When my cute Emma was 12 and 13 she would volunteer at a therapeutic horseback riding business just down the street from us. She would lead the horse around the area for an hour long session, clean out the stalls, and feed and water the horses. She love it and Tami, the manager loved her help. In 8th grade she took an FFA class and decided to raise a pig over the summer to be taken to the State Fair in the fall.
I must admit, I was not super duper happy about this venture. Pigs stink. And so do the people who must feed and water them twice daily for many weeks. In addition, I know nothing about pig raising and I wasn't sure what the expectations were. It wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, she had friends who tag teamed feedings with her occasionally and Emma was a responsible pig owner.
I did have to spend three days at the State Fair so she could show and auction her pig. I had not been to the fair since I was a child and my kids had never been. As a side note, I did try to take them once when we were home schooling, but Emma threw up in the car on the way there, so we didn't make it. If there is a next time, I'll be bringing a chair and a book. I can only walk around and look at pigs and other fair items for so long. There were not nearly as many agricultural things there as I remember. There were a lot of booths with people selling a lot of things.
Her pig was the only one from Westlake FFA to earn a blue ribbon. (The teachers were not happy). This meant that her's was the only one that went to the auction. It was cool to watch Emma "show" her pig and she learned a lot from the whole experience. Going to the auction means that the kids earn a little more many than what is market value for their animals and the teachers don't have to find a way to sell the rest of the stock. She ended up with a goat too and between the both of them and the feed she had to pay for, I think she broke even. She is not sure if she will be raising an animal this summer or not. Originally she said she wanted a goat, but she has joined the Westlake Mountain Biking Team and has practice three times each week. She decided that would be enough fun, but we are still not sure if she was able to cancel her goat order.
She participated with the school's FFA in learning about parliamentary procedure and served as the secretary for the ninth grade. This was way outside her comfort zone, but she did an excellent job. I am so proud of her and her teachers are too. I just wish I could have watched her. She had to prepare before school at the high school for several weeks and had to memorize Robert's Rules of Order. She was very dedicated!
She appears to be losing interest in FFA and farming at the moment, but we shall see what the future holds. She is still signed up for a class next year.
The past couple of years she has taken a few sessions of rock climbing classes and enjoyed that, but she recently signed up for mountain biking and as found a new love. Of the three, I think that biking is my favorite. She is pretty good at it and there are several adults from our neighborhood who are coaches or helpers of some sort as well as several kids. It is pretty welcoming of all ages and abilities, which is nice.
Emma is adventurous and likes to be active. She does regular workouts and I'm noticing her making healthier eating choices. I hope that she makes some new friends on the team, even though they are mostly boys.
She has had a hard time making and keeping friends. They either move on or move away. Her two friends that she has become close to this year are doing the same. Cassady Bartlett is moving to Cedar City when school gets out and a new friend, Ashlynn will be attending a different high school. Emma is quite shy and doesn't really need a whole gang of friends, I just hope and pray she will find a few "kindred spirits."
School has been quite challenging for her. She has to work harder than anyone else and sometimes she gets discouraged. We were able to get an IEP for her which has helped because she has been assigned to some really good teachers. One of the best decisions we made was having her repeat 8th grade math as a 9th grader. She has done very well this year and even scored a "proficient" on the SAGE, state standardized testing. I'm so proud of her. She will end up with the same amount of math as everyone else, but will just have to take math as a senior. I have noticed improvement with her reading fluency and comprehension.
She is responsible and helpful and I really enjoy having her around. She has a fun sense of humor and is Buddy, our dog's, favorite human. I cannot believe that she will be starting high school, turning 16, driving, and dating this year! I hope I survive.
I must admit, I was not super duper happy about this venture. Pigs stink. And so do the people who must feed and water them twice daily for many weeks. In addition, I know nothing about pig raising and I wasn't sure what the expectations were. It wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, she had friends who tag teamed feedings with her occasionally and Emma was a responsible pig owner.
I did have to spend three days at the State Fair so she could show and auction her pig. I had not been to the fair since I was a child and my kids had never been. As a side note, I did try to take them once when we were home schooling, but Emma threw up in the car on the way there, so we didn't make it. If there is a next time, I'll be bringing a chair and a book. I can only walk around and look at pigs and other fair items for so long. There were not nearly as many agricultural things there as I remember. There were a lot of booths with people selling a lot of things.
Her pig was the only one from Westlake FFA to earn a blue ribbon. (The teachers were not happy). This meant that her's was the only one that went to the auction. It was cool to watch Emma "show" her pig and she learned a lot from the whole experience. Going to the auction means that the kids earn a little more many than what is market value for their animals and the teachers don't have to find a way to sell the rest of the stock. She ended up with a goat too and between the both of them and the feed she had to pay for, I think she broke even. She is not sure if she will be raising an animal this summer or not. Originally she said she wanted a goat, but she has joined the Westlake Mountain Biking Team and has practice three times each week. She decided that would be enough fun, but we are still not sure if she was able to cancel her goat order.
She participated with the school's FFA in learning about parliamentary procedure and served as the secretary for the ninth grade. This was way outside her comfort zone, but she did an excellent job. I am so proud of her and her teachers are too. I just wish I could have watched her. She had to prepare before school at the high school for several weeks and had to memorize Robert's Rules of Order. She was very dedicated!
She appears to be losing interest in FFA and farming at the moment, but we shall see what the future holds. She is still signed up for a class next year.
The past couple of years she has taken a few sessions of rock climbing classes and enjoyed that, but she recently signed up for mountain biking and as found a new love. Of the three, I think that biking is my favorite. She is pretty good at it and there are several adults from our neighborhood who are coaches or helpers of some sort as well as several kids. It is pretty welcoming of all ages and abilities, which is nice.
Emma is adventurous and likes to be active. She does regular workouts and I'm noticing her making healthier eating choices. I hope that she makes some new friends on the team, even though they are mostly boys.
She has had a hard time making and keeping friends. They either move on or move away. Her two friends that she has become close to this year are doing the same. Cassady Bartlett is moving to Cedar City when school gets out and a new friend, Ashlynn will be attending a different high school. Emma is quite shy and doesn't really need a whole gang of friends, I just hope and pray she will find a few "kindred spirits."
School has been quite challenging for her. She has to work harder than anyone else and sometimes she gets discouraged. We were able to get an IEP for her which has helped because she has been assigned to some really good teachers. One of the best decisions we made was having her repeat 8th grade math as a 9th grader. She has done very well this year and even scored a "proficient" on the SAGE, state standardized testing. I'm so proud of her. She will end up with the same amount of math as everyone else, but will just have to take math as a senior. I have noticed improvement with her reading fluency and comprehension.
She is responsible and helpful and I really enjoy having her around. She has a fun sense of humor and is Buddy, our dog's, favorite human. I cannot believe that she will be starting high school, turning 16, driving, and dating this year! I hope I survive.
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