Thursday, January 25, 2024

 Thursday, January 25, 2024 

 

   Steve arrived for instructions on my method for teaching phonics. It only takes two minutes to teach it. It's primarily examples after that. 

I didn't do that with him; I didn't do a very convincing job proving its worth. The teachers in India probably would be traditional and not open to a method involving the risk of making mistakes. With this method, the teacher has to figure out the phonemes in any word, whether regular or not. The English language is full of surprises. That's why students need to learn how to figure it out independently. There are too many variations to be taught in a regular classroom. There are too many variations to be taught in an Orton Gillingham program, covering at least some 99 variables.

   While working with Steve, I got a Facebook message from a distant cousin through marriage saying she would be in Kona for the day and would love to get together. 

She was on a cruise ship with her sister and their 96-year-old mother. I saw a Facebook post about traveling with her mother and sister. I assumed it was Leslie traveling with her daughters. I knew her mother, Marga, was very, very old. I couldn't imagine she was traveling to see sights. Boy, was I ever wrong!

   I offered to drive Leslie wherever they wanted to go. But no. They would be available at 11:45. I would only have enough time to say hello to her mom, but she and her sister would be available for lunch.

    I drove to town, parked in one of the commercial-free parking lots, and walked down to the pier. I had never been there before. This is no flimsy dock; it is a large cement platform servicing small boat docking for cruise ships and touring services.

    When they arrived, I could pick out Marga at a distance in her dyed-to-match pink pantsuit. Wonderful! She approached and kissed me, telling me she didn't have much time before she boarded a glass-bottomed boat moored at the dock. Marga, Leslie, and Leslie's best friend from middle school had just completed a tour of another part of the island- something I had never heard of. Leslie's sister, Debby, didn't go on that tour because she had a bad migraine. We waited on the dock for Debby to disembark one of the boat taxis ferrying people back and forth from the mothership. Leslie walked her mom to the glass bottom tour boat. T

     Leslie, Missy, her friend, and I went to find a restaurant instead of waiting for Debby to arrive at the dock after watching several taxis come in and no Debby. Leslie called her. She was waiting in line to board. She would be coming soon. Leslie, Missy Missy's husband, and I walked to Ali'I Street to find a restaurant. We selected the Fish Hopper. Leslie called Deb to let her know where we were, the green and orange building.

   We slid into a booth. When a server came, Leslie said she had a scheduled tour and had limited time. What could she order? Debby did join us. I would have recognized Leslie anywhere but not Debby. For some reason, I thought she was taller. I did see Leslie more over the years; she lived in Brooklyn while Debby lived on the West Coast.

    We had a lovely, light-hearted lunch. We didn't even talk about other family members. I didn't ask Leslie about her husband and children, and she didn't ask about my life here or my sister and her kids. I have seen photos of Leslie's two grown girls now and then on Facebook. They look like lovely young women.

   I met with Mama K's crew. Twin E reported that the letters had stopped moving in her head after we did a spin release. She read the words on the Fry list 101-150. She showed immediate improvement. I hope this continues.

  I lectured D on his efforts to avoid using the methods I teach for decoding the words. He argues they won't work. I tell him what I teach him to do may or may not work. What we do know is that the methods he uses do not work. You were reading at a first-grade level when we started working together when you were thirteen. Last spring, you tested at a fifth-grade level, with you only practicing reading when you were with me and me dragging you through the procedures. Isn't it worthwhile investing in my procedures? Can't you approach it as a scientific experiment? The kid drives me wild.

   Today, the second company came by to give me an estimate for excavating the Ficus trees. We were standing in the driveway. The fellow said he would email me an estimate when Darby called. I automatically put it on speakerphone because I don't like to hold the phone by my ear. Darby asked if I got the second estimate. She also said something about Dan's estimate of $1600. The guy standing in the driveway heard the other offer. He immediately said his price would be $5000. He didn't know how the other guy made a living at that price. He advised me to take his offer.