Tonya's Tales
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
From Sorrow in the World to Joy of the Lord
Friday, November 13, 2020
How I strategize to maximize ACT scores
Even though 2020 is changing some college admission standards, I see the ability to perform well on standardized tests a money-saving endeavor. As a teacher who has been in the K-12 classroom and a parent of multiple children, there are some things I’ve learned about the ACT that have helped the kids in my house do well. Please note, this is not advice or a formula-many people succeed with other scenarios and methods. This is a snippet of what we’ve done in this household, what I believe, and what seems to be working well.
It is difficult to score well on any standardized test if a student is not in a regular habit of reading. Therefore, I believe the single, most determining factor in my children’s success was the love of reading formed in the early years that led to actively engaging in texts later on. My son never “sat” to read a book until 3rd grade--he was always in motion, enjoying driving his truck across the floor while my husband or I read to him. The girls climbed in or cuddled in our laps. The point is, reading was an enjoyable and pleasant experience where many questions were asked of them and asked by the kids to us. All of our children were vibrant/every day readers until middle school, when the love of friends or technology took precedence. Though they don’t read as often as they once did, the skills are embedded and they may occasionally read for pleasure.
I started with my oldest child taking the ACT in 8th grade. I wanted a baseline to measure how my kids were improving each year. This was my plan for all the kids, but the younger ones were highly motivated to keep up with their older sibling: the middle child took it as early as 6th grade, I held my youngest off until 7th grade, and my oldest skipped her junior year which changed my plans. About 40% of the math skills incorporated in the ACT are taught before high school, so I wanted the first test to be right before or during Algebra 1. (Math is often the subject most students want to raise and the one I’m most familiar with, so I’ll use it as an example.) As a teacher, I can only pinpoint the weak areas of a specific student if I have data. It’s my role as a parent to sign my kid up for this ACT multiple times in effort to take that data and do something strategic with it. Strategically moving ACT scores can be done by pinpointing the detailed score report which can be found in the student’s act.org account. These are the comparative results of one of my kids over 3 consecutive years:
During Algebra 1 During Geometry During higher Algebra
All categories are relatively even, with Stats & Prob being a clear strong area. | Geometry is increasing while in the classroom. Number & Quantity score jumped a lot, but could be more indicative of the specific test than a trend. | It’s clear that while this teen is in Algebra classes, the Algebra/functions component is strong, and the Geometry is being forgotten. |
Having this data from each year during a high school math course tells me several things. The student is retaining the knowledge that s/he is practicing every day in the classroom and losing a little in the content areas s/he isn’t enrolled in. “Number & Quantity” is hit or miss and not consistent-therefore, that is an area to work on.
3. Junior year is the time to get academic achievements solidified. Though seniors can still take the ACT, many highly competitive scholarships take transcripts and ACT scores that are completed by the summer of 12th grade. For my kid above, having yearly data gives time junior year to focus on the weaker sub areas, instead of the whole standardized test.
4. Content knowledge and Test-taking strategies are 2 sides of the same coin. There is no substitute for having academic knowledge. For example, students without learning disabilities who are actively engaging with texts will usually have good basic grammar usage. Test-taking strategies are clearly important, but I believe are secondary to content knowledge and critical thinking skills. For example, one child could score a 22-24 on English with no “studying”, and s/he did so 2 or 3 times in the early high school years. A 10th grade teacher practiced a few questions each week with the students which improved familiarity. My teen read for 45 minutes a short book on English strategies, and improved the English score to a 35, which s/he scored 4 times in a row. The main points that improved the already “good” score:
If there were 2 answers that seem correct, pick the shortest, most concise answer.
If it’s not broke don’t fix it. If the answer “NO CHANGE” works, that is the answer.
About 25% of the answers in the English section are “No change”. Therefore, s/he would finish the test with 6 or 7 questions not so sure about, calculate how many “no change” answers were needed, and pick the questions most likely to fit that criteria.
5. The ACT tests offered in December, April, or June can be bought back. This means you can pay extra when you register for the ACT or 3 months after the test to get back the copy of the test, the test answers, and what the student answered. These are great study tools if students are willing to figure out why they got answers wrong.
6. Practice, practice, practice. I bought a huge ACT practice book, and I didn't think middle school was too early to start working on it. However, we don't spend tons of time or make this a stressful thing. The $20 book has gone a long way with all three kids, and we get to it when there is extra time in the schedule, or a test is coming up in the next month.
