Sunday, October 11, 2009

Here's to CHILDHOOD...




The other night I was talking to my sister-in-law about our kid's homework. We both thought it insane. Then I talked to William and Jake's teachers this week. Both of whom I LOVE.. Thank Heaven for people better than me who have chosen to devote themselves to teaching our children. As for the government...I am not so sure. The testing these kids have to endure. Insane. And its mean face can be traced back to pre-school. Jake's teacher says we need to work on helping him write his name in LOWER CASE letters. He's FOUR! I didn't even KNOW my name at FOUR! I thought he was advanced for making letter looking images on a piece of paper. i was wrong. William's teacher convinced me again how terrible this government testing is. "I can't even have fun with my class. I feel guilty letting them talk to me about their lives because if someone came in and heard us off-task I could get in trouble." They're SIX! No wonder no one is going into teaching. Who wants to get into trouble for caring about the CHILDREN!
So I say, here's to Childhood! Here's to making up funny jokes in bed when you're supposed to be asleep, here's to Naomi bobbing her head in the car listening to the radio, here's to William reading a funny Clifford book instead of forcing a chapter book so that he can be "above the bar," here's to staying in jammies all day long, here's to eating processed Mac & Cheese for two meals a day and loving every bite, here's to imagining different ways to defeat a slime tooth monster hiding in the bathroom, and by george, here's to Jake for writing his name
IN CAPITAL LETTERS! Here's to CHILDHOOD!

3 comments:

JoshandJen said...

Amen, I think its crazy of how hard they push our young and fragile children these days. I was lucky to write my name clear in K. It just amazes me, I wish they could just let them be kids once in a while. I often wonder, if it's natilie that is really struggling, or its the schools just asking too much of them. I never had to know what she is supposed to know when I was her age. I love the pictures! The one with the giraffe is so cute, I wish I could have gone to that!!

Sarah Hastings said...

Ditto! The world is a crazy place! It looks like y'all have been having some fun with, yay for visiting family! Oh, and yes it is sleeping beauties prince (prince Phillip) that is the good one. James really needs to learn this stuff, Todd got lectured (by our 3 yr old) just the other day because he was getting the princes and princesses all mixed up, the nerve!

David and Rachel said...

Jessie, 4 words: YOU ARE MY HERO!