In September Teeny discovered a girl in his class had a crush on him. Which wasn't a bad thing because it turned out that he had a crush on her too. This of course meant that they were "going together" or whatever they're calling it in elementary school these days. Coincidentally, this girl's brother is in the same Cub scout troop as Teeny and the following Thursday was Pack meeting. This meant that I got to meet her. I was excited to see who had caught my son's eye. She was pretty and seemed nice but she was hanging all over my son the entire time. She was obviously twitterpatted. I thought it seemed a tad excessive for the age but I found out later that she's 11, which explains a whole lot about her behavior.
Have I mentioned that Teeny turned 9 at the end of the summer?
Well, a week or so went by and suddenly this girl decided that she no longer liked him. Which is normal for the age. I didn't think anything of it. I consoled my son and moved on. Until he mentioned that she was now being mean to him. I guess she wasn't okay that he wasn't pining for her. I advised him to just ignore her. He replied that it was a little hard to since she now sits by him.
Later we were on a date and Taylor Swift's latest hit came on the radio. Teeny started singing along and then inspiration struck. I teasingly told him that he should sing this song to her to let her know he was so over her and the way she was treating him. We laughed and forgot about. That is until he came home from school the next Monday with a huge grin on his face. Yup, he actually did it. On the walk home from school Graham had started singing "We are never ever getting....." to her. As you can guess, she was ticked.
Let's just say this song came out at the perfect time.
While I find the whole situation funny, I fear that I might have sent the wrong message to my son. Have a taught him to treat his "exes" poorly? Or have I taught him that it's okay to stand up for himself in a non mean way? What do you think?
Ella
copyright Ella's Place
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
November 15, 2012
October 11, 2012
Finally!
I finally have a moment to myself and thought that since you've been neglected for far too long, I'd sit down and let you know that I haven't forgotten you. I've been adjusting to our new schedule with school starting (They've been in school for one month now!), O'Henry's I-have-to-touch-climb-eat-everything-now stage and everyone hitting a growth spurt so they're eating all the time. It may not sound like a lot but between getting homework done, hearing about all the drama at school, trying to fit in time to go play with their friends, Cubscouts and getting school stuff set out the night before we hardly have any down time.
And then there's O'Henry.
He went from swaying as he walked one day to climbing up on top of the dining room table and pelting everyone with crackers the next day. He is into absolutely everything! I'm used to all the kids sort of keeping an eye on him but now that they're all at school, it's just me. It's exhausting. Especially since Tater tot seems to be in cahoots with him. The other day I found O'Henry playing in the pot cupboard with Tater tot sitting around him whilst he poured the salt shaker all over him. It looked like he'd been out in a blizzard. And they have this little sensor in their head that tells them when Mommy begins to pull up her blog. Let's just say that there have been many times I've attempted to write but was interrupted with a situation that required my immediate attention.
Can I just say how grateful I am that they've managed to coordinate their nap time today!
The other day I made 36 muffins and 2 loaves of zucchini bread on in addition to all of the regular meals. Within 12 hours we only had 12 muffins left. My mind still has a hard time wrapping around it. Teeny is complaining constantly of being hungry. O'Henry is so hungry that if I don't read his mind quick enough, he goes scrounging in the garbage for food. And since that's gross, I've had to start feeding him every 30 minutes or so just to keep him out.
Have I ever mentioned that Mr. Ella gets super grumpy and mean whenever he's hungry? And have I ever mentioned how he passed this trait on to all of our children? So if anyone is super dramatic or grumpy, we feed them. Within 15 minutes we have a peaceful household again.
On the plus side, the food I make is always appreciated! Which makes me feel special.
Ella
copyright Ella's Place
And then there's O'Henry.
He went from swaying as he walked one day to climbing up on top of the dining room table and pelting everyone with crackers the next day. He is into absolutely everything! I'm used to all the kids sort of keeping an eye on him but now that they're all at school, it's just me. It's exhausting. Especially since Tater tot seems to be in cahoots with him. The other day I found O'Henry playing in the pot cupboard with Tater tot sitting around him whilst he poured the salt shaker all over him. It looked like he'd been out in a blizzard. And they have this little sensor in their head that tells them when Mommy begins to pull up her blog. Let's just say that there have been many times I've attempted to write but was interrupted with a situation that required my immediate attention.
Can I just say how grateful I am that they've managed to coordinate their nap time today!
