I used to type at school, not compute, savvy?

There were no computer lessons when I was at school, only typing lessons. How things have changed. Imagine how people would miss computers today if they were suddenly all wiped out.

Typing was fun, and I'm glad I took it as a subject at school - not because I can still type properly and quickly and do touch typing without breaking into a sweat, because I can't anymore, and I tend to look at my fingers a lot these days (don't tell my old typing teacher!) - hm, and I don't even use all my fingers shhhh - but because it was relatively easy and brought up my aggregate. My aggregate would have been considerably lower had I not done typing. It was only really English and typing that I enjoyed at school (and running and long jump.)

Now it's normal for computers to be in schools, and for kids to have computer lessons, and I guess what with what technology being what it is today, it should be (normal.)

I'm 41 now, and wish I'd had computer lessons at school. Although, on the other hand, it's been great fun learning how to use a computer over the last 4 years. I probably wouldn't have been as interested if learning computers at school.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

Grade 6 and 7 school English exams today

Well, the boys have been dropped off at school, and today they write their first SA 2nd term school exam. After today's English exam, they have 7 more days of exams, the poor things - although, I think their exams stress me out more than them sometimes!

Tony went through Basti's English with him last night, in our little home office, while I sat on the back of my folks' little bakkie in the garage with Zooty, going through his.

We'll swop kids some evenings, during the next few days, but, generally, we just can't wait for the exams to be over.

Basti (grade 7) is doing really well at school (85% aggregate last term) and we're hoping he'll stay "right up there" - but the first term was based on tests, while this term it's EXAMS. Scary word, and especially when it's English today, and Basti's spelling is not so hot. His memory is great though, so hopefully all those English rules will be remembered!

Even though exams are generally stressful for all, it's also fun going through the boy's work with them. We let them learn for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, for however many days we can fit in before an exam, but only "ask them questions" the night before the exam is to be written, give them tips etc. If we do it early enough in the evening and notice any wobblies, we send them off for another learning session, and we fit in one more "asking" session.

Zooty (grade 6) is not doing badly at school (72% aggregate last term), but we're hoping to see some improvement, because we know he can improve; that he is capable of improvement. His (all grade 6's in Eastern Cape - not sure if in the whole of South Africa) exams this term are being set by the Department of Education, so we'll just have to wait and see how he does, and cannot really predict how he might do, as we might have been previously able to do, based on exams NOT set by the Department of Education.

Sitting on the back of the bakkie, last night, asking Zooty his English, was fun, but not all that comfortable - might change our asking session place today (Natural Science for Zooty tomorrow, and Afrikaans for Basti).

English was my favourite subject at school, especially writing essays, but I didn't do badly at grammar either - last night I was reminded of what the four different kinds of nouns are: proper nouns, common nouns, collective nouns and abstract nouns - Zooty remembered only two, so that was dealt with, a bit.

He was good at remembering "i before e except after c" though and that it (this rule) does not apply when part of the word sounds like "ay" as in neighbour. Interesting stuff!

I was also proud that he knew that the plural for radius is radii.

Well, I certainly hope they can do something with this English they're learning, once they've left school, and that it won't be merely sitting on the back of a bakkie in their garage, one day, going through English books with their own children, fondly rembering their own days at school - and hopefully also remembering that their mother used to sit on the back of a bakkie with them too, when it was school exams the next day.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

What are the kids going to be when they grow up?

When does one start thinking about possibly steering one's children in certain directions? Or does one not - and just see what happens as they grow older, leaving career choices all up to them, the kids themselves?

And what if one does try and steer a child in a certain career direction? What does one do? Enroll them at a school that offers certain subjects that other schools don't offer?

I'm happy with the school my boys (now aged 11 and 12) go to now, and I'm most likely going to let them go all the way to matric at this school, but how do I know they may not have done better (in the future, after school) had I chosen a different school, that offered some extra or different subjects, as well as different or more extra murals?

