DRIVER NUMBER FOUR

Watch the Roads!
She couldn't go Monday; she had work. So Tuesday afternoon, I took her to take her permit test. Which she aced. There's 60 some-odd questions, but after you pass 15, you're done. Her permit test was at a different location than actually receiving a permit, so we went to the Tag Agency afterwards. Card in hand, she was ready to go!

She drove around the block a couple of times for me, fearful of using the accelerator. The brakes, however, were no issue. She drove for her dad the next day, a little further (near the police station!) and braved the accelerator.

My plan is, when we go somewhere, for now...to let her drive residential. For example, when she gets off of work at Taco Bell, I drive through the college, park, and then have her go the rest of the way home. When she gets smooth enough, then we'll try larger streets.

We still need to schedule her first driving lesson with the school in Norman. That's one thing I keep forgetting.... Maybe I'm just not ready to go back there for another day's stay.

BTW, we had a special Family Home Evening this Monday for our young drivers. Thanks, Jonathan, for the idea!

Walking, walking, walking
Analiese and I still have our morning walks, even with Seminary out for the summer. After my last morning class, we go out and tread the neighborhood. I don't like to go out and do it any later than 9, because the day heats up quickly. And with the rain...it gets so humid! We did get rained on, once, but Analiese had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

We were visited not only by the Mississippi kites this week, but also a turkey vulture! There's been a lot of squished squirrels on the roads here, so I imagine he is a full bird!

Kites - they are bug eaters!

Vulture - big bird

Analiese dictates the direction and length of our walks. No pass around the park pond here! We may go several blocks east, then south before we move west toward home again. We talk a lot about things, look at houses and yards and express opinions, and make discoveries of all kinds. This week, we found the most amazing flower garden! I had to take all kinds of photos. Sometimes, I wish the people would be out so I could talk and admire their work with them!

Asparagus

VIPKid Notes
This was an interesting week. They had the dragon boat festival at the end of the week, but not all the kids celebrate that. Apparently, it's very regional. I was going to attend a workshop on it, but I forgot they use EST and I came in on the end of it. Wikipedia had to tell me what it could, so I had some idea.

I had one morning where I taught six classes - three hours straight teaching. I find my voice fading in and out as I get to the last one. And why does the last one always have to be the energetic, singing one? By the end of three hours, I need a sedate older student!

Not all students have classes in their home. This week, one of my regulars was in a restaurant with her family...all of them had to say hi! I also "drove" home with them as they left! Once I had one take class in her car on a road trip. The signal doesn't work well going through tunnels!

I had a student show me up, too. I was teaching the irregular plurals for some animals: goose-geese, fish, fish, mouse...mice, right? No, he kept telling me that it was mouses. He's very verbal and conversational, but I kept telling him, nope, in English, it's mice. He kept insisting that on the computer it was mouses. I thought it was some game or wiki or something he referred to. Finally, it struck me...he meant a COMPUTER mouse. I picked mine up to show him and he grinned and nodded emphatically. Okay, Jason, you win - mouses! He was rather triumphant during the rest of the lesson. Of course, on top of that, he beat me at our game!

Pom is my Chinese ambassador. My students all focus better when she comes to visit!