If you're just now thinking about what plans to make for your child's Spring Break - you're a little late.
In Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, public schools are in recess March 14 - March 18.
I was chatting with a co-worker who is still considering options - including taking the week off to be with her daughter and participate in a swimming program.
But for many parents, that's not a possibility.
In the past - I've enrolled my kid in tennis camp, martial arts and general park camps. He's spent school day holidays at a science museum; taking swimming lessons; and with family.
Depending on the child's age - parents of pre-K and early elementary age children might not want them in camps that go on field trips - or emphasize day-long outdoor activities.
But a half-day camp could be a problem for parents who lack transportation or flexibility with work and bosses.
Network with other parents of children who attend your child's pre-K/ elementary- or middle school. Ask where their kid is going to spend spring break. See if you can partner up on transportation and other resources.
South Florida has a wealth of venues and activities for kids of all ages.
Check out our own South Florida Parenting for its camp guide; and each issue is chockablock full of activities and resources for kids.
Admittedly, most people have moved on and are already planning on what to do with their kids for the summer break. And most camp ads are going to promote those programs.
So, are you still planning on planning what to do with you child for Spring Break? Then, what are you waiting for?
I don't know about you, but this video makes my blood boil. Granted you would have to be a Buddhist monk or a sadist to drive a busload of 6-year-old children around without losing your patience, but touching someone's child is completely unacceptable in my opinion. This man has no business being the only adult in charge of a group of small children. Luckily for the children in this Seattle area, he was placed on leave and subsequently resigned.
Your kid could cook up his or her own college fund with a vegan dish.
Who knew a couple of peas and carrots could add up to $5,000?
Well, it can – if your kid has the right ingredients.
Check out this opportunity: South Florida high school seniors in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties can enter the It’s Vegalicious Vegan Recipe Scholarship contest to win a $5,000 scholarship towards their college education.
I wish my son was a senior. I’d have him in the kitchen so fast. Actually, he’s a self-described foodie – and he enjoys the restaurant of contest sponsor, Sublime. Whole Foods is co-sponsor.
Fortunately, my son has a couple of years to practice before he qualifies to enter the contest: He’s already perfected a spaghetti sauce and he makes awesome black beans.
Fast forward, and our youth is but a blur, compared to our daily lives now full of responsibilities.
So why rush it, right?
But my son has the opportunity to participate in a dual enrollment program: College Academy – when he graduates high school, he will also have completed his first two years of college and graduate with an Associates of Arts college degree.
The program begins when he enters 11th grade. He'll be on a college campus where he will finish up high school and be a college student at the same time.
I think that’s awesome. I see more advantages than disadvantages.
I’m not pushing him either way on this decision. That’s because it will be on him to continue his good grades and be successful.
I’m not pushing him on the decision because he’ll be the one leaving some friends behind. Sure, he’ll make new ones: and some of his friends will also join the academy.
I’m not pushing him on the decision because still, there is that voice inside me that says he shouldn’t give up what he knows. He’ll give up becoming the big man on campus, and having the opportunity to mentor younger students… in addition to hanging with friends.
What do you think? Should kids stick with their high school programs? Should they leave college to the big boys and girls? Will it stunt his social growth? Will it short-change his youth?
It’s a wonderful crossroads to be at: it’s nice to be able to mull over opportunities.
We’ll be attending an open house, question and answers session next week. And some of his friends have already encouraged him to go for it.
Whether you find it controversial or revolutionary, the recent talk about the Chinese mother vs. the Western mother, fueled by the recent “Wall Street Journal” article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” and a “Today Show” segment on the topic, has been getting a lot of mothers — and fathers — talking.
Amy Chua, the article’s author, refers to “the term ‘Chinese mother’ loosely.” She includes mothers from other countries, such as Korea, India, Jamaica, Ireland and Ghana, as well. The same goes for Western mothers.
The claim is that Western mothers aren’t as strict as Chinese mothers — that they believe pushing their children academically isn’t good for their children, while Chinese mothers believe pushing their children is exactly what they need because children inherently don’t want to work on their own. Chinese mothers believe that something is not fun until success is achieved and that praise should not be given until this point. Chinese mothers believe that learning does not have to be fun.
Chua also claims that Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can’t. Her example was when her father called her “garbage” when she showed disrespect. Where Western mothers would be concerned this would damage their child’s self-esteem, Chua claims it did nothing of the sort. It instead made her feel shame for her actions.
Here’s another example from the article:
The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, “Hey fatty—lose some weight.” By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of “health” and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. (I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her “beautiful and incredibly competent.” She later told me that made her feel like garbage.)
Chua says Western parents have to deal with “their own conflicted feelings about achievement” and are “extremely anxious about their children’s self-esteem.”
As a mother of very young children, I have yet to experience the joys and trials of success in school and extracurricular activities, but the self-esteem issue has not been out of my sight. This is an issue for most Western mothers from the time their children are babies — not knowing how much praise to give infants for sitting up, clapping, eating and walking. I, for one, gushed over my son’s every new move as a baby; I just couldn’t help it. But self-esteem overload in children and teens is a different matter I have yet to tap into.
Chua says pushing your children past the “I just can’t do it” moments is key:
But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child’s self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there’s nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn’t.
What do you think? Is the Chinese method better, is the Western method better, or are there values in both?
I’m giving myself a little mid-term report card on how well I’m doing my part to get my kid up, out and to school on time.
I’d give myself a B.
And like it or not – getting kids off to school – no matter what grade they are in – is a team effort.
A few times – I’ve slept in – just enough to allow him some extra snooze time –I’ve driven him to school on those days rather than him ride the bus.
But so far this year, he’s never been late to school. That’s a feat – considering he has to be at the bus stop which I drive him to – by 6 a.m.
Since there are already passengers on the bus by the time he gets on – I know there are parents and kids starting their day much earlier than we start ours.
Part of the success is about my son getting to bed early enough to wake up before dawn. He has to have his backpack organized the night before.
I have to have a cup of coffee in the morning.
Do you have any tips or routines that ensure your brood gets to school on time? (you getting to work on time is a whole other matter!)
How do you rate your Get ‘Em to School on Time performance so far this year?
By Gretchen Day-Bryant September 10, 2010 06:00 AM
Teachers, this one is for you!
The Sun Sentinel's Newspapers in Education program is inviting 4th, 5th, and 6th grade educators to register for Publix’s Reading for Touchdowns. This 4-week program is designed to motivate students to read, and give them the chance to win great prizes!
Registration forms are available at www.SunSentinel.com/nie. Or attend a Fun Night at Dave and Busters in Hollywood or GameWorks in Miami to learn about the program, enjoy complimentary dinner, beverages and game play. There is no cost to participate in the program.
The two events (adults only) are as follows:
Tuesday, Sept. 14.4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Dave and Busters, Oakwood Plaza, 3000 Oakwood Blvd. in Hollywood. RSVP by Sunday.Call 954-923-5505 or email jacqueline_reissent@daveandbusters.com.
Wednesday, Sept. 15, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Gameworks Sunset Place, 5701 Sunset Dr., Miami. RSVP by Sunday. Call 305-667-4263 or email connie@aa.bz
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a parent to confess to helping a kid "too much" with homework? By that I mean you're doing the work while the kid is off watching the latest episode of So You Think America's Next Top Model Has Talent.
I got one local parent ready to fess up to having done it in the past, but this parent pretty much backed out of an interview at the last minute [at least, I think that's what happened. I never got a return call or an explanation, so it could have had nothing to do with me].
I got another parent to confess, again relegating his actions to ancient history, but he was not local. So despite the fact that lots of parents struggle with where to draw the line, not many appear willing to discuss it.
With the new school year comes an increase in activities – sports, clubs, extra classes and more – all requiring commitment.
But commitment requires time and focus – often more than any of us – or our children have.
One thing my own parents have always stressed to me is to back off on over-booking my kids’ time. In fact, the more activities I’d say my kids were up to – the more concerned my dad would be.
“Are you sure it’s her that wants to do all those things?” he asks. I’d have my daughter booked in all kinds of activates so really his comment doubled as a warning. He’s right – Father [always] knows best!
A GeekDad blog post pleads with parents to let kids have kid-hang-out-doing-nothing-time. That’s what my dad always stresses.
My son who is entering 10th grade this year – he’s sticking to tae kwon do – it’s the single outside of school commitment. My dad approves of that.
It creates a focus – he’s not flitting about town rushing to do the next thing – and neither am I.
Whether it’s you or your kid that is clamoring for more things to do beyond their schooling - how will you balance providing “opportunities” for your child to grow into well-rounded leaders?
How do you manage your child’s time - which also means managing yours too.
Will you let your kid say enough is enough? Or will you be the one to push the too-much-is-too-much brakes?
I was jolted yesterday when my 16-year-old told me we needed to buy a textbook for her AP Chemistry class.
Fortunately a used copy was only $5 at Amazon.com, plus $4 for shipping. But it was the first time we had been asked to buy our own textbook in our long public school career.
