I know, it’s an old topic with me, but I can’t help it…

The holidays bring out the worst in me where the public school system is concerned. Please note: I like the people at Alex’s elementary school — especially the principal. They are caring, concerned and hard-working individuals.

With that said… our public school system sucks!

Point One:

There is no science in fifth grade. Why? Because the State of Kentucky doesn’t TEST on science in fifth grade. My daughter does, however, have TWO social studies classes this year. I’m assuming that means that the fifth grade tests for social studies skills, eh? Teaching to the test makes me nuts.

I think she would really get jazzed about science this year. I think the iron is hot now. Of course, what do I know? I’m just a mom.

Point Two:

I had a visit from the Truancy officer last week. Why? Because it bugs the crap out of me that I need to send in notes from doctors when she goes to a dentist/eye/doctor appointment. I won’t do it until it’s absolutely required.

If I hadn’t sworn off drama, I’d probably let them take me to court just to make my point about such things and get my statement in the local paper. As it is, I’m trying to avoid drama. So, I gave them the notes from the doctor/dentist/optometrist. (Note: I do my best to make appointments after school whenever possible, but many offices aren’t open after she gets home from school.)

I did hold her out for one half-day session when she wasn’t sick — when she told me that they were not going to be doing any classwork (it was a “free day”). I did this because I had to go out of town the previous evening to sit with my father and I needed to get her glasses Rx checked that next morning. By the time I would have been able to get her back, there may have been 45 minutes of “school” left — and I’d have to return to that same out-of-town location to care for my father over that weekend. It just didn’t seem worth the gas, time and effort. So sue me. (It was counted as a full day absence, BTW, not a half-day.)

Yes, I know that I can write four “parent notes” and I know that after that I need to have “legitimate” excuses for her absence. And, I guess I’ll do that too, it just bugs me that me looking at a glassy-eyed child who has just thrown up doesn’t count as legitimate. It bugs me that when I pick her up, sick, from school (after they call me to come get her) and keep her in bed the next day — it’s unexcused. I’m so sorry she didn’t make a miraculous recovery in 12 hours and needed a full day in bed. Geeze!

It bugs me that it requires an MD to be “legitimate” — and a visit to the doctor (complete with bill) so I can be told “rest, fluids and time” is what she needs. Or worse… to be given a slew of symptom-treating drugs that does nothing to change the course of nature with a cold or a virus, but does God-knows-what to her young system.

This is my third child. I think I know, by now, when she needs rest and fluids to recover from a virus. Although I must admit that the darker side of me has been tempted to send her to school throwing up in the hopes that she will infect others and negatively impact the attendance record and the money per capita (which really IS the bottom line for the attendance policy) on a larger scale. Fortunately, I’m not willing to sacrifice my daughter to such dark ends.

It also bugs me that one of the “unexcused” absences was when they called me to come pick her up because she was sick — the moment she got off the bus, before classes even started. I’d suggested that she go on to school and if she didn’t feel any better I’d come get her. It’s standard for me to tell my kids that because, often, once they get up and moving, they feel better. It’s true for all of us. So, if they call and I pick her up, it’s unexcused? If they call and I don’t go pick her up… it’s, what, neglect? (They did say they would remove that one, when I inquired.)

I don’t run my kids or myself into the doctor the moment someone coughs or sneezes. I’ve been sick since Saturday — really sick — but I’m letting this horrible case of the creeping-crud run its course. I firmly believe that medicating too early is a bane to our future abilities to fight off viruses/infection/etc on our own. After all, the creation of super-bacteria has been traced to the over-use and unnecessary use of anti-bacterial soaps, etc. I don’t even let that stuff in my house. We use plain soap and water — not that it protects us from what other people have created.

I do believe that building a healthy immune system is the best thing for long-term health. I work hard to do so… for me and my kids.

Point Three:

The holiday schedules make me crazy. Yesterday, my daughter had 30-minute classes so they could leave at noon to go to the movies to see Madagascar. Hardly an educational movie in my book — and one she’d already seen with a church group the week before. I paid the three dollars and said nothing. Everyone deserves a fun field trip from time to time, right?

Well that’s before I knew what was on the agenda for today…

Today? No classes today. Today they watched “Home Alone” and “Kung-Fu Panda” and did crafts. No classes. They did go to library (where they watched part of the movie “Spy Kids”) and gym (where they ran relay races and danced). And this is for Thanksgiving. I’m sure the Christmas holiday lead up will be even worse — it usually is.

