Thu - November 16, 2006
A re-districting we will go...
I've written many times about how I love, love,
love our elementary school. It's an unusual success story - a school with a
huge low income population - that works and works
well.
Unfortunately, it looks like we may be facing some changes. At a school board meeting on Monday, they started the redistricting talks:
http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2006/11/boundary_change.php
You want to see a group of parents get up in arms? Just mention "boundary changes" and "your elementary school" in one sentence. It gets ugly.
Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I hope that someone else has to move. We love our school. We don't want to move.
But I suspect that our neighborhood will be the easiest to move. We are already bused. We are close (within 2 miles) to three or four other elementary schools. The kids in our neighborhood typically have really stable home lives and should be able to absorb a change with minimal stress. If I were an outsider making the decision, I'd move us.
However, if they only take our neighborhood out of the school, the poverty percentage will jump from 66% to close to 80%. I doubt that is sustainable. So, someone else will have to move in. There is another school near us where the poverty percentage is close to 75%. The rumors are that they want to move us there. Those rumors aren't going over well in the neighborhood.
I've been talking to various school board members. They want us to come up with a solution - rather than them imposing a solution on us. Sure, that should be a piece of cake. I'll just make a motion that the next meeting: - "All in favor of moving your kid to a strange new school in a different neighborhood, after you have spent your life volunteering at this school, say 'aye'." Ha.
The funny thing is that the kids - they will be FINE. They might have a short adjustment period at a new school - but they will be fine. Kids are remarkably resilient, I find. It's the parents who are going to be the problem, I suspect.
Anyone want to come run the PTA meeting for me next week? It's gonna be a looooong night.
The bright side of new boundaries? There's no way I'd have to be PTA president at a brand new school. That's something to consider....
Unfortunately, it looks like we may be facing some changes. At a school board meeting on Monday, they started the redistricting talks:
http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2006/11/boundary_change.php
You want to see a group of parents get up in arms? Just mention "boundary changes" and "your elementary school" in one sentence. It gets ugly.
Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I hope that someone else has to move. We love our school. We don't want to move.
But I suspect that our neighborhood will be the easiest to move. We are already bused. We are close (within 2 miles) to three or four other elementary schools. The kids in our neighborhood typically have really stable home lives and should be able to absorb a change with minimal stress. If I were an outsider making the decision, I'd move us.
However, if they only take our neighborhood out of the school, the poverty percentage will jump from 66% to close to 80%. I doubt that is sustainable. So, someone else will have to move in. There is another school near us where the poverty percentage is close to 75%. The rumors are that they want to move us there. Those rumors aren't going over well in the neighborhood.
I've been talking to various school board members. They want us to come up with a solution - rather than them imposing a solution on us. Sure, that should be a piece of cake. I'll just make a motion that the next meeting: - "All in favor of moving your kid to a strange new school in a different neighborhood, after you have spent your life volunteering at this school, say 'aye'." Ha.
The funny thing is that the kids - they will be FINE. They might have a short adjustment period at a new school - but they will be fine. Kids are remarkably resilient, I find. It's the parents who are going to be the problem, I suspect.
Anyone want to come run the PTA meeting for me next week? It's gonna be a looooong night.
The bright side of new boundaries? There's no way I'd have to be PTA president at a brand new school. That's something to consider....
Posted at 11:38 AM
Tue - October 24, 2006
Different day, same pumpkin patch
This time, it was Davis' preschool's turn to go to the pumpkin farm. Yep, same farm as Dana's trip two weeks ago. The farmer looked at me and said, "You look familiar."
I said "that's because this is my fifth field trip here."
I give you 2004:
(Dana's preschool field trip - Davis was along for the ride.)
Today was COLD. I think a new rule should be implemented: Any outside field trip that is more than 2 hours long should be moved inside if it is below 40 degrees. Certainly we could have all hung out in the barn and had the pumpkins delivered to us. Who needs a hay ride? Really.
Seriously, it was fun. The pumpkin farm trip, complete with hay ride and corn mazes and llamas and goats, has become a rite of passage each October.
Posted at 09:33 PM
Tue - October 10, 2006
Field Trip
Another day, another pumpkin patch.
I had the pleasure of accompanying 60 first graders to a pumpkin patch/corn maze/animal petting extravaganza.
