Two Kids With P.A.T.'s - I stress...

So, I have kids who are three grade levels apart.  What that means is that every three years they will both be writing P.A.T.s (Provincial Achievement Tests).  As a former grade nine teacher I am all too familiar with these.  For me as a teacher, it was always about trying to figure out from the results how I could teach my kids better. For me as a parent, it becomes something completely different.  I have written before that I have been very frustrated by the Elementary School reporting system.  I find it useless to me in terms of evaluating my children at least as a communication tool.  I have my own observations of my kids, and I want to be able to help them achieve and learn better, but the evaluations seemed more based on "Goal Setting Booklets" that I have to fill out with my kid or whether or not I sign off on their reading than on actually evaluating what they can and cannot do.  My kingdom for a Rubric or a list of acquired Curriculum Objectives! Anyhow, the idiocy of the report cards and reporting methods (all the Parent Teacher meetings are student-led and never is there an opportunity to look at their marks on things and marks seemed to be more tied to behaviour than actual cognitive measures) made me curious about how much they do know.  I know that in the big scheme of things elementary grades mean nothing, but I still want to be sure they are both developing cognitively as they should be and I must admit my expectations are on the high side.  So, today we investigated the website that the school provided for practicing for P.A.T.s.  Oliver has done a few practice Math ones and is working on his second Reading Comprehension one and it has highlighted some gaps.  I think that they 'missed' a couple units in the math curriculum because there were terms that Oliver didn't have a clue about.  We made a visit to his textbook and he said they hadn't done that chapter yet which at this point of the year concerns me.  They should be reviewing about now... sigh...

Anyhow, I am very happy that the school has this website set up for us to practice on.  They do their tests on the iPad and can post their initials and school if they do well and they both seem to actually enjoy it. Oliver actually asked to do a few more!  For me, there is a relief that they both seem to be doing okay.  All of their scores on the mini-tests have ranged from 80-100% so that makes me happy.  And because we can look at what they got wrong, I can cover those concepts with some individualized instruction. We are doing the English tests... that is a drawback, because I cannot understand the French well enough to help, but I will get them to do those closer to their testing.  I am more concerned with evaluating what they do or do not know and the English tests will do for that purpose.

Apple Picking...

I am headed off to New York City for the next little while.  Look how casual I was about saying that...  A good friend of mine is getting married on the weekend so I am heading down to celebrate with her and her fella and have stretched the trip out a bit so I can see some shows. I have never been before and since Broadway is like Mecca to theatre people (particularly those who do musicals) I am so excited!  I have a great travelling companion, also a NY Newbie and we are excited to take on the city! Anyhow, I am doubtful I will blog in my absence as I am leaving my computer behind, but I will fill you in when I get back.

Today is packing for me and also getting the boys ready for school.  I don't have much time when I get back so the plan is to have it all ready before I go so that first day is taken care of. That's the plan, anyhow. Today is buying shoes and labelling school supplies... If I am lucky I will also find a better travelling purse...

My mind is full of what I might see (the online listings for Broadway shows looks so gooooood) and my general travelling stress (I am better in familiar places), but we are going to play it by ear and I think all will be well!  I am hoping it's not a crazy time for the city so we might get some deals and see some good stuff!

Here We Go!

The boys have one more day of summer holidays and then they return to school. Gibson is entering grade 2 and Oliver will be going to grade 5 this year. I get more and more relaxed as the years go by. I knew with Oliver that he would settle in as he grew more mature. He had a challenging time socially and behaviourally in the first few years of school, but by the middle of grade 3 those issues disappeared. He still wants to work fast and not necessarily well, despite being capable of better, but that too is improving. Hey, when my kid consistently cites Math as his favorite subject, I am going to be happy about it. Gibson has been a bit of a surprise as he seemed more mature socially than Oliver but the end of last year and this summer has shown a crankier and less cheerful child. I know some of the crankiness is a frustration with others when they do not get things as quickly as he does, but it is not going to serve him well in school. Academically he excels, and I want that to continue, but his social impatience needs to be tempered a bit. I think grade 2 will be challenging for him in this regard. We shall see. I expected smooth sailing from him behaviourally, but I think I should never ever plan for kids to be as I predict.

