Ok--So I admit I was very freaked out about the earthquake

One of the main reasons I have not moved to California, beisdes it's supposed fall into the Pacific Ocean, is the Earthquakes.  Today on the East Coast we got a little taste of what Californians no doubt would think was a pretty mild event. 

It is about 1:30, Teddy is with my mom and sister going to BJ's and I am on the phone with my Dad.  I stayed home and gave him up for the day because I had to do some computer work/writing/playing on Facebook--we all need a little me time no?--anyway, I was on the phone with my Dad and all of a sudden I felt like I was moving.  "Dad, did you feel that?" "What?" "Oh my God there it is again, I'm moving."  He laughs and thinks I've gone crazy.  I look at the bag on the floor next to me and it is vibrating.  The shades which are drawn so as to block out any and all temptations I might have to go outside and not actually do any work are also moving.  The door starts to move back and forth.  "DAD! We are having an Earthquake!!!"  "Run outside, call me back!"  I run outside and all of my neighbors are outside.  "Did you feel that?" "What was that" "Was that an EARTHQUAKE!"  Everyone seems to be a little more than a little freaked out.  And All I could think of besides "Where is Teddy and is he ok",  was I am really not wearing the appropriate clothes for this.  I had on stretch yoga pants, flip flops and two layered tank tops.  Fine to sit and write in front of the computer, sure, but not what you would call great attire for fleeing a disaster scene. 

After I calmed down about the clothes I was wearing--I truly am not that vain, really--I had a moment to think about the fact that I wasn't with Teddy.  This was not an apocalyptic event such as 9/11 was.  When that happened ten years ago, I was in the second day of my new life as a preschool teacher.  I was in Greenwich Village on Sullivan Street, a block that at the north you could clearly see the Empire State Building and at the its south you can clearly see what would be left of the Twin Towers. 

As the planes flew over us that morning when we were setting up our new classroom and laughing about the fact that "They were coming for us." (As the planes went overhead, they sounded like they did in the 1940's and 50's movies.)  We heard a scream from next door.  A fellow teacher saw them hit the first tower.  She screamed and ran downstairs.  Kids starting flooding in at this time, parents looking really freaked out and not knowing what to do, run or stay.  We didn't know what to tell them. 

As the days progressed and we all started making sense of this disaster, parents called to tell me that they were taking their kids to the country, out of the city.  Friends were emailing me to tell me what downtown looked like in flames, and I tried to comprehend the madness of what happened.

Today when our minor quake happened, I was at a loss to know what I would have done had it been bad.  And had Teddy not been with me.  I'm still rather freaked out by it.  I responded with humor and bag packing.  But he wasn't with me and that I was not okay with.  I will not always be able to be with him, especially as he gets older and that loss of control has me reeling. 

Ahhhhh, the life of a parent.  When done correctly it messes you up big time!

My Back to School Wish List (of sorts)

In a few weeks my Four year old son is going into public pre-school this fall, an event which I am having extreme emotions about.  He's my baby, but yet, he will be walking the halls of a public school as countless have done before, armed with his Cars Soft Lunch Box, his Union Jack Backpack and his unique sense of humor (His favorite joke this month is Q: Which Astronaut has the biggest head? A: The one with the biggest helmet!!!

This week I received his back to school supply list.  Of course things have changed since I went to school…No doubt thanks to all the educational cuts and the mismanagement of the education system as it stands today. There are 24 items on the list, some strange and some typical. They are asking for the normal stuff Washable Markers, 2 marbled notebooks, Pencils, Folders, Glue, etc.  But they are also asking for Ketchup.

And Pancake Syrup.

My son is allergic to Ketchup, and do you really need that much pancake syrup?  There are 18 kids in his class, so 18 kids multiplied by 3 classes per grade, that’s 324 bottles of ketchup and pancake syrup. 

 I assume they aren’t going to do a craft with it. 

I am not in any way against giving these supplies, I was a teacher myself, and I understand the major need for tissues and baby wipes which are also present on the list, but they are so weirdly specific and a little strange that it makes me think, if they can give me a list on what they want from me before the first day of school, then why can't I send them a list on what I expect from them for my son.

You want me to get paper plates, not Styrofoam (yes they still make them) and not recyclable ones, but paper--sure, willingly, then I want you to inform me before a lesson happens what you are working on. 