The kids had a blast. The corn maze in the shape of Bucky Badger's head was a hit. My group (5 kids and myself) was stuck in his left ear. So stuck that the farmer had to come in and rescue us. Yes, I was born without a sense of direction. Luckily, the kids didn't seem to mind.
I continue to be amazed and frustrated and saddened and moved by our school experience. Frustrated because our school is so damn poor. And saddened because when you see first-hand the horrible effects of childhood poverty, it's just hard to be optimistic about the future for some of these kids. There were kids there today who couldn't identify basic farm animals. Not because they are stupid, just because they've simply never been to a farm before or even really read a book about a farm.
The trip cost $5/kid. The PTA donated the cost of the bus, but it still cost $5/kid to go. Most of the children can't pay $5 for a field trip, so those of us who can, send in enough money for 1 or 2 other kids to go. But still, even with that, the teachers were still $30 short on this trip. I covered the difference today - but only because I happened to overhear the situation. I think that for most trips, the teachers pay their own money.
This weekend, I spoke with a neighbor whose child will not be going to our school. (Actually, over half of our neighborhood does not go to the local public school.) She wants him to go to one of the expensive, lily-white, private schools. She had many good reasons for this decision, but the one that struck me as odd was "so he can learn good Christian values."
(And here I thought Christ spent most of his time hanging out with the poor. Silly me.)
Today I got to go running through a corn maze with 60 amazing kids. A few of them might not know a rooster from a turkey, but they have infectious laughs and the biggest smiles. And that gives me hope.
I had the pleasure of accompanying 60 first graders to a pumpkin patch/corn maze/animal petting extravaganza.
The kids had a blast. The corn maze in the shape of Bucky Badger's head was a hit. My group (5 kids and myself) was stuck in his left ear. So stuck that the farmer had to come in and rescue us. Yes, I was born without a sense of direction. Luckily, the kids didn't seem to mind.
I continue to be amazed and frustrated and saddened and moved by our school experience. Frustrated because our school is so damn poor. And saddened because when you see first-hand the horrible effects of childhood poverty, it's just hard to be optimistic about the future for some of these kids. There were kids there today who couldn't identify basic farm animals. Not because they are stupid, just because they've simply never been to a farm before or even really read a book about a farm.
The trip cost $5/kid. The PTA donated the cost of the bus, but it still cost $5/kid to go. Most of the children can't pay $5 for a field trip, so those of us who can, send in enough money for 1 or 2 other kids to go. But still, even with that, the teachers were still $30 short on this trip. I covered the difference today - but only because I happened to overhear the situation. I think that for most trips, the teachers pay their own money.
This weekend, I spoke with a neighbor whose child will not be going to our school. (Actually, over half of our neighborhood does not go to the local public school.) She wants him to go to one of the expensive, lily-white, private schools. She had many good reasons for this decision, but the one that struck me as odd was "so he can learn good Christian values."
(And here I thought Christ spent most of his time hanging out with the poor. Silly me.)
Today I got to go running through a corn maze with 60 amazing kids. A few of them might not know a rooster from a turkey, but they have infectious laughs and the biggest smiles. And that gives me hope.
Posted at 09:52 PM
Tue - September 26, 2006
apple picking
It was one of the glorious fall days today -
clean, crisp air with loads of
sunshine.
Davis' preschool class had a field trip to the apple orchard today. The elementary school was closed for a teacher work-day, so Dana and I went along. Great fun. And lots of apples.
As I was putting Dana to bed, she asked about one of her new friends at school. Her friend has a mom who lives in one house and a dad who lives in another house. Strangely enough, this is the first time Dana has befriended a child with divorced parents (that she noticed, anyway.)
I was very proud of my non-judgemental explanation of divorce. I thought I did an exemplary job explaining it whilst assuring her that she had nothing to worry about, herself. I spent quite a bit of time in my explanation, in fact.
Then, I kissed her goodnight and she said, "Oh, I get it now. It's just like Nana and Grandpa Jack. Sometimes when they go to their Claiborne house, they don't get there at the same time - so sometimes they live in different houses too. Last time, we beat Nana by 10 whole minutes!"
I am visualizing a parent-teacher conference in the future- - having to explain to Dana's teacher that no, my parents are not "divorced" - my dad just drives faster than my mother...
