Farrah Abraham Is, Like, the Best 'School Mom' Ever

zaterdag 28 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Rebecca Stokes 15 hours ago

At this point it feels like I should have a daily column called "Farrah Abraham Sez" because the Teen Mom seems to drop fresh crazy out into the universe on a daily basis. One minute she's getting her lady-bits covered in plastic, the next she's taking her 4-year-old daughter Sophia to therapy. It must be tough to be Farrah -- or Sophia, for that matter!

You'd never know it if you follow Farrah on Twitter. She recently shared that, while working as a parent monitor during recess, she found out that she's everyone's "favorite" parent. Oh my god, Farrah -- "favorite" and "notorious" are two very different words with two very different meanings. 

Sofia might think it's nice now to have her friends swarming her popular mom, but that's not going to last. Once the kids learn just why Farrah's so famous, Sophia is in for attention of the negative kind. It won't be pretty. I don't think Farrah's given much thought to the downside of being the "favorite" parent. 

30min of recess time @School with Sophia , I'm the class favorite #Mom ((Thanks for the honor kiddos)) :)

— Farrah Abraham (@F1abraham) September 25, 2013

If the school itself begins signaling out Sophia for special attention, that's bound to incur the wrath of other parents. If I was a parent at Sophia's school and I felt my kid was being overlooked for their "favorite," I'd have a real problem with that. The extra attention might not be the best for Sophia either. Rather than be recognized for her own work, she'll be praised for her mom's celebrity. That does no one any favors. 

Is Farrah doing Sophia more harm than good?

Image via Instagram

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rebecca Stokes

Rebecca is a writer who lives in Brooklyn with her cats. She is probably even at this moment spilling food on herself.

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School Superintendent’s ‘Racist and Sexist’ Text Messages Make Us Wonder What’s Wrong With People (VIDEO)

woensdag 25 september 2013

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by Adriana Velez 13 hours ago

If everyone in your community could read your text messages, would they be horrified? The racist and sexist messages between school superintendent Richard Como and athletic director Jim Donato have rocked the community of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Apparently the texts between these two men included graphic references to faculty and students. Just a few harmless, private jokes between two men? Not so much.

Copies of the messages between Como and Donato were given to the school board from an anonymous source. The Chester County District Attorney office discovered the messages when they were conducting an unrelated investigation of the district. Meanwhile, Como and Donato both resigned reportedly when they found out the board planned to fire them -- but the damage is already done.

So how bad were these text messages, anyway? Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says, "The text messages that we reviewed were of a shockingly racist nature. They looked like something from 1813, not 2013." Oof, that bad, huh? I'm glad I haven't found transcripts of those messages yet, though I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they're leaked. (Maybe it's already happened and I just don't know because I don't want to know ...)

Board President Neil Campbell issued a statement saying that the school board had moved as quickly as possible on the incident and were cooperating with the District Attorney. "The racist and sexist language expressed by the two men was sickening and obviously unacceptable," he said.

So now we're all in agreement that this was disgusting behavior, especially coming from adults who are supposedly leading school faculty and students. Wouldn't you expect more from them? This must come as a horrible shock to the families in the community. Or maybe not. About a third of the school community is black, and I bet they're unfortunately all too accustomed to racism coming from any and all sources.

Meanwhile, I can't help imagining (if these allegations are true) what this meeting of the minds between Como and Donato must have been like. At what point did they recognize they were racist, sexist kindred spirits and start letting the shit fly with each other? Do these people have radar for their type? Ugh, probably. At least everyone else seems to agree that their exchanges were wrong. Now everyone who works for the district has to do sensitivity training. But the two people who needed it most should have gotten that training a long time ago.

Are you surprised that two adults with leadership positions in a school district were exchanging offensive text messages?

Image via ABC

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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School Wants Parents to Sign Permission Slips Allowing Teachers to Hit Kids

dinsdag 17 september 2013

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by Kiri Blakeley 1 hour ago

When you send your child off to school, you're generally not even imagining that a teacher could smack your kid. Or are you? Apparently, this still goes on to the extent that at least one school system sent home an "opt-out" form to parents, to let them choose whether or not their kids could be subjected to corporal punishment. A mother was so appalled that she sent the letter to a media outlet. According to the school system:

Parents or legal guardians who do not want corporal punishment to be administered to their child/children must inform the principal of the school on an annual basis.

I'll be honest. I had no idea this stuff was still happening and that it's so widespread. But apparently, it is.

K.J. Dell'Antonia writes in The New York Times that corporal punishment is still allowed in 19 states. And not even just allowed. Some parents actually want this for their kids.

The school that sent home the corporal punishment permission slip says that "many parents still wish for this to be done, hence the permission form."

Wow. Just. Wow.

The states that allow this form of punishment in schools are mostly in the South: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Although some counties within those states forbid it.

But the weirdest thing? Even if you sign a form saying you are opting OUT of allowing your kid to get spanked in class, it still could happen. An education reporter said that there's not much you can do against a school or teacher that spanks your kid even if you didn't check the box allowing it.

There is scant evidence that corporal punishment teaches your child to behave any better than other methods. But for me, the thing that makes this so egregious is that it would happen in front of other children in class. Spankings don't come with a lot of physical force -- and if they DID, would you want some stranger possibly injuring your child? Spankings are mostly about humiliation. And there's so many more ways to humiliate a kid than using physical force.

