School based rant.

Some days I just want to grab almost every teacher I have met and shake them while asking them why they got into teaching in the first place. I honestly don't understand some of them.


Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, let me back up a bit.......


So my issues with schools stem from changes made to scheduling in schools since I was a kid and teachers unions. If you are a teacher or know one who'd like to speak in response, feel free to direct them to the comment section, I'm always an open ear, this is just from what I've seen and experienced. 


So back to the teacher shaking. I've met some amazing teachers since my boys started school and I've met some that I just don't think should ever have a licence. There are plenty in the mid range and I'm ok with that. My question to all who aren't amazing, why did you start teaching?

Was it the summers off? The pay? (which I realize isn't great, but it's better than fast food.....) or the Kids? Because if it's the latter then how in the world can you sit there and tell me that the "Union" won't let you go out on the playground with your class in the morning/after lunch during recess? How can you stand by knowing that if it's raining, kids who aren't dropped off right when the bell rings for class to start - or in my boys case, waited with until teachers come to the room with the rest of the class- get yelled at for the entirety of their time spent indoors waiting to get to go to class?


How is it that 1 1/2 people are in charge of an entire grades worth of kids on a playground for the total 15 min scheduled during the school day they have to play outside? I say 1 1/2 because there are two aids who watch the kids on the playground after lunches. After lunch recess is 30 min long. Maybe 20 of that is the time the kids have to be actually active. The other 15 are counted in the time it takes them to get outside to the playground and then the time it takes them to line back up and go back into school. One aid goes to get the grade coming out of the cafeteria, while the other lines up the kids who are on the playground. Then it switches, the first aid watches the kids while the other walks the kids across to the front of the school where their teachers are waiting.

Teachers no longer eat lunch and then join their kids outdoors. These two aids are not involved in anything the kids do outdoors other than to be there in case someone has an accident or starts a knock down drag out fight. Nothing more. I've seen them sit on their butts on the playground and miss so many smaller altercations that are considered bullying when I've been there. If this school was around the corner from my house, I'd be there every day for the entire time that my kids were on the playground as a volunteer, but we live 15 min away if there's no traffic.

Don't get me wrong, I know that teachers have to put up with a lot these days. We didn't actually get paddled in school when I was in Elem. but we had the fear of it. These days kids don't because they know the staff isn't able to do much. I know that unions keep people from being overworked. I understand all that. But seriously? Teachers get to walk in between 7:15 and 7:35 to start their day, they also get to leave before 4pm on average. They do not work summers even if their "School year" is a smidge longer than the kids is because of meetings and planning. They get an hour off for lunch. The kids get 30 min for lunch, 30 min for playground (which is bull because as I've said lining up and getting places takes a chunk out of this time.) They have 15 min to eat, and 15 min to play on average. No talking while eating or sitting with friends anymore at lunch either. It gets "too loud."

So your telling me that you who supposedly took this job for the kids won't volunteer some time once a week even to go out on the playground and at the very least observe your class while they play? How do you expect to deal with bullying and issues that arise? If you don't see it, your best bet is going on the word of who ever squalls the loudest after recess and/or the aid who wasn't actually watching anyway. Your telling me that walking out to the playground for the last 15 min of your lunch break to observe your kids playing and then being there when it's time to line back up is too much to ask?

While we are on the subject of too much to ask, I realize that the aids are getting paid just barely over what fast food folks are making, but is really necessary for the kids to spend their rainy mornings getting yelled at? Why is it that we know they need time to run off energy outdoors, but bring them in because they can't play outside today and they must all sit in lines quiet and still as statues. Yes an entire schools worth of kids in one gymnasium over a period of 45 min could get really loud if you let them all talk, but barking orders at them and saying they can't even whisper? Why not let those who have books to read, homework to finish up, or just want to sit quietly sit in the bleachers while you (the aids, or the fitness related teachers who are there at that time of day already anyway....) have the rest do morning exercises? You could even use that beloved bullhorn that no one needs. Jumping jacks, running in place, simple things that you could have them line up for and keep them active. Not only would they burn off the energy you are so busy yelling at them for, they wouldn't start their school day pent up and aggravated which would translate into a better school day in the long run. Oh wait, because that would require work and actually dealing with the kids you so didn't sign up to do this job for.

