First Day of School

The two elementary kids started back to school yesterday.  For Lexi, it was an orientation day, so her first real day was today. 

Lexi is pretty insistent about dressing herself and doing her own hair right now.  I considered fighting her on it for about half a second... and then I came to my senses and was like duh who cares. 

They both like their teachers a lot so far, and so do I.  They really seem to be organized and know what they're doing, and it always makes me feel a little jealous that I don't know what I'm doing.  I wish I felt as on-the-ball as they seem.  I've been really wrestling with what truly matters for students to learn.  Each year I do, but this year probably more than ever.  What do students REALLY need to know, and how do I teach it?  I mean, the Common Core gives me things I have to teach.  But, for example, if I have to teach reading skills like main idea, I can use any type of fiction and nonfiction materials to do it.  So is it important to give them a foundation in classic literature?  It's a hard question.  I think everyone should read some Shakespeare.  But why?  Why do I feel that way?  Because I love it?  Or because it's important to the majority of them in their education?  Should we throw the Epic of Gilgamesh, Sundiata, the Bhagavad-Gita, Oedipus Rex, Julius Ceasar overboard?  My students would probably say yes.  But then I'll sometimes find little quotes from the Tao or the Analects or To Kill a Mockingbird copied inside of their journals and I think it's worth the angst and the "why-do-we-have-to" and the blank stares.  Hmmmm.... 

I've been thinking a little bit about something Lauralee posted... a RS lesson where they made a list of how the world sees women vs. how the Lord sees women.  We both had similar thoughts about it.  I was thinking, wouldn't it be much more interesting and instructive to make a 3-part list instead:  How Women See One Another, How the Media Sees/Portrays Women, and How the Lord Sees Women.  I would like to have that discussion.  Because I think that other women make each other feel much worse about themselves, and put much more pressure on each other to be perfect, and can be just as damaging to one another as "the world" is. 

I saw two headlines today that were an interesting juxtaposition in my head...  One was about Utah's bigamy laws and the Sister Wives people.  The other said that Mick Jagger had 7 kids by 4 women.  And I always think how silly it is that it's perfectly legal to have as many kids as you want by as many women as you want, as long as you don't consider all of those women your wives.  If you consider them your ho's or your baby mama's or marry them one-by-one and then divorce them, you're fine.  But if you move them all into your house together and try to care for them and everyone's happy, you're breaking the law.  I think that's stupid. I think that Sister Wives guy is creepy, and polygamy is definitely not for me.  But unless they're breaking the law and/or marrying off teenagers to their uncles and whatnot, leave them alone.  As a side note, I still maintain that I saw the Sister Wives guy at the South Pointe casino bowling last April. 

Sean and I have watched some awesomely terrible shows lately.  My favorite is a movie called Beer For My Horses.  It was written and starred in by Toby Keith and Rodney Carrington, also featuring appearances by Ted Nugent and Willie Nelson.  I think that says it all.  It was awesome.   At being terrible. 

I have just really done a whole lot of nothing lately.  I mean, I've done little things, but no big projects, nothing really productive outside of doing dishes, making meals, cleaning the house, etc.  I feel like I'm just gearing up for this next school year.  It's going to be so difficult, and I feel like I have to somehow stockpile energy for it.  I wish that were possible.