School Has Started and Already the Problems Have Begun

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me frustrated as all get out! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school. I admit I was about as frustrated and confused as he was. The school year had just started and he was already upset. What was going to happen months from now?

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside.

Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me hopping mad! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school.

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside. Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me hopping mad! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school.

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside. Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me hopping mad! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school.

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside. Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me hopping mad! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school.

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside. Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.

I don't know about other parents these days but the changes in our schools in the last five years has me hopping mad! I have just returned from yet another trip to school to find out what is going on with my son's 2^nd grade teacher and this is only the second week of classes!

It all started when the kids were so excited about going back to school. You remember how it was....new backpacks, lunch boxes with their favorite superheros on the front to compare and all those fantastic new school supplies to check out and admire! It was the perfect idea of heaven for these kids, at least until the second day of school when things began to tighten down discipline wise.

Now don't get me wrong. I know all too well that teachers must get the kids on task and begin to teach sometime. After all that's what school is for. But for Pete's sake, these kids are only 7 and 8 years old and are so excited about seeing old friends and making new that they can't contain their enthusiasm.

And that's where the problem began. My son and some of his best buddies began to compare their "way cool" pencils (which BTW, you now have to send fully sharpened and labeled with your child's name on them....EVERYTHING must be labeled, try that with a box of 64 crayons, talk about a pain in the kiester!) But I digress. They began to talk and instead of smiling and understanding that these are best buds for life, the teacher began to belittle the kids, telling them to "grow up", "be quiet" and even threatening to take away their recess if they didn't behave like "little missy in the front row".

If that wasn't bad enough, she spent the rest of the day, shooting hate stares at my son and his friends. She kept them in from recess and embarrassed them to death. My son came home in tears and I immediately called this woman to find out what had upset him so much in the first couple days of school.

When questioned later she replied, "my classroom will behave at all times. I cannot concentrate with a noisy environment!" Good grief! We are talking about kids that are barely old enough to reach the drinking fountain without standing on their "tippy toes", we are talking about kids that still find joy in sidewalk chalk and jungle gyms. We are not talking about high school kids or even kids in the upper grades of elementary school. She cannot expect these kids to sit in their chairs like a line of gingerbread cookies, waiting for some to bite them with learning. Life isn't that way!

I realize we are having an all time low when it comes to standardized test scores but can't we learn from kids attitudes and joy about life? It seems to me that if we rode the merry go round more often or climbed on the monkey bars maybe silence in the classroom wouldn't' seem to be of such importance. And maybe we'd learn that some of the best learning isn't in the classroom but is in life itself outside the schoolhouse doors and where no chalk boards reside. Maybe, just maybe, then we would understand that friendship is important no matter what the age and that stifling it with these young kids may harm them later in life. And, that cookie cutter classrooms are a thing of the past and that a caring child is the hope of the future. I would like to say that is so, but unfortunately I'm afraid it is not, at least not in my town or in my son's school and that is really a shame.