I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but a blog post by one of the Edmonton Journal writers has me cranky.

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/08/30/the-best-choice-for-your-childs-school-is-most-likely-the-local-school/

I know that it is opinion, but I am annoyed by the push for community school when Edmonton has designed their system based on program based education. The community school model works when all the schools are not program based, but when you want something different for your child they don't always work. For example, in my case I wanted French Immersion for my kids. I also wanted strong arts education and good physical education. I 'assume' that with public schools that the basic educational needs will be met in any school (reading, writing and arithmetic...). After all, that is what the Alberta Education Curriculum guidelines guarantee. Now, I can meet the arts education and physical education needs outside of school by using my own resources. I cannot, however, do French Immersion outside the school, therefore I had to make my choice based on the delivery of that program. I also know people who have children with specialized education needs who have home schooled or who have sought programs that met those needs. Not their community schools. Another interesting point I would like to make is that OUR Community school is just as far away if not further than the non-community, program based school our kids attend. The closest school is the Mandarin school... So there are no advantages such as proximity. For many kids in Edmonton the closest school is still a 45 minute bus ride away without even taking into consideration the programs offered. The article is written without thinking about the realities of how our schools are programmed and how the schools themselves are laid out. It doesn't take into account the needs of language based immersion programs (late immersion is possible, but not preferable). Anyhow, it bugged me. It also bugged me because when the writer posed his question on Twitter the night before posting his blog, I responded with my reasons for program choice, but he only responded to those people who were rah-rahing the community school choice. I think he was only looking for agreement - not really exploring the value to both options. I know that the community school is NOT the best place for my children to learn and I know many others who have different reasons for not choosing the community school and I feel that they are equally right in their choices.

Back to School Preparations...

We are one week from the return to school for the boys and a little bit longer for me. Now that Fringe is done I have to go through all their stuff that they brought home last June and see what I need to get. It is irritating to buy a new set of pencil crayons every fall when I know we have a huge box of half used ones at home. I think I might spend some time sorting through those and the crayons and saving some money instead of buying new ones. Don't call me cheap - call me frugal. I hate the waste!! I know they also brought home some duo tangs and loose leaf paper and Oliver has a binder that is immaculate. I'd like to reduce the purchases as much as possible.

For my school I have a list of nothing. I am doing scene study (Drama 257) so there are no texts on the list and I think I probably just need to dress to move. I am at a disadvantage there since I do not move as well as those 20 year olds, but I will do my best.

I am debating auditioning for a couple of projects this Fall. I do not want to get swamped and I want space to write. It will have to be the right project with the right people. I want to work on things where I learn... I also don't want to fill up the time and then find I am unable to do something amazing that might come along later. So, I think I have to wait for the right thing... I really should be writing more...

Night Music picks up again this week and goes into high gear next week. Sitz Probe on Wednesday and rehearsals on both Saturday and Sunday. I really need to review my lines. I know that next week will be challenging but luckily we (as a cast) are in good shape and I know we will all support Elizabeth as she finds her Desiree and moves into the show.

Today I spent some time with Gibson alone at the Telus World of Science while Oliver went fishing with Grandpa. Apparently Dad fell in the water and the fishing was not great, but Oliver had a good time and is getting quite good at casting. That's pretty cool. Gibson enjoyed having me to himself and spending my money!

Frustration... trying to stay engaged but it's getting to me...

This week I have been kind of annoyed with recent events with the EPSB. A couple of newspaper articles about the EPSB making a statement about urban sprawl at the expense of children within the district raised my hackles. Not because I think urban sprawl is a non-issue, but rather because I do not think it is the 'job' of the school board. Their job, as I see it (as their employer and share-holder) is to manage the education of the children within the district whatever their postal code. An email and subsequent phone call with Dave Colburn, the Board Chair, to express my concerns did not alleviate my concerns. It was quite clear to me that he valued some children's education more than others. He also treated more like an opponent during an election than as a concerned parent within his district. Did not like that at all. I know I shouldn't let it get me angry, but it did. These are my children.

