Mom Is Teaching

After writing about “Unschooling” the reference was made to a school I had never heard of before.  So, I set out with my testy little research fingers and here’s what I found.  I found that the Sudbury Valley School boasts “Individuality and Democracy:  A Way of Life”. Now, if that doesn’t sound a lot like what I tried to describe in my last post, then you need to re-read it.  I’ve yet to dig into the site deeply, but that’s where I’m headed now.

So, if you wanna go check it out yourself, you can go to Sudbury Valley School and start reading.  If you are a bit lazy, you can wait on me to read it but then realize that what I tell you will be laced with a lot of opinion.  So, have it your way, you decide.

If you have decided to give it a whirl yourself, here’s the link’s I’m reading, you can read them to if you don’t already have an understanding of the concept and then we can compare opinions notes.

If you find more links along the way that you think I’ll find of interest, by all means, please send them along as I am interested in learning.

So, here’s a couple more I plan to investigate:

Wikipedia

Sudbury Public Schools

Sudbury Primary School

Sudbury’s Country School

Now, again, if you have some good links, please send them my way.  I’m reading and taking notes….I’ll get back to you tomorrow (hopefully) on this…….

In the meantime, please feel free to discuss so I can learn.

This is a great tale of learning about spiders, a trip to the zoo and you got it, no public school in sight.

I’ve blogged for a while.  I’ve been featured in the local paper and on a blog or two, a website or two but my blogging has never led me to anything like this next exchange…until now.

Last night, I posted this Ok, Is it Just Me? regarding my son’s class going on a field trip and the parents being told that they could not go. 

Today, I received this email from, none other than, the field trip hosts:

Hi Jerri-Ann,
I came across your blog from one of my Google-Alert emails (it alerts me any time Alabama Ballet is mentioned online). I certainly don’t want to put myself in the middle of your school’s field trip decisions but I did feel the need to address your concern about chaperones. It is our policy that schools provide at least one teacher/chaperone per 15 students and no more than 1 teacher/chaperone per 5 students. We do not have a policy against parents attending. However, we have set these chaperone guidelines so that the maximum amount of students are able to attend. If your school is bringing about 200 students, they should actually have a minimum of 13-14 teacher/chaperones. As I mentioned above, I definitely do not want to cause any additional difficulty for you or your son’s school. If you would like to discuss this further, feel free to contact me at the email address above. We are thrilled to be able to offer these school shows this season and look forward to your son’s school being in attendance.
Many thanks,

 

This is the first time I have had someone to back me up. Someone to come to me over a blog post and say, “hey what can I do to help”.  You know, apparently the bad advertising (and I really didn’t think I made it seem to be the problem of the Alabama Ballet, I thought I made it pretty clear that the school was where my issue started) raised the hair on someone’s neck. 

We shall see how this goes this afternoon when I bring the matter up again.  We are painting paper bag pumpkins and I’ll have plenty of time to inquire with other parents as well as the teacher about this matter.  Never mind that the trip isn’t until February!!!

I’ll keep you posted…and hey, thanks to the Alabama Ballet for the resource and the help! 

I’ve been reading the second part of The Case Against Homework by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish.  And, after sitting in the neurologist office for 4 and a half hours today, you can figure, I made some good progress. 

Anyway, one of the most important parts of Part Two of this book is this, “KNOW YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS POLICY ON HOMEWORK”.  I’m sure you can see that it all starts and ends with that simple bit of information.

So, I came home and went straight to the “handbook”, you know the one they mailed me a page out of because my child was kept out of school and marked unexcused…yea, that “handbook” and it took me about 3 seconds to locate the topic “homework” in the front of the book.

Off to page 37 I go, looking for some information regarding MY SCHOOL SYSTEMS POLICY.  I was expecting something substantial.  Here’s what I got:

Homework

      The classroom teacher shall be left with the authority to determine actual homework assignments consistent with Walker County Board of Education Policies and Guidelines.

So, I am now in search of “Walker County Board of Education Policies and Guidelines” which….as of yet….doesn’t exist.  If this handbook that I’m looking at that is labeled “2008 - 2009 Student Handbook Walker County Schools” is not the same thing as “Walker County Policies and Guidelines”, I’m not sure where else to look? 