I know our South Florida school districts are experiencing severe budget problems. And we're not the only ones having to shell out money for public school costs. Parents in Chicago are spending several hundred dollars on their kids' texts. But this was the first time funding cuts like this have hit me personally.
A couple topics that always interest me are in the news: Whether high school should start later in the day and whether summer vacation hurts learning gains.
The answer to both is: Yes.
Science prevails on the side of a later starting hour for teens. My colleagues on our education blog recently posted on the topic.
And Time magazine has an intriguing story this week on the learning that's lost, particularly among low-income children, during summer recess.
What strikes me is that both situations are antiquated and certainly not child-centered. And yet, it's seemingly impossible to change these traditions.
Broward School Board member Stephanie Kraft commented that when changing school start times was proposed, students and parents rejected the idea, citing after school work and activity schedules, as well as child care for the youngest.
I don't buy that argument entirely because there's always a work-around. Sure, families would have to adjust, but don't we do that anyway with every new school year. People just don't like change. Why can't we start a little at a time? Start the shift, 15 or 30 minutes each year to high school starts later and elementary starts earlier.
It’s OK to “fight” for your identity – by developing a positive self-image.
That’s the message former WCW female wrestler, Ann-Marie Rae, will convey to a group of youth at a free event Wednesday July 28.
Known as “Midnight,” in the ring, the local entrepreneur and motivational speaker will share her philosophy with children and their parents at 7 p.m., at the Christ Community Church at 901 E. McNab Road in Pompano Beach.
Her presentation, geared primarily toward children entering middle school and older, will also feature some clips of her wrestling days.
Choosing sports as a way of being focused and active and working with local youth has long been a part of what defines Rae – before she became a professional wrestler, she worked at the North Lauderdale Boys & Girls Club and for Lauderhill Parks & Recreation.
Rae’s outline for children to build self-confidence: identify your strength and find a way to develop it. Envision your future. Forgive. Share your skills
It seems like sound advice– create an environment where one can grow to be well-rounded and confident. Sharing makes one’s world bigger. Forgiving allows us to move forward. And keeping an eye on what one wants to be with he or she grows up creates focus.
And it all takes a little of something Rae knows about – strength – of the mind kind.
For more information about her presentation call 954-943-3866.
Went on a quick shopping trip yesterday to grab up some school supplies for my son. The first day of public school in Broward County is Aug. 23.
But there are a lot of South Florida parents on top if it already - because the composition notebooks I intended to purchase were already sold out. So I ended up getting some essentials - but not many.
I've noticed - as he gets older and more connected to technology that he uses fewer pens and pencils. He goes through less notebook paper.
But we get him a new portable USB drive each year. And he uses more paper for the printer.
Still, he uses colored pencils for at least one or two assignments and still needs notebooks for each subject. There is always a glue stick around the house, and tape and a stapler.
When my son takes lunch to school - he brown bags it - so I don't have an excuse to get a cool lunch box.
Have you already filled your kids back back with tools for school? Or are you waiting for the last minute? Are you noticing that there are things you aren't buying? or not buying as much of as in past years?
Follow Cindy Kent on Twitter.com @mindingyourbiz Join her on Facebook at Cindy Kent Sun Sentinel
Can hardly believe that we've reached the end already. Seems like only yesterday that we were shopping for uniforms at Target. We were blessed with a wonderful teacher, and my daughter made many new friends which led to new friends for my wife and me as well. This school year was quite a wild ride.
My oldest has now "graduated" from kindergarten, and this year we passed the giant milestone of learning to read. We were worried that the summer break would put a halt to her learning curve, so we've put together a plan for the summer. Is this something your family does too?
We are blessed with a good friend who has just received her teacher's certification. The plan for the summer involves multiple moms and multiple lesson plans to keep the kid's brains absorbing as much knowledge as possible. Math is the biggest area of concern for our little one, but we want to make sure she keeps up with her reading too.
Don't think of us as being "no fun" kind of parents, because we have plenty of entertaining going on over the summer as well. However, this being the first real summer break (after Pre-K didn't feel this way) for one of my children really got me thinking about year-round schooling. Why don't we do this in the U.S.A.? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Teachers and administrators would work a full year, kids wouldn't go into a brain coma for 2 months, parents who work don't have to worry about shelling out for a summer camp or taking too much time off — why not?!?!
I decided to do a bit of research, and found this site from the National Association For Year-Round Education. This site is a bit dated, but contains loads of information and one study from Johns Hopkins which refers to the "Summer Learning Gap". The study shows a big gap between children of different economic levels in the first 9 years of schooling. So families who cannot afford to send their kids to summer camp and may have to have both parents work full time also are more likely to see their children fall behind because of it. This just seems plain wrong to me. Am I alone here?
The basic argument against a "balanced calendar" boils down to the need for older kids to work summer jobs to earn money for college. That's it, but it is a very valid argument in these tough economic times.
According to another article, our basic school calendar is largely the result of the outdated need for farmers to have their children on the farms during the growing season. Isn't it time for an update? Share your thoughts with us, and have a great summer!
A perk of the job is sometimes getting advance screenings of TV shows, and yesterday I got my hands on tonight's episode of "Glee" (thanks Tom Jicha!).
This is the hotly anticipated episode (titled "Dream On") with song-dance-and-magic-man Neil Patrick Harris as a rival of Glee coach Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison).
There is plenty to cheer in this episode (Aerosmith's "Dream On"! Men Without Hat's "Safety Dance"!!!!) but here's a heads up to anyone who thinks arts education is critical.
Take note of the back-and-forth between Harris' school board hatchet man and cheer coach Sue Sylvester. The whole exchange -- the whole show -- is a plea for arts and physical education. (Are you listening school boards and principals?)
Sure, it's a little like preaching to the glee club. Anyone who's a fan of "Glee" probably doesn't need to be persuaded. But when hit TV shows start preaching, maybe it will trickle down. We can dream....
"Glee" is on at 9 p.m., WSVN-Ch. 7 and WFLX-Ch. 29.
Mostly, you could say I was not nervous about the idea of high school... not as nervous as my parents were!
Many of my friends were either already at the high school I was going to go to, or were headed there for the first time along with me.
For me the biggest problem you could say is to stay on point until you get your work done. Then you can play!
A Brief Message to All Eighth Graders…
High school is a blast, and my freshman year has been fantastic, but the transition from junior high to high school can be difficult. Still, if I had been forewarned about certain aspects of school life, it would have been a smoother transition. Here are a few tips that I wish I had known as an incoming freshman.
First, do your homework right when you get home. (That means, listen to your parents!)
This might sound cheesy, but seriously don’t procrastinate; even if you have block scheduling, or your teacher allotted you multiple days to complete an assignment - do it at once. I have found this technique to be the most efficient in completing homework, sometimes I’ll forget or just slack off if I don’t live by this golden rule. I am not saying you cannot have a snack or something, just don’t start playing video games, etcetera.
Let’s see, another useful tip is to take all assignments seriously.
High school is where it really counts!
Depending on how well you do in high school will determine where you get your degree of higher education, if any. Colleges are very strict in terms of applicants accepted, thus you must perform to the best of your ability if you wish to get into your desired college - one’s degree of higher education is what qualifies them for their desired job.
Lastly, you all have probably already heard this, but I will reiterate it.
Teachers in high school are not as lenient as they are in junior high. If you have not learned to show some respect to your teachers yet, you better learn before the school year ends.
The teachers in a high school have trust that you will act mature on your own accord, and if you don’t - DETENTION!
Hope you will take my kid-to-kid advice into consideration.
- Thomas Kent
Thomas Kent, a student at South Broward High School, considers his first year as a high school student a success.
Face it: Cuts are coming to our kids' schools, and we aren't going to like it.
What I read and hear are a lot of ideas being floated. (Here's the latest Broward story.) And that's good. It sounds like district officials and board members and principals are considering any and everything, listening to all quarters, brainstorming and tweaking.
One way or another, the kids are going to get the short end of the stick. Teachers and others are going to lose their jobs, programs and services are going to be cut.
It's our responsibility as parents to learn and to understand. We'll have to make choices, too.
What are you willing to give up? Think about it, and let your school board member know.
Does your child ride the bus? What would happen if that wasn't available? Could you cope with that?
Is your child in a magnet school? How would you respond if the program were eliminated? Or moved to another location?
Is your child an artist? A musician? An athlete? How willing are you to help raise funds for those activities?
How would you manage if schools operated only four days a week? If you need child care, what would you do? Could you help other parents?
And if you're on Facebook, search for the group The School Board of Broward County Can Save Money By .... to share your ideas and see what others are talking about.
Last year, an infusion of federal money gave Florida schools some breathing room. We can't count on that happening again. And we can't count on the State Legislature to fix this either.
If your child insists on wearing black on Monday, here's what it's about:
Gregory Bernstein, a Plantation High student, is leading efforts for public school students to wear black to show their support for and solidarity with Broward County teachers and the Broward Teachers Union.