Davis' preschool class had a field trip to the apple orchard today. The elementary school was closed for a teacher work-day, so Dana and I went along. Great fun. And lots of apples.
As I was putting Dana to bed, she asked about one of her new friends at school. Her friend has a mom who lives in one house and a dad who lives in another house. Strangely enough, this is the first time Dana has befriended a child with divorced parents (that she noticed, anyway.)
I was very proud of my non-judgemental explanation of divorce. I thought I did an exemplary job explaining it whilst assuring her that she had nothing to worry about, herself. I spent quite a bit of time in my explanation, in fact.
Then, I kissed her goodnight and she said, "Oh, I get it now. It's just like Nana and Grandpa Jack. Sometimes when they go to their Claiborne house, they don't get there at the same time - so sometimes they live in different houses too. Last time, we beat Nana by 10 whole minutes!"
I am visualizing a parent-teacher conference in the future- - having to explain to Dana's teacher that no, my parents are not "divorced" - my dad just drives faster than my mother...
Posted at 09:24 PM
Fri - September 15, 2006
Third Friday Counts, continued....
Oh, the things you learn when you become PTA
Co-President!
This week, I learned about Third Friday Counts. Evidently, the third Friday in September, they take attendance very carefully - and determine the population/make-up of the school. I've posted our Third Friday Counts from the last 15 years below. First number is total students - then low income students - then % of low income. I can't tell if the 2005 number shows up, but we were at 63% low income last year. This year, I predict it may be even higher.
What strikes me the most about these numbers is not that poverty is going up. What really resonates with me is that all the rich, white people are running away.
They are running to the suburbs. If we moved 5 miles west or 3 miles north - Dana would most likely be going to a school that is 90% white and maybe 15% low income.
They are running to private schools. There's one that's right around the corner from us. Dana could take Japanese if she went there!
In my generation of parents, there is a strong, overwhelming pressure to give your child "the best." Hell, it's not a pressure - it's an undertow. We are the generation that embraced "Baby Einstein" videos. Can't start too early with Mozart, people! We have $200 car seats. (I owned one. I really did.) We want little Emma and Aiden to have the best start in life. Fancy ballet classes for 3 year olds are popping up all over the country (Dana was in one.) You can buy a really technical bicycle for a toddler (Davis has one.) Our children will be successful! And happy! and smart! and popular!
So, you can imagine the reaction we get when we openly admit that we are consciously NOT giving our child the "best" elementary school that we can find/afford. We are attending the local public school. The one with the 63% low-income population.
I've been told, "Oh, you are very brave." and "Oh, well, I suppose it is OK for now, but what are you going to do in middle school?" and "Aren't you worried?"
The answers are: no, not really; that's 5 years away; and no, not really.
Here is where I normally wax poetic about the dramatic benefits I've seen for Dana - how she has developed incredible empathy and doesn't even blink when one of her very best friends is in Foster Care. Or how she automatically grabs an extra $5 to pay for a few other friends' field trip money without me even prompting. Or how she is truly color blind.
But really, the biggest benefit has been for me. Did you know that you can live 10 years in a place and not notice that drastic poverty is right under your nose? We can argue the politics of poverty until we are blue in the face, but when you become close to kids who don't have enough to eat or aren't sure where they will be living next month....you just can't help but do something.
Dana and I will always be able to learn more math...or English...or even Japanese. For now, we're focusing on compassion and understanding. I have a feeling that if we can learn those two things - and if they can inspire us to make big changes in our little world - well, then, we're doing OK.
Besides, I figure all those Baby Einstein videos had to count for something...
The few, the proud - the middle-class parents who are staying put in the city public schools.
This week, I learned about Third Friday Counts. Evidently, the third Friday in September, they take attendance very carefully - and determine the population/make-up of the school. I've posted our Third Friday Counts from the last 15 years below. First number is total students - then low income students - then % of low income. I can't tell if the 2005 number shows up, but we were at 63% low income last year. This year, I predict it may be even higher.
What strikes me the most about these numbers is not that poverty is going up. What really resonates with me is that all the rich, white people are running away.
They are running to the suburbs. If we moved 5 miles west or 3 miles north - Dana would most likely be going to a school that is 90% white and maybe 15% low income.