I'll always remember back-talking a teacher when I was about 12. His voice boomeranged off the walls as he yelled at me to get out of class and stand in the hallway. As I stood there, quite embarrassed and scared, classes began to let out, and every single kid who passed me in the hallway smirked and laughed at me. It happened decades ago and yet I remember it like yesterday. Absolutely NO physical punishment required! I didn't do much back-talking after that.

Do you believe teachers should be able to physically punish your children? Should it be allowed in schools at all?

Image via Zbowling/Flickr

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20 Totally Unbelievable Reasons Why My Kid Is Late to School

zaterdag 14 september 2013

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Tarde empezaba a mi hijo a la escuela ayer. Desafortunadamente, esto no es raro para nosotros. Todo el año escolar pasado nos corrió a coger el autobús que nos estábamos escapando de un volcán en erupción casi todas las mañanas. Pero esta vez tenía una excusa legítima, lo juro! Nosotros estábamos bloqueados por un incendio en un edificio de apartamentos. Camiones de bomberos fueron por todas partes, humo negro estaba ondulando el sótano y por alguna misteriosa razón había un hombre desnudo de pie delante del edificio. Obviamente, tuvimos que parar y mirar durante unos minutos.

Pero mis sonidos todavía excusa totalmente. Y mientras mi excusa real sonidos fabricados, que también podría pasar algún tiempo inventando ahora verdaderamente falsas excusas. Ya sabes, así que estoy preparado para estar muy preparado para salir de la casa a tiempo.

1. Nos despertamos averiguar había intercambiado cerebros, al igual que en la película Freaky el viernes.

2. No encontramos calcetines que empareja.

3. Hubo un flashmob twerking bloqueando el camino.

4. Nuestros propulsores se quedaron sin combustible.

5. Bowser exigió un jefe de batalla sólo cuando nos íbamos.

6. Un tornado nos recogió y nos dejaron en la tierra de oz bueno que James Franco estaba allí con ese globo de aire caliente.

7. Voldemort nos perseguía en la dirección equivocada.

8. Mi hijo no pudo encontrar su varita mágica.

9. Sharknado!

10. Nuestra máquina del tiempo está fuera de servicio.

11. Nadie espera que la Inquisición española.

¿12. Nos olvidamos de establecer nuestros relojes hacia adelante, hacia atrás, que es otra vez? ¿Todavía no? Eso explica muchas cosas.

13. Los extraterrestres secuestraron a nuestros relojes.

14. Queríamos todas las demás personas tarde para sentirse mejor consigo mismo.

15. Ha llegado a nuestra línea de servicio al cliente. Su llamada es muy importante para nosotros. Si desea una explicación de por qué mi hijo es tarde a la escuela, pulse uno.

16. Tuve un sueño muy vívido que fuimos educados.

17. Las huestes de Good Morning America decía que me quedara con ellos.

18. ¿Cómo sabes que llegamos tarde? Tal vez usted y todos los demás es temprano!

19. Alguien comió todas las migas de pan que debíamos para seguir.

20. Estuvimos muy cómodos en casa.

¿Tarde sacas a tus hijos a la escuela? ¿Lo que generalmente es tu excusa?

Imagen via Elizabeth/Flickr

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School Stops Using Books -- It's About Time!

vrijdag 13 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 4 hours ago

I have always been a bit of a purist about books. I want my daughter to know the feel of paper between her fingers. I know I'm not alone. So I surprised even myself when I heard a high school had completely given up on textbooks. I wanted to forward the news to my kid's school and suggest they follow suit.

Yes, you read that right. I think going completely digital is something every school should do. ASAP!

I know it won't happen any time soon, mostly because it costs a lot of dough to outfit every kid in your school with an iPad or a laptop. Not to mention I live in the boonies; a fair share of the kids in my daughter's school district don't have computers at home because they don't even have Internet access (yes, in 2013, and yes, I know how ridiculous this is ... please, write my legislators!). Still, this is a viable option, and to prove it, Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, has become one of the first schools in the country to go all digital.

They're still one of the very few, but it's about darn time someone did it!

This has nothing to do with shoving electronics down kids' throats and everything to do with the pain and strain on a child's back every time they hoist a backpack, pain that only gets worse as they head into high school and get loaded down with homework that requires multiple tomes to complete.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission once calculated that carrying a 12-pound backpack to and from school and lifting it 10 times a day for an entire school year puts a cumulative load on kids of 21,600 pounds. That is the equivalent of six mid-sized cars. The CPSC recommends a backpack weigh no more than 10 to 15 percent of a child's weight, but the average bag is more like 20 percent.

Oh, and they ALSO say 7,000 kids on average suffer some sort of injury ... from a BACKPACK.

Replacing all that weight with something you can carry with one hand? Kind of a no-brainer to me if the school can come up with the cash. 

Because as important as an education is for kids, in the long run, they need their health too! And coming from someone whose back problems started at around 12 -- and whose bookbag was definitely above that 15 percent threshold -- I can't tell you how much I wish this option had been available in the early '90s.

What would you do if your kid's school went all digital?

