Please Stop Telling Me Our Schools Suck

Apparently yet another report has come out showing that the middle and high schools here in Y-town are terrible. I think I've run through all the stages of grief about local public schools at this point, but then I find myself just feeling pissed today -- pissed that we now live in a world where we test the hell out of kids (acting as if these scores some how let us objectively rank and compare schools) so that districts like mine look like shit. And then we act like it is the school district's fault. I'm pretty sure that we know better, that we know that we don't really even need to waste all those weeks (and money) testing kids (my then 3 rd grader had 3 weeks of standardized testing last year!). All we really need to do is look at the socioeconomic profile. The darker and poorer the district, the "worse" they are (on these tests).

Okay, you and I know this and that is not my point anyway. My point is that I'm pissed that we trot these tests out and it feels like I (as a privileged parent) am supposed to look at the results and pull my not-brown and not-poor kids out...because I can. The whole message to parents is "run if you can." But run where? The subtext seems to be if I have a good student and the means, I'm mortgaging the kid's future by not pulling them. The message to parents like me seems to be: "it's okay, we know you like the idea of public schools but of course you can't endanger the future of your little snowflake..." Here you go privileged people, a signed hall pass getting you out the gym class the rest of the schmucks have to take.

I'm also pissed because a district can try with all its might to create a counter narrative (value of diversity, rich music program, community partnerships, etc.), but the scores will undercut those messages every time. And then they will excuse families that leave "because the public schools are so bad."

Suck it up, people. Public is public. We all have a stake (admittedly not to the same extent) in the schools -- whether or not we have kids, whether or not our kids go to public school. Get in the game. To that end, I'm going to lobby for the newly proposed state law mandating that parents get time off to attend their kids school meetings be expanded to allow ALL employees up to 8 hours of paid hours per month to put into the schools. It would be a start.

Yuletide Overload

It has been a busy weekend: Cookie making at my folks (with Great Grandma) on Saturday. Decorating of the fake tree. Yule shoot your eye party at P & L's Saturday evening. More cookie making at D's on Sunday. Crafting ornaments and the beginnings of a decent Scrabble game at AE's on Sunday. Whew. I got a new camera... can you tell?

There's a Hole in the Bucket

My parents have been e-mailing and calling me multiple times a day for the last several days. There is no family crisis brewing, no one is dying, no one is in jail.... nope, the subject of these repeated calls is what to get my daughter for her birthday. I told them, I sent them links, but in those links were options. Just like with my kids, I said all options are acceptable, pick what works for you... yet still they call. First, the home phone rings, then the cell. And yes, I'm now avoiding them and instead posting bloggy rants...

With every message on the answering machine, voicemail, and e-mail, I am reminded of two bits of popular culture:

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1) The Monty Python scene in Life of Brian where he is trying to shake the followers. He tells someone to "fuck off" and the disciple replies, "but how shall we fuck off?"

2) This children's song:

There's a hole in the bucket,Dear Liza, dear Liza

There's a hole in the bucket,Dear Liza, there's a hole.

Then fix it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

Then fix it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, fix it.

With what shall I fix it,Dear Liza, dear Liza?

With what shall I fix it,Dear Liza, with what?

With a straw, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

With a straw, dear Henry,Dear Henry, with a straw.

But the straw is too long,Dear Liza, dear Liza

But the straw is too long,Dear Liza, too long

Then cut it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

Then cut it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, cut it.

With what shall I cut it,Dear Liza, dear Liza?

With what shall I cut it,Dear Liza, with what?

With an axe, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

With an axe, dear Henry,Dear Henry, an axe.

The axe is too dull,Dear Liza, dear Liza

The axe is too dull,Dear Liza, too dull

Then sharpen it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

Then sharpen it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, sharpen it.

With what shall I sharpen it,Dear Liza, dear Liza?

With what shall I sharpen it,Dear Liza, with what?

With a stone, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

With a stone, dear Henry,Dear Henry, a stone.

The stone is too dry,Dear Liza, dear Liza

The stone is too dry,Dear Liza, too dry

Then wet it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

Then wet it, dear Henry,Dear Henry, wet it.

With what shall I wet it,Dear Liza, dear Liza?

With what shall I wet it,Dear Liza, with what?

With water, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

With water, dear Henry,Dear Henry, with water.

How shall I get it,Dear Liza, dear Liza,

How shall I get it,Dear Liza, how shall I?

In the bucket, dear Henry,Dear Henry, dear Henry

In the bucket, dear Henry,Dear Henry, in the bucket.

There's a hole in the bucket.

Okay, enough ranting, time to call the folks back...