Microbiology

Yesterday was Z's microbiology class.

Pere went with her on the bus to the university for this class. I said back at the hotel and hung out with some friends.

Pere brought back some pictures and a report.


lab partners


looking at her bacteria sample


some bacteria


looking in the microscpe


a break to play outside

All the kids really liked the classes. I know Z got something out of it because she was drawing bacteria on her napkin over dinner last night. And she and Pere kept telling me how many bacteria were probably on every surface that I touched.


After dinner Z played in the pool with her new friends and then we had to say good-bye.

Before bed lastnight and even this morning Z has asked about her friends so I know they are on her mind. I hope she isn't too sad about leaving them.

Looking back

Yesterday's Stomp session got me thinking about Z's natural inclination towards music and performing arts.

She has many things that she loves, some are foreign languages, physics, nature, her I Love Math books, and reading (of course).

But when she was 3 she wasn't memorizing the names of dinosaurs, or heavenly bodies, but poetry. She was so into poetry that I even made that her online name. She had memorized Halfway Down the Stairs when she was 2 or 3. And went on to memorize many others.

She was making up poems then too. There was one I was looking for but I guess I only have it written down at home. It was the second one I remember writing down and she wrote it when she was two or early three. But I did find this one that she wrote at three:

Daffodils grow in my tender soul, I tend to them and watch them grow.

She was always coming up with stuff like that. I should have written more of them down. Soon the poems turned into songs.

At that same age (2 - 3) she was really really into musicals. She would insist on listening to the same ones over and over and was able to memorize them and sing them. Here is her singing from Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical

And the things she did back then that really freaked me out were more often coming from a talent that is realted to musical memory. Like her recognizing incidental music from the Harry Potter score played over the speakers at a toy store, after only seeing the movie twice, and being able to remember what was happening in the movie when that music was being played.

Sure, she was also starting to reading. And also insisting on doing 30 - 40 minutes of math and Spanish. And wanting me to read her everything. But when I look back I think I can see a stronger connection in music and performing than in anything else except reading.

She was not the kid who drew all the time or who built with blocks all day. But the toddler who would bring sheet music to bed for reading material. She was the three year old that memorized all of Les Miserables.

On one hand I have tried to be supportive about the musical stuff. I got her a really good piano teacher and voice teacher and I have also tried to set her up with fun situations for acting. But in my heart I was never really comfortable with the idea that she might want to make a career out of it. I could see that she would be good at it. But I feel like science or even foreign languages would be safer.

I don't know if that means I am going to be making any changes. There are some I have in mind. But looking back I am able to see this thread of passion and talent that may be stronger than the others. And I am looking at her now and seeing that the only thing she does every day on her own, other than read, is sing. I have been unwiling to admit what that might mean about where her future happiness might lie.

But I decided last night that I need to be more open to the idea that Z might find the most joy in her life performing.

That is all. I just going to be more open to the idea in my own heart and mind.

more non-identifying pictures

This morning Z had a session on "Values" and giving back to the community.
Then there was the Keynote address.
After that we hooked up with two families from CA with boys for lunch



Then Z had her afternoon sessions: Forensics and Stomp (like that theatrical production)

She said that so far she liked Stomp best. I don't know what to infer from that except that Stomp was the physical/performing arts/musical activity and, as usual, she does have an affinity for such.

After that we went to a Q & A about the Davidson Academy in Reno. (It sounds really good)

We had dinner at the pool with some of my good online friends.

Then we all went back to our hotel room and the girls played.


Gosh, they just play so nicely with each other! I loved eavesdropping on their talks.

Then we moved the party over to another hotel room where the girls started the Anti-Picture Taking Club. There was much chanting, and hiding, and screaming and giggling, and eventually a leader (decided by who could stack the highest tower of Bandu blocks) with several lieutenants, and then of course, they all became co-leaders with various duties (Z was in charge of organizing pillows)

Here are pictures of four girls under pillows




Now we are trying to get Z to bed because she has to wake up early again.

Here is a good example of how she always has to be sitting in some weird position. *grin*

Day Two

Today's schedule
Breakfast
Game Room
Speech from Bob Davidson
Lunch with many friends. We had to sit at two tables

Then Z had Zome class


Then she went swimming with her friends.