He's going through the media, Facebook and word of mouth and is coordinating with other protests throughout the county as well as the state. The Facebook event page he set up has more than 700 members, as of Saturday morning.
The adults protested the passing of senate bill 6, the teacher merit-pay bill, by wearing black to work on Friday.
"Since this legislation will negatively effect both students and teachers, we also must make our voice heard, so that Gov. Crist will veto this piece of legislation," Bernstein said.
Questions: E-mail Bernstein at Gregasaurus@comcast.net
Second Update: Now, as of 1 p.m. Sunday, it's over 2,400 confirmed guests. You know, some adults might suppose that the era of activism is dead, that "it could never be like when we were kids." Then you see something like this, using new media. Despite where you stand on this particular issue, does it almost support having a restored faith that we are raising a generation that cares?
This post originally appeared March 26, prior to the release of the text message exchange that preceded the assault on Josie Lou Ratley.
In covering the assault on Josie Lou Ratley, I've had the opportunity this week to talk to several friends of Wayne Treacy, the 15-year-old boy accused of trying to beat her to death.
So brutal was the violence allegedly committed by Treacy that I was stunned, more than once, to hear Treacy's friends trying to make sure I knew that he is not the only one who was in the wrong.
You see, Ratley, also 15, sent a text message containing some kind of "disparaging" reference about Treacy's brother, who committed suicide last October. It was Treacy who found Michael Bell hanging from a tree. The text message from Ratley, investigators said, infuriated Treacy and sent him out in search of Ratley. When he found her, they said, the beating began.
I struggled with this comparison of "wrongs." You see this comparison in the comments that accompany the articles and on the Facebook pages that have sprung up to support Ratley. Yes, Treacy was wrong for what he did, they say. But so was Ratley! Don't forget that Ratley was wrong too!
Have our kids lost all sense of perspective? Is the wrong of an insult, however cutting, even in the same league as the wrong of beating someone to within an inch of her life?
Turns out it’s not unusual for friends of a criminal suspect to try to make sense of the allegations (and we need to remember at this point that these are allegations) by pointing fingers at whatever instigated the crime.
“Young children see things as black and white, right and wrong, good guys and bad guys,” said Dr. Eugenio Rothe, an forensic psychiatrist who teaches at Florida International University. “Adolescents start to see ambiguity. They see how two people on opposite sides can, in a way, both be wrong.”
Jan Faust, director of the Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress Program at Nova Southeastern University, said friends of suspects are confronted with allegations of violent behavior and feel the need to explain it to validate their friendship.
“My friend couldn’t possibly be responsible for this heinous act,” she said. “Otherwise, how do you rationalize having a friend capable of doing something so horrendous?”
I think I understand Treacy's friends a little better. I'm sure they understand that two wrongs do not make a right. I hope they grow to appreciate that not all wrongs weigh the same. Some are as light as a text message, and others as heavy as a steel-toed boot.
It should be noted that the exact content of Ratley's text message has not been disclosed, so we have no idea how insulting or innocuous it was. But how much does it matter? What level of insult does it have to contain to justify what was done to her? Can we feel compassion for a traumatized and troubled boy without resorting to an attempt to hold the victim partly responsible for an injustice committed against her?
The fact that Michael Brewer and Josie Lou Ratley are both Deerfield Beach Middle School students is so disturbing.
Michael, set afire last October by classmates. Josie, savagely beaten last week by a high school student.
It's really hard to know what to think. But it's not time to point fingers. It's time to intervene, and I hope Deerfield Middle -- and every school and every parent -- is taking a hard look at the culture and relationships in their homes, their schools and their communties.
Last October I talked to Harvard's Dr. William Pollack. He's an expert on boys and communication, and has worked with many schools and the federal government to address issues of bullying and communication. He had a simple plan for a school like Deerfield Beach Middle to begin to change its culture from the inside. It starts with the adults in the school reaching out, and listening, to each and every student. Read the interview here.
Deerfield students were interviewed on the Today show this morning, talking about feeling the need to look over their shoulders. Be on guard. Be careful what they say, and text, to others kids.
In this gorgeous weather, please explain to me why people sit in their cars with their motors running.
I can understand if you are in a school carpool line that is moving along at a steady pace. But last night, I was in a carpool line of about 40 cars that was not moving because the kids hadn't been released yet. Every single car had its lights on, which I assumed meant their motors were running.
I turned my motor off and continued to listen to my XM radio through the car battery and wondered why no one would think to do the same.
I see people almost every day parked in parking lots running their motors with the windows closed. Can't they live without the air conditioning if it's 70 degrees outside? Every two minutes of idling uses the same amount of gas as traveling one mile, according to the California Energy Commission, which recommends turning off the engine if you are idling for 30 seconds or more. Let's adopt this standard here in South Florida.
My kids' teachers told them to eat eggs for breakfast on FCAT mornings. So I am getting up early to make the eggs.
It's pretty silly. The eggs are not going to change their performance. But I am trying to strike a balance between our schools' obsession with the test and what a waste of time I think it is.
I know a lot is riding on these tests for my kids' teachers and schools. But the FCAT means very little in terms of making my kids intelligent people. They learn to answer questions from a paragraph, write an essay in a very rigid format and fill in bubbles on computerized sheets. For the past few weeks, teachers have talked to them about little else, priming them with cliched expressions like "Give it all you've got!" and "Show what you know!"
At home, I'm trying to ask as few questions as possible about the FCAT to de-emphasize its importance. I talk about it only when my kids bring it up. And I'll cook eggs for the next two weeks, just to show my kids I trust their teachers.
This is so much fun. Ocoee Middle School in Central Florida made this video -- based on the Oprah/Black Eyed Peas flash mob -- to inspire kids to read. It sure couldn't hurt.
TD Bank and NIE collaborated on financial literacy curriculum for fourth and fifth graders in private and public schools in Broward and south Palm Beach County. The Focus on Finance program includes Sunshine State Standards, newspaper activities, money facts, the fundamentals of finance, credit card basics and more. And teachers can ask for a TD Bank instructor to visit the classroom. Call 1-888-751-9000.
I volunteered at the school store at our high school yesterday, and I noticed there were a lot fewer students around than usual.
"It's senior skip day," I was told. That's the day, a few times a year, when seniors decide en masse to skip school.
I didn't remember this type of group hooky from when I was growing up. I started wondering if seniors don't take school seriously anymore.
Coincidentally, I saw this article in the New York Times shortly afterward. It quotes Hillary Pennington of the Gates Foundation, which is funding new approaches to education, as saying: "As a nation, we just can’t afford to have students spending four years or more getting through high school, when we all know senior year is a waste." She goes on to talk about problems in the transition to college.
I had no idea senior year was now considered useless. What happened? Has this been the experience of your kids?
In case you missed this story in Monday's Sun Sentinel, staff writer Marc Freeman reports on the usefulness of FCAT tutoring:
There are only four weeks left before the reading and math portions of the FCAT — the writing test begins Tuesday — and more than 9,500 struggling students in Palm Beach and Broward counties are each receiving up to $1,500 worth of free tutoring.
That adds up to more than $14 million in federal funds that the school districts pay local tutoring firms.
But South Florida educators say they aren't sure this tutoring produces smarter students and higher test scores. And the state hasn't had a method of grading tutors despite doling out $77 million yearly across Florida for the voluntary program, called Supplemental Educational Services.
"How do we know we're getting the bang for the buck?" asked Terry Pitchford, manager of state and federal programs for Palm Beach County schools.
The answers could come this year. Palm Beach County is one of nine districts around the country participating in a $1.4 million federal study on whether the tutoring leads to higher achievement. And the state Board of Education in March is expected to adopt a new scoring system that would rate firms excellent, satisfactory or unsatisfactory, based on various factors including whether students showed improvement in mastering skills.
When I think about the hours my kids spend texting, doing homework and playing games on the computer, I am thankful for the new middle school physical education requirement.
I'm responding to my colleague Gretchen Day-Bryant's post yesterday about what she sees as the uselessness of this requirement. At our middle school, PE has been a positive experience, giving my kids skills and knowledge they can use the rest of their lives.
They actually get tests! These have included the parts of the body used in athletics (sacrum, fibula, tibia) and the rules of various team sports, including soccer, basketball and football. As for actual exercise, activities have included running around the track and setting goals for how fast they will go.
When you consider the American childhood obesity rate (32 percent!), it's clear that societal changes have forced kids into the house after school and their parents aren't doing anything to get them moving (not to mention our terrible dietary habits). Although they may have to give up some other fun subjects like fine arts, I say Florida is doing the right thing in this aspect of our kids' education.
My colleagues at the Orlando Sentinel have an interesting story about how tens of thousands of Florida middle schoolers are opting out of the state's PE requirement. Of course, the subtext is that this is a tragedy.
I say, that's as it should be. I have a particular bias against PE classes, and not just because I never could throw a softball or do a chin-up.
My son took PE throughout middle school, and it was the biggest waste of time for him. After the time spent changing into and out of gym clothes, and the chatter from the PE teachers, you're left with about 20 minutes of activity, maybe. And that activity is still pretty traditional -- soccer, basketball, flag football. Where's the yoga? The aerobics? The tai-chi?
