Mom Is Teaching

However you like fruit, you are going to like this Fruit2Day drink.  I honesty was unsure when I looked in the bottle but I had 2 of them the first night they arrived.  As all of you know, I am not a big fitness guru but these things taste almost like…..melted ice cream..or yogurt maybe?

I am drinking the last of my package of drinks, the Strawberry Orange ones and I have to tell you, I am sad that this is all of them.  When I can go back to the store (broke leg, remember me), I will get me some more and I think…so far the strawberry orange is my favorite.  I love strawberries so that may be why.

Either way, you need to give these little drinks a whirl.  Wait, one more thing….I told you, I am not a big fitness guru and we eat for crap around here but these little gems are quite filling if you just want to know.  As a matter of fact, this is what I am having for lunch.  And, there’s less than 7 oz in this little bottle but yummmy.

My father was a teacher, an educator and he was good at it.  He used his educational skills to parent me and most people didn’t realize how good he was at what he did.  Most people thought he was too lenient.  They thought he let me get away with too much.  In the end, I was a good kid.  I’ve heard my mom say that my first 20 years were much easier than my last 20.  Yet, she never agreed with my father’s methods. 

They had divorced when I was 4 and she despised him.  That’s another story all together and it didn’t matter what he believed was best for me, she was going to oppose it, just out of principal.  Unfortunately, the last 20 years, she has been unhappy with my behavior more often than not.  My father died just 1 month prior to my 20th birthday. 

So, does that say that he did a good job when he was alive because I was a good kid or that he screwed up and that’s why my life as an adult hasn’t been all roses.

Either way, this wasn’t what I was planning to talk about.  I was planning to discuss the ability to teach.  I too have a degreed in education.  I am no where near the parent my father was, I can’t seem to channel my academics into my parenting gig.  Actually, truth be told, I wasn’t very good at discipline when I taught school either.

I told you all that to say, it’s Father’s Day, my dad was a great dad, he was a good teacher, a good parent.  Regardless of what my mother thought, or anyone else for that matter, he was a good and I just want to say Happy Father’s Day to my dad…even if he isn’t hear with me now…he will always be with me.

I have been literally running around like a 3 legged dog.  I am still in a cast and I’ about to be at wits end.  So, I’ going to tell you some things my kids have learned recently (in bullets, gotta love bullets)

• Jace now, at 4.5 years old is using the potty and wearing underwear.  His biggest issue is if anyone walks by the bathroom, where he obviously never shuts the door, he has to turn and talk to them and then he ends up peeing all over himself. OOPS
• Every now and again he will ask for a pull-up.  No real reason except I think he is lazy.
• His sensory disorder is very obvious now.  My mom says it is just like potty training me yet I was not this old.  When he poops, he gags and heaves the whole time.  But, he will not let anyone else clean him either……he wants to go alone, be alone, handle it alone and I couldn’t be happier
• My kids have learned to play Go Fish and holy mother of Sasha are they killing me.  We are playing 50 games a day and it is exhausting. 
• Walker is telling time – making us crazy
• Walker is reading speed limit signs to us – making us crazy
• Walker is reading every thing he can get his hands on, or shall I say his ears…for instance, we can no longer spell things around here.
• Both boys will get in the pool, and Jace will go under and the bubble blowing deal.
• Both boys climbed the stairway to the big waterslide, over and over and over – their father was exhausted, I was sitting under an umbrella and I am so blistered.
• Jace pretends he doesn’t know his numbers and colors but refuses to let us know that when we play games.  It is driving me insane.
• Walker can work the TV satellite remote well enough to put it on DVR’d shows but he also knows how to push record and we end up with 300 Telitubbies and Caillou’s…argh, painful
• Both boys are using the Wii sports both the original games and the EASports games. 

So, see, I have been really really busy lately, my kids are learning all kinds of stuff…..see the proof is right here…see it…

Since it seems to be “bash me” time around here for one particular reader, let me give him/her/it something to bash me for.  But, first, as always, I have a back-story that has to be told.  So, here goes.

