Winding Down

The school year is winding down, as this coming week is supposed to be our last.  We've learned a lot this year.  I've taught Jay Wile's Chemistry to Andrew, and every time I do that, I have to relearn stoichiometry and moles; I forget them every three years for some reason.  :)

I have so many ideas for the kids to learn throughout the summer; it troubles me that it's such a hard sell.  They don't want to learn how to run a small business, or play piano by ear, or sight sing, or build a cabinet, or cook unique and delicious things.  They just want to play sports and video games!  At least they want to play sports, not just video games...

The other thing I've noticed recently is the amount of time I spend teaching Andrew and Philip.  I feel like I spend as much time teaching now as I did when I had six students.  Hope it means they're getting a better education!

Learning Curves

On Thursday night we watched with pride as third-stringer Andrew caught two touchdown receptions for the ninth grade "B" team.  With over forty ninth-graders on the football team, the coaches have limited his play in the first two games to three downs.   Head Coach Brett Aamot assured us that because this is his first year, he is constantly thinking about the plays instead of reacting to the situation or looking for the ball, and he will improve dramatically once the plays become second nature.  Pete observed a noticeable boost in his skills and participation since the Hutchinson scrimmage three weeks ago.

Today I chatted with Michelle on the phone, and we agreed that she is in the same boat.  She's supposed to give "participation" and "behavior" points to use for grading in addition to academic work.  However, she's so busy thinking about how to teach the class that she can't notice who's participating.  Though she certainly notices who's misbehaving, she struggles to think of methods of discipline while concentrating on presenting the lesson and speaking Spanish.   She confessed, "I'm not used to doing something I"m not that good at."  And it has been a long time since she had to work hard at something.  She loves a challenge, though, and will rise to this one.

Learning curves aren't fun, but they're important.  When we persevere through the curve, we gain knowledge and skill, but more importantly, the character quality of perseverance.

Learning New Skills

This morning the kids and I spent three hours in the office at Gorans Bros., learning CPR from a Ridgewater College instructor with a video curriculum.  I made the kids go to bed on time last night, saying, "We have this class in the morning and I don't want you falling asleep in the middle of it."  No worries.  The video instructor was fairly interesting and very repetitive, because he wanted us to be sure to remember the basic points:

1.  Compressions are the key.  You must push the chest down two inches with each compression and let the chest rise to its natural state in between.

2.  The first compressions are the most effective, so if there is another trained person around, be sure to take turns at least every two minutes so you give good CPR.

3.  Do 30 compressions, at least 100/min., and then give two breaths, making sure the chest rises with each breath.

4.  Start compressions right away, asking someone else to call 911 and find an AED defibrillator.  If you are alone, call 911 first, unless it's a child; then start compressions first because they often recover well.

All of this was interspersed with practice on mannequins.  We had only twelve in the class, so were able to share a mannequin with just one other person.  They also had AED training kits so we were able to practice hooking up the pads, staying clear, and pushing the shock button.  I didn't know that the goal of the AED was to STOP the heart, so that the body's natural re-starter would get it going in the right rhythm again.  The other things to remember before hooking up the pads were:  shave away excess hair; wipe away excess moisture and get the patient out of a wet environment; and remove any metal (underwire bras or necklaces).   Otherwise the AED gives its own instructions.

It was quite effective, as you can see, and quite fascinating.  I took a CPR class in college, but remember virtually nothing, so this was a great refresher.  We had everyone from 11-year-old Philip to Kim and Pete in their fifties, and everyone was able to learn new skills.