Mom Is Teaching

As you may or may not know, my local newspaper ran an interview with me in this past Monday’s paper.  It was actually on the front page.  So, as I continue to write in various places, I can’t help but wonder who is reading and if they will hold what I’ve said against me. 

I’ve also been reading The White Trash Mom Handbook by Michelle Lamar and Molly Wendland and simultaneously reading The Case Against Homework by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish.  (Both of these books also have blogs authored by the same writers.  White Trash Mom can be found here and Stop the Homework can be found here.

Now, before you flip out and wonder how in the world these 2 are related, give me a chance to explain. 

I live in a small town.  I’m not sure exactly how many children are in my son’s school but let’s just say that for estimation purposes, there are 3 kindergarten classes with approximately 20 children in each class.  Now, there are 9 grades, K-8.  If that holds true for all grades, we are talking about less than 200 students.

So, again, how do these two relate?  It’s easy.  Everything that is said in one book as well as everything I’ve read thus far in the other connect by one essential thread.  If I decide that I want to bulk the system and attempt to make an impact on the teachers in my child’s school and school system, do I have to inherently be terrified of one of the main issues in the other book?

Now, that sentence was worthless I know.  What I’m saying is this, I’ve read all of The White Trash Mom Handbook and over half of The Case Against Homework.  And, if you’ve been reading here lately, you know how I feel about homework.  I feel exactly like Bennett and Kalish.  I think it is foolish and out of control.  But, at the same time, if I attempt to sway the educators in my area (who all know me as a peer for the most part or at the very least the child of a teacher), do I risk what Lamar and Wendland try to warn readers about?  Their warning….whatever you do will be projected onto your children.

Now, as adults, professionals and absolutely for teachers, there should be a magic line where the child’s well-being is taken into account without prejudices from the outside.  But, you and I both know that this simply isn’t true.  We are all human, we all have a difficult time separating such issues as “I’m teaching this child, and his parent(s) are causing trouble for me and/or other teachers and thus I’m going to make it difficult on the child to get revenge.”

Honestly, just writing that sentence made me sick at my stomach.  But, the bare fact is, that revenge is exactly what happens.  No one is immune, not even teachers and administrators.

So, in the coming posts, I’m going to go over some of the issues in both books that I’ve read that I think are important, interesting and that I can lend more information too. 

As you go about reading the posts in the coming weeks, remember, I am the product of a well-known school teacher (and the child that took some emotional as well as obvious prejudices from teachers who didn’t like my father) as well as one who has taught in the public schools myself.  I have owned a daycare and I have that experience to add to  many portions of both books.

So, I ask you, if it were your child, your teacher, your school, and your child’s well-being, would you speak up, regardless of the fact that your own child might be made to pay the price for something that you did?  Be honest.

PRE-POST UPDATE:  I am reading White Trash Mom’s and trust me when I tell you, it is an awesome read.  I may give my book away when I finish…well after my mom reads it, then I’ll give it away, so keep watching for it.

This one is probably more for the home school variety (well, I meant for it to be, but I got off tract, we will get to that one in a day or two as well because I have a couple of questions)but I do have a question for the parents of public school children as well.  If you guys remember a few days back, I asked about taking a child out of school for a family vacation. (Which we are totally going to do, four days is noting and even his teacher agreed.)   I wanted to know what you guys would do.  I had one negative response and two votes that said, “sure, most definitely”.

Dawn made the following statement:

“I’m astounded by the little amount that is accomplished each day”

I already knew how little was really being done prior to Walker starting school this year simply because I had substituted for a kindergarten teacher a couple of years ago while she was on maternity leave.  She left lesson plans for the actual learning skills for each day.  Then, she would  leave extra stuff, or “busy work” for them to do for a couple of hours.  Each child would get to spend anywhere from 10 to 20  minutes on the computer each day and the rest of the day was wasted.  I ended up playing games with them for the last hour to hour and a half almost every day. 

We played hangman a lot using their spelling words for that week.  I don’t remember what other kinds of stuff I conjured up, but I knew that those children were typically receiving about 2 hours a day of true lessons. (By the way, this was in the spring and at the time I was amazed that kindergarten kids had spelling words, then I realized, they knew how to spell them well enough to play games with the words and I was in shock.)

Here’s what Walker’s schedule looks like and trust me when I tell you, I love his teacher.  All three kindergarten teachers do their lesson plans together and basically do the same thing each day.  They have designated days for parent volunteers and they adhere to a schedule pretty well.  But, just check out this schedule:

7:55 - 8:15:  students have a coloring sheet with yesterday’s information on it while the teacher takes roll, looks through folders for notes from home and assures that all parents have signed the behavior chart.

