Cuts hurt Kids

This week, I've heard several people say "They keep talking about budget cuts, but I don't see any affect.  Not really.  Do you?"
I've cited a few things, and been brushed off.  I think they just want to justify things to themselves, and hide in the sand.  But I just got back from Back to School night.  So here's the low down on how, exactly, cuts are hurting the elementary school crowd.  (Middle school BTS isn't for awhile yet)

•  Art Teacher -- Gone.  I know art is a fluff subject to some.  But creativity is important.  Experimenting with new ways to express yourself is an important part of taking care of the whole child.  And art in particular is a relevant class to a variety of rising job markets, maybe not oil and canvass painters but graphic design and the like are an important part of digital communities and marketing.  But art will now be left up to the teachers and their limited supply of materials and time.  (While the official Art Teacher had an Art Curriculum; exploring impressionists and various techniques; regular teachers need to also prepare curriculum for reading, writing, mathematics and geography.)  
• Supplies are limited.  Parents are requested to supply the classroom with pencils, lined paper and copy paper in addition to their own student's desk-supplies.  And of course, donations of tissue and hand sanitizer if you want them available.  Forget allergy friendly accommodations...Whatever parents bring, they're grateful for. 
• Music Program -- Gone.  There are still band classes in the middle and high school levels.  But the elementary program has been eliminated.  Although not all kids took advantage of the option, those who did tended to have higher test scores and fare better over all during their teen years.  Learning music as a kid is completely different from learning it as an adult.  And it does build connections in the brain that otherwise will not be formed.  
• Support Aides -- Depending on the level of support, they have been reduced or eliminated.  What does that mean for actual kids?  It simply means that instead of being in a group with kids who are at a similar reading level, they will have to either keep up with the middle of the roaders, or pace themselves to put up with the middle of the roaders.  It means there will be more awareness of ability levels inside the classroom.  It means that the teacher will not have as much time to dedicate to kids who aren't getting it, and that she won't have any time to challenge those who already get it and are getting bored.  
• Classroom sizes -- Even though they are cutting support aides, they are increasing classroom sizes.  In a nutshell, it means more kids per adult.  Most adults know what that means.  And if you don't, why don't you offer to stand in for an afternoon?  
• Custodial service -- reduced.  This doesn't just mean they won't take out the trash every day.  It means less vacuuming, less bathroom touch up, and will make an impact on the overall environment of the school.  And no, parents can't offer to help out.  It's illegal to have a volunteer take over for a position once filled by a salaried employee.  
• Field trips -- Although visiting local historical sites and nature preserves have long been an integral part of the curriculum, budget cuts have eradicated them.  We're down to one.  It will be both fun and educational, but we'll be supplementing with home trips.  Assuming our own budget can handle it.  
• Library time -- This is where it really hurts.  The library is the access point for books read for pleasure, for book reports, for research projects.  In the past, students have been taught how to use the library to look up various topics and led through the process of research and writing a report.  Skills they will use throughout their school years.  But, instead of having a full time media specialist and regular access to the library, there will be one librarian on campus.  Long enough for each class to spend twenty minutes in the library.  Every other week.  So instead of a story and browsing time, they need to file in, choose a book and check out.  And although in the past parents were encouraged to come in and help students choose age appropriate titles...since the district laid off so many media specialists, not only are our librarian's hours limited, she no longer is able to accept volunteer support.  It's just her and a teacher.  Just enough adults to actually check books out.  
• There are cuts in other areas too.  Kindergarten days have been shortened, scheduling has become creative to try and preserve teacher tenure and benefits.  They need medical care as much as you or I, and they have families to feed.

Usually Back to School night is a happy event for us.  We talk about what to look forward to.  But this year, on top of Bumblebee's issues, we're left feeling unsettled.  Is it going to be a great year?  Sure.  But only if we really work at it.  And yes, the Budget Cuts show.  Maybe the one good thing is that tomorrow's voters are the ones learning from experience how important their education is, and how easily it can be affected by little things like budget issues. 