They are running to private schools. There's one that's right around the corner from us. Dana could take Japanese if she went there!
In my generation of parents, there is a strong, overwhelming pressure to give your child "the best." Hell, it's not a pressure - it's an undertow. We are the generation that embraced "Baby Einstein" videos. Can't start too early with Mozart, people! We have $200 car seats. (I owned one. I really did.) We want little Emma and Aiden to have the best start in life. Fancy ballet classes for 3 year olds are popping up all over the country (Dana was in one.) You can buy a really technical bicycle for a toddler (Davis has one.) Our children will be successful! And happy! and smart! and popular!
So, you can imagine the reaction we get when we openly admit that we are consciously NOT giving our child the "best" elementary school that we can find/afford. We are attending the local public school. The one with the 63% low-income population.
I've been told, "Oh, you are very brave." and "Oh, well, I suppose it is OK for now, but what are you going to do in middle school?" and "Aren't you worried?"
The answers are: no, not really; that's 5 years away; and no, not really.
Here is where I normally wax poetic about the dramatic benefits I've seen for Dana - how she has developed incredible empathy and doesn't even blink when one of her very best friends is in Foster Care. Or how she automatically grabs an extra $5 to pay for a few other friends' field trip money without me even prompting. Or how she is truly color blind.
But really, the biggest benefit has been for me. Did you know that you can live 10 years in a place and not notice that drastic poverty is right under your nose? We can argue the politics of poverty until we are blue in the face, but when you become close to kids who don't have enough to eat or aren't sure where they will be living next month....you just can't help but do something.
Dana and I will always be able to learn more math...or English...or even Japanese. For now, we're focusing on compassion and understanding. I have a feeling that if we can learn those two things - and if they can inspire us to make big changes in our little world - well, then, we're doing OK.
Besides, I figure all those Baby Einstein videos had to count for something...
The few, the proud - the middle-class parents who are staying put in the city public schools.
Posted at 09:51 PM
Third Friday Counts
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1991
|
377
|
115
|
30.5%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1992
|
354
|
84
|
23.7%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1993
|
375
|
117
|
31.2%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1994
|
380
|
121
|
31.8%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1995
|
390
|
142
|
36.4%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1996
|
413
|
165
|
40.0%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1997
|
345
|
148
|
42.9%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1998
|
324
|
135
|
41.7%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
1999
|
311
|
119
|
38.3%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2000
|
299
|
127
|
42.5%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2001
|
313
|
147
|
47.0%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2002
|
275
|
130
|
47.3%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2003
|
288
|
155
|
53.8%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2004
|
250
|
145
|
58.0%
|
|
LAKE VIEW
|
2005
|
255
|
162
|
63.5%
|
Posted at 09:11 PM
Fri - June 9, 2006
Last Day of School
On the first day of school, 9 short months ago,
Dana and I each made it through the day without shedding a tear. Other mothers
were choked up as their children got on the bus for the first time ever. Other
kids were holding back some tears as they walked in their very first
Kindergarten classroom. But not us. We didn't cry. We were strong. We were
resilient.
So why is it that today, the last day of school, we've already cried about 6 times? It's 7:57 a.m. This is not good. She just got on the bus. It was remarkably unlike that fine morning in September when we were all smiles. As the bus drove away, she looked out the window, straight at me. I saw her blinking away the tears as I squeezed Davis as hard as I could and blinked away a few of my own.
She's evolved this year into such a remarkable young girl. She survived a year of bus tormenting. (It came back over the last few weeks, and she dealt with it beautifully.) She conquered many fears and learned so much (academically and socially.) She loves her teacher and her class and she doesn't want school to end.
Davis and I are heading into school to spend the morning with the Kindergartners. (School ends at 10 am today for some odd reason.) We'll see if we can hold back the waterworks there.
So why is it that today, the last day of school, we've already cried about 6 times? It's 7:57 a.m. This is not good. She just got on the bus. It was remarkably unlike that fine morning in September when we were all smiles. As the bus drove away, she looked out the window, straight at me. I saw her blinking away the tears as I squeezed Davis as hard as I could and blinked away a few of my own.
She's evolved this year into such a remarkable young girl. She survived a year of bus tormenting. (It came back over the last few weeks, and she dealt with it beautifully.) She conquered many fears and learned so much (academically and socially.) She loves her teacher and her class and she doesn't want school to end.