I guess I don't know, but I'm trying not to let it bug me. Obviously I want the best for my children, and I trust that my decisions are correct, and also that them learning from how I make my decisions with their best interests at heart, will help them be more sure of their own decisions regarding a career path, when they grow up a bit more.

It's not just entertaining to see a child's character develop as he or she grows older, but it's interesting to also take note of where children's interests lie - what makes them sit up; what they're passionate about - and hope that the career path they choose reflects their interests, so that they can thoroughly enjoy their job one day.

It's relatively easy to do a bit of guesswork regards a career for Zooty (the 11 year old): he enjoys food, cars (he can't seem to decide between the more vintage cars and the really modern fancy cars though), anime, drawing and art. He also enjoys making models for various school projects. I picture a chef perhaps? An arty, off beat chef, that gets really creative with his preparations of food and how he serves or presents the food. Or perhaps an artist. But of course he may surprise me and become a terrorist or hitman (he teases me.)

Basti (the 12 year old), however, is a little more complex, and can sometimes never make up his mind about anything in particular. He does enjoy reading though, and a bit of art too, and isn't bad at writing stories (see A Ride on a Rag). He is also very detailed and particular about work that he does (school work) and does well in all school subjects including mathematics.

Tony and I have sometimes wondered: "It's easy to see what Zooty is passionate about, but it's not all that easy when it comes to Basti." However, we noticed at the Gonubie Agricultural Show recently, that he's mad about funfair rides or other fun physical activities. Hm, perhaps a funfair ride designer and engineer? He's also good at explaining things in detail, and has an excellent memory. A teacher? He did tease lately too that he'd like to be a flair tender in a bar.

I'm curious and excited to see which way they go with a career. It's great being a parent, isn't it?

During the 5 week winter school holidays coming up this year during the 2010 World Cup Soccer, I'm thinking of letting them start their own Blogger blogs too. I don't yet allow them Internet access on their own computer, but they can create content on their computer, then come upload to their blog on mine, or I'll sit back and let them upload their text or image blog content themselves. I am hoping that this will not only give all of us a better idea, as time goes by, where their main interests lie, but that this will also be an introduction to maintaining an online presence, should they decide to work from home one day, instead of going out to work for a boss.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

Doesn't signing your child's school camp indemnity form make you nervous?

A while ago, the school my boys attend requested any input or suggestions prior to a meeting the teachers, and some of the parents, were going to have. One of the main topics was related to the school camps. I did not go to the meeting, but the letter I gave as input went along these lines:

I applaud the school's school camp programmes, as it’s plain to see the difference the camps make in a child’s life.

However, regards safety on these camps, I do have a concern.

One way of eliminating my concerns is not to allow my children to go on the camps at all, but this is not an option. How could it be an option when the children get so excited, and, logically, and with trust in God, everything should go well, and nobody gets seriously injured?

However, accidents do happen.

Before my children go on a camp, I sign an indemnity form, and usually feel a little uneasy about signing this form, not for reasons of needing to blame anybody if something goes wrong – I understand the risks involved in attending school camps especially school camps that are adventure based, but I feel uneasy about not knowing what plans are in place for if there really is an emergency. Is there a plan?

What is the plan, for example, if everyone on the camp is in a place that is more than an hour from the nearest hospital, and a child sustains an injury that needs expert medical care within, say, half an hour – eg a puff adder bite, an unexpected severe allergic reaction, or a severe blow to the head or spine? What is the plan? Is a helicopter called for? Do the teachers have the phone numbers (including after hours) of the closest local doctor, in the area the camp is in? What if there is no cell phone reception? What is the plan?

I would rest easier, allowing my children to attend these camps, if I knew that excellent plans were in place in the event of emergencies.

Taking it a step further, and possibly having it incorporated into the camp programmes, it would be nice to see that the children themselves are taught what to do in an emergency if one of their fellow campers is badly injured. Competition-level adventure activities always have medical personnel at hand – I feel that the “medical emergency” aspect of adventure based camp programmes should be taught to the campers too, since medical experts do not attend the camps with the children. Participants in adventure competitions “go all out,” knowing expert medical assistance is nearby, if needed. If the school's campers know more about what to do in an emergency, they may be more willing to overcome their fears regarding many of the activities.