Here they are trying to see who has the smallest feet.


After swimming more Game Room. Then we all went out to Sushi - 17 people in our group. 6 other friends had to sit in a different area. All around town wherever we go we see people we know. It is pretty amazing.

Here are the girls walking to dinner.


After dinner it was a few more hours playing Apples to Apples and other games in the, you guessed it, Game Room.

Today was really nice. I am feeling less overwhelmed by all the excitement so I could relax and enjoy myself more. I have talked to so many interesting people. Pere is having a great time too! Tonight he played Upwords with another dad and I have seen him passing out his business cards all over the place.

Do I really have time for this?

My day so far

Woke up at 6:00 a.m.
At the airport by 7:00
Plane delayed
Got on around 9:00
Stop over in Dallas
Can you believe there are two other DYS families on board?
Arrive an hour late
Spent most of the next four hours in the Game Room
Z met old friends and new friends and played many games.
I met old friends and new friends and I wish we could all just stay in one big hotel room and have a PG Slumber Party. :)

I am having a wonderful wonderful time!

weird conversation

Yesterday the daughter of an elderly neighbor was hanging out at the community pool. She is my age and she has a daughter Z's age. Z sometimes plays with her when she comes to visit her grandmother.

Well the elderly neighbor really likes Z. Z helped her get her mail when her wrist was broken and we sometimes visit each other and have tea and talk about scrapbooking or travel. We see her a lot outside and she always talks to Z and asks when she is doing. Well, I guess my neighbor must talk about Z to her daughter because she was asking me some weird questions yesteday.

This lady seems kind of nice but stand-offish. Anyway yesterday she asked me "So when did you know that Z was gifted? Did she do something that made you think 'She is really gifted!"

"Ummmmm...." I was caught off guard and tried to think what to say "Well, yeah. You know... "

"Like what?" she asks.

"Well... ummmm... Well she was walking at nine months and reading before she turned three." I said in what I hope was a you-know-how-things-are voice.

She didn't say antyhing or even look at me.

Okay....

Then she turns to me and say 'So did you have her I.Q. tested or something?"

"Yep," I nodded "When she was four..."

Again she doesn't say anything, then, "So is she some kind of genius or something?"

I gave a little *heh* "No... We don't really use the word genius. I think a genuis is someone like Einstein. But really it is not a scientific term or an official ranking or something. Z is just gifted."

After that I got up and walked away. Luckily I knew someone else at the pool that I could talk to. I talked about Will Farrell movies with him.

I can only imagine what my elderly neighbor must have been saying to her daughter to get her to ask me those types of questions. And it wasn't like she was asking me in a nice way. It was like she wanted me to defend myself.

Oh yeah, before she started asking about the gifted stuff she said "You homeschool Z right?" I said that I did and she said "Doesn't she ever just say that she doesn't want to do any school?"

I sat there for awhile thinking about it. There have been times when she maybe didn't want to do particular subjects in a particular order or times when I think she didn't want to practice piano. But I couldn't think of a time when Z said she didn't want to do school. "No, not really." I said.

Just then Z came over and I said "Hey Z, So and So was wondering if you ever tell me that you don't want to do your homeschooling that day." Z looked at me like I was foolish and said "No." and then jumped back in the pool.

Anyway, overall it was a very off-putting conversation.

Father's Day in L.A.

We had a nice time visiting Pere's family in L.A..

Cher Pere

Thank you for singing when you found out that I was pregnant. Thank you for coming with me to all those OBGYN appointments. Thanks for holding my hand.

Thank you for sitting behind me in lamaze class and for holding me and rocking me back and forth during labor pains and then for totally supporting me in getting the epidural.

Thank you for sleeping on that little cot in the hospital room with me.



Thank you for waking up early and holding and feeding our baby so I could sleep.



Thank you so much for being so in line with all my wishes and dreams for her. Your support means everything to me.



Thank you for being so damn funny and for laughing at my jokes.



and thank you for being deep (and having layers... like an onion) *grin*



Thank you for being ready and willing all the time for whatever I have planned even though I know you would rather be sleeping. And thank you for planning fun things too.