I take my kids to school in the mornings so they don't have to ride on a bus for an hour in their stupor of sleep. When it rains, I stay in the hallways with them (and snag any of their friends I can get away with keeping with me without a teacher shooing them to the gym) until their teachers come back with their class. I show up at random for lunch because I know of a bully in one of my kiddos class who despite our tries of niceness and standing up for our friends, he continues unchecked. (nothing physical from him of course, so the staff doesn't really monitor it unless I bring it up again....) I am there for every field trip and event I can be and will continue to do so even after the baby gets here. And guess what teachers....it's not just my kids I'm watching. It's some of yours too, yes those of you who have kids in my kids grade as well as all their friends who run up and hug me or tell me things. Did I mention I don't get paid for this? That I don't give a rats that I spent extra money or time out of my day to do so?

So when I say I want to shake a teacher...it's not just the teachers. It's the school staff and everyone associated. Union leaders and all. I don't expect them to donate their every waking moment or to be chipper every single minute of the day, but would it kill them to remember why they got into those jobs in the first place?

Shopping Grump

So while I love Burlington Coat Factory for random home things and I know I'll be happy to find things for the baby when he gets here, their commercials are sooo misleading.

I would love to be able to find things that I'd actually wear in there, things that you do see in windows of other stores or even close knock offs. However, that doesn't really happen. I rarely find anything that I'd wear, or let my kids wear as far as shoes go, and don't get me started on clothes. Unless I'm shopping for a dress or a suit for the boys, it's not worth a stop for me.

That's not saying they don't have enough in there...I could spend a day digging through overstuffed racks, but unless I'm looking for a velour track suit, a mother of the bride outfit, 6in or over heels or super shiny black patent boys shoes, the range of clothing that would come back to my closet dies.


Perhaps they are trying to change this and it just hasn't hit my local stores yet, but nothing selection wise I've seen there has changed in the past ten years that I've randomly been stopping in there.  Home goods, some accessories (lol for joe boxer stuff there all the time....) baby stuff and winter coats all seem to be fine, but all of the rest of our local stores cater to a different demographic than their new commercials state.

Odd thoughts

On the new name for the LR airport.....Just wondering when they are going to realize that nearly every adult who ever had an off beat or non PG rated thought is going to snicker when they find out they are flying into the Bill and Hillary Clinton KLIT.

Dear baby in my belly- must you re adjust every single time I finally get comfy? Does this mean your a girl and that you and I are going to butt heads all the time? If so, I'm dressing your butt in what ever I feel like for as long as I possibly can.

Dear craft muse- Honestly, we sign up for a swap and you take a vacation. I have ideas...but you have no gumption. Due to send out in 4 days. I don't like pushing, but I might just have to.


Spring Break Weather Forecast. You suck. Thanks for the pretty days on an average weekend before the break, but rain for the rest of it? Really.

Adorable house built in 1902 that we could totally afford to purchase and reno so that we could have a tiny little farm stead within our kids school system yet just outside enough of the city to make it worth it...why did you have to be so let down by everyone else who owned you? I cannot fathom letting a house that amazing and old rot from the inside out. And the shed even had a stone from 1910 that states it was put there by a Davis. You had sooo much potential, but your not even safe for me to go in for more than 5 min without a mask and a waiver signed. So sad.

Around 12 weeks in....

The first bit of this pregnancy was all about being sick....not the pretty glowing pregnant momma I was with my first two, I'm crossing my fingers this means it's a girl. Not that I would mind another boy, just that shoot there are some cute girl things out there and I want to use my sewing machine for more than robots and hats.