Davis and I are heading into school to spend the morning with the Kindergartners. (School ends at 10 am today for some odd reason.) We'll see if we can hold back the waterworks there.
Posted at 08:11 AM
Fri - May 26, 2006
Field Trip
I went along with the Kindergarten crowd to the local botanical gardens place. As usual, it was beautiful.
But man, oh, man, I am not cut out to be the chaperone of this Kindergarten class. I'd say that half the kids in Dana's class are growing up in extreme situations (poverty and not with two parents....a few are in foster care or with grandparents.) Dana's teacher (the BEST Kindergarten teacher in the history of Kindergarten teachers, I kid you not) is remarkable with the kids. She is calm, patient and reasonable. They respect her and listen to her.
Me? I am not calm, nor patient, nor reasonable. I'm a mother. If I say, "Please don't stick half of your body into the fish pond," well, I expect you to do something other than jump right in. If you've been told five times not to touch a rare gold plated Thai Pavilion that says "DO NOT TOUCH" in seventeen different languages in fifteen different signs.....I expect that you will stop touching it.
These are good kids. I adore these kids. I've been lucky enough to be a regular volunteer in the class room. They know me and like me, but they do not listen to me. My hunch is that Kindergarten is the first time they've been exposed to rules and responsibility. They are extremely lucky that they got the teacher they did - most have blossomed under her care.
I don't know what Dana's teacher makes for a salary. But whatever it is - they need to triple it. I barely make it through a 4 hour field trip without losing my sanity. She's with these kids all day, 5 days/week. They adore her and listen to her and respect her.
I can't help but thinking - these kids are critical for our society, at large. They should be our top priority. The children born into poverty and without a stable family life - aren't those the kids most likely to try things like crime/drugs and drop out of school?
If their Kindergarten teacher is the one person in the world who cares enough about them, and has the means and resources to teach them responsibility and respect - shouldn't we, as a country, be doing everything we can to attract the best human beings possible to become Kindergarten teachers? And once we get them, shouldn't we be paying them at least as much as we pay accountants or lawyers?
Because of the racial and income demographics found in Dana's class, most of our neighborhood sends their children to private schools. I just can't do that. I can't turn my back on these kids. They might not listen to me and they might frustrate the hell out of me, but I need to be there and I need to show them I care.
And hopefully, in the process, we'll raise a daughter and a son who care, too.
Posted at 08:44 PM
Tue - May 23, 2006
Just call me Madame President
To continue my life-long saga of taking on way
too much to do, as of this evening, I have become the President of the
elementary school parent/teacher organization. (co-president, actually, there
are two of us. So that's something.) Oh, and I'm also the Secretary. And the
other co-president is also the Treasurer. But, really, we'll get it done. In
all our spare time.
The first task seems to be new playground equipment for the school. After some initial research, it appears that playground equipment costs more than our first house. Gulp. Let the fundraising begin.
It's a good group though. Not at all what you'd imagine a PTA to be. First of all, there are as many fathers at the meetings as mothers. From what I've heard, that is a unique situation. (Although fairly typical of Madison!)
The first task seems to be new playground equipment for the school. After some initial research, it appears that playground equipment costs more than our first house. Gulp. Let the fundraising begin.
It's a good group though. Not at all what you'd imagine a PTA to be. First of all, there are as many fathers at the meetings as mothers. From what I've heard, that is a unique situation. (Although fairly typical of Madison!)
Posted at 09:29 PM
Sat - May 13, 2006
One Year Ago
http://homepage.mac.com/dnelson1822/iblog/C1498891627/E170137861/index.html
One year ago, my life was consumed with the closing of our beloved preschool. Many tears were shed.
In the end, another church invited the preschool program and staff to move to their location. We didn't move with them. It was an evangelical, Pentecostal church. Even though they said that the program would remain completely the same - non-denominational - I didn't feel comfortable. Besides, it was located in the part of Madison I hate: right near the highway in the "cornfield turned sub-division" outskirts.
We moved to another preschool, closer to home.
Yesterday, Davis and I went to visit the "new FUMP" as we call it. They have a summer program for school age kids and we were investigating the options for Dana. I've kept in touch with staff sporadically via email, but not well. This was the first time we've been out there since they first moved.