Thank you for working so hard to take care of us.



Thank you for being so cool.

Thank you for singing to me (on our first date, at our wedding, at that karaoke place, and every other time. Thank you for singing WITH me in the car. :)


Thank you for the phone calls and thank you for coming home for dinner every night.

Thank you for playing with, singing to, teaching, and reading to our daughter. Thank you for "talking" to her for me when days are long and I run low on patience.


Thank you so much for your wonderful meals. You really show how much you care for us with them.




Thank you for always supporting homeschooling. I couldn't do what I do without you.



Thank you for all the nice presents you have given me like that first Palm you gave me in Florida, a couple laptops, tickets to see Mandy Patinkin, my bike, Lakers tickets (those close seats were pretty awesome).



Thank you for taking care of me. You never complain. You have so much patience and kindess and love.

You're totally awesome!

You are the best father I have ever seen and you are the perfect husband for me.



You being in my life makes it more special. It makes it better than it was or would be without you

My projects

As the end of our official school year wound down (although learning never really stops) I found myself feeling kind of listless and bored.

I suffer from ennui from occasionally. And when it starts pull me down I know I need to find a project.

This time fall homeschooling planning has saved the day. I have been having fun with it all week!

I have a huge library at home that rarely fails to excite me. I collect rare and out of print children's books and it gives me a special pleasure to take them down and read them to Z.

I also have a passion for planning, researching and lists. I love matching beautiful books to Z interests and temperament. It has completely diverted me from my ennui. :) I have worked out a great language arts curriculum although I am still trying to figure out which literature to apply it to. History is mostly wrapped up - it is a matter of picking out the perfect biography books. I am having trouble picking between two plans for science. But there is no real hurry.

One thing I think I have worked out is that the lessons will still be done by lunch time so Z will still have her afternoon's open for free play, play dates, etc. I have always felt that Z needs free time just as much if not more than her lessons. Plus I like to have my free time too!

Before I was a mom and before I was a writer I was an efficiency expert. Early on I worked for Motorola and I would learn a job and figure out the fastest and best way to do that job and then write up an SOP and train the workers. After that I worked for a technical company doing the same type of thing. I went through all the processes in the company and changed things so that what they were doing made much more sense.

That is just how my brain works. I do the research to figure out what makes sense in that time and place with those people. Then I make several plans and work them through and find out which one works best for each person and each job. Then I train the people. It doesn't always work. Adults can be resistant to change. But it usually wasn't my job to make the people work properly which is what managers are for. Interestingly, people who were more motivated to do well at their job rather than maintaining the status quo usually appreciated the changes I made as it made their jobs easier.

But my natural tendencies and talents in this area have corresponded really well into homeschooling.

I know Z so well ( she is almost convinced I have psychic powers) that my main difficulty is finding the proper resources to fit her temperament. But for me that is part of the fun. :)

I know it probably sounds weird to get so much pleasure out of being efficient but really I can't imagine being any other way. :)

History

This week I have been spending all my free time designing Z's fall curriculum.

Yesterday I figured out our History program.

We will be doing the Renaissance this term and we are going to do it 2 - 3 days a week.

First we will be watching a PBS mini-seriesin the evening as a family Medici - Godfather's of the Renaissance The Medici's were patrons to many famous men of the Renaissance.

We will also be reading biographies. Here is the list I have so far:
Filippo Brunelleschi
Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Thomas More
Queen Elizabeth
Christopher
William Shakespeare
Copernicus
Galilei Galieo
William Harvey
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Walter Raleigh
Gutenberg
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo
Ferdinand Magellan and other explorers
Medici
Francesco Petrarca
Machiavelli
Rapheal and other painters
Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and other scientists
Martin Luther and John Calvin

We will be incorporating narration and writing into these readings.

Lastly Z will be creating a Glossary of Terms with information from that time period on Humanism, Astronomy, Protestantism, Inquisition, The Courtier, Merchants, Navagations and Maps, Alchemy, Colonization, Exploration, Puritans, 30 Year War, Sisten Chapel and more.

I think the first day we will read and then second day she will narrate and write on the bio and the glossary.

Eye of the Tiger

When I was writing about testing Z (she did like 5 tests that morning...) I didn't think how that might appear.