Regards,

Teresa Schultz

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

What time is the right time?

The school bell is the right time, even if it's not. The digital clock in the car is set to the same time as the school bell. (I say "the" car and not "my" car, because it's my dad's, even though it has cost me nearly R15 000 - Hey, we're trying here, and will make it one day, we swear! - a car or two of our own, a lovely home of our own, with the boys no longer sharing a room, a successful business, a great future for the boys, and fulfill a desire to help other South Africans also earn an income working from home, or running their own small business - these are things we want, and will get, through determination and hard work, and with the help of God.)

Yesterday evening while waiting outside doctors' rooms for my mom's sister who has an ear infection of sorts, we got to looking at litter in the streets, and thinking about time. How long was my aunt going to be? Was the doctor running late?

A bit of chatting, taking photographs of litter, and more thinking about time. Noticed the time on my cellphone was different from the time on the digital clock in the car. 7 minutes behind the time on the car clock! No good. All time must be the same as the school bell's time!

Some frustrated fiddling later, we gave up. We couldn't find the time settings on my phone. This is sad, when we can design websites, and handle a lot on Photoshop, but can't set the time on my cellphone! So, now what? Set the wake up alarm (on my phone that sleeps next to my side of the bed along with the panic button hanging there - this is South Africa) - or carry on as normal with the mad rush to school in the mornings?

Well, I guess I have a bit more time to think about it, as we didn't have to get up too early this morning (for the school rush) as the boys spent last night at their dad.

Perhaps I could somehow sort out with the school that the school bell be changed to the time on my cellphone?

Update: (15 May): We found it! Lol, yeah, just a day later, we relaxed, had another look on the cellphone, and found where to change the time. Was right there all along, in initial set up, I think, lol, it was a few days ago, and I guess I should note exactly where we found it in case we need to set the time again. So, no talking to the school about changing the time of the school bell's morning ring. Cool.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

I think I enjoy rushing when driving the kids to school in the mornings?

I mean, I must, or else, to avoid the mad rush, I would get up earlier, right? Hm, I should think about this more. The rush (no speeding though) freaks me out at times, but there's another kind of rush that comes with it all.

When navigating through the traffic, and then along the highway, then the roads closer to the school, I'm so alert. Super alert. And it feels good. It feels good to feel so alive and awake.

And then there's the hopping back into the car after helping the boys get their bags out the boot of the car and hugging them goodbye with last-minute "love you's" ringing in the air. Tony and I plop down in the car seats, and people probably two cars away in the parking lot can probably hear our sighs - and with those sighs, comes utter relaxation, a sort of sitting and contemplating, for a minute or two sometimes, of "Wow, what a rush to get here, it was stressful but somehow exciting, and hey, the boys made it to school before the school bell today!"

Then it's slowly put seatbelts on again, lift hands to the steering wheel, and we "start" our day. Although very alert while driving to school, it's often not until this point, that we feel we have really woken up.

I think part of not being able to easily get up earlier in the mornings must be due to the fact that we often go to bed as late as 1 am (due to work, or marketing our work, on the computers) - then we get up at 5.40 am to get the kids out of bed for their shower and to get ready for school. We come through to our little home office, have coffee, and try wake up. We usually check emails, check Google Adsense earnings accumulated through the night (if any), and, now lately, often also try and check what's happening on two blog aggregators we've recently joined - Afrigator, and MyScoop

Then it's off to dress, prepare the boys' school lunches, decide if Gilly our jack russell is coming with for a walk around the school fields (if weather is fine, we feel we need some exercise, and we're not meeting a client on the way home), and then off to school.