8:15 - 10:00:  They do math as a class, they do a little worksheet of coloring some numbers and talk about numbers and sing songs about numbers.  (Now since Walker knows his multiplication facts through 3, you can see where is not very amused with this, but as long as he isn’t talking, I’m ok with not being amused.)  They also do reading during this time.  She reads to them, she teaches them phonetic sounds using really big words I think.  For instance, I saw some of the words on the board last Friday.  I asked Walker how to spell Egg.  His reply was, “I don’t know, but it makes the “eh” sound and the word elephant starts the say way, with the “eh” sound.”  So, I asked him again, what letter is that?  He had no clue.

10:00 - 10:40: bathroom break and computer time or finishing morning activities

10:40 - 11:15:  lunch

11:15 - 11:40:  bathroom breaks, change shoes for physical education and finish coloring morning activities

11:40 - 12:10:  physical education

12:10 - 12:40:  bathroom break, change out of p.e. shoes.  If time permits she works on social studies and science during this time, if not they finish the mornings activity (now trust me, they probably had 3 sheets all total, one at 8 that covered yesterdays stuff, one math and one reading (and maybe not even one reading).  She uses this time as well for children to use the computer while she works in small groups.

12:40 - 1:00 clean up and prepare for break

1:00 - 1:15:  break, bathrooms, etc

1:15 - 2:15:  I have not the slightest idea?  I do know some work on the computer, sometimes she does group time reading or group singing, sometimes they do a craft (and by sometimes I mean once a week it seems)

2:15 - 2:30:  start getting backpacks re-packed for home, get work in the backpack and get them to their seats

2:30 - 2:45:  circle time

2:45 dismissal

Now, as you can see, I should be able to do his entire weeks worth of work during Jace’s nap time each day without even a worry. 

My fear already is boredom.  He can’t go to the gifted program until he is in the 2nd grade.  Between now and then, we will do as much homeschool stuff as we have to in order to keep him out of trouble at school. 

I did want to add that the reading coach said once everyone was settled and evaluated, he would be taken to her with a group of advanced readers so that he wouldn’t lose interest.  That part I can’t wait to see happen because hopefully he will be more excited. 

Right now he still likes it a lot but when I asked him in the afternoons “what did you do today?“, his answer is “the same thing we did yesterday”  That concerns me.

As usual, I got too carried away and we will cover the homework debacle in my next post.  Sorry!

Share this post :

I have offered to volunteer at my child’s school several times.  I’ve yet to be taken up on the offer.  His kindergarten teacher did say she might need me yesterday or tomorrow but she has yet to let me know.  And, since my mom had a treatment on Monday, I no longer have adequate care for Jace if I were needed tomorrow. 

I ran into a fellow classmate who has 2 children in this school.  She said she asks her children’s teachers if they need help.  If they do not need her help, she just chooses a day or two and shows up.  Then, she says, "Anybody need anything?" and she manages to stay busy all day for the most part.

She also indicated how awesome it had made her experience with allowing her children to go into someone else’s care.  So, the time now has come for me to figure out a plan.  I have to juggle seven blogs, care for a three year old and my own health.  Then, I’m going to at least choose one day to go help out. 

I also volunteered to help the physical education teachers as they administer the Presidential Physical Fitness Test because obviously  someone who knows how it works would be helpful.  Anyone can count sit-ups or laps, but if you know the exacts of how it is all suppose to work, plus the record keeping parts of it, then definitely I think they were happy to hear me say I would help.  Kindergarten children are not tested but I told them that I didn’t care, I don’t mind helping with any age.

Also, when I taught physical education, it was easier if you asked parents to come run the mile with their child.  They could keep up with their own child’s laps and it was easier to time as well.  Most parents don’t mind purchasing a 3 dollar stop-watch and then usually if a parent can’t do it, an aunt or someone in the family is willing to do the run.  It helps so much.  So, that may be my PTO project for this year….getting parents involved in their child’s physical education classes.

Parents are often asked to help in so many areas, but physical education is not necessarily one of them.  But, if you’ve never seen 60 six-year-olds running laps and trying to keep their own count and you try to keep their time, all while trying to write down the times as each one finishes….you’ve never witnessed chaos.  But, it doesn’t have to be that way, it can be organized chaos and I think parental involvement in our child’s health and fitness levels would be a great place to start.

So, if your child goes to a public school, have you ever been approached in reference to helping with the fitness testing?

If you homeschool your child, how to assure that your child gets enough fitness activities.  Not just play time, not just out door time, but true fitness?

If you are a physical education teacher, what are your tips or tricks for making this testing process go easier, faster, smoother? 

If you are a physical education teacher, would you welcome parent volunteers like I mentioned?

If you home school or send your child to public or private school, do you talk about fitness in your home?  Not just healthy eating habits but true fitness activities?

Share this post :