I Knew School Had Changed, Now I Know Why

When Patty started "real public school" as a kindergartener, it had been nearly fifteen years since I myself was a student in public school and nearly thirty years since I was a kindergarten student.  But from the beginning, I knew something had changed and I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.  And it didn't feel like just a little change, it seemed that some kind of drastic changes had taken place in all those years.  I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that in thirty years time there was change!  But, I kept wondering, what was so wrong about the way my teachers taught us "back in the day"?  Personally, I feel that I was given a great public school education and during all those years in school I never remember being bullied.  Those are things my teachers should be proud of, as I'm sure they were.

It wasn't until reading a Great Schools article this morning that I realized where the change had been made.  The article, Reading Murder Mystery mainly talks about how schools inadvertently destroy a student's joy of reading.  But, about half way into the article, I read this sentence:  Schools have become so test-results driven, they’ve lost focus on developing lifelong readers and have instead used all their focus to create test takers.  That's when I realized what is different about school today.  It's the tests.  It never occurred to me that a serious focus in education is getting a good grade on the state tests.  I mean, sure, that's important....especially for the school.  But, does it count against a student as well?  As in, if they preform poorly on the tests, will that student be held back?  I don't have an answer to that question because it hasn't affected us yet, time will tell.

But, this little insight really makes me wonder if all of the years of research driving public school these days hasn't just ran the public school system right off the rails.  I have often wondered what was wrong with the way my teachers taught, remember those days before manipulatives in math?  The days of weekly spelling tests and cursive writing?  The days when your weekly history test mattered because it was reflected on your quarterly report card?  I'm not sure that state testing scores were shared with parents back then.  Honestly, I don't think any of those tests were important until I took the ACT in high school.

I know I probably worry too much about the education my kids will receive and since I'm not a teacher, and never wanted to be, I should have faith in the system.  But, have you talked to any high school graduates lately?  I can't help it, I worry.

Kids Say...

JT built a time machine this afternoon and is currently accepting passengers.  He came to me, happy as a clam, after he put it together to ask me what "that thing" is called.  He gave me a description that went something like, "that thing that takes you to different worlds."  I'm sure I gave him a strange look.  But, after falling short with vortex and space ship I was able to think of time machine!  The time machine was made from the pieces of a happy meal toy he got from the treasure box at therapy last week and might have measured a whopping four inches by four inches.  Not sure who he thought he could fit in there, but he and Patty had a blast running away from the dinosaurs while they were in dinosaur world!

I Smell a Baby

We got to spend some quality time with my cousin's boys yesterday.  Her boys are 7, 3, and almost 4 months.  I always say the best way to quash any inkling that you want a new baby is to borrow one for a few hours.  Boy, am I glad I don't have a new baby to deal with!

After laying down the ground rules with the older boys (no running, no fighting, no wrestling) they were no bother for the rest of the day.  Oh, and having a few Kindles laying around is a really good way to occupy kids!  On the other hand, the littlest guy was a bit grumpy and I quickly decided he must be spoiled to being held all day long.  I mean, that was the only thing that made him happy.  I wondered how on earth my cousin gets anything done at home.  I gave her Girl Scout cookies for her birthday, now I'm thinking I should have given her ear plugs!

Really, though, it was a nice day spent with family.  I do believe the little guy had an upset tummy which made him cranky.  I told his dad I think he's ready for some baby food; he'll be four months old next week.  Hungry babies are not happy babies!  His mood brightened though, after a few bottles and a few nice long naps.

The funny thing is, after the kids went home, I could still smell that baby.  Baby spit up, I mean.  I'm sure my kids reeked of the stuff, too, but I just don't remember!  I guess we get immune to the smell since we are drowning in it 24/7 while our kids are taking a bottle.  And now, since it's been a lot of years since our baby formula days, I can smell those little drops of spit up lingering in the blanket I used to cover the floor.

Stinky or not, it was a fun day.  Patty packed up and went to Grammie's for a sleep over, so I don't know if she was dog tired or not.  But, JT and I were both ready for bed.  I think I could have turned in at six o'clock!  JT doesn't want to go to bed alone, so he just got more cranky the longer the night became.  I think he was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Code Red Alert System

As we sat watching an Oklahoma tornado recap on tv last night, I remembered getting a phone call from the county encouraging me to sign up for an emergency alert system called Code Red.  I had been planning to sign up and just didn't get around to it.  First thing this morning, I created my account and downloaded the app.