The minute we walked in the door, Davis took off and jumped into the director's arms and gave her the biggest hug in the world. She burst into tears and hugged him back. I burst into tears and joined the hug. We went into her office...where many pictures of Dana and Davis (and some of the other kids from "old FUMP") were on her desk and on her computer screen saver. We went to visit the other teachers, which was a repeat of our entry - Davis jumping and hugging...them crying....me crying.
I enrolled him.
This new church has welcomed them with open arms. The program hasn't changed - not one bit. It felt like going home. I poured my heart and soul into the school when we were there. It's an amazing program with amazing teachers who love my children. It doesn't matter what building they are in or what highway they are near.
It appears that the "liberal elitist" in me gets it wrong sometimes.
But if I start talking in tongues and looking longingly at the McMansions built on cornfields...be afraid....be very afraid.
One year ago, my life was consumed with the closing of our beloved preschool. Many tears were shed.
In the end, another church invited the preschool program and staff to move to their location. We didn't move with them. It was an evangelical, Pentecostal church. Even though they said that the program would remain completely the same - non-denominational - I didn't feel comfortable. Besides, it was located in the part of Madison I hate: right near the highway in the "cornfield turned sub-division" outskirts.
We moved to another preschool, closer to home.
Yesterday, Davis and I went to visit the "new FUMP" as we call it. They have a summer program for school age kids and we were investigating the options for Dana. I've kept in touch with staff sporadically via email, but not well. This was the first time we've been out there since they first moved.
The minute we walked in the door, Davis took off and jumped into the director's arms and gave her the biggest hug in the world. She burst into tears and hugged him back. I burst into tears and joined the hug. We went into her office...where many pictures of Dana and Davis (and some of the other kids from "old FUMP") were on her desk and on her computer screen saver. We went to visit the other teachers, which was a repeat of our entry - Davis jumping and hugging...them crying....me crying.
I enrolled him.
This new church has welcomed them with open arms. The program hasn't changed - not one bit. It felt like going home. I poured my heart and soul into the school when we were there. It's an amazing program with amazing teachers who love my children. It doesn't matter what building they are in or what highway they are near.
It appears that the "liberal elitist" in me gets it wrong sometimes.
But if I start talking in tongues and looking longingly at the McMansions built on cornfields...be afraid....be very afraid.
Posted at 10:02 PM
Fri - April 21, 2006
Earth Day for All
One parent got to spend this beautiful day outside with Dana, as her school planted a tree and picked up garbage all afternoon at a local park.
The other parent stayed inside, at home getting barfed on hourly by Davis, who has the stomach flu.
Have I mentioned before that I am married to a wonderful man? (And I do believe that in light of earth day, he cleaned up all that vomit with a non-toxic, biodegradable cleaner....maybe?...)
While I was doing my belated late-afternoon shift of "sitting with the vomit boy and watching constant TV," I noticed one thing - why, on Little Einstein's, does the red haired kid always get to drive the rocket? Seriously, no one else ever gets a chance. Just because he's the only white male on the show does not necessarily mean he's the best rocket driver.
And the name for that show is totally wrong. Sure, these kids are great with their music and art.....but they show absolutely no grasp of the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics. A complete, misnomer, if you ask me.
Ah, sleep deprivation. The rest of the world is debating the war in Iraq, our dependance on fossil fuels, global warming and campaign finance reform. But me? I'm debating with myself about the characters on a cartoon show. A cartoon show named after Einstein and with plots based on classical music melodies, no less. (But today, they played Edvard Grieg. It was quite lovely.)
Posted at 09:03 PM
Wed - November 16, 2005
ABCs
If you are not the grandparent or godmother of my
eldest child....stop reading now. Don't read another word or else you will be
thinking to yourself, "Oh my god - what an annoying mother she
is."
So - Mom, Dad and Ingrid: here it is:
Dana is brilliant. A genius. A prodigy. And we have the first ever parent/teacher conference to prove it (with the first ever report card to follow after the holidays).
OK, seriously. She is not really any of those things. But to spend 30 minutes with an honest-to-goodness real teacher - and have her fill that entire 30 minutes by saying really nice things about your kid - Well, she may as well have been telling us that Dana was nominated for a Nobel Prize or something.
