Happy are the merciful

Today is a reading and writing day for both of us, as I have a lot of ARVA documents to read and review today! My student wanted to continue reading a book she started at her old school. It's "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli, so we checked that out of the library this morning and she's had her nose buried in it ever since. I love to see her reading and enjoying it as she did not start out her reading journey with much love a few years ago.

Before we could get her book I had her read and copy the daily text and comments, and then write her own thoughts about it. It had to be done very neatly and with no spelling errors, as there is just no excuse for misspelling words you are copying. She did do it very neatly and only a couple of spelling errors so I let that slide.

The scripture for today is Matthew 5:7, "Happy are the merciful, since they will be shown mercy."

Here are her thoughts and personal application (spelling errors included):

Merciful is not getting mad when someone brakes your stuff or something like that. Here's how I can show mercy to my sister ***. When she brakes one of my things I'll just go on and say well I'll just get another one.

LOL this was funny because her sister doesn't break her things, she takes them. They take each other's stuff and use it without asking. Her brother is the one who breaks her things!

Purple Triangles

My daughter has been studying the World War II concentration camps in her gifted and talented class at school. She is continuing this today at home while we wait on our books and materials for ARVA to arrive. She watched the video "Purple Triangles," which was shown on British television as part of the series "The Human Factor." It is the story of the Kusserow family, who refused to renounce their faith during the war. They were Jehovah's Witnesses, at that time a small but determined religious group. Among all the groups tortured by the Nazis, the Witnesses were the only group who could have escaped persecution because they were given the chance to renounce their faith and "heil Hitler." Of the thousands of encamped Witnesses, the vast majority refused this simple act and suffered (and died) for their faith.

My daughter has learned quite a bit about other groups, including the Jews, who were held hostage by the Nazis during the war.

Here is what she wrote after watching the video today.

*****

PURPLE TRIANGLES

Jehovah's Witnesses in concentration camps during World War II wore a purple triangle on their chest so the people of Germany would know that they were Jehovah's Witnesses. The Kusserow family was special in Jehovah's eyes. The head of the family fought against Hitler who was the Nazi leader. But no Kusserows live here today. Hans Kusserow was the third in his family. The eldest of the family walked to house to house talking to people who liked to hear about the Bible. The Witnesses began to lose their jobs and their money. Willheim, Hans' brother, was thrown into jail. Willheim's lawyer wrote to the family about before he went to jail. Hans Kusserow was thrown into the concentration camps. But then he got out but I don't know how. One scripture in the Bible says “you must not kill.” Annmarie Kusserow, the oldest sister, was free but was still in some place in Germany. Then Hilda, the mother, and her daughters were released. Some Jehovah's Witnesses were murdered.

*****

We are an Arkansas Virtual Academy family!

We are now an Arkansas Virtual Academy family! My younger daughter has been accepted into the third grade in this school and my older daughter is on the sibling waiting list for the sixth grade.

This is a public charter school that is based online and done at home. As a public school it is tuition-free with all books and materials supplied and all the accountability in place.

The site is www.k12.com/arva.

We have created this blog to share some of our girls' work and progress.