I’m no dummy.  This is their way of ducking the issue.  If a parent complains (and I’m sure she (me) will), she will be told that the homework assignments are left to the authority of the teachers within the guidelines of the WCBE Policies and Guidelines which says that the teacher has the authority to decide.

See, if I were a dummy, I couldn’t have even typed that last sentence and expected someone to think it made sense.  Go figure!

Ok, so a lot of what we all have discussed here is a big deal to me.  But, when I mention it to folks around me, they act like I have bumped my head.  For instance, I expect my mother to roll her eyes at me, she didn’t put anything into my education as far as homework goes, nothing ever, I did my own my homework, it was my job, and that’s just how it was. 

And, to be honest with you, that’s how I think about it now.  It’s the kid’s job to go to school.  But how many adults out there work their regular shift at work and then come home and do that same job for another hour without pay.  Does that make sense?  The kid is 5, he doesn’t need one full time job and one part time job.  He needs one job - go to school and learn.  He needs the rest of his time for himself. 

Ok, I know you all already agree with me on this.  But, I got started on it because of the whole, “going to see Cinderella” thing.  Parents can’t go.  So, I asked why.  Verbatim the note that came back to me says,

“K-2 grades will be going on trip.  The Alabama Ballet only allows students/teachers due to limited space. Thanks”

Now, I’m really concerned.  Why?  That’s approximately 200 kids and 6 adults.  How does that sound to you?  Not only that, they want me to put him on a school bus and let him ride over 100 miles one way to do this.  With no seat restraints of any kind. 

Yet, when I questioned this, others look at me like I’m nuts?  Is it because I’m old?  The other parent in the class that I know is a little older than me doesn’t have issues with this because her son won’t ride the bus.  He is afraid, so he simply won’t go on field trips.  So, she doesn’t even concern herself in the least.  The rest of the parents (and I’m gonna nail some tomorrow at this “help paint paper-bag pumpkin” day) look at me like I have lost my mind.

Now really, is that not a bit odd or is it just me?

Ok, I’m summarizing this one.  This one basically says that the Alabama Department of Public Health wants to see all the blue slips on file at the school.  If I am willing to let them see my child’s blue slip, ok, if not, then I have to sign this note and send it back.  Come on, really.  Once I gave the doggone thing to you them, what difference does it make…ugh. 

Now, I know why they  need us to bring so much freakin paper at the beginning of the  year, because the waste it on stupid crap like this.  Here’s the kicker. 

Let’s just say, for instance, that you have a child in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade, you will get a copy of this letter 6 times.  No, they can’t just send the letter home with the oldest or youngest child, they make copies and your one family gets 6 copies.

That’s true for things like monthly menus.  You get six copies of it.  Not one, but six.  Why?  What the heck is up with wasting the tree’s?  The menu is printed in the local paper every Sunday in the first place.  That wouldn’t cost a dime in paper for the kids see if their parents get a paper. 

And, if they don’t get a paper, on Monday morning, the Sunday’s paper is left at school, they could cut it out and take it home.  But, nope, they make six copies for one family and send them home.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have to share because I also had to write notes back to the school…..sorry, but please, chime in and tell me what you think.  I don’t want you to think I’m doing this to bash public schools, I want to know is this normal?   If you homeschool, is this part of the reason why you started homeschooling.  If your kids go to public schools, do you get these kinds of letters EVERY DAY, and does it not bother you?

One thing before I start, the deadline for paying for the first field trip hasn’t even got here yet.  My kid’s is paid but the deadline isn’t until Friday.  And, then today, we get this…….take notes….there’s a quiz at the end…

*********PLEASE RETURN TOMORROW**********

October 7, 2008

Dear Parents,

We are planning a field trip to see the play, Cinderella, on February 20th.  We will be going to X University in Birmingham. 

We need to know how many students will be attending this trip.   Due to limited number of seating, parents will not be able to attend.

We feel this will be a great experience for our students.  Please let us know whether or not your child will be attending.

Thank you!

Kindergarten Teachers

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1. How much is this trip going to cost?

2.  I need to know that before I can tell you whether he is going or not?

3.  Why can’t I go?

4.  Who is going to chaperone besides the 3 teachers?

5.  If there is limited seating, you can add my seat in with the count when you do the kids since we are doing this so far in advance, right?

