May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 4

[ibouncetoo]

Can't wait to meet some of you kids here in TWO WEEKS!

I wonder if the Jacaranda will still be in bloom?

Ohhhh......one post away from #6,000 for me!

.

 

[birkner]

Me too, great teeth, poor gums. No cavities, but loose bottom front teeth. I think it's inherited.

I agree. My uncle Bill who is 85 still has never had a cavity in his life though both my mother and aunt had lots of cavities. However, I have terrible eyesight. Nature seems to compensate and balance in other areas.

 

[birkner]

That's fortunate....I remember taking those stupid tests at the beginning and end of every school year. One time it was near the end of the school year and it was hot and I wanted to be anywhere but in school taking those stupid tests. I was also a bit rebellious, so I decided that I was going to make pretty patterns with the dots that you had to color in on the sheets. It didn't matter a bit. I never heard a word about it. That's how important those tests are.

On soapbox: I personally think these tests are a waste of time. If they really need a measurement of how well schools are peforming, then why not just have an exit exam for 8th and 12th grade? If teachers have 8 years of schooling in grade school and children are still not performing, perhaps that is a better measurement. As for 12th grade, I think the test should consist of what life skills, i.e. writing and speaking correct English, knowing proper history and geography, basic computer competency and demonstrating basic math skills would be far more important than to measure than measuring how well teachers are "performing".

When I went to school back in the 1950's and 60's, you were either prepared for college or a trade. If you were on the college track, you took appropriate college prepatory classes. If you were on the trade track, you took appropriate classes to help you prepare to enter a trade.

What is happening in this county is we are demanding a college education of everyone as a basic requirement. Not all students are up to the rigourous demands of a University and some students will be lost in the process. We need to recognize this fact and deal with the fallout.

Off soapbox!!

Just my thoughts.

 

[Jhalkias]

John,

I totally resemble that "good volunteer/sucker" remark. I always got pegged to do our "never ending" check out amongst other duties for our Auction event!

Course, now that my daughter is not at that school, I almost miss it...

Karen

We had fun!

No matter how hard the work is, the nice part is connecting with kids and letting them have some fun and knowing they are doing this and being safe. At the end of the night we had about 100 coupons left for free frosties from Wendy's and I had a blast just walking around as the kids were waiting for the drawings for prizes just handing them out. Amy thought I was going to get in trouble for just giving them away, but I told her - what are they going to do to a school board member - lock me up? (seriously, some people who are "in charge" become kind of control freaks and think you are giving away real money or something)

The kids were well-behaved, and polite, and had a great time. I really hate it when people talk about how bad teens are, but don't spend the time with them to see how good they can be.

We let the kids stuff the money wherever they wanted to as they were catching it flying around the machine, and let's just say the girls got pretty creative and that money was in places that caused a lot of laughter. (I told one she should go to the restroom to get it all out.

 

[Jhalkias]

Morning all - I bet John and Amy are sleeping in today!!

Amy, YES, John, NO. Got to bed around 3:30, up at 9:00 for me. Amy is still in bed.

Someone has to get up and take care of the dog and the 7 year old (she had the nerve - the seven year old- to get up before I was done reading my Sunday paper!)

 

[birkner]

I hope that the Saga gets better, and that there are continued "good" resolutions!!

Karen

You are welcome!! Glad to share her story with such supportive friends.

Here is a pic I took on the morning of her first interview:

 

[birkner]

John,

I totally resemble that "good volunteer/sucker" remark. I always got pegged to do our "never ending" check out amongst other duties for our Auction event!

Course, now that my daughter is not at that school, I almost miss it...

Karen

For me the operative word is "almost". Since I was the volunteer extraordinaire through two "generations" of kids, I really feel I did my bit. Nice to know in my youngest DD's case it takes a committee of 10 people to do what DH and I did ourselves for her school for 7 years.

 

[Jhalkias]

On soapbox: I personally think these tests are a waste of time. If they really need a measurement of how well schools are peforming, then why not just have an exit exam for 8th and 12th grade? If teachers have 8 years of schooling in grade school and children are still not performing, perhaps that is a better measurement. As for 12th grade, I think the test should consist of what life skills, i.e. writing and speaking correct English, knowing proper history and geography, basic computer competency and demonstrating basic math skills would be far more important than to measure than measuring how well teachers are "performing".