You are all so nice that you don't really ask me those hard questions, like "How does Z feel about all that testing?" I think that is a valid question.

In our case it is not a problem. Yesterday morning, while we were doing our normal cuddling in the rocking chair, Z asked me if she could do some more tests and was disappointed when I said no.

Yep, she actually likes tests.

Her Japanese tutor thinks it is the funniest thing. She started quizzes this year and she would try to pull off a mock stern voice and say "I am going to quiz you on all this next week." (She is so sweet she can't really do "stern"). And Z would clap and cheer. Now Z gets to have a quiz in Japanese at least once a month. It would be more but I think it takes a lot of work to make the quizzes. Z's two favorite things about Japanese are quizzes and singing.

When we had her I.Q. tested at four she loved it and at the end asked if she could come back the next day. She likes tests, quizzes, competitions, talent shows, etc.

I was going to write a post on Monday called Eye of the Tiger (remember the song from Rocky III?) Because a lady at our homeschool park day, upon me pointing out to her which child was mine, said "Oh her! She's got the Eye of the Tiger."

She went on to tell me that she watched Z going backwards on the monkey bars with a demeanor of total focus. I laughed and said it was such a coincidence that she should use tht term since we planned to watch Rocky III that night.

But anyway, I think the reason that Z likes tests so much is, at least, twofold.

One is that she has never been in trouble for not getting 100% on a test. For me the point of testing is to see what she knows and where she needs help. There is nothing wrong with genuinely not knowing something.

Secondly Z does have the Eye of the Tiger. I am sure there is a little stress involved in testing but she likes that. She has always asked me to set up obstacle courses for her and then to time her and she will try to beat her time. When given two options she almost always chooses the harder one.

Thing is, I am like that too. I like to challenge myself and I think tests are fun instead of scary. So maybe, without really trying, I have conveyed that attitude to Z.

some Language Arts ideas

So I am going to try Classical Writing Aesop with Z. I looked at their message boards and it says that the it is for 3rd - 6th. Their "Homer" series isn't until middle school.

This is how it works.

Day 1
You pick a piece of classic writing like a myth, fable, fairy tale, etc. Your student reads the whole piece. You note the title, the original historical setting, why it might have been written, what was the message and any additional background. Discuss the characters, plot, action, outcome, moral issues. Note something good and bad about the literature.

Day 2
Spelling, Dictionary Skills
Pick our spelling words from the piece - students can copy them or have them dictated.
Then from the piece choose vocabulary words and look them up in a dictionary, noting their root words (Latin or Greek?)

Day 3
Grammar
Use a passage from the piece to implement the grammar you are studying. For example - subjects and predicates, direct quotes, adverbial conjunctions, etc
So if you were trying to teach verbs you could have the student pick out all the obvious verbs. Make three columns and list the verbs under their types: Action, Being, and State. Also you might mark off 10 - 12 words from the passage and ask the student which part of speech they are.

For grammar I am going to use Everything You Need to Know About English Homework 4th - 6th grade" and apply it in this way.

Day 4
Copywork and/or Dictation
Just work at the student's level here. I am going to try dictation with Z.


This curriculum also recommends setting aside another 30 minutes a day for writing projects. I am not sure what I am going to do for writing yet. Z will be working on our homeschool newspaper that I am creating with the kids.

why test

One reason I did these tests is so I can use the info to ask for accelerated classes for Z. Now I can say that she is "at least 4th grade level" and that might mean something to the people in charge.

I haven't figured out how to test her for history or science, which I think would fall somewhere between math and reading comprehension depending on the topic.

For history and science we follow her interests and not the state standards so the things she has learned might not be on grade level tests. Although we covered a lot of topics we didn't do the "mile wide inch deep" type curriculum taught here in CA.

For science she studied human anatomy, global warming, nutrition, environmental protection, rocks and minerals, forensics, microbiology and space flight (at astronaut class). Her science class did extreme weather, poisonous snakes and spiders, swallows, dinosaurs, terrariums, states of matter, the solar system, planting bean seeds, and marine biology. She also did many brainpop movies.

