Maxwell 36: Wearing What Some Might Call an Outer Garment While Dealing with Cancer in the Family

[usmcmom]

35 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I also have no idea how one would develop the vocabulary needed to be a good writer without being a voracious reader.  

I read all the time as a kid and when younger with a dictionary and notebook next to me because I loved "collecting" words I didn't know.  Yes, I was a word nerd, but I still get excited when I learn a cool new word. 

That they grew up without age appropriate fiction is criminal, imo.  

I SEVERELY agree! I absolutely love to read, always have, and am a Word Nerd. When someone uses a word I haven’t heard before, I say “Spell that,” so I can look it up. 
 

 
 

 

[Giraffe]

The world has changed since Stevie announced they’ll be attending the real church. Won’t surprise me if by next Sunday the church they were planning on attending has canceled services. 

[bluelady]

I'm a teacher who is currently off (this week is spring break and then we're home for the two weeks following although I'm sure it'll be longer) and I agree that for regular homeschoolers an hour is probably not enough.  But for people "forced" to homeschool I think it's fine.  We're in a stressful time and adding more stress by worrying about homeschool is not necessary.   Read with your kids.  Engage them in play.  Take them outside if you can.  In my opinion that's all that's needed right now.

[nokidsmom]

On 3/16/2020 at 5:08 PM, allyisyourpally5 said:

Their reaction to this virus, in my opinion, puts them firmly into the same category as the Anderson’s and many other fundies. Preaching and not helping. Constantly wanting prayers for themselves for big (Anna and all childbirths) but mostly small things (pray that window cleaning goes Well today, please pray that there’s enough people to help us make salad” but actually quite unwilling to give to others.

Amen to this.   You hit on the a common denominator that underlies these families' exterior no matter how different they seem from each other.    No matter how pretty they are (Bateseses is an example), no matter how godly they want to seem (Maxwells),  no matter how loudly they talk about Jebus, God, Bible, etc. at every opportunity (J-Rod), no matter how they present themselves, they talk the talk but don't walk the walk.  

Edited March 18, 2020 by nokidsmom
Fixed riffle

[NancyDrewFan1989]

The world really has changed. Teri did a post for families who are at home with their children while schools are shut down with ideas for them involving homeschooling and chores. With the exception of listing reading the bible a couple times, it actually makes (dare I type it) sense and with good ideas for keeping kids occupied. I never thought I would live to see the day where I agreed with Teri Maxwell on blog post about children staying at home. Never. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, mango_fandango said:

It’d also be a good idea to vary stuff, so some days you spend more time using a textbook, some days you do more fun stuff (eg watching a David Attenborough documentary for science/geography, or a history documentary, or even just a TV/film adaptation of a book/play you’re doing for English). 

But, but, but!  You forgot that David Attenborough believes in evolution and TV is THE BEAST!

[Palimpsest]

3 hours ago, bluelady said:

I'm a teacher who is currently off (this week is spring break and then we're home for the two weeks following although I'm sure it'll be longer) and I agree that for regular homeschoolers an hour is probably not enough.  But for people "forced" to homeschool I think it's fine.  We're in a stressful time and adding more stress by worrying about homeschool is not necessary.   Read with your kids.  Engage them in play.  Take them outside if you can.  In my opinion that's all that's needed right now.

You know, I think this is perfectly good short-term advice for very young children.  But, with respect, this is not necessarily a short-term situation.  And establishing continuity and routine, including for school work, helps in times of stress.  

By all means take Spring break, but parents can also use the time to plan for the next weeks, if not months.  I think they should be very concerned about establishing a long-term homeschooling routine, and encouraging their children to keep up academically. 

Public schools and teachers are trying to get up-to-speed with distance learning under considerable pressure during this crisis.  Parents should take advantage of their hard work when it is available.

And this is not a time to have children, even (or especially) elementary school children, goof off "hard" academic work completely.  Learning will keep them busy and occupied.  Reading is fantastic, but you don't want to send them back to school after this extended break having forgotten all their math.  When I taught elementary school (back when dinosaurs roamed the hills) we always had to start the school year revisiting math concepts the kids had forgotten over the summer.

It is time for parents to think outside the box and look for resources to help them teach their kids.   

