I don't have opinions about the school system because I can't see a better way than how it's being done. I can see that it's not perfect, but I have no ideas about how to fix anything so I suck and take the apathetic approach and then later feel guilty for not having the energy to even want to help save the world.
UO- I like Facebook and get tired of hearing from my "friends" on there about how it makes them depressed. If you're so depressed and losing the life comparison game you're playing then stop playing and get the hell off social media! The rest of us- rich, poor, happy, going through trying times- we're all sharing and talking and trying to embrace this crazy journey. Seriously social media is optional. I wish the woe-is-me, I-can't-be-happy-because-you-look-happier-than-me complainers would take their entitled complaints elsewhere. Hey guess what an easy ride isn't a guarantee. Accept support, love, and joy into your life or go mope somewhere else! *unfriends a half dozen people*
@pinklady2015@soberkfell@agradi I live in County Mayo which is in the west of Ireland. While it's great to see everyone celebrate Irish culture and all that it is, I have to agree that I'm not a fan of St. Patrick's Day. Saying that, I think it's celebrated waaaaay more in other countries than in Ireland. We have a parade and everyone heads for a drink or two if they like but it's no different really from a normal night. Definitely celebrate if you're Irish but don't use it as an excuse to get ridiculously drunk.
People who don't vacation, travel, go in the sunshine, etc with their babies/toddlers....weird me out. I have several friends that wont vacation, go to the grocery store, go out to dinner, etc....unless they have a sitter for their kid. How is a child suppose to learn what is acceptable behavior in a public place, if they are never taken out? I get having date nights, or going on a kid-free vacation, but I have several friends that have avoided bringing their kids anywhere because they feel that it is "too much work", that they have never taken their kids anywhere really.....and now just the thought of it is stressful. Ummm...no thanks. I would rather teach my child how to behave and what is expected of her while out in public, so we can have a life outside of the house (with her, without her, and as a family). Don't harp on me for having a life and doing fun sh*t, when you choose to keep your child in a "lets not go anywhere because its too much work" bubble.
I totally agree! My IL's keep saying stuff like "we will watch the baby when you two want to go fishing/out of town/shopping/to a brewery". Ummm no? I am having a child to experience life with him, not pass him off to family members to make it easy on me. I grew up going on fishing trips, camping trips, road trips with my dad and I LOVED it. There were times when my brother and I were too much for my dad to handle and he would get frustrated, but he would plan another trip as soon as we go home. I am so excited to show my child the hobbies I have and the things I love and be able to experience those with him, as well as figure out what he likes and wants to do. I know it will be much harder than when just DH and I go do stuff, but isn't everything going to be a little harder with a kid?
ETA that obviously there will be times when DH and I want a date night or something, but for the most part I cant wait to share my life with this little man and get sick of hearing how my IL's say they will take him off our hands.
I think everyone has good points about education. I believe it is extremely important, however not everyone needs 4 year college. Vocational and trade schools are just as valuable, and a great way for people to learn a trade to start a career. We have several schools in a more low income district that partner with the local community college. Students take classes at the highschool, then in the afternoon take classes at the community college. At the end of highschool they have an associates or certificate, so they can enter the workforce or go on to a 4 year with 60 hours under their belt. I'm currently working on my Masters of nursing education because I really want to work at one of these schools or community college. There are so many great kids that would be fantastic nurses, but the lower income schools are limited by lack of faculty and unable to expand. I also think it should be requirement for highschools to have a "life skills" class. They offered it once at my school and I took it because I needed an elective. They taught us budgeting, check balancing, easy cooking, interview skills, etc. At the time I thought it was dumb, but now I appreciate it.
My UO: I think it's ok to leave DD home every once and a while when we go to lunch. She is 10, and it is never more than an hour and a half. We gave her a basic phone, the alarm is on, and I tell my mom what's up. She is getting to that age where she doesn't want to hang out with us anymore, and sometimes it is nice having lunch without her whining about going out!
@kcossey528 by 10 I was "babysitting" other neighborhood kids after school for an hour every day. I think 10 is absolutely old enough to be home alone.
I I think it's really important to note that being an unfocused student/needing a votech option vs an academic option/etc is not simply a socioeconomic issue. Plenty of middle/upper class kids have these same struggles.
@elenabrent you are correct, I didn't mean for it to sound like a socioeconomic issue. That's just the program I was familiar with because it's in my area, and I feel strongly about wanting to work with them. I grew up in a well off family, and was the prime example of unfocused. I didn't appreciate education, and attempted to drop out and get a GED. Ended up getting pregnant, which knocked some sense into me. I started with vocational school and went from there. Best decision ever.
