Happenings

For the most part, things have been pretty boring around here- which is just fine by me! Audra had a brief bout of vomiting that kept her home from school on Monday, but compared with what other kids are getting, we are grateful! Some of our friends have been sick for weeks- there are some really nasty flus going around, and thankfully we have not caught them yet!

So, here are just a few photos of some of the goings-ons happening in our home:

 Above: My parents got us "Goldiblocks" for Christmas. This is a great game that teaches engineering skills to girls. Claire pulled it out and started playing the other day. And, of course, Camille had to join her- which Claire was not very happy about.

Below: Camille has become quite mischievous. And quite the climber. Neither of these skills makes me happy.

 Above: Audra reading to Camille- she does this a lot, and it always warms my heart.

Below: Tonight we are having "movie night." Ben is picking up pizza and then we'll have popcorn and licorice as the girls watch "Mary Poppins." We are expecting from 3-12 inches of snow tonight, so I am hoping this will all lead to a snow day!

Boring, mundane, and perfect.

Preparing For The Game

I'm anxiousy reading everything I can in regards to both the Seahwaks and the Broncos. I really can't wait- this is going to be such a great game!

Meanwhile, Camille is also being groomed to sit and enjoy the game:

Go Broncos! And Go Seahawks!

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!

Oh My GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a FANTASTIC day!!!!

Why????

Because the Broncos and the Seahawks are going to the SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!

Both teams beat their nemesis' as they fought to go to New York and it is a WONDERFUL feeling!!!!!!!

I have to enjoy it while it lasts, because going to the SuperBowl is so incredibly hard, and BOTH of my teams are going!!!!!

People have been asking me what Ben and I would do if it was a Broncos vs. Seahawks SuperBowl. Here is the official answer:

Ben will cheer slightly more for the  Broncos. I will cheer slightly more for the Seahawks. But either way, we will be happy!

Really, really this is an absolute WIN WIN situation!

This is going to be the BEST SuperBowl ever- regardless of who wins!!!!!!! But really, the #1 Offense vs. the #1 Defense- this is going to be GREAT!!!!! I'm so incredibly excited!!!!!

Who do you think will win???

You Can't Make This Up

Yesterday all of the kids in our entire county had the day off of school. Every teacher in the district was required to go and hear a national speaker. The teachers were all bussed to hear this speaker- the speaker himself cost about $20,000. All told, the cost to taxpayers for this event went well into the six figures.

So what did this amazing speaker say? What bits of wisdom did he share to make the money worth it?

Drum roll please...

-We no longer need to teach kids to read and write!

-All kids need to know is how to Ask Siri!

-We are in the 21st Century, reading and writing and teaching is outdated!

-Kids don't need teachers- they need facilitators!

-Kids should decide what they want to learn and then research on a computer what they want to know! No teacher needed!

Here are some quotes from Mr. Mark Prensky himself (who, by the way, charges over $6,000 a day to spout this wisdom):

“In these digital times, is it still worthwhile to teach students how to write by hand, calculate in their heads, read, and define words and concepts . . . Or is that like teaching kids how to hunt for their food? That was useful—once.”

“In a world where you can point a scanner at any text and hear it read to you at any speed in any language, in an age when more and more ideas are distributed only on screens, do we still need to teach reading the way we do now?”

“When my 2nd grader needs to know the meaning of a word, I tell him to use my iPhone to ask Siri, an artificial intelligence program that’s always happy to look it up for him.”

Oh, but the good news is that teachers no longer need to teach to the test. Why? “Teachers would no longer have to “teach to the test” because technology can.”  How nice. Technology can teach to the test instead of teachers!

Over the past two years the district has been spouting that they want kids to get a 21 Century Education. They repeat that phrase ad nauesum without ever defining it. Finally, after our principal used that phrase SIX times in a meeting, I asked her point blank what a 21st Century Education is. She had no answer.

But now I know! A 21st Century education in our school district simply means that children know how to turn their computer on. Because, really, what else do they need to know?

