Monday, March 10, 2025

 Monday, March 10, 2025

   Yesterday, I broke a tooth while eating a salad. The broken piece looked smooth, without a cavity. I didn't understand it. I called Vicki immediately to make sure she called me to make an appointment first thing in the morning. She called before 7 am. I had an appointment for 8:20 am. I completed my morning exercises and headed out on my walk. I walked faster than I have since forever. I made it home by 7:30. I called my friend Jean. I had a breakthrough this morning.

   There is someone significant in my life with whom I have an unsatisfactory relationship. I do not like the way she relates to me. I feel I can't get through to her. This morning, I meditated on her. Today, I envisioned getting through to her. It shattered her, reducing her to a traumatized young child. My heart was flooded with love, and she let it in. We can only love people when they allow us to love them. That was the great gift Mike gave me. He not only loved me, he allowed me to love him. The statement that it is better to love than be loved isn't a moral statement; it's an observation.

   I made it to the dentist on time. Fortunately, I thought of throwing the broken part of the tooth into my shorts' pocket as a joke. It wound up not being a tooth but a 'cap' that wasn't a full cap. Dr. Kris said he chose to reconstruct the tooth instead of leaving as much of the natural tooth as possible. The glue on the cap had given out. $300 later, the 'cap' was reglued to the 'tooth.'

 I spent the day working on updates and gardening. I went back to sawing through a full-grown haole koa. I couldn't use the chain saw because the trunk was behind pig fencing with six-inch square openings. I might have been able to use it, but I risked the blade hitting the wire and jumping back at me. It wasn't worth the risk. The bow saw only went through so far before the weight of the trunk stopped its progress. I gave up, drilled holes, and pushed a chemical into the holes to kill the tree. Lutz says this process takes up to four months to be effective.

   I also checked on my pruned shrubs. They were doing just fine except for the three that had not done as well as the others. I sprinkled Osmocote fertilizer granules around them. It's a slow-release fertilizer that is guaranteed never to harm.

  I worked with the Twins today. Twin A wanted to work on math, specifically division because it's fun. Who is this kid? She was as far behind in math as she was in reading. Is she functioning anything close to grade level? That would be amazing. I gave her the choice of working on reading comprehension, writing, or the dictation/spelling exercise. I added in math. She chose math; she wanted to do division. Was she having problems with division? No, she wanted to work on it because it was fun. I told her we had to work on something she needed help with. She decided on writing. We decided to write about her weekend camping. All I got out of it was the setup, who, where, and when. Nothing was outstanding or interesting.

    I did reading for the main idea with fourth-grade LG. Was the main idea the need for recycling or getting people to recycle? He got stuck on his original response based on previous knowledge and beliefs. I showed him the large number of sentences dedicated to getting people to recycle rather than arguing for the value of recycling. He couldn't see it. Many students have difficulty understanding the difference between comprehending a passage and agreeing with it.

   As I argued my point of view, he got up and walked to another location. When I asked him why he did that. He said he felt like it. He has ADHD. I asked him if he was frightened by the difference. He said yes. I said that's not ADHD; it's an anxiety problem. Many kids diagnosed with ADHD have that problem. He acknowledged he has difficulty sitting still when he gets scared. His response today was an improvement. In the past, he'd go brain-dead; he couldn't even hear what I had to say anymore. I've done some work on his fear response. Obviously, not enough. The most significant improvement has been in math. He thinks it's fun.

    After the session, I called LG's mom. I forgot to ask him his last name so I could use it in the story he wrote about his cat Rufus last week. I told her I was working on the anxiety he felt when he didn't have the answer. She thanked me for the work I did with him. They see a big difference, but he's not where he should be yet.. 

    When I asked fifth-grade GV what he wanted to do, he said he wanted to write. I started a new story with him and remembered we still had to edit the last story we wrote. Grammarly is a fantastic device to use with him. The program is experienced as 'nonjudgmental.'  If a person were to suggest all those corrections, he wouldn't take it as well. I don't think I would either. I interjected my opinion at one point, telling him I didn't like how something sounded and suggested a change. GV told me he had a free writing assignment in class today and enjoyed it. He loves writing now.

  GV gave me his iReady scores. When last tested, he was at 504. His goal is 514, and his stretch goal is 524. This would put him in the lowest 30% of 4th graders nationwide. At this point, the problem is most likely all about comprehension.

   I have a growing concern for GV. I see no indication that he has friends. Then I learned that he lost the foot race, although he was the tallest contestant. Today, as we were proofing his Bad Day story, I finally heard that he 'sits in his usual spot' during recess. He's a ten-year-old boy. Why is he so physically inactive and socially isolated? His social isolation will cause him more problems as he gets older. GV does not present as a shy, insecure child. He presents as someone who can't be bothered. He looks like he's shunning the company of others. From what he's said so far, he is. He's in for a tough time in his adolescence if he doesn't learn a few social graces. I wouldn't say he's arrogant. He doesn't expend that much energy on others even to do that.

   I watched The Resident on Netflix, which my Hanai sister recommended. She thinks it's fantastic and accurate, but  I find it terrifying. I can handle that mistakes are made, even deadly ones, but the outright corruption of the medical staff and the FDA is another matter.

   One episode dealt with implants. The metal-on-metal hip transplant was mentioned. If I hadn't refused a hip transplant the first time it was offered, I might have received one of those. Many of them had to be removed after three years. Not only were they ineffective, but they were also downright deadly in some cases. Toxins were released by the metal scrapings, causing local damage and affecting organ systems.