First of all, remember I kept my son out for four days back last fall because we went on a family vacation and I didn’t get that grand “prior written approval” which caused me to go flippin’ nuts because they went nuts because I told them I didn’t care if it was unexcused or not.  Blow me.  OOPS!

Then, there was that particular candy issue, we’ve discussed that.  That’s not terribly old news, so I won’t rehash it here. 

So, for two weeks my son’s teacher has sent home about 3 notes stating that she would not be at school Friday and Monday.  Then, she had an emergency one night and had to go to emergency room with one of her kids and was up all night.  So, she called a sub.  The sub just happened to be one of the wonderful ladies that worked for me at the daycare.  I know her skills and people…thuh gurl haz skilz…she is good.   And, she knows my son, she knows he talks to much.  But more importantly, she knows that I am not going to tolerate any crap out of him.  She knows how to handle him and if a problem arises, she knows I’m one phone call away.

Well, apparently there was a person their that had been doing some observation for school and so she told the sub that was called that she would handle things that day.  And, handle them she did.  And, my son came home with a crappy note about his behavior.  Now, talk he does.  Talk alot, he does that too.  But, back talk his teacher? NO!  And, he better not ever come home with a note from a real person at the school with that information contained within it.  Can you say, parental nut-job, I will go bizerk on that kid.  And, the lady who worked for me knows that if he were to do that and she heard him, she knows I would go off on him. 

So, when I questioned Walker, he admitted to 2 of the three things but the back talking thing, he had no clue.  So…..being the smart woman that I am, I knew before asking my son that the handwriting in the behavior folder wasn’t his regular teachers.  Then, when he told me that the lady that had worked for me was there, I asked more questions because I also knew that the handwriting in his folder wasn’t hers.  (Actually, she had put a reminder note on another paper for me to bring a couple of silly supplies and I told my husband, “this” is “old employee’s” handwriting, I don’t know who wrote in his behavior folder?).

So, that’s how I come to find out that there was actually 2 women in there.  So, last night at t-ball practice I walked across the field (former employee’s kid plays on a different team) to talk to Lori.  Crap, this is too confusing, former employee’s name is Lori.  I asked if she was the ones subbing for Walker’s teacher Friday and Monday.  She said no and that her son was begging not to go because they didn’t know who the sub would be and he was afraid it was going to be the lady from earlier in the week.

So, that set it in stone, my son didn’t go to school today.  Nor is he going on Monday.  Fortunately for me, the weather here was atrocious today and I don’t care what they say, they would have just called me to come get him about 10 anyway.  But, about Monday, still working on how to make this work.

I did not tell my son why he was staying home.  I told him the weather was too bad for him to go.  I didn’t mention anything to him about a substitute, I just gave him the ol’ weather story. 

So, now, if someone wants to call me a bad parent, there you go, there’s you a bad parenting story.  I mean, really, taking care of my 4 year olds needs is good parenting, keeping my son out of school?  Maybe not so much.  So, there, now you have some fodder that’s worth attacking me over.

Let me first start by clarifying a really silly issue.  As it was brought to my attention tonight, the thought of “find another doctor” simply isn’t really a simple issue for us.  I don’t know if I have mentioned this over here really but I have a broken ankle and a torn ligament.  I did this about 4 weeks ago.  I’ve been in a cast for four weeks and as it appears, I have at least 4 more to go.  I’ve been discussing it a lot on twitter and someone asked me today why didn’t I just change doctors.  That’s when I realized that most of you probably don’t realize a couple of things.

First of all, we live in the deep woods of no where Alabama.  So, when we choose a doctor, we choose one we want.  Now, I know that many people don’t have this liberty because they have to have referrals from primary care physicians or they don’t have insurance at all.  So, when I didn’t like what my doctor had to say about my foot, changing doctors was easily an option.  IF and I say that with much trepidation because I know so many people that have no insurance at all, but, IF I decide I want to change doctors….I’m looking at a 90 mile one way drive.