Kids who are not "ball kids" or into team sports aren't going to change their lifestyle because of PE. And kids like my son who are phsycially active could better spend their time in something more academic or enriching. My sixth-grade daughter will spend her middle school years in band rather than PE. She loves band, and I suspect a lot of kids who opted out of PE are just like her -- enjoying middle school because of music and other fine arts classes. If she didn't love music, or needed the exercise, she'd be in PE. But that's the thing: It's a option.
If the state is serious about encouraging physical activity, let's bring back intramural sports. Let's make it fun for kids to play sports in a way that's low pressure and inclusive of everyone -- the uncoordinated, the slow, the chubby. Open the gym before or after school for pickup games and other fun activities.
Organized sports have become so competitive that unless a kid is an above average athlete who has been playing nights and weekends for years, they have little chance of making a school team. Many many kids would love to play sports for fun, but they are shut out.
PE won't reverse obesity in this country, but putting fun back into childhood might make a dent.
On Tuesday, a letter came home from Floranada Elementary school informing us that our son Ryan had been selected to attend FCAT camp for a month of Saturdays beginning in February.
At dinner that night, our fifth-grader announced that he wasn’t going. (My husband Dan and I assured him that he would be attending and explained that extra help to prepare for the FCAT test was a good thing.)
Ryan disagreed. Being asked to give up three hours every Saturday was outrageous, he said, considering he spends Monday through Friday “working myself to death.” Not.
Then something amazing happened.
At dinner Wednesday night, Ryan excitedly told us how the new principal, Keith Peters, had come to class that day and invited him and several other kids to eat lunch in his office. Ryan described Mr. Peters' big, ultra smooth desk, and told how he was a Yankee fan (I knew I liked this guy) and that he really loved hockey and the Florida Panthers. Then he said Mr. Peters took a few minutes to talk to the kids as they ate about the Saturday FCAT camp.
We asked Ryan if he wanted to go. “I sure do. Mr. Peters told us it was a good idea so I’m going to do it.” (He was going anyway.)
We’re impressed. Not only did Ryan feel special by getting to eat lunch in Mr. Peters' office, but now he feels like a partner in his own academic success.
Clearly, Mr. Peters understands that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. His lunch invitation was inventive and refreshing and saved us from having to use our usual top-down approach to education. But best of all, Ryan now feels really special, he wants to please his new principal and he’s looking forward to going FCAT camp on Saturdays.
Once again, the Palm Beach County School District has ignored the parents who worked hard two years ago to get the state to set a mandatory minimum school start date, two weeks before Labor Day.
District officials got a waiver from the law in the current school year, and announced last week they will use it again next year, when school will start Aug. 17. Without the waiver, the earliest date would have been Aug. 23.
You may ask, "What's the big deal? It's just a six day difference." But district officials have proven this year that they have trouble working with teachers and parents, many of whom lobbied the state to get this law passed. This is another example of their willingness to snub.
I'm familiar with the argument that the district wants winter break to begin after mid-terms. They don't want kids to worry about their exams during their vacation. But why do most other states not concern themselves with this issue, and their education systems are much better than ours? I doubt the timing makes much difference in our students' achievement. Let's get in sync with the rest of the country.
What does your son or daughter want to be when they grow up? Some kids already know while others explore all kinds of careers.
About a year ago, we took The Kid to a magnet school showcase presented by Broward County Public Schools. Going helped us to make a decision as to which high school he would attend. He visited booths, talked to teachers and students.
The next one is Wednesday, Dec. 2. Make it a dinner date with your child. The connections students develop run much deeper than just spending another day at school.
The Kid looked at every single school's booth, displays and projects. He considered everything. Already participating in a marine science program at New River Middle, he choose to continue the marine science program at South Broward High School.
Magnet programs focus on skills from art to architecture; music to math and everything in between. There is an awesome array of resources, dedicated and passionate teachers and administrators.
The Kids really liked the way his soon-to-be fellow students conveyed their experiences so positively. It's no cake walk, they told him. It's a lot of work and responsibility. Now, those students are his role models.
Here's an update: The Kid will be one of about a half dozen students representing his school at the showcase this year. And as middle-schoolers and their parents browse the aisles he'll be there to greet, discuss, show and guide - another role-model in the making.
Lost in the unfamiliar territory of 16th century English, my 15-year-old sought help on the Internet and found it: a translation of Shakespeare into contemporary language.
At first, I scoffed, insisting that if I had to struggle through Shakespeare, so should she. But as I explored the website, "No Fear Shakespeare," from SparkNotes, I decided it was intelligent and effective.
Here is their translation for Hamlet's famous soliloquy ("To be or not to be, that is the question"): "The question is: is it better to be alive or dead? Is it nobler to put up with all the nasty things that luck throws your way, or to fight against all those troubles by simply putting an end to them once and for all?"
If they read only the translation, kids would never know where famous expressions like "To be or not to be" came from. Still, if they read it side by side, as they can on the website, they may find Shakespeare more approachable than they had expected.
The Pride Center at Equality Park, along with other supportive agencies, is seeking to open up an exchange of ideas and solutions to help the community understand the needs and social circumstances of gay, lesbian and transgendered youth in Broward County.
So, this Friday, the GLCC Pride Center is hosting a conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.at their new location: 2040 N. Dixie Highway, in Wilton Manors.
Co-hosts include SunServe, the YMCA of Broward County, Safe Schools South Florida and Equality Florida. “Trapped in the Margins: Challenges of Meeting the Needs of Broward’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth,” will highlight issues and challenges; provide information and create dialog as a way to assist our GLBT youth.
Medical and clinical professionals, elected officials, youth service providers, business owners[ legal and protective service professionals and the general public will present case studies and speeches.
For more information about the symposium call 954-463-9005. To learn more about The GLCC Pride Center and their programs visit www.glccsf.org
Now that the Palm Beach County school superintendent is giving principals leeway in the district's testing program and protests have quieted down, I've been wondering what effect the hostilities have had on our kids.
At several events organized by angry parents, kids were carrying signs and chanting slogans against the school system. I couldn't help but think they were learning that this is a proper way to act toward adults, such as teachers and principals, to whom they have been taught to show deference at all times.
The kids still have to go back to school and take a lot of tests. What will their attitude be? How they will feel about their teachers who have to give the exams? About school in general?
It's impossible for us not to pass along our beliefs to our kids. I'm just wondering whether they should attend rallies against a system they still have to participate in when the protests are over.
We are in the 10th week of school in Palm Beach County, but it's only the third full week.
There has been something to interrupt almost every week, including four teacher work days/professional development days/"learning team meeting" days.
I have always wondered if teachers are actually working on these days. I once saw one of my daughter's former teachers getting a manicure on one of these "work days."
These days off are a big disruption for working parents. Looking ahead at the coming weeks, there will be another "teacher work day" on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day. Ugh.
Michael Brewer lies in excruciating pain at Jackson Memorial with second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body. He is 15.
Five other boys have been arrested for dousing him with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire. Four are 15, one is a 13-year-old sibling.
And now we condemn – the boys, the parents and the culture that bred such heinous behavior. Where were the parents? Why are 15-year-olds in seventh grade? The bully – how did he get that way? There are so many troubling questions about this horrible situation, it’s almost paralyzing.
A lot has been written about the “boy crisis” in America, as well as the inevitable “myth of the boy crisis.” But I don’t know if this incident should be reduced to an academic discussion.
My only real question is: Where are the safety nets? Where are the after-school programs for kids with a variety of interests? Sure, there are sports – but only for those kids who are superior athletes. What about the vast majority of kids? What’s out there for them? I’m really curious …if you know, please comment.
The Broward schools have an aggressive anti-bullying agenda . Do these programs work? Are there other intervention programs that actually succeed?
And what’s out there for parents who may be struggling under the responsibility, who maybe don’t know how to deal with boys in crisis, how to teach right from wrong. What’s out there for them?
At a time when budgets are being cut across the board, when advocacy groups are struggling, this should be a wake-up call that as a community, we have a grave responsibility to address some of these questions.
Now it's up to each principal to decide how often to administer the computerized tests. An amazing new movement of parents can take credit for this accomplishment, but I see from their Facebook page they see this as just the beginning of an uprising against the drastic changes the district made to schools this year, including departmentalization, in which elementary school kids have to change classes like they are in middle or high school.
I was skeptical that parents could succeed against the district's entrenched bureaucracy, but clearly board members and the administration heard the outcry and responded. Power to the parents!
A recent AP-Gfk poll revealed that 38 percent of parents nationally would not give permission for their children to be vaccinated at school. Some are concerned about the side effects; some say the swine flu threat is no greater than any other flu.
There are those who eschew any kind of vaccination for fear of all sorts of terrible things; and then there are the germ phobes who would vaccinate their children against other humans if possible.
I'll probably let my kids get vaccinated, but that's mostly because I'm lazy. It's free and I don't have to schlepp them to the doctor. What's not to love about that?