You’re asking us for 1 bottle of hand soap, the foaming kind—absolutely-- then make sure that Teddy will be learning math and reading through meaningful, hands on lessons and not only via work sheets. 

I don’t want to start a school year already annoyed by the system, though I’m afraid I am.  All successful relationships are built on effective communication.  I tell you want I need or think, then you tell me what you think or need in return.  It really is that simple.  Or at least it should be.  Not everyone understands this and many people take it personally.  I think that if the school thinks it proper to send out a wish list, then so too should we as parents.  Nothing personal, not in retaliation, but just in an effort to get the ball rolling in the proper way.  I am aware however, that not every parent is as needy or demanding as I am educationally speaking. I have spoken to some parents whose top on the list is that the facility be clean and safe, with the possibility of some reading or math.  While I agree with the clean and safe aspect, the requirements for preschool have changed.  While it still is not legally mandatory for a child to attend preschool, it is a necessity for them if they are to succeed in the earlier part of their educational career.  Statistics from Head Start programs state that the effect of early childhood education (starting at 4 years old) last until third grade if not continually supported.  The benefits of preschool lasts for four years.  During the time they are in preschool they are not only learning to play with others and reinforcing their basic skills, but they are forming their idea of what school is and they will either love it, hate it or be ambivalent about it.  That depends upon the school, the teachers, yes, but also the parents.  Parents have a huge hand in how their child sees school and how well they do in it.  Our attitudes reflect on our children, they are sponges and we are their models.  They pick up on our cues and that determines what type of relationship a child will have with school.  Therefore the teachers and administrators really owe it to themselves to cultivate a successful relationship with each and every parent, otherwise they are not doing their jobs.

At least that is how it should be.  So my list would consist of all the things a good school should offer, but more than that it would have, at it's very core, the need for effective communication between the home and the school. 

Welcome to Teach-R-Mom--Who am I and why should you care?

I am a teacher. I am a mom.  As a mom, I am always teaching my son (and believe it or not, he is absolutely teaching me).  The thing I didn't expect however, was that now, when I teach, I use my the mom part of my brain and am really able to see the act of education not only through the educator's point of view but through a mom's point of view.  I guess I naively thought that I would be able to distance myself from that part of myself while I was teaching but, not only am I not able to do that, I don't want to.  I think I am a better teacher, especially for the preschoolers I teach, because I am a mom.  During parent-teacher meetings at the Nursery School I taught at, I would glibly tell the parents of my students, "I am not a mom, so I cannot say what I would do if I was in your place, but..." and then add in some tree-ripened piece of pedagogical wisdom. 

And for the most part, I would have been on the right track--educationally speaking, but it was how I said it that needed to be tweaked a little.  I see that now.  But then I also see the flaws in the educational system more keenly.  I know too much about the goings on inside a school.  I know what needs or should be happening, from the parent's perspective, the teacher's perspective and the director's perspective.  Mix this with an overinflated Super-teacher complex, and a proclivity to butt in and you have me.  Well meaning, well educated and willing to share what I know.

As my son gets older, and more choices for his education need to be made, I am aware of two things.  I am an educational snob, and my instincts are usually right on. 

Before I write any further, I want to tell you, dear reader, that I usually am modest, but you didn't come here to read a blog written by someone without any expertise.  I want to share with you what I know to help you make better decisions about educating your child, whether on Staten Island, in Brooklyn or in Botswana.  Actually I take that back, probably not Botswana, but Seattle maybe.  I will impart what I know using humor and insight.  I am very interested in the field of education, especially early childhood and special education.  I think about it often and to the possible annoyance of the parents in my son's classes, friends and acquaintances I talk about it often as well.

My basic philosophy of how to educate a child (or anyone for that matter) is identifying the key to how they learn and making it meaningful to them.  I identify with Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and use it to teach my students in the way that they will learn best.  The key is to get that child to love school, but a child who likes to use his hands to learn will not do well in a classroom that doesn't allow touching as an option.  A child who needs to see how something is done before internalizing a lesson will not do well in a class where rote memorization is the main instructional tool. 

I hope to write a post at least 4 times a week.  Let's see how that goes shall we!  Until then, remember the key to your child's love of anything lies with you.  If you are psyched about learning and reading they will be too