Yes, you read that correctly, 90 miles one way.  So, I choose doctors that are close to me.  I choose doctors I like and I generally choose doctors that come to a small town that’s really out of my way but has a lot of doctors that come from Birmingham, Alabama one day a week or something.  So, yes I can be picky because I don’t need referrals and all that jazz, but my options…they are terribly limited. 

So, with that, my son and I got out of bed at the ungodly (for us anyway) hour of 6 AM this morning, left home at 6:30 and barely made it to his 8:00 AM appointment.  Now, I’ve already been to this office once alone to do the “adult intake” so that the doctor and therapist would be familiar with the issues with Jace prior to our “real appointment” and they also don’t like for the mom to talk about the child too much in front of the child. 

Now, there are no child psychiatrist closer to me.  There are none even in the town that’s closer and more convenient than the one I normally choose.  Our options are limited.  If I research really hard, I can find one more clinic in Birmingham that takes children.  And, that particular clinic is the only one that takes Medicaid so you can imagine the wait time involved.  I mean, we waited 6 weeks almost for this appointment where we are.  With only one Medicaid clinic in the entire North section of Alabama, yea, the wait would be much worse.

Where am I going with this?  I am explaining to you that I didn’t just give up on dealing with my son and jump straight to the doctor and ask for help.  We have worked with this kid a lot.  We have a lot of time invested strictly in the potty training issues.  But the anger issues, we basically thought it was just that he was stubborn.  And, possibly that is the case, but I didn’t run to the doctor just because he was a bit defiant. 

All that to say, I certainly don’t wish to drive 90 miles, one way, at 6:30 AM so someone else can potty train my son or teach him not to throw chairs at me.  I don’t normally respond to negative comments but I did want to make it clear that this wasn’t an issue where we just jumped in the car and run to the doctor because we didn’t know what to do or have no backbone. 

Trust me when I tell you we have backbone.  I am a former school teacher.  My husband was raised by ill-intentioned grandparents and he is very strict with our children.  And, by most of my family’s standards, our kids walk a straight line.  So, with that, I’m going to assume that you all know and understand that “going to the doctor” was not meant to be a quick fix for us.  We will go to therapy once a week, 90 miles one way, for as long as it takes. 

Now, that means that I also have to make arrangements for my other son to get to school or to get home one.  And, with my mom in Florida, that’s no small feat.  And, with that, I’m leaving this subject be.

Now, if you can tolerate much more of this, I’ll get to the doctor’s visit in a few hours….whew!  That was painful to write.  I am not a natural at confrontation and defense…I don’t like it, but I felt like it was necessary.  I have so many great readers and commenters that I really shouldn’t let one bad apple upset me, but ………

I had just posted on my personal blog about how I received the ultimate compliment in a comment and then this bad apple came through my email.  Either way, I’m good…now. 

*If it’s ok for me to add, all that doctor running, a trip to t-ball practice, dinner and all that jazz and it’s midnight and I’m up twittering and writing blog posts.  Not because anyone makes me, but because I choose to.  I just normally choose to do it during the day but today…..today I drove 90 miles to the doctor…90 miles one way…I don’t want you to forget that part, lol**

But, he is cute, eh?

6:30 AM:  MOM GET UP

6:45 AM:  demands pancakes for breakfast

7:00 AM:  refuses to eat pancakes with syrup

7:10 AM:  refuses to eat pancakes because I cut them up

7:15 AM:  takes one bite, gets upset because he wants pancake cut in half

7:30 AM:  refuses to put on clothes

7:32 AM:  screeches and screams in squalor because he doesn’t want to wear shoes (it’s 30 degrees out)

7:35 AM:  follows me and older child to truck, in socks, pj top and too small pants that he found in drawer

7:40 AM:  screams all the way to the truck because his feet are getting wet

7:45 AM:  cries and refuses to buckle his own seatbelt  (I buckle it, lest we are late getting oldest child to school)

7:50 AM:  laughing, talking, having a jolly ol’ time

7:55 AM:  crying because the ground is cold and wet and he has on no shoes

8:00 AM:  he wants pancakes, not the ones he already had on his plate that he refused to eat, he wants fresh ones

