Like the new design? Too pink? Send me your thoughts. The little green dots were starting to get to me. As soon as I figure out how to customize my design like others have I'll change it up again.
OK, enough about the schools but I have to say this. It was not my imagination. The ladies from that one particular school I went to did strike me as elitist and today in talking to a old schoolmate who has kids in elementary school she was telling me that the mothers from that school are that way. Interesting. I went to see my second choice school on Friday and it has now moved to my first choice. Not based on what that one girl told me today, but on other things too.
I have 4 more schools I want to see that I didn't get around to this last week. I need to call them so I can schedule a time when I can come in and tour. One is a technology school, the other communication, math & science and the last one is the one that is on my third choice for Vanguard.
Today is a day of chores. I have to file my receipts for my Flex Plan for insurance, figure the cost of new contacts so I can file that too. I have paperwork to do. I also need to spend a little bit of time tutoring Miranda with the new workbooks I just bought her. And finally, I have a lot of laundry to fold.
I know some of you may think that if I spent less time blogging I would have more time to work on my novel. Believe me, I've thought the same thing but it really isn't. I can blog with the TV on and Robots playing, the baby running around, Miranda coming to hang on me. Blogging is not really writing to me. Not serious writing at least and all this is totally written in first draft. Take care and have a great Saturday if that's when you're reading this.
And to my friends who tell me that this is the way they keep up with what's going on in my life, THANKS for reading!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
One Last Thought
Donate to KPFT Radio Pacifica 90.1 for 2 HUGE reasons. Go to kpft.org today and donate!
1. Nuestra Palabra- Latinos Having Their Say, who have been huge supporters of my writing career.
2. Latino USA- A great show that just moved over from KUHF recently to KPFT!
1. Nuestra Palabra- Latinos Having Their Say, who have been huge supporters of my writing career.
2. Latino USA- A great show that just moved over from KUHF recently to KPFT!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
I'm Back in School
This whole school thing is hilarious. I didn’t expect to feel this way. I think I’ve been saying that a lot lately! Isn’t that weird? I’ve been experiencing a lot of new feelings or feelings I didn’t expect to feel.
In this case it’s been different because I feel like it’s so much more than I expected. I figured, I’m going to get a tour of the school and what they do there and how they are different from other schools and that was pretty much it. Then from what I learned at the tour I would decide which schools I would put down as my choices. Instead I’ve learned in just the past 2 days that a lot of kids apply for Vanguard and only a third or less are accepted. Usually all the schools all fill up, so realistically we should apply for other Magnet programs that aren’t Vanguard.
Everyone wants to go to River Oaks Elementary. Not just because the name prestige. They are Vanguard and IB. The IB curriculum is integrated into the Vanguard program and the IB methods are taught in the non-IB classes as well. Which means that the whole school is good, not just Vanguard. I think they are the only IB elementary school in Houston. Pretty cool. I wasn’t planning on looking at that school but I was running late to work today and it’s close to my office so I figured I’d go there instead of traveling far.
I bumped into an old co-worker there and she was telling me that Harvard is Magnet. They have a Math and Science program. Since I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket I’m going to apply for Magnet and I need to decide what schools have programs that interest me and are in good areas.
All this talk about applications and how they choose the students, and curriculum etc.. makes me feel like I’m going back into school. In some ways I am. I talked to my girl friend who is raising 5 kids. I think her eldest is in 6th grade and her youngest is 1.5 like mine. She has a lot of great experience in the whole school thing and we were laughing at the difference between us and our parents. Our parents didn’t know the first thing about magnet programs and when we got into Vanguard and Magnet in middle and high school we pretty much did everything on our own. They weren’t involved in our schools. She said sometimes she thinks that was better because it made us more independent and taught us discipline. Our kids are going to be accustomed to having us always do for them... There’s a lot of truth in that point.
But then I think of the kids when I went to Vanguard in 6th grade. I felt like I was so behind compared to the kids who came from Vanguard elementary schools and had parents who were very involved. They had a definite advantage over me and I had to work twice as hard to do as well as they did. I remember being in 6th grade and not knowing my continents or where the Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn were on the globe. I was embarassed that I hadn’t learned these basic things in elementary school. So no, I’m glad I’m going to keep on top of my kids and I’m going to give them an even better advantage than I had.
To start with I’m rethinking the things I said I was going to concentrate on. I need to start drilling Miranda every night until the test. I know she’s smart but I think these Open House meetings have made me nervous. I went over her alphabet and numbers tonight and she’s doing pretty good. I just need to work on having her learn to read short words in time for the test.
In this case it’s been different because I feel like it’s so much more than I expected. I figured, I’m going to get a tour of the school and what they do there and how they are different from other schools and that was pretty much it. Then from what I learned at the tour I would decide which schools I would put down as my choices. Instead I’ve learned in just the past 2 days that a lot of kids apply for Vanguard and only a third or less are accepted. Usually all the schools all fill up, so realistically we should apply for other Magnet programs that aren’t Vanguard.
Everyone wants to go to River Oaks Elementary. Not just because the name prestige. They are Vanguard and IB. The IB curriculum is integrated into the Vanguard program and the IB methods are taught in the non-IB classes as well. Which means that the whole school is good, not just Vanguard. I think they are the only IB elementary school in Houston. Pretty cool. I wasn’t planning on looking at that school but I was running late to work today and it’s close to my office so I figured I’d go there instead of traveling far.
I bumped into an old co-worker there and she was telling me that Harvard is Magnet. They have a Math and Science program. Since I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket I’m going to apply for Magnet and I need to decide what schools have programs that interest me and are in good areas.
