Weight -- OK if you are not bored to tears on this subject -- here goes. I was measured at my Crossfit class and I was shocked that I've lost 10 inches! 3 1/2 at my waistline alone. I knew my muffin top was going away, so I was expecting that. Also my bra had to be tightened. But that's all I noticed. The scale still REFUSES to budge -- well, it budged another 1/2 lb so I am down 1 big ol' pound. But when I said I looked like I had gained more than 10 lbs, now you understand what I was talking about. I lost 10 freaking inches on my body and only 1 lb. So I'm keeping on. I'll update again in a month -- I'm not stepping on a scale until then.
Today I volunteered at Sam's school. I always get a bit nervous doing so. You guys know where Sam stands academically so I always leave fretting about the touchy feely way they teach these days. I worry about this way more than I should. They changed the math curriculum this year so there can be more than one right answer. In math!!! Because if kids work hard and can explain how they got there, apparently it doesn't matter if they did it right. They eliminated spelling tests because apparently there are studies that show that correcting spelling leads to low self esteem and poor spelling later in life. I'd like to see how tight that connection is in whatever study they quote. We are getting new report cards this year that no longer grade kids on academics. Apparently they place objective evaluations on such things as "overcoming adversity" and "enthusiasm for life." Today is parent teacher interviews -- kids have to there as well because they don't want the kids to be left out of the process. So try and talk about issues with your kid while he's there! Also -- report cards (such as they are) don't come out for two more weeks as they didn't want these interviews to be focused on classroom results. GAH! This is province-wide, by the way, for the public school system, so it's not like changing public schools would fix anything.
So my focus is on how Sam can best achieve. And as it should be, he's my kid. But today when I went there I was given three of the grade three kids (he's in a 2/3 split classroom) and told to help them with their (quasi)math exercises. The reason I had to go with them is because none of them can read. Or write. Or as I found out -- do math. They scribbled down some unintelligible words and they got incorrect answers for ALL the questions. So I don't know how they "correct" that. Or do they? These are not special needs kids. Well, not in the truest sense of the words. They don't have classroom aids or diagnosed learning disabilities. For all I worry how Sam will be challenged in this new way of learning, I don't know how these kids will learn anything -- even the basic skills one needs to survive.
I spoke with his teacher (who is great, and has been very supportive of Sam's extra needs) about it and she said that these kids get ZERO support at home. Their parents won't do their home reading with them (the school has eliminated homework as it's too much pressure on the kids, all they have to do is read 20 minutes a day and log their reading). These kids never ever read a book. And I think your home life is so important -- trust me I am not minimizing the role of the parent. But shouldn't they have learned SOMETHING in 3 1/2 years of school?
It all just left me with a knot in my stomach. It was hard and frustrating to see them struggle. I worry that the whole public school system is almost following an "unschooling" approach to some extent which is a concept I wholeheartedly disagree with. But to send Sam somewhere else -- well to go to private school I'd have to go back to work full time and the good Charter school is a 30 minute drive each way (no busing). Then where would Tess fall in? I always get asked "is Tess like Sam?" The short answer is no, not in any way:) But I know they are talking about academics. And the answer is still no. There is no doubt Tess is bright -- she has recently moved from reading words to reading books -- she has a collection she can read cover to cover and she loves to sit in her glider in her room and read them out loud. And she doesn't start kindergarten until next fall. But she's more what you'd call a bright kid whereas Sam, well Sam is different. While throwing up a few weeks ago, he stopped, wiped his mouth and decreed that while throwing up he figured out how to divide by 15 from 500 down and here's how it goes. Sam thinks academic thoughts while throwing up. And while doing most everything else.
I honestly never thought of the public school system the way we've been forced to over the past couple of years, and even today in Sam's class. I just am not at all sure that it is doing any kid, at any level, any justice.
Edited: A couple of you asked about the gifted program. It's the one that's 30 minutes away. So that would be two hours of driving a day to take him there. And then, how would I get Tess to our local school on time/pick her up as we aren't bused here either. And to take two hours a day out of my workday would make things tight. So hard. Even his current school that Sam would rock in that program -- he scored higher on testing than any of the kids currently in that program! But I don't even know if we can send him as we live outside the city now. But when I read the characteristics of a gifted kid on their site. Sheesh! (http://www.gatecalgary.ca/character-identification-characteristics.aspx)