8:10 AM:  decides he will eat the ones he has if I will cut them an put syrup on them

8:30 AM:  denies having dirty pull-up

8:45 AM:  cries because I insist he get wipes and clean pull-up

8:50 AM:  cries because I have to use the bathroom and don’t change his pull-up first

9:00 AM:  wants to play our new Wii (I won it this weekend)

9:05 AM:  don’t want to play the game I set up

9:10 AM:  plays the game I put in

9: 25 AM:  cries because he messed game up and I won’t fix it

9:40 AM:  cries because I put the game on that he wanted earlier and not the one he wants now

10:00 AM:  cries because I say no more Wii for a little while

10:10 AM:  playing, denies he has on dirty pull-up

10:15 AM:  cries because I insist he get pull-up and wipes

10:20 AM:  cries because I go to bathroom before I change his pull-up

10:25 AM:  asks for something to eat, cries because he doesn’t want anything I offer

10:30 AM:  decides he wants what I offered in the first place

10:40 AM:  drags blocks out into family room, plays for a short time

10:50 AM:  throws mother of all fits because I insist he clean up his mess

11:00 AM:  throws even bigger fit because I start to sweep up mess he made eating breakfast an that snack

11:15 AM:  wants to play Wii, can’t get it started on his own, wants me to do it, I set it for golf because that’s what he ORIGINALLY asked for, he throws fit because he wants bowling

11:30 AM:  he now wants golf back

11:45 AM:  wants something to eat, picks at some lunch, probably eats 3 bites

12:00 PM:  throws mother of all fits because I sweep up his mess and tell him we are going to take a nap

12:15 PM:  sits on sofa, screeching like a banshee over taking a nap

12:20 PM:  gets up, no tears, gets in my bed, asks for me to rub his back

12:30 PM:  sound a sleep

2:15 PM:  wakes up, cries because he wants us to go pick up oldest son but cousin who has borrowed my truck is picking him up instead

2:30 PM:  wants something to eat, cries because he doesn’t want anything I’ve offered

2:40 PM:  starts to ask when it will be time for t-ball practice

2:50 PM:  decides he is not playing t-ball, throws mother of all fits because he doesn’t want to go to t-ball

3:00 PM:  oldest child is home, 4 year old wants to play golf, oldest child wants to play bowling, they argue, get sent to their room

3:15 PM:  they compromise, take turns playing Wii

4:00 PM:  begins asking when t-ball practice is and what time his daddy will be home

4:15 PM:  crying because he doesn’t even want to play t-ball

4:30 PM:  crying because dad is home and gathering supplies for oldest child to go to t-ball and he wants to go too

4:45 PM:  puts his own clothes on, goes to t-ball practice

I am not with them during this time, however, it is my understanding that at

6:30 PM:  pitches horrible fit because he doesn’t want to leave t-ball.

7:00 PM:  home, prepares to eat, eats about 4 bites, ready to play Wii

7:30 PM:  he and oldest child have taken turns playing, oldest son has taken bath and they are preparing for bed

7:35 PM:  cries because he does not want to drink any milk

7:40 PM:  goes to bed mad because he wants to wear different pj’s than the ones he initially picked out and put on

7:45 PM:  asks if he can come back to family room and drink his milk

7:50 PM:  dad tells him no, he cries

7:55 PM:  starts asking to go get in my bed, cries because I tell him no

8:00 PM:  comes to family room, drinks his chocolate milk,

8:10 PM:  returns to his room and asks if he can change his pj’s

8:12 PM:  crying asking to go to my bed, crying because he can’t find his pj’s

8:15 PM:  the husband is getting him some clean pj’s and he is complaining of being cold, wanting pj’s and wanting to go to my bed

8:18 PM:  heading to his bed, crying because he wants to go to my bed, but he does have on clean warm pj’s

8:22 PM:  in his bed, not crying, but complaining because oldest son is talking

8:25 PM:  all is quite

8:31 PM:  he heads to my bed….

I’m assuming it is now safe to post this…however, if things go absurdly wrong before I manage to make it to bed myself, I’ll update this post.

