For those that don't live in Idaho or that I haven't vented to, probably don't know the lovely shambles our state superintendant is leaving public education in with his "plan" which has already been passed through the senate. Here is a quick run down:
-Larger class sizes
-As he's increased class sizes there will be less teachers
-More funding cuts
-School boards are no longer allowed to meet with unions to work on a contract for teachers
-Merit pay for teachers who meet his ridiculous new standards (really you should read them)
-Every high school student is to be given a new laptop (which he plans to buy from his sister's company in Virginia)
-All high school students will be required to take at least 5 credits of online classes (Which funding will be not given to the public schools but if the students fail the online class we have to tutor them through it or offer an alternative without funding)
- There is no tenure for teachers, and the process they used to have to follow to fire a teacher is no longer in place. A school district can fire any teacher from June 1st until October 1st if it feels that they don't need as many teachers as they hired.
The list goes on and on. It is extremely sad. It has been so sad to watch it go through because of the power of special interest groups and big business. (One of the biggest contributors are charter schools to his campaign.) Public school teachers are being left out high and dry. It is happening all over the United States. At this time I am actually considering going back to school and I have no desire to encourage young people to become teachers. It is so sad. Anyways today I watched students find their voice and watch them exercise the right to use it. Across the state of Idaho today students walked out of schools at 8:30 to attend rallies in support of public education. It was completely student initiated and led. Facebook and other social media sites were used to pass the message along. I have watched as high school students have gone to Boise and lobbied their representatives. As teachers we did have to pull them together and let them know that if they walked out it would be a truancy and the response was that if they didn't stand now when would they. A few of the student leaders spoke for the students and told us teachers that they were behind us and what was happening was wrong. I sat in homeroom and listened as 8th graders debated the issues. They were well informed and eloquent. We have an incredible group of young leaders rising. If only the older generation would listen.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Why I love my workplace
My principal is having knee surgery tomorrow and so today after school we had a surprise "Going Under the Knife" party. A few teachers were asked to bring treats and the office staff got a cake. (And a walker as a joke). The science staff got dressed up in the white lab coats, goggles, funny glasses, and face masks to be the doctors. They also came equipped with their own knives. Carol our 7th grade science teacher was holding a LARGE cooking knife. I have never laughed so hard at work. Everyone was joking and laughing. The food was wonderful. Having a wonderful staff makes my stressful job so much easier.
My Kids Make Me Smile
We went to Utah last weekend to spend a couple of days with my in laws as we hadn't been down since Christmas. It was really nice to visit with everyone. I had a long weekend due to President's Day and it was nice to get away. We headed home Monday morning praying for no snow. We had forgotten to put the car dvd players in the car and were hoping that the drive home would go as well as the drive down. (The kids slept 90% of the way down.) Neither of my kids were really sleepy though. I put on one of the Children's Songbook CD's that have all the primary songs on them. Emily is learning a lot of new songs now that she is in primary. I was reading to Landon out of my book when I hear Emily say, "Mommy listen me." I turn and hear her singing along to a song. She was singing, "Foyow the prophet. Foyow the prophet. He knows the way!" (Her double l's come out as a /y/.) She grinned and told me it was her favourite song. So I played it again. She wanted Landon and I to sing with her. We sang the next 10 songs with her. It was so fun to sing our favourite songs. Emily, at one point, had us all holding hands and singing. Collin was laughing and humming along to the songs with us. At times he did really well with the words. It was such a fun memory to have.
