And so it goes
OK, and so it goes….
While my candle is busy burning from the inside out, apparently all of formerly frozen tundra Siberia is melting.
Due to global warming, of course.
I heard this all on NPR as I was “racing” home (difficult to do during stand-still rush hour traffic) to pick up my older son from football practice. He finished early, at around 6, which is the time I get off work, and he couldn’t understand why it would take me another half hour or so to get there.
He’s a bright kid. He’s in Honors Algebra II Extravaganza Super Duper Deluxe. Surely, he can figure it out. I mean, it’s not like it was one of those relativity problems.
Considering I was 30-45 minutes away – when there is NO traffic – I felt little sympathy for his impatience. It is not MY fault he finished early. And I cannot control rush hour traffic. I know, I know, hard to believe!
Last Thursday night was the High School Open House. Since I had never really BEEN inside the high school before, except to a few band/choral concerts in the auditorium AND because my child was a freshman – i.e., new to the high school -- I decided it might be a good idea to go and check it out. The high school, I mean. The Open House ran from 6:30-8:30 pm. I managed to leave work a little bit early so I could get there in time, and then I had to “report” to the auditorium for a briefing and to receive my child’s schedule. We were supposed to follow our children’s schedules (albeit in short ten minute blocks). So, there I was humping up and down three flights of stairs trying to find all of his classrooms. It was hot, it was crowded, but I was immensely relieved to know that my son must be receiving at least a minimal aerobics work-out each day as he ping pongs back and forth between floors one, two, and three – and the basement. I know he had Band down there somewhere. It was dungeonesque.
Amidst the throngs of parents, I spotted moms I actually knew, women I knew from the Middle School or from my own parental/mom activities, and it was kind of reassuring. Spotting a friendly face now and again, managing to sit with someone I knew in a classroom or two, getting in trouble for talking or not paying attention… that sort of thing.
I was rather stunned by some of the parents’ questions. Quite frankly, I think these people need to take huge mega chill pills, kind of like those newfangled gigantic M&M things. I mean, puhleeze! Come on! These people were totally deranged.
The math teacher showed how she posted homework for the whole week on Monday, so students would know ahead of time what would be due that week.
One deranged parent: “Couldn’t you post homework even further ahead of time so my child can work ahead faster?”
HELLO!!!!???? NO. OK. The answer is no.
Period.
Either your kid is a total geek -- or, more likely, YOU are! YOU, YOU, YOU! Your kid does not need to work ahead of the week ahead. He or she just needs to get his/her work done on time. OK? Fine? Happy?
Nah. Didn’t think so.
Second deranged parent: “If my child works ahead, does that mean he will have to teach himself the material?”
HELLOOOOOOO!!!!??????
What planet do you live on??????????
Obviously, if your little genius kid wants to work ahead, he is going to have to teach himself from the book. Duh.
No. We will send special one-on-one tutors to your home so your kid can work at his own pace and finish Algebra II Hoity Toity Special Supreme I’m a Fricking Genius by October 1st.
I mean, YELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who ARE these alien pod people????????????
Doesn’t childhood go by fast enough???? Aren’t these poor kids going to be exactly where we are soon enough???? Can’t they just be kids while they are kids?????
Yeah, sure, I think they should go to school and be challenged and do their homework (although even the value of THAT seems to be in question now according to the CBS Morning Show experts!) and learn and become good citizens yada yada yada. But, for goodness sake, they are KIDS!!!! Let them be kids while they can.
Before they find themselves as grownups who never have enough time in their days and whose candles are melting from the inside out faster than they can say “Edna St. Vincent Millay!” and they can never pick their kids up on time because like the world exists and shit happens.
While my candle is busy burning from the inside out, apparently all of formerly frozen tundra Siberia is melting.
Due to global warming, of course.
I heard this all on NPR as I was “racing” home (difficult to do during stand-still rush hour traffic) to pick up my older son from football practice. He finished early, at around 6, which is the time I get off work, and he couldn’t understand why it would take me another half hour or so to get there.
He’s a bright kid. He’s in Honors Algebra II Extravaganza Super Duper Deluxe. Surely, he can figure it out. I mean, it’s not like it was one of those relativity problems.
Considering I was 30-45 minutes away – when there is NO traffic – I felt little sympathy for his impatience. It is not MY fault he finished early. And I cannot control rush hour traffic. I know, I know, hard to believe!
Last Thursday night was the High School Open House. Since I had never really BEEN inside the high school before, except to a few band/choral concerts in the auditorium AND because my child was a freshman – i.e., new to the high school -- I decided it might be a good idea to go and check it out. The high school, I mean. The Open House ran from 6:30-8:30 pm. I managed to leave work a little bit early so I could get there in time, and then I had to “report” to the auditorium for a briefing and to receive my child’s schedule. We were supposed to follow our children’s schedules (albeit in short ten minute blocks). So, there I was humping up and down three flights of stairs trying to find all of his classrooms. It was hot, it was crowded, but I was immensely relieved to know that my son must be receiving at least a minimal aerobics work-out each day as he ping pongs back and forth between floors one, two, and three – and the basement. I know he had Band down there somewhere. It was dungeonesque.
Amidst the throngs of parents, I spotted moms I actually knew, women I knew from the Middle School or from my own parental/mom activities, and it was kind of reassuring. Spotting a friendly face now and again, managing to sit with someone I knew in a classroom or two, getting in trouble for talking or not paying attention… that sort of thing.
I was rather stunned by some of the parents’ questions. Quite frankly, I think these people need to take huge mega chill pills, kind of like those newfangled gigantic M&M things. I mean, puhleeze! Come on! These people were totally deranged.
The math teacher showed how she posted homework for the whole week on Monday, so students would know ahead of time what would be due that week.
One deranged parent: “Couldn’t you post homework even further ahead of time so my child can work ahead faster?”
HELLO!!!!???? NO. OK. The answer is no.
Period.
Either your kid is a total geek -- or, more likely, YOU are! YOU, YOU, YOU! Your kid does not need to work ahead of the week ahead. He or she just needs to get his/her work done on time. OK? Fine? Happy?
Nah. Didn’t think so.
Second deranged parent: “If my child works ahead, does that mean he will have to teach himself the material?”
HELLOOOOOOO!!!!??????
What planet do you live on??????????
Obviously, if your little genius kid wants to work ahead, he is going to have to teach himself from the book. Duh.
No. We will send special one-on-one tutors to your home so your kid can work at his own pace and finish Algebra II Hoity Toity Special Supreme I’m a Fricking Genius by October 1st.
I mean, YELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who ARE these alien pod people????????????
Doesn’t childhood go by fast enough???? Aren’t these poor kids going to be exactly where we are soon enough???? Can’t they just be kids while they are kids?????
Yeah, sure, I think they should go to school and be challenged and do their homework (although even the value of THAT seems to be in question now according to the CBS Morning Show experts!) and learn and become good citizens yada yada yada. But, for goodness sake, they are KIDS!!!! Let them be kids while they can.
Before they find themselves as grownups who never have enough time in their days and whose candles are melting from the inside out faster than they can say “Edna St. Vincent Millay!” and they can never pick their kids up on time because like the world exists and shit happens.
posted by delta at 9:23 PM
2 Comments:
sad to say, i am experiencing some similar-like pod people in fricking KINDERGARTEN.
oh, and yet? When these same kids get to COLLEGE, as we well know, they are not smart enough to know how to do....much at all, frankly.
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