While these are a few tips I have implemented along the way, none of this works if I, the parent, am the only one motivated to get high scores. It’s the one taking the test who has to put in all the work over a long period of time. Cramming the night or week before a test isn’t effective in the long run. I see my job as the parent to give them every tool available, maximize their capabilities, put them in an environment where they can learn, and pay for the resources they are willing to use to study on their own. The end result is up to them.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
4 Reasonable Concerns about 13 Reasons Why
- The educational value that the movie provides is overshadowed by the entertainment value.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Remembering the lives I never knew
I didn't have names picked out. I hadn't had the time to dream for them or know if each was boy or girl. What I knew about one life was that he or she was deformed and lived for approximately 8 weeks before death in the womb. I took comfort in the truth I had learned from Ecclesiastes (4:3) that these children were fortunate to never know evil or experience the difficulty or oppression that living often brings.
My miscarriage experiences were practically and physically troublesome, but after weeks and months those issues were resolved. However, there were deep questions facing me that I just couldn't pass over. Where does life begin? Where do babies go when they die? What does a deformed fetus unrecognizably human look like if in Heaven? What is the point? If life is so hard anyway, isn't it better to be in eternity earlier rather than later?
I took further comfort in that a Bible character like David, believed he would see his infant children in Heaven. I marvel at the possibility of God interacting with people inside the womb (ex: John the Baptist). I delight that the Pslams say God knows those before they are formed, and that all bodily formation is changed and renewed when God finally brings full restoration to His creation. I just can not believe that even a short life is pointless, or only for the here and now. If we only live to die, there is nothing beautiful for the "formed but unborn".
My two beings made me wonder about what God does with the stillborn, unborn, and aborted. Are they souls? Does a part of them go somewhere for eternity? If ALL of them will be in Heaven, how big will Heaven be? And I can't get Matthew 7:13 out of my mind: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."
There's a strong biblical case that for this year alone, over 1 million aborted American babies, an estimated 13 million Chinese aborted babies, and at least 1/5 of all pregnancies that were terminated by miscarriage are now hanging with Jesus for the rest of forever. What does that mean for the those who are living right now? Statistically speaking, the odds are that those who actually have the ears to hear about God will never know Him. Chances are those with eyes formed to see are blind to the realities of Heaven and Hell. Just how wide is that destructive gate?
I believe that my body once held two current worshippers of Jesus and increased Heaven with a population of +2. I hope that in remembering them this day, you will consider which gate you are headed for. Matthew 7 is a sobering read that lets us know our own works don't get us to the place so many think they're going. I hope you'll join my babies at the narrow gate, and enter the door by trusting the work of Jesus.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Crime,Cops,and Church growth:a family's first day with a new pastor
"Being a parent is not an easy job. As an adoptive parent, I have many missing pieces of a jig saw puzzle with unknowns to navigate through that birth parents do not have to experience, because they have the pieces and are helping the children put their life puzzles together.
Our journey of parenthood has been a rollercoaster of getting on and off with many bumps and turns along the way. A couple of Sundays ago, we began a gentle climb that gave us the feeling nothing could go wrong, and the joy and excitement of a very special day--our new pastor's first Sunday! We'd been anxiously awaiting his arrival for over a month. My kids were ready to meet the new family--especially the children. We may have had unrealistic expectations, but with this new pastor was a new hope for our floundering church. The possibililities of an awakening, of reaching and uniting the elderly and young as one, and growing with God's love, was well overdue in our church. On Sunday, my family and I each went our regular route, hoping Sunday School would fly be so we could hear our new pastor preach his first sermon. We then stood in the longest line ever for our church, just to meet the new pastor and his family. They were not a disappointment-- a lovely couple with beautifully well-behaved children, I noticed with a touch of envy as my two younger children loudly and rambunctiously made their way out to the car to wait for their older brother. Their brother, my son, had finally reached the age where he was too old to attend VBS, but was old enough to be a helper and attend a VBS worker meeting down at the front of the church. I waited with my noisy but happy girls in the van, not knowing we were in for an interesting and unexpected afternoon. The rollercoaster ride is now increasing speed as it makes its way to the steep uphill climb.
My son comes bounding out of the church with a smile almost wider than his face as he jumps in the car to tell us the group he will be helping with for VBS. We run a few errands into Little Rock, stop to eat at Chili's, shop at Walgreens, then on the way home where we can finally change into our everyday clothes and take a rest. That rest was never to come as our rollercoaster ride begins to make its trip up the long steep hill to the top where it will drop at a very rapid speed that makes your heart jump clean out of your mouth and your stomach is now in your throat.
