Violets are blue,
Please wake up,
So I can talk to you.
~ by Rebekah Farris, age 9
Rebekah wrote and illustrated this poem while her father was at the hospital in a coma. During the crisis, she made blankets and some wonderful cards for her father.
As I wrote up Joel's year end report for the Umbrella school we use, I thought I might share it with others. It shows how a homeschooling/unschooling family used tragedy to make a learning experience that will last through life.
Joel Benjamin Farris - Year End Report
2005-2006 Academic Year
On September 16, 2005, Joel’s father, Dan Farris, was in a horrible accident. This accident changed our school year from an ordinary one, to a very unordinary one since at first, we didn’t expect Joel’s father to live. Many of the academic and extra-curricular goals that I had set for Joel and my other children had to be put on hold.
Joel learned first hand about what hospitals are like. Besides visiting the Emergency Room after the accident, Joel spent hours and hours at the Intensive Care Unit. He learned about ventilators and he saw his father first-hand in a coma. He learned that talked to someone who is in a coma is encouraged even though it seems that they can’t hear. He saw doctors, nurses, and therapists in action and he was able to ask these individuals questions about his father.
Who will study history with me now?
Before the accident, Joel had been studying history each night with his father. One of his first questions as he worried about the future was "Who will study history with me now?"
Joel’s father woke up from the coma after two weeks and we thought perhaps Joel’s question was answered. Joel began bringing his history book to the hospital to study with his father, but we soon discovered that Daddy was not really ready to discuss history. He was just too tired and his mind was not yet thinking clearly.
Instead, Joel learned about what a regular hospital room was like and also about a Rehab unit. He saw physical therapists in action and he saw his father learn how to sit up, transfer himself to a wheelchair, and he also saw his father in pain. He saw many very sick people too. He learned about the many different people that work at hospitals.
Also, to deal with the stress we experienced, Joel became very interested in video games about World War 2. He began reading everything he could about World War 2 and also watching DVDs about that time period. I bought him the entire series from Time Life on the 20th Century at War. His interest in these subjects has now expanded to all the wars of this century. He has also read fictional diaries of soldiers in Normandy and began his own original story about certain battles.
Some Academics
We didn’t do that much structured academics due to the accident, but we did do some things:
Joel completed all of the Fraction series in Teach Your Child Math Well and is now working on the Percentages Unit. He continued doing drills in his math workbook and is still working on a handwriting workbook from Handwriting Without Tears.
He has about 10 lessons to complete in the 6th Grade Teach Your Child to Read Well Series. His reading is so advanced now that we have found using the lessons only does not benefit him as much as just reading about what interests him.
Joel still needs work in how to format his writing. He has perfect spelling skills, but does not always understand the use of paragraphs, capitalization, and punctuation. These things are some of the goals I hope to address in this upcoming academic year.
Extracurricular Activities
Fortunately, Joel’s cub scout pack helped us during the time of crisis, and Joel was able to attend cub scouts weekly. He was not only able to see friends, but he learned about many subjects in those meetings. In February, he became a Boy Scout! His father was well enough to attend that ceremony.
Joel attended Boy Scout camp in July. He had a great experience and also got to learn about many things there. He went hiking and swimming, did crafts, singing, and had a great time.
Joel also was able to play ice hockey for the entire season. His team took 2nd Place in the final tournament. The hockey team worked out the logistics for Joel to get to all practices and games. I am so grateful for the help we had in that area. I really did not want Joel to have to miss hockey due to Dan’s accident. Joel also had the honor of being Jr. Tiger of the Day at a Colorado College hockey game. He was introduced on the ice in front of a packed audience!
By Spring, Joel’s father returned to work, and so we began to resume our normal activities little by little.