But, you know what? I’m required by law to send her for this. If I had kept her at home, it would have been another strike against ME. Legal strike against me. If I had kept her here to read or write or work on math… I would have been “interfering” with her education. Go figure.

Now maybe I’m just all pissy because I’m sick and because she’s starting to come down with what I have. (Case in point, it’s not yet 6:00 p.m. and she’s curled up in bed asleep with a stuffy nose.) I’m anticipating a glorious holiday of mucus and coughs and sneezes and bed rest for us both.

No traveling and family this year (I can’t possibly take this in on my father in his condition, even if I do start feeling better.)

But I tend to believe that it’s more than just a uber-cold induced bad mood. I think there is something seriously wrong with a system that requires us to send our children to school for “free days” and for movies. Am I crazy?

The much touted one laptop per child project is hitting the streets next month. The project can be found online at Laptop.org and features a durable laptop running a Sugar OS. Amazon is featuring a Buy one, get one laptop program and the items were made available for preorder starting yesterday!

They will be shipped on December 16th (just in time for Christmas for a little one in your life — while you give to another little one across the globe!)

Not quite the $100 laptop originally sought, these $199 laptops do meet the other qualifications like low power consumption (10% of normal laptops), built to take abuse and keep working with a rugged exterior, built-in wireless, and a screen that can be viewed in direct sunlight. For more information, you can visit the One Laptop Per Child News site or you can watch a thank you message from an XO recipient.

Donate one and you can say…

In an interesting new approach to removing bad teachers from the public school system, you can now nominate your favorite horrible teacher. The result? Any union-protected teacher who cannot be fired, may now be offered $10,000 to leave our kids alone.

Want to nominate a horrible teacher for this award? Be my guest!

Recent news out of California may threaten all homeschooling parents. The appellate court recently ruled that parents aren’t the appropriate teachers for their own children. Apparently, the court wants a teaching certificate before a parent is allowed to teach. I find this not only unacceptable, but also ironic.

I actually looked into adding a teaching degree to my own education back when I was in college. After talking with the Colledge of Education at the University, I decided against it. It seemed ridiculous to me then (and even more-so now) that a major (or even a minor) was not required to teach a subject.

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My daughter began homeschooling today. Granted, I was planning to homeschool her next year… beginning in August. I had not planned to do so now… just as I was starting to get my arms around everything else in my life… but reality isn’t always convenient. (more…)

I’ve read through the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights recently, and would like to share a few of my favorites with you here. (more…)

Byron’s Art Club took a trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum Saturday. Some of the parents went and I took Alex and Brittney along with us just for kicks. It was a wonderful day. The museum was enjoyable and when we returned to town we went to Joseph-Beth Booksellers and enjoyed a Mocha Latte and browsed the stacks. (more…)

Mom sent me this information today (via email) and it was pretty interesting. I knew not to put water on grease in a kitchen fire, but I didn’t realize the full impact of why until I watched this video on fire safety in the kitchen.

It’s haunting.

Here’s the press release for the event:

(Lexington, KY, USA) July 17, 2007 – Have you ever considered working for yourself? Want to know the truth about the virtual assistant industry? Want to know if it’s the right path for you? The outsourcing business is booming and solopreneurs are creating successful careers by marketing their skills online. RemoteProfessionals.com, (www.Remoteprofessionals.com), a networking organization for independent service providers, is hosting a free panel discussion teleconference event to answer questions of those new to the industry and those interested in learning more about this career path. (more…)

Today, my eldest son turns 19! Yeah, I’m O-L-D! But he seems to be doing well. I’ll be spending the day with him tomorrow, since he and I both have to work today and he has the day off tomorrow. I have a little surprise for him, but can’t reveal that here, since he’s been reading my blog lately.

My youngest son is attending the High School Entrepreneurship Program at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. (more…)

We have now completed the painting in almost every room. I’ve determined that doing a mural in the living room was probably NOT my most brilliant decision. It has, however, been a relaxing way to make some progress when I’m too tired, or my legs and arms hurt too much to continue with the rolling and the “over my head” painting.

I did manage to paint the quote over the mantle that I wanted to paint (Thoreau, of course). But, I don’t know if I’m going to redo the lettering. Most of it is ok, but the first letter (a “G”) looks a little odd and it bugs me.