We had begun to settle into a relaxing routine at home when we hear a knock at the door. The dogs go to barking and carrying on, and I instruct my kids to herd them into the den. All the while my husband is precariously picking his way through running dogs and scampering children, running into the couch as he tries to avoid stepping on a child on his way to the door. He is met by a very polite police officer.
"Do you go to First Baptist Church?" asks the policeman.
"Yes, we do" my husband answers in questioning confusion.
"Do you like your church?"
"Yes."
"Do you like your new pastor?"
"Yes. He seems like a really good guy and preached a good message this morning."
"Well, this is embarrassing, but the preacher's cell phone was stolen and it's tracking to the back corner of your house."
My husband's heart sank to his feet and the roller coaster car lurches forward.
Our 3 lovely children are called into the living room and asked if they found a phone. They all three wide-eyed and innocently shake their heads no. As the policemen searched the house, I wanted to believe my children, but had this sick, sickening feeling that one of them is not telling the truth. This roller coaster is about to drop.
During the search, I could hear something buzzing, and though I am running through the house like a chicken with my head cut off, I could not pinpoint where the noise was coming from. My youngest daughter informed me that her brother was buzzing. Puzzled, I walk straight toward my son and ask if he has the phone. He shakes his head and fear begins to creep in his eyes. My hand instantly goes to his pocket where I pat and feel "THE PHONE"!
The roller coaster is now plunging at breakneck speeds. The room spins and I yell in disbelief, "What is this? Why did you lie to me?" God placed his hands on my shoulders with reassurance that all will be well but it seemed my child stealing and lying was almost beyond the comfort of God. However, He sent me two godly police officers and a loving pastor and his wife to our home to help with the healing I was trying to throw off. Because God showed His love and mercy
through these people, my son was not taken to jail and our pastor and wife offered forgiveness and friendship to my son. God again had his hand on my family--my son was spared a lifetime of lasting struggles by His love. Relief washes over us as it all begins to sink in.
Boom, yank, screech! The ride has ended and we have made an unforgettable and lasting impression on our new pastor and his family on their very first day. God must have a sense of humor, and I'm sure He had quite a laugh during the episode. I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this wonderful family is a blessing sent from God. I also believe we have found lifelong friends and will have something to laugh about as the years go by.
My son stole the cell phone, but my children's hearts may have been kidnapped as well. It is truly amazing how God brings people into our lives at just the right time, when we need them, even when we don't know why, and through the most embarrassing moments. I cannot help but think this is just the beginning of a very interesting and adventurous story for our two families."
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Crime, Cops, and Church-growth: my first day as the pastor's wife
My family has been anticipating last Sunday for several months. Although my husband and I have been involved in ministry of some kind throughout our marriage, Sunday marked his first day as "the pastor" and my first day as "pastor's wife". I felt as equipped and ready as I could have--reading blogs about ministry wives and asking questions of every pastor and spouse I came into contact with. Upon hearing some of the common struggles this role brings upon women, I had two main resolutions:
Resolution #1. I will have higher expectations for the church than any church member has of me.
I think it's perfectly okay for my local body of believers to have expectations of the pastor's wife. They can expect that I will continue to love God, love His people, serve the church and community, and join with them in the pursuit of a relationship with Jesus and knowledge of His Word. They can expect that I will use my gifts, make mistakes, and look to God to help me not make them again. It's okay if they ask me questions like "Do you sing? play piano? teach children? like to decorate?" and I will answer yes or no according to what is true. Members can know that I will also be asking questions, in order to understand them, relate to them, and join with them in hobbies and service projects. My new local fellowship can know that I expect great things to come in the next few years. I expect that God has appointed my husband to lead this church for the purpose of impacting more lives, and at a deeper and broader level, than has been done before. I expect that our church will have a vision to put people above programs and the rich Gospel above rigid rules. I expect that our church will grow - reaching and changing the community, county, state, country and beyond.
Resolution #2. I will NOT become the lonely preacher's wife.
I have read that the #1 struggle among church staff wives is loneliness. So I have decided to rarely sit on the front pew managing and maintaining my children by myself. I will be mingling with the rest of the congregation...if they congregate at the back row, you can bet I'll be conversing with them (not during the sermon of course:) I will find friends. If I can't find friends, I will make them. I will be friendly whether others are or not. I will keep my friendships with the incredible people I know outside and inside the church. I will not be afraid to share my struggles--I will just make sure I share them with the appropriate people, at the appropriate times, in appropriate ways.
