Free Range Parenting, or not, as the case may be...

So last week a teacher friend expressed her frustration that parents of a high schooler didn't want the student to read some books in the grade level curriculum because of the adult themes in them.  I've always subscribed to the "let them read whatever" philosophy, but this situation frustrated me because so many people were so judgemental of the parents.

The parents in this case are actually grandparents who are very conservative and have strong Christian beliefs.  I agree that they can't protect him forever, and if I had been directly involved in the conversation, might have even "sided" with the other teacher.  I probably would have given some reasons why the materials were chosen and why it might be ok, with guidance, for the student to read them.  However,  I am disappointed that so many adults were ready and willing to "jump in" and automatically side with the teacher rather than the parents. Not one person involved in the conversation said, "Hey, we should find out more about this"or "maybe the parents have a point and we should find something different"....

Situations like this always make me analyze my own curriculum choices as well as how I interact with parents and other teachers.  As teachers we do have a responsibility to expand students' horizons...but we also have a responsibility to respect their beliefs and their parents beliefs.  We are given so much responsibility for students during the school day that we sometimes forget we are not their parents....that we don't get to make decisions about what is right for each kid, just like we don't want our kids' teachers to make decisions without our input. We, as parents and teachers, don't always agree, but we owe it to each other and to the kids to respect each other's beliefs and have responsible, polite conversations with the goal of doing what is best for kids.  And as bystanders, we have an obligation to remind each other to be patient and listen to each other.

Breckenridge, Part 3

Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 here and here!

Sunday morning we all woke up early and invaded church.  With all of us we filled a whole pew!  After church we headed back to the cabin to hang out while Mr. IM and Grandude visited Alma and Fairplay, two towns "just over the pass".  The Boy and The Girl watched some quality cable tv while the other moms and I took their four boys to the mountain the check in.  We had a great time on the chairlift and it was gorgeous day!  After checking the boys in, we all proceeded to the Frisco Adventure Park for some tubing fun--even with the melty snow we had an awesome time!


Monday was a lesson day for the other kids, while The Boy and The Girl skied (snowboarded) with Mr. IM and Grandude.  We moms hung out in town and walked about five miles before a well deserved lunch at Empire Burger.  I met the family at the car after their day on the mountain and we took a short walk to our "usual place", the little grocery store downtown, to pick up Gatorades.  In the evening, Grandude and the kids piled into the hot tub to relax (ok, Grandude relaxed...)

Apparently it was a great day because The Boy actually fell asleep while watching tv...and he never sleeps....

















Tuesday morning T's boys were in lessons again, while R and C took their boys on an adventure.  (The Ranch kids skied and boarded...).  T and I went back to the cabin and read (ok, napped).  After lessons and skiing (boarding) the kids all went outside to play in the snow.  They found a picnic table buried under about two feet of snow--when they dug it out, it created a little snow cave.  We offered to let them sleep in it, but they decided not to.

 Wednesday morning we packed up and headed back to reality....a great vacation and we are already debating "who turn" it is to "host" next time!

Watching the grader "rescue" us--with all the melting the road was a bit of a mess!

The Boy, shoveling the driveway.  Notice the "party house" across the street--there were about ten college aged guys staying there who provided us with a lot of entertainment.  And mysteries--"is that a dead body or a sweatshirt"?  "How does a keg work at altitude?"

Look at all those cars!

The Girl, enjoying her futon in our shared room

Items, since claimed, that were left by the front door when we were ready to leave for the last time.

Bye, animal skin on the wall!  (Bear?)  He has a cute little tail...

Breck Spring Break 2015, part 2

Catch up on Part I here!

Day 2 was Saturday.  While the rest of our party slept in and did other exciting things, our family (including Grandude) made our way up the mountain to watch The Boy compete in his first snow boarding competition.  I'm pretty proud of myself, because the trek included rides on a gondola, on a chairlift and a "brisk 10 minute" walk up  the side of a mountain for me to reach the competition viewing site.