The girl did the right thing. She didn't accept the ride, for starters. And she must have been alert enough to note his face. Then, she ran SCREAMING from her home when she found the man there.
We don't know much about her -- her age, or whether her family situation is such that she has no choice but to walk home. So I'm not about to judge her parents.
But I will commend her for being a quick thinker and being well-schooled in what to do in a terrifying situation. Yes, something horrible could have happened. But I still say, we can't insulate our kids from the real world, and we have to equip them with life-saving skills.
I wonder: Have I done that? Have I really prepared my kids well?
They don't walk to school, but they are in any number of potentially risky situations, at the park or the mall or a Friday night football game.
Recently, a friend of The Kid asked if he had his driver's permit yet.
Needless to say, the question gave me pause - and I did everything in my power not to slam on the breaks - not out of anger or anything - more out of worry and shear horror.
I was driving the children at the time.
Gosh - these kids are younger than the blades of grass in our yard for cryin' out loud!
And what's the rush anyway?
Isn't it kind of nice to be chauffeured? Sure, our "passengers" are a captive audience as we adults drive them everywhere--the service comes complete with lectures and conditions.
And we get to spend time together. I get to meet his cohorts - in person no less!
But at some point, kids-my son included, are going to be in the driver's seat. And the best we can do, short of never, ever letting them out of our site, is to empower them with the right tools, starting with good driving instruction.
It's a guide for parents of beginning drivers. There is a check list of questions to ask, things to look for in a driving school. There are tips on how you can supplement what they'll be learning with additional information and experience.
It seems like only last year, I let him ride his bike - as long as he's wearing the helmet, knee pads, has reflectors, lights....
The protests stem from several radical new practices implemented this year, including "embedded assessments," or frequent testing of skills learned, and "departmentalization," in which elementary school kids change classes like they are in middle school.
My kids are tired of all the testing, so I hope these parents can get the school district to allow schools more autonomy. Why not give principals the discretion to decide what's needed for their students? Unfortunately, I have little hope my fellow parents will be able to rock this bureaucracy.
If your child was out sick from school, home with a cold, or flu, maybe a fever, would you insist they do their school work?
I did.
The Kid is under the weather. We baby him when that happens. It just one more excuse to spoil him even more.
Homemade chicken soup is just the beginning. He’s been reading, sleeping and relaxing. His house chores are on hold.
Still the biggest worry – probably more for us than him – is his getting behind in his school assignments.
Life goes on: when he gets better – he’s going to feel worse about all the homework that piled up.
Class work will become homework. Homework will be added to homework. And he has a few projects coming up.
So we give him a cup of warm soup, hot tea, crackers to much on – and pen and paper to get cracking on his studies.
Nice, huh.
What’s your philosophy when the kid is down and out with the occasional bug -- Do you give them the total spa treatment – or keep them on task with school work?
By Gretchen Day-Bryant September 18, 2009 06:39 AM
Much has been made lately about kids getting themselves from one place to another by themselves. There's the mom who let her 9-year-old ride the New York subway alone. That set of a fire-storm last spring. Lenore Skenazy, the mom, has become something of a stop-the-madness voice for children and families who don't want to live in fear all the time. Her blog is called Free-Range Kids -- "Give our kids the freedom we had without going nuts with worry."
The New York Times followed up with a story on Sunday about how parents struggle with letting their kids walk to school. One mom in the story relates how a neighbor DROVE her 7-year-old child home, five houses away. That's just crazy, and lazy.
My kids started walking to their friends' house down the street at a young age. I'd stand in the driveway and watch them go. Then retrieve them later (I didn't DRIVE!). Eventually, they were doing it on their own. There were lessons learned along the way: "No, you cannot walk around the block." "No, it's too dark." In time, the rules loosen, the parameters grow.
We live close enough to stores and restaurants that the next step was inevitable. This summer my son would hop on his bike with friends to grab some lunch somewhere. They'd walk to Blockbuster to pick up a video. Once he called me in a panic before a trip that he needed socks. I told him to ride his bike to the store and buy some.
Next will be driving. And college. And, hopefully, studying abroad. All of the little steps along the way have been preparing them for that.
So yes, whenever possible, parents should let their kids walk down the street and to school and beyond. What do you think? Are you a free-range parent?
Let's talk about Obama's speech to schoolchildren today.
First, I have to get this off my chest. There is no way I would pull my child out of school to avoid a 20 minute speech by the president -- any president. But if a parent wants to keep the kids at home, that's their right.
Parents send their kids to school with a lot of faith that they will be safe and that they will be educated. We entrust our precious babies to strangers who, in the best of situations, become our allies. Between the first and the last bell, a lot happens that parents can't control -- and I know that drives some parents crazy. I've met them.
Here's my question: Can one speech change a child's outlook either way? Or is a family's influence stronger? At what point does a child begin to see the world in their own way? Third grade? 7th grade? Senior year?
My siblings and I think differently from our parents, politically, though we share many many values. But my sibs' grown children tend to think like their own parents. Why is that?
I have no idea whether my kids will be watching Obama's speech today. Either way is fine with me. If their teachers feel they have the time to spare and can turn the speech into a healthy discussion, great. If they have other curriculum to teach, even better.
Today, my daughter's more concerned with finding a good science fair project and a big math test later this week. My son has benchmark testing. This curiculum is far more important to me than a presidential speech.
Half of that familiar childhood cheer may be coming true faster than many of us thought, but not in the way most kids wanted.
As one way of dealing with the state's budget crisis, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is resorting to greater use of digital textbooks. No more lugging around a bagfull of oversized tomes: digital texts weigh nothing, cost less and can be updated instantly with the latest information (what's that? Pluto's not considered a planet anymore? No, sweat. I'll just hit "delete").
There are drawbacks. As pervasive as computers are, not every family has one. About one out of every four Americans does not have Internet access. What do they do? Yes, you can give them physical textbooks, but in doing so, aren't you telling the entire school population which students have Internet at home and which do not? Are you, in effect, calling out the poor?
I don't mean to reject the idea of digital textbooks. Broward County is starting to use them in some classes, and as far as I'm concerned, it's just a matter of time before they become the norm. Is now the right time?
What do you do when your daughter’s new college roommate is John?
According to an Associated Press article I came across recently, there are about two dozen colleges and universities in this country that allow young men and women to share a room on campus.
Dubbed the mixed-gender housing movement, students have a choice to room with the opposite sex. Officials at most of these colleges reportedly say romantic relationships among these roommates are discouraged. And some say having a choice is just another example of how they are tearing down walls.
But as if dealing with a new roommate, a total stranger, isn’t hard enough, I can’t imagine wanting to make the situation even more complex by having to live with a roomie in college who is of the opposite gender.
Back in my day (which was not that long ago) we couldn't dare think of sharing a bedroom on campus with the opposite sex. Back then having a co-ed dorm seemed like a big deal. And although we had coed dorms, men and women were separated by floors.
While I have no qualms with adults rooming with whatever sex they choose, I have some doubts about these arrangements on a college level, especially among young college students.
While some say they’re just roomies, get over it, the parent and former college student in me, has second thoughts.
When I was a kid, I heard about presidents. We read about presidents. We saw them on the news. Some presidents were republican, some democrat.
We had civics lessons, learned about the value of voting and learned about the value of, well, people having different values!
But one value is important to most parents regardless of politics – and that is getting an education.
Next Tuesday at noon on C-SPAN and broadcast through the White House Web site, President Obama will give a speech telling children that succeeding in school is important. He'll stress they are responsible for taking an active role in their learning and education.
Oddly, some parents are opposed to having their children watch/listen to Obama’s talk.
I wonder, do those same parents cut out the portions of or hide pages of the newspapers and magazines on which Obama’s name or image appear?
Do they change the channel or turn off the radio or television when news mentioning the president of the United States is mentioned? Censorship sure takes a lot of energy, time and focus.
Getting good grades, working hard at learning and being a responsible school student also takes a lot of time and focus, and isn’t anyone party’s political agenda.
First Lady Nancy Reagan promoted the “Just Say No to Drugs” program. I think she was addressing both republicans and democrats, and everyone in between.
Some parents say this is brainwashing – but if that includes inspiring, instilling and reinforcing being a good, responsible student-- then brainwash away.
Teachers, grandparents, anyone who appreciates folk tales -- this one's for you.
Follow this link to Tell Me a Story -- folk tales from around the world -- brought to you by the Sun-Sentinel's wonderful Newspapers in Education program.
For years the Sun-Sentinel ran this feature in print. But you can still find it online, complete with the beautiful illustrations.
Over the years, I heard from a lot of grandparents who sent this feature to their grandkids up north.
And many many teachers, who used this weekly feature in their classrooms. Elementary teachers use it to teach about cultures and fables. Young kids really like how each story has a problem or obstacle that is overcome. Teachers of older students use it in English or Literature classes. And teachers of English as a Second Language use it because the language is simple and many of the stories are familiar to people from a variety of cultures.