They have standards and goals for reading and math that they like kids to have mastered by the end of Kindergarten and Dana has already surpassed them all. (And she plays nicely with others and doesn't run with scissors.)
The highlight of the conference is when her teacher and I pieced together a quintessential Dana moment. She informed us that Dana lines everyone up in alphabetical order by their last name every day. (This is how they line up to go to lunch but the teacher can never remember the right order, so Dana does it. )
One Friday, the class was informed that there was a new student who would start the following Monday. The new student happened to be the daughter of another teacher. Dana immediately asked her teacher the student's name. When she only got a first name in reply, she started worrying. She spent the entire weekend worrying and even asked me to call the school to find out the student's full name.
I had NO idea what that was about. Until tonight. She was just trying to figure out where the student would fit in her alphabetical line.
My mother alphabetizes her spice rack. My daughter alphabetizes her classmates. LMNOP, anyone?
So - Mom, Dad and Ingrid: here it is:
Dana is brilliant. A genius. A prodigy. And we have the first ever parent/teacher conference to prove it (with the first ever report card to follow after the holidays).
OK, seriously. She is not really any of those things. But to spend 30 minutes with an honest-to-goodness real teacher - and have her fill that entire 30 minutes by saying really nice things about your kid - Well, she may as well have been telling us that Dana was nominated for a Nobel Prize or something.
They have standards and goals for reading and math that they like kids to have mastered by the end of Kindergarten and Dana has already surpassed them all. (And she plays nicely with others and doesn't run with scissors.)
The highlight of the conference is when her teacher and I pieced together a quintessential Dana moment. She informed us that Dana lines everyone up in alphabetical order by their last name every day. (This is how they line up to go to lunch but the teacher can never remember the right order, so Dana does it. )
One Friday, the class was informed that there was a new student who would start the following Monday. The new student happened to be the daughter of another teacher. Dana immediately asked her teacher the student's name. When she only got a first name in reply, she started worrying. She spent the entire weekend worrying and even asked me to call the school to find out the student's full name.
I had NO idea what that was about. Until tonight. She was just trying to figure out where the student would fit in her alphabetical line.
My mother alphabetizes her spice rack. My daughter alphabetizes her classmates. LMNOP, anyone?
Posted at 08:57 PM
Thu - June 16, 2005
Good News. Bad News.
Another school wants to take over our preschool.
They are considering moving our entire program to their site. They'd take the
director, the teachers, the students:
everything.
Sounds too good to be true.
Well, yes.
The kind, generous school is affiliated with a Pentecostal Christian church. I'm very big on respecting all different religions. I think each religion serves a purpose and speaks to different people on different levels.
Yet, while I respect their right to their beliefs....Pentecostal Christianity is one religion that I just don't think I could ever embrace personally. I certainly could not send my son to such a school.
I suspect this makes me something of a hypocrite. A group of Catholic churches was also considering taking us in, but it didn't work out for logistical reasons. I had no problem with that....even though I certainly don't agree with 100% of what the Catholic church teaches either.
Frankly, I don't agree with 100% of what any church teaches, but that's always been part of the appeal to me: the struggle between intellectual reason vs. pure faith in something larger than our physical world.
But when religion dictates how women should dress and wear their hair, I get suspicious. I guess I'd make a bad Muslim, too. I'm trying to stay open minded here. If I judge them instantly...how does that make me any different from what I perceive they are? Obviously, if we are going to ever combine "Blue" and "Red" into some sort of purplish mix for our country, we're going to have to understand what the "other side" says. (Even if they do speak in tongues.)
Sounds too good to be true.
Well, yes.
The kind, generous school is affiliated with a Pentecostal Christian church. I'm very big on respecting all different religions. I think each religion serves a purpose and speaks to different people on different levels.
Yet, while I respect their right to their beliefs....Pentecostal Christianity is one religion that I just don't think I could ever embrace personally. I certainly could not send my son to such a school.
I suspect this makes me something of a hypocrite. A group of Catholic churches was also considering taking us in, but it didn't work out for logistical reasons. I had no problem with that....even though I certainly don't agree with 100% of what the Catholic church teaches either.
Frankly, I don't agree with 100% of what any church teaches, but that's always been part of the appeal to me: the struggle between intellectual reason vs. pure faith in something larger than our physical world.