@kcossey528 I think that's awesome. And I totally agree that we need to do a better job of preparing all students for life, and helping them match their interests and skills with a career that will serve them. Forcing all kids into the same mold sucks and doesn't work and that's why kids check out mentally and fail
@kcossey528 I see no issue with 10. There are so many children that were/are latchkey kids, that they don't even know any different than to be home alone. My husband was a latchkey kid growing up, and his cousins kids are latchkey kids for a good 2 hours after school (the oldest two are 9 and 8, but the 3 year old stays at the sitters).
Okay I have avoided this school debate long enough. But I have to had my two cents here. I work with low income EBD kids. The kids some of you claim just come to school to cause trouble. First I think the two staff members here are really burnt out and need a break or a different school for awhile. That's not to be unkind but it's hard to be effective and have a positive outlook that you must have when working with this group of kids when you are burnt out.
Yes it needs to be compulsory and to be honest it almost sounds like you wish it wasn't just so you don't have to deal with the hard kids and just deal with the highly functioning positive family influenced kids. It is the hard kids who need school to have an environment where they can be encouraged, feel safe and grow.
Is is it easy to do this with them? Nope and many of these kids have such strong attachment issues that it makes it hard to get through but every teacher and staff member who keeps working with them makes it one step easier for them to attach and grow. When it becomes a teachers goal to get them kicked out of the class or school it just shows them they aren't worth someone's time and that all the naysayers are correct.
teaching, therapy and social work and many other fields are hard ones but you did not sign up to just "teach" you signed up to help nurture and grow students. And if only want to "teach" and just have kids "learn the lessons" maybe reassess your career. I know I have to often assess if I need a break or if I'm good because the day you stop caring and want to wash your hands of certain people is the day you have stopped being effective.
many teachers also have so little clue on what is actually going on in their students lives and if you know kids are going so their parents don't get fined the step up even more and offer help to these kids because these are the ones that deserve the best of us because they aren't getting it anywhere else.
none of this was to hurt anyone's feelings but more of an impassioned plea as I work with Schools and county workers and parents every day and I see what an integral part school plays in these kids lives.
@PhoebeJune1984 that's what I tell my friends. They give me a lot of grief. Ofcourse DD is a good 5 years older than most of their kids, so they haven't experienced it. 5 years ago I probably never would have dreamed of leaving her, but now I don't see a problem with it.
My 'holiday themed UO'; I'm semi-celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I wore green today because a)It's a shirt I wear at least every other week anyway and it was due for its wear and b)If someone tried to pinch me today they would get knocked out. I'm also eating corned beef because it's delicious and hard to find in my area during the other 364 days of the year. I don't do the dress like a green clown and drink my self stupid kind of celebrating even when I'm not pregnant, because I'm an adult with this stupid thing called a 'career'. Besides, dressing like an idiot and getting plastered is reserved for Halloween.
@Lindsayleigh1989 I really appreciate your post. As a SPED teacher who runs a behavior program for ED kiddos I get pretty defensive when people talk about what education should look or be like.
@Lindsayleigh1989 I really appreciate your post. As a SPED teacher who runs a behavior program for ED kiddos I get pretty defensive when people talk about what education should look or be like.
You should know I have the absolute highest respect for what you do! You have a thankless tireless job so from the bottom of my heart thank you so very much for the work you do!
Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and onions in the crock pot is my favorite meal. When I asked my now husband on our first date what his favorite meal was, he said it was the same thing. I knew then I'd marry him.
Also the idea of putting my children into some of these schools with some of these teachers makes me supremely nervous.
I think everyone has made great points about the education system so there isn't a lot to add except my main concern would be child neglect/abuse if children weren't required to go to school. Sometimes the first/only warning signs that something is wrong is a child missing school and if it weren't for a teacher noticing the child was missing, no one else would.
Also on the subject of teaching/education, I went to a work convention last week and Ron Clark spoke at the closing ceremony and was EXCELLENT. Highly suggest listening to some of his speeches on YouTube or reading his books. I'm in the middle of Move Your Bus right now.
@PhoebeJune1984 that's what I tell my friends. They give me a lot of grief. Ofcourse DD is a good 5 years older than most of their kids, so they haven't experienced it. 5 years ago I probably never would have dreamed of leaving her, but now I don't see a problem with it.
I started leaving DD when she was 5 months old....we went to Vegas for four days for a wedding. I have zero guilt, and we have taken a week long (adult only) trip every year, with a few over nighters away from DD (like if we go somewhere late at night, she ends up just spending the night at IL's, so we don't have to wake her) scattered throughout the year. The rest of the time, she is with us...we do camping trips, weekends away, go to restaurants, road trips, etc. There are several people in my former BMB, who have still never left their 4.5 year old, even over night....and now fear it. And I have tons of friends that EVERY time they vacation, they leave their kid/kids behind, so when we want to do group family vacations and have other kids for DD to play with on vacation...they are all only wanting to go if they can leave their kids behind.
