Then I attended an open house at the Senior Center, and there was Grandpa Wally volunteering with his wife Ina.
Shay got to sit and have a quick lunch with them!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Grandparents' Day
I had some things to do in the neighborhood of my Grandmother last week, so I took Shay with me to say hi to his Great Grandma Mary Jo. She was chatty, talking about her experiences with my Grandpa during WWII, and all the moving around they did.
Then I attended an open house at the Senior Center, and there was Grandpa Wally volunteering with his wife Ina.
Shay got to sit and have a quick lunch with them!
Then I attended an open house at the Senior Center, and there was Grandpa Wally volunteering with his wife Ina.
Shay got to sit and have a quick lunch with them!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
School Days
While nearly all the schools in the U.S. are doing the following; shutting down, or cutting back, or doubling classroom populations to save money...
Shay's school is expanding and branching out. It is a Preparatory Academy, and Shay's been going there since before Kindergarten. They were the only school in town to have a Pre-Kindergarten program.
It began as a tuition based private school, but the founder worked on it and eventually got some funding to go public. However, this school isn't run like any old public school.
If they don't have money for a particular program, they don't have it. If they need to save money for a future project, they do just that.
It is a very conservative school, and although saying someone teaches "out of the box" sounds out-dated and over used, it's true. The teachers aren't afraid to get the kids to see things a different way.
It is a computerized school, much of the work is done on laptops. That saves paper. And paper costs money.
For a child to attend Telesis, the school demands that their parents be very very involved. It shows. I sometimes find myself sitting in my car waiting for Shay, or sitting out on one of the benches--and I listen to the kids nearby. They don't have filthy mouths, they're not out there dressed like Britney Spears ( they're in school uniforms ) and they are respectful. There are NO fights. If a child shows behavioral problems, they are removed. That's a fact, not just my perception.
Now that the school has the money to expand, the upper level grades are occupying a temporary campus down the street from the main campus. They'll be there until the main campus finishes the new classrooms and gymnasium. I got a nice tour on the first day of school since I helped dedicate all the new American flags for each classroom. Each room was small, but there was spare room as not all the desks were filled. So I'd estimate maybe 15 kids per classroom.
And they have brand new desks!! I've never, in all the different schools I've attended, seen a brand new student desk. Wow.
Shay's dad doesn't take him to school. Neither does his girlfriend. They can't be bothered with it. So when he's visiting dad, I pick him up and get him to school. Since this arrangement, Shay has had perfect attendance.
But usually Shay's dad will pick him up from school--four days a week, only on the weeks he's visiting dad. He gets off work about an hour before school lets out for the day. Since this new campus is an additional 5 minute drive, Shay's dad has decided that he's not going to pick him up. Instead of driving 5 minutes, he has to drive 10. This is too much of a responsibility. He believes that Shay must change schools so he won't have to make the drive to the new campus. He wants him in a school that has fights, teen pregnancies, drugs, Britney Spears clothing, and too many kids crammed into each classroom. In his opinion, this is better for our son.
Some people don't want to see the big picture--they just want to put their parental responsibilities onto someone else. I guess I'll be the parent!
Shay's school is expanding and branching out. It is a Preparatory Academy, and Shay's been going there since before Kindergarten. They were the only school in town to have a Pre-Kindergarten program.
It began as a tuition based private school, but the founder worked on it and eventually got some funding to go public. However, this school isn't run like any old public school.
If they don't have money for a particular program, they don't have it. If they need to save money for a future project, they do just that.
It is a very conservative school, and although saying someone teaches "out of the box" sounds out-dated and over used, it's true. The teachers aren't afraid to get the kids to see things a different way.
It is a computerized school, much of the work is done on laptops. That saves paper. And paper costs money.
For a child to attend Telesis, the school demands that their parents be very very involved. It shows. I sometimes find myself sitting in my car waiting for Shay, or sitting out on one of the benches--and I listen to the kids nearby. They don't have filthy mouths, they're not out there dressed like Britney Spears ( they're in school uniforms ) and they are respectful. There are NO fights. If a child shows behavioral problems, they are removed. That's a fact, not just my perception.
Now that the school has the money to expand, the upper level grades are occupying a temporary campus down the street from the main campus. They'll be there until the main campus finishes the new classrooms and gymnasium. I got a nice tour on the first day of school since I helped dedicate all the new American flags for each classroom. Each room was small, but there was spare room as not all the desks were filled. So I'd estimate maybe 15 kids per classroom.
And they have brand new desks!! I've never, in all the different schools I've attended, seen a brand new student desk. Wow.
Shay's dad doesn't take him to school. Neither does his girlfriend. They can't be bothered with it. So when he's visiting dad, I pick him up and get him to school. Since this arrangement, Shay has had perfect attendance.
But usually Shay's dad will pick him up from school--four days a week, only on the weeks he's visiting dad. He gets off work about an hour before school lets out for the day. Since this new campus is an additional 5 minute drive, Shay's dad has decided that he's not going to pick him up. Instead of driving 5 minutes, he has to drive 10. This is too much of a responsibility. He believes that Shay must change schools so he won't have to make the drive to the new campus. He wants him in a school that has fights, teen pregnancies, drugs, Britney Spears clothing, and too many kids crammed into each classroom. In his opinion, this is better for our son.
Some people don't want to see the big picture--they just want to put their parental responsibilities onto someone else. I guess I'll be the parent!
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