Sure, we're spraying it to keep the mosquitoes from draining us every night.
My balance is off, too. I rolled my left ankle at karate and it's swollen up like an apricot on the side of my leg. It hurts when I bend it wrong. I know, I know. Quit bending it wrong.
I've signed off on sending Team Testosterone to parochial school. It was a decision we reached earlier this summer, but certain people deserved hearing the news in person, not via the grapevine. A tough call, I feel like I'm bailing on public education, never in a million years would I have thought I'd send my kids to parochial school. But that was when I was a teacher, a taxpayer, an average citizen. Now I'm a mom and it's become a personal choice. Factors weighing in included my philosophy about kids and learning and how the entire process should not be skill/drill but rather employ higher level thinking skills and develop their curiosity and talents. The public school is all about "How fast, how many?" and they like the kids to fit into a box, any kid who thinks outside of the box isn't encouraged or supported. This philosophy is driven in part by testing and in part by teachers to whom things have come easy. If I were an administrator, I'd like to see at least one B or C on a new teacher's transcript because it would demonstrate that they struggled at some point in their education. Struggle develops empathy and better teaching methods. The straight-A gang of teachers tend to be baffled by kids who struggle because they have no concept of what that means. They lump it as "lack of effort" or shrug their shoulders and write the kid off as a failure, but they don't think outside the damn box to address the issues. I believe in authentic assessment, testing kids to see if they understand the concepts. I'm seeing a lot of good things at the parochial school down the road, I want all three of my sons to have access to the same quality of education, regardless of their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses.
I also have three sons who think outside the box and I want that to be celebrated, not frustrated by their teachers. I like sending my kids to school in a uniform, I prefer the rigor of the curriculum at the parochial school and the administration over there kicks butt. A little liturgy every week is a small inconvenience when there's so much to be gained.
I'm still spouting off to the school board, however. The superintendent has finally presented the teachers with a contract. Box or no box, some of the terms of the contract are shitty. I can still support the public school even if I'm opting out of sending my kids to it.
I'm laying off the blog a bit, too. Regulars probably notice. It's summer. We're busy. Just like everyone else. And I'm trying to keep my kids away from TV/video games so I need to set a good example, right?
Now I'm off to clean the fridge where something smells a bit off. (Come on, you totally saw that coming.)
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