Is It Just Me?

Yes!! I did it!  Always knew I could.

I know it's all a part of the journey but ... don't you wish at times you could pick out the frustrating lessons of life and recycle them.  Why not give them to more worthy individuals? If everyone would just behave and do what they are supposed to do we wouldn't have these problems.  We wouldn't need jails. No really?!!  Why should someone else's shortcomings fall on my family's shoulders.  Let me breakdown the recent weight of the world.

First there is school.  Both my daughter's and son's schools have a problem with communication.  Let me begin by saying I like my daughter's and son's schools. I like the administration and I like the teachers.  They all seem to be personable and nice enough.  Personable and nice enough in person.


 Generally speaking, it seems as if my daughter's and son's needs are being met.  She really doesn't have many needs aside from a little extra help in reading.  She manages to always stay motivated, even when things were not going so well.  They weren't going so well last year and the year before.  Teachers couldn't offer up any other options to increase her comprehension.  At the school she is at now, they have other options. This is awesome! 


What she doesn't lack, some of her teachers do.   Motivation is a problem for some of her teachers.  You can throw some of my son's teachers in there as well.  These teachers do not seem to be motivated in the area of communication.  That is, responding to communication from me.  I'm a little disturbed by this.  I need clarification and I need it pronto.  I don't know how long the "issue" has been going on so I need for the teachers to respond to my questions/statements within a reasonable amount of time.  I'm usually good with a few days.  I understand they are not just waiting for me to email them so that they can respond.  They have a thousand and one things to do.  Well, so do I!  Communication with the parents should come in second, right behind teaching.  If a teacher doesn't communicate what is going on,  then parent doesn't know.  If it's a parent like me they will either assume the worst or just want clarification so they don't assume the worst.  If they need to they try another route to get what they need.  What I need are answers.

Award's Day

 Comprehension isn't my daughter's strong suit.  If there is a comprehension  "issue" it needs to be addressed in a timely matter because the class will move onto the next standard or subject.  How will negating my email  help my daughter who struggles with comprehension?  It puts her behind the 8 ball.  She will be left behind which will leave her frustrated and eventually less motivated.

This Certificate of Achievement Is Stupid

My son has motivation issues himself but he is a freshman in high school.  He is not an adult nor a teacher.  He claims his "issues" are that he needs to be in all advanced classes.  "The classes are too easy and I get bored.  I don't hand things in when I should or do them when I should because I don't care.  I am bored."  Really.  Wow!  My response was, "Sorry, you have to do the work or you'll end up being 30 and working at Dairy Queen.  If that is your goal in life so be it.  That is your choice." At least I know where he sits with all of this.  


Emails to his teachers are to voice concern so that maybe they can talk to him.  They might be able to say something that will snap him out of it.  I can always pray for that lightbulb moment. The switch can't be flipped on if there is no switch.  I'm not getting anywhere when I email some of his teachers because they aren't motivated enough to respond.

What Just Happened

SOOO Close!

Moving on to sports.  Both of my kids have always played sports.  They need an outside activity.  We live in the burbs and it's either a playing a musical instrument or sports.  Sports it is!  


They have played all types of sports.  Currently, I coordinate games for my son's high school team.  I am in touch with the coaches in the league to figure out who we should play and when.  The less experienced teams we should play first.  This makes the most sense because many of our kids are new to the sport.  We need time to develop our team and we can only do that by playing not by getting creamed.  


When I first started speaking with the coaches, to schedule games,  I thought they were being honest.  I believed them when they said 1/2 of their team is new to the sport and 1/2 of their team have some experience.  This hasn't proved to be correct yet.  I know. I know.   Honestly,  I think I'm a little too naive.  Why would a coach lie to me though? I didn't lie to them.   Why would a coach say their team and our team would be evenly matched when they know that isn't the case?  Are they in it for the win?  Looks like it to me.  What is this teaching the kids?  What is this teaching adults?  Domination is a good thing.  That's just life.  Winning is the most important thing.  Do whatever it takes to win because that is the name of the game.


Nice, huh?? Okay, I need a glass of wine. It after 4:00 pm somewhere.  What's wrong with a glass or two after 12?




Is it just me?

Are You Talkin' To ME!!

NCLB: The Forgotten Ones

Initially,  No Child Left Behind (NCLB) gave me hope. I was hopeful that this was the government's promise to take education seriously, leaving behind the focus on dollars and numbers. I was hopeful that no child would be left behind, giving every child an opportunity for success. The reality is this is not the case. Never did I think I would come to distrust this bill and everything it now represents.