Real life is like Webkinz

Last night, Penguin and I used the online grade book to look up her grades.  She told me how much she hates grades, because they don't help anything.  They just feel like a punishment, when they aren't good, and normal when they are. 
So we looked at the percentages.  And what happened when a paper didn't get turned in (or at least recorded yet)  And then I told her that all I care about is that she does her best work. 

It wasn't reassuring for her.  So I tried a different tact.  When you see that you have an A+ in Social studies, but you only have a B- in English, it means when you have extra credit from both classes, to do the extra credit in English first.  And it means you might be in a hurry to do homework...but you need to take a little more time with English, to double check spelling and stuff. 
Suddenly a light bulb went on. 
"It's just like webkinz world!" 
Webkinz World?  (For those who don't know, it's an online virtual pet community, accessed by an "adoption" code you obtain by purchasing a plush Webkinz toy.  it's full of games and several once a day activities.) 
"Yep, webkinz.  Like when I'm doing the acadamy and having trouble in one class, I keep working on it so I can level it up." 
And she went on in more detail about how this improves her pet's performance. 
But I thought it worthy of blogging. 
Real life is like webkinz.  You need to work on the areas you're weaker in, so that you get caught up to your strong areas.  And then it's all around more fun. 
Who says we don't learn anything from computer games? 

Fifteen Fictional Characters

This apparently started as a facebook status post; but it's hit various message boards, reading forums and now I'm probably not the first to take it to my blog.  :-) 
The idea is to list 15 fictional characters who are influential to your life.  They can be from books, movies, TV series (past and present) or plays.  They can be well known or obscure.  Just someone, anyone, who has made you go "hmmm," and somehow found a place in your life. 

You are not to think too long about this task.  They suggested 15 minutes, but when I first came across and was intrigued by the idea...I drew a blank.  Who has most influenced me?  Who has influenced me?  Er, um.  Hm.  What was her name again?  From...that movie...about...well, it was elusive. 

Anyways.  I have purposefully not concentrated or put too much thought into this, but I have tossed the idea around in my head for longer than 15 minutes. 
Fifteen Fictional Characters; in no particular order:
1. Sam Gribley.  Who didn't dream of living on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, or the catskills, or somewhere undiscovered after reading "My Side of the Mountain"? 
2. Anna.  I doubt very many people reading this blog have heard of Anna.  The book was "Mister God, This is Anna" and it was written by Fynn.  I'm not sure who had more influence, the girl Fynn described or the man whose life was changed by her, but the book kept me thinking for a long time.  It's time to return to it.  :-)
3. Laura Ingalls Wilder; book and TV series.  The characters blend in my mind at this point. 
4. Sally from When Harry Met Sally.  She taught me how to order in restaurants, and that it was okay to be weird long before food allergies entered the picture.  :-)
5. Molly Grue.  She's the one that follows Schmendrick in The Last Unicorn.  She walked away from everything for a dream; and then she mentored a hero. 
6. Gilbert Blythe.
7. Anne Shirley (Blythe)  Yeah, well...Like every other tweenager I fell in love with the story.  Even as an adult she was awesome; as was Gil. The perfect literary couple. 
8.  Lilly (of the Purple plastic purse)  She really demonstrates how kids think sometimes.  At least, my kids.
9. Annie Sullivan:  Although she's a historical character, she's also "The Miracle Worker" and I drank in everything I could read about her...or resembling the story.  i think of "The Miracle Worker" when Bumblebee melts down sometimes.  It gives me a weird sense of calm. 
10.  Elizabeth; the woman from "When breaks the Dawn"; a series I very much enjoyed as a tween.  My grandma introduced me to the world of Janette Oke, and although it's light Christian romance, the stories helped me to form and define my faith...encouraging me to look at what they looked up and consider thoughts the characters pondered.  Besides...I used to love the thought of living in the wilds.  Like Sam Gribley.  Only, with an awesome Mounty husband and a huge eskimo dog. 
11. Santa Clause.  In any incarnation, pretty much.  A mythical man who delivers presents in secret although many doubt his existence.  Awesome. 
12. The youngest Who.  Who believed in Christmas, not gifts. 
13. Jo in Little Women.  She did her own thing, which was right, and was an author.  Although I didn't think she should marry Bauer.  Until I read Little Men, anyway. 
14. Cinderella.  She was always cheerful, no matter what the others did, she was comfortable with who she was and accepted her lot in life. 
15. Merriweather.  She's a fairy in Sleeping Beauty and possibly my favorite Disney character.  She's always saying NO! and then cleaning up the mess when no one listens to her.  I can identify with that...

