Ok I am going to start right off the bat and say I am totally against state testing in schools. Who isn't, right? Not most parents that I know are for it. Certainly not any teachers I know. Even some principles, board of ed and other educational staff are against it. I surely doubt the children are cheering for it!
So it makes me wonder WHY schools teach to the test. If you are against it why do you allow it? Well because the state says so. And the state is full of....teachers? People with any educational background? Nope. Not even close to it.
I support state testing in no way at all other than to simply send my children to school. Might have something to do with having a child with a learning disability. Or the fact that I am a teacher, myself. Whatever the reason, I drag my heels and do as little possible to encourage the state and their stupid ideas. And yet, as much as I try and turn the other cheek and ignore them, they seem to find a way each year to annoy me with it more and more.
My son cannot write in cursive because the school never had the time to teach him. He cannot write it. He cannot read it. BUT they can add a whole class to his schedule focused 100% on state testing preparation. He won't be able to sign a check when he graduates but the school system will look good on paper!
Megan was out of school last year having her tonsils removed. Between the surgery and medication reactions, she was out of school for two weeks. I couldn't even get homework sent to me without screaming, let alone a tutor which they promised me would be available to us. BUT they did call every day and send teachers to our door to take the state test that was scheduled during this same time!
This year I got a letter asking permission for Megan to stay after school for two days. I would have to agree to pick her up. Send in a snack. And it would obviously take away from our afterschool activities but this would help prepare her and her classmates for the upcoming state test next week! As in, they could not prepare her with over 8 months of schooling and 7 hours a day and a special class just for testing? They also had to ask her to stay after school to make sure she was ready.
It is at this point I said ENOUGH! I am not sending in snacks. Her classmates can have all the 'fun preparation' they like. Megan was NOT going to stay after school for this. When do parents stand up and tell them enough is enough? And would they even listen?
I do not care if they get good marks from the state. We don't even live in a township that is even considered for extra state funding! Everything our school has is from our taxes and our pockets. And when that is low....we fundraise.
What I care about is that my son cannot write his name on a check. Or that they have properly prepared him for college and how to deal with his learning disability. I care that Megan is expected to stay after school for something stupid! I care that there are not enough school buses next fall to run Delaneys kindergarten to and from school without them being stuck on a bus for an hour and coming home at 5pm! I care that I am considering having to homeschool Delaney next year because I disagree with the way the kindergarten is being run.
The state? I wonder if one of them will come and show Ryan how to sign his checks!
Probably not!
But I am sure someone will be making sure Megan is sitting in that chair next week!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Cable Man
I have survived! Not that my battle is over. Just that I have a break between my next allergy attack and my next dose of allergy meds! So I figured I would jump at this rare opportunity of nondrugged and stuffy head and maybe DO something productive.
Today I had the cable guy come in to fix our tv. We were getting these little broken up boxes on our one TV that looked something like.......
*#ked#$^^^ and #@@ and !!kd#
They came and went with no direction or thought to the fact that I might be watching something important like Dancing with the Stars! After about two months, Todd got fed up enough to call and complain.
The cable man tells me that it is my closed caption. I know what closed caption is and this is not it. It comes and goes. It is more so in the evening or early morning. Last I heard, closed caption does not discriminate between afternoon and late evening. Nor was it just at the bottom of my screen. It was ALL OVER my screen!
The cable man insists that it is my closed caption even though it is not doing it at the moment he is here and he cannot take it off because we do not have the original remote to the tv but rather a universal one. Ok. Think on this. If I do not have the remote to turn it OFF then how did I turn it ON???? Hummmm. Makes one think! And unless deaf people can read alien text messages, I seriously do not think we are dealing with closed caption stuck in the on position!
So, he decided to change my box in hopes it might fix the problem that he cannot find.
After doing so, he decided to head into my livingroom to that tv to put on the closed caption in there to show me what it looks like. He clicks it on but it does not come up on the tv. So he spends the next 10 min channel surfing to see if he can find a channel to show me wrong. In doing so, he comes across Dr. Oz. And at that moment.........I lost him........in Oz. (sorry could not resist!) He stood there with glazed over eyes, his mouth hanging open and the remote just sitting in his hand unmoving while he watched the latest topic about herbal medications.
I tried tapping my foot. My daughter raced in front of him on her scooter. I sighed rather loudly and still he did not move. I was wondering if I should maybe shut off the tv or something when a commercial finally came on and broke the link! He decided that he was just not going to be able to turn on the closed caption to show me and instead was going to chat about his own personal experiences with herbal medications and his doctors.
I have to say that as this point in time I became worried. Have you ever heard the stories about the cable guys who sit all day and watch tv in the house or the one who was on the phone and fell asleep waiting to talk with someone and the homeowner video taped it? I was beginning to believe I might soon be one of those stories on the internet............."woman calls in cable man and he refuses to leave". I was wondering what I had for lunch cause I am thinking I was going to have one more head here staying!
The only thing that rescued me was the arrival of a daycare child! This cued him to take leave. Thank heavens.
