funforkids

Last week I had the pleasure of returning to the stay at home mommy status for a limited 2 day stint.   It was absolutely WONDERFUL.  I miss being home with my kids so much, so those two days I really overdid the mommy and son time.  My five year old was in school and I really just wanted some alone time with the 3 year old (yes, a little selfish).  The problem is, we had so much fun that I realized how much I miss it and dreaded going back to work when the two days were up.  We went shopping, we went for a walk in the park, we fed the ducks and took pictures on the shore.  We swang on the swings and played tag in the playground.  It is so frustrating for me to not be able to be with him all day, when all I can do is think about his cute face and little boy voice.  If he were in school it would be different, then I wouldn’t have the option of seeing him, but knowing that he is home just makes me want to stay home and cuddle with him all day.  Both boys have adjusted nicely to my going to work and they are with their dad and my mom so I know that they are safe, but apparently I have not adjusted, because every once in a while I get a pang of sadness when I talk to them on the phone and hear their little voices saying I miss you mom.  I guess I will just have to live for holidays and weekends so I can curl up on the couch and hug them both until the protest. 

What is Core Knowledge?  Well, if you were a student in any City of New York College you may have an idea of what Core Knowledge is and why it is beneficial to students.  Remember all of those “Core” classes you had to take in order to satisfy graduation requirements?  You know the ones–basic math, basic writing, a few of the sciences like Chemistry, and geology, a basic computer course, a politics class, perhaps speech, and of course a music and an art appreciation.  Core classes were/are given in the colleges to ensure that all students have a well-rounded knowledge of many subject areas.  We have all seen many of the same art slides, and been exposed to the many genres of music, and to the various sciences and social studies courses so that when we go on to our own elective classes and the ones that make up our major, we can better understand what is being taught and we have the background information to build on.  What I found amazing about Brooklyn College was that somehow, and in some way, even if to a small extent, every professor referenced a person or idea or fact that I had learned about in a core class.  Even when I took my teaching exams, I found questions referencing particular art works, music pieces, and philosophers that were discussed in those core classes.  THANK GOD I PAID ATTENTION!

     The NYC public school system is now using the core knowledge philosophy in classrooms from grades pre-k to 12.  Having taught in a NYC junior high school for about 10 years in the 90’s though, I can honestly say, the practice is not as new as they say.  We always had a set curriculum of what we needed to teach and in what grade it needed to be taught, but the extent to which it was upheld varied from school to school.  In my particular building we taught in teams to ensure an interdisciplinary approach to learning, we chose topics that we all would touch on such as:  the environment–how can we teach about the environment in Math, English, Science and Social Studies; then we would form an interdisciplinary lesson on the subject.  Pretty simple.  It was a great process that allowed us to track student learning much better. 

     There are some key differences to Core Knowledge though.  Core Knowledge sets up a guideline of what topics need to be taught, what books should be read, what math concepts need to be learned and in which order it should be done.  This is done to ensure that all children are learning the same things on the same grade level at the same time.  The guidelines are much more stringent, and much more exact.  Where once upon a time, I would be able to make up my own homework assignments, now I would have to be sure that my assignments are the same as the other teachers of my subject and grade level.   My son, for example is receiving the exact same homework assignments in his first grade class with Ms Quinn as his friend AJ is getting down the hall with Ms. Smith.  It is very helpful when your child is absent from school and you know that you can call up any parent you know who has a first grader and get the day’s homework.  Core Knowledge also ensures that students are not stuck reading the same books in 2nd grade (or other grades) that they have already read the year before.   The Core Knowledge schedule prevents repeating of material.  It is a great thing–I know, having read Romeo and Juliet about three times in HS that I wish we had a Core Knowlede outline in place way back then.   Core Knowledge will also ensure that all children have the neccessary skills they need to meet the State Standards and to hopefully pass all of the required State and City exams that come along the way.  All in all, I believe Core Knowledge will prove to be a great practice in the NYC public schools.  I know that it is a very successful program as implemented in my own child’s school. 

I hate writing about politics-I really do.  I scan through the online political blogs and the comments they receive and find that so much of what is written is one-sided and hateful.  Everyone is heated, everyone is judgemental, and everyone, of course, thinks that they are completely and 100 % correct in their beliefs.  It is frustrating to read all the negativity.  Everyone is so angry and  the party lines are so thickly drawn in Sharpie Marker that one doesn’t dare show bi-partisanship.  It’s always that you are with us or against us mentality.  How will we ever get together as a country if we can’t get along as individuals?  Personally, I don’t know where I fit in.  I am a Christian so people say I should automatically vote Republican but I am also a humanitarian, so that makes me democrat too.  I sort of just vote from my gut all the time.  Many people say:  “How can you vote that way?” I don’t know-I guess I am too trusting or maybe naive.  I just think it is the man (or woman) that makes a good candidate and not the party affiliation.  I usually vote for the guy I like the best or hate the least.  I am a woman without a party stuck walking atop  a white picket fence balancing the best I can so I don not fall and be lanced by the sharp points below.  So, what’s a girl to do?  I guess I can form my own political party-  but should I call myself a Repulicat,  or  a Demoplican?  Surely there have to be others like me who hate the extremist point of view.  Feel the same way I do?  Please add your name and a comment if you wish too the comments box below-I would love to know that I am not alone in my frustration!  God Bless America and everyone in it.    =)    

Oh and Please no hate mail!!!  I am just a girl that is trying to get along.   I am in no way bashing any political party–merely stating the fact that I am a little bit Country and a little bit Rock and Roll. 

