Today was Ana's graduation!
Jun. 19th, 2014 09:02 pmShe got the reading award, which... duh. Most of the children who got awards then walked v e r y slowly off the stage, carefully holding the award so their parents could get a good picture. Ana walked briskly over the stage with her certificate covering her face entirely and then dashed towards her seat.
After the kids got their placeholder diplomas (the real ones are being held hostage to ensure nobody sneaks off on vacation before the very last day of school) they were expected to stand at their seats facing us. They were very eager to throw their hats in the air, which meant, for the girls, frantically undoing all the bobby pins keeping their mortarboards attached, and then clutching at their heads to make sure the hats didn't fall off. And also turning to their friends to make sure all her bobby pins were out, and bending down to pick up fallen bobby pins, and lifting their mortarboards to show that they could, and gesturing to Mom that yes they had all their bobby pins...! All while standing and facing us. The left side of the auditorium was *very* fidgety as a result, and honestly, it would have been much better if they'd simply sat back down instead. The boys didn't get their wiggles out in this way, so instead they kept tossing and tossing and tossing their hats once it was time for that. Some of them went really very far astray by the end, the hats!
And we couldn't get a picture of Ana! She kept not looking in our direction, or refusing to smile! Finally we had to trick her by giving the camera to somebody else, LOL!
Eva also had a performance, but I had a few things to take care of so I skipped out of that while my mom and sister and Ana went to that, and then I picked up the CSA while Jenn went to the dentist. It was a bit of a busy day.
Ana has most of her friend's numbers, since of course she won't be at school with them (and to be honest, even if we weren't homeschooling they aren't all going to the same middle school anyway), but she has a few more to fetch. Eva seems to have fewer close friends, but I'll remind her to get their numbers anyway.
**************
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After the kids got their placeholder diplomas (the real ones are being held hostage to ensure nobody sneaks off on vacation before the very last day of school) they were expected to stand at their seats facing us. They were very eager to throw their hats in the air, which meant, for the girls, frantically undoing all the bobby pins keeping their mortarboards attached, and then clutching at their heads to make sure the hats didn't fall off. And also turning to their friends to make sure all her bobby pins were out, and bending down to pick up fallen bobby pins, and lifting their mortarboards to show that they could, and gesturing to Mom that yes they had all their bobby pins...! All while standing and facing us. The left side of the auditorium was *very* fidgety as a result, and honestly, it would have been much better if they'd simply sat back down instead. The boys didn't get their wiggles out in this way, so instead they kept tossing and tossing and tossing their hats once it was time for that. Some of them went really very far astray by the end, the hats!
And we couldn't get a picture of Ana! She kept not looking in our direction, or refusing to smile! Finally we had to trick her by giving the camera to somebody else, LOL!
Eva also had a performance, but I had a few things to take care of so I skipped out of that while my mom and sister and Ana went to that, and then I picked up the CSA while Jenn went to the dentist. It was a bit of a busy day.
Ana has most of her friend's numbers, since of course she won't be at school with them (and to be honest, even if we weren't homeschooling they aren't all going to the same middle school anyway), but she has a few more to fetch. Eva seems to have fewer close friends, but I'll remind her to get their numbers anyway.
World's First 'Scent Message' Emailed from Paris to New York
http://bit.ly/1jBUDOW
In a Maryland Jail, Teens Charged as Adults Face Isolation and Neglect
http://bit.ly/Tc8GE9
Kids whose time is less structured are better able to meet their own goals, study shows
http://bit.ly/1pp6wgJ
From removing stigma to boosting efficiency, here's why universal free school lunch is smart way to help poor kids
http://bit.ly/1ie13cf
British university makes antibiotic resistance breakthrough
http://ind.pn/1ipIiSS
How Dairy Milked by Prisoners Ends Up on Whole Foods Shelves
http://bit.ly/1rdqAlC
The Abstinence Method
Dutch farmers just say no to antibiotics for livestock.
http://bit.ly/1iN92rn
A Palestinian Christian family that preaches non-violence from a farm in the West Bank is battling to hold on to land it has owned for 98 years. Now surrounded by Israeli settlements, the family is a living example of the idea of peaceful resistance.
http://bbc.in/1ie1zHg
Nepal's living goddess who still has to do homework
http://bbc.in/1oMAQUC
Federal agency cancels Redskins trademark registration, says name is disparaging
http://wapo.st/1jBWZ06
The cost of textbooks has risen 812% in the past 30 years—that’s more than healthcare costs, housing prices, and college tuitions, all of which have risen faster than the rate of inflation. Now, students are spending an average of $1,200 a year on textbooks and course materials at public four-year colleges.
http://bit.ly/1jBX43S
This is How You Can Help the Atheist Who Uncovered Multiple Constitutional Violations at His High School
His ambition is to be a lawyer, as I recall, and he'd have an easier time of it if he hadn't been kicked out by his family.
http://bit.ly/1oMCIwP
It was based on a racist stereotype of unfit black mothers. Today, family cap laws do nothing but punish the poor for being poor.
http://slate.me/1jBXg31
Jellyfish Galaxies Get Guts Ripped Out
http://bit.ly/1lNgOBB
Quantum Method Closes in on Gravitational Constant
http://bit.ly/1lNgYcb
Food dyes + sea sponges = AWESOME!!!!
http://bit.ly/1jBXnvI
The little-told story of how the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition with deadly consequences.
http://slate.me/SWXdrI
Fleeing Christians find shelter in St. Matthew's Monastery in northern Iraq, a place of refuge since the fourth century
http://alj.am/1yqcEcV
Icebergs take a bite out of Antarctic biodiversity
http://lat.ms/1nmklZ1
Global justice for rape survivors demands extraordinary efforts
http://alj.am/1w0FgXS
U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law
http://reut.rs/1qx2BjP
More than 1,000 people crowded into a high school auditorium Thursday in this hardscrabble rural Virginia town to confront Obama administration officials with fierce opposition to plans to turn a defunct college here into housing for some of the illegal-immigrant children flooding across the border.
http://bit.ly/1jBYX0r
These Spiders Eat Fish Twice Their Size
http://ti.me/1rdwyTs
Passenger pigeon could return, century after extinction
http://bit.ly/1ipNS7R
As many as 75 scientists and staff in U.S. government laboratories in Atlanta may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria after researchers failed to follow safety procedures, prompting an investigation by federal authorities.
http://trib.in/SWYfDW
Ancient parasite highlights humans' role in spread of disease
http://reut.rs/1m1Ka3Z
As sequencing moves into clinical use, insurers balk
http://reut.rs/1yqg7YO
Juneteenth isn’t just a celebration of emancipation, it’s a celebration of our commitment to make it real.
http://slate.me/Uk36jR