Emily was getting tired of her seat by the time we reached Inkom (20 minutes from home). She took out one of the giant toy jacks that she had gotten from her grandma and pretended it was a steering wheel. From the back of the car I hear her say, "Momma hurry and hit the button. Hurry Momma! We hit the rocks soon! We need to turn into a boat. Hit the button." All said very quickly and with a sense of urgency. I quickly hit a pretend button. It evidently wasn't enough because she kept talking about us hitting the rocks and dying. (Her new favourite topic is about dying.) Landon suggested we turn into a plane. She quickly agreed and I "hit" the button again. She told us that we were still heading for the rocks and momma needed to shoot the rocks. I pretended to shoot a gun out the window. She wa getting frantic telling me it wasn't enough. I offered to throw and bomb and she told me to hurry. By this point I am starting to giggle and Landon is trying to hold in a laugh. The bomb evidently didn't work and she told me to punch the rocks. I punched but again it wasn't enough we were still going to die. She told me to punch harder. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying and Landon is laughing hysterically. This time my punches did the job and she slumps back into her seat and says, "Good job Momma! You punched hard. You saved us. Good job Momma!" She even sounded like she'd been through a tough job and was out of breath. It has been a long time since I have laughed so hard. Seriously. I love my kids.
Emily was getting tired of her seat by the time we reached Inkom (20 minutes from home). She took out one of the giant toy jacks that she had gotten from her grandma and pretended it was a steering wheel. From the back of the car I hear her say, "Momma hurry and hit the button. Hurry Momma! We hit the rocks soon! We need to turn into a boat. Hit the button." All said very quickly and with a sense of urgency. I quickly hit a pretend button. It evidently wasn't enough because she kept talking about us hitting the rocks and dying. (Her new favourite topic is about dying.) Landon suggested we turn into a plane. She quickly agreed and I "hit" the button again. She told us that we were still heading for the rocks and momma needed to shoot the rocks. I pretended to shoot a gun out the window. She wa getting frantic telling me it wasn't enough. I offered to throw and bomb and she told me to hurry. By this point I am starting to giggle and Landon is trying to hold in a laugh. The bomb evidently didn't work and she told me to punch the rocks. I punched but again it wasn't enough we were still going to die. She told me to punch harder. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying and Landon is laughing hysterically. This time my punches did the job and she slumps back into her seat and says, "Good job Momma! You punched hard. You saved us. Good job Momma!" She even sounded like she'd been through a tough job and was out of breath. It has been a long time since I have laughed so hard. Seriously. I love my kids.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)
Again, so much fun. You can't help but smile when you watch this!
This is for you mom!
This is for you mom!
The Canadian Tenors & Celine Dion - Hallelujah
I just watched this and I think it made my day. I love listening to good tenors!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Healthy Body Image for our Children
I just read a really scary blog entry about children and dieting. It scares me that my daughter in the next year or so would start looking in the mirror and deciding if she is fat or not. How sad!? How scary that our world has come to this extreme. That as parents we haven't curbed this craziness. It was a wakeup call to me and I know that I will be changing things in my home. Please become aware of how you and others around you are affecting your children, before it is too late.
Here is what was written: (If you want to read the original click here)
"Since the last post showing the dieting battle many of us feel trapped in (when diets don’t even work) I have considered several possible topics for today. There are so many important, interrelated facets to this issue. . . Do I talk about the obesity scare? Do I write about the destructiveness of our media? Or how weight and food have become, strangely, not just about nutrition and health, but about one’s morality? Or perhaps I should discuss the fat prejudice among our culture? And then I knew.
This week I sat in a conference listening to a presentation about body image that revealed one of the most horrifying statistics I’ve heard on the subject. The presenter stated that “14% of 5-year-old girls diet.” I was stunned. I am stunned. I know our culture is unrealistic in its expectations—impossible even. I know we have an “obesity epidemic” on our hands. I know we have serious distortions about what it means to be healthy. . . . But dieting at 5 years old?!
For a long moment I was unable to focus on the presentation and instead thought of my own wonderful, brave, mischievous, innocent little 4-year-old daughter (turning 5 this April). I felt saddened by the world she is exposed to despite my attempts to shelter her. And then my thoughts turned to her twin brother who is similarly victimized by our world (as is his 17-year-old cousin who has indeed lost himself and his dreams to the world of body building and supplements).