For history we are following more of a Well Trained Mind path and starting with ancients and moving forward from there. If I tried to test her I think 3rd or 4th grade is supposed to spend the whole year on CA state history. But unless we do it concurrently we aren't going to get to that for awhile. But I don't think the CA state elementary tests ask about the fall of Rome, Egyptian burial techniques, human evolution , Greek mythology and Homer, the Black Death, the barbarian hordes, the Vikiing judicial system, or ask for the name of the knight that sits at the Seige Perilous. *grin*

On my own I would place her between 5th - 7th grade for science and history with lots of gaps and lots of indepth knowledge. But it is easier to test her in math and language arts and then be conservative and use that grade level when need be.

testing

So this morning I decided to give Z some end of year tests to see where she is in Language Arts. I found this site for K12 placement tests and I tested her on reading comprehension and language skills.

For reading comprehension I started with 5th grade but it was too easy. So I gave her the highest test they have, which is for 8th grade, and she got all but one right on that. So I don't really know where she is on that...

She also got two tests for Language Skills (grammar). The first one was too hard. The second one was right on the money and that was for 5th grade.

Then on another site I did a spelling placement test and she placed 4th grade.

So, it is like I thought, math and spelling (both 4th grade) are her relatively weakest subjects.

It was surprising in a way because I usually underestimate what Z is really doing. I thought spelling and grammar would be 3rd grade... I haven't really taught her much of either, so what she learned she mostly figured out on her own.

But still the questions on the tests did seem really easy and I am not sure I believe that that is really the level regular school kids are working at. I mean they said that Z could be taking Literary Analysis and Composition...

Other than testing Z did two sessions of EPGY math, half an hour of piano, a chapter from King Arthur, had lunch with her Pere, and then played at the park with her friends for 3 hours. Now she is in the bath tub banging on stuff. :)

dress

Z's Grandmere got her this dress from Maui.

tea party

Today was Z's Tante Juliet's annual tea party. This year Z got to spend the night with her aunt and then help her bake for the party.

Tante Juliet dreams of opening her own tea house someday but until then we get to taste her treats on special family occassions but this is the most elaborate (and yummy!)

She usually makes four courses including tea sandwiches, homemade scones with homemade jams, and some special dessert. This time it was cake that Z helped to prepare and the Gray family fudge recipe.

I am lucky to have married into a family of such good cooks.

a house is a home for me

So the housing prices are finally coming down some here in Southern California.

Last weekend we went and looked at twelve open houses and saw that we might actually be able to afford something we would like come November.

Of course we are really excited about this and while I know it is a few months away I find I am now constantly looking at and thinking about houses for sale. :)

****************

The other thing my brain is stuck on is my job... that is homeschooling.

I am still not sure what my curriculum will be in the fall. I have gotten several good resoures recommendations from friends. Rght now I am checking out Classical Writing - Aesop , which looks good but not as complete as EPGY Language Arts and Writing, which is what I really want to use but I am concerned about the cost.

So far my tentative fall curriculum looks like this
Math - EPGY
Language Arts - EPGY
Spelling - Espindle
Science - books from library on physics, chemistry and experiments from Mr. Wizards plus weekly science class
History - Renassiance and Explorers (also library books)
Geography - workbook
Music Appreciation - ?
Piano class
Voice class
Japanese class
Art - A - Z guide to Art
P.E. - gymnastics, kung-fu, yoga/pilates, swimming
Drama - Shakespeare class
Field Trips - monthly with homeschooling group
Reading - classics at home, modern fiction with homeschooling book club

American Girl

Today Z and I met K and her family at the American Girl Place.

Disneyland

Wednesday Z and I went to Disneyland where we met up with our good friends from Raising K

We had an awesome time! The girls got along fabulously. And Z rode on all the rollercoasters! She did Thunder Mountain, The Matterhorn, and even Space Mountain!

Did I say it was the end of school?

For some reason Z had a end of 3rd grade test for EPGY this week. I wasn't expecting it since she was already doing the 4th grade work...

Anyway I think she did well on the test but I found that she really needs to learn her multiplication tables.

So besides piano and Japanese I want her to continue math over the summer. I found a cool website that has printable and customizable math sheets - http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/ So that is what she will work on when she in done with EPGY at th end of the month.

