Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving art by Ethan

We say, ‘be thankful’ or ‘I am thankful.’

We ask our children ‘what are you thankful for?’

The question few people ask is, ‘WHO am I thankful to?’

I teach in public schools where this question is taboo. In this month of November we wrote poems, essays, lists and drew pictures of all the things we were thankful for without ever mentioning WHO exactly we were thanking. This is disconcerting to me.

Well, at the least, you would expect that schools teach students about Thanksgiving with historical accuracy. Sure, except you would have to search textbooks and children’s books on Thanksgiving with copyright dates that precede 1960 (or so) to find any references to God.

In 1621 the pilgrims did not celebrate bounty, they celebrated God’s provision. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln did not declare Thanksgiving a national day of ‘thankfulness.’ Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it, in his own words, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who [dwells] in the heavens.” Omitting God’s name from the historical account of this holiday is historically inaccurate.

This Thanksgiving, I am reminding my children that we are thankful to God.

This week I cannot shake the passage of Joshua chapter 4 from my mind, where God instructs the Israelites to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River. The key to being thankful is remembering. The stones were to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever of God’s power and goodness. As we thank God, may we remember all of His great works.

This Thanksgiving, while we count our blessings, let's begin our list by saying, “TO GOD, I am thankful for…”

Bates Nut Farm

This Saturday the boys and I visited Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center, CA. It is about 45 minutes from where we live, without including getting lost (which I did). It was well worth the drive and I was glad to have taken my camera along. It was spectacular. This is a HUGE pumpkin patch with a variety of pumpkins to choose from, including the Big Macs you see in the picture. The farm seems more like a country fair with tractor hayrides, a straw maze, petting zoo and much more. This farm's emphasis feels more like harvest than 'spookiness' which is wonderful. We're teaching the boys to enjoy the season without embracing the themes of darkness, evil and death that our culture promotes. I seized the opportunity on this day to remind the boys that God, our creator, is a God of light, goodness, and life.  

The boys loved the maze, loved choosing a pumpkin of their own to bring home.

Visit the farm's website at www.batesnutfarm.biz/  :)  

Emotive Stick Figures

My six year old son, E, has found a new outlet for his emotions: stick figure sketches. E is a very expressive child. His mood is always intense.
When he's happy, he's dancing around, hugging, singing, giggling, laughing, making others laugh, jumping off couches, telling me he loves me.
When he's angry, he assumes a perpetual frown, he gives the silent treatment (or devises a worse way to punish you), he will refuse everything (he is un-bribeable) and he can stay this way for an extended period of time.
And, well, he's never quite anything in-between. Recently, he began drawing stick figures, all with something in common... they are all packed with emotion. Well, at least with as much emotion as a stick figure can capture. Here's a few:

This is Ethan, age six. He drew this happy self-portrait at school. He loves his teacher this year. She is firm and he is blossoming with the structure she provides.

"It is the fall. This is me jumping with my hair sticking up... weeee into the leaf pile" -Ethan

E drew this after completing his phonics computer lesson at home. He is the one working on the computer. I am on the couch (see my curly hair?). J is showing me his homework and I (on the couch) am upset that it is late and he still has not finished it. I have never looked this bad in a picture before.

This is J and dad on the couch and E standing nearby. My boys love spending time with their dad. Notice how E always draws himself larger than his older brother.

I found this one on E's bed while tucking him in at night. When he saw that I had discovered it, he snatched it from my hand and starting giggling and laughing mischievously. Yes, he looked just the way he does in his sketch. It was hilarious. It made me wonder what he was plotting as he drew it.

This is my favorite. It is a highlighter drawing of his school with the bell ringing. E is walking towards the school (see the arrow?). His mouth, in case you can't see it, is in a wide open yawn. (Double-click on picture to see enlarged image.)
"I am going to school and I am so sleepy. My feet aren't runny [don't feel like running] and the bell in the school is ringing." -Ethan
The day he drew this I had subbed at the middle school and had woken him an hour earlier than usual.