I will continue to do what I can to maximize the educational results for my children, but what frustrated me the most was the implication that because I do things like read and work with my kids, volunteer at my kids school, and provide an enriched environment for them, that the Board felt that they were less deserving of priority within the school system. I think all students should have the same things when they walk in the building. My kids should not have larger classrooms and less resources because of the 'extras' that I, and parents like me, do. I do those things to enrich, not to bring them up to a baseline. Will I stop volunteering and doing the work I do - No. But I felt like I should, because he made me feel like those things were the exact reasons why certain postal codes were not a priority.

Now there's an article about cutting positions due to lack of funding from the province. My fear is that the inner-city centric Board will drain more funds from the outside the core of the city and the larger classrooms will be from those less-prioritized postal codes. I have already had one child who has been in a 29 student grade 3 class and a 26 student grade 4 class (those are huge for elementary) and I have a second who will likely be going into a split class. My fear is that they will do away with the split and operate with a plus 30 student grade 2 class. Ours is a school (in a neighborhood that is over 25 years old - not brand new) that is over-capacity and over-compensating for those under enrolled schools that they do not want to close. So it is hard for me to feel sympathy for those who don't want to close schools. Your children are not more important than mine and nothing you say will convince me that they are.

The Dreaded Student Led Parent-Teacher meetings...

Tonight I get to take both my kids ot the school while each of them leads me through 25 minutes of activities showing what kinds of things they do in class and then you get about 5 minutes to chat with the teacher about concerns. They don't want you to bring siblings, but Mark works and the meetings only go until 7 p.m. and that's when he gets home so I pretty much have to bring them to both sessions. No way around it - I can't get a sitter because I need the other one to be there for their session. Anyhow, I don't like these sessions, but I do them. I know the theory behind them, but for me they are not that useful. So, we shall pack up each of their DSes so that they can be occupied while the other one is demonstrating and hopefully that will work. If I keep my expectations low, then maybe I will actually enjoy it. I have actually already been in both boy's classrooms so far this year for Read-In week and In-School field trips so I kind of know the classroom culture and what they are up to. Sigh.

A New Year

I know. It's not January, but September always feels like the start of a new year to me. All those years of school, both as a student and then as a teacher and now as a mother of school children, have created a feeling of 'go' in September. So I had my first class today (Theatre History) and the boys started school last Wednesday. Scholastically we seem to all be on the right track. The boys are settling in alright and I have a few 'friends' in my class (some from the first year Drama classes, and some from Walterdale). It's all good there. I have also figured out a bus route that I will take on some days. It should take 45 minutes which is twice the time of driving, but I can read on the bus. I wish the LRT were more accessible. Sigh.

I started watching the calories last week and the types of food I was eating and then we went away on the weekend and I regressed, but I am back to the calorie/food watching. I am frustrated by this whole process but know it is necessary. I am using the number 1600-2000 calories per day and trying to keep my Carbs vs. Protein vs. Fat reasonable, but I realize that I am not quite sure what exactly to eat to keep the ratios reasonable and I am not sure what reasonable really, really is. I do feel better about my food choices and we shall see how that goes. If I feel better physically and start moving with intention, maybe I will really lose weight. Mom and I started our own 'Weight Watchers' by weighing in this morning and throwing $5 each in a jar. We are going to do this every week and see how it goes. This way we are being accountable and saving the money. Sometimes the Weight Watchers was good, but sometimes it wasn't and when I didn't lose weight I felt grumpy about the money. Next Spring we will go shopping, or something... We have to work on the plan for the money.

I also need to write. Things are percolating. I need to get things on paper (electronically). I need to do that. I also have a month until I am rehearsing, so the sooner I write the better. Once I am in rehearsal, it gets hard to put time into the writing.

Anyhow, here goes 2010-2011...

Kids are Back in School and it is Quiet...