When I went to school back in the 1950's and 60's, you were either prepared for college or a trade. If you were on the college track, you took appropriate college prepatory classes. If you were on the trade track, you took appropriate classes to help you prepare to enter a trade.

What is happening in this county is we are demanding a college education of everyone as a basic requirement. Not all students are up to the rigourous demands of a University and some students will be lost in the process. We need to recognize this fact and deal with the fallout.

Off soapbox!!

Just my thoughts.

The problem is Noel that business leaders are saying that a college degree is the new HS diploma - everyone needs to have one. The days are gone here in NE OH for sure where kids could walk into the factory job that their dad or uncle was retiring from, and be able to raise their family with a HS education in what amounted to a laboring position. The current trade education in High Schools is things like Network Engineering, which also requires some college to become truly proficient. The Timken company is a big employer here (Timken Roller Bearings and Steel) and the President of the company, a Timken, keeps saying as much.

With the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas, all kids have to become as proficient as they can be in English and Math and science in this more service-oriented economy we have created in the US. That means that the old "sorting" model of education we grew up with has pretty much gone out the door.

The biggest problem I see is the over-testing and over-reliance on that testing that is causing all the headaches for both parents and educators alike. There is also a lack or realization by most politicos that the performance of students is equally dependent on what happens at home as what happens at school.

There is the old chestnut still floating around (I got it by email this week) about the factory owner giving a long-winded talk about what is wrong with kids coming out of school today without the proper skills. A teacher stands up and asks him what he does when he receives defective raw materials, and he quickly replies "I send them back". The teacher then tells him that while he can do that, she cannot and the raw materials that come in the door of her classroom (the students) are what she has to deal with no matter how they walk in the door.

When we grade schools, we are as much grading the home and environment and community the students come from as we are grading the teachers and the building. Cement headed legislators need to realize that fact, and understand the simple story above. No amount of money or what a school does can replace adequate parenting and what needs to happen at home - therin lies our real problem, especially in Urban districts. Politicians think they can legislate proficiency.

None of us in education (I count myself as a school board member in that group) are afraid of accountability - the measurements and the goals just have to be realistic and attainable.

OK - off MY soapbox now.

 

[birkner]

Well, let's see......there IS the free breakfast, if cereal, fruit and pastries count. But I don't remember any bottles of water that you can take to the parks, or happy hour appetizers and wine, or late night cookies.

Noel, how wonderful that Sam will have choices about where to take her internship.

John, how did you survive prom night?

...ok back to catching up....

Samantha is having an excellent interview process which I think really helps make up for all the disappointments in the graduation process!!

 

[birkner]

The problem is Noel that business leaders are saying that a college degree is the new HS diploma - everyone needs to have one. The days are gone here in NE OH for sure where kids could walk into the factory job that their dad or uncle was retiring from, and be able to raise their family with a HS education in what amounted to a laboring position. The current trade education in High Schools is things like Network Engineering, which also requires some college to become truly proficient. The Timken company is a big employer here (Timken Roller Bearings and Steel) and the President of the company, a Timken, keeps saying as much.

With the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas, all kids have to become as proficient as they can be in English and Math and science in this more service-oriented economy we have created in the US. That means that the old "sorting" model of education we grew up with has pretty much gone out the door.

The biggest problem I see is the over-testing and over-reliance on that testing that is causing all the headaches for both parents and educators alike. There is also a lack or realization by most politicos that the performance of students is equally dependent on what happens at home as what happens at school.

There is the old chestnut still floating around (I got it by email this week) about the factory owner giving a long-winded talk about what is wrong with kids coming out of school today without the proper skills. A teacher stands up and asks him what he does when he receives defective raw materials, and he quickly replies "I send them back". The teacher then tells him that while he can do that, she cannot and the raw materials that come in the door of her classroom (the students) are what she has to deal with no matter how they walk in the door.

When we grade schools, we are as much grading the home and environment and community the students come from as we are grading the teachers and the building. Cement headed legislators need to realize that fact, and understand the simple story above. No amount of money or what a school does can replace adequate parenting and what needs to happen at home - therin lies our real problem, especially in Urban districts. Politicians think they can legislate proficiency.

None of us in education (I count myself as a school board member in that group) are afraid of accountability - the measurements and the goals just have to be realistic and attainable.

OK - off MY soapbox now.