Image via USAG-Humphreys/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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School Warns Parents It's Not Responsible for Their Kids During Field Trips

maandag 9 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 2 hours ago

When you sign a permission slip for your child to go on a field trip, you expect it to be pretty simple. Generally, you're giving your OK for your kid to ride a bus somewhere fun. Who wouldn't sign that? How about if the permission slip expected you to let the school off the hook if something bad happened to your kid?

Would you want to sign that slip? Parents in the St. Louis Park School District are weighing that one right now. After a tragic landslide killed two fourth graders during a school fossil hunting field trip last school year, the district is looking to protect itself.

So they sent home a permission slip to parents this year that states:

We understand the arrangements described above and believe the necessary precautions and plans for the care and supervision of students during the field trip will be taken. Beyond this we will not hold the school or those supervising the trip responsible.

So, basically the school is saying "your kids COULD die on our field trip, but don't sue us because we're really not responsible!" How ... comforting?

Every time your kid leaves your sight, you have to know something could go wrong. I don't mean to sound like a cynic here, but that's life.

The bus could crash. They could develop a sudden deadly allergy to bee stings. The ceiling could cave in.

I could continue to list the things that could go wrong, but really, why work ourselves up? We know it could happen, but part of being a mom is knowing that we have to suck it up and risk it if we want our kids to live full lives. We can't put kids in bubbles.

Still, with all that said, we should be able to send our kids to school activities with at least some sense that they'll be OK, that the school has their best interests at heart. A permission slip like this does the opposite. It tells the parents that the school cares about its bottom line first, the kids second.

I don't know that I could sign a permission slip like this.

I don't care about suing a school, frankly. I know it happens, and that not all parents are greedy. Sometimes it's just about paying medical bills that become a burden. Still, if something horrible happened to my child, that would be the last thing on my mind. But I do want to know that a school cares about my kid.

Would you sign this permission slip? What's the scariest thing you've seen written on a permission slip?

Image by Jeanne Sager

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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Avoiding School Volunteer Nightmares

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Posted 2 hours ago

This is a sponsored post by VolunteerSpot.

Most moms of school-aged kids can tell at least one nightmare story, but wise moms know how to avoid the drama and volunteer for the right things. Are you Room Mom material or more of a book fair coordinator? Maybe you just want to show up for an hour once in a while. Volunteering at your child’s school can be overwhelming and inconvenient if you’re not in the right spot. When you find the right role and follow a few simple guidelines, volunteering can be painless and dare we say fun?

Volunteer right for your type

Understanding broad personality types (especially your own!) can help you decide where and how to plug in. Outgoing extroverts get bored easily when not working toward a goal. As a result they tend to take on too many projects. Born leaders live for systems and processes, sometimes to the alienation of the people helping carry out their plans. They thrive with an online organizer like VolunteerSpot.com for coordinating armies of parents. All without engaging in an endless, mind-numbing chain of Reply-All emails. Perfectionists like leadership roles but need to remember to delegate. Whatever your personality type, the better it aligns with your volunteer role, the fewer nightmares you’ll have.

Use your nice words

When you volunteer or ask for volunteers, be sure to use the manners you teach the kids. Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to get caught up in PTA politics and petty differences if you’re not careful. Remember, we all have different talents and time available. Not everyone can whip up Pinterest-worthy cupcakes and crafts; some parents just want to send napkins and paper plates. Pitch in where you can and gratefully accept any help others offer. Generally speaking, school volunteers want to do their best to not only look good for you, but to also look good for their child and their child’s teacher.

Think long-term

Look around at the parents of your child’s friends and classmates. You’re going to spend a significant amount of time with these people over the years. At one point or another, you’ll need their help. Kindness goes a long way in securing a future and frequent volunteer, and it’s a much better strategy than freaking out. Tracy M. thought she was being pro-active when, as the first parent volunteer to arrive at a crowded book fair, she started ringing up sales. “The woman in charge came in raving that ‘I ALWAYS work the register’ and then proceeded to physically push me out of the chair. I was ON THE FLOOR!” Needless to say, Tracy has not signed a clipboard since.

Although volunteering may prompt nightmarish visions, it’s really not that scary. Don’t be crazy cash register lady and you’ll do just fine.

Do you have a school volunteering nightmare to share?

VolunteerSpot is proud to save teachers, school leaders, and parents hundreds of hours by simplifying the task of signing up, scheduling, and reminding parents -- reducing your busy work and leaving you more time to focus on what’s important. Room Moms use VolunteerSpot to coordinate weekly readers, recess and classroom helpers, holiday parties, field trips, potlucks, and more!

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Mom Resolution: No More Yoga Pants At Morning School Drop Off

maandag 2 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota

I dread morning school drop off.

Well, dread is not the right word. I walk my 7-year-old girls to school and that part I love. We chat. They still like to hold my hand.

I also love aspects of the morning routine like French braiding their hair and watching them slip on their oversized backpacks -- the cartoonish proportions help me pretend my girls aren't growing up as fast as they are.

The part I don't like is that no matter how early I get up, I can't seem to get myself in presentable shape for the school run.

The initial euphoria I feel from getting them out of the house on time (when it happens) inevitably turns into a sinking-gut-kind-of-shame as we turn the corner to school and I become acutely aware of the fact that I'm in my yoga pants yet again and my hair is crazy.