We had a few confusing minutes trying to purchase this "adult walking ticket"...apparently not many people purchase tickets in the winter to not ski or board (surprise?).  It was so confusing that the young lady selling the tickets had to go get the help of a lady my age who giggled with me about "at least it uses a zip tie instead of those metal and sticker passes".

The Boy did well in his competition--it was ages 7 (and under) through 16 and he scored 4th overall, only two points off the 3rd place winner who got to go to the finals.  The kids who placed 1-3 were older, too, so we are all very excited!

He looks tiny, doesn't he?  My mother-in-law, after watching a video we shared with her, said he looked like a "little red gingerbread man".

He kept his race bib...perhaps to have it framed sometime!

While watching the competition, we made  ourselves comfy--it was super warm and The Girl and I made snow chairs and tiny little snowmen while watching the other competitors.  We also got a little sunburned and retreated under the trees for a little while!

We had lunch at the Vista House restaurant while waiting for results (did I mention he missed the finals by two points?) and then The Girl was nice enough to ride the chairlift and gondola back down the mountain with me.  She agreed,  by the way, going down on the chairlift is not a lot of fun...

Later, Mr IM, The Boy, and Grandude met us for a walk to get drinks before we headed back to the cabin to meet up with everyone else.  The Girl graciously babysat for all the younger kids so the adults could go out to Park and Main for a yummy dinner and a couple hours of adult time.  We all also managed to fit into one car, which was pretty awesome, since parking is so tight!

Spring Break 2015, part I

For spring break 2015, we returned the the scene of Spring Break 2012, Breckenridge!

This time we shared the cabin with our tablemates from the Mane Event 2014--T (her husband, S stayed home to put a new floor and walls in their laundry room), her boys, Z and M and C and R and their boys, I, M, and X.  Grandude also joined us for some fun skiing and to watch The Boy compete in a snowboard competition.  All together that meant two ten year old  boys, three eight year olds, and a three year old...and The Girl (thirteen).

While Mr. IM took the kids to school, I took Liberty to the kennel and loaded the car.  I left a little room for the kids.  Do you think we packed enough food and supplies for five days?  He, he...  Mr IM was joining us later after working a few more hours so he put the ski equipment in his car to bring up.

I picked up the house a little bit, so that our cat sitter wouldn't be too traumatized by the mess we left and hit the road....

 After picking up the kids, T and I headed to Breck.  The kids got to eat sandwiches in the car, which thye loved....RC and their kids decided to come up after X finished school for the day (The "big" kids all got out at 11:30 because it was a teacher work day or something and T and I took the day off from work) We arrived a couple hours before check-in, but decided to take our chances and see if we could get in the house.  Our code didn't work, so while waiting for the rental company to call back with the right one, the kids played in the snow and we worked on clearing off the steps (look at all that snow!!!)

 The kids had a great time climbing on the snow banks and playing in the snow.  The piles were taller than the cars.  It started snowing a little, so we were glad to be at our destination.

Later in the afternoon Mr IM joined us for a few minutes (he was not amused at waiting in the  backseat of the car) and we got our code to go in...ahhhh....

 After some unpacking and settling in, we found a beverage for Mr IM and after the rest of our group arrived, settled in for some Rumicube while the kids watched cable tv and giggled.

The best coleslaw ever

I'm not making this up, my friend, J, calls this the best coleslaw ever.  So get ready for another secret family recipe...This one brought to you by Cooking Pleasures Magazine, February/March 2005.  The real recipe on this page is Cumin-Crusted Salmon with Guacamole (also tasty, and included, but not photographed).  We love the salmon recipe, but have probably served the coleslaw many more times without the salmon than with (with burgers, brats, as the "base" for fish tacos, at carry-in meals....)

Cilantro Coleslaw
In a large bowl, combine 1 (1 lb) package of coleslaw mix with 6 chopped green onions and 1 C chopped cilantro.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 C mayonnaise, 2 T lime juice and 2 T honey.  Pour dressing over coleslaw mix, toss to combine.

That's it...yummy, right?
The original article suggested serving it with the salmon and cornbread or pan-fried potato wedges.

