A Day in the Life of a Teaching Assistant

A few months ago, I was asked to be a teaching assistant (TA) for my co-op's summer camp. I talked it over with my parents and was planning on it. Then, not long after that, the person who had contacted me ended up switching jobs to fill-in for a teacher who had to leave half way through the year. I didn't hear anything else about it, and I kind of assumed that I wouldn't be a TA after all.

    Surprise! Two weeks ago, I received a text-message from the camp director, asking if I was still interested in becoming a TA. I quickly filled out the forms I needed to, and got to join the group of other TAs and counselors at the summer camp! This week happens to be the first of five weeks of camp. So, here is a post about what my typical day looks like (Monday through Thursday, anyways). Hope you enjoy!

6:45 A.M. ~ My day starts around 6:45 a.m. I get up, get ready for the day, and pack my lunch if I need one (on some days I eat the food that the camp provides, but on some days I bring my own).

7:25 A.M. ~ At around 7:25, I leave the house and take the 45-minute drive across town to the camp. It's a far drive, but many of the things we do are far away, so I'm used to it now. I just recently got my drivers license, so now I get to drive myself.

8:10 A.M. ~ I usually arrive around 8:10, but it depends on the traffic (and how early I left, obviously). I do my Bible reading for the day, since I don't need to be inside until 8:30.

8:25 A.M. ~ After I finish reading, and I notice more people arriving, I go to the office to pick up my lanyard and meet the other TAs and counselors. Once students start to arrive, we break up and go to our separate jobs.

8:45-8:50 A.M. ~ The first group of students (3rd Graders) comes to our room. 

9:00 A.M. ~ Class starts. I'm helping in the creative movement room, so I help my teacher lead a short warm-up of jumping jacks, etc. Next we play some games where the students get to run around and move. We also demonstrate some short pieces of easy choreography for the students to learn, such as jumping and snapping their fingers to music. 

    There are six different classes throughout the day. We teach students from 2nd grade all the way to high school. Each class is around 50 minutes to an hour long. We get a 15 minute snack break and 30 minute lunch break each day.

3:00 P.M. ~ The last class leaves. After cleaning up any stray waters, etc., I go back to the office to drop off my lanyard and do any last minute things I need to do before leaving. Then, I go back to my car, which is always steaming after sitting in the summer heat all day. Sometimes I want to stick a thermometer in the car, just to find out how hot it really is!

    The air-conditioning doesn't work very well in the car I'm driving, which makes driving home a little interesting. I roll down the windows a little bit to help, but it's at least 100 degrees outside, so it doesn't do much. At least get a breeze.

And that pretty much sums up my day! When I get up in the morning, I wonder why I'm doing this. It's early to get up and a long day. But when I get to class and see everyone's smiling faces, and hear their laughter, and have children come up to me, who just want to talk to talk to someone, it makes it worth it.

Linnea 

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Ecclesiastes 9:10

A Review of the Curriculum I Use

Hello!  A few weeks ago, Lilly from A Daughter Serving the King posted about the different curriculums she uses for school. With her permission, I decided to do my own version of this post. So, today I am posting about the curriculum I used for my Junior year--11th grade. I will put links to each of the curriculums I used, as well as explain my thoughts on each one. As I mentioned last week, I'm planning on doing a couple of posts on school. But this one will be my first!    

    Since I don't necessarily recommend all of these, I'm hoping to publish a separate post on alternative curriculums I have used an found helpful. There are also certain subjects which I didn't have to do this year but still enjoyed when I did use them. I plan on posting those as well :-).

English

This year, I took AP Language and Composition through The Potter's School, which offers online classes for homeschoolers. This course is mostly for students planning on going to college, and at the end of the school year you have the option of taking an AP test to get college credit (though it's not required).

    Because The Potter's School is a Christian school, the class itself is taught from a (mostly) Biblical perspective (there were some things mentioned that I don't really see as completely Biblical). Unfortunately, none of the class resources are Christian (which is understandable since its preparing us for college). We mainly use AP Classroom (a resource from the College Board) and The Language of Composition textbook. AP Classroom is a fairly clean resource overall, though there are many secular readings woven in (some with an emphasis on science). I would recommend AP Classroom, but as far as I'm aware, it's not easily accessible for homeschoolers. Since I got my account through The Potter's School, I'm not sure how you would get an account individually. If you are interested in self-studying for the test, you can still access the Course and Exam Pages which offers a description of everything you should study, as well as practice questions for the test.