There is really no excuse. Plenty of other parents manage to shower, put on a bit of makeup if they want, pick an outfit that makes them feel good and just generally look and feel ready to face their day.

Of course, no one says anything to me. I see my friends. We're all rushing to our next stop. I'm not even sure anyone notices.

I asked a mommy friend how she manages to get herself and her 3 kids ready and the answer wasn't that she wakes up at 5 AM.

Her kids have a checklist, she says. They get themselves dressed, fed, washed and ready. While they do that, she can do her own morning routine. Coffee. shower, and the like. Her major piece of advice? "No yoga pants. Ever."

Point taken. Clearly, I need to start a checklist and get my kids on board. But I have to wonder, why do I present this version of myself to my peers when I spend the rest of my day in such an entirely differnet mode?

Here's what I've come up with:

I think the way I feel (and look) at drop off is kind of a metaphor for my parenting -- and something that I realize I want to change.

I throw myself into making things as great as possible for my kids -- French braids! -- but, like many moms, I think, I don't pay enough attention to taking care of myself in big ways and small. From taking the extra time to select an outfit that makes me feel good to something deeper.

It's amazing that all of these thoughts converge at morning drop off which lasts all of 5 minutes. But as the first day of school approaches, I'm hoping that I can start the year off with a new regimen in place.

Is there anything you'd like to change about your morning drop off routine?

Image via D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr

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PTA President Accused of Making Child Pornography ... at Elementary School!

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

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by Jeanne Sager 3 hours ago

A community is in turmoil after the former PTA president at the local elementary school was arrested. Cops say 37-year-old David M. Navarro (not to be confused with rocker Dave Navarro) recorded the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl on school property. Then he posted it on the Internet! Technically that means child pornography was being made at an elementary school!

How could such a thing happen? How could a guy who'd do that not only get into a school, but rise to the president of the Belfair Elementary School PTA? Surely heads should roll.

Well, maybe not.

The school's superintendent says they did a "state patrol background check" on Navarro when he became an elementary school volunteer back in 2011. It missed a 2009 charge for "lewd and lascivious acts with a child" as well as "indecent exposure." But that charge was dropped ... Navarro was never prosecuted.

Unfortunately, this is the shortcoming of background checks. Typically they only uncover things that have been prosecuted. If someone skates or -- almost worse -- flies under the radar for years, a background check does diddly squat. It can't really determine the potential for someone to do something bad, only if they have been prosecuted in the past for doing something wrong.

What we're left with is an imperfect system that puts people like David M. Navarro in a school. It puts a guy who police say shot at least six videos of this poor little girl, including one of her performing oral sex on school grounds, in a school.

The only good news in all of this is that authorities here in the states were tipped off by police overseas who noted a GPS stamp on one of the videos found online (because, of course, child pornography spreads like a virus) that directed them to the Bellfair school. They were able to nail their suspect.

Navarro is accused of uploading some 14 inappropriate photos to the site in addition to the video. He's facing federal child pornography charges. If he's guilty, he will go away for a good long time -- and that should show up on ANY background check.

Do you have faith in background checks? Do you see any way to improve them?

Image via stevendepolo/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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Army Dad Surprises Daughter at School Dance and She Totally 'Freaks Out' (VIDEO)

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AppId is over the quota
by Emily Abbate 2 hours ago

Most 14-year-old girls wouldn't be ecstatic if their dad showed up unannounced to a school dance. But for Louisiana teen Tayla Carrigan, she couldn't have been more ecstatic when her dad, Army Sergeant Kelly Carrigan, surprised her at her back-to-school dance after being deployed for the past five months.

Sergeant Kelly, who left to go overseas in April, endured a serious knee injury that forced him to return home. While his daughter Tayla and her sister Logan thought he had been relocated to a base somewhere in Europe, Dad was really stationed just four hours away at Fort Polk. And as about 800 students sang "Proud to Be an American," Sergeant Carrigan surprised his daughter and she got the hug she's been waiting for for months.

Seriously, this is probably one of the best homecoming surprises I've seen in a while. Watch Sergeant Kelly Carrigan surprise his daughter, here:

How great is this?

Image via GFnews/YouTube

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'Teen Mom' Farrah Abraham Misses Daughter's First Day of School to Party

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 3 hours ago

Let's say it's your daughter's first day of school tomorrow. What do you do? Get to bed early so you can leap out of bed, make her pancakes, and take a ton of photos? Or do you go the Farrah Abraham route and stay out partying until the wee hours, a few thousand miles away from home? The Teen Mom is getting major flack this week for missing her daughter's first day of school.

Photos on Twitter prove Farrah was in New York, partying it up after the VMAs with the likes of Jenny McCarthy just hours before daughter Sophia started her first day of pre-K back home in Texas. The folks over at Radar did the math (and checked flights out of New York) and have proven it would have been impossible for Farrah to make it home in time for her daughter's big moment.

But does that make her a bad mom?

More From The Stir: 'Teen Mom' Star Isn't Afraid of Being Criticized

I'm going to go out on a rather precarious limb here and defend Farrah.

Yes, you heard it.