There are a couple of far more useful articles for parents than Teri's little schedule below.  They contain some links to resources that may be helpful.  And luckily some internet providers are offering free services at the moment, although not everyone has access to computers,

https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/online-learning-wake-covid-19/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/most-schools-are-completely-unprepared-for-coronavirus-and-virtual-learning.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Palimpsest

[fundiefollower]

2 hours ago, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

The world really has changed. Teri did a post for families who are at home with their children while schools are shut down with ideas for them involving homeschooling and chores. With the exception of listing reading the bible a couple times, it actually makes (dare I type it) sense and with good ideas for keeping kids occupied. I never thought I would live to see the day where I agreed with Teri Maxwell on blog post about children staying at home. Never. 

I agree.  I read her post and thought it actually had some good advice.  Crazy.

I've been struggling with this because I am still required to go to work daily (I work in a combo State/Federal position with no current work at home possibility) and my 12 year old is home alone after my husband leaves for work at noon.  She has mostly just been face timing with friends and watching YouTube all day.   I may try writing out a schedule and having her follow it if this persists beyond this week (as it appears it will).  Maybe I'll have Alexa shout out some reminders to switch tasks during the day...... Lord help me I'm turning into the Maxwell's and the Mills! 

[fundiefan]

Teri's "advice" to families who do not homeschool is simple: Be like us, we know how to do everything right!

I know a lot of parents are probably scrambling how to handle school shutdowns, but they are the parents and they are not all morons. They can all make a plan without resorting to Teri's depression controlled way of life. 

I don't personally know anyone with young kids who are home right now, but I know our district and several in our area, are doing online school. So, um, education is being covered. As for the other time - parents who are actually engaged in their children's lives will find ways to deal with it. I think what falls to the sidelines in discussions regarding fundie homeschooling and the bajillion other ways parents raise their children is that all parents are NOT what fundies think they are. Most actually are engaged with their children's lives & learning & activities. Most DO know what their own children need, even at times of change & upheaval. 

We don't know how long this will last, and things will change and families will change with it. 

Yes, there are sadly too many children without engaged parents who won't do anything with or for their children during this time. But, Teri is not going to change that; those that aren't already preparing plans and ideas aren't going to go from zero to daily prayer & bible study. 

I guess I just like to give humanity & parents more credit. 

[PennySycamore]

@Palimpsest,  one of my daughters was asking a question about Common Core math last evening on Facebook,  She got some great answers which directed her to some online help as well as her sister saying that Robbie ought to FaceTime with her daughter who is four years ahead of Robbie.  There was the unhelpful suggestion to just forget Common Core though which I hope that my daughter will put in the dustbin where it belongs.

[usmcmom]

I don’t have kids at home so I probably should not comment on this current school crisis. But...here I go anyway.

What worked for me while raising kids was more a routine instead of a strict schedule.  We basically did things in the same order every day without a timeline.*  Naps and meals were basically at the same time every day but everything else just happened as our day flowed. Does that make sense?
 

I really don’t know how I’d handle a new homeschool routine being thrust upon me. I have thought about it a lot this week and I am pulling for all you parents right now. 

When my kids were pretty young and we participated in the local library’s summer reading program, we struggled because it was set up to be recorded in 15 minute increments instead of by number of books. My kids spent more time checking the time than reading. That’s when I realized a strict timeline just wasn’t for us. 

[anjulibai]

I bet this is another "possible good" that Steve sees coming from the coronavirus - parents deciding to homeschool and buying his books. I bet he's chomping at the bit to start packing MOTH books and ship them out. 

[Syriana]

Our schools close indefinitely on Friday, with most providing what will essentially be childcare for the children of essential personnel (medical/delivery/emergency services etc).  A lot of schools have been preparing for online teaching/putting resources online etc but there's going to a big problem for children who don't have their own computer and a solid internet connection.

[kpmom]

2 hours ago, fundiefollower said:

I agree.  I read her post and thought it actually had some good advice.  Crazy.

I've been struggling with this because I am still required to go to work daily (I work in a combo State/Federal position with no current work at home possibility) and my 12 year old is home alone after my husband leaves for work at noon.  She has mostly just been face timing with friends and watching YouTube all day.   I may try writing out a schedule and having her follow it if this persists beyond this week (as it appears it will).  Maybe I'll have Alexa shout out some reminders to switch tasks during the day...... Lord help me I'm turning into the Maxwell's and the Mills! 

My heart goes out to parents in your situation, @fundiefollower

I agree, unfortunately, this will not be a week or two event.

I wouldn't be surprised if schools remain closed for the remainder of the school year.

 

 

[Caroline]

4 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

You know, I think this is perfectly good short-term advice for very young children.  But, with respect, this is not necessarily a short-term situation.  And establishing continuity and routine, including for school work, helps in times of stress.  

By all means take Spring break, but parents can also use the time to plan for the next weeks, if not months.  I think they should be very concerned about establishing a long-term homeschooling routine, and encouraging their children to keep up academically. 