There was also Olivia Walton, and Ma and Pa Ingalls (more the TV show than the books), and Jonathon the leather-jacket-wearing-angel ("I turned the other cheek" now...*knockout*), and many others I can't quite think of right now.  Most things you read become a part of you whether you really want them to or not, sometimes in ways you can't quite explain.  I'm not sure why the above made my top 15.  Although I added a bit of an explanation, what makes them the top?  They just came to mind first.  And they're only the "fictional" characters.  I've noticed that almost all of these were characters I came to love somewhere between the ages of 12 and 18...which I found interesting.  I suppose that's when my identity was forming, solidifying. 

Anyways...enough of that.  There's my top 15.  I'm not sure if they have anything to do with stress, or food allergies, but I either identified with them on some level or they impacted me in some way. 

Who would you choose? 

Watching Movies

Having 2 girls who don't like gore, swearing, or too much action and adventure in a movie...and who still think kissing is gross...makes the whole "snuggle up for a movie" bonding experience that much more difficult.  We ditched the cable in favor of grocery money long, long ago.  (And we don't miss it)  Digitized broadcast channels are often scrambled, and we've found that there's even less on TV for tweens than there was when i was one.
Between this ongoing issue, and the fact that Penguin didn't recognize a Monty Python reference or the phrase "Wax on, Wax off"; we realized that what we really needed to do was reintroduce the kids to some classic movies.  80's style.
The films we were dying to see 20 years ago.
For the most part, Penguin enjoys them more than Bumblebee.  Bumblebee prefers Barbie and Disney classics, and we do pepper our screen time with 12 Dancing Princesses and Bambi and Mickey Mouse.  But one cannot live on animation alone, and there are only so many times one can watch "National Treasure".
However, as much as Penguin enjoys the movies, she can't always remember the names when she wants to watch them again.  Or the names we throw out there simply don't ring a bell and we have to describe a story line. 
"Star Wars" is still as popular as it ever was.  "Monty Python" is unique enough to etch it's title into memory.  But the quirkier, quieter movies are enjoyable...and their titles, not on billboards or previews or commercials to stir the memory, seem to escape her mind.
It's truly enlightening to learn what scenes made a distinct impression on her.  So, a list for your reading pleasure.  In quiz format, in case you want to test your own film savvy.  (unfortunately, the list is restricted to movies we've actually thought about exposing her to in the past few years and the films that made enough of an impression to get discussed)  To find the answers, highlight the area after the '='
a) "The movie about the applesauce" = Baby Boom.  She views it, rightly, as a comedy.  Her memory surrounding the making of the applesauce because the protagonist was bored. 
b)"The funny one about the guy riding a bicycle" = Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Maybe not 80's.  But I'm glad it was the bicycle scene and not the lengthy discussion about why Sundance was pointing a gun at Etta in her bedroom that made the impression on her.  And if you haven't seen the movie, Sundance IS a good outlaw.) 
c)"The one where the man and the boy are friends and they play in his awesome room" = Big.  Less suitable for kids than I remembered.  But still fun.  And the man is a boy, remember, he turns back at the end?  "Oh, yeah!" (If she says "No, no, no, the other one!" she's thinking of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.  Which we own.  And is a really good movie that came out relatively recently) 
d)"The really sad one where the man has to pretend he's a girl and everyone gets mad" = Tootsie.  I'd have thought Tootsie was funny and Butch Cassidy sad, but go figure. 
e)"The one where the man talks to the little girl in Dutch."  You mean Santa Clause?= Miracle on 34th Street.  The original, of course.  
f)"The one where the guy runs through the house, but the house is all torn up but he's worried about the baby and he has to find her before he worries about his stuff." = 3 Men and a Baby.  Okay, so she kind of got that one. 
g)That weird guy sings rock and throws a baby in the air = Labyrinth.  Although I had to point out that they zoom WAY out so you can't see the baby in the air. 
h)The one where there are people walking and they're like playing in a corn field and then they all die or maybe they're angels= Field of Dreams.  (She obviously didn't "get" it.)  Bumblebee listened to her try and describe this movie and said "Penguin, you mean like Mommy?" 
i)The one with the kid who changes his dad's bank account so he has like a million dollars in there= D.A.R.Y.L.  It took awhile to figure that one out.  It wasn't until she remembered that he and his dad played baseball that I could ask the right question "Was he a robot?"  YES!  Oh.  Now I get it. 