The kids went back to school on Wednesday. The first day was pretty busy as I had some running around to do during the day with Mark's court thing and getting photocopies made for the callbacks for Much Ado. Thursday was also a write off because I was so tired from being out so late after the call backs for the deliberations. I slept quite late on Thursday after making the lunches and packing the backpacks. Today I finally 'used' my day without kids home. I did a little organizing and finally cleaned my kitchen floor. It has needed a good wash for a couple of weeks and other than sweeping and spot cleaning, I haven't had time to really clean it. Of course, that meant that Gibson would spill a full glass on it at supper time, but it was only water so that was lucky. I found a variety of fruit that needed to be thrown out and did so. I also did some running around errands in the morning. It was a good start to the school year.

I am anxious to see how my time is going to suss out this year. I have Child Check one day a week and my Theatre History class 3 days a week and I plan to do some work at the theatre in the daytime (especially painting). Mark is talking about me working at the store, but I am not sure how that would fit in. I still have so much work to get done around the house. I was looking forward to using this time to get things done that we have put off for 2-4 years and if all the time gets filled, I will feel as out of control with my household as I have for the last year. I made some good progress with purging early in the summer and I loved how that felt. I want more of that!

I also want to get in shape - both nutritionally and physically. If I run from thing to thing, that's not going to happen.

A little bit stir crazy...

I like it when I am busy, busy, busy. I think that is my preferred state of being. It gets challenging, because when I am busy it means I can't always do everything I'd like because of commitments and such, but I recognize it totally is my naturally preferred state of being. So, this summer, I deliberately took time off. I didn't enter anything for the Fringe. I turned down a couple of opportunities for the Fringe and I was determined to not do anything between Whorehouse and Rabbit Hole (other than normal AD duties). So here I am, anxiously awaiting Fringe because I need to be doing something and at least I can watch shows and enjoy them and be doing something. I do have a design meeting with my set designer next week for Rabbit Hole and that is exciting, but I am going a little crazy here. There are things I want to do around the house, but every time I start one I get interrupted repeatedly by the warring tribes of Oliver and Gibson. Next week when they are in camp I will get a better handle on those projects.

This is actually how I get over-committed. I get stir crazy and then I commit to multiple projects yet to start and then when they do I am swamped. I have to learn to wait it out, because in a few weeks school will start and so will my class at the Uni and we will have to get a move on with Rabbit Hole and the new season for Walterdale and it will all start rolling along.

The Decade in Theatre... First half anyhow...

I did a lot of theatre in the last 10 years. The most significant shift was that I started to write and actually got some plays produced (I have had 4 plays produced - the first in 2003). For me, the playwriting has been the absolute coolest development.

It's funny to think where I started off in the decade. 2000 was a tough year at work. I had shifted into sharing the drama position. It wasn't the sharing that was hard it was working with someone who was clearly unhappy about having to share. I dealt with so many behind the scenes digs and jabs to my self-esteem. They were always delivered behind the scenes and one-on-one and thankfully I had wonderful friends to help me through that year. I also had wonderful students and a great show to direct. I guess The Wiz and One Acts saved that year. Those and the fact I was finally pregnant. Now, 10 years later, it is strange to look back on that year and where I was emotionally with regards to theatre. Dealing with that situation has taught me a lot about how to deal with where I am now, so I guess it wasn't all bad. I also did Jesus Christ Superstar at Keyano. Mark was also in the show playing Pilate so that was nice. JCS was one of those amazing shows where you know it is phenomenal (even if you are dog tired from being pregnant).

You might think that the second half of 2001 would have been a slow year because I had a baby and all that, but being on maternity leave and running a drama program at a busy high school allowed me to get back onstage at Keyano. I played Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense, directed by Glenda Stirling and it was wonderful. First of all, I never thought I'd get that part, but it was the one I really wanted and second of all, that was such a wonderful group of women to work with (and Mike Eddy - Musical Director Extraordinaire!). A truly fabulous experience!