My children are having a hard time with the fact that their mommy has been gone quite a bit lately.  And, I’m home now with no chance of traveling for quite some time and hopefully, if I do travel in May, I can at least take one of the kids with me.  That will have to be a wait and see kind of thing. 

Anyway, I wanted to add something to the “candy debate”.  My children do not get candy at home on a regular basis.  I would venture to say that 1 out of 50 times that they ask for candy in a store, we actually indulge them.  If we buy candy for ourselves, we hide it so they don’t ask for it all the time. 

They don’t get sugary drinks.  They don’t get kool-aid and they have chosen water over juice themselves as of late.  So, with that, I have to tell you, I feel like I was totally justified in making my complaint which was not technically a complaint, it was a discussion of policy. 

And, to further my point, I want you to know that the week I carried cake to school for my son’s birthday and the kids had a small party during snack time, I made a request regarding the fact that there were 3 birthdays that week.  Yes, I know, sounds crazy.  But, some way, that class had a child with a birthday on Tuesday, my son’s on Wednesday and another birthday on Friday. 

Now, I felt like 3 shindigs during afternoon snack in one week that included lots of candy and cookies and cake and junk was a bit too much.  So, I suggested that the 3 of us get together and do it on one day.  The teacher sent me a note stating that the other parents hadn’t mentioned even bringing anything so it would be fine to just go ahead and do my son’s birthday celebration on his birthday.

As it turned out, the child whose birthday was on Tuesday didn’t have anything special, but the child whose birthday was on Friday did have a special get together.  So, I know, 2 is better than 3 but, one was better than 2 in my opinion.

So, I have to say, that I am at least attempting to practice what I preach.  Does that help at all?

Some of the little sites out there are not very impressive to me.  You know, I really don’t care what my Twitter Grade is but just in case you care, lol, I went to Twitter Grader to see what kind of grade I have right now, but again…who’s really paying attention, right?

But, hey, the first time I ever checked it, my grade was like 70 something.  Now, I have to tell you that I am not a twitter whore.  I am the poster child for twitter because I obviously can’t walk and tweet at the same time or I wouldn’t be sporting this big ugly boot on my broken ankle.  And, I am also considered somewhat of a Twitter idiot because when I tried to DM my phone number to some folks last weekend, it went out live for the whole Twitter world to see. 

But, just for the sake of prosperity (I have no idea what that means but it sounds good), I thought I’d check it again before I run off on a tangent about my personal websites.  And, lo and behold, all that twittering I did at Blissdom (while sitting by the way, not walking – I may or may not have been driving, but I wasn’t walking and tweeting, I can’t do it), my grade rose to a 98.4.  Which seems awesome right?  Yea, so awesome that it means out of 1,259,151 twitters, I am 19,082…er..ok, never mind.

All of that was so mesmerizing that I had to jump in on the bandwagon when I saw this Typealyzer which is going to tell you about my website.  And, I have such a low self-esteem that I checked it out to see if I liked what it had to say before I decided to share it with you.  Sorry, just the plain ol’ truth, sometimes it ain’t purdy.

But, you know what, I like what it said about me, so you gonna get it….right here….and now…

I mean, check out the image they gave me…. She looks good doesn’t she?  I mean, I wish I looked like that for real..

And, here’s what they say about this website…

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.
The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

That part in red….absolute truth without one nano-second of doubt.

Go check your own blog out and see what you come up with….and tell me, whether you like it or believe it or not…

See, all this stuff is new to me, kinesthetic learner.  No I know what kinesthetic means.  I have a degree in physical education remember.  So, I know that moving is essential to a child’s learning.  This was the very thing that sparked my argument with the Alabama Department of Human Resources as well as the Department of Education in Alabama.

Why would I argue with them you ask?  Well, I was in the process of trying to get my license to own/operate/direct a daycare.  The state DHR ruled that the person could do this if he/she had a degree in early childhood.  Ok, so my teaching certificate says N-12.  They argued with me that the State of Alabama does not issue any degrees of the such, N-12.