6.  And, speaking of that again, how much is this trip going to cost?

7.  And, are you telling me that I can’t go to a public function even if I pay my own way?

8.  How well do you think that is going to go over?

9.  Do you realize you are telling me you are taking 60 5 year old children with 3 teachers to Birmingham (90 miles one way) to see a play and no one else will be going to chaperone? 

10.  What happens if someone kidnaps my kid and you don’t even realize it?

11.  And, you still say I can’t go along?  To a public place?  If I provide my own transportation?  And pay my own way in?

I filled out the form by putting “maybe” in the slot that said, “My child will be attending this trip” and asked why I can’t go along under the circumstances I mentioned and if that is still the rule, no my child will not be going.

Add to that the fact that my child rides in a seat belt in my automobile all the time, and you want me to let you put him on a great big school bus with 59 other kids and 3 adults AND NO FREAKING SEATBELTS OF ANY KIND?

I must stop, my blood pressure is going to cause my head to explode.

I need your thoughts, please, not just the homeschoolers opinions, I want your opinions, don’t get me wrong, but I want to know what the public school students are doing.  What are those parents thinking.   How are they handling this?  Please, tell me!

How many of you remember me discussing the silent lunch ordeal?  It’s here if you wanna read it.  I have to add what happened after the fact.  I told his teacher on Friday morning that he was spanked for getting in trouble.

She, in turn, tells me that Ditto Boy was being sincere.  He did not understand what had happened.  This means he was punished and he was clueless.  Now, I know that’s unacceptable if you are an adult, but I feel like total crap now. 

See, he told me he didn’t know it was silent lunch.  And, I called him on it assuring him that his teacher was very clear when it was silent lunch and when it wasn’t.  I asked him if he wanted me to turn around and go back to the school to talk to her.  And, he got upset and said no.

I thought that was truly an indication that he was trying to get out of more punishment.  When, in fact, he was right. On Friday when I picked him up (most everyone checked out early to go to the local football teams homecoming parade), she told me that she talked to him about it and that he really was confused.

Apparently I was too.  The entire class did not have silent lunch, but because Walker and another little boy were too loud, they were moved to seats away from one another and given silent lunch.  However, they didn’t comply with the rule at that point.  (This is where his teacher assures me that he did not know he was on silent lunch, he just thought he was suppose to be moving away from his friend). 

And, since he did continue to talk, he lost his 15 minutes of PE.  And, he lost 30 minutes of play time at McD’s with his brother AND he got a spanking.  Now, tell me I don’t deserve the Mother of the Year award!  Bah!

I’m cross posting this on my Marital Talk blog for obvious reasons.  Or at least I think they are obvious.

It relates to activity level of children and also their sleep habits.  You knew I couldn’t let it go that easily didn’t you? 

TCAH quotes an Early Childhood Education Professor named Olga Jarrett,

“When kids are not allowed a chance to be playful, that playfulness tends to come out in negative, disruptive ways.”

I see this every day.  If Jace stays home with me, we stay indoors, he plays, I write, we read a book, we play, we eat, he plays, I write, we take a nap and when Walker gets home from school I swear it is like someone has fed him a hyper pill.  And, in the end, he gets in trouble.  Then, it is bedtime and he gets in more trouble.  It is a vicious cycle. 

Then, days like today (and most of this last week), the boys have played outside after Walker got out of school and Jace has been to my mom’s and played out doors some as well.  They come in, eat, take a bath and go to bed - exhausted.  And, they sleep well, remember.

Winter time is hard because it is more difficult to get him out and about for long periods of time and I’m sure it will affect Walker as well being cooped up in a classroom.

The bottom line goes like this:

an active child that gets the necessary physical activity does better when asked to do quiet activities and rests better after a day full of activity, mental and physical - pretty simple formula if you ask me.

My opinion goes back to a prior post where I said that my parents felt like it was my job to go to school and do homework and they didn’t intervene.  I feel very much like that.  The only job children should have is playing and learning and the more you can make learning look  like playing, the better off you and the child will be in the long run. 

Ok, stepping off my soap box.

I’m going to be brief mainly because I’m going to discuss this in more detail on my Mental and Emotional Health blog and I did just cross-post a big one so, no need in getting in trouble over multiple content.

For now, my last thoughts on Part One of TCAH go like this:

• do you think it is coincidence that the academic pressures increased and now we have more children with mental health issues?
• do you think that having a child move rapidly from one unrelated subject to the next makes learning more difficult?