I returned to work in the fall of 2002 worried about my place in the department. I stuck to the One Acts and directed 3 shows, one of which (One Beautiful Evening) we took to Interplay as a fundraiser for the theatre department. The next year (2003) I stuck to the one acts at school, but I also wrote my first play, There's a Better Way, which was an anti-vandalism musical that toured all the grade 4-9s in the Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Very cool. It went up in early 2004. I also played Doreen in Girls in the Gang. It was performed in the Recital Theatre and replaced the small ensemble course at the college that year. Directed by Laura Glover. It was a bit uneven but wonderful music and the first time I really got to act with Russell Thomas. We had been in shows together before but never in any scenes together. He was a delight to act with. He was always very present. In the summer, 7 months pregnant, I stage managed and designed Jewel for Interplay, featuring Anne Marie Szucs, after her return from all her work in Vancouver. Designing was fun and confirmed for me that I could do it.

Gibson was born in the Fall of 2004, so instead of doing anything myself, I let Mark audition for the first Interplay Dinnerplay show and even took a six week old Gibson to the show. He nursed and slept through the whole thing. In the Spring of 2005 I got my chance to direct the Interplay dinner theatre, The Owl and the Pussycat, and worked with the fabulous Lisa Ruelling and Charissa Tremblay as designers. My cast, Anne Marie Szucs and John Gaunce, were great to work with and as this was my last show in Fort McMurray before the move to Edmonton, it was a good one to go out on.

Next ---> The second half of the decade - Hello Edmonton!

School Winter Concert

This past week we experienced the boy's school winter concerts. I had to go both nights, because their classes were scheduled on opposite evenings. Most parents only had to experience one evening of the *fun*. Now, I know my disappointment with the evenings has to do with my extensive performance and directing experience and the quality of the Christmas concerts that I saw in Fort McMurray. These did not quite measure up, but that's okay. Everyone had fun and the kids gave it their all. The gym set up is imperfect and the acoustics suck so you can't do much with that. I don't quite understand why all the classes sing along to a recording (including vocal track). Yes, I know the music teacher can't play piano and conduct at the same time, but why not a karaoke track so we can hear the kids, not the vocal track? Oh well, I would do it differently. Some of the parents are up in arms because the focus is more secular than spiritual, but it's a public school so that doesn't bother me. There are Christian programs (LOGOS) in the Public system and you can always go to the Catholic system if that's what you want. Our school is 1/4 Muslim and unless you are going to also include religious songs from their faith (as well as any other faiths in the building, as I am sure there are others) then secular is the way to go. I personally think that they could just find good songs for kids to sing (not rewritten words to Christmas Carols like "Joy to the World, My Shopping's Done") and that would be better. The end song that the whole school sang along to, Sarah McLachlan's Ordinary Miracle is a good example. Just a good song that shows us whether or not the kids can sing. Anyhow, I am not upset about the lack of Christ in the Christmas Concert (they call it a Winter Concert).

I was upset, however, at the impossibly bad manners of the parents and grandparents in the audience. There were people saving an entire row of seats so that people who arrived before those who sat were standing room only at the back. I can understand saving a seat for your spouse, but not for your spouse, 2 sets of grandparents and a couple of aunts and uncles! Ridiculous. Then there were those camera jockeys who would stand up, either in their row or in the aisle and block the audience from seeing the concert so they could get a picture of their child. I would have liked to see Gibson's group, but the mass of picture takers blocked most of the performance. There were also unattended children up and down and moving all over the place during the show, during performances and between. And then there were the talkers. Right behind me, both evenings, I had people chatting when their children were not onstage. Excuse me?! I am here to hear everyone, and I didn't talk through your child's performance so shut the @$%@$ up! I left Tuesday night so annoyed. Wednesday was better, but only just barely. I was appalled and am certainly not looking forward to future concerts unless the behaviour of the audience improves.