So what if she wasn't there for her daughter's first day of school. It's pre-K. The kid has at least 13 more first days of school in her life.

And OK, so this was a biggie, her first first day.

But you know what? We don't always get to be there for the biggies because we can't be tethered to our kids 24/7. I remember going to daycare to pick up my then-1-year-old daughter after a long day of work, and she walked to me. The sitter graciously did not mention whether she'd walked earlier in the day, but my brain tells me that she probably did. I missed it. I MISSED my daughter walking for the first time.

Was I partying? No. I was working.

Which is kind of the same thing for Farrah at the moment. She's trying to build a career as an actress (God help us), and that means having her face seen at events like the VMAs. In the long run, having a job that puts food on the table for little Sophia is more important than being there for one particular moment.

Do you think Farrah is a bad mom for missing Sophia's big day?

Image via Twitter

Click "Like" for the latest on the Teen Moms. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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High School Bans ‘Revealing’ Cheerleading Uniforms From Class But Makes Girls Wear Them to Games

dinsdag 27 augustus 2013

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Can we talk about high school sports uniforms for a second? Specifically the uniforms for teenage girls? A community in Florida is in a tizzy at the moment after the school banned cheerleaders from wearing their uniforms to class -- because they don't meet the dress code.

Turns out it's perfectly OK for the girls to shake their hind ends in the short skirts and sleeveless tops in front of fans at a Countryside High School football game, but the school has put the kibosh on actually letting them into class.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

If it ain't good enough for the classroom, why are you letting the kids wear it at a school function? More to the point, why is this the outfit you are providing?

For years I worked as a reporter on the sidelines of high school sporting events. The dichotomy between the uniforms for female athletes and male athletes was striking.

Girls' outfits were always form fitting, always revealing. Boys' outfits were sometimes form fitting (generally wrestling and cross country) but not always, and very rarely did they reveal much more than one would expect to see in a classroom.

Often as I set up my camera to take photos of teams, I would notice girls -- generally girls who weren't stick thin, although not necessarily obese by any means -- uncomfortably yanking down skimpy shorts to try to cover more thigh or trying to adjust impossibly short skirts.

It always bothered me, the photographer. Now it bothers me, the mom. My daughter is currently in youth soccer, where uniforms are unisex. Over-sized shorts and ballooning t-shirts are just the name of the game.

But my memory of my own awkwardness as a teenage girl, my discomfort with my body (and eventual plunge into the world of eating disorders), makes me fear the day she may decide to take on a high school sport and be forced to put her body on display because, well, she's a girl and that's how it works for female athletes in high school.

This is my own personal battle, I'll admit, but it dovetails with the case in Pinellas County, Florida quite well, doesn't it?

Here we have a school where the girls seem to be OK with their cheerleading uniforms, proud of them even. They want to wear them to class to show their school pride -- much as teen athletes do in many schools across the country. But the uniform isn't "appropriate," at least not according to this high school's dress code.

Hello, McFly!

Parents are calling for the school to give these girls a break on the dress code, but the answer seems to be the very opposite.

It isn't the dress code that's the problem. It's the uniform.

Do we really need cheerleading uniforms that can't pass muster with a basic school dress code? Do we really need to put girls who are already dealing with the myriad issues of puberty in outfits like this?

I recognize that athletic uniforms can only be so loose -- for safety's sake -- but if a skirt is so short that it isn't allowed in the classroom, then it is probably a little too revealing. And if it's a little too revealing, why are you forcing girls to wear it? What message are you sending those girls? And what about the girls you're keeping out of sports -- girls who could probably use a safe and positive means of weight control like exercise -- because of uniforms that are made only for the stick thin?

What do you make of this situation? Should teenage girls be wearing athletic uniforms that don't meet the dress code? Would you let YOUR daughter wear a uniform that she couldn't wear to class?

Image via Dunlap23/Flickr

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Shared School Supplies Are Making Me Crazy

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AppId is over the quota
by Linda Sharps 4 hours ago

Do you remember when you were a kid and you were super excited to buy new school supplies? I do -- I can still recall the thrill of an un-scribbled set of Pee-Chee folders, that satisfyingly loud Velcro rrrrrrrip of a new Trapper Keeper, troll pencil toppers with their fuzzy style-able hair, fruit-scented erasers, multicolored push-up pens, and scratch 'n' sniff stickers (remember the pizza one that said "Hot stuff"?).

I have no idea how much money my mom spent on school products back in the day, but I can't imagine it was as much as I just shelled out for my kindergartener and second-grader. Not only did I drop nearly 80 bucks for items off their school's supply list, what really makes me nostalgic for the old days is the fact that they won't actually get to keep ANY of the things I bought.

Well, okay, that's not completely true. My second-grader's list included an 8" x 5" pencil box, which I assume he'll get to use. However, based on past experience, everything else goes straight into the shared classroom pool.

Now, before you think I'm about to complain about the hideous injustice of having to help contribute to our school's resources, I am SO not doing that. I realize schools have ever-dwindling budgets, families are crunched for cash, and in some cases, teachers end up paying for supplies out of their own pocket.