It seems NCLB caters to students and schools who fit into a mold of either average students or above average students or those students that need more than a little help.  What happens to the students who are not socio-economically disadvantaged or special needs? What happens to those students who need a little help to be on grade level? Are those students getting the help they need? Does NCLB provide help to this segment of students? 

NCLB has forced public schools to place too much importance on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).  The CRCT is a standardized test given to students in April, usually right after Spring Break here in Georgia.   This test, that most parents start hearing about in August and that teachers start prepping the kids for in August, is supposed to measure how well students are doing and how well teachers are teaching. In the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th grades the student's individual scores are used as a way to determine if the student needs to be retained or should be promoted. In my experience it is almost solely used to place students. If you ask administration they will deny it unless they are pressed.  

Did you know that CRCT scores not only place students but rank schools? If the school's overall score is a "passing" one,  they receive more funds.  They receive more money than a school that does not perform well. What about the school that performs poorly but is in disparate need of more funding, to be able to get more help to the students who need it?  Are the student's needs the priority? They should be.

Where is the focus? I sympathize with the teachers because their focus has had to shift as well. Teachers are bound by what seems like a mountain of test preparations which begin months before the test actually takes place. They want to make certain their students score well.  Do teachers feel like they have to teach only things that might be on the test or "teach to the test?" NCLB seems to be pushing toward this goal.  As an added pressure, these scores are being used to reflect how well teachers teach.  What about the kids who have test anxiety and just do not test well? What about the children who are learning to speak and understand English?  They take the same test everyone else does. Their scores are figured into the overall score as well.  How  accurate is the reflection now? 

We, as parents and guardians,  need to advocate for our children. The most important thing we can do is speak out, stay informed, stay in touch with our child's teachers and vote.  Schedule parent meetings, look over the school work your children bring home to see if there are discrepancies between what you know about your child and what you are seeing. I encourage everyone to start doing this today!  So much is being taken away from our children's educational experience, regarding time and resources, that those caring for school aged children need to fill in the gaps.  If we do not step in, the children who were not left behind in the beginning will be in the end. 

It's Getting Closer!

Yesterday I received a letter from Cherokee High School regarding fall enrollment.  My son is in the 8th grade.  This fall he will be in high school.  High school?  Seriously?  I just don't understand what happened.  Writing this and reading it back to myself it seems impossible, absolutely impossible, that he will be in high school.  It's probably harder on my digestion than it is my son's. 

2005

Now let's break that down.  What we will be dealing with are the 3 Ds;  Dating, driving and declaration of independence.  I would also like to throw another D in  for good measure, damage control.  I can remember doing a little bit of that while in that 8-10 year learning curve.  Of course I'm still in a learning curve only it doesn't seem to be so big, damage control isn't the focus of my life anymore. 


Dating is first on the list because I can almost feel that "dating" will happen any day now.  What's up with "dating" these days?  I thought dating was reserved for those around 16 who can actually drive their date to their destination.  If you can't drive yet, where are you going to go on a date unless someone  takes you there?  "Back in the day," the only dates we had at that age involved going to school dances  once or twice a year. We didn't call it dating.  When we were 14 or 15 there was no going to the movies with your girlfriend or boyfriend, or to the mall or anywhere else for that matter.  

2008

Driving is next on the list.  Who is going to teach him? Even though I'm use to it, others are scared when they are in the car with my husband so if he's teaching our son I don't even want to know about it.  I say I'm all for driver's training.  They don't offer it in school but that's okay with me.  I will pay someone to teach him. Something about being in the same car with someone learning to operate 2 tons of metal is a little scary.  Thank goodness I still have a couple of years to forget about him getting behind the wheel.  Right now he talks incessantly about what type of car would make a cool first car.   Well, he'll be driving a bike to school unless he steps it up in the savings department.  His other options are I drive him or he takes the bus. I'm sure that would go over well.  

2011

Last of all,  at least he's taking it slow on his declaration of independence. Okay, first I had to let go of the school work and now this.  What's next?  Am I going to have to let him make up his own mind about a career, marriage, ...  That is a lot to wrap my brain around. So far I think I'm doing fairly well.  I'm trying to remember I'm just along for the ride.  I'm along for the ride until I find out that he needs steering in a different direction.