Cumin-Crusted Salmon with Guacamole.
2 T ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 (5-6 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed
2 tsp olive oil
1 C prepared guach (they suggest 1 avocado and 1 C salsa...I've done it there way and 10,000 other ways as well.... sometimes we just use sliced avocado, sometimes store bought, sometimes home-made)

Heat oven to 425 (sometimes we do it on the grill).  In a small bowl, still together cumin, salt ,and pepper, sprinkle on salmon.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add salmon.  Cook 2 minutes or until browned. (sometimes I skip that step and just do it in the oven). Turn, place in oven.  Bake 5-8 minutes or until salmon just begins to flake.  Serve topped with guacamole.  4 servings, usually with lots of coleslaw left over for fish tacos or burgers the next day.

A rescue mission

As I sat at the kitchen table for one last sip of coffee this morning, a very stealthy Alice the Cat slunk by.  Why was she slinking you may ask?  Someone (you'll never guess who) apparently thought she needed to wear a sweater.  No wonder Alice always looks like she wants to kill us.  I managed to subdue her and remove the sweater.  She was much, um, happier? afterwards...

Legos...

Lately The Boy is in a Lego phase.  He has dragged out a few kits that he never put together, a few sets of directions for kits he did and took apart, and has created a lot of new things.  He even recently submitted one of his creations to Lego Club magazine (don't worry, we'll let you all know if it is published).  Todays project is a hybrid--a kit built Millenium Falcon, with some after market modifications.

 Mr IM pointed out a few things to notice (you may need to enlarge the photo to get the full effect...

The outside steering wheel (manned by Yoda, in this photo)

The top mounted (extra large) cannon

The rainbow of "repair" Legos to replace missing parts and/or add additional features.










Notice also that Yoda and the steering wheel seem to be removable --perhaps an escape pod?

And as a bonus, you can see all the dirty dishes and misc. junk that inhabits my kitchen table a great deal of the time.  Nice.

Gratitude

The phone rang at 5:45 this morning, just as I was getting ready to walk out the door.  It's funny how many emotions can flash through my head in the seconds it takes to walk across the kitchen and grab it--is is bad news?  Is it a school alert?  Who would call at this hour? (And why?)
Today it was a wrong number...and I am thankful.  Gratitude is a funny thing...often we don't feel it when we should--we take so many things for granted.  I am thankful this morning for the wrong number that reminded me of all the things I have to be thankful for.

What I read in February

I read a lot in February--many of them were very short though and I've already discussed the Lois Lowry quartet, but here's an "official" summary:

1.  The Shadowy Horses--Susanna Kearsley--might be my favorite Kearsley book yet--it is a prequel to the Firebird that I read last month.  I stood in the library and re-read parts of the Firebird after reading this because I wanted to clarify "what happened" to some of the major characters.

2.  Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen--I really shouldn't count this again, but we did listen to it in the car again and quoted all our favorite lines.You really do have to hear it read to get the full affect...

3.  The Giver by Lois Lowry--This is the series that I had to say "My mom was right" They are still not my favorite books of all time, but they were entertaining.  The Giver is my least favorite of the series, but it has to be read to understand the others.

4.  Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry Even though it is hard to see how this one is connected to the others, this might be my favorite of the series.

5.  Messenger by Lois Lowry- Continues the story from The Giver and connects it to Gathering Blue

6.  Son by Lois Lowry-Pulls all the other books together and is a nice conclusion.

7. Miramont's Ghose by Elizabeth Hall--it was free on Amazon and loosely based on the story of Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs.  The first 2/3 of the book was very interesting and seemed like it could be loosely historically based.  Then it took one of the turns that free Amazon books sometimes do and I thought, "ummm, this seems unnecessarily graphic" and then it just kind of wandered to the ending.  I did some research and the original builder was accused of abusing kids, but the storyline in the book was weird.  I wouldn't recommend it (unless you only read the first half)

8.  The Selection by Kiera Cass--recommended by my friend, T, who has never steered me wrong on a book.  This is book one of a series about a post-apocalyptic society (set in the former US, of course) and telling the story of a Prince who designs a Bachelor-like contest to choose a bride.  Written for middle schoolers/high schoolers, has some excitement (the castle is attacked, etc), but is clean and appropriate for "all audiences".  I enjoyed the sequels as well (see below) and am looking forward to one more sequel (set 20 years after the last) when it comes out in May.

