The boys
Here are two slices of life which are becoming quite rare involving quality time with two teenage boys.
One evening last week Eli announced he was going to Walmart, he was bored and that's about all there is to do. I asked if I could tag along and he agreed and he drove my car. We had a pleasant enough time. When we got home he announced, "I did it. I drove all the way there and back without you criticizing my driving. I tried really hard." I acknowledged that indeed this was an accomplishment. I am not known for being a very supportive/passive passenger. I had to admit to him, though I had noticed a couple of times he rolled through stop signs, but we all do that so I didn't mention it. So then he told Pat, "I drove and mom didn't critize me (out loud anyway)."
Last night Cal asked for study help before finals which he hasn't done in awhile. I agreed to quiz him on, luckily, English short stories. There were about 15 stories with 5-8 questions each. We had such a good time using different accents and making up pnuemonic devices to remember yhe story/author. For example, Flannery O'Connor wrote "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." You can remember that by saying "the life you save may be the Fockers" since FOC are Flannery's initials. E.A. Robinson wrote "Richard Corey" who put a bullet through his head but it could have been his ear hence author's initials EAR. He can remember Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" if thinks about the soft old patchwork quilt with the blue backing that I got for my high school graduation and everyone loves to use everyday because it is so soft. You can remember Willa Cather's "A Wagner Matinee" by pronoucing the W's "Villa's Vagner." This is always the way I've studied Cal when he has a lot of memorization to do. I was pleased that high school students are still studying a lot of classic literature. I stupidly argued with him over the title of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" claiming it was called "The Road Less Traveled" but that belies my psychology background. Thank heaven for the Internet because he had already turned in his textbook and we had to verify the Frost and Scott Peck distinction, and look up the plot summary of "Everyday Use" which my dad had very recently referenced, coincidentally.
One evening last week Eli announced he was going to Walmart, he was bored and that's about all there is to do. I asked if I could tag along and he agreed and he drove my car. We had a pleasant enough time. When we got home he announced, "I did it. I drove all the way there and back without you criticizing my driving. I tried really hard." I acknowledged that indeed this was an accomplishment. I am not known for being a very supportive/passive passenger. I had to admit to him, though I had noticed a couple of times he rolled through stop signs, but we all do that so I didn't mention it. So then he told Pat, "I drove and mom didn't critize me (out loud anyway)."
Last night Cal asked for study help before finals which he hasn't done in awhile. I agreed to quiz him on, luckily, English short stories. There were about 15 stories with 5-8 questions each. We had such a good time using different accents and making up pnuemonic devices to remember yhe story/author. For example, Flannery O'Connor wrote "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." You can remember that by saying "the life you save may be the Fockers" since FOC are Flannery's initials. E.A. Robinson wrote "Richard Corey" who put a bullet through his head but it could have been his ear hence author's initials EAR. He can remember Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" if thinks about the soft old patchwork quilt with the blue backing that I got for my high school graduation and everyone loves to use everyday because it is so soft. You can remember Willa Cather's "A Wagner Matinee" by pronoucing the W's "Villa's Vagner." This is always the way I've studied Cal when he has a lot of memorization to do. I was pleased that high school students are still studying a lot of classic literature. I stupidly argued with him over the title of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" claiming it was called "The Road Less Traveled" but that belies my psychology background. Thank heaven for the Internet because he had already turned in his textbook and we had to verify the Frost and Scott Peck distinction, and look up the plot summary of "Everyday Use" which my dad had very recently referenced, coincidentally.
posted by susan d at 11:34 AM