This brings me back to my first day. As prepared as I was, I didn't exactly know what to expect. Quite to my surprise, I put more thought into what I wore that day. I spent more time fixing my girls' hair. I got a tad bit nervous even though I was excited. I shook a lot of hands. I smiled a little more than usual. I was very conscious of remembering names and overwhelmed by how many names I would soon forget. I was welcomed with numerous hugs and encouraging words.
And then, my first surprise. Once the service ended and we finished meeting people, my husband and I had a lunch date with another couple. Before we left for lunch, my husband went back to the front pew to grab his belongings and could not find his iPhone. After searching for 20 minutes, he tried to convince me that someone had stolen his phone. I rejected that paranoid notion saying "No one stole your phone from the front pew of our church!" We decided to eat as originally planned and come back to look for it. However, two hours later, with the help of about 20 VBS workers preparing for the week, the search for the pastor's missing phone was unsuccessful. My husband and I came home, ran the find-my-phone app, and realized it appeared to be in the median of the busy boulevard of our town!
Knowing that my husband had to prepare for the night ahead, and feeling confident I could safely find it on the side of the road, I volunteered to go searching for the phone. Halfway to the location, I realized the phone was actually moving, and was now be at our local drugstore. My adrenaline was pumping and I prayed that the Lord would be with me and work in this situation. I was ready to give a customer the surprise of his life when I confronted him on why he would break the 8th of only 10 commandments on our first day. When I pulled up at the store, I realized, that again, the culprit was driving down the road.
Feeling defeated, I went to the police for help.
"And where did this phone get stolen?"
"Um.......First......Baptist.....Church. Wait, will that go on record?"
"And why did you wait several hours before reporting it?"
(sheepishly) "I naively thought no one would steal from the front row of a church."
Moments later, officer "B" helped me track the phone to its exact location. It appeared the thief was no longer driving and had arrived home. The policeman would not let me go to the location, and instead sent two patrolmen.....to... wait, what!? ...MY quiet and quaint neighborhood. When the cops located the most likely house, officer B told me to follow him out. I was about to encounter not only a fellow church-goer, but a neighbor.
I got behind the grey car with the blue lights and realized that we were not taking a typical Sunday drive. I followed him at 70 miles an hour on 30mph streets, passing through street lights and stop signs. It was invigorating! For once in my life, I felt above the law while actually following the law.
I pulled into my own drive-way, called my husband to meet me, and we casually walked over to the next street lined with 3 police cars, open garages, and several curious neighbors observing our contact with the men in uniform. We walked into the house, made awkward eye contact with loving adults who were mortified upon our entrance, and the police soon found the phone--in the pocket of a young person who would not say a word about the wrong-doing.
It may sound strange, but we were thrilled to look eye-to-eye with the person who had caused us a chaotic afternoon. My husband approached him, hugged him, expressed that he had forgiven him, and assured him that if Jesus would change his heart, his choices would change, too. We told him that there would be consequences from his parents, but had no desire to press charges- instead, God has brought us to his church to help lead him to Jesus. (We soon learned that even though we had not pursued any legal action, the officials could have pressed charges, and because the stolen merchandise is valued over $500, this could be considered a felony that would impact him for years or possibly life.)
After tears, hugs, and conversation, we exited the house with two policemen. Amidst the newly gathered neighborhood watch party, the policemen asked us questions about ourselves, our church, and gave us the background on their spiritual lives. One officer asked if it was okay if he attended the worship service in his uniform--he was concerned about distracting others if he got called out while on duty. Of course, we encouraged him to be comfortable in our church and feel free to bring his buddies. I look to the Lord to ultimately protect me, but hey, He might make it happen with a row of the men in blue on the back pew.
At the end of the day, I realized that my resolutions as a pastor's wife were surely put into practice, although not in the way I expected. In no way did I have a lonely first day. I met more people than I intended that afternoon. Seared forever in my memory are the names of at least one family. That part of my neighborhood had never been visited in such a way before. I expected God to use us to grow this church, but I wouldn't have anticipated the next visitor to be a cop. God can use any creative method He chooses, even doing His work in spite of crime... but this is one case we where hope to stick to more "traditional" methods of reaching our community!