Big Bang Theory, and still graduates with some kind of degree and no grey hairs in the future that homeschooling will have been a success story for him.
We have crazy living here right now.. I would tell you her name but she would get offended. Japanese is killing me (er. her).. This kid I tell you. Mid terms are coming up and he is just breezing through like nothing. I tried to explain the study process. You remember study for 20 minutes take a 10 minute break and so forth. He just rolls his eyes. According to Christopher kids now a days are much more efficient (WHATEVER), then we were. He even takes notes with his I Touch. REALLY and that is allowed, because I think he is playing some stupid fart game and not really taking notes.. He is maintaining an A average but still. It really is just all to much…
Gulp. I was planning on doing some kind of preemptive prep work before the boy headed to middle school next year, but life is getting in the way. Plus, the boy wants to investigate humor and SEO instead. Looks like I’m going to need the de-stressing tea, perhaps with shots of something less healthful, in the fall.