I’m Back on the School Thing

Gifted Program

I have yet to hear back from my kid’s teacher about the gifted program. But, I do like her teacher so I’m not mad about it.  Thing is, my child is bored. I know I have to supplement her curriculum but I need the school to work with me on that. In fact, I demand the school work with me on challenging her more. Not only am I somewhat financially forced to entrust their way of teaching, but it seems I must give into the way they parent children. Is this because parents forgot how to parent or is it simply easier to allow the schools to take care of what parents don’t find time for? Being a parent is a lot harder than anyone ever lets on and the schools here make it harder. But that’s just me.

I actually have a weird child who enjoys learning and this runs deep because that’s how I was and my past involved a school system that dumbed down its education and my full scholarship was lost when my family moved to a new school district and I couldn’t keep up without more effort then I’ve ever had to put into learning.  Couple that with hormones and a teen mind and it’s a wonder I ended up with B at graduation.  When you’ve got a school that has to dumb down education, allow open book tests regularly, offer primarily multiple choice on testing and regulates 3 book checkouts per week, clearly they’re ill prepared for someone with true potential. Like I said before, in an effort to leave no child behind, they’ve forgotten about the ones who have what it takes to be successful at a young age. They waste their time on the lazy kids.

You know, I’m all for equality but there’s always someone who needs to clean a toilet. Becoming a toilet cleaner is a choice and while I’m all for helping disadvantaged kids, there’s another side. In this case, my child falls into the other spectrum of disadvantaged: her potential and desire are unchallenged because the Georgia public school system is designed for average – standard in the expectation of the CRCT.

My feeling is this, if you have to bribe kids to learn, you’re not doing something right. If you minimize the learning potential of kids who are clearly advanced and self-motivated then you’re a pathetic excuse for an educational institution. Thus far, that’s how I view the schools here.

Boys Not Allowed To Dress Like Girls

You know when you’re in a totally fucked up environment when kids are allowed to dress up for Halloween in school but are specifically told boys can’t dress as a girl character. Girls can dress like boys but not the other way around. Not that I know too many boys – or any for that matter – who might wish to dress up like a princess on Halloween but merely the specific mention that boys can’t “cross dress” for school Halloween events while girls can takes on a new form of sexism for youth, doesn’t it? Perhaps the Christian community here fears the boys will like it. Heaven forbid.

Throwing School Papers Away

My oldest was required to give her first 9-weeks folder, filled with assignments, notes and tests, to the teacher. We’re not sure if she’s getting it back, if it’s getting graded or just being thrown away. The teacher didn’t say. Another teacher had kids empty out their folders in another class and told them they could do what they wanted (basically) with the paperwork. Funny, in my era we were told to keep everything until the end of the year to use for midterms and finals.

Hat Day

As a fundraiser, the school holds a Hat Day in which kids can wear hats to school for $1. Last year I didn’t really have a lot of money – well, I still don’t – but I was dipping into the change jar for lunch money. I didn’t want to give my kids another dollar to fund a school I don’t support just so my kids can wear a stupid hat. Well, that attitude caused some guilt when I saw how saddened my step-son was about being one of the few kids in his class who didn’t wear a hat because his step-mommy wouldn’t give him a freakin’ hard earned dollar for the privilege. Talk about parental failure!

I tried to imagine what it was like to be in class all day, looking at the kids who did wear hats because their parents believe such privileges taught kids some valuable lesson about supporting the community or charity, who gave into their kids’ every whim or simply didn’t think twice about it. In my imagination, it must have been like smearing salt into a wound.

Hat Day turned School “Dance”

The last hat day at my daughter’s school was a competition and the grade that would win would also win the prize of a “school dance”. The class that brought in the most money won 1.5 hours out of class to attend the gym and socialize or dance to the music that was playing. The 2nd place grade got one hour and the 3rd got 30 minutes, each on different days. At least there was no salt in wound rubbing there I suppose.

I know I don’t follow normal thought but I was rather surprised to not have gotten a memo about it. Neither my daughter nor I knew what was exactly meant by “school dance” which was by classmates also referred to as “homecoming”. Clearly homecoming is way different or have I been out of high school too long? Oh! Wait. Did I say high school? Yes. I do believe I did. Did I mention that my child is in middle school?

I know dances are in middle schools but I’d think parents would be notified. We didn’t know what it was about and my daughter wore a pretty dress – not formal – but a nice dress I bought her for pictures. She was the ONLY girl who wore a dress and of course got looked at weird and even snickered at by friends (girls are such bitches to each other). Thing is, who gave the school the permission to decide that in exchange for fundraising (which these days is turning into child slavery and parental obligation) the kids got a reward, one parents like myself knew nothing about.

I don’t mind the socialization to music idea. I think that’s a great way boost socialization which typically is not allowed being the kids are punished for talking so often but calling it a “school dance” via my daughter’s interpretation being I got no memo on it, seems wrong because that’s not really what it was and there was a lot of discussion about that dance in this house.

I’m not too thrilled with how this school system is using kids to earn educational dollars being GW Bush thought it was better spent fighting for the freedoms we can’t seem to understand anymore as a united country. I’m annoyed they’re choosing the kind of rewards and punishments kids get on school time, including the ice cream parties and candy giveaways.

My child is 11. She’s not a fundraiser. She’s a student. Nor is she, at her age allowed to go to any kind of dances. Yes, that’s strict perhaps but like I said, she’s 11. I know what I did with boys at 14 and I have a very beautiful, intelligent and well liked daughter. She ends up the popular girl everywhere she goes. Good for her but not good for me aka parent! I don’t want the schools introducing that kind of socialization without me having the opportunity to approve but I certainly can’t approve if I have no idea that it’s even occurring. Yet, I get sent a notice to allow my kid to watch a rated PG-13 movie! The logic dumbfounds me.

The Principal Visit

Having been fooled once by the politically correct sparkle of parent-principle talk last year, I don’t plan to be a fool again. I already know politically correct speeches have long been prepared and handed to every school principal in this county so that they could properly ensure to respond to parental complaints and have them walk out feeling as though all is A ok but really, it was all a bunch of fluff, the kind of fluff that offers solutions just to hush the parents up. I might be wrong. I have to vent before I go to the parent-principal meeting I have yet to schedule because the moment I think of it, my blood pressure sky-rockets and my mouth takes over.  The library issue I plan to discuss is merely skimming my list. Should I make several appointments or just lay it all out at once?  *note to self: behave!