Mommage

Homeschooling

There were many times I considered homeschooling my son, not because I thought it was better, but only because I felt he wasn't learning enough in the classroom due to his behavioral problems.  Every time I came close to making a final decision, however, things would improve at school causing me to change my mind.  Two things bothered me about the idea of homeschooling.  One was the lack of social interaction, and the other was the fact that I am not a teacher and am not qualified to teach.

Apparently I'm not the only one concerned about a parent's lack of teaching expertise.

Proof Of "Educaiton"

A school principal near Cleveland, Ohio is now a laughing stock.  It turns out that his school handed out High School Diplomas with the word "Education" misspelled....DOH!  The thing that makes this even more funny sad is that the diplomas had already been sent back for reprinting once due to another typo, but when the diplomas came back the second time, no one checked them. 

Westlake High School Principal Timothy Freeman has been mocked on the radio, and surely people are whispering around town.  How could a school let one of the most important documents in your life go out with any words misspelled but especially the word "EDUCATION"?  The company reprinted and mailed out corrected diplomas to 330 students, no word on if those copies are error free.

--Contributed by (Spell check is your friend) Renee

Sticks and Stones

Kindergarten is supposed to be one of the least stress-related times in a child's school life. Unfortunately for five-year-old Alex Barton, it will be remembered as one of the most.

This is by no means a new story. As many of you probably know, in April of this year, Wendy Portillo, a kindergarten teacher in Port St. Lucie Florida decided to punish Alex Barton for behavioral issues by having him stand in front of the class while his classmates systematically told him what they don't like about him (one called him "disgusting") then voted him out of the class "Survivor"-style by a 14-2 margin. The one friend Alex had made in the class was also forced to participate. What may be even worse is that Portillo apparently knew Alex Barton was undergoing testing for Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.

Parental Overreaction

I just returned from taking my son to speech therapy at one of the schools in our county.  The sky was gray and it started to rain about the time I got there.  Sitting in the lobby while my son had his speech therapy down the hall, I witnessed one parent after another come rushing into the school to pick up their kids.  They said that they had "heard" there was a tornado warning, even though the national weather service had not issued one, the wanted to pick their kids up.  These parents were panicked. As a parent I agree with their right to pick their children up, but I have to question why they think their child is safer in a vehicle heading home, rather then being in a sturdy building that would hold up to the elements much better than their car would. 

There were some trees down and the wind was whipping but all the more reason I think to let your child(ren) stay in place.  The worst part about this experience was witnessing some children (elementary school age) cry because they were scared, mostly from picking up the vibes from their parents.  As a fellow parent who was involved in the same situation they were I say shame on them for putting their children through this. The school personnel handled it very professionally and calmly, which is much more than I can say for some of these hysterical parents.

I'm a mom, I get it, what I don't get is putting your child in potentially more danger while trying to remove him/her from another potentially dangerous situation.  I am sure all these parents were worried about their children, but sometimes you need to think before you react.  Our children look to us for guidance and comfort, if you are panicked your child is going to pick up on it. 

--Contributed by Renee (cool, calm, and collected)

This Is A Longhouse

And it is the reason I missed the Mommage meeting last night.  My daughter came home from school and said "mommy my Longhouse is due tomorrow".  **What**?  I completely forgot.  The paper informing us of the project came home early last week I think, but I misread the due date (thought it was due next Wednesday), Doh! 

It turns out that making a Longhouse (or even a shorter version of a longhouse) is not so easy.  Remember we are talking second graders here, and luckily the house did indeed look like a second grader made it (even though hubby glued it together). 

For those that are curious here is a link that explains what longhouses are. Longhouse were constructed by the first americans.  Longhouses were usually constructed by the women while the men hunted.  They were usually made of bark, branches, and other things they could find in their environment.  Longhouses could house up to twenty related people, up to five families.  Each family had their own section, with a sleep area, and a cooking/storage area. 

--Contributed by Renee who is wondering what third grade holds

What Would You Do If Your Child Brought This Home?

Parents and students at McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas (about 20 miles North of Dallas) received quite a shock recently when they received their yearbooks.  One or more disgruntled employees working for Lifetouch National School Studios drastically altered pictures in the yearbook.  They switched heads and bodies, removed one girls arm, stretched necks, and placing a head on a body that appeared to be nude with the chest area blurred.

What the heck happened?  Lifetouch is calling it  "an unfortunate lapse in judgment" but does not believe it was malicious....yeah right!  They decline to say if the employee(s) responsible for the "lack of judgment" have been fired or disciplined.  Lifetouch has agreed to reprint the yearbooks at their expense, and fix the 30 or so photos affected.  WOW just wow, I am going to check my daughters yearbook closely when it comes home in a few weeks.

--Contributed by Renee

'Tis the Season to be Proud!

Reading the letters on Planetfeedback
from Rene F., Suzanne S. and Michelle G. reminded me that graduation season is upon us once again.  Kids everywhere from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college will be taking that monumental step to the next level of their lives.  The next few weeks will be filled with invitations, reservations, flowers, balloons, photos, parties and gifts, and will create memories for families that will never be forgotten.

I have a few memories of my own going as far back as kindergarten... my kindergarten!

"Heck" Week

It's that time again.  Time for thousands of college students to feverishly write papers, cram for exams, and generally make themselves crazy, while simultaneously trying to find a way through the labyrinth of enrollment and financial aid.  I know; I'm one of them.  Luckily for me, I've been doing this a while (ok, longer than I'd like to admit, really), and I'm starting to finally figure it out.  But I remember vividly that disorienting and sometimes terrifying first semester.  If you've got kids dealing with Hell Finals Week, here are some tips.

Clash Of The Titans

Perhaps it's not on the epic scale in Greek mythology of the gorgon Medusa versus the Kraken, but it's still quite the battle.  From a spectator's perspective, it's fascinating to watch, but I know there are no winners.

I should charge admission and sell popcorn.  Or put them in a cage and let them duel it out to the end.  It's kiddo v. the math teacher. 

Right now, I think he's winning.

Music Across The Curriculum

My daughters school is having a "Second Grade Musical" next week.  Not only will she be singing and dancing she has a speaking role also.  I think the little blurb that she will be speaking is so cute and anyone who is a parent can definitely relate.  The passage is:

"About the age of four, I started talking even more.  My words were always, "why and how". I wanted answers right now.  I didn't know it way back then.  That when I asked "Where, what and when?"  That even though it sounds absurd, each little word is an adverb."

She has the passage memorized although she is having some trouble pronouncing the word absurd.  She is not normally shy so I think she will be okay, but we will see how she does when she is on stage in front of the whole school and then that evening in front of the parents.

I am glad that there is still music in the schools, but I wish she had it more than once a week!

--Contributed by Renee