And so while we are at it I think it would be good if she learned to type better.

So I have a couple goals this summer that I would like Z to meet.

Not that she is against the idea. This afternoon we were totally open and free to doing whatever and she wanted to play a math board game called Allowance and then read her Kingfisher book on Forensics and then read one of her Horrible Histories books. :)

Angelina

We got home about 7:30 this evening to find a neighbor trying to catch a one footed duck and her ducking. He wanted to take it to the wildlife rescue place. Long story short a neighbor caught the duck and I caught the duckling and we put them into a box but the mother got away and then to our dismay she flew right away. We waited at the spot with the chirping duckling for about an hour and a half but she didn't come back although we thought we saw her fly over a couple times. We looked around different areas of the neighborhood for her but we couldn't find her.

So about 9:00 we drive just the ducking over to the rescue place. It slept in my hands in the car. It was the sweetest little thing. Z cried on the way home because she wanted to keep it. When she went to bed she prayed to God "If we ever find another duck and duckling please don't let the mommy duck fly away. And if she does let us keep the duckling."





Also Sunday Z built this "cave" in her room out of chairs, blankets, and boxes.


She sat in there reading books with a flashlight

Tagged for Meme

I have been tagged by Kate in NJ

The rules are simple…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

8 THINGS ABOUT ME:

1. I was born in Texas. I lived there until I was five. I grew up in South Florida.

2. As a child in Texas I had a Great Dane named Brutus that I could ride on.

3. I've been to the states Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucy, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California and Hawaii.

4. I have been to the United States (of course), Mexico, Canada, France, Monaco, Bahamas, Italy, and England (although I didn't step outside of the Heathrow airport so it doesn't really count)

5. I have a fear of spiders and clowns. I am gettng better about the spiders.

6. I have a back injury - two bulging discs, one in the thoracic and one in the lumbar. I got the injury the day I came back from my honeymoon and it still hurts.

7. I have really really really bad motion sickness. I can't even look at a Merry-Go-Round.

8. I used to do musical theatre and I was in Snoopy, Fame, Jesus Christ Superstar.


Now I'm going to tag the following eight people,

Raising K
Life Schooling
Mariposa
Homespun
Red Sea School
Painted Rainbows
Just Enough and Nothing More
Slow to Adapt

Food analogy

(bread, eggs, goat cheese, honey, carrot cake, dill, potatoes, carrots, mixed salad greens and plums from the farmer's market this morning)

Once my Mere asked me about how I am raising and educating Z.

I came up with what I thought at the time was a good analogy. I was trying to give Z a "gourmet" life. I wanted her to read the best books, listen to the more wonderful music, partake of the best from all over the world.

The food thing is not just an analogy though. I really do pay a lot of attention to what Z eats. We have gone out of our way to raise an adventurous eater who will try anything and not turn her nose up on unfamiliar foods. She also likes to know what food she is eating, where is has come from, and how healthy it is for her. She cares about things like Trans Fats and eating locally. She also likes to help her Pere cook elaborate authentic meals.

For my part I try to feed her healthy, organic, wholesome food. We buy our food from a variety of places, from farmer's markets to ethnic grocery markets to our neighborhood Whole Foods and Trader Joes. We will travel far and pay a lot to have a unique eating experience.

We purposefully eat from various cultures and have included Z in our eating habits so she has eaten traditional meals of Southern France, Hawaii, Cuba, Morroco, Israel, Italy, Japan, China, Vietnam, and many others.

We have even worked at ranches and farms so Z can see where her food really comes from. She is a very informed eater.

I also let her have some yummy junk food sometimes, so long as it is not enough to affect her health or her tastes for the finer things.

Looking at all this I think what we do with Z for food is analogous to how we try to teach her and raise her.

I want her to have the best. She is familar with and enjoys great books, classical music, famous works of art from all over the world. She is excited to try new things and realizes that she deserves to feed her brain "the good stuff". And as she has been raised on this diet of the best having a little twaddle doesn't harm her.

She recognizes that things that come too easy, like Fast Food, often aren't very good for you. And that when people really care about the product that they are making it shows in the end. She also understands that we have a lot to learn so that we can live by our values.