Week 11

I want to thank you all for your attention and hard work today. You were fully engaged, and your contributions made all the difference in the seminars. It warmed my heart!

The Chariot Races were well-represented. I love that you developed competitive strategies and still maintained your good sportsmanship. Your parents would've been so proud!

You split yourself up into your own Affirmative and Negative teams for debate next week. I hope you appreciated having that freedom. Prepare for your respective roles so that you can contribute to your team.

I was very impressed by your in-class descriptive essays. What you were able to produce in that short time frame should convince each one of you that you are able to write well! As you re-read Crispin, be aware of any descriptive passages where the author "paints with his words." Don't forget to take notes toward your assignment. Remember, we're training to become more efficient workers so that our time is freed up for the things we enjoy.

It was intriguing to watch you take, "Do crickets prefer a light or dark environment?" from the research question through all of the stages of the Scientific Method to draw a conclusion. I hope that was fun for you, but I also hope that having that hands-on opportunity provided you with the modeling you need to pursue your own experiments/projects with vigor!

Remember to take a few background notes on your project this week. If you're using the web site I suggested, those will be easy to find. If you're using a book on experiments, there should be some of those details listed, as well. Utilize your source(s) and then bring them with you to class so that we can work on your background/research draft together. The goal is to equip and empower you with all that you need. :)

We're called to "do hard things" in our life. I expect so much out of you only because you are capable of that and more. You are each uniquely gifted and precious; God created you with His Own Magnificent Hands, which means that YOU are a work of ART. (I can see the boys assuming "The Thinker" pose now. lol) In all seriousness, I do hope you realize the love and support you have from your family, from your fellow Challenge classmates, and from me. You totally rock. I believe in you--please believe in yourself!

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so miraculous at all." -Michelangelo