To me, there needs to be a good balance. My cousins never went on vacations and stuff with their parents, and now they are grow adults and fear going somewhere other than crossing the state border. My sister finally forced one of them, to go with her to Europe, just so he could see that there was so many cool things outside a 15mi radius. There are so many cool memories that we had made with DD in the past 4.5 years, that I cannot imagine missing out on those things because I was too scared to have to do a little work when it came to planning out the day/trip.
Re: UO Thursday
Married May 16th, 2015
EDD July 1st
July16 May siggy challenge "May the Force be with you"
UO- I like Facebook and get tired of hearing from my "friends" on there about how it makes them depressed. If you're so depressed and losing the life comparison game you're playing then stop playing and get the hell off social media! The rest of us- rich, poor, happy, going through trying times- we're all sharing and talking and trying to embrace this crazy journey. Seriously social media is optional. I wish the woe-is-me, I-can't-be-happy-because-you-look-happier-than-me complainers would take their entitled complaints elsewhere. Hey guess what an easy ride isn't a guarantee. Accept support, love, and joy into your life or go mope somewhere else! *unfriends a half dozen people*
UO - I HATE Journey....their music kills my eardrums.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DS#1 July 2016
Baby #2 July 2018
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DS#1 July 2016
Baby #2 July 2018
ETA that obviously there will be times when DH and I want a date night or something, but for the most part I cant wait to share my life with this little man and get sick of hearing how my IL's say they will take him off our hands.
I also think it should be requirement for highschools to have a "life skills" class. They offered it once at my school and I took it because I needed an elective. They taught us budgeting, check balancing, easy cooking, interview skills, etc. At the time I thought it was dumb, but now I appreciate it.
My UO: I think it's ok to leave DD home every once and a while when we go to lunch. She is 10, and it is never more than an hour and a half. We gave her a basic phone, the alarm is on, and I tell my mom what's up. She is getting to that age where she doesn't want to hang out with us anymore, and sometimes it is nice having lunch without her whining about going out!
i don't care about aspartame, fast food or trashy tv right now at all!
sometimes a girl just needs some mother effin aspartame
I I think it's really important to note that being an unfocused student/needing a votech option vs an academic option/etc is not simply a socioeconomic issue. Plenty of middle/upper class kids have these same struggles.
Yes it needs to be compulsory and to be honest it almost sounds like you wish it wasn't just so you don't have to deal with the hard kids and just deal with the highly functioning positive family influenced kids. It is the hard kids who need school to have an environment where they can be encouraged, feel safe and grow.
Is is it easy to do this with them? Nope and many of these kids have such strong attachment issues that it makes it hard to get through but every teacher and staff member who keeps working with them makes it one step easier for them to attach and grow. When it becomes a teachers goal to get them kicked out of the class or school it just shows them they aren't worth someone's time and that all the naysayers are correct.
teaching, therapy and social work and many other fields are hard ones but you did not sign up to just "teach" you signed up to help nurture and grow students. And if only want to "teach" and just have kids "learn the lessons" maybe reassess your career. I know I have to often assess if I need a break or if I'm good because the day you stop caring and want to wash your hands of certain people is the day you have stopped being effective.
many teachers also have so little clue on what is actually going on in their students lives and if you know kids are going so their parents don't get fined the step up even more and offer help to these kids because these are the ones that deserve the best of us because they aren't getting it anywhere else.
none of this was to hurt anyone's feelings but more of an impassioned plea as I work with Schools and county workers and parents every day and I see what an integral part school plays in these kids lives.
Also the idea of putting my children into some of these schools with some of these teachers makes me supremely nervous.
Also on the subject of teaching/education, I went to a work convention last week and Ron Clark spoke at the closing ceremony and was EXCELLENT. Highly suggest listening to some of his speeches on YouTube or reading his books. I'm in the middle of Move Your Bus right now.
I'm boring and don't have an UO this week.
To me, there needs to be a good balance. My cousins never went on vacations and stuff with their parents, and now they are grow adults and fear going somewhere other than crossing the state border. My sister finally forced one of them, to go with her to Europe, just so he could see that there was so many cool things outside a 15mi radius. There are so many cool memories that we had made with DD in the past 4.5 years, that I cannot imagine missing out on those things because I was too scared to have to do a little work when it came to planning out the day/trip.