Anyways...The perspective is interesting.  And I have to wonder about what other kids get out of these memories.  I find that I, myself, remember movies differently than I view them now.  Both my husband and I are much more aware of sexual content and rough language even when our kids aren't in the room.  We find ourselves saying "I don't remember the language being quite so bad the first time around." 

I thought you'd enjoy the slice of humor from our lives. 

Assembly

My husband is on the floor, with an open box and a variety of parts and pieces carefully spread out around him. 
"Can I help?" Bumblebee asks.
"Sure," he says, while carefully looking at a packet of screws. 
"I found a paper!  Hey, these are the directions!"
"Awesome, but we don't need the directions." 
She looks at him suspiciously and he defends himself by claiming he's a boy and boys don't usually need directions. 
She perks up and grins.  "I'm a girl!  I could read them for you!" 

Problem solved. 

Sometimes, as parents, we find ourselves making difficult decisions.  Having to choose between buying our kids things that will make them happy, and keeping to a budget.
Of course, as adults we know they don't need extra toys.  Or candy.  Or other treats.
But everyone else seems to have them, and all the other parents say "Oh, well, it's only $5, $10, $50..."

Every little bit adds up.
Although it's hard to say no sometimes, I'm proud of my dd.
Just the other night she was asking something, and she smiled and said "Mommy, I think we have just the right amount of money.  Because we have enough money for rent, and to eat every day and to buy treats once in awhile. But not every day, like some people.  Because that's not healthy."
I'm glad that she doesn't feel deprived.
As I look around our home I see so many things I want to upgrade.  Replace.  Flat out get rid of!  But I pause.  Practicality sets in.  Anything that I would want to replace in a year, needs to stay.  If it's reparable, it stays.  It doesn't always get tidied up, or repaired in a timely manner, but it's relatively clean and not unsafe.

I resent our expensive allergy friendly diet, and sometimes yearn for blue box mac and cheese, frozen dinners, the ease of a drive through happy meal. 

Then I look around at the world.  The first glance, of course, makes me want to upgrade more.  Get rid of the old sheets!  The plastic toys that look used.  The chairs with tattered seatcovers.  The clothes that I've owned for more than a year.  Go out to a restaurant, if for no other reason than so my kids know what a happy meal toy is. 
The second glance is what gives me pause.  The landfills are overflowing.  As I toss abandoned fast food coffee cups and grease stained bags that end up in our gutter in the trash, I see a lot of overflowing oversized trashcans by the curb come trashday, and although more than half the driveways sport recycle bins, it's far fewer than 90%.  And they're rarely overflowing. 
There's an island of plastic floating in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Polar Bears in the arctic, who have never heard an airplane or seen an automobile, have discernible levels of plastics and pesticides in their blood stream.
Factory farms are steadily crowding out family farms, and humane (animal) farming is struggling to remain a viable resource in any community.   One quarter of American meals are eaten in restaurants.  2/3 of the remaining meals are take out or pre-prepared.  The remaining quarter or so of meals are prepared using exotic techniques such as spreading condiments onto sandwich bread or microwaving vegetables. 
There's a pipe spewing hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf Coast waters as I type.
It's not that the second glance makes me want to move into a redwood tree like some kind of 60's fanatic (although I remember reading "My Side of the Mountain and dreaming about it.) but it does make me want to...either save the world or go back to bed and stay there. 

