Changes

One phase is ending. I finished student teaching today: we move into a short term rental tomorrow. Another phase is beginning. I will begin training as an Educational Specialist to help others home school. I will be finding us a long term home, and most important of all I will be home with my children. I have missed them so much over the past nine weeks. I have my work cut out for me, though. They need some retraining, a lot more time away from the TV and involved with the family. A lot of their babysitters have used the TV as a helper and I am so glad that with this move we won't even have one in the house. I can't believe the phrases and attitudes they have picked up over the last nine weeks. After moving my first step will be to add back gentle rythms to our days. A half hour devotion time with the older children in the morning, a little bit of family study and cleaning, some quiet time after lunch, games after dinner and scriptures before bed. I'm hoping that this gentle schedule will heal some issues with the children and in our family. I pray for God's blessing on our summer phase.

I Got the Position

As most of you know I have been working on getting my teaching credential for the last three years with the hope of getting hired by South Sutter as an ES. I had my interview Thursday and they offered me the position yesterday. Some of you have expressed interest in having me as your ES next year, and I am so excited to be able to do this. I love home schooling, love to talk about it, give ideas and get them. I am aware there are many ways of teaching the same thing and so hope to be able to offer alternative ideas if you get stuck. I am adept at taking life experiences and turning them into the “educationalise” required by the state. I also realize that sometimes this can get hard, after all, next weekend will be our third move in less than a year, I have been attending full time school, working full time, and juggling home schooling three different ages of students while have their younger siblings in tow. Of course, this has not been our best year, but some years aren’t. So if you hit a rough patch I hope to be able to encourage you to keep going. I feel strongly that the benefits of home schooling are worth the effort it takes. I also feel that the goals for your child’s education should not be designed by the state, but by the parents, the child and God. I love the individuality that comes when we can look at a particular child, pray and then say, for this semester this child really needs to learn to use poetry as an expressive outlet for her emotions, or he needs to learn to lead some time of group or she needs to learn to care for a younger child. Then we are free to find the best resources and methods to achieve these goals, and this is where I hope I may be of service to those who need it.
So for those who would like to go through South Sutter to home school and want me as their ES, I have 15 spaces available. If you are signing up for the first time, go to http://www.sscs.cc/ and click on the application form under the How To Enroll tab. On page 2 under the optional information section, it says requested ES. That is where you put Melissa Calapp=). If you are in the school already and wish to switch ES’s you can go to the Parent information tab, click on parent forms and then parent requests for change of ES. If love your current ES, don’t switch though, because it is awesome when you find one that you can click with. The school has said they will only assign me students who specifically request me for the next six weeks, after that they will begin filling in my spaces with other students.
I am so excited for next school year. If I can help in anyway prior, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

Nanny Throws a Birthday Party

Tomorrow is Aubrey's birthday and Savannah's was a couple of days ago, so their grandma wanted to have a party for them at Girlfriendz. I thought this was more of a princess and tea party place, but it ended up being geared towards popular music, etc. They got to pick out outfits and then have their hair, makeup and nails done.

Here's Jenna getting her hair done.
Aubrey's hair is so thick it took the lady forever. She eventually just braided and wrapped the rest.
Aubrey preforms a solo, but since we don't listen to any of the music they had there she didn't know any of it, but she still had fun.
All of the girls pose.
Aubrey and her friend Heidi.
My dramatic daughter.

After they changed again, they got cute cupcakes and blew out candles.