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When did it get to be two days from the new year? Did I blink?
1 year ago
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Dear School Administrator:
I do not know what posessed you to rearrange the lunch schedule this year so that first graders eat lunch at 12:55 pm. If I thought you even HAD a reason other than the crazy control thing you seem to have going on. And we know lots about control games at our house. Just sayin.
You couldn't have designed a day more difficult for my child. If you had been purposely making scheduling decisions to make her life more difficult, I don't think you could have done it. And I have it on good authority, it is exceedingly difficult for MOST first graders to live this schedule. Not just mine.
You expect my six year old to function in a classroom setting between 8:20 and 12:30. Do you know how LONG that is to a first grader? To focus on work most of that time? The kids are fried way before recess hits.
Recess. Recess is before lunch. This does not work. Jupiter finally gets to run about freely, but by then she needs it so badly she can't control it. And by then she is also hungry. Hunger is not something that ecourages in any way Jupiter making a good decision. She can't. She's spinning and can't stop to make a decision period. Good or bad. Impulse takes over.
So next week, your new plan is to have Jupiter STOP playing twice during the recess time, to check in with the recess teacher to make sure she's making good choices. This is not a good plan. First of all, Jupiter will have no concept of how much time is passing. She won't know how much of recess has passed until the whistle blows to end it. So I don't see her being able to think "Well, 10 minutes of recess have gone by. I should go check with the teacher now." And furthermore, you want her to transition from playing to not playing to playing to not playing to playing. HAHAHA. If she were that able to handle transitions, I would spend a lot less time trying to MINIMIZE transitions.
So after recess, you want her to transition to lunch. See above about transitions. She is supposed to stop playing, walk calmly into the lunch room, sit down calmly and eat. In a big, noisy smelly room which has already been decimated by three previous grades having lunch. Jupiter says she chose her lunchroom seat at the table by the fact that she could put her feet on the bar part of the table leg so she won't have to put her feet on the dirty floor. She can't eat then. She's still mentally at recess. Please note, last year she had lunch at 10:55 and recess after lunch. She didn't have as many problems at lunch OR recess all of last year as she has had so far this year.
So, after completing 16 days of school, my child has actually EATEN lunch three times. One time was last week, after her punishment for fooling around at lunch was eating in the classroom alone with her teacher. One other time, she actually ate her lunch at snack time. So, I guess she's eaten lunch once this whole year.
Then after lunch. An hour and a half left of school, and the kids are so drained from the first three quarters of it that they have no interest being back in the classroom. At all.
So, Mr. Control Freak Administrator, was that what you were going for?
You couldn't have designed a day more difficult for my child. If you had been purposely making scheduling decisions to make her life more difficult, I don't think you could have done it. And I have it on good authority, it is exceedingly difficult for MOST first graders to live this schedule. Not just mine.
You expect my six year old to function in a classroom setting between 8:20 and 12:30. Do you know how LONG that is to a first grader? To focus on work most of that time? The kids are fried way before recess hits.
Recess. Recess is before lunch. This does not work. Jupiter finally gets to run about freely, but by then she needs it so badly she can't control it. And by then she is also hungry. Hunger is not something that ecourages in any way Jupiter making a good decision. She can't. She's spinning and can't stop to make a decision period. Good or bad. Impulse takes over.
So next week, your new plan is to have Jupiter STOP playing twice during the recess time, to check in with the recess teacher to make sure she's making good choices. This is not a good plan. First of all, Jupiter will have no concept of how much time is passing. She won't know how much of recess has passed until the whistle blows to end it. So I don't see her being able to think "Well, 10 minutes of recess have gone by. I should go check with the teacher now." And furthermore, you want her to transition from playing to not playing to playing to not playing to playing. HAHAHA. If she were that able to handle transitions, I would spend a lot less time trying to MINIMIZE transitions.
So after recess, you want her to transition to lunch. See above about transitions. She is supposed to stop playing, walk calmly into the lunch room, sit down calmly and eat. In a big, noisy smelly room which has already been decimated by three previous grades having lunch. Jupiter says she chose her lunchroom seat at the table by the fact that she could put her feet on the bar part of the table leg so she won't have to put her feet on the dirty floor. She can't eat then. She's still mentally at recess. Please note, last year she had lunch at 10:55 and recess after lunch. She didn't have as many problems at lunch OR recess all of last year as she has had so far this year.
So, after completing 16 days of school, my child has actually EATEN lunch three times. One time was last week, after her punishment for fooling around at lunch was eating in the classroom alone with her teacher. One other time, she actually ate her lunch at snack time. So, I guess she's eaten lunch once this whole year.
Then after lunch. An hour and a half left of school, and the kids are so drained from the first three quarters of it that they have no interest being back in the classroom. At all.
So, Mr. Control Freak Administrator, was that what you were going for?
Monday, August 16, 2010
School is just around the corner
We just got our first letter about school next year. 1st grade.