5-year-olds are not afraid of being “fat” because of health concerns; they are afraid of being fat because they have already learned that this word is not only a description of one’s body but one’s character and worth. This is not something they intuitively believe—they learn it through observation of the media, peers, and adults who are supposed to protect them.
Take for instance the research that shows children (and adults) would rather lose an arm than be fat. And studies that show young girls are more afraid of being fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing both parents. These children are growing up to become young women who would rather be run over by a truck than be extremely fat and who are reporting they would rather be mean or stupid than fat.
42% of American 1st to 3rd grade girls surveyed want to be thinner than they are. (6 to 8 years old!) And one half of 9 to 10-year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet.
50% of 9-year-old girls diet.
80% of 10-year-old girls diet.
90% of high school girls diet regularly—while only 20% of them have BMI’s that might be viewed as concerning.
These are not girls who “need” to diet—remember, diets don’t even work. These are kids who have learned to be so afraid of being fat that being a normal or average weight isn’t even acceptable anymore. We wonder how this has happened to our children but fail to recognize we expect the same impossible standards for ourselves.
We have become so lost in the body-obsessed world that we are now leading our children down the same path of discouragement, depression, and self-loathing we are following while teaching them it is the way to happiness and love! We are so lost that we don’t recognize what is wrong with measuring our worth by the wrong scale. We don’t recognize how we make continual moral judgments about others based on their body shape. We don’t recognize the destructiveness of the messages we send when we have or pay for our children to have breast implants, tummy tucks, or plastic surgery. We fail to question the belief that we are worth more if we are smaller.
I understand that more Americans are obese than ever before. I understand that health risks are associated with obesity. But I do not believe continued emphasis on weight loss and dieting is the answer. There is a direct correlation between the amount of dieting one does and the amount of depression one experiences. Allowing disparaging remarks about your body or your children’s bodies is harmful. Children who are teased by peers are 36% more likely to consider suicide than their counterpart and children who are teased by peers and parents are 51% more likely to consider suicide.
Children are fed so full of this glamour and dieting propaganda that they need our help to sort through it.
I cannot nor should I keep my children in a bubble. I cannot keep them from the messages that bombard them. But I can teach them to think critically. I can arm them with truth. I can model self acceptance and I can create a safe haven—a place where they can talk and be heard, a place where they can question, scrutinize and still find acceptance.
You can too.
1. Encourage balanced eating of all types of foods in moderation; encourage eating in response to body hunger.
2. Get active as a family (not to lose weight but to use and enjoy your body—moderate exercise increases self-esteem and helps to lift depression).
3. Speak up when you hear family members making comments about a person’s body shape or weight—don’t allow this kind of talk in your home (even from grandparents).
4. Encourage and model critical thinking of messages we are exposed to.
5. Do not dismiss comments from your children about their bodies. Allow them to talk about it; ask questions; have conversations. Simply telling someone they “look great” or “don’t need to lose weight” will not change how they feel about themselves. But it will encourage them to stop talking to you about it.
6. Examine and if necessary, modify the appearance expectations you have about your own child.
7. Work toward openly loving and accepting your own body. In doing this, you will give your children permission to do the same. On the other hand, if you refuse to accept your own body, your children will receive the message that they must look a certain way to be loveable. Here's something to think about as well:
"You can't control or dictate the quantity of food your child eats, and you shouldn't try. You also can't control or dictate the kind of body your child develops, and you shouldn't try. What you can do, and it is a great deal, is set things up for your child so she, herself, can regulate her food intake as well as possible, and so she can develop a healthy body that is constitutionally right for her." Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter
Janna Dean LCSW is a practicing therapist specializing in treating eating disorders and other addictions. She is the mother of two four-year-olds, loves camping and making cookies for her neighbors. Her neighbors really appreciate it. Cause they are good cookies. "
Here is what was written: (If you want to read the original click here)
"Since the last post showing the dieting battle many of us feel trapped in (when diets don’t even work) I have considered several possible topics for today. There are so many important, interrelated facets to this issue. . . Do I talk about the obesity scare? Do I write about the destructiveness of our media? Or how weight and food have become, strangely, not just about nutrition and health, but about one’s morality? Or perhaps I should discuss the fat prejudice among our culture? And then I knew.