I would be happy to contribute cash for a communal set of supplies, but it seems to me that every year the supply list of products that I'm supposed to go out and buy -- that aren't meant for my own kid, but rather the classroom at large -- gets bigger and bigger, and more and more specific. This year, between my two kids (who are 5 and 8), I had to buy 70 Ticonderoga pencils. I mean, SEVENTY PENCILS. If every parent did this, there would be about 2,100 pencils between one second grade and one kindergarten classroom. And god forbid they're not Ticonderoga.

I also bought three reams of Hammermill paper, six Kleenex boxes, 16 Elmer's glue sticks, two packages of Expo dry erase markers, three boxes of Crayola crayons and pencils, two multi-packs of Pink Pearl erasers, and an assortment of (thankfully non-brand-name-required) binders and folders. Not to mention the $30 cash fee for "misc supplies."

I understand that it's logistically difficult for teachers to have to manage kids keeping track of their own supplies, especially since seating arrangements in classrooms aren't anything like they used to be (back in my day, uphill both ways in the snow, the top of our desks lifted up to reveal a storage area underneath -- in comparison, my kids sit at cafeteria-style tables). But isn't the responsibility of taking care of your own stuff an important lesson to learn in school?

I guess I can be convinced that a communal system is the only way to ensure all kids will have what they need, and that a shared supply eliminates unnecessary distractions and competitive behavior. I'm still bitter about those 70 Ticonderoga pencils, though. Frankly, if we were paying into a school fee for supplies -- maybe even twice a year so the school actually knows what they need -- the district could purchase everything in bulk and each parent would spend WAY less. The current system may be more fair, but it's wasteful and expensive for those who buy into it.

Does your school do communal supplies? How do you feel about them?

Image via mytudut/Flickr

Click the "Like" button below to get Linda Sharps's stories on Facebook. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Linda Sharps

lives in Eugene, Oregon with her family, where she works from home while wrangling two rambunctious boys. She always has a caffeinated beverage in hand and a LEGO embedded in her foot.

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Woman Unexpectedly Gives Birth at Daughter's Elementary School (VIDEO)

maandag 26 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Julie Ryan Evans 4 hours ago

Just when we thought we'd heard of women giving birth in every unexpected place possible, here comes a new one. Maria Lys Colin of Miramar, Florida, actually gave birth inside of an elementary school.  

According to the UPI, the woman was in the main office at Fairway Elementary School, which her 7-Year-old daughter attends. She was there to pick her up on the way to the hospital because her husband was out of town, and she knew the baby was coming. When she started moaning and holding her stomach, it became clear, however, that she would be leaving with one more child than she thought she would.

Staff quickly took her to the schools' clinic, and they called 911. Fortunately, Police officer Natasha Richardson, who had some experience in the matter, was on duty at the school and jumped in to help, because it all happened before emergency workers arrived.

Richardson told the Miami Herald, "It was like 1-2-3. Water broke, head came out, baby came out.”

Right there at school! Things were made a little more complicated because the mom didn't speak much English, but an interpreter was able to deliver Richardson's important instructions as to when it was time to push.
Turns out, it just took one push, and the baby girl -- named Maybelle Colin Sainvilus -- was delivered right there in the school while classes went on around them. The ambulance still hadn't arrived, and when she wasn't crying, Richardson cleared the baby's airway with her finger. When rescue workers finally arrived, they cut the umbilical cord, and mom and baby were taken to the hospital. Both are said to be doing fine, and were surprised to get a visit from Richardson in the hospital.What an incredible birth story that is, especially if the little girl goes to school there someday. She can just take the class on a little field trip and have one of the best show and tells ever.

WSVN-TV -

WSVN-TV -

What's the craziest place you can imagine giving birth? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Julie Ryan Evans

can be found writing from coffee houses wherever she may be. The quality of her days is largely influenced by the seat she nabs and whether a protein plate is available.

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Why Dressing My Kids for School Is My Biggest Fear

vrijdag 23 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Sarah Bernard 5 hours ago in Big Kid

There is a photo of me on my first day of kindergarten that still hangs in my parents' living room.

I'm wearing a uniform -- a navy blue tunic with a white blouse underneath. I came to love that my school had a uniform, but that day all I could think about was how scratchy it was.

My long hair is severely middle-parted and pulled into a ponytail. My navy blue socks are hiked up high to my knees. I'm holding my favorite stuffed animal and giving a halfhearted smile. I knew I looked ridiculous.

Of course, my parents thought I looked great. And I did in a 4-year-old slightly nervous about going to school for the first time kind of way.

But I think about that photo every time I dress my kids for their first day of school. Here's why:

I know their outfit will be immortalized not only in our house, but in their classroom for the rest of the year.

I didn't think about it when they started kindergarten -- luckily I'd talked them into respectable flowered sundresses and convinced them that barrettes would be a great idea -- but day one is when their teachers take the picture that will become their avatar from September until June.

That same shot, no matter how poofy their hair is, or how ill-fitting their clothes are, will be used to mark their cubbies, their journals, their folders, their classroom art projects ... basically any representation of them for two semesters, aka an eternity if you're a kid.

That's a lot of pressure! And the funny thing is, as we transition from summer into September, we're always at an awkward point with clothes. They've pretty much grown out of their summer gear but the back-to-school fall stuff is way too big since I buy it that way on purpose. 