    As for the textbook, I don't really recommend it. It does offer helpful writing tips in the beginning of the book, but the rest of the book mostly just contains passages to practice close-reading on. While this is helpful for preparing for the test, most of the topics covered are controversial and written from a secular prospective. If you are serious about taking the AP test, and do want to read this book, I would highly recommend going through it with a Christian parent or teacher.    

Math

For Math, I use Teaching Textbook's Pre-Calculus course. I don't think that this is a Christian company, but I have used their math programs since about sixth grade, and I have never noticed anything controversial about the things they teach. Their program is easy to use, with lessons to complete everyday. There are also tests after every couple lessons. You can watch "lectures" to learn each day's material, or you can read the e-book that comes with it. Both seem to be great tools for learning the material, although I personally like the e-book because I can get through the lesson faster.

Spanish

This year I also took Spanish 3, also through the Potter's School. The main curriculum is written by one of the Spanish teachers, so as far as I'm aware, it's not available for public sale. Nonetheless, this has been the best curriculum I've ever used for Spanish. There are four different levels of classes, and if your family is OK with online classes, I would definitely recommend taking one of these (although they can be expensive). The main set of textbooks is written from a Biblical worldview. Some of the other resources are secular, but still mostly clean. The only thing I can think of that I felt a little bit uncomfortable with was that one of the Spanish 3 books included some myths and legends (sort of similar to the Greek myths and legends, just not from Greece). 

Psychology

This year I took another AP class: AP psychology. I also took it through The Potter's School, but you could probably easily self-study for the test. The resources we used were AP Classroom, and the textbook Understanding Psychology, 14th edition. Both of these resources are secular, so there are some controversial topics that I don't necessarily agree with or promote. Overall, most of the content was decent, but I would advise skipping Chapter 11 in the textbook entirely. It contains some very discreet and unnecessary information. I do not condone it in any way.

    The college board does offer Course and Exam Pages for this course as well. If you are interested in self-studying or just learning more about psychology, this is a helpful resource for sure.

Science

For science, I took Advanced Chemistry with my co-op. We use this textbook, and this textbook (I linked the updated edition since I couldn't find it in the edition I have). They are expensive if you buy them new, but I was able to buy both of them used, which reduced the cost significantly. I would recommend having a basic understanding of high school chemistry before diving into these books : ).

    We use these mostly as references, but I think both of these books could be used as actual curriculum. Unfortunately, both of these textbooks are secular, so they do follow evolutionary thinking, but I haven't noticed it as an overarching theme. Overall, they seem to be good for the most part, but I will warn you I haven't had the chance to read through them entirely. 

Economics/Government

In my state, I'm required to take one year of World history, one year of U.S. history, and half a year of both economics and U.S. government. Since I already finished World and U.S. history, this was my year to take economics and government. 

    For economics, I used Exploring Economics by Ray Notgrass. The main textbook contains seventy-five lessons on economics, and can be combined with a book of reading passages, between 4 and 8 readers, and a book of optional questions for each lessons, should you choose. For me personally, I have all of those things, but I only read the main textbook and answered the questions. It can be time consuming if you aren't a fast reader (which is why I didn't use all of the resources), but it definitely covers a lot of helpful information. It is written from a Biblical perspective. I highly recommend this course!

    For government, I am using A Republic If You Can Keep It from the Patriot Academy. I really appreciate how easy it is to use. It consists of five chapters and a final exam. It also has an optional schedule, should you choose to follow it (I prefer to just do one full lesson a day). It also shows you your progress as you go through the course, which I really like. It is written from a Biblical perspective, but I don't really agree with all of their interpretations as far as politics go. It definitely encourages Christians to be very involved in politics, which I know some people will agree with and some people will not. 

Piano

Piano is one of my extracurriculars. Since a lot of other homeschoolers take piano, I thought I would include it here. I usually learn between four and eight songs a year with my teacher, and then I do scales, technique, and sight reading exercises as well. This schedule helps me to focus more on perfecting each piece rather than try to play a whole bunch without ever fixing the trouble spots. 

    I'm hoping to share some of the theory books, etc. that I use in one of my next posts, but I have to make sure I have permission to do so first. Otherwise I would have posted them here : ).

Well, that's about it. Feel free to comment if you have any of your own curriculum recommendations, or if you've used anything above!