My level of anger and frustration in regards to what is happening in our school district is beyond words. The fighter in me wants to fight and yell and protest and tell the world that this is CRAZY and will destroy our society!

But, the fact of the matter is that I already fought like crazy. I stood up, I protested, I yelled, and I screamed. 

And I lost.

The voters in our community decided that they wanted "Reforms" and "21st Century Education" and big money to make our decisions for us.

I'm tired of fighting. 

At some point, you have to realize that society is going one way and you're simply not on board.

So you have to make other choices. Other choices that you never before would have considered, but are now forced to entertain. Choices that allow you to break free from a society that clearly values a completely different set of philosophies and ideals than you do.

At this point, I truly believe that breaking free really is the only option.

Which, in the end, is exactly what the reformers want.

Their goal from the beginning has been to destroy public education in order to privatize education. My kids' neighborhood school used to be stellar- parents LOVED the school, and loved the community. But over the last 3 years programs have been cut, teachers have left (they are tired of being treated like garbage), and money is spent on standardized tests instead of supplies. Kids at our school no longer have science because we can't afford science kits (too much money spent on district assessments), their teachers have been told that they can not buy textbooks (because they can find their materials on-line), and now we know that the direction of the public schools in our district is to no longer teach reading and writing.

They have made it impossible for parents to want to send their kids to their neighborhood schools. They have effectively destroyed the public school- which was their goal from the beginning.

Now parents will demand charter schools and vouchers- anything to get away from their neighborhood school, even though just 3 years the neighborhood school was an unbelievably awesome choice for all the neighborhood kids!

Not surprisingly, their plan worked. They duped voters. They systematically and purposely starved the neighborhood schools. They silenced parents. They silenced teachers. They forced us out of our beloved schools.

And now their donors can reap the financial rewards of privatizing education.

It's so disgusting it makes me physically ill.

Which is why I simply can't fight anymore.

Instead, we'll just figure out a way to break free.

Nine Years

On Wednesday we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary.

Actually, we didn't do any celebrating on Wednesday. Ben had a meeting at the Family History Center so we briefly saw each other and he did buy me roses, but that was it.

Instead. we went to The Melting Pot last night- much to Ben's chagrin. I really enjoy The Melting Pot, but Ben thinks it's way too expensive when we have to cook our own food.

Nonetheless, I am the one who made the reservations and so we went. And it was great- as always. Ben took me to The Melting Pot on the night he proposed, so it always brings back fun memories.

 I think I see a smile on Ben's face:

This past year has been a tough one- not on our marriage, but because of outside forces. I've gotten to see Ben in a completely different light. It's been really nice to know that when I'm being loud and controversial and making lots of enemies, I can count on Ben. He's always there for me. I feel like this year we really became a "team." I know that sounds weird, but it's true. I know he's got my back, and hopefully he knows that I have his. And that means a lot. Actually, it means more than a lot- it means everything. We're lucky to have each other- the older I get, the more I realize that a happy marriage is tough to come by. And I'm so glad to have one!

Even if it means I don't get to go to The Melting Pot as often as I would like.

My Math

So this weekend turned out quite well.

Though incredibly stressful, both the Broncos and the Seahawks won- a dream come true!

Next weekend, both teams will play for a chance to go to to the SuperBowl.

I figure that the Broncos have a 50% chance of winning next week, and the Seahawks have a 50% chance as well. That means I have a 100% chance of at least one of them making it into the SuperBowl.

Ben says my math is flawed, but I say my math is perfect. We'll see how next Sunday goes!

Umm...What?

Today's post goes hand in hand with yesterday's post.

This year has been a bit of a struggle with Audra and school. Basically, she hates school. And as Christmas break ended and Audra realized she had to go back, she literally gave Ben and me a 10 minute lecture on why she hated school and why she didn't want to go back. The list included (but is not limited to):

-I miss you
-I miss Claire
-It's not fun
-It's too hard
-The kids are too loud at lunchtime so I don't get to hear the music playing
-I get too tired (she told me she takes a nap on the grass- even if there is snow on the ground- at recess because she is so tired)

The list went on and on, and was really quite impressive. She has thought a lot about how much she hates school.