This week I sat in a conference listening to a presentation about body image that revealed one of the most horrifying statistics I’ve heard on the subject. The presenter stated that “14% of 5-year-old girls diet.” I was stunned. I am stunned. I know our culture is unrealistic in its expectations—impossible even. I know we have an “obesity epidemic” on our hands. I know we have serious distortions about what it means to be healthy. . . . But dieting at 5 years old?!
For a long moment I was unable to focus on the presentation and instead thought of my own wonderful, brave, mischievous, innocent little 4-year-old daughter (turning 5 this April). I felt saddened by the world she is exposed to despite my attempts to shelter her. And then my thoughts turned to her twin brother who is similarly victimized by our world (as is his 17-year-old cousin who has indeed lost himself and his dreams to the world of body building and supplements).
5-year-olds are not afraid of being “fat” because of health concerns; they are afraid of being fat because they have already learned that this word is not only a description of one’s body but one’s character and worth. This is not something they intuitively believe—they learn it through observation of the media, peers, and adults who are supposed to protect them.
Take for instance the research that shows children (and adults) would rather lose an arm than be fat. And studies that show young girls are more afraid of being fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing both parents. These children are growing up to become young women who would rather be run over by a truck than be extremely fat and who are reporting they would rather be mean or stupid than fat.
42% of American 1st to 3rd grade girls surveyed want to be thinner than they are. (6 to 8 years old!) And one half of 9 to 10-year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet.
50% of 9-year-old girls diet.
80% of 10-year-old girls diet.
90% of high school girls diet regularly—while only 20% of them have BMI’s that might be viewed as concerning.
These are not girls who “need” to diet—remember, diets don’t even work. These are kids who have learned to be so afraid of being fat that being a normal or average weight isn’t even acceptable anymore. We wonder how this has happened to our children but fail to recognize we expect the same impossible standards for ourselves.
We have become so lost in the body-obsessed world that we are now leading our children down the same path of discouragement, depression, and self-loathing we are following while teaching them it is the way to happiness and love! We are so lost that we don’t recognize what is wrong with measuring our worth by the wrong scale. We don’t recognize how we make continual moral judgments about others based on their body shape. We don’t recognize the destructiveness of the messages we send when we have or pay for our children to have breast implants, tummy tucks, or plastic surgery. We fail to question the belief that we are worth more if we are smaller.
I understand that more Americans are obese than ever before. I understand that health risks are associated with obesity. But I do not believe continued emphasis on weight loss and dieting is the answer. There is a direct correlation between the amount of dieting one does and the amount of depression one experiences. Allowing disparaging remarks about your body or your children’s bodies is harmful. Children who are teased by peers are 36% more likely to consider suicide than their counterpart and children who are teased by peers and parents are 51% more likely to consider suicide.
Children are fed so full of this glamour and dieting propaganda that they need our help to sort through it.
I cannot nor should I keep my children in a bubble. I cannot keep them from the messages that bombard them. But I can teach them to think critically. I can arm them with truth. I can model self acceptance and I can create a safe haven—a place where they can talk and be heard, a place where they can question, scrutinize and still find acceptance.
You can too.
1. Encourage balanced eating of all types of foods in moderation; encourage eating in response to body hunger.
2. Get active as a family (not to lose weight but to use and enjoy your body—moderate exercise increases self-esteem and helps to lift depression).
3. Speak up when you hear family members making comments about a person’s body shape or weight—don’t allow this kind of talk in your home (even from grandparents).