I shall have to wait to see if my black box issues was resolved or not. And if not, I pray it is not during Dr. Oz that they return to fix it or I might have to start charging them a room rental fee!
Today I had the cable guy come in to fix our tv. We were getting these little broken up boxes on our one TV that looked something like.......
*#ked#$^^^ and #@@ and !!kd#
They came and went with no direction or thought to the fact that I might be watching something important like Dancing with the Stars! After about two months, Todd got fed up enough to call and complain.
The cable man tells me that it is my closed caption. I know what closed caption is and this is not it. It comes and goes. It is more so in the evening or early morning. Last I heard, closed caption does not discriminate between afternoon and late evening. Nor was it just at the bottom of my screen. It was ALL OVER my screen!
The cable man insists that it is my closed caption even though it is not doing it at the moment he is here and he cannot take it off because we do not have the original remote to the tv but rather a universal one. Ok. Think on this. If I do not have the remote to turn it OFF then how did I turn it ON???? Hummmm. Makes one think! And unless deaf people can read alien text messages, I seriously do not think we are dealing with closed caption stuck in the on position!
So, he decided to change my box in hopes it might fix the problem that he cannot find.
After doing so, he decided to head into my livingroom to that tv to put on the closed caption in there to show me what it looks like. He clicks it on but it does not come up on the tv. So he spends the next 10 min channel surfing to see if he can find a channel to show me wrong. In doing so, he comes across Dr. Oz. And at that moment.........I lost him........in Oz. (sorry could not resist!) He stood there with glazed over eyes, his mouth hanging open and the remote just sitting in his hand unmoving while he watched the latest topic about herbal medications.
I tried tapping my foot. My daughter raced in front of him on her scooter. I sighed rather loudly and still he did not move. I was wondering if I should maybe shut off the tv or something when a commercial finally came on and broke the link! He decided that he was just not going to be able to turn on the closed caption to show me and instead was going to chat about his own personal experiences with herbal medications and his doctors.
I have to say that as this point in time I became worried. Have you ever heard the stories about the cable guys who sit all day and watch tv in the house or the one who was on the phone and fell asleep waiting to talk with someone and the homeowner video taped it? I was beginning to believe I might soon be one of those stories on the internet............."woman calls in cable man and he refuses to leave". I was wondering what I had for lunch cause I am thinking I was going to have one more head here staying!
The only thing that rescued me was the arrival of a daycare child! This cued him to take leave. Thank heavens.
I shall have to wait to see if my black box issues was resolved or not. And if not, I pray it is not during Dr. Oz that they return to fix it or I might have to start charging them a room rental fee!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Toilet troubles
When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.' To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail . Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'
By this time , the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too. At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to
operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.
You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.' As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'
By this time , the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too. At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to
operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.
You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.' As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Auuuuuuuuuuu!
That is exactly how I feel. Allergies are kicking my butt! If people would not think me crazy I would just stuff some tissues up my nose and hope for the best. But since I don't think snotty tissues hanging out ones nose is the hit on the Paris runway, I doubt I would be able to do so without getting looks. But then most days I spend in places like Walmart and, well, do the clients there even KNOW what is a hit on the Paris runway anyway? Heck, the check out lady is probably still wearing the latest fashion from 1981!
I have been pumping my body with allergy meds in the hope of feeling somewhat remotely normal. It was working on the allergies for a while. But now I think the pollen and grass is taking over more and the meds are on a losing battle.
In the end, the meds don't help me feel very 'normal' anyway. Oh they might help me not blow snot across the kitchen while making dinner! (Isn't that a lovely image?) But I am so drugged up and dopey that I doubt a snot rocket would even phase me in the least (Am I making you glad you don't have to come over and eat at my house anytime soon?)
I am tired and groggy and sniffly and just want to climb in bed and pull the blankets over my head and hide till about, oh, June I am thinking!
But enough of my boo hoo's. Life must go on and from what I remember of it lately, it still consists of soccer games, choir practices, dr appointments and work.
So what have I been doing this last week, you ask??
Delaney had another soccer game last Sat. We had swim class, changed and drove off to the soccer field all before 11am! (There seriously has to be a law somewhere on that! Two activities before noon on a Sat should be illegal!) We didn't win BUT they actually kicked the ball this time! That is a plus and a great improvement!
One of my daycare kids announced he got his rabies shot! I asked him if he ment his dog and he thought about it and said, NO. He got it the other day at the doctors office! It might explain so much!
We paid our taxes.
I paid the bills.
Work.
School.
And, this is about all I remember. My brain is done. I cannot seem to come up with some whitty and exciting story when all I am longing for is my blanket and pills.
So on that note.................
I have been pumping my body with allergy meds in the hope of feeling somewhat remotely normal. It was working on the allergies for a while. But now I think the pollen and grass is taking over more and the meds are on a losing battle.
