Letters from Home – Page 243 – A blog by Angela Ross

Tribute to Teachers Week: Wednesday

Each Wednesday morning this school year meant P.E. with Coach Pat (Patricia Graff) from Sports Kidz Arizona. Timothy and Daniel attended her class. Coach Pat is a very kind person and gave the kids a very good workout each week. She quickly learned the kids’ names and always had an encouraging word for them. Her job was not easy, trying to create a P.E. class for kids ages 5-17, but she did a great job. She began each class with a prayer and Bible recitation. She ended each class with a group cheer. Way to go, Coach Pat! Thank you!

Tribute to Teachers Week: Tuesday

Tuesday means art and pond work for our family. We have two teachers on Tuesdays, Sister Alyce Jones and Mrs. Rebecca Costello.

Alyce Jones has taught the kids to paint with oils and watercolors since June of 2008. We meet with her every few weeks on Tuesday afternoons. We like her approach to art teaching. She gives a few instructions and then encourages the kids to explore the art of painting. She has a huge art library in her home and she’s allowed the kids to borrow probably 20 books and several videos to help them. That reminds me, I need to return some of her best brushes that she loaned to Paige. She is like a grandmother to the kids, bringing them gum, sharing her cookies and never critical. She has taught the kids to enjoy painting and they have a lot of satisfaction from their work this year. My house is full of beautiful oil paintings by my favorite little people, thanks to Sister Jones. She is also very musical and attends the kids’ piano performances. She wrote the nicest note to the kids after she heard them sing in church. She also works at the Family History Center in Tucson and she helped us learn more about Family History there. We love you, Sister Jones!

Mrs. Rebecca Costello has been our aquatic ecosystem teacher this year at the community pond. Basically, she teaches the kids how to be water gardeners. She knows all about plants and fish and how maintain a pond. We spend one or two mornings a month with her, taking water samples, planting things, or just enjoying watching the pond. She is very knowledgeable and generous with her time. She’s a busy person, teaching her own son and meeting the demands of her job. It means a lot to us that she works so hard to see that the kids have meaningful activities. We appreciate how she has given the kids a real hands-on science experience this year. Daniel and Timothy look forward to wading in the pond, even if it means removing nasty filters that need to be cleaned. Thank you, Becky, for the time, the patience, your generosity and knowledge this year at the pond!

We have one more teacher on Tuesdays, but we’ll highlight her on Friday since she teaches on that day, too!

Tribute to Teachers Week: Monday

This is a week of tributes to the teachers in our children’s lives. Today we celebrate our Monday teachers, Mrs. Paulette Albertson and Mrs. Kay Ellett.

Mrs. Albertson is Paige and Daniel’s piano teacher. She challenges them and I know she cares. Her attention to detail and desire to help stand out as some of her strengths. I think it takes a special person to be a piano teacher. Mrs. Albertson, Thank you for the extra hours you devote to the kids, seeing that they have performance experiences, awards & even gifts at Christmas. Thank you for seeing that they are always well-prepared for their performances. Thank you for your time and your talents. We know the kids have learned many things from you.

Mrs. Kay Ellett (Miss Kay) is Paige’s pointe class teacher; in other words, she teaches Paige how to dance on her toes. Miss Kay is a mother of 5 and so she knows how to relate well to the teenagers in her class. Paige likes her because she is a fun person to be with. Paige likes how Miss Kay is willing to work with the girls on things, over and over until everyone “gets it,” even if it takes all of class time. Seeing to the needs of her students is most important to Miss Kay. She has a calm, confident way about her and she is very generous. Thank you, Miss Kay, for teaching Paige!

Mother’s Day

Tonight:

I will help myself to my Mother’s Day ice cream from the freezer and
Read this poem (by Daniel) again before I go to bed. (Can it get any better than this?)

Pond work

Today we spent some time at our neighborhood pond. It has been our homeschool club’s responsibility to care for it since September. What began as a sterile, empty hole in the ground is now a thriving aquatic ecosystem full of plants, fish and lots of insects. Today was a maintenance day. We cleaned filters and planted a few more plants. It was so hot, but we still had fun. These photos were taken by Paige.

Biography Dress Up

Today was the Biography Dress Up, hosted by our homeschool group in the library conference room. Paige and Daniel participated, each dressing up and reading a report about an ancestor. Paige presented Fanny Fry, her pioneer ancestor who crossed the plains in a handcart company as a teenager to join the Mormons in Utah. Daniel presented Daniel Spencer, another pioneer ancestor, and descendant of Pilgrims from the Mayflower.

There was a King Tut, an Annie Oakley, a Genghis Khan, Daniel Boone, Ronald Reagan, Christopher Columbus & more. Teddy Roosevelt came, but had to leave early because he threw up. Poor guy.

Happy 14th Anniversary

Daniel, the perfect herbivore

Said Daniel, on the way home from church, “I’m like the perfect herbivore right now. I’ve lost all my teeth that most closely resemble fangs.” (4/26/09)

(He also avoids most meat, no matter how many teeth he has.)

My hobby and my hero

I was busy this weekend publishing our homeschool newsletter. What’s inside? 78 poems, one comic strip, one watercolor painting, a historical essay, a literature essay, three drawings, 25 photos, and more! Everything is written by homeschoolers ages 6-17. It’s so rewarding to compile this each month.

We left Paige with the kids on Saturday night for Stake Conference and also Sunday night for my fireside. After 12 years it’s nice to be able to attend church meetings at night with Richard. She read bedtime stories to the boys until Mark fell asleep. Thank you, Paige!

You’re invited!

We’re doing an “encore” performance of the Ten Virgins musical program tomorrow, May 3 at 7:00-8:00 at my church. Look at these fun ladies. They sing like angels and they’re beautiful and the parable is so relevant for today. Come! I’ll be nervous, but it helps to look out and see friends smiling at me. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I play one of the foolish virgins.