We made the final truck-load from the cabin to the city. The only thing left is a car load or two. (more…)

Last Friday was “field day” at Alex’s school. I remember field day from elementary school. I remember it fondly, so I’m ok with that, despite the fact that I DO mind that there has been alot of movie watching the last few days/weeks. (more…)

My daughter has picked up several bad habits from exposure to the elementary education systems in Casey and Russell County Schools. It bothered me when my child (who spoke perfect, grammatically correct English in the pre-K years) returned from first grade using the same incorrect language I’d heard fall from her teacher’s lips. It made me a little nuts, but I corrected at home and kept moving ahead. “We was” and “They is” demonstrated the worst of it and was corrected in fairly short order. (more…)

I spoke with a peer this morning. She knows I don’t watch TV, so she told me about the latest American Idol show… which donated money to needy causes. Alongside the starving children in Africa and disease causes, she said that there were also funds being funneled to Kentucky education. (more…)

Education in Kentucky gets me “all riled up.” My daughter got her report card on Tuesday. That’s the 24th of April, it was printed out on the 23rd (Monday). And the report date was 3/17/07 - 5/24/07.

She did well… only one B (in Language Arts, which kinda chaps my butt on general principal because I’m her Mom and that’s my “thing”) and the rest are A or A+.

So what’s my gripe? My gripe is that the term, the YEAR, doesn’t end for another month, but she’s already got her final grades. I’ve said for ages that the kids do NOTHING to learn anything after CATS testing, but how much more physical proof do I need than this? (more…)

I saw some interesting information the other day about the current debt load in America — the result of the “war on terror” (aka: Bush’s public display of overwhelming narcissism).

And I felt that the $145 billion in additional debt for his little role as the vain queen gazing into a mirror and crooning “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the biggest little guy of them all?” could have been better spent in other ways.

For a graphic breakdown of alternative projects for that debt, I refer you to the Budget Graph Blog (aka: Death and Taxes: A Visual Graphic of Where Your Tax Dollars Go). It’s pretty interesting stuff.

As always, I support our troops and all those individuals with the horrid responsibility to protect us and enforce the orders of their not-so-superior commander in chief. It’s not a job I’d want. But the commander himself??? Very little respect and support streaming from me in his general direction these days.

WARNING: It’s a rant…

Ok, my freak flag is about to fly high again. I have been reading the hubbub about a recent bill to “protect our children from pornography” and psychotic poaching in the schools. And once again, I have to wonder about our school system and our political system.

I mean, seriously (to capture one of my favorite Grey’s Anatomy phrases)…If we, as a society, have first given our right to parent our children to the state and the school system, I must (apparently) learn to quit asking “where are the parents in this scenario?” But, after reading the bill that’s being promoted, I have to ask a similar question, “Where are the teachers during school hours?” if this is the type of thing they worry will happen in schools?

Of course, concern for the children’s privacy is a serious one. After all, I recently learned that my own son’s high school class called the daily roll by projecting the children’s names up on the wall, along with sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers and home phone numbers and addresses. I nearly had a fit.

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Want to buy a year of college on eBay? Someone just did! eBay recently hosted an auction for one year of tuition, room and board at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The value for the item? $23K. The final sales price? $18,669.99. (The auction ended on Feb. 13, 2007, so I don’t know how long the link will stay live)

I wonder if this is something else that will catch on? Interesting time, eh?

What if the current problems I’m always ranting about in the public education system in Kentucky were suddenly gone? What if there was a way to provide an excellent online alternative and what if that alternative was free?

Consider the current new wave of “open source education” options online…A group of universities, worldwide have joined together to form the Open Courseware Consortium a group of higher education organizations willing to share their coursework, syllabuses and class notes online — for public view — for free. Pretty amazing new turn in the formerly un-shared information from universities and institutions including Harvard Law School, MIT, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, etc.

In addition, I’ve found the following online, opensource educational resources:

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I just found an amazingly sweet little suite of programs to make my iPod a backup “server” to take my own programs on the road. This customizable bundle will let me take my browser (FireFox) and a portable version of an AV program, a basic MS compatible office suite, a calendar program, an email program (ThunderBird in portable format), a image editor, a media player, a Suduku game and a host of other options with me.

And the most interesting part? It’s free! You also get a webpage editor, an audio editor and recorder, FileZilla (my favorite FTP program) in a portable version, a file zipper, a systray launcher, a backup program and even a couple IM clients that are cross-IM compatible!

Personally, this looks like a great way to carry my “PC tune-up and repair kit” along with me in a folder tucked away on my 60 gig iPod — not to mention a way to invisibly use a public computer, or someone else’s machine without the need to install anything on the host computer and to do my work without leaving my data or any footprint behind. Sweet… very sweet!

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