My Daughter and Her Family

           Last night I spent some time with my grandbaby, while her mom and dad spent an evening sans preschooler.

Playing dress up...This is not her "normal" look.

            By 11:00 p.m. I was exhausted (Grammies wear out earlier than four-year olds) after playing a variety of games.  We had a little fashion show with her Polly Pocket dolls (their rubber dresses are sometimes difficult to get on), we painted pictures, we played the "Take" game (one of us would pretend to fall asleep with one of her stuffed animals, and the other would take the animal away and hide it), the "Witch/Frog/Rapunzel/Prince/Mad Scientist game (I would be the witch/mad scientist and turn her from Rapunzel into a frog, and sometimes I was lucky enough to be allowed to turn myself into a prince), along with a book and baking up a frozen pizza and putting on a puppet show.

          I thought I was a decent parent, especially with my daughter---I was younger with her, and lost some of my patience when my son was born nine years later---because we had real conversations all the time, I read a great deal to her, and she was well loved.  But I was not as creative or constantly-thoughtful as my daughter is with her daugher.

           When we were having our puppet show last night, I noticed that these were not store-bought hand puppets.  My daughter and her child had made them--how frugal and clever and what a great bonding experience.

This is the dog puppet.  There was also a witch and an octopus...

            This little girl is amazingly imaginative, and it is because her parents are creative artists and have made her the center of their universe.  (Which is not to say she does not have limitations and is not disciplined.  She gets put in time-out and is even so self-aware and considerate, she sometimes even puts herself in time-out.)

This is a portrait of my granddaughter, painted by her daddy... 
If anyone is in the market for a portrait-artist, email me and
I will give you his contact information.  He can work from photos,
and works in pastels/colored pencils as well as oil paint, and is an award-winning artist.

                    When our children become adults and have children of their own, it is proof we have done at least some things right; otherwise, they would not be alive.  However, when they become exemplary parents, parents who are thoughtful and gentle and endlessly patient, the pride is unbelievable...

My Teacher's "Wish List"

          After a near-death (of the spirit and sanity) encounter with a parent and grandparent tag-team this week, I am writing down my wish list.  I know Santa is watching me, and my self-control and pleasant expression that remains intact until I get back into the privacy of my classroom--when it's empty--is evidence that I've not been naughty.  I'm always nice (at least I always have a hard, candy-coated nice exterior).  Because my job depends on it.

       So, since there is only a little more than a month before Christmas, I wanted to send off my list early.  These are things I would truly appreciate and use (not like those hideous hand-knit sweaters in old-lady colors and styles that I used to get), yet I know they'll be a challenge for the elves to hammer and glue-gun up.  And yet I am still asking for them...

photo by MADsLucky13

1.  Stop thinking I have the time and energy and inclination to plot with your child's  previous teachers from kindergarten, first, and second grade---along with the PE and Music teachers---and together, we form an evil scheme to paint an incorrect "picture" of your son or daughter. Your child's former teachers and myself do not stay up late into the night on the phone, planning how we are going to "get" your child.  There is no conspiracy swirling around, portraying your child as disruptive if they are not. Seriously.  I am so tired when I get home, I barely have the energy to take off my bra when I get home. I am too exhausted to carry out a vendetta against anyone, including your child.

2.  Chew me up without your child watching it.  Don't go off on me over the phone and allow your child to listen to it.  I have a thick skin.  My name has been scratched on bathroom stall walls and surprisingly, kids can't spell "when" correctly but there are other words they definitely can spell! I can take it.  What I can't take is you cutting my legs out from under me.  You undermine me when your child watches as you cuss me out and rant and rave and tell blatant lies.  When your kiddo sees me take that with a polite expression, it tells them they---kids--- can treat me in a similar manner.

Help me provide a "united front."  In public, portray the illusion that we are a team, working together.  In private, you can say anything you want.  I can take it.  Really.  I mean it...

3.  Come and spend a few minutes in my classroom before you decide I am the epitome of evil.  You may find out that your child is not the empty vessel just waiting to be filled with knowledge, as you previously thought.  You might just see that I beg and plead and cajole and bribe your child---and a few others---all day...many times a day.  If every teacher for the last three years has told you that your child has anger management issues/sexually inappropriate behavior/learning obstacles/problems focusing for more than 1.7 seconds at a time...Perhaps it's not evil intentions on my part.  Perhaps you need to turn and really look at your child...

4.  Be an advocate for your son/daughter.  Come up to the school like a rocket because they are reading two years below their grade level.  Yell and scream because you are demanding ways YOU can help them.  Don't holler because I took a bag of chips from your offspring after they were eating them in the middle of my math lesson instead of paying attention and then lied about it.  There are things that are scream-worthy. A bag of Flamin' Hot chips is not.

5.  Take your child to the cultural things like the free museums and the zoo and the nature centers. Expose them to the world in kid-friendly ways. Watching R and X-rated movies is not usually often  ever appropriate for third graders  second graders  first graders   kindergarteners kids.  (Even if you view them during your "family time," it's still warping their minds.)  Talk with your children. Engage in conversations with them.  Ask how they feel and what they think and what they dream of becoming.

       Santa, I know this is a lot to ask for.  So perhaps you could bring one of the above things to me this Christmas, and next year, perhaps another, so by the time I retire, my wish list will be fulfilled?

Too Long...

        It's been a while since my last post---at least for me---but this week has been parent-teacher conference week.  That mean long days, late nights, so when I get home, I collapse.

         At the beginning of the week, I was despondent.  One of my student's parent was is quite upset with me.  They have not observed me teaching (not even for five minutes) they are disregarding their child's perceptions (the student knows I care about him) and they wanted their youngster out of my classroom.  Unfortunately, the other 3rd grade classroom is maxed out (capacity-wise) which means the parent---if they really are unhappy with their child's placement---will have to drive to another school every day.  (Tomorrow is the conference with this parent. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can smooth feathers...)

         Being judged without having the chance to "prove" myself as a concerned, rigorous, and imaginative teacher really caused me to wonder what else was I qualified to do...If they don't change the guidelines, I have 6 more years until I can retire; if I'm going to make parents miserable, I need to make a career change.

           This is what I found I can do when I retire next year (after jotting down my skills):

• radar-gun tester (Hey, I do speed sometimes most of the time, so perhaps I could find employment with the police, where I race along the highway, and they see if their radar guns are calibrated correctly...)
• unrhythmic, anti-stripper (I have no dancing ability, but I could be paid to put clothes back on...)
• earplug tester (If the sounds of my snoring do not penetrate the earplugs, they are highly effective.)
• Nutella spokesperson  (It's heaven on a spoon.  Or, if you want to eat it in a more socially acceptable way, put some on a croissant.)

         However, tonight I met some parental jewels.  They are the type of parents teachers dream about. They were supportive, funny, involved, and had great attitudes about life and childrearing.  They made me want to not give up...

Thanks!