Read-In Week

Today I went into the school and read in both my boys' classrooms for Read-In Week. I had a lot of fun and I liked being in the classrooms to get a sense of the classroom culture. I am so far please with this year's school. Gibson has adjusted quite well to Kindergarten and Oliver really seems to have settled down this year. I think he is developing the maturity I have been hoping for over the past few years. This week, Oliver did his homework (correctly) on the bus every day so that he had no homework to do at the table before 'fun time'. Nothing like hearing "I did all my work on the bus, Mom" to make a Mom happy! I spoke to Oliver's teacher about coming in later in the year about reading (she asked me, actually - I guess she liked my funny voices) and I hope to visit Gib's class again. This is one of the reasons I am 'home' - so that I can be that parent volunteer and really connect to their educational journey.

No Halloween at School this Year

I received a message from a fellow school parent this morning. Apparently Halloween dress-up has been cancelled. She was quite upset about this, because Halloween is her favorite holiday and she wants it to be the same experience for her children. She asked the school office about it and was told "More kids don't dress up, than do..." so her perception was that certain populations in the school were dictating the abolishment of the Halloween tradition. I told her I would write to the school principal to find out if this was the case. Halloween falls on a Saturday and apparently there is no school on the 30th (Friday) so the 29th was to be a dress in orange and black day. I have worked in schools so I figured there was more to it. This is the official response from the principal:

Since Halloween does not happen until Saturday, October 31 and there is no school for students on Friday, October 30 a decision was made by staff to have an orange/black theme day on Thursday, October 29th. Here is our rationale:
* minimize the disruption to learning and teaching
* meet the needs of a very diverse population
* minimize the cost to parents
* health and safety

Halloween is a tradition that can be maintained and promoted by families since the activity, dressing up and trick or treating, associated with it needs to be within the parent control.

I figured there was more to it than my friend was told and I think the front office should be careful about how they respond as their information was not really the official reason. I also wrote back to the Principal to indicate that the school might want to get something out to parents post-haste as all that is flying around out there is rumour and indignation. I also suggested she reassure people that when Halloween falls on a weekday that the custom of dress up will be re-instated.

People are emotionally attached to their traditions. You cannot just take them away. Already the Christmas Concert is a "Winter Concert" with no religious songs and this bothers some people. I am okay with that. I understand that with a school whose population is 1/4 Muslim, you cannot expect to sing religious songs (but I do like a good Silent Night or Oh Holy Night). Halloween, however, is not a religious festival but is more a cultural festival. It's fun and does not dictate doctrine or belief. Cancelling it will create a bigger rift between different populations in the school, so hopefully it is reinstated in 2011 when it next falls on a weekday. Traditions are important to people and when you monkey around with them, you create animosity. Not a good thing.

School's Out... Now What?

Oliver finished up on Friday and Gibson had his last day of daycare on Thursday. They both came home with memory books that I will put away in their treasure boxes and then I will cull the rest of the detritus from the bottom of their backpacks. Crafts are lovely in the moment, but I don't want to be carting around 5 billion pastel crayon, macaroni pictures! The sugar cube pyramid will stay but only as long as it stays secure from vermin. Anyhow, I feel a paper purge coming on! I think they both had good years. The Division I reporting system is a bit annoying. If the chart is to be believed then the Descriptor "Work meets acceptable standard" is only 50-64% or a C. If the "Work exceeds the acceptable standard" it is equivalent to a 65-79% or a B. This doesn't make much sense to me and I think that it is the fault of the chart. I will be talking to the teachers next year about this and where I expect Oliver to be. If he is achieving below an A level I will be ticked off. We are talking about a kid who could read at age 4.

A few hours this morning reassured me that my plans for a YMCA Camp for both boys next week is a good thing. I have also registered them in soccer for the following two weeks, but those are shorter, 1 hour a day, 4 day camps. I like the City Soccer camps because they provide for a guaranteed 2 hours of activity for each boy, separate from each other and the only cost $10 a week. So I get 32 hours of activity for $40 (it is actually 64 hours, because while one boy is in the camp the other is playing in the park, but I have to watch whichever boy is in the park). Anyhow, it suits me, because the boys get some structured play with kids other than themselves but they don't have to be away for the whole day. They need some break over the summer, right? Oliver's YMCA camp is a Swim Combo, so I hope they push him a little with that. He'd rather just play and goof off in the water and I want him to gain some skills. I wish there were more short camps for the older kids. Most of the city camps are full day. I can get Gibson into some half day camps but you really have to hunt the brochure for convenient ones. July is pretty much worked out and I will take some time later to look into August.

