Isaiah's Myth / Isaiah Mitologia

Isaiah's Myth

January 8, 2010

 

I could go on and on about how awful Georgia schools are.  But I would not be telling you the whole story if I did not mention how wonderful their gifted program is.  Once per week Samuel and Isaiah are bused to a different school to attend their gifted classes.  Right now Samuel is studying about architecture and he often points out to me different styles of buildings and I have no idea what he is talking about. 

 

Isaiah just wrote a Myth for his mythology class.  The 4^th grade gifted classes are taught by Ms. Jeffers.  She is the most wonderful teacher my kids have had anywhere.  Just being in her class makes our move to Georgia worthwhile.  She loves the kids she teaches, she encourages, she makes it fun, and she makes sure the kids do 100 % of the work themselves.  No help whatsoever from the parents.  I love it.

 

Last year when Samuel wrote his myth, he won an award for writing the best one in our county.  He did pretty well in the state competition, though he did not place.

 

Well, Isaiah just finished his myth, and I'm posting it here for posterity's sake.  I don't think you can ask for a more wonderful child than Isaiah.  Everyone who knows him loves him.  He is kind and a good friend.  He loves to entertain little kids.  He is wonderful with babies.  Every day, I can't wait till he comes home to hold Mosiah.  And he is wonderfully smart and creative.  In the past he wanted to be an engineer when he grows up so he could invent thing.  Lately he decided that he wants to be a dentist so he can work 4 hour per day 4 days per week, and enjoy his inventing in his spare time…

(I'm attaching some random pictures of Isaiah having fun during Christmas vacation and some of our whole family at the Thanksgiving chow hall with our friends the Douglasses.)

 

 

How The Zebra Got Its Stripes

By Isaiah Hardman

 

"Bang", Poseidon, Greek god of the sea slammed his trident against the rock, cracking it in half.  In between the two sides of the rock, horses sprang.  The first and most beautiful horses were born to the world.  They were completely white, except for their manes which were a brilliant gold. 

          Three years later, a Trojan named Arbez owned half of all the horses in Troy.  He loved the horses.  One summer night, Arbez lost one of his beloved horses.  Because all the horses in the world were identical, he didn't have the heart to take someone else's horse based on a suspicion.   One night he prayed to Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, that his horses would have different coats.   Arbez made it clear in his prayer that he wanted her to make his horses uniquely beautiful, because all she did was make beauty.    

          The next morning Arbez found Aphrodite at his diamond encrusted door.  She asked where the horses were, and he led her to his majestic stables.  She went to the first stall and began to caress the horse.  With a shock Arbez realized that wherever her hand touched the horse, the color changed or a pattern appeared.  Soon he left her. 

          Poseidon had been watching this trying to hold in his anger, but it was too much.  To do something so ruthless, changing something that Poseidon had made, was more than he would tolerate.  Poseidon rose up on the crest of a wave, pointed his trident at Arbez, and transformed him into a horse. 

Frightened, Arbez galloped to Aphrodite to tell her what happened.  As soon as he reached the stables, Aphrodite stated to caress him not knowing he was human.  As she did, black and white stripes spread over his body and mane.  She decided to give him a name because he was the only horse with stripes.  "Zebra", she announced, "after all, it is your master's name spelled backwards".  

 

 

Mitologia Napisana Przez Isaiah

8 Styczen 2010

 

Moge dlugo pisac o tym ze szkoly tu w stanie Georgia sa bardzo slabe.  Ale to by nie byla calkowita prawda, bo tu w Georgia jest wysmienity program dla zdolnych dzieci.  Raz na tydzien Samuel i Isaiah jada autobusem do innej szkoly na ten program i tam sie ucza innych zeczy.  Samuel teraz sie uczy o architektuze i czesto mi pokazuje rozne style budynkow.  Ja o tym nic nie wiem, wiec tylko slucham, nie komentuje.

 

Isaiah teraz ma klase w kotrej studjuje Grecka mitologie.  Niedawno on sam musial napisac swoja wlasna mitologie.  Podloaczylam jego dzielo po angielsku, ale nie tlumacze, bo jak przetlumaczyc dziecka prace?  Jesli ja napisze to bedzie przezemnie napisane.  4-te klasy dla zdolnych dzieci sa uczone przez pania Jeffers.   Ona jest najlepsza nauczycielka ktora moje dzieci mialy, I cieszymy sie ze przyjechalismy do Georgia bo dzieci mialy okazje byc w jej klasie.  Ona kocha swoich studentow, bardzo dobrze i dokladnie uczy, ma bardzo przyjemna atmosphere w klasie, i nigdy nie daje rodzicom pomagac dzieciom w zajeciach.  Dzieci musza wszytko 100 procent sami zrobic w klasie.  Do domu tylko idza skonczone lekcje.    To mi sie bardzo podoba. 

 

W ostatnim roku Samule napisal swoj mit.  Wygral nagrode za najlepszy mit w naszym okrego.  Tez jego praca poszla na kokurs stanowy, i choc nie wygral na caly stan, tez dostal dobre miejce w kakursie.