Also, as they get older, I have less input on their styling. They want to pick their looks, which I am thrilled about most of the time. Let's face it, even the most Punky Brewster throwback is charming when you're 7. It's just that this day, I'm irrationally programmed to want things just so.

We have a few weeks until school starts, but in preparation I've already started asking them what they'd like to wear or planting suggestions and saying ... maybe we should save this dress or that shirt so we can set it aside. It's annoying them. And me.

The other day one of my girls told me she decided on an outfit. "I have a great idea," she said, "Do you still have your school uniform?"

Do you overthink what your kids should wear to their first day of school?

Image via MLekas/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sarah Bernard

is a writer, producer, TV host, bargain shopper, HGTV addict, and mom of twin girls who are growing up too fast. 

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Student’s Epic Speech to Freshmen Gets Us Excited About the New School Year (VIDEO)

donderdag 22 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 1 hour ago

How excited are most teens about starting their freshman year at college? I said: HOW EXCITED ARE MOST TEENS ABOUT THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR??? I think most of them are totes stoked over their newfound freedom and independence. Maybe the most outgoing teens are giddy over their impending social adventures. But excited about, you know, the learning and stuff? I don't know. Too bad every incoming freshman doesn't get to hear a speech like the epic speech this Georgia Tech engineering sophomore Nicholas Selby gave entering freshmen this year. Cue 2001: A Space Odyssey theme song.

Yes, Selby did that. He played the theme song to 2001 through his speech. But more importantly, he got a crowd of freshmen hyped up about doing the impossible. Sure, these kids are all geniuses at Georgia Tech, a well-funded university with high expectations for its students. And this is a self-selected group of ... well ... nerds. I say that with a great deal of affection. (And yeah, that's some wan-looking clapping from the audience, but I think they're more into it than they look.) Here's the climax of Selby's speech.

Our mission as students is not to follow in the footsteps of the astronauts, Nobel Prize laureates or the presidents that graduated before us but to exceed their footsteps, crush the shoulders of the giants upon whom we stand! If you want to change the world, you're at Georgia Tech, you can do that! If you want to build the 'Iron Man' suit, you're at Georgia Tech, you can do that! If you want to play theme music during your convocation speech like a badass, we're at Georgia Tech, we can do that! I am doing that!

Don't you wish every freshman got a speech like this one? Maybe they're not all at the kind of school where you can build an Iron Man suit. And they're definitely not all going into engineering. (If you want to be the best accounts payable specialist in Oklahoma City, you're at Oklahoma City Community College, you can do that! Woooh.) But I can relate a little to Selby's speech -- because I was a nerd, too. (Still am.) And I remember that tingle of excitement at the beginning of the school year. I was about to broaden my horizons. I was about to push my brain harder than it had been pushed ever before.

For that matter, wouldn't it be amazing if we could start the school year for kids of all ages with this kind of pep talk? It's not going to sound as convincing from a kid's parents, obviously. But maybe I'll make my son watch this video, at least. YOU COULD GROW UP TO BE A VIDEO GAME DESIGNER, YEAHHH! STUDY HARD IN MATH CLASS, SON.

Do you wish someone could give your kids a speech like this every school year?

Image via Andy Blanton/YouTube

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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Students Forced to Pee in Trash Can During School Lockdown Should Stop Whining About It

woensdag 21 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 4 hours ago

So let's just pretend that your kid could be in danger. Serious danger. Like your kid is in school and gunshots are heard. The school goes into lockdown. And then, your kid has to pee. Badly. The kid asks to be escorted to the bathroom but the answer is "no," because, well, there could be people who want to shoot you. Ya know, that kind of thing. So the teacher makes your kid go to the bathroom in the trash can.

Do you a) thank the teacher for having such a dangerous job, which I'm sure the teacher never imagined in a million years would be a dangerous job when he or she signed up for it; b) explain to your child that during emergencies, sometimes you have to make adjustments -- even embarrassing ones; c) demand an investigation and have your child talk to the media about this supposedly horrifically embarrassing incident. I think we all know which option one parent chose.

It all started when several people reported hearing what sounded like gunshots from a wooded area near a school in St. Cloud, Florida. Like all schools are trained to do these days (what does that say about this country?!), the school went into voluntary lockdown mode, even though police were called and couldn't find the source of the gunshots.

So far, so smart, right?

Until two students, one whose diabetes makes her have to urinate more frequently, had to pee. The teacher, not wanting to send them out into the hallway where, you know, God knows what could be lurking, had the girls pee in a trash can behind his desk.

"It was very embarrassing," said the 13-year-old "victim."

Embarrassing? Sure. Was she alive to tell the tale? Yes. Was anyone grateful about that? No.

Then instead of, say, forgetting about the peeing incident, an investigation was launched and two dozen students were required to write down their eyewitness accounts of said peeing incident. Yes, kids who probably would have gotten over the horrible trauma of listening to their classmates whizz in a can instead had to relive (relieve? har!) the trauma all over again.

And then the teacher actually had to DEFEND his choice, telling the principal in an email:

I felt that the best solution for keeping her safe and also preventing her from being embarrassed was for her to go (to the bathroom) behind my desk. My primary concern was keeping the kids healthy and out of the halls during the lockdown while preserving them from the embarrassment of wetting themselves. I would want the same done for my future children.