John, I couldn't agree with you more. We have a extremely large Asian population here in the Bay Area which doesn't seem to have any problem getting their kids well educated no matter what their financial situation. We as a country seem to be loosing the work ethic that was passed to us by previous generations.

No legislature can legislature caring parents, discplined study and the desire to succeed.

I agree that we need attainable goals. No child left behind is not an attainable goal in the way it is presented!!

 

[birkner]

Amy, YES, John, NO. Got to bed around 3:30, up at 9:00 for me. Amy is still in bed.

Someone has to get up and take care of the dog and the 7 year old (she had the nerve - the seven year old- to get up before I was done reading my Sunday paper!)

Glad you and Amy survived the prom!! I remember the days of never sleeping in on the weekends. Well, I am off to the airport. Talk to you all hopefully later in the day.

Noel

 

[lillygator]

ok when I left you last.....I wsa headed into the girls room...it is now CLEAN and you can actually walk on the floor! I scrubbed bookshelves, put clothes away, got out the monsters under the bed and rearranged most of the furniture. It looks amazingly better and lots of room!

Done with two more loads of laundry and still have more to do...the girls blankets take up quite a bit of room. I also went through a box that had cruise stuff in...xmas cards from DIS'ers....etc, nice to remember the Magic!

Ok break over...more cleaning! (all said while DH is lounging watching Sportscenter although he did clean the kitchen!)

 

[gaylean93]

Boy, I wish I had thought of that! I should have just said, "Sure, he can stay. It is $25/child so you can pay me or the cashier." That would have been so simple! Oh well, I was just so flustered that someone who force their child into a party after I was completely clear he wasn't invited!

I wonder what happens if you child misses some of the Star testing. Can they penalize you at all? We have no policy on number of absences so they can't get me there. I wonder who I should talk to? The principal? I'm thinking I will tell them now we will be out of town and maybe request taking the Star test before we leave or something. Probably not possible, but at least I'd be making an effort.

I'm wondering about the same thing. I don't know if it will be the same time this year but STAR testing ends on May 10th this year. One of my friends said if you are out for more then a week you can home school for that time and the school will still get the money. Does anyone know about this?

 

[Tahoe]

I'm wondering about the same thing. I don't know if it will be the same time this year but STAR testing ends on May 10th this year. One of my friends said if you are out for more then a week you can home school for that time and the school will still get the money. Does anyone know about this?

Definitely look in to this with your district. Actually, the school office staff should have all the forms and information you need. Our district calls it an "independent study contract."

If you know you'll be out five or more days, then the teacher puts together packets of work that your child finishes before returning to school. The first day back, the packet is turned in, the sheet signed off, and then the district gets the money for your child, just like they would have had he or she been there. My child even qualified for perfect attendance, even though he wasn't there for 6 days.

Just FYI, this is a lot of work for the teachers, so I usually bring them back a nice gift from wherever we've traveled. And sometimes the teacher can get very creative and make the assignments match the destination you're going to, which makes the work easier for the child.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I was hoping by the time the girl turned 18, her parents would offer college tuition checks but alas no luck.

 

[gaylean93]

Definitely look in to this with your district. Actually, the school office staff should have all the forms and information you need. Our district calls it an "independent study contract."

If you know you'll be out five or more days, then the teacher puts together packets of work that your child finishes before returning to school. The first day back, the packet is turned in, the sheet signed off, and then the district gets the money for your child, just like they would have had he or she been there. My child even qualified for perfect attendance, even though he wasn't there for 6 days.

Just FYI, this is a lot of work for the teachers, so I usually bring them back a nice gift from wherever we've traveled. And sometimes the teacher can get very creative and make the assignments match the destination you're going to, which makes the work easier for the child.

That would be good because I am worried about doing all the homework and school work before we get to go do fun stuff. The days we were on the ship would proabably be ok but shore days wouldn't be fun. I'll have two kids, so hopefully my hubby could help out! We will have 2 days when we get back because it is Memorial Day.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Karin, looking forward to meeting you and the kids also!

Two weeks from right now I'll probably be leaving the outlet mall and be on my last leg of the journey OR, already be there if I get my tush out of bed earlier!

Jackie, do you have favorite stores that you go to? That place is so HUGE--I haven't stopped there in years!