Linnea 

Back to Blogging

Hello blogging world! It's been a long time. Much longer than I ever imagined really. I did post around a month ago, but I really haven't been paying much attention to this blog for the past three months. So, I'm going to give a little update first (because the majority of my blog is updates anyway, lol).

Where I've Been

My blogging troubles started in March, I think. March brought a lot of unknowns to my family, and so I was focused more on the present than on blogging at the time. But then after, that, I just got busy :-). April and now most of May has felt a little bit like a marathon as I wrap up the school year.

    My whole family traveled to California in April for an event for my sister. It was a very rushed trip, but very interesting and fun. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, so no, that will not be an upcoming post. 

    Then, at the beginning of May, I was busy studying for and taking two AP tests, as well as finishing up finals for most of my school classes. 

    In the meanwhile, I've also been *trying to* practice piano, get my garden ready, and just survive school *cries*.

    Anyways, it's been a hectic few months, but I'm happy that most of my school is now finished, and I'm looking forward to the summer.

What to Look Forward To

Lord-willing, I plan to return to blogging more often, starting this week. I have some school-related posts coming up, considering that school is almost over. After that, I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I'm sure there will be new things to write about.

    As for my positing schedule, I'm not great at setting specific days for new posts, but for now at least, the plan is to post every Thursday, or every-other Thursday (there could still be some random other posts too, though).

    That's all for now. See you next Thursday, Lord-willing 💗

Linnea 

The Day that Changed the World

The day Jesus arose, the world changed forever. Praise God He is risen! 

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday.

Linnea 

A Tale of a Gas Station, a Puppy, and a Science Fair

Soooooo, I disappeared. For a couple weeks. Don't say I didn't warn you though. Because I did. In my very first post. I knew better than to promise I'd blog regularly. 

    Well, enough short, tiny, three-word fragments and sentences. I am going to explain my absence now. I call it "A tale of a gas station, a puppy, and a science fair."

    It all started about a month ago, (before my last post, actually) when my family made a trip to Texas. It was only a four day trip, but we managed to see some of San Antonio, eat barbeque, and spend about $300 dollars at a gas station. (Ok, I'm kidding. I have no idea how much we payed. And anyways, money isn't the point). The point is a great deal of our time was spent at a gas station.

    No, it (usually) wasn't because we actually needed gas. It wasn't because our car broke down. It wasn't because we are really strange people who enjoy hanging out gas stations. It was because it was a Buc-ee's!

    What is a Buc-ee's? It's a very, very, very large gas station, that is surprisingly neat and tidy, and sells all the snacks, candy, meat, clothes, and anything else you could ever need (well, almost). And because I was so much in awe of such a nice, clean, and yummy gas station, I forgot all about blogging. Ok, not really... but this is what I did while I wasn't blogging.

Buc-ee's! It was hard to fit the whole gas station 
into one picture!

This is the side entrance to the store. The front 
of the store ran the whole length of the gas
station I showed above!

"Not all who wonder are lost. Some 
are looking for Buc-ee's."

  

  Now, we could have stayed the whole time at Buc-ee's, but we had other important things to do too. Which is where the next part of this tale comes in... on the last full day of our vacation, we picked up a puppy. No, it's not ours. It's my grandparent's! 

    Happily, though, she came back to stay with us for a couple days, before she flew off to her new home :D. I got to take a couple pictures while dog-sitting.

Hi, spunky! (No, her name is not spunky, but it sure fits her anyhow)

    

My dog is the one laying down in the
background. He's not so sure about her.

 

   Well, that was all fine and dandy. And a couple days later I even posted a blog post! So what delayed me after all this?

    You guessed it. Science fair. Now, I love science fair, to a certain extent. And it's a good experience, even as a homeschooler. But if you've ever done a project, and I mean really worked on this project, and made a board for it, and done all those science fair things that you do, then you know how much work it is--especially when you're in a time crunch! I may or may not have suffered a panic attack in the process... don't worry though, I'm fine now.

An accumulation of the many papers I gathered in the process.

    Anyways, with all of the stress and work going into that, I honestly didn't even think about blogging. But the first fair is finally over, and I'm very thankful for that. I have two more virtual fairs coming up, Lord-willing, but hopefully those will be easier, and I will be able to blog more soon. Comment down below if you have any post ideas for me. I would really appreciate it!

Linnea