Bill 44 - Scary Stuff...

If I think too much about Bill 44 my stomach gets upset. I taught for 14 years. The bulk of my teaching over the course of those 14 years was Science, Drama and Math. The first two subjects would know doubt have landed me in hot water if Bill 44 went through as proposed.

I faced questions about creationism routinely when teaching high school science. I believe I dealt with those questions respectfully, but also within the curriculum and within the scope of the current scientific thought. I did say that I did not believe in Creationism, however, I would also say that I believed the bible to be allegorical. That God created us with complex minds that could understand that the story of creation was interpretive and 'who knows how long a day is to God'? I trust the Scientific Method. It's primary tenet is that you question everything. That you never trust that what you have is absolute, but that you challenge your belief so that you can minimize doubt and push the development of scientific thought further. I far prefer a doctrine that has this rigorous attitude than one that prevents change in thought. Subscribing our scientific thought to a belief system that is over 2000 years old is idiotic. There, I've said it. Stupid. An education system should not be encouraging students to be stupid. It should be pushing them to question everything.

I also faced many questions about homosexuality while teaching science and drama (and occasionally in the other subjects too). I would not ignore those questions because someone in the class might have a religious belief that promoted hatred towards homosexuals. I could not do that. I couldn't pretend that it didn't exist just to make some people's parents happy. That is wrong. Those estimated 10% of my students that happen to be gay deserved to be seen and be equal.

I am extremely disturbed by this proposed legislation. I don't think it will pass and I will march in protest if it looks anywhere close to passing. What disturbs me is that our 'leaders' brought this forward. My stomach is upset. What kind of hateful morons do we have in charge? Because you have to be either hateful or stupid to believe that Bill 44 has any legitimacy in our society.

Bus Blues...

So today the driver would not let Oliver on the bus. Not on the list, she said. Alright - perhaps there was an error. Mark took Ollie to school. I got on the phone. I spent 1/2 hour to 45 minutes on hold with Briggs and then phoned the School Board and left a message. I then called the school itself. It seems we were not alone. There were 4 of us who registered late, but were told that the child was on the route - no problem - BUT Briggs apparently could not accommodate the kids at this time... not until the 17th of September. Okay, fine, they have a route issue... WHY NOT INFORM THE SCHOOL?, THE PARENTS?, THE SCHOOL BOARD? Why just have the bus driver be kind of rude and say 'no'? We were lucky. Mark took Oliver to school and just didn't get the early start to the day that he planned. Lucky it wasn't Tuesday.

So, after all the calls we got a short term solution. The school pays for a cab for the 4 of us until they are allowed on the bus. We only need the cab on Tuesdays so we will drive the other days. Thankfully one of the other mothers will let me drop Ollie off at their house on Tuesdays so I can get to class on time. All that work arranging for a last minute screw up... Bites my butt!

Anyhow, Gibson started Big Boy Pre-School today and he loved it. He ate all his snack and did the songs and dances and played well. Yay! I went to the Circuit work-out and had to stop halfway through because I felt like I was going to faint and/or throw-up. Guess it's not a great idea to workout like that the day after giving blood. I am still a little woozy, but better for having had lunch.

First Day of School...

Today Oliver starts grade 2 and I do my registration for my return to University. The lunches are packed, the hair is combed and the teeth are brushed. We are early because normally Oliver will be getting on the bus so I wanted to be sure I could get it done by the right time. It is nice to have this little bit of time before we go. Gibson has decided he will fuss about going to daycare (3rd day in a row) but I am not reacting to it as I know him and I know that he is trying to see if a little fussing will get him out of it. Hopefully that will stop soon.