Oh, lunch on the patio at Jazz Kitchen sound good. Hmmmmm....where shall we have dinner Sat night? And the question is...will I find Cheri in the madhouse of people leaving DL after the red carpet stuff? I think we'd better decide on a plan. Maybe I'll just grab a comfy chair in the Grand Californian lobby and read my book till she finds me! Guess we'd better decide on dinner too or we won't be able to get in anywhere. Oh well, there's always WhiteWater Snacks!

I'll leave the plans to you--I can tell you really know your way around. Any place you choose will be fine with me since I'll probably be dying for a real meal after existing all day on snacks.

Who will be in the parks on Sunday? A couple of hours at DL right at opening should start off the day nicely. I plan on spending some time at CA for sure, to check out the last day of the Food & Wine stuff. And if we're ready to head over for the meet a little early, you may find us on the fifth floor covered patio at the Grand Californian, overlooking the pool...a nice place to bring a cool beverage and take a rest.

You'll have to show me this. It sounds wonderful!

 

[granmaz]

Well I have just sat down and finished catching up with the posts from when I was away. I know I didn't need to but I wanted to have some idea what had been happening in your lives.

So, some of these are responses to posts a few days old.

Do I reply here? I have put it on every place I could find. Anyway, here is our info.

Location Ontario, California
Gaylean (32 at the time of cruise)
Jon (32)
Ethan (8)
Brooke (5)
my sister and brother-in-law
and my nephew (4)
early dinner seating


I hope you have gotten one of my three posts in all different places!!!!!!

Well they will be in the same club then. I just wanted there to be enough kids for it to be fun. We've taken them to kids clubs before and they usually don't want us to pick them up because their friends are still there. I'm soooo excited and now that I found this forum, I know I'm going to drive my husband crazy!

Welcome! You have found a wonderful group of people. I can't wait to meet everyone. By the way, I drive my husband crazy too.

GREAT NEWS today! For those of you who remember my student loan stress, it's official! The funds were deposited today and I've received confirmation. WOOHOO! So I have to hurry up and buy my books this week and get my assignments done because classes start Monday.

Great news Holly.

Just popping in for a moment. Busy here. My Dad is in the hospital as it appears he picked up an infection when he had his hip replaced last November. He's been on antibiotics which haven't gotten rid of the infection and now they've had to reoperate and redo the hip replacement. They aren't sure how long he'll have to remain in the hospital but hopefully he'll recover quickly although he's going to be on the antibiotics for a few more months.

I have to admit that even as I pay my taxes I'm thankful that we have universal healthcare here in Canada. We do pay high taxes but for that we don't have to worry about the quality of health insurance we have and the cost of it.

There are pros and cons to each system of course but have to admit that I like ours.

Hope everyone is well.

Fiona

Sorry to hear about your father. I hope by now he is improving.

Samantha is having an excellent interview process which I think really helps make up for all the disappointments in the graduation process!!

This is so good to hear.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Samantha did several new interviews yesterday. She also did second interviews at two companies. One was a shadow interview where she spent a few hours with an employee who is doing the same type of internship for which she is interviewing.

At the end of the two second interviews, she was offered positions by both companies. She told both companies that she will give them a decision within two weeks.

I am very excited she is doing so well in her interviews. One of the companies she interviewed with yesterday called her this morning and asked her to come for a second interview with their San Diego office.

She flew home this afternoon as she has a group meeting for a presentation with one of her classes on Sunday afternoon.

John and I are going up to Reno in the morning for a visit with our friends. I have two spa appointments booked for late afternoon, one for a Fiji scrub and one for a Fiji wrap. John will fly home early Monday AM. I have a mani/pedi appointment and will see my hairdresser for a cut and color. Most of my friends tease me that I go to Reno for color but Shannon is the best Aveda colorist I have ever found. Those of you who have grey hair may appreciate that it is not easy to find someone who is good at properly coloring grey hair.

Thanks for sharing the great Samantha graduation/job saga with us.

Noel

You must be so proud of Samantha! It sounds like she is quite a special gal!

Also, even though I have no idea what they are, any treatment with the word "Fiji" in it has to be divine!

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I really, really, really don't understand some inconsiderate parents . . .

Lisa's suggestions sound good, I guess you have to pre-plan things like this too - sad . . . did they bring two gifts?

Somehow, I think I know the answer to this already! Good one, John!