Socratic Dragon

 I don't know exactly what TC issue is. Looking back he has always had a perseverance on things when they are not as he expects. For instance the 3 year old throwing over the table. And the little one who sat there challenging me after I had told him to do the thing...whatever it was. As with all people his greatest strength is his greatest weakness. His intensity pushes him to do well but when he encounters an obstacle he does not know how to handle it. He freaks out. He blows up. It happened yesterday. He came home from school and wanted to play his DS. I said, Ok. He got the thing and found that it was dead so he got the charging cord BUT the block that goes into the wall was missing. He flipped out. F bombs and carrying on. We should have taken the darn player and asked what the issue was but we didn't we helped him find the thing and go and play. With ski racing it began in January with expectations-WIN. 1st place. He could see it and feel it the same with the Kanc. When B...

 The bad cards include divorce and abandonment. I don't know if I ever felt that as a kid but it is true. I guess it isn't about whether I felt it but more about the reality of it. I did not know the words to express what I felt.  My childhood was pretty good despite being raised by a single mom. I had loving grandparents along with aunts, uncles and cousins who we saw quite often. Now I know that Bebe and Bare frequently helped mom financially during those hard years. I never knew it. Mom had a positive attitude and now that I know she was dealing with her own pain, it makes it even more amazing that she stayed so positive. Dad was an alcoholic until 40yo I think. When we visited him while he was still drinking, I think we must have stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Cook. I don't really remember much about it. I do know that I longed for my parents to get back together but it would never happen. I do recall he came to Michigan for Christmas when I was in 6th grade. He got dr...

 1. require camera to be on the student-to see body language and facial expressions. Camera must be on as it helps the energy in the class but make exceptions for those students with tech issues 2. Must wear pants, and do not change while the camera is on 3. Never take your device to the bathroom Running class 1. If possible, have an assistant to monitor the chat. You can disable private chat in zoom start with it off. Goal of classical education is conversation.  1. Asynchronous=video and kids watch later. Synchronous-meet at the same time 2. Have students bring questions to class 3. Drop Box, google drive, Canvas shared documents-one way. read book or chapter before class. the day before class have a shared doc where student needs to write 2 questions about the passage. Each student does this and posts to the doc. Add page number and list it.  This is more Socratic and it allows forethought. Also, have students read through the list of questions in advance.  ex: Na...

 https://www.capradio.org/articles/2019/06/04/what-happened-to-the-property-of-sacramentos-japanese-american-community-interned-during-world-war-ii/ Who bought their land? Where was their land? Was there an ulterior motive to get Japanese out of California and the land they were farming?  Japanese came to California in the 1880's due to labor shortages. 1882 Chinese exclusion act opened the door for immigration. Since they entered the US through San Francisco large settlements were there in the city 

 It's been 6 weeks (tomorrow) since our boy left for the Army. It has been a struggle for him, but he is in good spirits. He called on Thursday 8/13 @ 8:30 am to let us know he was doing well and in holding where they wake up at 3am and have to go to bed by 9pm. We are confused as to whether or not this is actually basic training. It sounds like the Army has implemented an additional quarantine called yellow phase before starting the red phase of basic. We will just keep praying for his safety and that everything keeps moving ahead smoothly. Yes, he is getting paid for all this waiting around. Yes, he is where he needs to be. No, he will not be coming home for Christmas. Who knows what will happen tomorrow let alone in December. We just have to pray and wait.  Our country is in such a spiral. I will not say downward because it is more like a funnel cloud that keeps swirling around in one place tearing up everything in its path. If Trump wins, maybe this tension will be relieve...

 Last weekend was busy and I did not come out with flying colors. Basically I spent my time driving back and forth from FA to the mountains. Watching both of Campbell's SL runs was awesome. It broke my heart that she did not finish her first run that was going to be a top 20! Ugh. Her GS was not good (50+) Black codes were not another form of slavery. Black codes restricted rights but it was not another form of slaver. Not only black people were affected by these codes, but white people could also not hire black people who might have worked for a lower wage.  If we fly in on Thursday June 1 I am horrible to mom. Did I feel this way before finding out about Nancy? I don't think so. I did not blame everything on my upbringing. Now that I see there was an option-adoption-I see that things could have been better. Yes, adoptees always wonder about their birth parents but children of single parents who never get involved know that they were abandoned. They know their story so they c...

 My mind has been focused on Tucker's challenging behavior. Although he has been better than last year, he is still getting in his way and killing himself with self-criticism and perfectionism. He is never happy with his races-even when he gets first place it feels like a relief to be done but he doesn't have joy from his success. This year he has been more in control with throwing poles (once) and just shutting down a few times when he does not have a winning run. Last weekend he finished the final few gates shaking his head which means he was not focused on the present moment. Either he was worried about a mistake in the past or the outcome in the future but not the present moment on the course.  Tucker talked with his coaches and they said the same thing. That Tucker is killing himself by being too hard on himself. In practice on Friday, he couldn't finish a run and that made him mad so he skied off and sat in the lodge. The answer should have been to take a few free run...

 March 7, 2023 Tuesday Well the season is coming to an end. Both kids have made it to pre-season championship events. Campbell with NH State Championship and Tucker at Eastern Finals. It is not what Tucker wanted but things did not go his way DNF Super G qualifier and a tough weekend at champs. Despite those let downs he is have a solid season. Hopefully he finishes it off with gusto.  Today Psalm 67 & 69 To the nations. Exhorting the people to praise God because God judges the nations righteously.  Psalm 69 is a psalm of deliverance. save me from the waters coming unto my soul. What are those waters? Waves of guilt, shame, isolation, and fear all wash over me and prevent me from seeing the many blessings we have been given. Gratitude is the antidote to selfishness and depression. "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee." That is the truth. Thou hast known my reproach and shame and my dishonor. God is merciful. When we are surrounded, he...