report from the first week of 2011-2012 school year, snacks

well, we made it through the first week of school and are into the second. this is a wierd post, i feel it coming...

my daughter has sailed smoothly into kindergarten and says she loves it. maya has not questioned the fact that her teacher speaks chinese 90% of the day. today she was chanting "hong suh, lee suh" and when i asked her what it was she said that it was a pattern (of colors, in mandarin). her class is the SFUSD dream of diversity. she has two very good teachers. i helped a little at lunch today and saw maya just chilling out in the huge loud room, eating her lunch slowly, pretty smiley. outside in the sun during the too short recess she got to play an exciting game of cookie monster with her cousin and the fabulous coach d.j. of playworks. a few stumbles and trips but she is keeping up with the crowd.

miles' entry into third grade has been a bit bumpier. this is a public blog, so i won't say too much, but there have been some clashes between his new teacher and the kids and parents. i am trying not to get too sucked into the negative thoughts and worry, and be supportive instead. the principal asked if i would help make posters from the caring school curriculum for all the classrooms with some basic norms and rules and expectations. for kids AND teachers. how we all need to treat each other. we are all learning this stuff, but to get along in the same building, and really in any public space, there have to be some ground rules. poor kid also hurt his legs at soccer camp and i can tell he is deep down worrying about a possible damper on his professional soccer career. i am waiting to hear back from his doctor. we are all missing the very long and lazy days of summer.

this was an especially good and lazy summer and i need to hold onto those sunny memories as we move into the high gear of the school year.

(and let me say or the record that i am personally against benching kids unless it is a last resort, and even then it should be an opportunity for teaching and relationship building, not punishment. as in, let's sit down together and make sure you know why you are sitting on this bench and let's figure out a way it won't happen again. kids need to run around!!!)

as for me, i have a full caseload already, and there is a lot up in the air as to what will unfold at my sites this year. i guess i can't divulge any details as this is a public blog, but the special education redesign in this district really does seem to be happening. i think it is a step in the right direction, but hope that there is more systematic implementation of the next steps. one teacher was bawling on me at the end of the day, her class so full of needy kids, she loves them all and wants to teach them well but on the 4th day back was feeling it was "a cluster f**$#".

there is a lot being asked of people without many resources to support them.

today i cruised the bulk aisle at safeway and walked out with bags of whole wheat goldfish crackers, pretzels, cranberries, graham crackers. i made three big packages of snacks, one for my daughter's teacher, one for my son's, one for the after school program. i gave money to the teacher i work with to buy snacks for our preschool class. the food bank can't supply snacks anymore.

we are all in this together, this creation of every new day here, the kid raising, the kid feeding, the votes for parks and schools and clean environment. ask someone who takes care of other people what he or she needs tomorrow. don't eat any meat if you can. do what you can to spread the wealth.

sorry to be preachy and rambly. i promise my next post will not be so.

p.s. here are a couple of photos from the annual folsom street food festival. beautiful, fun, tasty. among the gourmet delights miles managed to find a cheeseburger (a REALLY GOOD cheeseburger)