 

Isaiah wlasnie skonczyl pisac swoj mit.  Jest o tym jak Zebra dostala swoje paski czarno biale.  Isaiah jest bardzo wspanailym dzieckiem.  Kazdy kto go zna to go bardzo lubi. On jest bardzo uczynny i jest dobrym przyjacielem. On tez lubi sie bawic nawet z malymi dziecmi.  On bardzo lubi naszego dzidziusia i ja sie nie moge doczekac codziennie aby on wrocil ze szkoly i aby trzymal Mosiah na rekach.  On jest bardzo madry i kreatywny.  On kiedys chcial byc inzynierem aby mogl wymyslac nowe wynalazki.  Ale on teraz zmienil zdanie.  Chce byc dentysa zeby  mogl pracowac 4 dni w tygodniu po 4 godziny.  Tu detysci malo pracuja i duzo zarabiaja.  On chce miec wolny czas na wynalazki w domu…

(Zalanczam zdjecia jak Isaiah sie bawi w czasie pszwerwy szkonej na swieta i tez kilka zdjec naszej calej rodziny ze znajomymi na Thanksgiving)

 

Sylwia

Non Fiction / Literatura Faktu

Non Fiction

January 6, 2010

 

What is it about getting older and liking non-fiction books?  Things just don't seem meaningful enough when they are not real, I guess.  Samuel must be getting older too, because he is reading the nonfiction along with me and loving it.

 

I found a new author that both Samuel and I thoroughly enjoy.  Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  I found her when I checked out a young adult book called "The Boy Who Dared" which gives a true account of a Mormon Hitler Youth.  The book is considered historical fiction because the author makes up the boy's thoughts, but it is based on real people, real story and even has real photographs

 

I picked up the book because of a Sunday school lesson about obeying the law of the land.  During class I mentioned that there are exceptions to this rule, as in Nazi Germany.  It was fascinating to read about the dilemma that probably went on in the boy's mind about keeping the law and loving one's country and yet daring to oppose it. 

 

Next I read "Black Potatoes" by the same author; a nonfiction book about the Great Irish Famine.  I was so mad at England and its laws that destroyed a beautiful country like Ireland.  The book almost made me sympathize with the IRA. 

 

Then we read "Kids on Strike" and "Growing Up in Coal Country" (also by Susan Campbell Bartoletti) about the dire working conditions for children and adults in the 1800's and 1900's here in America.  As much as I agree with  the capitalist theories, I have to say that the early capitalists brought socialism upon themselves, and rightly so.  You can thank the early capitalists for the socialism we now enjoy. :)

 

And last but not least, Samuel and I devoured a book called "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman. It is a true account of a man who got a three and a half foot iron spike shot through his head and survived back before doctors washed their hands or knew anything about medicine.  Not only was the story fascinating, but it also educated us about brain science.  

 

Sylwia

 

 

Literatura Faktu

6 Styczen 2010

 

Nim bardziej sie starzeje, tym bardziej lubie czytac literature faktu.  Mniej mnie wymyslone opowiescie interesuja.  Wole czytac o prawdziwych opowiesciach.  Moj syn Samuel tez pewnie sie starzeje bo on razem ze mna czyta te prawdziwe opowiescie i tez je bardzo lubi. 

Znalazlam autorke kotrej ksiazki mi i Samuleowi sie bardzo podobaja.  Ona nazywa sie Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  Przecztalismy jej ksiazke "Chopiec Co Sie Odwazyl" o chlopcu co byl zmuszony zapisac sie do hitlerowskiej organizacji dla molodzierzy, choc mu sie to nie podobalo.  On byl czlonkiem mojego kosciola ktory uczy ze musimy przestrzegac praw naszego kraju. 

 

W  niedziele ja wlasnie mialam lekcje w kosciele o przeztrzeganiu prawa nawet jak nam sie prawo nie podoba.  Ja komentowalam ze to nie jest regula na sto procent bo przecierz czlonkowie kociola w niemczech w czasie drugiej wojny swiatowej nie mogli  zawsze przestrzegac praw swojego kraju i byc dobrymi ludzmi.  W tej ksiazce jest opisany dylemat tego mormonskiego chopca:  mam sluchac swojego sumienia czy mam przestrzegac prawa mojego kraju?  Ksiazka jest napisana o prawdziwym chopcu, o innych prawdziwych ludziach, i ma nawet prawdziwe zdjecia.

 

Nastepna ksiazke ktora Samuel i ja przeczytalysmy tej samej autorki, to "Czarne Ziemniaki" o tym jak glod byl w Irlandi jak ich ziemniaki w ziemi zgnily kilka lat pod rzad.  Jestem bardzo zla na Wielka Brytanie i jej prawa ktore zniszczyly taki piekny kray jak Irlandia wiele lat temu.  Jestem teraz nawet jestem troche sympatyczna terorystycznej grupie IRA.

 

Potem przeczytalimsy "Dzieci Strajkuja" i "Dorastajac w Kraju Wegla" tez napisane przez ta sama autorke, o tym jak dzieci i dorosli pracowali w czasie rewolucji przemyslowiej tu w Ameryce.  Choc ja sie zgadzam z teoriami kapitalizmu, musze powiedziec ze socialism to jest wina tych wczesnych kapitalistow.  Oni tak wykorzystywali pracownikuw ze socialism powstal.

 

Ostatnia ksiazke co przeczytalismy to "Phineas Gage" napisana przez John Fleischman.  To prawdziwa opowiesc o czlowieku przez kotrego muzg i czaske przeszedl wielki kawal zelaza i on nie umarl.  To sie stalo w 19 wieku kiedy lekarze nie myli rak i  nic nie wiedzieli o tym jak chorych leczyc.  Nie tylko byla to fascynuajaca opowiesc ale tez duzo sie nauczylismy o muzgu.   

 

Sylwia