This is E arguing with his older brother. E is either aware of depth perception and his brother (crying) is in the background or E just perceives himself as bigger. When they argue, J, often ends up crying. E gets in trouble for picking on his older brother while J gets in trouble for not standing up to his younger brother. E drew this while in time-out- for this very offense.

Here, E drew his family. E is the one holding our pet parrot, Theodore. My hair is long and curly. J has sticky-up hair. E's hair is thin and limp. Dad has short hair. We all have big smiles :)

More Labor Day Weekend Trip Images

There are countless beautiful spots to visit in Yosemite. I think it's important to just choose one, take it in, and own it for the day. This picture definitely captures a 'carpe diem' moment. We pulled over on the side of the road, adjacent to the Merced River (in the valley) at an indistinct random location. There was no reasonable access to the river down its bank from the road above it. Yet we trekked down the slope, over rocks, to reach the water's edge, young children and all. Since it was hardly planned, the boys waded in the water in the shorts they happened to be wearing, they took off their t-shirts and we smothered them with sunscreen. Tere and I climbed down first and with help, climbed onto a huge boulder in the river for a picture. Everyone relaxed-- cellphone and watch-free. The recurring water ripples, eddies, and currents of the river seemed to have a time-warping effect. The perfect setting to seize the day. Soon, the men had their fishing lines in the water. They didn't catch a thing-- but don't you think E looks great trying?

Can you believe that we drove to San Francisco the Monday following that same weekend? It was our first time in the San Francisco. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, took many pictures, and had Clam Chowder at Pier 39. Yum-o. 
picture: Ethan w/ binoculars

I had to take a picture of the fields as we drove through the central valley... even if it could only be a drive-by picture. I am a would-be 4th generation farm worker. Would-be because I have never worked in the fields or any farm for that matter. My great grandfathers, grandparents, and father, however, did. 
My paternal grandmother worked in one of the field kitchens where farm workers were given meals while her father (my great-grandfather) worked in the field. This is where she met a young field hand, my grandfather. I often think about how she met him serving his food and how she continues to serve him food religiously three times a day to this day. She spends the majority of her day, each day, preparing meals, but you will never see her sit down to a meal. She eats standing in the kitchen, eating on the fly, as she keeps the warm tortillas coming. 
My maternal great grandfather was a migrant worker and temporarily came to work in the U.S. on a seasonal basis but never settled here. My maternal grandparents, as my paternal grandfather, came to work in the U.S. by way of the Bracero Program (legal importation of temporary contract laborers from Mexico to the United States).  Unlike, my great-grandparents however, they moved to the U.S. and raised their youngest children here. My parents were not among those younger children. They would immigrate here as adults. My father was a farm worker initially, but only a year or two, not his whole life as my grandparents before him.
I have childhood memories of staying with my paternal grandmother to keep her company, while my grandfather spent time away during the seasonal harvests. He'd return with boxes of grapes, large sacks of raisins and half a dozen or more watermelons.
I also have memories of visiting my maternal grandparents while they lived and worked in Delano, CA. My memory of it is extremely hyper-sensory. The feeling of my ears popping, plugging and un-plugging as we drove over the Sierra Mountains. The pungent smell of fertilizer, like rotten grass, when we pulled up to my grandparent's house and we first opened the car door. The inescapable dry heat of the day. The smell and flavors of the fruit that always seemed to sit around in boxes everywhere around their home. Memories of pulling cherries in a cherry orchard. We ate cherries until they made us sick that day. Memories of my grandfather sleeping on the living room floor and grabbing hold of my ankle (as a game) as I quickly walked by to avoid being caught by him.  
And then there's all the stories that my grandparents tell. Of crossing the border on foot. Of the different places they worked in, the various crops. The nostalgia they now feel, retired, and living in Mexico. Of the day that César Chávez died, of his funeral, of his good deeds. Of how so many who they knew have now died from various cancers, which some attribute to the toxins they were exposed to in the fields. (Okay, I'll try not to end on that note.)
There's a personal history that I embrace when I see these fields. 
I feel a combined sense of obligation and pride to narrate my grandparent's story of hard work, endurance, and survival-- to my sons, and to you :) But, perhaps in more detail, another time. 