In the end, the meds don't help me feel very 'normal' anyway. Oh they might help me not blow snot across the kitchen while making dinner! (Isn't that a lovely image?) But I am so drugged up and dopey that I doubt a snot rocket would even phase me in the least (Am I making you glad you don't have to come over and eat at my house anytime soon?)
I am tired and groggy and sniffly and just want to climb in bed and pull the blankets over my head and hide till about, oh, June I am thinking!
But enough of my boo hoo's. Life must go on and from what I remember of it lately, it still consists of soccer games, choir practices, dr appointments and work.
So what have I been doing this last week, you ask??
Delaney had another soccer game last Sat. We had swim class, changed and drove off to the soccer field all before 11am! (There seriously has to be a law somewhere on that! Two activities before noon on a Sat should be illegal!) We didn't win BUT they actually kicked the ball this time! That is a plus and a great improvement!
One of my daycare kids announced he got his rabies shot! I asked him if he ment his dog and he thought about it and said, NO. He got it the other day at the doctors office! It might explain so much!
We paid our taxes.
I paid the bills.
Work.
School.
And, this is about all I remember. My brain is done. I cannot seem to come up with some whitty and exciting story when all I am longing for is my blanket and pills.
So on that note.................
Thursday, April 15, 2010
1st game
There was suspense. There was excitement. There was scores!
I would like to say it was at Delaneys 1st soccer game but I would be lying.
No, I take it back. There was suspense, excitement and scores. Just not in the way you might be thinking.
How to begin the tale of this thrilling day......
There are 6 players on our U5 team. Only 4 showed. Add in that we only had one real practice and this already was not starting out well for us.
One little boy who played last year had no clue how to touch his foot to the ball! I don't believe he did it once during the whole game. And honestly, I don't think the child would know how to run even if his pants were on fire!
One girl obviously did NOT want to be there in any way, shape or form. And when you asked if she was excited or having fun she would scowl at you and tell you NO!
One child was our best player. Our one and only hope. And even she was massacred in this game cause one can not compete against a team of 3 on the field! She left mid game with a blister on her foot. And there also went our last hope for a score!
And then there was Delaney. She smiled. She ran. But she never touched the ball either. And seemed much more worried about if the concession stand was serving hot chocolate with mini marshmallows or not!
Todd, who is the coach, and myself kept yelling 'Get the ball!.....Take the ball!" But then it dawned on me at some point during the game that I don't think they understood what that meant!
We were in trouble. Bad, bad trouble. And the other team obviously had all past soccer players. They destroyed us. Crushed us in the dirt with their little size 11 toddler cleats! And what made it worse was that the parents on the other team had no sympathy. At some point in time, one would think that getting #18 goal on a team that has no defense......or offense for that matter.......or knowledge remotely able to let them be able to play soccer ..........was not really worth the scream, jumping and cheer. After a while it was almost mean! And with each goal there was complete silence from our side. The parents hung their head and tried to pretend they didn't notice their child on the field picking the grass blades! As the game went on, it became really hard for Todd and I to even sound encouraging.
I lost track of the score. I gave up somewhere around 1-15.
And let me say that for a person who has major competitive qualities, this was harder on me than it obviously was on the kids. I could feel the bursting coming in my chest and wanting to explode out my mouth but I held it in. These were just babies, I kept saying over and over. And, after all......it is all about the fun of the game.
(Yeah. Right!)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Playing catch up....
OK....it was a long weekend. Full of family, eggs, swim class, Easter Bunnies and running around. Way too long to go into so I am just going to post the pics for your enjoyment or I will never catch up.......
Making Burritos with Mimi
Blowing bubbles
Out by the fire roasting marshmellows
Story time
Going on an Egg hunt
Easter morning
Friday, April 2, 2010
More than just cheeseburgers!
Yesterday we did a family volunteer day at a local Ronald McDonald house. It was actually for Disney's Give a Day, Get a Day but it was so worth much more than a ticket to Disney. We had such a nice family day and in return we made the life of families in crisis happy for just a tiny bit of their day. It felt good to do something so small that meant so much.
Say hello to the gang...
Say hello to the gang...
We started the day out driving into Philly and setting up. Then we got a tour of the house while it was quiet and families were still at the hospital. We learned so much and how much these houses mean to families in need. It is a tiny piece of normal family life and much needed.
While we finished up dinner, Delaney and Megan headed to the playroom where kids were already starting to roll in. I was very proud of my girls. They played with the kids and talked with them. It was nice to see my girls making someone happy.
A little down time...
After we fed everyone, the older people cleaned up the kitchen and the girls cleaned up the playroom.
I could not have asked for a more rewarding day. Our friend, Pat, who came with us, left with information to do her own cooking day. And we hope to come back and do it again ourselves. It was so worth it. And.....you know.....we all actually had a lot of fun!
Did you know that the Ronald McDonald house is funded and run mainly through volunteers and fundraisers? That few funds, if any, come from McDonald restaurants? For information on how YOU can make a difference in the lives of families in your area, contact your local Ronald McDonald house on volunteering to be a guest chef. A few hours out of your day can make a world of a difference!
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