A new story is posted every week. This week, it's the Greek myth about Scylla and Charybdis, when Odysseus (or Ulysses) finds himself "between a rock and hard place."
Amy Friedman is the nationally syndicated writer who adapts the stories; Jillian Gilliland's beautiful illustrations accompany each story.
Our biggest challenge the first week of school was --getting The Kid to school.
Well, it really wasn't our challenge - it was the bus driver's. Alternately, the bus was early, on time, or very very late. But by Friday morning, the bus was waiting for him for a change.
That pretty much sums up our week because that was the most unpredictable part.
The Kid got up each morning at 5 a.m. on his own - except for one time.Another time, he had to wake us up.
I think teamwork played a big role in our success. We support one another. As much as we love to spoil him - we also make it clear that it's up to him to stay on task, to be a self-starter, to go that extra mile.
The next step is the extra activities - should we wait to start up martial arts again? How will he manage homework and after school club stuff? He also has to find the time to volunteer.
We're looking forward to a weekend of downtime. Yeah, right. We'll be back to the store shopping for lunch food. We have to get The Kid some long pants - he grew out of every pair over the summer. He has to get a few more school supplies.
Oh, he has to review his assignments to see what projects he has to begin - and he'll hang out with his friends at some point. For that, he always manages to find some time.
My daughter starts first grade today. She shared with me a few things she plans to do differently now that she’s a BIG girl.
Her thoughts led me to thinking that mommy could make some changes also. So here’s my back to school pledge.
• I pledge not to hold up the car line at my daughter’s school. I will not brush my daughter’s hair, search for her socks or sign permission slips while other anxious parents waiting to drop off their kids are behind me.
• I pledge to read every piece of paper that comes home and not wait until the night before her school project is due to comb the stores looking for glitter.
• I pledge to be a more stringent enforcer of bed time, so that we can both wake up more cheerful in the morning.
• I pledge not to become an over-involved mom, who wants to hold her daughter’s hand every step of the way, but to let her grow and learn by experience with some things. (notice I said “some.’’)
• I pledge not to over schedule my daughter’s after-school life with too many extra-curricular activities and to cherish the down time when we’re doing absolutely nothing.
Have you pledged to do things differently this school year? After all, the great thing about the first day of the school is that it's a new beginning for parents too!!!!
Don't automatically dismiss your child's jitters about returning to school, one child psychologist warns. They might actually be suffering from bonafide anxiety.
Wendy K. Silverman, a psychologist at Florida International University’s Child Anxiety and Phobia Program (CAPP), says parents might just dismiss child anxiety and that it could mushroom into depression, severe behavioral problems and even substance abuse later in life.
And really, would you want that pinned on you? I wouldn't!
Silverman and colleague William Kurtines are in the midst of a $3.3 million study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to develop state-of-the-art techniques to diagnose and treat children with anxiety.
(If you think your kid has had anxiety for at least six months, call the Child Anxiety and Phobia Program at 305-348-1937.)
Click on the jump for Silverman's tips for getting children ready for the school year:
There I stood, in the courtyard outside my son's PreK class, sobbing. He was fine inside the classroom. He'd been a full-time daycare baby since he was 3-months-old, so it's not like I wasn't used to saying goodbye to him every morning.
But I was a mess. It was hot and I was sweaty. And to top it all off, I was holding my 5-month old, whose diaper had exploded in a dramatic, vivid way -- all the way up her back.
Yet I stood there, tears and sweat streaming. Pathetic.
Three years later, I sent my baby girl off to the same PreK fate. And, because she's a victim of second child syndrome, I don't really recall any drama.
Good thing I snapped this picture. And I've been snapping ever since.
This year is a big one. He starts high school, she starts middle school. I will take a picture and try to coax a smile out of them.
I suspect there will be a few tears (mine). But I guarantee: no exploding diapers.
Guest blogger Tom Kent has already had his fun in the sun. He's got to hit those books now. To his mom, the new ninth-grader seems pretty cool and calm about the whole deal - going into high school and all.
Well, high school really is approaching fast. What I truly mean is… summer sure is ending fast.
I’m looking forward to high school – I don’t have much to worry about. I’ll be earning college credits as a freshman. How cool is that? I am very lucky to have the opportunities my high school offers me.
Which high school is that, you ask? Well none other than South Broward High School. The programs at South Broward are very interesting to me.
I went to New River Middle where I took the marine science program. (I love the water.) It just so happens, that South Broward also has a marine science program which I will continue to follow! In college I plan on majoring in Journalism with a minor in Marine Science.
When I grow up (no joke) I want to work at the Sun Sentinel in its Science and Health section; just like my mom, Cindy Kent (only she works in the business section).
Well, my expectations for high school should be just as I anticipate because I have already been there sixteen times! I participated in a marine science camp, called the Summer Beach Program and already earned 35 volunteer hours. Go Reefdogs!
I will definitely have a good four years at South Broward.
--Tom Kent
Lots -- and lots -- of books cross my desk. But this one really caught my eye:
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Middle School.
Bingo! My daughter Erika is starting sixth grade. That's a big enough deal. But she's also going to a school with absolutely nobody she knows. (Except her dad, who teaches there.)
Sixth grade. Big school. No friends. Ugh.
As I flip through this handy guide, I see all kinds of useful advice: "How to Play It Cool When You Don't Know the Answer." "How to Survive a Massive Mess-Up." "How to Survive Mean Girls." "How to Survive a Crush Without Getting Crushed."
I really wish I had had this book back when I was that age. Maybe I would have known how to actually, you know, talk to boys. Maybe I could have avoided that haircut (there's a chapter in the book). Maybe...sigh. It's too painful to even think about middle school.
So I give the book to Erika with instructions to mark up the parts that are particularly handy. She flips through it. Gives it a good look. And yawns.
Anything helpful? "No," she says. "It's all so obvious."
Uh-oh. The girl must be deluded. Have I sheltered her? Have I not given her the skills she needs to find her way through the trecherous hallways of .... middle school?
Or maybe, just maybe, she's .... confident. She's always had a pretty thick skin -- a byproduct of having an older brother.
But I'm going to keep the book handy in case she ever has a crisis of confidence. Or in case, you know, she needs my advice.
A big deal, to me. I was waiting for a letter from the principal welcoming me as a parent, embracing me as we work together to help my son succeed, holding my hand as we step across this threshold together, nervous yet eager.
It came in the mail Saturday, from the principal of South Plantation High School, where Creed will begin his journey to adulthoood.
"I would like to set the record straight and ease any anxiety you may have,'' it said. Yes, Mr. Principal. Tell me more!
I read on: "As you may or may not know, our school grade is a 'D.''
Oh. No, I didn't know that. Thought it was higher. Um, keep going?
"How did we become a D?'' The letter went on to explain that the lowest quartile of students didn't make enough progress in reading and writing, and that instead of going up a percent, they went down. "That's it,'' the principal wrote, like we should be comforted by the reduction in progress. Well, Creed's not in the lowest quartile, but I am quite sure the parents of struggling students would not get a warm feeling from this letter. And neither did I. I was crestfallen, actually.
I wasn't fixated on the school's grade, until I got his letter. I've always been a supporter of public schools, and I continue to be. But this is disturbing. I have friends sending kids to St. Thomas or American Heritage or even Pine Crest. Am I accepting mediocrity by allowing him to enter a school whose grade would draw a severe grounding if it showed up on his report card?
Maybe I can send a letter to colleges when he's applying, saying, "I want to soothe your anxiety that my son's grade point average is a D. You see he just didn't do well enough in school.''
It’s time to get serious now, we’re talking school lunches.
Bring ‘em or buy ‘em, either way, school lunches deserve a parent’s focus and consideration.
I’m as interested in packaging as I am ingredients.
On most occasions, I pack The Kid’s lunch in a brown paper bag. He folds it up and closes it between pages of a book after lunch, that way, he isn’t carry a bulky empty object. He re-uses the bag til the thing basically dies – up to a month or more sometimes. I wrap his sandwich in wax paper sheets. (I love the wax bags but can never find them.) Sometimes his drink is a water in a bottle he re-uses, or box drinks.
Whole Foods Market even partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery by providing nutritional snacks with environmentally low-impact packaging to summer camp attendees.
When I shop for food, just about everywhere you look, there are great simple recipes using produce, fish, meats, grains and dairy products.
For some upfront investment in prep and cooking time – you can send your kid packing with fresh, cool (as in hip), filling and healthy snacks and lunches.
If you rely on school-provided lunches, this just-released news today about another Whole Foods initiative might interest you:
Renegade Lunch Lady” Chef Ann Cooper will partner with Whole Foods Market to launch the Virtual Lunch Box Web Portal, which will enable administrators and like-minded “lunch ladies” throughout the country to reform their meal plans by offering the necessary tools and resources. The portal will serve as the most comprehensive, easily accessible, and free set of resources available, offering scalable recipes, training resources and educational tools.