So, I faxed them a copy of that $30K teaching certificate that read:  Physical Education N-12.  Ok, they say, but that still won’t work.  So, I ask them this,

“If a physical education teacher who is certified N-12 is not qualified to own/operate/direct/teach in a daycare, who in the hell is?”

They didn’t respond in my favor. 

Fast forward to the time when I was attempting to  obtain a grant to operate a pre-K program.  And, with that, the State Department of Education that controls WHO can teach in this class requires that the person who is in control of this class, or the teacher, “have a degree in early childhood”. 

And, once again, I asked them,

“If a physical education teacher who is certified N-12 is not qualified to own/operate/direct/teach in a daycare, who in the hell is?”

They did not respond in my favor either.

So, now I give you….the Kinesthetic Learner 3. 

But first, more of my goofy newly branded 6-year-old.

I’m almost there folks.  I’m almost caught up to the point where I can give you some real stuff from my brain instead of continuing to feed off of everyone else.  But, I am hopelessly hooked to the homeschool site on Blissfully Domestic and I just can’t seem to tear myself away from there. 

So, today, Sandy Fleming is an education consultant in Michigan who allows her kids to watch TV without working at it from time to time.  For more ideas about how to get educational mileage out of videos.  You can see more of her on Using Movies and Videos at All Info About Reading.

So, the article that caught my eye is regarding using video’s and DVD’s in a “can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude.  I’m sure you can all remember that my children aren’t really big on TV.  They will watch more and more with passing time but they really are stuck with about 10 minutes at a time still and then they are off to get into something else. 

But, if you have a TV kid, go give this article a read, it can give you all kinds of ideas.

Today, one kid turns 6 today.  We went to school for the big “kindergarten birthday school party” today and when the assistant principal asked me how I was doing, I answered, “better than I was 6 years ago at this time of day”.  So, with today’s little note about video’s, I”m gonna give you…the goofy, the plain un-schooled goofy…

Plain goofy!

Just so you know, this is not my official post for the day, I just thought I would hit you with some reminders……if you haven’t had enough of me, you can get more at 24/7 Moms

Part One:

the Super Bowl Prize Pack contains the following:

• 1 football

• 1 beverage pail

• 1 snack helmet (my favorite!)

• 2 key chains

• 2 hats

• 2 t-shirts

• 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons

• 5 Frito Lay coupons

Go here to win…

Part Two:

If you have time, give this a read…  I’m Still ‘splainin’ Part Two

Part Three:

The unveiling of Jerri Ann Reason (a work in progress so pardon the bugs, we are working it out)

Just so you know, this is not my official post for the day, I just thought I would hit you with some reminders……if you haven’t had enough of me, you can get more at 24/7 Moms

Part One:

the Super Bowl Prize Pack contains the following:

• 1 football

• 1 beverage pail

• 1 snack helmet (my favorite!)

• 2 key chains

• 2 hats

• 2 t-shirts

• 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons

• 5 Frito Lay coupons

Go here to win…

Part Two:

If you have time, give this a read…  So, first of all, I think I have some ‘splainin’ to do

Part Three:

The unveiling of Jerri Ann Reason (a work in progress so pardon the bugs, we are working it out)

Do you guys remember back in October sometime when I was thwarting around about a field trip my kid was suppose to go on but they wouldn’t allow parents to go along.  And, then they told me it was because the trip to The Alabama Ballet was a teachers and students only because that was the rule from The Alabama Ballet.  And, then, remember how someone contacted me from The Alabama Ballet and said that was not their rule. 

Well, I still said no that my son was not going.  And, why would I do this?  Well, there are several reasons but even if I had still be straddling the fence on the matter when they took their trip at Christmas to see Toyland, I would have made up my mind right then and there that there is no way in hell my child is going with that little supervision.  I mean, there were tons of parents on this trip and it was a mad house and the teachers were having a hard time keeping up with the kids.  So, no, my son will not be attending The Alabama Ballet unless sometime between now and then I find out that I can go. 