9.  The Prince by Kiera Cass-this is one of those "novellas" that seem to be popular in "teen reads" these days.  It is set before the Selection, but is from the Prince's point of view.

10.  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr--read this while waiting for the Cass books to arrive from my hold at the library.  My book club that I rarely get to read this a few months ago.  It is set in World War 2 and after--tells the parallel story of a young blind girl and a young German soldier. Nicely done, surprising storyline--enjoyed the book.

11.  The Elite by Kiera Cass-Continues the story from The Selection

12. The Guard by Kiera Cass--another novella set from yet another character's point of view.

13.  The One by Kiera Cass--The conclusion to the trilogy, although, as mentioned above, another novel, set twenty years after this one, is supposed to come out in May.

14. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix--another series recommended by a friend.  Written for upper elementary school students, the books are quick reads.  I read 2 of them in an evening. I'm waiting for book #4 to come in at the library and then I'll probably finish up the story.  Another post-apocalyptic America book, this time families are only allowed two children.  When a family has three kids the third has to live in hiding and so forth and so on.  Fun stories, quick to read.

15.  Among the Impostors by Margaret Peterson Haddix--book 2

16.Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix--book 3

I'm about fifty pages into American Sniper.  I'm having mixed feelings about it so far...I'll report when I'm finished!  After that and the Haddix books, I'm looking for something else to read--I do have some spring break time coming up, so I'll have to find something interesting (or hope that my books on hold at the library come in!)

Things I could do better

February is hard.  It is a time of self-doubt and loathing (of ourselves and everyone else) for many of us in education....I think I wrote a post about that last year.  I promise I'm not suffering from too much self-doubt and loathing, just a little self-evaluation prompted not by the February blahs, but by Lent.  Many years ago I participated in a Bible Study where we discussed how to add more to our Lent to make it more meaningful.  These are some of my random thoughts of things I can add or improve ( and maybe a little self-doubt and loathing...)

1.  Meal prep.  Seriously, do all of you who post on Facebook really make all your meals for the week on Sunday afternoon?  Really?  When do you get the grocery shopping done?  Egads...really, meals in general have been a struggle lately...I would really love for someone to just cook for me for a week.  I found myself obsessing over what to cook for dinner at 9 am this morning during US History.  Tonight we had soup that Mr. IM made on Sunday afternoon for the 3rd straight night (and, if you don't count breakfast, the 5th straight meal) for me...Ugh.
2.  Cleaning.  Ugh.  Including the dirty dishes from the non-existent meals.
3.  Blogging.  Yes, yes, I was listening when you said you enjoyed my blog.  (Thank you) but then I read ther people's and I wish I had the guts to write about certain things and the creativity to write about others.
4.  Keeping in touch with family and friends.  I used to be the world's best letter writer.  Really, I was.  I even sent birthday cards, by mail, to everyone I'd ever met (almost).  Now, if it wasn't for Facebook, some of you would never hear from me (sorry).
5.  Prayer list.  I need to find my prayer journal and use it again--it did keep me more focused.  A lot of my praying these days is happening in the car during my commute, which is good in a way, but sometimes feels rushed and unfocused (because I am focusing on driving, in theory)
6. Not yelling at the children and the dog.  Ugh.  This one has been tough this week.  The dog is out of control, the children at my house are driving me nuts and the students at school are right behind them....I am really struggling with patience (and I know it, which frustrates me).  Tonight the children are in their rooms, even though it is only 7 pm, because it was just too much.  And if that dog digs one more hole in the yard, I am not responsible for my actions.
7.  Patience, patience, patience.  Enough said.
8.  Exercising every day.
9.  Creative lesson plans for my support lab.  Just keeping up with the paperwork I've created for myself is wearing me down this week.  I need to simplify.
10.  Stepping away from electronics and doing something else.  Maybe take up knitting or cross stitch again?

Sigh...Ok, I feel better after sharing...so thank you all for listening....