But when religion dictates how women should dress and wear their hair, I get suspicious. I guess I'd make a bad Muslim, too. I'm trying to stay open minded here. If I judge them instantly...how does that make me any different from what I perceive they are? Obviously, if we are going to ever combine "Blue" and "Red" into some sort of purplish mix for our country, we're going to have to understand what the "other side" says. (Even if they do speak in tongues.)
Posted at 11:01 PM
Tue - May 17, 2005
It was worth a shot.
But it was not a good meeting.
First, they wouldn't let us give any of our statements in support of keeping the school alive. They gave a presentation and would only accept questions. No statements. So we all turned into a sad parody of a Jeopardy Game, desperately trying to phrase our answers as a question.
"Alec, I'll take 'really sad children' for $500"
"Well, you're in luck - that's our daily double!"
It was like we were from two different countries, speaking two different languages:
They said: "god, money, square footage, money, building specs, money, god, walls, money, god, money."
We said: "children, love, children, education, children, joy, children, love, children, teaching, children."
You can see how we failed to find common ground.
They are a church and they should be able to do what they want with their building. In the end, their discussions always came back to money.
You cannot win an argument about children when the case is framed in finance and economics. Is there a worse financial decision in the world than to have a child? A child eats up your income, derails your career, and costs money at every step of the way. Sure, you get joy, love, happiness....and if you are really lucky - a grandchild or two. But you don't get money. You spend. And spend, and spend and spend.
The only thing they would discuss was money. And we couldn't put a dollar value on the education of a 5 year old who would not otherwise receive an education. (Personally, I think there is a dollar value there...but it isn't coming out of anyone's pocketbook today, so it's awfully hard to quantify to a church building committee.)
And I must admit they are absolutely right. Education is expensive. It is probably not a wise fiscal decision for them to burden the cost of a preschool. I don't doubt that. Honestly, It would probably be a really stupid financial decision for them to put the preschool into their new building.
But really, would any of us ever have even been born if it were not for a really stupid financial decision somewhere along the way?
I'd be really sad if it weren't for the phenomenal group of FUMP parents. These people should be running the country. They are that amazing. Our meeting ended at about 8:30 last night. By 10 am this morning, three different parents had set up meetings with 3 different churches/organizations to talk about moving our preschool to a new space.
So, we're on to Plan B.
First, they wouldn't let us give any of our statements in support of keeping the school alive. They gave a presentation and would only accept questions. No statements. So we all turned into a sad parody of a Jeopardy Game, desperately trying to phrase our answers as a question.
"Alec, I'll take 'really sad children' for $500"
"Well, you're in luck - that's our daily double!"
It was like we were from two different countries, speaking two different languages:
They said: "god, money, square footage, money, building specs, money, god, walls, money, god, money."
We said: "children, love, children, education, children, joy, children, love, children, teaching, children."
You can see how we failed to find common ground.
They are a church and they should be able to do what they want with their building. In the end, their discussions always came back to money.
You cannot win an argument about children when the case is framed in finance and economics. Is there a worse financial decision in the world than to have a child? A child eats up your income, derails your career, and costs money at every step of the way. Sure, you get joy, love, happiness....and if you are really lucky - a grandchild or two. But you don't get money. You spend. And spend, and spend and spend.
The only thing they would discuss was money. And we couldn't put a dollar value on the education of a 5 year old who would not otherwise receive an education. (Personally, I think there is a dollar value there...but it isn't coming out of anyone's pocketbook today, so it's awfully hard to quantify to a church building committee.)
And I must admit they are absolutely right. Education is expensive. It is probably not a wise fiscal decision for them to burden the cost of a preschool. I don't doubt that. Honestly, It would probably be a really stupid financial decision for them to put the preschool into their new building.
But really, would any of us ever have even been born if it were not for a really stupid financial decision somewhere along the way?
I'd be really sad if it weren't for the phenomenal group of FUMP parents. These people should be running the country. They are that amazing. Our meeting ended at about 8:30 last night. By 10 am this morning, three different parents had set up meetings with 3 different churches/organizations to talk about moving our preschool to a new space.
So, we're on to Plan B.
Posted at 09:37 PM
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Published On: Nov 16, 2006 11:38 AM
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Published On: Nov 16, 2006 11:38 AM