The other day I made 36 muffins and 2 loaves of zucchini bread on in addition to all of the regular meals. Within 12 hours we only had 12 muffins left. My mind still has a hard time wrapping around it. Teeny is complaining constantly of being hungry. O'Henry is so hungry that if I don't read his mind quick enough, he goes scrounging in the garbage for food. And since that's gross, I've had to start feeding him every 30 minutes or so just to keep him out.
Have I ever mentioned that Mr. Ella gets super grumpy and mean whenever he's hungry? And have I ever mentioned how he passed this trait on to all of our children? So if anyone is super dramatic or grumpy, we feed them. Within 15 minutes we have a peaceful household again.
On the plus side, the food I make is always appreciated! Which makes me feel special.
Ella
copyright Ella's Place
April 30, 2012
Distractions
I need to apologize for not posting last week. I was distracted. That is my only excuse. But I was distracted by 2 really good distractions.
First, it was show time for the musical presentation that I participated in. It was amazing! This musical presentation was both choral and orchestral. I'd never sung with a full orchestra before. It brought a depth to the performance that I'd never experienced before. Everyone performed so well. It was definitely a heart touching experience.
We also had an wonderful director and producer who worked tirelessly to make this happen. The most amazing thing was that no one was paid to participate. Everyone (lighting, orchestra, director, choir....) was a volunteer. We gave of our time and talents to make this happen.
Another highlight of the last performance was that the composers were there to see it performed for the very first time! Yup, we were the very first in the world to perform it. The composers were so nice and fun. I only hoped we performed it up to their expectations.
My other distraction were some changes that my children's elementary school are proposing to implement next school year. My husband went to a meeting that explained the changes and then a flyer vaguely outlining what they wanted to happen was sent home to all of the parents. They weren't minor changes either. Let me explain.
Our school is the poorest school in our district. We haven't met the state testing requirements for over 5 years now. So they have decided in an effort to better focus our children on learning; our children will be required to wear uniforms, have longer school days and the most frustrating part for me, is that they will cut science and fine arts from the curriculum. Science and fine arts will only be taught if they are part of the lesson dealing with reading or math. I. Am. Not. Happy.
I'm not a big fan of uniforms but I appreciate how easy it will be for my kids to pick clothes in the morning. There will be no more, "What should I wear today?" But...... as I mentioned our school is in a poor area. Over 90% of our student are on free or discounted lunches. We have a backpack program that provides a backpack full of food each weekend to those children who wouldn't have any food to eat otherwise. I don't understand how they expect these parents to buy these uniforms. A fair amount of these parents rely on hand-me-downs or thrift store to provide clothing for their children. The school has acknowledged that some parents will need help but I don't think they are being realistic. They say that if a child comes to school with no uniform, they will provide one for the child to wear for the day. At the end of the day, the uniform would need to be returned to the office. The laundry, mending and teasing issues just boggle my mind. They also say they will help parents buy uniforms for their kids. How are they going to afford that? Say you buy only 2 uniforms for only 60% of the school, that still over $2500. But those uniforms won't last long because kids grow and tend to put holes in the knees.
Did I mention that they will also require a specified length for the boys hair and the girls bangs?
As for taking science and art out of the classrooms....... My daughter came home distraught when her teacher told her about this change. She was so upset that not only were they not going to do art projects but that they would no longer do science. She LOVES science! In fact, she's wants to be a marine biologist specializing in sharks. (I don't know why she chose sharks. They scare her but she is fascinated.)
I can understand that the school is trying to find a way to meet state testing requirement. I applaud the effort but taking science and art out of the classroom is not the way to do it. The fine arts have been proven to not only increase creativity and finding solutions to problems but it has been proven to enhance a child's understanding and learning of any subject from math to reading. As for science, elementary school is the time where kids are the most curious about there environment and how things work. It's also the time where a love of science is fostered. But the clincher of the matter is that our school is the only one in the district not being taught science. So when these children go to junior high/middle school, they will be so far behind in their understanding and knowledge of science that is taught at that level.
The worst part is that it feels like the school is being sneaky about this all. The note sent home to the parents was far from clear and they left out a lot of details. They also mentioned the new uniform rule first which, in my opinion, was done to take the focus off of no more science and fine arts. And from everyone I talked to, it worked. I mentioned the no science thing and every last one of the parents were appalled. They also only informed the parents less than two weeks before the school board will make a decision on whether to go through with the proposed changes. They are hoping to keep protests and objections to a minimum.