Links to the joint projects enlighten us parents to the daunting task of what’s involved in the planning and feeding a mass of kids in a smart yet affordable manner.
If you’re on Twitter, follow other concerned parents to ask questions, share ideas and resources beginning with @SSParents and @lunchboxbunch and @WFMFtLauderdale
ForbesWoman just released it first examination of the “Best Cities For Working Mothers.” Why am I not surprised that Miami/Fort Lauderdale came in at No. 43 out of 50? New York (New York!) topped the list.
It's so easy to explain away the results -- we are transient, a party city, lots of retirees, lots of immigrants with families back home. "This list fairly reflects how the rest of the country views Miami," said ForbesWoman writer Heidi Brown, who edited the list.
What? We're not family friendly? Maybe so. Although most of the families I know are friendly enough.
To come up with the list, ForbesWoman ranked 50 of the largest continental U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (that's Miami/Fort Lauderdale) by categories: earnings, unemployment, cost of living, violent and property crimes, healthcare, per-capita expenditure per pupil, the number of daycare and preschools, and park acreage. They used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dartmouth Atlas and other reliable sources.
Surprisingly, Miami/Fort Lauderdale ranked No. 3 in the child care category. But keep in mind that quantity, not quality was evaluated. Brown said that in the population area of 2.4 million, we have 709 daycare centers. That doesn't sound like a lot to me. "Perhaps this shows how dismal daycare is around the country," she said.
Another surprise was our low rank in parks: No. 48. Really? In the sun and fun capital? (Jacksonville ranked No. 1.) This data came from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, as well as the various cities. Come to think of it, I know that recreational sports teams are always competing for limited practice space throughout Fort Lauderdale.
Other notable rankings: No. 12 in the number of pediatricians, No. 20. in school quality and No. 20 in per pupil spending. Not bad.
But there's women's income: No. 43. Cost of living: 43. Violent crime: 48. Property crime: 49. Ouch.
Making matters worse, Miami/Fort Lauderdale is actually the highest ranking Florida city. Jacksonville is 44 overall, Tampa, 46, and Orlando is 49. Las Vegas is No. 50.
"Maybe this is a wakeup call to city leaders," Brown said. I couldn't agree more.
I’m referring to the summer reading lists schools post on their websites or at local bookstores.
Hopefully, your child is taking the time to crack open a few books – you might have to re-direct them away from their iPod Touch, video games and computers.
My son selected a book from his school’s list.
He’s not thrilled about the book he selected either-but it was his choice. He had the opportunity to pick from several authors and titles. I’d like to think that rather than just being critical, he’s practicing critical thinking.
The author’s writing style bothers him and he shares those examples. He thinks the plot is slow-moving and discusses where he feels the author doesn’t deliver.
Still, he is sticking to reading the book to its finish. And I’d like to see him read at least another book from the list.
My son was so completely unenthusiastic about getting a book from the list, it was like pulling teeth. Frankly, I don’t get why students dread or sneer at the idea.
But a USA Today opinion piece by an English teacher gives insight on why some teachers empathize with the students’ "pain."
An in depth Christian Science Monitor article discusses the modernization of summer reading lists. Students have to make selections from books they might not otherwise – well, select. They expand their horizons by looking beyond their interests.
There’s also value in the tangible experience of holding a book.
Reading and turning it’s pages and placing a bookmark between chapters gets kids out of their “myspace” mentality.
Of course if they’re going to read books from a Kindle or other electronic book reader, that’s a different story.
I wanted to take this time to impart my wisdom on being fashion savvy when it comes to high school students. But I realized I have no fashion sense – none. Nada.
This is the cleverest thing we came up with at home: We’re not shopping for back-to-school clothes yet – The Kid is spouting like Jack’s beanstock!
Even though school is around the corner, we’re waiting until a week or two after school has started to refresh his wardrobe. Of course, if there is some emergency must-have fashion, we’ll take that under consideration.
But even he thinks waiting is good because he’d get a better idea of what to wear, in high school. Being that it will be his first year, that’s not a bad idea.
I could sew him some new clothes – no, really I couldn’t. Hand-me downs are out – for one, he’s taller than me now!
So, between now and then, I’m pretty much open to suggestions. Only, I’m looking for humor, because it’s the most affordable [free].
Share you’re ideas here, along with your donation for our Buy The Kid Some Clothes Fund. Kidding about the fund.
But looking forward to your funny experiences, advice and tips; on the lighter side of getting your kid wardrobe-ready for their first big day as a kindergartner; or middle schooler or high school student.
Personally, I’ll appreciate it, even if my son doesn’t.
Today's guest blogger is The Kid, Cindy Kent's son. He's a good guy, and a busy one.
In between participating in South Broward High School's Summer BEACH program and finishing the rest of the day in martial arts, he took a few moments of his free time to jot down these notes, mostly because his mom made him.But for the record, after the task, he said he enjoyed it and he's up for being a guest blogger in the future.
Whew! Done with the middle school legacy, time sure goes by fast. In middle school I matured a lot, I also gained a ton of knowledge, friends and life skills.
Too bad not too many of my friends are going to my high school. I am lucky if ten of my friends are going to my high school. Most of my friends are going to South Plantation High, only because they want to be with their friends that are going there.
I am going to go to South Broward because I am really interested in marine science and they have a great marine magnet program. I really do care about my education and want to become successful.
I am going to be a freshman and have to start all over again as I work my way up to "The Top Dog."
As I am going into 9th grade I really do hope I can continue to do as well as I have done in middle school. I am an A and B student NO C's. I'd say that's commendable, and I am not over-complimenting myself.
Math is definitely my weakest point. The only grade I got in it this whole year was a B, still a good grade though, right? I even got an A in Spanish every quarter except the third quarter.
High school shouldn't be any harder as long as I continue to keep up with my assignments. I will surely be going into high school with a positive attitude!!!
I had to look at the lead of this Miami Herald story several times yesterday to make sure I was reading it correctly:
A 15-year-old Hialeah boy who had a months-long romantic relationship with a teacher at his religious school must end the affair, a Miami child welfare judge ordered Wednesday.
Where do we begin?
It was a religious school. It took place over months. A judge had to order them to stop!
Is there a loophole in the statutory rape law that I'm not aware of, one that says it's okay until the judge orders an end to it?
As you read further into the story, you can see why the judge felt a need to step in:
The mom, Hialeah police say, consented to her son's affair with 32-year-old Maria Guzman Hernandez, and allowed the couple to travel together for a weekend getaway at Disney World.
At the hearing, the mother's attorney, Roberto Villasante, said she is disputing some of the allegations against her by DCF and the police.
''She is in disagreement with some of the items in the affidavit,'' Villasante said, ``particularly certain knowledge she had of what was going on.''
My 9th-grade daughter is about to dissect a pig in biology class.
I remember dissecting a frog in high school and learning a lot about anatomy by picking through its body. But for some reason, the idea of dissecting a pig has made me a sudden animal-rights activist.
In our computer-assisted age, it seems so antiquated to be killing animals for high-school dissection purposes. There are excellent Web sites, such as this one, that my daughter's bio class used to dissect a computerized frog.
There's probably no comparison between the real thing and the computerized version. But I say save the real animals for medical students.
I'm already late posting this, so here's the deal: UPromise is offering three $10,000 scholarships to someone deserving, clever and convincing. Like maybe this Miami teenager, Torrance Klimoski:
The videos will be judged on creativity, quality, and a demonstrated need for college aid in three categories: Saving for College, In College Now and Paying it Back.
SPRINGFIELD - Hundreds of people filled the Alden Baptist Church Monday for the funeral of Carl J. Walker-Hoover, the 11-year old boy who hung himself last week after complaining of bullying by classmates at the New Leadership Charter School.
"Our prayers are that this crisis will make Springfield a better community," said the Rev. Hugh A. Bair, who delivered the eulogy that capped the 2.5-hour service.
"The name calling must stop; the bullying must stop," he said, resulting in applause from the overflow crowd.
...
His mother said he suffered taunts and threats from other students who made fun of him, insulted the way he dressed and called him gay since he began attending the school in September, Walker said. Read the rest here.
I had a very difficult time reading this article because it’s so senseless and painful, to know people can be so unenlightened and cruel.
I am sorrowful for the mother, for young Carl. I'm sad for all of us. In the death of this 11-year-old boy, a victim of harassment and bullying, who hanged himself, we're all victims, regardless of our sexual orientation.
There are untold numbers of victims in this case: Those who fear coming out about their sexuality; those who fear helping; those who have LGBT friends and family members. Those who just want to ask questions.
This month, a local church is hosting a workshop that many people can benefit from.
Riviera Presbyterian Church is hosting “Gender Identity and Our Faith Community,” a public workshop from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26.
This is Riviera's promotion about the event:
Do you know what 'gender identity' means to you? Have you ever wondered what struggles transgender people face? Do you have questions about where our ideas of 'appropriate' gender expression stem? Do you feel called as a person of faith to stand with those who are marginalized, but are not sure how to advocate politically from a religious voice? If you answer yes to any of these questions than we have a FREE workshop for you!
