I'm really trying to not be THAT mother. You know, the one that complains because her kid didn't get the same amount of playing time as another kid, or the mother that thinks the teachers are working the kids too hard. I'm trying...I'm really trying... BUT I'm also really concerned that my daughter isn't in a good fostering a love for school and learning type environment.
I'm really conflicted. One one hand you will deal with people your entire life that you don't always necessarily get along with, and i recognize that its a good life lesson to encounter all different types of people and personalities. However; shouldn't a teacher, ya know...umm...LIKE KIDS?!
Trying to be open and not emotional about this here, but I'm really considering taking her out of kindergarten before finishing the year. Please tell me if I'm crazy and irrational....
So, just a few examples:
1) This teacher is wayyyy different than me and i feel at times like she almost bullies the kids and is negatively influencing my child. A few weeks ago i came to pick her up and she showed me all the bunnies that they decorated hanging on the wall. The first thing she pointed out was "Look at this one mommy...Lucas did a SLOPPY job!" ummm.....WOAHHHHHH! Those arent my words, THAT is not being taught at home. I feel like a good part of my day i spend un-doing what she is learning at school. We talk about how everyone is different and how art is different to every person, and that its important to try hard and do your best but we NEVER put down someone else's work.
2) Munchkin has said that the teacher has "grabbed her arm," "thrown her notebook on the ground" and told some of the other kids that her "M's look like birds" because she wasn't writing them correctly. I've spoken to the teacher about several of these things and i keep getting a spin on it, like munchkin didn't interpret it correctly, or that the teacher was joking and has a funny sense of humor. hmmm...
3) (out comes the obnoxious mother). The teachers has gold coins for the kids. They have a reward system solely based on doing work correctly. When they reach 10 check marks they get a gold coin. Its the end of March and muchkin has never gotten a gold coin. About a month ago she had 7, but didn't pick up after herself when she was playing with some toys and all her check marks were taken away. It makes me really sad, and i dont want her to feel bad about herself as she is seeing all these other kids getting coins. I mean for the love of god, give her a fucking coin at least once in the school year!
I don't know, am i crazy? Is there a positive spin on these things that I'm just not seeing?
Lastly, out of the 12 kids in her class munchkin is at the very bottom. I know this, she knows this, the other kids know this. Her teacher actually told her last week (TOLD HER, NOT ME) that she was afraid that she was going to "drown in first grade." She is the youngest in the class and will just turn 6 at the end of June, but not only that....THIS is an example of her weekly spelling words:
bump
camp
cap
clap
crop
cup
damp
drip
drop
dump
flip
flop
help
hop
lamp
lap
lip
lollipop
lump
map
nap
pan
pants
pat
pen
peg
pest
pet
picnic
pig
pin
plan
planet
plant
plastic
plug
plum
plus
pond
pot
pop
puff
pump
pup
puppet
rip
ramp
scraps
sip
slip
snap
spend
spin
spot
stamp
stop
stump
tap
tip
top
problem
Am i the only one that thinks this is absolutely ridiculous?! 61 freakin words every single week for a 5 year old?!
Damn, i mean i want my kids to reach their full potential, but more than that i want them to be HAPPY and feel good about themselves and enjoy the things they are doing. I see a little girl that is stressed all the time, never wants to go to school, and feels bad about herself because she sits and does remedial work while the other kids get to play outside. I dont know what to do.
So help! Either talk me down or tell me that my mommy instincts are right.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
They have eggs and milk in THAT?!
For the last few years i have toyed back and forth with trying out a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I hate thinking about the way the animals that will eventually become our food are kept. So, its just been easier not to think about it, and not think about the horrible life that they live before ultimately being slaughtered and becoming a cheap 99 cent cheese burger. For meat prices to be affordable corners have to be cut, and unfortunately its with the animal, and ultimately OUR health.
I'm a picky eater, i always have been, but especially about meat. And again, its often easier not to think about it, OR LOOK AT IT, to get me over the intrusive thoughts that start pouring in. I love to cook, i really do, but doing anything with meat always just makes me feel nauseous. The other night i was cutting chicken and as always i took off the skin, then the fat, then the cartilage piece that holds the breasts together, then i cut off any little piece of blood and veins and anything that reminds me of how my body is held together inside. Eventually i give up on the veins and go back in my little "I love fried meat" bubble to forget about all the veins that are still there.