Again, why is that so?  Well, go read this article entitled Stranger Danger by Adam Walsh. Polly Klaas. Elizabeth Smart. Jessica Lunsford. Madeleine McCann and you will know exactly why.  I’m going to give you just a few of the highlights….

1.  "the word “stranger” triggers a certain feeling in children. They picture someone ugly and mean-looking who could be identified from a mile away as an unsafe person."

Reality is, most strangers that have the intent of grabbing a child and running, they don’t look like that.  They purposefully make themselves look friendly and even professional.  So, yea, no such thing as "stranger danger" in my book.

2.  "To most children, a friendly person is automatically a friend, not a stranger."

My son lives by this rule….I kid you not, he loves everyone he meets.

What kids really need to know is highlighted in the article and I’m just briefing you here:

1.  The “Safe Adults”. This is a very small group, consisting only of the child’s parents, a grandparent or two, and a trusted friend.

2.  The “Kinda Knows”. This is the group that includes all the people the child sees on a regular basis who aren’t in the Safe Adult group.

3.  The “Don’t Knows”. This group is the most like the traditional “strangers” we hear so much about.

You can also check the article for a Stranger Safety DVD

I know that I had planned to keep my child’s personal stuff off of this blog and on my personal blog.  But, as you saw with my field trip post, sometimes it is just too good to let go.

And, after today’s trip, the chaos, the teacher losing children, the teacher doing her own thing while children wandered off…no, my son will not be going to Cinderella at The Alabama Ballet and basically, because of the rule, there are only 4 or 5 out of my son’s class going.

And, after I chatted with the monstrosity of parents on this field trip, most of the kids that are not going…are not going because the parents aren’t allowed to go.  Even a junior high teacher at the school will not let her son go because she can’t go. 

She also feels alot like me, what does a 5 year old want to see?  Not necessarily Cinderella.  I talked with several parents about it at great length and so I don’t feel bad at all about keeping my son out of this one.

And, like I said, today’s field trip was dangerously close to a disaster, even with 9 or 10 parents out of the class of 15 in attendance.  So, no most definitely, if I can’t go, neither can my son.

I just thought I’d throw that one in there for good measure.

I taught in public schools in 92-93, again in 95-98, again in 00-01, and finally in 05 I called it quits.  Then, we bought the daycare.  I think it is important to note that all of those years except 95-96, and 00-01 and 05, I was teaching young children.  In 2000 and 2001, it  was pre-K in Georgia, other than that and the stint in the classroom one year teaching Earth and Life Science and one year teaching Biology…I taught physical education (which is where my teaching certificate is active) for grades Kindergarten thru Eighth grade and I coached at least 3 sports each year and sometimes I had cheerleader responsibility as well.

Now, with that background, my “tag line” for kindergarten children went something like this….

“….they should be at home with their mothers, they come in here in August and they leave in May and I can’t tell they have learned one doggone thing, they come back the next year as first graders and it is like magic, they know how to follow the rules and everything…”

Now, given, that sounds a bit harsh and I can’t say that the 40 year old mom of 2 agrees with the 22 year old single woman of yore but, the facts remain, kindergarten is a rough year.  (I won’t tell you that I think sixth grade girls and ninth grade boys should be sent to Mars for a year and returned when they have lost the attitude and the stink, but that’s for another story.)

And, in case you guys haven’t noticed, I’m referencing the Ladies Home Journal alot this week.  That’s what happens when I have to sit in doctor’s offices for hours on end. 

According to the author of the article

Learning Guide to Kindergarten

“As the year progresses, these five- and six-year-olds begin to develop the ability to wait, to understand the notion that you defer an act in order to do something else. They also grow in their capacity to listen to directions — and actually follow them, as requested”

and if you read what I wrote above, you know I beg to differ.  They do not learn it in the nine months, or they learn it, they just don’t employ it until that magical summer between Kindergarten and First Grade.  I kid you not, just try 60 kindergarten kids for 30 minutes in a gym where another teacher has 60 kindergarten kids of his own on the other end…yea, they do not learn to use these skills until they return in the fall, just trust me on this one.