And how can we help the world?  By living smaller.  Experts (such as the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Fed, and the Slow Food Movement, and Whole Foods) suggest paying attention to where your dollars go.
With a tight budget, I do that.
Avoid unnecessary packaging.  Avoid excess waste.
Again, from a budgeting perspective, this is paramount.
Don't buy things you don't need.  And keep the things you own in good condition, so you can reuse them or pass them on.
As someone without a lot of money to spread around, I do this.  Garage sales never seem to work for us, and since I rarely have much extra cash to donate where I want to I assuage my conscience by sending used goods to places they can be put to the best use...if not a friend or family member, to a local job rehab center or the Salvation Army.
Reduce.  Reuse.  Recycle.  Respect our resources.

When I'm tempted to buy junk, or feeling bad that I can't, I remind myself of those 4 Rs. 
Like my daughter, I'm glad we're 'poor'.  It's forced us to make hard decisions, to focus on what really matters, and to lighten the imprint we make on the Earth.  Unlike her, I'm surprised that my kids seem to have a greater appreciation for their toys.  They pull out the Barbies and create elaborate games.  Other parents look askance when I talk about the intricate Littlest Pet Shop set up the girls were fighting over. 
Of course, maybe it's healthier to get outside and ride a bike.  But when that's not feasible, I'd rather they have a box of scrap paper to build origami cranes, or a closet full of board games, or a plastic tub of plastic animals to turn to than a TV to turn on.  (yes, we own a TV.  No, it is not hooked up to cable.) 

And I'm really surprised to hear the reinforcement come from her mouth.  She's glad we can't afford too many treats?  For sweets in lunches every day?  She's glad I don't buy her too many toys? 

I'm sure I could do a better job at being green, and raising green kids.  I could walk more, or buy a bike.  I could make a more concerted effort to get to the farmer's market.  And I do intend to work on continuing to lessen my carbon print.  But for now, I'm going to be happy that our budget keeps us (somewhat) green.  And my kids know it. 
I just hope that she continues to see the positive...and not resent the sacrifices. 

Happy New Years!

It's that time again.
Another year has been and gone.  Time to reflect upon the lessons from the past, and contemplate the future.

2009 was Mr. Violet's first full year working away from retail and he loves it.  But his job is still influenced greatly by economic spending so we enter 2010 with a certain degree of uncertainty.  We also get new health insurance, which means brand new doctors.  A potentially mixed blessing, given our palette of  health concerns and informed choices.

Penguin graduated Elementary school, and is growing into a lovely tween (even if I do say so as her mother.)  So far, I'm liking choices she makes and the reasons she makes them.  Although sometimes she also leaves me utterly baffled.  I'm told that tweens are notorious for befuddling their parents.

Bumblebee gave up food dyes.  Not sure what the greater impact of this decision is yet, but I don't really want petrochemicals in her body regardless of their obvious effects.

And me?  I'm hanging in there.  One New Years Resolution will have to be to get my gut back under control, since for the last several months it seems more like it's dictating plans rather than occasionally reminding me it's there.  (The new doctors, fresh outlook, thing might help that.  I'm planning to keep an open mind.)

