April 7, 2006
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I have been sooo busy this week… New classes have started, as well as the landlord’s son is back for tutoring 3x a week. Whew… he is quite a challenge! He is sick today, which I have doubts about, but I’m kind of relieved. On the other hand, this kind of inconsistency is exactly his problem. One of things I’ve found with ALL children is they benefit from consistency. Discipline doesn’t work if you’re not consistent, rewards don’t work if you’re not consistent, schedules don’t work…. if you’re not consistent. So… I’ll wait and work with him again on Monday. I just feel like I’m taking two steps forward, one step back all the time. It’s very difficult.
My two new classes are great however, I think I’m really going to enjoy them. They are: Critical and Creative Thinking and Growing up Gifted. So far the texts have been very good, and I’m enjoying the readings.
On another note… I am contemplating how to best handle a situation in my daughter’s school. She has been selling Rice Crispy treats to raise money for her People to People trip to Europe this summer. On Tuesday she was pulled out of class by the “acting” vice-principal. She was not given information about why, and when she asked she was repeatedly told to not worry about it. She was then told to take her bag with her. At this point, she is starting to panic. She doesn’t know if she’s done something wrong, if something has happened to one of us, or what. The vice-principal is a very tall African-American man. My daughter is about 4’10. He starts getting in her face and questioning her about selling on campus. He then tells her he’s going to let it go with a warning “this time” but he better not hear about it again. His justification, “No one can be allowed to compete with the cafeteria”. He then gets both our home number and my cell phone and tells daughter that he will be calling her parents about this.
So here’s my problem. I’ve blogged before about the rampant drug use, selling and smoking on campus. The security and administration do very little about it because it occurs on the 3rd story and they don’t want to climb the steps. In addition they have teachers that sell ice cream after school for fund-raising for various causes. Now… they choose to not stop the drug selling or usage, but focus instead on entrepreneurial students who are making efforts to be responsible for their lives and education. It’s ok for teachers, but not for students to fund-raise. In addition, the cafeteria does not accept cash, and you can only put money on your card before lunch. So… this money that the kids are spending on rice crispy treats, or masubi, or lollipops, is not money that would go for lunch either way. The premise is that if they buy that rice crispy treat they won’t eat a cafeteria lunch because they will be too full???? Come on!! They are teenagers…. they don’t get full… ever!! Surprisingly I have received no phone call. …. hmmmmmm… So I continue to stew, trying to determine the best way to handle it. DD and some friends are talking about meeting with the principal, circulating petition, and creating surveys. I say go for it!! The “acting” vice-principal has selling on campus and tardies as his “mission” for this year. You ask me, he’s ignoring the elephant. There is rampant drug use, fights everyday, gang issues and a massive drop out rate. I think rice crispy treats and lollipops are the least of his worries.
So… suggestions??? I have to wait, cause otherwise I will be reacting rather than responding. What do you guys think??
Cleaning Poem
?
I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I’d been ‘puttering’,
And I had to answer “yes.”
He told me to get off my fanny
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up
The smudges off my mouse.
I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick…
I was just admiring my work…
I didn’t mean to ‘click.’
But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into…
I was into it all night.<<Sigh>>
Nothing’s changed except my mouse
It’s very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess…
While I sit here on my hiney.
Comments (11)
:wave: i LOVE the cartoon….. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE IN IT!!!! :love:
Have her climb the steps to the third floor and sell the treats to those druggies who most likely have the munchies! She will be safe from the acting vice and if he does make it up those flights of stairs one would hope the rice krispy pusher would be overlooked amongst potheads! LOL
Sorry that I’m not any ‘real’ help. I tend to react way more than I respond! But you would already know that!
I think you are smart on waiting, just like you said so you don’t react. I guess all I can say is pray and ask God what He would want you to do with about this situation.
Your cartoons are so funny.
ifi was vice principal i would be fighting against the drugs,ganga and all the major stuff selling treats is better then holding up the school like columbine geezze loweeze people get a grip get drugs and stuff out of the schools and get jesus back into the schools. thats my feelings. take it or leave it. love to all shelly.:wave:
I think you should pick your fights very carefully….is this the hill you are willing to die on?
RYC: EXACTLY! Anyhow, love your choice of music, your cartoons and your poem. Not sure what I would do in your situation. I do think it’s silly that this vice principal would waste his time enforcing a “no selling” rule (and does this rule exist in the student handbook?) rather than a “no drugs” rule. Maybe this is just a sign of somebody who is killing flies so he can add notches to his belt and claim he is a great hunter?
At any rate, I think maybe my next stop would be the next school board meeting, where I would question why the teachers and drug pushers can sell stuff at the school, but students can’t.
hahaha.. that second pic cracked me up.. so cute!
I think those people don’t have their priorities straight.. same at my son’s school! Just sad!
I hope you have an awesome weekend!!
i would wait and see what happens and see if your dd is going to do that it does sounds like a
good idea! I think its nuts they think that way. Maybe you should bring it up next you talk to the school principal if nothing goes right. Hope it all goes well for ya and have a good weekend.
aww
i feels so spwecial.
my cause merited a rant!
woot
No kidding…totally agree with you, and think you have one smart cookie for a daughter…great idea to circle a petition and have a meeting…also maybe at the next PTA meeting, you might bring this up? Good luck with that! And love the poem on the bottom…may have to borrow that one…it’s SO TRUE!!!!
Yes, I agree…a petition & then take it to the school board. I hope everything works out with this. Poor girl, she’s not doing any harm to anyone at all. Seems the good people are the ones that are always getting in trouble. UUGHH. Good luck!