4. Encourage and model critical thinking of messages we are exposed to.
5. Do not dismiss comments from your children about their bodies. Allow them to talk about it; ask questions; have conversations. Simply telling someone they “look great” or “don’t need to lose weight” will not change how they feel about themselves. But it will encourage them to stop talking to you about it.
6. Examine and if necessary, modify the appearance expectations you have about your own child.
7. Work toward openly loving and accepting your own body. In doing this, you will give your children permission to do the same. On the other hand, if you refuse to accept your own body, your children will receive the message that they must look a certain way to be loveable. Here's something to think about as well:
"You can't control or dictate the quantity of food your child eats, and you shouldn't try. You also can't control or dictate the kind of body your child develops, and you shouldn't try. What you can do, and it is a great deal, is set things up for your child so she, herself, can regulate her food intake as well as possible, and so she can develop a healthy body that is constitutionally right for her." Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter
Janna Dean LCSW is a practicing therapist specializing in treating eating disorders and other addictions. She is the mother of two four-year-olds, loves camping and making cookies for her neighbors. Her neighbors really appreciate it. Cause they are good cookies. "
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Family Birthday Party
Mel and Vauna drove up from Utah on the 29th for a family dinner birthday party. It was at 5pm. Emily's friends party ended at 4pm. :) I barely had enough time to get the house back in order. Rita, Nic and their family also joined us for dinner. We had pulled bbq pork, buns, chips and salad. Emily loved having everyone around her. Mel and Vauna gave her a cute summer outfit and cute rabbit jammies. When she held up the capris she looked at Vauna and told her that they were too little for her because she had grown. I had to explain to Emily they were shorts not pants. It was really funny. Mel and Vauna stayed the night which was fun to have them here. The kids love having people stay at our home. They were also nice enough to not be upset when I ran out to a church meeting. They stayed and visited with Landon and played with the kids. We forgot to eat the birthday cake that I made for the family party so I am cutting it up tonight and Emily is delivering it with the thank-you cards she made for her friends who came to her party.
Emily's BIrthday Party
I will tentatively say that Emily's Birthday Party was a success. Only her cousins from Utah and one friend from Pocatello were unable to attend. She had eight friends come: Maddie, Bodie, Isaac, Abby, Hallie, Cassie and Maggie. Tyson and Russell came to help me by causing trouble along their journey (with my permission.) With the wonderful last minute loan of a sewing machine from Lela Anglesey I was able to get all the back packs made. I had enough for everyone including the people who didn't come. I sent the extras home with kids who had younger siblings that would like them. Two of the kid's parents Quinn (Maddie and Bodie) and Kaylene (Isaac) stayed to help which was really nice. In the backpacks I put 7 ft rope, a map, a flashlight, a pocketbook and a pencil. I told the kids that Swiper had stolen all the stars and that we were going to go on an adventure to find them. The first step was to memorize where we had to go: animals, cave, birthday party. The second step: I had Tyson and Russell hide the littlest pet shop pictures I had taken from Emily's bedroom and told the kids that they needed to round up the animals and put them behind the fences that matched the number of animals in the pictures. The kids had fun finding all the pictures and matching the numbers. Then we proceeded to the third step, decending into the cave. They took out their ropes which had a loop/knot tied onto one end. They would walk to the top of the stairs, have me hook the loop through the carabiner which was at the top of the stairs and then "repel" into the cave. (ie walk down the stairs backwards holding the rope). Three quarters of the way down the rope would end and they had to slide the rest of the way down on their behinds. It was really cute. Then we had to turn on our flashlights as we ventured farther into the cave. :) There are no windows on one half of our basement so it got dark, fast. As all the kids found their way into the tv room there was a "rockslide" (ie Tyson and Russell moved the crashbag into the doorway so no one could get out.) I told the kids that the magic potion in front would tell us who was strong enough to push the rock out of the way. The potion that turned blue told us who could do it. (I had put a drop of food