1st grade lunch is scheduled to occur at 12:55. PM.
Are they out of their little freakin minds??????? Well, I suspect I know where this scheduling idea came from. Some people with a doctoral degree obviously have never worked with actual children.
12:55. Right. Like that's going to work. Last year, in kindergarten, lunch was at 10:55. They want to move it up by TWO HOURS.
When Jupiter doesn't eat when she needs too, a character called Mean Bear starts growling. Sometimes Mean Bear doesn't realize that she's hungry and needs to eat something. Preferably a protein source.
Jupiter is picky about her protein sources. Much to my dismay, they pretty much consist of peanut butter crackers, and Chef BRD Ravioli. I would send peanut butter crackers for Jupiter's mid morning snack, but this year she is in a peanut free classroom. I told her that she could just eat her ravioli for snack in the classroom. It's easier for her to eat in the classroom than the lunch room anyway. And I don't know if they make a thermos powerful enough to keep chef B raviolis hot all the way from 7:30am to 1pm.
1pm. This should be fun.
1st grade lunch is scheduled to occur at 12:55. PM.
Are they out of their little freakin minds??????? Well, I suspect I know where this scheduling idea came from. Some people with a doctoral degree obviously have never worked with actual children.
12:55. Right. Like that's going to work. Last year, in kindergarten, lunch was at 10:55. They want to move it up by TWO HOURS.
When Jupiter doesn't eat when she needs too, a character called Mean Bear starts growling. Sometimes Mean Bear doesn't realize that she's hungry and needs to eat something. Preferably a protein source.
Jupiter is picky about her protein sources. Much to my dismay, they pretty much consist of peanut butter crackers, and Chef BRD Ravioli. I would send peanut butter crackers for Jupiter's mid morning snack, but this year she is in a peanut free classroom. I told her that she could just eat her ravioli for snack in the classroom. It's easier for her to eat in the classroom than the lunch room anyway. And I don't know if they make a thermos powerful enough to keep chef B raviolis hot all the way from 7:30am to 1pm.
1pm. This should be fun.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Maine Destination of the Day
Eartha, the giant globe
Delorme Map Store, Yarmouth, Maine
Jupiter really did like the globe, she just feels she is too grown up to pose for photos now.
Summer Vacation Pics
Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth ME
Jupiter at Kettle Cove
Jupiter in Central Park
Giant Wall Mural at Grand Central Station. Made entirely of Post it Notes.
Portrait at Grand Central Station. Made entirely of push pins.Summer Pictures
Metro North Train to NYC
Summer Horse Show at Therapeutic Riding
Feeding mini horse
Tough day body surfing at Pine Pt Beach
Stayed up late watching movie.Monday, August 9, 2010
Vacation
I love vacation. If I were to win the lottery, I would take great pleasure in calling work and informing them that I am not. coming. back. I do not miss work in the slightest.
I can't believe it's the first week of August already. School starts a month from tomorrow. What's up with that???
Getting full nights of sleep is great. We're both more regulated. Jupiter even managed to regulate herself extraordinarily well when we went to NYC last week for a couple of days. Of course that was countered with days both before we left and after we returned during which I was kicked and spit on. Today we went to the water park which is one of her favorite things in life. She was brave and tried out water slides where I couldn't actually be holding on to her. Then I couldn't get her off them, but had to drag her out of the pool to go to therapeutic riding. Jupiter has progressed to riding off lead. Her lesson went well, even though Mean Bear was starting to growl by the time we got home. We fed Mean Bear, brushed her teeth, and read half a chapter book because we knew she was tired. After 20 minutes of music, Jupiter wanted me to lay down with her until she fell asleep.
Jupiter also wants to paint her room. I've been pricing low VOC paint. Yikes. Of course the paint store had a one day only 40 percent off coupon while we were gone on vacation. I missed it. Of course I did.
Six more days. I'm doing my best to slow down time.
I can't believe it's the first week of August already. School starts a month from tomorrow. What's up with that???
Getting full nights of sleep is great. We're both more regulated. Jupiter even managed to regulate herself extraordinarily well when we went to NYC last week for a couple of days. Of course that was countered with days both before we left and after we returned during which I was kicked and spit on. Today we went to the water park which is one of her favorite things in life. She was brave and tried out water slides where I couldn't actually be holding on to her. Then I couldn't get her off them, but had to drag her out of the pool to go to therapeutic riding. Jupiter has progressed to riding off lead. Her lesson went well, even though Mean Bear was starting to growl by the time we got home. We fed Mean Bear, brushed her teeth, and read half a chapter book because we knew she was tired. After 20 minutes of music, Jupiter wanted me to lay down with her until she fell asleep.
Jupiter also wants to paint her room. I've been pricing low VOC paint. Yikes. Of course the paint store had a one day only 40 percent off coupon while we were gone on vacation. I missed it. Of course I did.
Six more days. I'm doing my best to slow down time.
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