Public schools and teachers are trying to get up-to-speed with distance learning under considerable pressure during this crisis.  Parents should take advantage of their hard work when it is available.

And this is not a time to have children, even (or especially) elementary school children, goof off "hard" academic work completely.  Learning will keep them busy and occupied.  Reading is fantastic, but you don't want to send them back to school after this extended break having forgotten all their math.  When I taught elementary school (back when dinosaurs roamed the hills) we always had to start the school year revisiting math concepts the kids had forgotten over the summer.

It is time for parents to think outside the box and look for resources to help them teach their kids.   

There are a couple of far more useful articles for parents than Teri's little schedule below.  They contain some links to resources that may be helpful.  And luckily some internet providers are offering free services at the moment, although not everyone has access to computers,

https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/online-learning-wake-covid-19/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/most-schools-are-completely-unprepared-for-coronavirus-and-virtual-learning.

I just spent an incredibly stressful day, more stressful than I anticipated, just trying to understand  the fine points of finding reliable resources, learning how to change documents to Google documents, and a million other details that I've never had to really do on my own.  I was alone except for one other colleague on my floor because most of the other teachers were at home working because they have children.  She helped me a lot, but will not be there for the rest of the week because she is very nervous about being out of her home (She has a sister in Italy).  Thankfully, my 22 year old daughter will be here for the next few months and will help me with the technology assistance I need.  It is hard to concentrate on doing my job so differently while I try not to think about everything else going on.  I will do my best to keep my students moving forward, but I am imploring their parents to help them as much as possible.  This is not the way I thought the last few years of my career would go.   Sorry to whine, but things are so scary right now.  Any good news would be great.

[mango_fandango]

Yeah, the putting a schedule in place idea is a good idea. I was mainly snarking on the family devotions/Bible time points being the ones Teri mentions first. And the hour of academics was only an example, I think the Maxkids spent more time than that on their school, there are sample schedules on the blog somewhere. 
 

I have been searching for jobs but obviously there’s no point in that now. Maybe I can learn a new language on Duolingo or do some free online course in something.

At least UK schools are going to be closed now. They’ve cancelled the public exams (GCSEs and A Levels) too, it’s a damn shame for all the kids who’ve been working so hard, I have no idea how they’ll be graded. 

[Ali]

16 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

You know, I think this is perfectly good short-term advice for very young children.  But, with respect, this is not necessarily a short-term situation.  And establishing continuity and routine, including for school work, helps in times of stress.  

By all means take Spring break, but parents can also use the time to plan for the next weeks, if not months.  I think they should be very concerned about establishing a long-term homeschooling routine, and encouraging their children to keep up academically. 

Public schools and teachers are trying to get up-to-speed with distance learning under considerable pressure during this crisis.  Parents should take advantage of their hard work when it is available.

And this is not a time to have children, even (or especially) elementary school children, goof off "hard" academic work completely.  Learning will keep them busy and occupied.  Reading is fantastic, but you don't want to send them back to school after this extended break having forgotten all their math.  When I taught elementary school (back when dinosaurs roamed the hills) we always had to start the school year revisiting math concepts the kids had forgotten over the summer.

It is time for parents to think outside the box and look for resources to help them teach their kids.   

There are a couple of far more useful articles for parents than Teri's little schedule below.  They contain some links to resources that may be helpful.  And luckily some internet providers are offering free services at the moment, although not everyone has access to computers,

https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/online-learning-wake-covid-19/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/most-schools-are-completely-unprepared-for-coronavirus-and-virtual-learning.

This! I am a public school teacher who is basically being told to prepare for both returning to school and distance learning. I am trying to get my 4th grader used to a homeschooling routine just in case. Her teacher wants to her spend time on Khan Academy practicing math every weekday. If this is ongoing, I will work come up other math activities of her teacher does not provide them so she does not get too bored. The teacher wants them reading 30 minutes a day and writing 30 minutes a day. The benefit is she can use the time to learn about things that interest her. Yesterday she wanted to learn about lynx (a type of wild cat). She wrote down a bunch of facts. I would like her to use those facts to write a story today, so if anyone has any creative writing prompts.

[PennySycamore]

@Ali, I think that's very cool that your daughter wanted to learn about lynx.  I know we learned in ecology class that  the Canadian lynx population was tied to the population of snowshoes hares.  When there is an abundance of lynx, there are few hares and vice versa because the lynx is a specialist predator.  