Of course it isn’t coincidence and of course it is difficult.  And, then we want to go and blame it on the child when we, as adults, should know better, right?

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My last parting thought goes like this (just for Part One mind you),

“…..other kids drive themselves - but that doesn’t mean they’re enjoying the learning process.  “All my daughter cares about is her grades….for her, it’s not ‘this new Greek unit is really interesting.  It’s all about the number of points she can get.  She just crams the information, then drops it like a stone as soon as the test is finished.  She isn’t having fun, so good grades are her only reward.  I’m worried it won’t be enough.”

Let me say that that person being interviewed in that last paragraph could have been written by either of my parents.  And, you know, what, I’m living proof that the answer to her fear that “it won’t be enough” is that no, it won’t, it simply won’t be enough.  One day, information will need to be retained…and cramming and forgetting won’t work.

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With that, I’m stepping off my soapbox and I’m going to learn and hopefully teach you a few methods on how to make some of this stuff go away!

Yes, you read that right, Homework Potato.  Kids need to run, they need to yell, they need to roll on the ground, dig in the dirt, make mud pies.  They need to be free for a little while.

And, so I give you Chapter 4 of TCAH entitled The Creation of the Homework Potato.  I won’t give away all their juice, but some things were staggering and I couldn’t resist.

• Since 1980’s, the number of overweight children it the U.S. has tripled. 
• Since the 1980’s, the number of children with diabetes has increased dramatically.

Some more food for thought:

• homework is a major obstacle to kids who need to lose weight
• in many schools, recess doesn’t exist and physical education is only taught two or three times a week….

And, from TCAH says,

“…..4,600 U.S. elementary schools have no recess at all …..and physical education classes aren’t physical anymore….Even when kids do have physical education…..after teachers manage kids’ behavior and taught them rules, there was an average of 4.8 minutes left in class for vigorous activity”

People, I taught physical education.  My first year, there were two p.e. teachers and 600 children a day.  I am not kidding you. 

How many of you would volunteer to work at the McDonald’s play area for 8 hours a day, five days a week with anywhere from 80 to 120 different students coming in one door and going out another every 30 minutes?

Unfortunately, that’s what physical education has come to these days…thus we get that “homework potatoes”.   Don’t let it happen to your kid!

I have a lot of thoughts trying to spew from my head into my hands and onto this keyboard right now.  Therefore, let me add my disclaimers right up front.

Disclaimer Number One:  I am frustrated, aggravated, confused and maybe even angry.  Sometimes when I’m like this, posts seem to disappear without warning after I have calmed down.

Disclaimer Number Two:  I very much want my children to be educated in the public school system.  I guess what I really want is the education system to straighten their act up while I attempt to get  the act of my child together.  I really don’t think I am cut-out for homeschooling.  My mom even said as much yesterday.  Geez, she’s a real motivator uh?

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Ok, so simply by the act of convenience, my mom has been taking Walker to school and/or picking him up for over a week.  He has remained a Purple Bee (that’s the highest level of good) in the hive for the last 10 days.  Today, today I figure it was time for Jace (3.75 year old) to get out of the house for a change (and me too) so I prepared to pick Walker up at school (you know, like I bathed, brushed my teeth and make the kiddo put on some clean clothes).

When Walker’s teacher opens the door for him to get inside the automobile, he notices that it is me, his mommy instead of his All-Wonderful Nanny, who is retrieving him from school and he started crying.  I issued orders to stop crying because I had a surprise.

Before I could reveal our plans to come to McD’s and play (while I work), he burst into tears again with, “but I got a Yellow Bee”.  Yellow would be directly under green so of course it isn’t horrible but we have been laying down the law about this when it occurred in the past.

With that, I opened his folder to read that they were having “silent lunch for half of lunch today and Walker would not cooperate and missed half of his physical education class”.  (not verbatim, but you get the idea - and Walker said up front that she moved him to a place alone during lunch because he wouldn’t quit talking).