The app is "free", if you consider a one month subscription to be free.  After that I guess I'll have to purchase the app for $4.99.

I had to create two logins, one for the app and one for the online service.  The online service is where I entered my address and phone numbers, so don't skip that one.

I can't say how useful the service is, but I feel a little safer just knowing that I signed up today.

Thumbs Down: Cartoon Character Clothing

Here's a little peek into my psyche for you....I don't usually buy cartoon character clothing for the kids.  This practice began shortly after Patty was born.  It didn't take long to realize those clothes are usually more expensive than a regular shirt and I guess I just stopped looking at them as an option.  Fast forward almost seven years to a little boy who has become very insistent about what clothes he will and won't wear. 

Nothing orange or yellow or green.  Absolutely no short pants (his name for shorts).    Do you know how hard it is to find non-jean pants in the summer?!  And guess what his absolute favorite t-shirt choice is....Iron Man.  And no he will not wear that really cute Captain America shirt I picked out for him.  This has become a little bit of a shopping for clothes problem.  I was lucky enough to find stretchy material pants at the PX so he can have more than two pair of pants to choose from.  But, there are only so many Iron Man shirts to be found!  So far, he has a red one (his favorite) and a blue one.  I've started ordering back-to-school wear and it just nearly killed me to order that other red Iron Man shirt from Children's Place when it cost twice as much as the regular graphic tees!

We took the kids to watch Iron Man 3 on Saturday as a "your face is healing well" reward.  All of the glue finally flaked off JT's scar and we decided it was indeed time to celebrate.  He'd been through a lot with the freak accident and then the colitis, so I really felt like he had earned a day out.

The kids were really good considering you have to sit for two hours.  I like all things Robert Downey Jr, so the movie didn't disappoint.  Patty was pretty squirmy, obviously she's not a big fan of RDJr, and she eventually fell asleep in my lap...which nearly put my arm to sleep!  And, of course, JT liked all the action packed moments.  It was a fun family experience that I don't plan on repeating anytime soon!

Only somewhat unrelated....who do you think is the better Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr or Johnny Lee Miller?  The movies have been great, love Jude Law as Watson, but I really think I enjoy the weekly TV show more.  My vote goes to Johnny Lee Miller.

You Have the Right to Observe Your Child's Classroom

If you didn't read yesterday's offering from The Friendship Circle, it shared some really wonderful information for those of us dealing with special education.  Their article, Observing Your Child's Classroom: What are Your Rights? is an article that really struck home for me.  I was denied access to the special education classroom during Patty's first year of Kindergarten, and FERPA was the backbone of the argument used to justify the situation.

As you may remember, last summer we decided to have Patty repeat her year of Kindergarten and we also made a move to a different elementary school in our county.  During this past school year I have witnessed so many wonderful things at our new school, that I have tried very hard to forget all of the negatives from the year before. 

It's been hard.  Really hard.

The first sentence of the article says it all:  As parents of children with disabilities we are in a constant state of worry.  Really, that whole article says it all.  It feels like Mr. Dorfman pulled out things from my very own heart and mind.  And, like I've said before in comments on other blogs, it is really nice to know I'm not the only one going through these emotions. 

Sometimes, being a parent, dealing with special education and therapies and insurance approvals and IEPs, makes me feel like the giraffe in a herd of zebras.  I mean, I have no one in my physical life who is dealing with anything really similar to what I deal with everyday.  Sometimes, it can all be really tough to deal with.  Ug, the insurance approvals alone are enough to drive a person crazy.  Articles like this one help me be more diligent, more knowledgeable. 

And I now know that the school was wrong in their actions to block me from Patty's "resource" classroom that first year. Of course, the school system may have additional rules in place to, as they put it, protect the privacy of students in special education. But, I can certainly say it felt much closer to hiding something from me, than protecting my student's privacy.

Patty's Going Shopping

After our Iron Man 3 adventure Saturday, I took a nap.  I was so tired!  The kids, of course, don't take naps anymore.  Patty was busy making herself a shopping card while I dozed.  So cute!

She sat at the desk and worked on this little card all by herself.  Now she's ready to go shopping!  This is only the second time she's written something by herself and it makes me beyond the moon happy!