Please join Riviera Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 26th from 1 pm to 4 pm for a moving discussion on 'Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities' sponsored by the Religion and Faith Program at the Human Rights Campaign. We will be joined by HRC staff member and transgender educator, Allyson Robinson, who will lead us from acceptance to advocacy on issues of gender identity and LGBT equality. This workshop will challenge us, liberate us, and help us grow as a community committed to justice for everyone.
Address: Riviera Presbyterian Church, 5275 Sunset Drive, Miami. The free workshop is open to the public. RSVP: Phone: 305-666-8586. E-mail: rivierachurch@bellsouth.net. Website.
There are resources all over the country as well as locally.
Volunteers and experts are dedicated to getting the word out about nonviolence, LGBT issues, mentoring and more.
When I was in school, we never had a "Pull Up Your Pants Day." Never needed one.
But today, Plantation High School made such a designation.
Seems the trend of young men wearing pants barely above the hips began in the 1980s as a way for gang members to indicate they'd spent time in jail. It caught on as way to show "coolness," independence and defiance.
Broward County public school officials stated their mission in this news release:
“In an effort to reach out to young men and increase their self-esteem and self-image, school administrators and teachers are following President Barack Obama’s call to, 'Men of America – Pull up Your Pants.'"
The program included community leaders, mentors, and alumni handing out belts donated by WalMart to students. Guests attended a luncheon with students involved in the Mentors for Tomorrow’s Leaders Program, followed by a forum and panel discussion facilitated for students and staff. My colleague Gregory Lewis wrote about the event here.
It’s good to put a spotlight on what many people see as a negative message, and the behaviors that accompany it. It was clever and wise to create this program off of current events. Hopefully kids listen.
Rod Hagwood shares his fashion sense on the matter here.
Still, I’m a little disturbed – students are rewarded by the attention of good people for what is essentially dressing badly.
When I mentioned the designated day to my son, he said, “Wow, that’s good, because to dress that way is so lame.” I asked him what he meant by that. “Kids don’t even know what that means,” he said. "It’s just stupid. They don’t know why they are even wearing their pants like that.”
Let me be clear, my son has lots of friends who wear their pants low.
I’m thinking now, which is dangerous.
I should give a few community leaders a call and ask them to go have lunch with my son.
They’ll recognize him by how well-dressed he is – he wears his pants around his waist. And he's never gotten any attention for following the rules. That would be nice for a change!
But instead of donating a belt, (he has one, and uses it) maybe they could hook him up with a new backpack — a few zippers are busted on his old one from carrying lots of school books and folders.
It seems there are some people in Tallahassee who actually look at a plastic utensil used to spread Cheese Whiz and think: That's not a knife.
Too often, zero-tolerance laws have resulted in students facing charges that are so patently absurd that it's a challenge to cover these stories with a straight face. Invariably, when school officials are asked to explain why a child should face expulsion for violating the strictest possible interpretation of "carrying a weapon to school," they fall back on, "It's a zero-tolerance policy."
Sounds more like a zero-discretion policy, and it's refreshing to see officials putting discretion back where it belongs: in the hands of those who witness these alleged violations and enforce the rules in the first place.
Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, said his bill (SB 1540) would save money and prevent children from having criminal records by requiring that schools handle such disciplinary matters administratively. “Throw an eraser and they want to call it throwing a deadly missile, which is a felony,” Wise told the Senate panel. “When you get into the juvenile justice system everybody thinks your sins are forgiven when you turn 18, and I will assure you that doesn’t happen. It’s a blemish on your record.”
In 2005 an 11-year-old Hernando County girl was arrested for allegedly bringing a plastic butter knife to school. She was handcuffed, taken to jail and charged with a third-degree felony. A 15-year-old boy at the same school that year received three weeks of house arrest for throwing a pencil that hit a custodian on the shoulder.
In 2003... a 13-year-old Brandon student was suspended because his calculator had a knife-like gadget.
As the mom of a high school freshman, I've learned it's easy to find out your child's class rank.
At our school, your kid is given a printout of the past semester's grades, which include a rank calculation. Needless to say, all the kids are asking each other what their ranks are.
Of course they all want to be as high as possible, and the frustration begins early. I began to wonder how important rank really is when colleges are looking at your application. I asked Lynn Lubell, publisher of InLikeMe.com, a self-help college admissions Web site based in Boca Raton. Here's what she said:
"While a high class rank is impressive, admissions officers tend to be more focused on the entire picture, including rigor of academic schedule, grades in specific classes, entrance exam scores, intellectual curiosity, activities, recommendations and what positively differentiates the student from other applicants."
So I will try not to obsess too much about the fact that my daughter is not in the Top 10. Until next semester's rankings come out, that is.
Did a Miramar teacher overreact this morning when he had a 17-year-old student arrested for chest bumping him?
According to our article by Macollvie Jean-François, the teacher ordered the male student to go to class, and the student ignored the instruction. The teacher repeated his instruction and approached the teen, and the student responded with the chest bump heard ‘round the county.
Now the teen is charged with one count of battery.
Good.
I say this, admittedly, not knowing the full details of what happened. I can imagine a scenario in which the teen felt threatened by the teacher’s behavior and responded in a self-defensive posture. So yes, I can imagine the teacher possibly being in the wrong here. Then again, I have quite an imagination.
Easier to picture is a teacher giving a simple instruction and being ignored by a rude teen with an obnoxious sense of entitlement who thinks it’s okay to try to intimidate an authority figure whose only job is to make sure the kid has a decent shot at a better life. It shouldn’t take courage to tell a kid in a school to go to class.
I agree with the notion that chest bumping is not the same as taking a swing at someone, but it’s not as innocuous as responding with a nasty attitude either. I call it an act of pre-violent defiance. A kid willing to bump your chest is ready to do worse, and he should be dealt with accordingly. At first glance, I commend this teacher for responding with restraint and having the presence of mind to call school officials and the police rather than react in a way that would get the teacher arrested!
The teenager has been suspended, and police and school officials are reviewing surveillance tape of the confrontation. It’s a shame they have to, but it’s a good thing they can - for everyone's sake (including the accused student's). In the meantime, my gut as a parent is to stand with the teacher on this one. We should be teaching our teens to respect their teachers, not to threaten them with words or other means of intimidation.
How ironic that the county where parents lobbied the Legislature so hard to make school start dates later has it taken away from us, thanks to our own county school administration.
Can hardly believe that we've reached the end already. Seems like only yesterday that we were shopping for uniforms at Target. We were blessed with a wonderful teacher, and my daughter made many new friends which led to new friends for my wife and me as well. This school year was quite a wild ride. 
there for the first time along with me. 
So brutal was the violence allegedly committed by Treacy that I was stunned, more than once, to hear Treacy's friends trying to make sure I knew that he is not the only one who was in the wrong.
“Young children see things as black and white, right and wrong, good guys and bad guys,” said Dr. Eugenio Rothe, an forensic psychiatrist who teaches at Florida International University. “Adolescents start to see ambiguity. They see how two people on opposite sides can, in a way, both be wrong.”
First, I have to get this off my chest. There is no way I would pull my child out of school to avoid a 20 minute speech by the president -- any president. But if a parent wants to keep the kids at home, that's their right. 
As one way of dealing with the state's budget crisis, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is resorting to greater use of digital textbooks. No more lugging around a bagfull of oversized tomes: digital texts weigh nothing, cost less and can be updated instantly with the latest information (what's that? Pluto's not considered a planet anymore? No, sweat. I'll just hit "delete").
telling children that succeeding in school is important. He'll stress they are responsible for taking an active role in their learning and education.
How cool is that? I am very lucky to have the opportunities my high school offers me.
On most occasions, I pack The Kid’s lunch in a brown paper bag. He folds it up and closes it between pages of a book after lunch, that way, he isn’t carry a bulky empty object. He re-uses the bag til the thing basically dies – up to a month or more sometimes. I wrap his sandwich in wax paper sheets. (I love the wax bags but can never find them.) Sometimes his drink is a water in a bottle he re-uses, or box drinks.
Renegade Lunch Lady” Chef Ann Cooper will partner with Whole Foods Market to launch the Virtual Lunch Box Web Portal, which will enable administrators and like-minded “lunch ladies” throughout the country to reform their meal plans by offering the necessary tools and resources. The portal will serve as the most comprehensive, easily accessible, and free set of resources available, offering scalable recipes, training resources and educational tools.
few books – you might have to re-direct them away from their iPod Touch, video games and computers. 
fashion sense – none. Nada.
Seems the trend of young men wearing pants barely above the hips began in the 1980s as a way for gang members to indicate they'd spent time in jail. It caught on as way to show "coolness," independence and defiance.
Too often, zero-tolerance laws have resulted in students facing charges that are so patently absurd that it's a challenge to cover these stories with a straight face. Invariably, when school officials are asked to explain why a child should face expulsion for violating the strictest possible interpretation of "carrying a weapon to school," they fall back on, "It's a zero-tolerance policy."
According to