Yosemite, Labor Day Weekend 2010

After spending Friday morning in Sequoia, we drove to Yosemite where we stayed Friday night through Sunday. This was our first late-summer visit to Yosemite National Park. The valley seemed greener than I remembered it. Most striking though, was to see the granite wall of Yosemite Falls dry.

We stayed at Yosemite View Lodge, in Merced, CA-- just two miles from the park entrance. Our suite had a pristine view of the Merced River (the same that runs through Yosemite valley). 

At night, E and I stepped out onto the balcony to gape at the night sky (unlike anything we can ever see at home). The stars, … plentiful. In some spots so small and clustered that they looked like streaks of foam across the sky. I tried to take in the dark silhouettes that the tall conifers cast onto the mountains and then that the mountains cast onto the sky, as E pointed them out.  All the while I wondered if I should ask E if he remembered what day it would be Sunday. It would be our sweet Ava’s 4^th birthday. I think he knew.  

On Saturday, our party of 13 went to the visitor center and rode the valley shuttle to the foot of John Muir Trail. From there, we hiked it to Vernal Falls. Not for the faint of heart! A large portion of the trail consists of steep, haphazardly arranged, stone steps. We were rewarded with beautiful sights, including the one of the rainbow, at the top of this post. When we reached Vernal Falls the boys and men swam and slid down a massive rock into a large pool below the falls. Despite the warm day, the water was cold-cold.

Yosemite, Labor Day Weekend 2010

We stayed at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal, right outside Yosemite (, Friday and Saturday night.

Sequoia, Labor Day Weekend 2010

On Friday at about 12 am (yes, thursday midnight) we drove to Sequoia National Park accompanied by two other families from the church we attend. By sunrise, we were inside the park. The last time we were here was in April of 2008. Each time is just as awe inspiring. For the boys it was their second 'first time.' E especially, had no memory of the last time he had been here at the age of 4. The families that went, including ourselves, have two boys each, ranging in age from 2 to 9. One of the brothers (this is how we affectionally refer to our brothers in Christ) that accompanied us is a professional photographer. His camera was able to capture the massive General Sherman tree in one shot! General Sherman is the largest tree (by volume) in the world. According to Wikipedia, General Sherman stands 274.9 feet tall and its circumference (at ground) is 102.6 feet. You really need to see it in person to appreciate its massive size. The short hike to reach it was beautiful. The boys picked and ate wild rasberries that bordered the path. I'm not sure if we were supposed to, but they were delicious, no one got sick, and there were no black bears present to protest. We even got to see a young male deer up-close. He seemed very calm and not concerned at all with our proximity. The chipmunks though, were my favorite.

Dyslexia

My eight year old son is a genius. I've known it all along. J is talented in drawing, creative thinking, music, math, puzzles and has a great appreciation for art and beauty.

Sure, he didn't begin to speak until he was three years old, but when he did, we suddenly discovered he was able to count and recite the whole alphabet... as if he had been waiting to perform for us until he had it down solid.

He created his own language. Only close family knew all of his made-up words, gaga for milk and at least twenty others. His favorite toy was a three-dimensional block brainteaser puzzle that he loved to take apart.

I read to him every day and as a toddler he memorized his favorite books. I have a video of him 'reading' (reciting pages from memory) to his baby brother at age three. His attention span, as a toddler, amazed me. He would easily sit through 5 books and ask for more.

When coloring, he would use either hand. If the crayons were closest to his left hand, he would color with his left. I started teaching him how to write his name very early, one letter at a time. I taught him how to hold a pencil with his right hand and it eventually became his dominant hand.