Don’t you just love when your kids are getting along?  That happens way too rarely I know, but when it does, it is pure heavenly BLISS! Last night I was in the kitchen doing bills and looked into the living room to see what the boys were up to and found them sitting huddled together in front of the computer playing “Arthur’s Reading Race” on the computer.  No one was pushing, no one was yelling, and no one was saying:  “It’s mine!”  It’s times like those when I look at them and say:  “When is it going to come to a crashing halt?”  “Which one is going to ruin it?”  It’s terrible, I know, I know, but come on–it’s true.  At any rate, I enjoyed it while it lasted which was for quite a while.  There was a great time span of at least an hour where they were just laughing together and playing the game without incident.  I was getting such a kick out of them.  They were talking so kindly to one another and interacting like big boys as they asked each other questions and answered politely. They were playing the game as a team and enjoying each other’s company.   My five year old even said:  “I love you” to the three year old and put his arm around him.  It was enough to bring a tear of joy to  my eye.  If only they could be like that more often.  It almost makes me think world peace is possible–almost. 

I now have a new favorite children’s book—It’s called “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” and it is absolutely ADORABLE.  My son was given a copy of the book to read over the summer by the PTA of his school and we finally, one week before going back to school, got around to actually reading it.  My son, who enjoys reading with me,  cuddled up next to me on the couch and we settled in for a good read, no forget that, A GREAT READ.  We checked out the cover of the book first and I noticed this adorable duck walking amidst his farmyard friends.  The Illustrations are precious!  Betsy Lewin has a wonderful knack for creating the cutest farm animals–our favorite being DUCK, of course.  I have to say I am completely jealous of Doreen Cronin as I think she has amazing talent as a children’s story writer.   I can only wish to be a quarter as talented as she.  I don’t want to give away the ending of the story because it is so cute that I wouldn’t want to ruin it for you, however I will give you the basic idea of her story.  Farmer Brown, you see, has to go on vacation to Hawaii and he enlists the help of his brother Bob (depicted on page 2 in his suit and tie minus the jacket of course so that he fits right in on the farm.  Just looking at the picture lets you know that maybe BOB will not be suited for the job ahead.  Throughout the next pages you see Bob doing the assigned duties that his brother (Farmer Brown) specifically wrote down for him, which include Pizza and movie night for the animals in the living room, and bath night in his bathroom with Farmer Brown’s favorite soap and his best towels.  Clearly something has gone wrong here–BUT WHAT CAUSED IT?   Read the story to find out what!  You will love the ending.  I give this story 10 ice-cream cones.  On a personal note–My five year old loved this book so much, that he made me teach him the hard words so that he can read it himself!  He now reads it to his 3 year old brother.  Thank you  Ms. Cronin for the wonderful book, my son is so proud to say that it was the first book he read by himself!

“I’m too big for that mom.”  Those words ripped through my heart like a knife.  If I had never felt my heart break before, Tuesday was the day I would realize what it really feels like to be heartbroken.  The funny thing is, I never thought that my five year old son would be my first true lesson in heartbreak. Sure, I have felt my fair share of sadness as a result of old loves lost, but last week, I actually felt a squeezing pain in my chest–I can’t really explain it; but it truly was like my heart was broken for a second–okay longer.  I believe it was my first real heart “ACHE”.   My son started first grade on Tuesday.  Eager to be the big kid—the first grader on the first floor with his new first grade friends and his first grade teacher with his first grade uniform and his first grade books.  I was so happy to see him so excited, so happy, so handsome, and growing up.  We took the ride to school and I watched him through my rear view window as he excitedly rambled on about who might be his teacher, and which of his kindergarten friends would be in his new class.  How did this happen?  How did my first born baby become a first grader?  Worse than that, how much bigger do I have to let him get???? =(     UGH!  I am so happy and so sad all at once.  Is that crazy?  Okay, so you are still waiting for the heartbreak part–right?  We pulled up on the block of the school, parked, unbuckled and got out.  He held my hand as we crossed the street.  I grew a bit nervous with each step, remembering last year and the year before and how too many times I had to talk him into going into school.  How I had to reassure him that everything would be okay.  I remembered the tears that came for the first two months of pre-k when I had to assure him that Fire-drills were just walks outside and not real fires.  I remembered how I had to assure him that I would be there when he came out.  I remembered how I had to console him when he was afraid that a certain boy would hit him everyday. I thought about all of the time and t.l.c it took to get him through last year.   I took a deep breath as we neared the gate, we stopped and he gave me a big hug.  I asked him to remind me what his class number was (not because I forgot, but because I wanted to make sure he remembered for himself).  “301″ he said.  “No Baby, 1-103″, I said.  He repeated it  and I hoped he would remember it beyond the doors.  He gave me another big hug and began to pull away.  “Can I have a kiss?” I said…..  

 ”I’m too big for that mom.”  he replied.  There they were:  the words that would deliver the ache that resounds in my heart even today–four days later.  These words came from the boy who only last September through June would say:  “I need another kiss” and another and another before school.  These words came from the little boy who would walk into the gate last year and through a closed gate pucker his lips and give me a kiss and then kiss his hand and place it against mine.  These words from the boy who all of the moms would say:  “Oh my God-he’s adorable” as he would take twenty steps and turn and yell:  “I love you mom”  and walk a few steps more, turn and say: “I love you mom” and continue for a few more steps and repeat the pattern until he was in the door that seemed a mile away from me through that gate.  But there they were:  “I’m too big for that mom” dropped in my lap like a ball of cement that nearly knocked me down and crushed my soul.  It sounds overly dramatic, but I swear that is how I felt.    As I drove to the bus stop to catch my bus into Manhattan, I fought back a tear (ok-twenty thousand tears) thinking about how big my boy has gotten and how happy I really was that he was happy for his first day of school. 

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