Could get up earlier. Could skip the checking of emails etc. But then we'd probably miss that mad rush to school, which, dare I say it, seems to wake us up more than a cup of coffee. And it feels good.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

I just said to Tony I wish I could just sleep for 5 days

Freelance work can be tough at times, and especially when one's freelance business is still less than 3 years old. When one doesn't work, one doesn't earn. We don't yet charge enough for what we do. We've recently put our prices up, but it's still not enough to afford a holiday once in a while - not even a holiday right at home. We're still growing. But, oh, to just do nothing and sleep sleep sleep as much as we like. I think that five days of doing absolutely nothing and sleeping as much as we like would feel like a 3 week vacation to us.

But we cannot afford to just stop work and do nothing for a few days. And if there is no work for a while, we spend the time marketing or blogging to give ourselves or our sites more exposure to get the next bit of work. Or we apply for jobs on oDesk.

Ok, we have breaks, and since Tony and I are pretty inseperable, we take breaks together:

Taking the boys to school is a break. 44 minutes there and back just for the driving, so with a brief stop at the shops for some essentials, it's about an hour and fifteen minutes break from work.

Fetching the boys from school? Perhaps another hour and fifteen minutes.

We sometimes (perhaps 3 or 4 times a month) pop in at Hemingways to lose some money, have a drink or two, and relax. So, what's that? Perhaps 9 hours a month break?

We don't watch tv - no time for that, and none in our bedroom or office anyway. Ok, so we do Stumble a bit, visit YouTube or FaceBook, but it's not for long.

We will also get out a dvd from time to time - perhaps sometimes we overdo it a bit, like 5 in ten days, but then we might go a month or so before watching another one. Our office is tiny, but there's just enough space behind our two chairs at the two computers (next to each other of course) to take a step or two backwards and plop into two lazyboys there, and watch a dvd on the computer. So, that's ten hours of dvd and perhaps 2 hours of YouTube a month = 12 hours a month. How much time each month do you spend watching tv - or playing computer games?

We will also take time out from work to take the boys to movies during the school holidays - you could say we go to the movies with the boys maybe 9 times a year. If the boys have something on at school, or to do with sport, we take time out to support them.

We also take them to karate two evenings a week, and wait there until it's over, walking our jack russell Gilly about 1 and a half kilometres on the fields - or using the time to pop in at the shops.

Then there's school projects and orals that the boys need guidance with, or learning for exams and we spend time asking them questions.

Oh, and then, of course, making meals, eating, showering, sleeping.

It's all a break from work.

And sleeping. That's a break too.

Sounds like a bit fat moan, doesn't it? Well, I guess it is, when one is feeling so tired, and, often, generally always feeling tired. Being alert, awake, fresh and active takes a lot of energy and I guess our batteries are not being recharged enough.

When associates or friends say "have a good weekend!" we know they mean well, but to tell the truth, a lot of our work gets done on the weekends - when the boys have less homework, when there's no sport or school trips, and when we know we don't have to get up at 5.40 am, so we can sleep a tad later in the mornings (if we're not too far behind with our work). But catching up on sleep one or two nights a week, isn't doing the trick. Our batteries need more recharging than that - and we can't just sleep and sleep, or else work (or marketing it) gets behind!

Well, now that my moan is pretty much over, do I feel better? I guess, somewhat, but, gee, I'm still so tired, and so is Tony. Sometimes we can't remember when we last felt really refreshed. Or when we do remember, we remember that it barely lasted.

With life what it is today, we know there are many people who feel the same as we do, each and every day.

Yes, we're a bit jealous of the people who can take time off work for a few days or weeks (and mostly still get paid while they're not working), but do you know what? - we are going to put up with how tired we feel, we're going to continue being available for the boys, we're going to continue working for ourselves, we're going to continue growing our business, building our portfolio and reputation, and, we're going to make it! Our determination is what keeps us awake.

And one day, whenever that may be, we're going to do nothing for ten days, not five, and sleep all we like, and at the end of that break we'll say: "Well, all that hard work was worth it!"

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010