All this talk about applications and how they choose the students, and curriculum etc.. makes me feel like I’m going back into school. In some ways I am. I talked to my girl friend who is raising 5 kids. I think her eldest is in 6th grade and her youngest is 1.5 like mine. She has a lot of great experience in the whole school thing and we were laughing at the difference between us and our parents. Our parents didn’t know the first thing about magnet programs and when we got into Vanguard and Magnet in middle and high school we pretty much did everything on our own. They weren’t involved in our schools. She said sometimes she thinks that was better because it made us more independent and taught us discipline. Our kids are going to be accustomed to having us always do for them... There’s a lot of truth in that point.
But then I think of the kids when I went to Vanguard in 6th grade. I felt like I was so behind compared to the kids who came from Vanguard elementary schools and had parents who were very involved. They had a definite advantage over me and I had to work twice as hard to do as well as they did. I remember being in 6th grade and not knowing my continents or where the Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn were on the globe. I was embarassed that I hadn’t learned these basic things in elementary school. So no, I’m glad I’m going to keep on top of my kids and I’m going to give them an even better advantage than I had.
To start with I’m rethinking the things I said I was going to concentrate on. I need to start drilling Miranda every night until the test. I know she’s smart but I think these Open House meetings have made me nervous. I went over her alphabet and numbers tonight and she’s doing pretty good. I just need to work on having her learn to read short words in time for the test.
Lizard Lotto
I have come to love lizards! I love the transparent pink skin of their belly. The funny thing is I would have probably never known this if it hadn’t been for “Lizard Lotto.” What is “lizard lotto?” you are probably asking. Rey and Miranda call it that.
Moths are attracted to the warm inviting light of our kitchen window and the lizards know this. The kitchen window is small and right above the sink. There’s a light bulb right above it so the light attracts the moths. The lizards lurk around waiting for the moths to arrive. When I’m in the kitchen washing dishes (yeah right!), making the baby a bottle, or any of the various domestic tasks that you do in the kitchen, I can see the lizards light pink underbellys as they hang around on the outside of the window. Their little webbed fingers cling to the glass and I can actually see the tiny suction circles under their toes.
Sometimes there are only four lizards and sometimes there are up to six hanging around and when a moth arrives they all fight for it. The first one to strike and bring the moth to its mouth wins. There have been times when one lizard thinks he won and then another sneeks up and yanks the moth right out of the other’s mouth.
It’s quite entertaining to watch and it provides a great science lesson for the kids right outside our kitchen window. It can also act as a great lesson in life. The game the lizards play remind me of the politics of Corporate America!
Moths are attracted to the warm inviting light of our kitchen window and the lizards know this. The kitchen window is small and right above the sink. There’s a light bulb right above it so the light attracts the moths. The lizards lurk around waiting for the moths to arrive. When I’m in the kitchen washing dishes (yeah right!), making the baby a bottle, or any of the various domestic tasks that you do in the kitchen, I can see the lizards light pink underbellys as they hang around on the outside of the window. Their little webbed fingers cling to the glass and I can actually see the tiny suction circles under their toes.
Sometimes there are only four lizards and sometimes there are up to six hanging around and when a moth arrives they all fight for it. The first one to strike and bring the moth to its mouth wins. There have been times when one lizard thinks he won and then another sneeks up and yanks the moth right out of the other’s mouth.
It’s quite entertaining to watch and it provides a great science lesson for the kids right outside our kitchen window. It can also act as a great lesson in life. The game the lizards play remind me of the politics of Corporate America!
I Can't Believe My Baby Is Going to School
Yesterday during lunch Rey and I visited a Vanguard program at one of the elementary schools. It was really weird for me because I can't believe that my baby is going to kinder next year!
We were with a group of women on the tour who had all their kids in the same private Pre-K in the same area. I couldn't help thinking that they all wanted their kids in Vanguard because they don't want to keep paying for private school. Ha ha! They were nice but a bit elitist.
Then you could argue why do I want my kids in Vanguard and I would say because I know that Miranda will always be ahead of the game and I don't want to slow her down in a non-gifted program. Of course, if she doesn't get in then that's what I have to do and live with it, but I don't think she'll have a problem.
The test is all verbal since she's only 4. The application is due in January and the test is in February! I remember thinking how far away that still was and now here we are. Amazing!
Today I visit my second choice and tomorrow I'm visiting the 3rd choice and that should be it. I haven't decided if I'm going to a 4th on Friday just to check one more out. I have to put down 3 choices on the application in case she makes it into Vanguard but doesn't make it into the specific school I want. Then they can send her to the second choice and so on. I just want her to go to a good school so any one of the top 3 choices is fine with me.
We were with a group of women on the tour who had all their kids in the same private Pre-K in the same area. I couldn't help thinking that they all wanted their kids in Vanguard because they don't want to keep paying for private school. Ha ha! They were nice but a bit elitist.
Then you could argue why do I want my kids in Vanguard and I would say because I know that Miranda will always be ahead of the game and I don't want to slow her down in a non-gifted program. Of course, if she doesn't get in then that's what I have to do and live with it, but I don't think she'll have a problem.
The test is all verbal since she's only 4. The application is due in January and the test is in February! I remember thinking how far away that still was and now here we are. Amazing!
Today I visit my second choice and tomorrow I'm visiting the 3rd choice and that should be it. I haven't decided if I'm going to a 4th on Friday just to check one more out. I have to put down 3 choices on the application in case she makes it into Vanguard but doesn't make it into the specific school I want. Then they can send her to the second choice and so on. I just want her to go to a good school so any one of the top 3 choices is fine with me.
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