Every Friday I volunteer in Audra's class for over an hour. Many of the kids I know quite well as they were also in Audra's kindie class. Every time I go in, at least 3 kids are in tears. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

One of her classmates- who I have known for almost two years- is one of the best kids I have ever met. He is super smart, super nice, and just a great kid. I would be happy if he married Audra one day- I adore him.

The last three Friday's I have gone in he has had complete meltdowns. He says it's too hard and he can't do it and so he gives up.

This is from perhaps the smartest kid in the class. He used to be happy and smiling every time I saw him- he was the best of the best. And now he hates school and hates learning and has constant meltdowns in class and other massive behavioral issues.

If it was only him I could say that maybe he is having troubles at home or some other issues which are causing his problems at school. But he's not the only one.

In fact, Audra is having the same experience.

She tells me all the time that it's too hard, that she doesn't want to do it, that school is horrible.

The other day she asked me, "Did you like school when you were my age?"

And that's just it. I LOVED school when I was her age! I remember vividly because when I was in 1st grade- Mrs. Leffler's class- my aunt died and we had to go to her funeral in Idaho. This caused us to miss a week of school. I remember being so upset- and not because my aunt died, but because I didn't want to miss school. Mrs. Leffler told my mom I was so far ahead in class that I didn't need to do any work while we were gone, but I WANTED work while we were gone. Granted, that love didn't necessarily last all through high school, but in first grade school was the greatest thing in the world.

Audra doesn't have that. She cries when I pull out her spelling words. She tells me she isn't smart and she doesn't do well on tests and she doesn't want to do it. She cries when I drop her off at school. She cries when I ask her to read to me or to do her homework.

I'm not going to sit here and say that Audra is a genius, because, well, she's 6 and that's a ridiculous label to put on a 6 year old. But, she is smart- especially in math. She takes after Ben and seems to "get it." But tonight I pulled out her homework and she started to cry (now remember, this is NOT my child who cries and tantrums- this is my obedient people pleaser child) and said she hated math and it was too hard and she couldn't do it.

The worksheet is all about greater than and less than symbols. We made a game out of it and turned the symbols into animals, and Ben even had us re-enact the symbols so the kids got to "eat" the bigger people while making the symbol. We even laughed.

Then we got to this:

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????!!!!!!!!????????!!!!!!!!

She is  a FIRST grader! How on earth should a normal, average, first grader be adding DOUBLE DIGIT numbers and figuring out which is bigger?????? She is just barely learning how to add 8 + 7, and she's somehow supposed to know how to add 53 + 14????

NO WONDER ALL THE KIDS IN HER CLASS ARE CRYING ALL THE TIME!!!!!

NO WONDER SHE HATES SCHOOL!!!!!!!

NO WONDER SHE FEELS STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is not age appropriate, and this is not OK!

Perhaps you noticed the little note I wrote for her teacher: "Umm...this is absurd for a 1st grader..."

Audra has started cheating on her spelling tests.

In FIRST grade the pressure for excellence is already so great that she has resorted to cheating.

And how can I blame her? She feels stupid because she can't answer these asinine questions.

Audra isn't stupid. She is a bright girl who used to LOVE learning.

But her love of learning has been killed by a system that values ludicrous standards over realistic goals.

I don't blame her teacher. It's not his fault that his pay is tied to test scores. It's not his fault that he is forced by our school district (and society as a whole) to send home this homework.

Her teacher hates the homework as much as I do- but the district forces him to send it home. He can't fight it because he has a family to support.

But I can.

I can try and bring back the light in her eyes that Audra used to have. I can try and help her love learning again. I can try and help her to know that she is smart and creative and worthwhile- despite what a stupid set of Common Core standards and tests say.

I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. It's a tall order.

But the first thing we will do is throw out that worksheet.