But whats left? Not much actual meat to be eaten. It drives Dave nuts over how much meat i always throw out, and as someone who really is bothered by the inhumane treatment of these very animals i end up feeling like i am contributing to the waste of these lives. And i am.
So, I'm just going to stop. For 2 weeks anyway, and give eating Vegan a real go. I'm going to give it 2 weeks and see how i feel. A few of my girlfriends have become vegan for the last 9 months....and they look AMAZING! Both of them have lost a bunch of weight, tell me that they have so much more energy and just feel so good. I've decided to try it, and at the very least this will give me the chance to actually learn how to cook things like lentils, beans, tofu and all those foods that have always intimidated me (and that i have never had!)
Today was day one, and also conveniently our grocery shopping day. We had absolutely nothing in the house for breakfast that would work....so i just had a granola bar while the kids and Dave ate eggs. It was over a 90 min shopping trip where i looked at hundreds of labels and have come to the conclusion that there is eggs and milk in EVERYTHING! Seriously, even in the frozen veggie section there was not one veggie package that did not have one or both ingredients. Why the hell is there milk in frozen green bean almondine?! I of course also learned that the granola bar i had for breakfast had milk and eggs in it too - Fail # 1.
I really want to do this right, so i would appreciate any advice or thoughts on how to eat a healthy balanced Vegan diet. I'm already taking a multivitamin, and I'm especially concerned about getting enough calcium and vitamin D, as I'm breastfeeding. I'm really trying to avoid just eating pasta and red sauce for the next 2 weeks, so i'll be posting my meal menu every day to help keep me accountable. I'd love your feedback!
Thanks, Erin
Day 1
Breakfast: Mocha Granola Bar* had milk and eggs in it.
Snack: Craisins
Lunch: Avacado and carrot sushi rolls. They were from market basket though, big mistake, and were pretty bad. Had 3 of them. Also ate Edamame....was still starving and had a big peanut butter sandwich.
Snack
Dinner
I'm a picky eater, i always have been, but especially about meat. And again, its often easier not to think about it, OR LOOK AT IT, to get me over the intrusive thoughts that start pouring in. I love to cook, i really do, but doing anything with meat always just makes me feel nauseous. The other night i was cutting chicken and as always i took off the skin, then the fat, then the cartilage piece that holds the breasts together, then i cut off any little piece of blood and veins and anything that reminds me of how my body is held together inside. Eventually i give up on the veins and go back in my little "I love fried meat" bubble to forget about all the veins that are still there.
But whats left? Not much actual meat to be eaten. It drives Dave nuts over how much meat i always throw out, and as someone who really is bothered by the inhumane treatment of these very animals i end up feeling like i am contributing to the waste of these lives. And i am.
So, I'm just going to stop. For 2 weeks anyway, and give eating Vegan a real go. I'm going to give it 2 weeks and see how i feel. A few of my girlfriends have become vegan for the last 9 months....and they look AMAZING! Both of them have lost a bunch of weight, tell me that they have so much more energy and just feel so good. I've decided to try it, and at the very least this will give me the chance to actually learn how to cook things like lentils, beans, tofu and all those foods that have always intimidated me (and that i have never had!)
Today was day one, and also conveniently our grocery shopping day. We had absolutely nothing in the house for breakfast that would work....so i just had a granola bar while the kids and Dave ate eggs. It was over a 90 min shopping trip where i looked at hundreds of labels and have come to the conclusion that there is eggs and milk in EVERYTHING! Seriously, even in the frozen veggie section there was not one veggie package that did not have one or both ingredients. Why the hell is there milk in frozen green bean almondine?! I of course also learned that the granola bar i had for breakfast had milk and eggs in it too - Fail # 1.
I really want to do this right, so i would appreciate any advice or thoughts on how to eat a healthy balanced Vegan diet. I'm already taking a multivitamin, and I'm especially concerned about getting enough calcium and vitamin D, as I'm breastfeeding. I'm really trying to avoid just eating pasta and red sauce for the next 2 weeks, so i'll be posting my meal menu every day to help keep me accountable. I'd love your feedback!
Thanks, Erin
Day 1
Breakfast: Mocha Granola Bar* had milk and eggs in it.
Snack: Craisins
Lunch: Avacado and carrot sushi rolls. They were from market basket though, big mistake, and were pretty bad. Had 3 of them. Also ate Edamame....was still starving and had a big peanut butter sandwich.
Snack
Dinner
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