Job Discussion Forums

[john_n_carolina]

...i had one Mexican kid (when i taught kindergarten) that spoke about 6 words of English. the school was Montessori based and public. we (the principal and I) agreed to watch him for 4-6 weeks. in 6 weeks it was like he had flown off to Mercury and come back a new person. he never went to the trailers.

he was a real sharp kid with energy and attention 3-4x higher and longer than the regular class. this was an all day Kindergarten from 730-230 and he was still listening and "on task" at 230. and, a real good sense of humor whereas some of the U.S. kids almost seemed depressed or in outerspace.

however, there were 3 or 4 in the class of 15 that were lightyears ahead of him. interestingly, they were all taught from a very early age, preschool, Headstart, and solid families.

[Chancellor]

[Vanica]

I appreciate what you say, Chancellor. I haven't decided yet if I shall peaceably let the matter die down for the rest of the school year, as my daughter delighted me with a silent cheer (a circular rowing motion to a syncopated beat) and the words, You are not the boss of me! These are things that I could not have taught her myself.

Maybe the school people will remember us at some time in the future and say, We knew a little girl who learned English so fast, but still mixed in some French words and became frustrated when she couldn't remember everything all at once. So maybe your child is doing the same thing.

Instead of, the weird, foreign mother with her horrible accent became belligerent and she doesn't want to admit her daughter is retarded but we managed to get a ton of evidence against them and maybe would have called the social workers if they had not gone back to where they came from. It is So hard to be a teacher and the whole problem are all those foreigners and the dark ones are a problem, too!

I might reconsider my position if I receive new derogatory comments from the school.

Le monde diplomatique published an article about homeschooling and right-wing fundamentalist Christians in the US, forgetting how homeschooling is gaining popularity in France, where it is called d�scolarisation.

The second goldfish was found dead this morning, as I gradually was increasing the amount of Brita-filtered tap water in the bowl. If the air and water were better here, I would consider fighting the good fight.

Does Obama consider repealing NCLB?

[rusmeister]

[spiral78]

I've personally fought the Southern System. It ain't worth it, y'all
Just go away, if at all possible.

[john_n_carolina]

...i agree -- i doubt you'd get anything done before June. there are so many loopholes they can pull through and stall.

have you talked to the other mother of the Korean student who was sent to the trailers?

what's her opinion?

[Vanica]

I have never seen the child from Korea. I think my neighbours who came from Vietnam two years ago have a child in a grade lower than his age.

Well, I just found out that the area of NC that I liked, the NE Outer Banks is the home of mercenary organisation Blackwater -- I mean, the artist formerly known as (Erik) Prince ...heretofore called the Knights of Xe, pronounced She? Sharday? Xie xie?

We saw two young guys from Pachuca that we met a few weeks ago, they had been stopped by three cop cars with so many lights on, standing in the meridian of the highway while some man in full combat (maybe one of She's crusaders?) was going through their van. We circled a few times, but there was no way to get even close with all the traffic.

Maybe they were also guilty of malfeasance with a preposition. It is apparently a serious crime here. I hope they are all right.

[john_n_carolina]

V-- just so we can get a good idea of what's going on....what is your daughter's schedule like?

for e.g. classes from 800Am-3pm?

Art
History
Science

how many hours out of the day is she out of her normal 1st grade?

[Vanica]

I just received another xeroxed, form letter to the parents of children who are being retained. OK! No one has called back for a conference appointment and there have been no comments in her folder.

John,

She is not doing anything special right now.

The day's schedule for everyone in the 1st grade is:

8:45-9:15 morning routine
9:15-10:10 writer's workshop, snack
10:15-10:55 drama/art/media/music/PE
10:55-11:15 morning meeting
11:15-12:20 literary work stations/reading groups
12:20-12:50 lunch
12:50-1:10 bathroom break and read-aloud
1:10-1:55 science/ss/math/elective (Spanish)
2:50-3:30 snack and recess

There are also some option programmes that we don't participate in, Accelerated Reader ARC, where you read books to accrue points to turn in for prizes, and Blast Off to Reading, which is memorising lists of sight words. Both are done at home with the parent, and then evaluated on the computer at school.

According to my daughter, she doesn't get too much attention, and often says, The teachers were too busy to read with me today.

[john_n_carolina]

well, i guess if she has that schedule she will be OK. as long as she isn't sent out to the trailers for 3 or 4 periods or loses the playground time. you'd be surprised how much English kids learn on the playground.

maybe she could bring some books along and read with her classmate neighbor.

or, have her start singing nursery rhymes real loud. that will get the teacher's attention. Itsy Bitsy, 1,2 Buckle My Shoe, Old Mother Hubbard etc.

[Chancellor]

[johnslat]

Dear Chancellor,

Snack and recess at the end of the day is pretty common at Head Start pre-school.
I can't speak for this specific place, but I know that at the Head Start where I used to work, many of the children came from very poor families and might not have been getting much to eat once they left the school.
Regards,
John

[Chancellor]

[johnslat]

Dear Chancellor,

"Ah, yes, of course: schools thinking that they are supposed to be the children's parents instead of just sending them home."

I hope you will excuse me, but that seems a rather cavalier comment to make. Perhaps you haven't had too much exposure to extreme poverty, but
I feel that by giving that "end-of-day" snack, Head Start, rather than "thinking they are supposed to be the children's parents" was showing concern for the children's welfare.

Regards,
John

[Chancellor]