This will take bullets for me to dissect:

• Why do they have silent lunch?  They sit in a room, in a chair, paying attention (hopefully) and working quietly (hopefully), so why do they add silent lunch in there as punishment.  Sorry, I don’t see that as a good punishment or even as an idea.
• They only have like thirty minutes for lunch, so that’s plenty of time to eat for 15 minutes while being silent (no talking with food in your mouth at least) and then 15 minutes to at least socialize a little, geeez! (I have a post coming on my own social skills).
• He was moved to a table to sit alone for the remaining 15 minutes.  So, he was punished.  Right?
• He missed half of physical education class.  Wait, he has already been punished, right?  He was made to sit alone for not following the silent lunch rule.   So, why is he now missing half of physical education?  And, why are the physical education teachers (and you know I am a physical education teacher with a B.S.) allowing the teachers to use the child’s physical education time for punishment?  They only have 30 minutes for physical education.  Why take fifteen minutes of it away?  Don’t these kids need to play?  Get rid of some excess energy?  Release the energy bundle so they can go back to class and “sit quietly”?

I’m going to say this first and foremost.  When I taught physical education class, it was a ground rule I set between the teachers and myself that my time with their children was not to be taken away from them for punishment.  I was not carrying out their punishment nor was I going to take away the child’s time to be free, run and exercise.  I had to go through the principals at various times because teachers didn’t want to comply, however, how do you think they would have felt if I had sent this note back to class with little Johnny?

“I am keeping Johnny in physical education class for an extra fifteen minutes because of his behavior.  Please excuse him of any math work he may miss during that 15 minutes.”

How well do you think that would go over?

Yea, I know, it wouldn’t!

So, what did I do.  I didn’t think it was fair to Jace to just say, “ok then we aren’t going to McD’s” so I told him that we were going and he would sit and watch without playing.  Yes, I know, I mentioned that he had already been punished.  But, in my world, punishment at school means punishment at home, no matter the crime.  And, it’s not up for debate, so don’t go there.  please? 

Once we arrived at McD’s, he ate and then I told him he had 15 minutes more to sit out without talking and he would get a spanking when we arrived at home. 

Side Note:  Again, don’t even go anywhere on a tangent about spanking.  I do believe in corporal punishment when a child is old enough to understand it, knows and understands the reason for the punishment and it is NOT carried out when the person dolling out the punishment is angry. 

I called my husband to verify that this would be sufficient.  He agreed.  I’ll let you know how it all works out.  I had already planned to take Walker to school myself in the morning because of errands and such, but now I will be going inside.

Why am I going inside?  I want he and his teacher to understand that we (the parents) will not accept his behavior as such.  But, we (the parents) would like some consistency..punish the child once please, do not repeatedly punish him for the same misbehavior. 

Lastly, Walker was telling me that he didn’t know it was suppose to be a silent lunch.  They had silent lunch for half of the time last Friday when I was there so I know my son knew it was suppose to be a silent lunch.  I let him know that I knew he was aware of the “silent lunch” rule.  He repeated again that he didn’t know.  I stopped the truck and asked if he wanted me to turn around and go back to school and ask the teacher about this.  (I know he knew, but I had to call his bluff).  He decided that no, indeed, he did not wish to go back and that he did, indeed, know that it was suppose to be a silent lunch.

Either way, I will go inside with him tomorrow morning.  I will make it clear how I feel and then I’ll let you guys know if I have any hair left.

Discuss.

I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t get in trouble at school.  I was obedient, respectful and I knew that teachers and administrators had the most authority.  So, if my respectful and obedient actions holds true, I will turn into what is deemed a “helicopter parent”.

Definition of Helicopter Parent:  Parent(s) that hover over their children, scooping them up before they can make a mistake. 

What is the end result?  Children who become adults and cannot cope with failure.  Does any of this start to ring true for you?  Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish put into words the very things I’ve tried to say many times.  I’m just a bit wordy (you know, like I talk too much).  They accomplished putting into words so many of my thoughts, it is odd. 

TCAH quotes a parent as saying, “We made our daughter do the homework even though we didn’t believe in it because we were obedient parents, which I really regret, and because I was worried about what would happen to her.”

Sound familiar?  Don’t we all do this to some degree in one facet of our child’s life or another?  But, the homework issues don’t have to go that far.

Another parent was quoted as saying, “Homework seems to have supplanted teaching.  Whatever the teacher hasn’t finished becomes homework”

What does that mean?  That means that the parents are expected to take up the slack.  And, if this is the case, I’d rather homeschool any day so I could work on my time frame as opposed to allowing someone to half-way do their part and want me to pick up the pieces in a hour or two in the evenings…all at the expense of the child.