I am excited.

Oliver has been expressing a dislike for school, but further questioning has determined it is because he doesn't like the fact that he can't play DS or computer games at school. Those are not reasons I am prepared to give much weight to. I am anxious to find out which of the two classes he is in. Last Spring M. Alyre said he was in the straight 2. Last week they said he was in the split. It is quite possible it could go either way. I am personally not sure which is the best place for him.

Back to School Time...

I now have everything arranged for 'back to school'. I never heard back from the Before School Care place, despite going in twice and speaking to 2 different people. I also didn't get the best feeling about the place (noisy, disorganized, funny smell...) so I started to look for another option. I started to think about the bus for Oliver and I investigated and that is what we are doing. The benefits are a consistent start time in the morning (Mark will drop off on his days and he will get to work earlier), way cheaper (French Immersion is a 'special program' not offered at my community school so the bus rate is about 1/2 what you would regularly pay), and I can still pick Oliver up after school. I think Tuesdays will still be tight for travel time, but I will make it work (somehow!).

I am also lining up what I want to be doing this Fall. There seems to be so many opportunities and unfortunately talking about possibilities with friends has leaked things out to people who may want me (I was approached by an ELOPE Board member with an 'I heard you were interested...') and I am not sure exactly what I want to be doing. I wish all the offers came at the same time... but they trickle in and you have to decide on one before you get the next and then if that's what you'd rather be doing you are stuck unless you want to be super-busy. I have a few Boards to decide on, and I am waiting to hear about helping with an Independent Production and I am meeting to see about how I could contribute to ArtStart. I am also starting the University course and I really want to get in shape, eat better and WRITE (alone and with AM). The good thing is, I am planning it out. I have a weekly schedule started and I am looking at how it all fits together. Maybe it is a good thing that the boys are on wait lists for swimming at the YMCA... Two less things to worry about...

Parenthood Blues...

It's a real struggle trying to do this job. You do what you think is right and you find things working for you at home and then you find out it isn't working at school. You want to be able to send your kid out into the world and have them function the way they do when you are around... but they don't, not always, not with my kid.

I am at a loss. Other than attending school with him, I am not sure what I can do.

Another Week...

I had a relatively busy week. I have done some work on Crimes of the Heart. I met with my Assistant Director and more audition requests have trickled in. I hope I don't have too many "drop ins" because most of the early slots have 5 people in them already and it screws with your time to accommodate an extra person. That's not fair to those who did it the right way.

Challenges for Oliver in school again. All three incidents have been with the same boy. From the descriptions of the events I think the other kid verbally instigates the fight and then because Oliver has trouble managing his anger he hits when he can't solve it with words. Oliver is quite honest in his re-telling and he doesn't come out looking like an angel so I have a little bit of faith in this. The problem is, because Oliver hits first he gets the more severe punishment. It doesn't seem like anything is being done with the other kid and I can't really ask because I should just worry about my own child. I have expressed concern that it always seems to be the same kid. If another incident happens and its the same kid I will push for a stronger intervention. With Oliver being at least half a head taller than most of the kids in his class I worry someone is going to get hurt. Also, because he perceives the other kid is lying in the re-telling of events he is starting to think that if you don't want to get in trouble you just lie.

Back to the gym this week for Drop-In Classes at the YMCA. I can feel my obliques. I am hoping to get there 3 days this week. Gib still fusses at babysitting but I know he is doing it to see if he can make me stay - not because he is really upset. Something weird at the Friday session. The instructor gave out "prizes" to 2 people who she felt really gave it their all. I didn't like this. Partly because I was going as hard as I could but my fitness level is not the same as many of the others in the group and partly because I was in the same "section" as one of the winners and she stopped doing the circuit at the '5 seconds left' count every single time. I went to 1 so I know. It is hard enough for me to go when I know I have to make adjustments due to my fitness level and I feel like a loser for that, but then to add a competitive thing on top of that it just makes me go back to grade 10 gym class all over again. Hmmm. Maybe I'd fell differently if I'd won.