Once he could write his name, however, he would often begin writing on the right side of the page. When he did this, he wrote each letter from right to left, in order, in perfect mirror image. I discouraged him from writing that way but was simultaneously amazed that he was even able to do it. All I had to do was to point to the left side of the page, tell him to start there and then he would write his name correctly, each letter in order and facing the right way. As a second grade teacher, I had seen many students reverse bs and d's or other letters, but never a whole word in perfect mirror image.

I was, and am, astonished at how well he can remember events but equally puzzled when he will not recall people’s names. My younger son could always tell me his Sunday-school teachers’ names and other children’s names while J seems uninterested in this type of information.

In Kindergarten and first grade, J was in the higher reading groups and did well. Sometime between first grade and now, however, I feel that his growth in reading has plateaued, stagnated.

I wondered if he had become lazy and I really began to get on his case about guessing at words, substituting words, and his overall inconsistency in reading. At the same time, I noticed how poorly his performance was in spelling and how it was becoming increasingly worse, despite my efforts to help him at home.

After exhausting all the ways I knew to help his spelling, I searched for alternative methods online-- that's when I came across information on dyslexia.

I was beside myself. Many things that J does are actually signs associated with dyslexia.

It seems to me that J has been able to compensate for his difficulties, until recently, with his excellent memory, but they are catching up with him.

I believe that Josiah's trouble with hearing individual sounds, speaking, decoding, and spelling are symptoms of an underlying and related cause. Inability to decode new words in isolation (or nonsense words) is one of the larger indicators for dyslexia.

After debating all week about whether I really want to put him through the testing and identification process, I still don't know. There are two things that I fear... I would rather help him at home than have him pulled-out of class often and I would not like our expectations for his performance to be diminished on the basis of some diagnosis.

I spoke to his teachers at school and, though they have noticed some of the things I witness at home, they do not seem to be worried about Josiah’s progress. J is, after all, getting–by fairly well by general standards and he is exceeding expectations in math, behavior, and other areas. One of his teachers also mentioned that in the current financial crunch, even some students that ‘really do need special assistance’ aren’t receiving services.

In the meantime I’m coming up with ways to help him myself. I already read to him everyday, and he reads to me. We already spend time each week studying his spelling words, writing them many times over. Somehow though, language does not come intuitively to J. From the information I have gathered so far on dyslexia, it is clear to me that J needs explicit phonics instruction. Even as a credentialed teacher, I do not feel competent enough to teach my child phonics in a systematic way without the assistance of an already-made program. “Whole Language” reading instruction made a lot of sense for me when I read about it at school, but would clearly fail someone like my son.

For now I’ve ordered the book titled, The Everything Parent's Guide To Children With Dyslexia: All You Need To Ensure Your Child's Success (Everything: Parenting and Family), and am anxiously waiting for its arrival. While there exists various phonics programs for dyslexic children, I searched harder for something I could obtain for free to get me started. I came across, www.thephonicspage.org. I am ecstatic! The website provides free phonics lessons in QuickTime movie format, 32 lessons in all—about 15 hours of pure gold! J and I sat through lesson one yesterday and it was more than wonderful. The lesson included spelling instruction and even incorporates the bible into its lessons. I sat next to J, paused the movie to give him extra time, and praised him all along the way. Along with this, I plan to continue to read to him selections beyond his reading level. I read to him and E (5 year-old) from The Book of Virtues by William Bennet, daily Bible devotions and we are on chapter 8 of the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia Books series. I do this for a couple of reasons; to instill the Word of God in my children’s hearts, for their vocabulary development and because we all love this time together. My youngest son, who is equally a prodigy, is a reader, he often says, “mom, I love to read!” My challenges with him are of a different nature, which I will venture into at a later time.

Any advice as to J’s suspected dyslexia? Is this dyslexia?