Yes I know I could make amazing button up shirts and adorable pj's for my boys, but they tend to run around in their undies unless I demand they put on clothes....so.................
I want to make dresses. Tiny funky colored dresses with matching headbands. I want to make dolls without having to feel as though I should ship them off to other peoples kids because it's a little creepy to make dolls for yourself when your nearing 30.

I don't remember being quite so easily grouchy with the last two either, though I'm sure Hubb would dispute that fact wholeheartedly.

One great thing about being pregnant right now is ....Valentines Day is coming up soon, which means another glut of chocolate in the stores/house and I'm not on a diet.

So I'm Pregnant.

And yes I've changed the blog title. So if you are pondering why...just follow me. I'm going to be quite a bit irrelevant over the next year, and honestly most of the rest of my life.

In fact that's just about how I've always been.

So let's just enjoy my crazies for now.


Today I decided nothing sounded good in the fridge. Well I take that back, Salad sounded awesome, but it's cold and I've had that for the past two meals that were not breakfast. So I'm skipping it and moving right along to the only other pleasing thing in the house right now. Popcorn.

As I'm opening the bag I notice a new line of instructions. My bag of popcorn told me Not to use the Popcorn Button.

........yep. I'm rolling with that today.

Halloween!

I love Halloween. It's my favorite holiday. ~No, not for the candy reason, lol~

I really enjoy making the boys costumes each year. This year they both wanted to be dragons from How to Train your Dragon.

Maddman wanted to be Toothless

 And Kai was the Terrible Terror.

Both tails were posable and attached with belts. Madd's poor sweatpants were so big he had to wear last years ~he was a bat~ and Kai has no bottom.....so his tail kept sliding around. But they had a blast being dragons.

The week before Halloween at Kai's school was red ribbon week and for "What you want to be when you grow up" day he wanted to be a race car driver.

Yep, that's my stinker.

*dusts off my Princess of Procrastination trophy*

Well, the plan of updating daily didn't make it. And honestly I was worried it wouldn't. Because I'm bad about updating things when I mean to. I get distracted.

Speaking of, I should add some links to my daily distractions in the side bar.


Now, Hubb and I have been talking about this subject for the past few days. He's gotten the idea that our oldest is a little bit afraid of him, and isn't sure what to do about it. But it's not just that. So here's what were pondering over.

M is not a big Try-er. He looks too often to someone else for the answer instead of trying to figure it out on his own. Now if we were talking Algebra...then yeah, he'd need some help. But were talking reading simple words to read them, answering questions (he's gotten better at math now that they have to "show" how they did it. Meaning he gets to draw something out.

When it comes to riding a bike, he's only half trying, not pushing himself to really use it. We end up getting on to him more about it because he's not keeping up. And we want bike riding to be fun for him. He's excited about getting to go for a ride, but not the actual doing it. And we went out and bought ourselves bikes so that we could all ride around the neighborhood together. LM is riding like a champ, but he's always a give it your all kind of kiddo. So were trying to step back and figure out why M doesn't really seem into anything.

M mentioned the other day in the car that the other kids at school run faster than he does. He said they run fast-fast and he runs slow-fast. I explained at that point that not everyone is the best at everything, thinking that's where the conversation needed to go, not wanting to chide him about pushing himself harder. 

Now I'm not sure what to say to him. We want him to try, but as Hubb had an overbearing parent, and I had a military one {so not far from overbearing} we don't want to fall into the pitfalls of pushing your kid too hard. We are both fairly stubborn people and expect some stubbornness from the boys, but don't want to push them into being stubborn.

M has also never been much for the unfamiliar. He doesn't like to try new things {activity wise} and tends to say he's scared of it. When we started working on them riding bikes, he'd get upset and jump off the bike as soon as it started rolling, saying it was going too fast.

So we aren't really sure what to do now. M has started Scouts, and Hubb is his den leader. M has made a new best friend and thankfully now has a kid in the neighborhood to play with. {our area is older, and there aren't many children}

I'm just wondering if you guys have any ideas? Not expecting a specific answer here, just some thoughts. =)
Thanks for reading.