As a family, we're doing good.  Last year's resolutions went well.
Although we didn't find 3 full meals that we ALL can and will eat, we did find time to sit together as a family several times a week.  Lots of meals that will feed 3, and the fourth will either eat what's safe, or get a snack afterward.  We're eating too much rice.  But, well, at least it has fiber. 
I've read more this year, although I didn't quite make it through the alphabet.  I read multiple books in each letter I covered...surely that counts for something?  I'm looking forward to continuing the reading in the new year...especially nonfiction. And the girls talked me into starting a reading blog, which we'll hopefully update in the new year.
I didn't gain the weight I need to.  The summer-long stomach flu didn't help.   But I did reintroduce chicken, tuna, wasabi, and nutmeg to the dietary repertoire.  In fact, we've tried a new food every other month, failing only soy and raw stuff.  :) 
Our spending has been much more thoughtful.  Not that we were ever big on buying throw away toys, but it does get challenging when birthdays come to balance fun affordability with environmentally responsible options.  (We use real plates, our trash can is rarely overflowing on trash day, but we've room for improvement.  Party favors are tempting, even if they'll only last ten minutes.)

We do have some resolutions for the new year.  Well, we've been working on them for awhile.  The calendar change gives us good motivation to stop talking and act.

• The most important, I think, is the only one I'll share.  This will involve less chocolate, more meal planning.  Set in stone: Every weekend we'll make a platter of cut fruit or veggies for after school snacks and to add a handful of to lunches.  It won't last the week, but it'll get more easily available nutrients into the kids and dh.  (I'll strive to eat something nourishing, and not pine for the raw stuff I can't digest.)  It will also involve more walks.  Hopefully once a week, at least.  Depending on Penguin's migraines and Mr. Violet's knee, of course.  This may be good motivation to resurrect our park parades.  Or maybe just walk around the block now and again.  

I only have a moment tonight. But I want to post a tidbit from a current read: "Our Stolen Future" by Colborn, Dumanoski and Myers.
On pg 191-192, they are discussing the potential effects of PCBs in contaminated fish on children whose parents ate said fish. A psychologist named Helen Daly has been studying behavioral changes in rats fed Lake Ontario fish. The expected results of her test (which involved feeding a small group of rats a diet 30% fish) was that the diet would turn them into dummies. It would affect their brains and intelligence level. This seems a plausible expectation for the consumption of toxic chemicals.
However, they found behavioral changes that were unexpected. While there were no signs of learning deficits, indicating that intelligence levels were not adversely effected, the rats showed distinct behavioral changes. Standard testing showed decreased activity.
This behavioral change has been demonstrated repeatedly.
Rats fed a diet of 30% contaminated fish (fish that have been raised in Lake Ontario) over react to even mildly negative situations. Daly describes them as "Hyper-reactive". When comparing hteir reactions to humans, Daly is quoted as stating "Every little stress will be magnified."
Some studies done on children with high known levels of exposure have indicated a possible correlation to human experience.

Does this remind anyone else of Sensory Processing/Integration Disorders? Or Highly Sensitive Children?

PCBs aren't only found in fish. They were used as plasticizing agents in paint, flexible plastic coating for electrical wires, caulking agents, dusting products, flame retardants, adhesives and pesticide extenders. They do not degrade readily, so are still present in our environment. They tend to accumulate in lakes and rivers, where they bind with plant life and are consumed by sea life. The higher the animal on the food chain, the higher the concentration of PCBs and other chemical contaminants. (Interesting side note: PCB production was taken over in 1929 by non other than our beloved Mons*nto, the GM corn giants.)

One of Daly's most disturbing findings is that pcb effects are seen in second generation rats. So if rat generation A eats PCB laden fish, generation B is affected, but fed only a carefully monitored diet of PCB free fish, the researchers are still seeing abnormal reactions in generation C.

In other words, what scientists unleashed on our grandparents is haunting us today. What we do with our bodies, wittingly or unwittingly, will continue to affect our grandchildren regardless of whether we are here to play a part in it.

Of course, this has nothing to do with corn. But it's interesting all the same.
In the end it's still just stress. Stress on our environment, stress on our bodies, stress on our children. However, these studies show that somehow we may be inhibiting their inborn ability to handle stressful situations.

This isn't an answer. But it sure seems like a significant piece of many puzzles our society faces.