Also, the ad for Blue Buffalo cat food that shows a lynx as the ancestor of the domestic cat is wrong.  The direct ancestor of the house cat is Felis lybiana, the Lybian wildcat.

[Quiverfulloftwins]

I am currently "distance learning" my twins who are in Kindergarten. If I only had one kid I could get done in an hour or two but, I have to alternate because so much of the work is reading aloud to an adult or demonstrating counting skills aloud to an adult and if I have them do the same thing at the same time they give each other the answers. (They are in different classes in school so that is not a problem at school.) I have had to set up centers and utilize educational youtube videos (Jack Hartman, go noodle and videos that review the Spanish that they learn.) while I am working with the other.  I used to teach but the youngest I taught was fourth grade.  We have been excited about live streams that places are providing.  Right now and everyday at one we are watching Mo Willems (children's author illustrator.) draw with me and at three everyday we have been watching the Cincinnati zoos livestream that teaches about a different animal every day.

Mo Willems @1pm (Kennedy Center youtube)

Cincinnati Zoo (Facebook live, Cincinnati Zoo and botanical garden) @3pm

[nvmbr02]

Our schools have been closed almost a week now but our district has a 2 week plus 1 day spring break so we have been on Spring Break so far and will only have 4 days off before the current proposed day for schools reopening. Since it is only 4 days  (which i realize is still a lot of school time lost) they don't have a formal plan in place for distance learning that has been announced. My middle and high schoolers do have assignments that a couple of teacher have asked students to complete if they are able and my elementary student's teacher has asked they read for 30 mins a day and practice their online math homework for 30 mins a day during those 4 days. There has been some talk about moving the rest of the year to distance learning, one proposal is moving to online classes, another is having the school bus drivers drop packets off at the bus stops for students (and students would return the completed packets to the drivers) and a third is a combo of the two. 

I don't have a plan yet since I don't know what our distance learning will look like. My basic plan is to set a time up for my elementary and middle schooler to do school work during the hours of their normal school day. They likely wont need the whole time, but I figure we will still try to stay somewhat normal. My high schooler works at a grocery store so she has been asked to come in for more hours. She is pretty self motivated and I have no doubt she will get her work done (and help me assist her siblings). She is also working very hard right now in a pretty thankless job for minimal pay.

[littlehouse]

15 hours ago, Ali said:

This! I am a public school teacher who is basically being told to prepare for both returning to school and distance learning. I am trying to get my 4th grader used to a homeschooling routine just in case. Her teacher wants to her spend time on Khan Academy practicing math every weekday. If this is ongoing, I will work come up other math activities of her teacher does not provide them so she does not get too bored. The teacher wants them reading 30 minutes a day and writing 30 minutes a day. The benefit is she can use the time to learn about things that interest her. Yesterday she wanted to learn about lynx (a type of wild cat). She wrote down a bunch of facts. I would like her to use those facts to write a story today, so if anyone has any creative writing prompts.

These are the prompts I used so far this week.  The best day ever.  Stinkiest Dessert.  The Deepest Snow.  The Deepest snow might work for the lynx.  We are keeping our stories light right now. 

However my grade 5 child is suppose to write a daily journal of how covid19 has changed her life.  She understands the severity of the situation as her dad is front lines.  She is struggling and is dealing with fears.  So I told her to write fluff entries.  More about what she has done during the day, not the emotional side of it.  We are talking about our fears, but writing them down right now is too much.  I did tell her that writing them down will help her release some of the fear, and maybe it will help someone else in their class voice their worry.  Not yet, but I am sure she will open up.

[Bethy]

On 3/18/2020 at 7:00 PM, anjulibai said:

I bet this is another "possible good" that Steve sees coming from the coronavirus - parents deciding to homeschool and buying his books. I bet he's chomping at the bit to start packing MOTH books and ship them out. 

I'm kind of surprised the Maxes acknowledged the shift in scheduling at all...that they didn't assume their entire readership is made up of MOTH-scheduling, son-preparing, great-conversationalist-making, Sweet Journeying moms who already homeschool because duh, it's the only way.

But yes, they're probably going to sell a few MOTH books as this drags on.

[Dandruff]

Wonder what's going on with Anna and potential cancer treatments.  Wasn't she supposed to get a second opinion awhile ago?

[Foudeb]

Cancer treatments might be suspended soon to make space for covid-19 patients sadly.

[Melissa1977]

Teri shouldn't be giving advice to ANY family.

How she homeschooled the 3 elder kids? Shutting them in a room until dad came home and teached them.

How she homeschooled the 5 youngest? Making them fill worksheets while Sarah cooked and cleaned the house.