So, not only have a posted on my facebook page a link to email our school board representative but I have outlined the missing details from the note sent home. I have given the principal a chance to clarify the matter in an email. After that, both my husband and I will send an email our school board representative. I plan on getting as many signatures to a petition protesting these changes as I can. Then I will attend the school board meeting discussing this issue and presenting the petition at the meeting.
I do not plan on letting this go. My children deserve better.
Ella
© Ella's Places
First, it was show time for the musical presentation that I participated in. It was amazing! This musical presentation was both choral and orchestral. I'd never sung with a full orchestra before. It brought a depth to the performance that I'd never experienced before. Everyone performed so well. It was definitely a heart touching experience.
We also had an wonderful director and producer who worked tirelessly to make this happen. The most amazing thing was that no one was paid to participate. Everyone (lighting, orchestra, director, choir....) was a volunteer. We gave of our time and talents to make this happen.
Another highlight of the last performance was that the composers were there to see it performed for the very first time! Yup, we were the very first in the world to perform it. The composers were so nice and fun. I only hoped we performed it up to their expectations.
My other distraction were some changes that my children's elementary school are proposing to implement next school year. My husband went to a meeting that explained the changes and then a flyer vaguely outlining what they wanted to happen was sent home to all of the parents. They weren't minor changes either. Let me explain.
Our school is the poorest school in our district. We haven't met the state testing requirements for over 5 years now. So they have decided in an effort to better focus our children on learning; our children will be required to wear uniforms, have longer school days and the most frustrating part for me, is that they will cut science and fine arts from the curriculum. Science and fine arts will only be taught if they are part of the lesson dealing with reading or math. I. Am. Not. Happy.
I'm not a big fan of uniforms but I appreciate how easy it will be for my kids to pick clothes in the morning. There will be no more, "What should I wear today?" But...... as I mentioned our school is in a poor area. Over 90% of our student are on free or discounted lunches. We have a backpack program that provides a backpack full of food each weekend to those children who wouldn't have any food to eat otherwise. I don't understand how they expect these parents to buy these uniforms. A fair amount of these parents rely on hand-me-downs or thrift store to provide clothing for their children. The school has acknowledged that some parents will need help but I don't think they are being realistic. They say that if a child comes to school with no uniform, they will provide one for the child to wear for the day. At the end of the day, the uniform would need to be returned to the office. The laundry, mending and teasing issues just boggle my mind. They also say they will help parents buy uniforms for their kids. How are they going to afford that? Say you buy only 2 uniforms for only 60% of the school, that still over $2500. But those uniforms won't last long because kids grow and tend to put holes in the knees.
Did I mention that they will also require a specified length for the boys hair and the girls bangs?
As for taking science and art out of the classrooms....... My daughter came home distraught when her teacher told her about this change. She was so upset that not only were they not going to do art projects but that they would no longer do science. She LOVES science! In fact, she's wants to be a marine biologist specializing in sharks. (I don't know why she chose sharks. They scare her but she is fascinated.)
I can understand that the school is trying to find a way to meet state testing requirement. I applaud the effort but taking science and art out of the classroom is not the way to do it. The fine arts have been proven to not only increase creativity and finding solutions to problems but it has been proven to enhance a child's understanding and learning of any subject from math to reading. As for science, elementary school is the time where kids are the most curious about there environment and how things work. It's also the time where a love of science is fostered. But the clincher of the matter is that our school is the only one in the district not being taught science. So when these children go to junior high/middle school, they will be so far behind in their understanding and knowledge of science that is taught at that level.
The worst part is that it feels like the school is being sneaky about this all. The note sent home to the parents was far from clear and they left out a lot of details. They also mentioned the new uniform rule first which, in my opinion, was done to take the focus off of no more science and fine arts. And from everyone I talked to, it worked. I mentioned the no science thing and every last one of the parents were appalled. They also only informed the parents less than two weeks before the school board will make a decision on whether to go through with the proposed changes. They are hoping to keep protests and objections to a minimum.
So, not only have a posted on my facebook page a link to email our school board representative but I have outlined the missing details from the note sent home. I have given the principal a chance to clarify the matter in an email. After that, both my husband and I will send an email our school board representative. I plan on getting as many signatures to a petition protesting these changes as I can. Then I will attend the school board meeting discussing this issue and presenting the petition at the meeting.
I do not plan on letting this go. My children deserve better.
Ella
© Ella's Places
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