More from TCAH and I’m gonna just put out some shouts from the book and some shouts from myself based on personal experience.

Parental Quote:

“The principal told me that it is really the parents’ job to educate their children and that his teachers are only facilitators.”

Errmmm no, that would be homeschooling, the parent is the facilitator, the guide, the one who helps the child learn.  Public school teachers, which is who is references in the quote obviously, are the teachers.  We do not give them that “title” of “teacher” for them to be facilitators while the parents do the teaching.  UGH!  That’s all I can say on that one is UGH!

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Another parent:

“If I wanted to be a teacher, I would have gone and gotten a teaching degree.”

Well duh, that’s all I can think of, is duh.  And, I have a teaching degree but duh, what are our public educators thinking?  Wait, are they thinking at all?

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TCAH says, “…if we wouldn’t want an unqualified person teaching our kids during the day, why would we want one doing it at night - especially when that person is also tired and distracted”

I mean, come on, again, is this brain surgery?

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A parent who admits to reading to her children often and being a math teacher herself says,

“I think homework assignments should be for the child.  If a child cannot do the assignment alone, then it is parent homework”

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. If you are a parent of a publicly schooled child (which I want you to remember is still my preferred method if it works, if it doesn’t that’s another story, for some people it doesn’t work and homeschooling is so much better, but….) and your child can’t do the homework alone….just send it back to school with a note stating that you (the parent) are not in such and such grade and the child was unable to do it, thus it remained unfinished.  Period. 

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One more quote and I’ll hush on this for today……

Another parent quote:  (this one made me see red)

“I was in the middle of a parent teacher conference when, out of he blue, the teacher says, ‘Listen, if you don’t work with your daughter’s penmanship, I’m going to have to send her to occupational therapy’. 

And the parent asked,

“Well, at what point did she fail to keep up with penmanship in class?”

And the idiot teacher (sorry it makes me emotional):

“We don’t teach them penmanship.”

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Here’s the problem, teachers who are slacking are making the ones who aren’t (such as a host of teachers I had in my life time) look really bad.  That’s when people start talking of unqualified teachers and highly qualified teachers (remember Mac from yesterday?), etc.  Absolutely ridiculous. 

I’m gonna remind you of this story in a later post, sorry to be writing backwards, sometimes it just happens that way.

Remember me telling you about the proficiency’s that schools have to meet and how teachers are suppose to be highly qualified and if the students don’t reach certain test scores then “experts” are brought in to teach the teachers how to teach…you know the ones, the teachers in your child’s classroom that went to school to learn to teach but now they have a retired teacher pretending to be an expert teaching them how to teach again.  Get that?

Anyway, there is a man I know….we shall call him Mac, ok.  Obviously that is not his real name. 

Mac was in medical school, all set to do his residency and his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.  He didn’t finish his residency.  Fast forward, Mac needs a job, obviously. 

Mac is a doctor ok…are you following me.  He finished medical school and was ready to enter residency, but couldn’t….and so, our school system hired him to teach high school math.  I am sure that he was quite qualified to teach the math and I saw him in action, his methods were equally well. 

The system allowed him to do that for 3 years.  But, because he did not hold a teaching certificate nor was he “highly qualified”, he was not hired back for the fourth year.  School starts and they need a science teacher.  Again, I’m fairly certain that this man is more than qualified to teach high school biology.  And, he did.  For three years that’s what he did.  But that fourth year came and…he still had no certificate, nor was he highly qualified.  He had an MD but no teaching certificate.  So, he wasn’t re-hired.

And, this same scene happened yet again at another school.  He taught remedial math.  Think he was qualified?  But, he didn’t have that teaching certificate, nor was he highly qualified.  So, out with him.

But, get this, they hired him as a substitute to teach the class.  He was a substitute, he didn’t have to be qualified or have a certificate or…anything.  He obviously couldn’t sustain his family on that kind of money and was fortunate enough to return to medical school to do his residency.

But, get this, a kindergarten teacher at a school near us had a baby this past summer.  She didn’t go back to work until school had already been in session for 6 weeks.  Guess who taught her class?  A teacher’s aid, no certificate, no highly qualified, just simply a substitute.

Is this system screwed up or is it just me?