colouring onto a spoon and covered it with baking powder and then put vinegar in cups.) The kids loved watching the bubbling and colour change by the light of their flashlights. Bodie got the blue cup, so with his dad's help (he's a year older than Collin but the same size) he pushed the rock away and we were able to get back to the stairs. The kids had to crawl up the tall mountain to get back upstairs. In the living room I had a pinata waiting which had candy and some paper stars in it. Tyson and Russell took turns holding it in the air as the kids took turn hitting it with ..... a wooden spoon. Yeah I wasn't so good at planning that part. It was fun to watch some of the shy kids really get into it. Bodie was wailing so hard we made people take a step back. And Isaac wanted to do it twice. With a big grin on his face. Eventually I handed Quinn a hammer and he had to hit it three times to get it to come apart. It was a well built pinata. :) The kids scrambled to grab as much candy as they could. After we opened presents where Emily was spoiled with Dora playdough set, a Cinderella barbie, a fairy barbie, a box of craft supplies (which she used today to make valentines) and a bubble gun. Then we headed into the kitchen to blow out the candles and eat cupcakes. I spread out a blanket in the toy room and allowed the kids to eat fish crackers, and gummy dots. They watched Dora episodes and played nicely together for 50 minutes! The adults sat upstairs and visited. I did have to vacuum after everyone left but other than that the room was clean. I've heard from two parents so far that their kids had a good time. It was a lot of fun. Next year I hope Emily will go along with my idea for a nice paper doll party. Where I have someone else do all the prep work!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Mother Daughter Night
Emily's Dance Teacher is a dancer for the Idaho State University Bengal Dancer. They made it to Nationals so they did a fundraiser performance on January 12th. Rita, Crystal and I decided to take our three girls who were in Katelyn's dance class to the performance. That way they would get to see their teacher dance. The girls were so excited for a girls night out with their mom's and to watch Katelyn dance. There were thirty dance numbers done besides the 2 done by the Bengal dancers. They were done by groups from all over south eastern Idaho. I got to watch two of my students dance. Half way through the performance the girls wanted to see Miss Katelyn so I walked around with them trying to find them. I saw a girl with a Bengal Dancer jacket and headed into the locker room to ask her where we might find Katelyn. 10 steps into the room I realized it was their dressing room and people were getting dressed and putting on makeup. Luckily Katelyn was putting on makeup in the mirror and saw the girls. She came running over. Emily wouldn't talk to her or go near her at first because of all the makeup she had on. Katelyn talked to her until Emily relaxed. Cassie and Hallie were in awe sbut at least recognized her. Katelyn asked the girls if they were glad they didn't have to wear this much makeup for their dances. Hallie very seriously said, "Yes." It was really cute. The girls cheered loudly for her during the last dance. They will miss her this next dance session as she will not be teaching. She is finishing her degree in early childhood. But come next semester they will see Miss Katelyn again.
Four Already!
I haven't been good about blogging lately and I am promising myself to be better! But I couldn't miss today! Emily is 4! Where has all the time gone. I remember holding her in the hospital wondering what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved this little girl. As I have watched her grow over the last year I am so amazed with who she is becoming. It has been a hard transition with the move but she has come out on top. She has made new friends while still remembering her old friends and family. She loves to meet other people and make them laugh. Her imagination amazes me. She is a wonderful big sister to Collin. When he cries she sings, "You are Sunshine" over and over again because he loves the song "You are my Sunshine." She gets up early just to say goodbye to me as I go out the door. I know that as I climb into my car she will be either standing in the window or at the door waving and blowing kisses. She is always saying thank-you mommy which makes me feel so loved. She grew so much during her dance classes and I was so impressed with her dancing at her recital. Hopefully more posted about that later. We are so grateful for her in our lives and I look forward to spending forever with her. As she said to me this morning, "I'm getting big and my clothes get small but I'm still baby Emmy." Yes forever and ever my baby you'll be! Happy Birthday Emily!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