You would think if peeing in a bucket were such a problem, perhaps there would have been a protocol to follow for these teachers who are being put in these situations. They signed up to teach, not to hide kids from crazed madmen with guns. Unfortunately, this is now part of the curriculum. But not only did the school not have any policy for what to do in these cases, it actually contacted child services to ask about reporting the teacher for child abuse!

The teacher has been fired -- though supposedly (cough, cough) not for this incident.

We live in times when kids can actually get blown away at school. Sandy Hook taught us that. Isn't their safety more important than a little embarrassment?!

Do you think the teacher made the wrong decision?

Image via kalleboo/Flickr

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Back to School Gear Goes High Tech -- Are You Ready?

dinsdag 20 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Tracy Odell 2 hours ago

Remember this?You know what makes me feel old? Seeing "USB drive" on the back to school supplies list for my elementary school student. Back in my day (after I walked uphill two miles to school), the only electronics we ever needed were those bulky graphing calculators with so many buttons I never did learn what they all do.

But the times they are a changing. Kids these days need more than pencils and erasers when they head back to school -- they need high tech gear. Over at The Prowl, we've been rounding up some of the coolest, "high-techiest" back to school gear out there. Here's a few of our favorites ...

Turns out USB drives come in all kinds of shapes, colors, and your kids' favorite characters. My son who is fond of superheroes would love this Batman flash drive. Hopefully he'll love it so much that he won't lose it the first week of school!

Once the kids start acquiring their own electronics, you're going to need a place to charge ALL those devices. This XtremeMac InCharge X5 Charging Station looks pretty awesome if you're a Mac family. You can simultaneously charge 5 iPads, iPhones, and/or iPods in this baby.

You don't have to buy a high tech case for your high tech gear. This padded iPad sleeve features a retro pattern and has pockets to store all your low tech gear (i.e., pencils -- remember them?).

Do your kids have tech gear on their back to school lists? Head over to The Prowl and see more of our picks for back to school gear.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tracy Odell

is the mom of two young, energetic boys. She's quite fond of reality TV, books, anything caffeinated and exclamation points(!). In her spare time, she works as Executive Vice President at CafeMom, Publisher of The Stir, and is the co-founder of The Prowl.

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6 Ways I Will Fail My Kid’s Teachers This School Year

donderdag 15 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 1 hour ago

Every fall parents everywhere start the new school year with good intentions. We all pledge to do everything we can to support our children's education and show their teachers all the appreciation they deserve. And then we totally fall down on the job. Er, well, speaking for myself, anyway. There's just something about, oh, I don't know, doing the grocery shopping and running the household and going to work and having a life that kind of gets in the way of my being School Parent of the Year.

So you know what? This year I'm not even going to try. My new motto is: Under-promise and over-deliver, or failing that, just deliver. So here are six ways I will probably fail my son's teachers, so we're all prepared.

1. I will never volunteer to chaperone a field trip. It's just not going to happen. Do you know why? Because. I have a job. Who are these other parents who can just take a whole day off to go to the museum with you all? We live in the most expensive city in the country. Don't they have to earn money of something? I sure as hell do!

2. I will buy the wrong school supplies. Look, some of you are getting way too specific. I mean, does that folder really have to be blue AND two-pocketed AND paper? Because I got to the store too late and all I see here is this plastic, pocket-less folder, but it's still blue. Also, here is a roll of toilet paper in lieu of a box of tissues. I think you know why.

3. I will forget when it's our week to bring snacks. You'll send me a very polite email on Monday afternoon informing me that I forgot. I will rush to the convenience store and start buying up all the crackers, not even caring that everyone else brings baby carrots, string cheese, and grapes.

4. I will show up late for parent-teacher conferences. It's the fucking bus! The 8:30 just never showed up. I swear, I'm really trying here. Also: I promise to get snippy and defensive when you begin with "well, we only have five minutes now, so ..." Let's just be grateful that I made it there at all.

5. I will need to be reminded to return important forms. I know there's like 400 of them. I'll get to them. Just go ahead and schedule about 10 reminder emails now, save yourself the trouble later.

6. I will send my son to school sick-ish. He'll have been over his fever for the required 48 hours or whatever it is. But he will still look miserable. Don't let his act fool you -- he's perfectly fine! And I cannot take another day of working from home. Please, just take him.

Here's what I will get right: I will deliver to your classroom this brilliant kid who loves to learn. You will like him a whole hell of a lot more than you'll like me, which is fine because you'll spend a whole hell of a lot more time with him than with me. And remember, just because I'm a total flake doesn't mean I don't appreciate the amazing work you do.

Are you a dependable parent or do you forget everything, too?

Image via Dave Haygath/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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New School Rules for Transgender Kids Make Perfect Sense

woensdag 14 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 3 hours ago

Transgender kids are going to have an easier time going to school in California. The state just became the first to give transgender children certain rights that aren't available everywhere. Some of the rights transgender kids grades K-12 will now have? Transgender kids can now use whichever bathroom or locker room they want. They can also choose whether they want to play girls' or boys' sports. Transgender advocates are happy about the change -- but not everyone is.

Supporters of the bill say that this will help eliminate bullying and discrimination. Let's face it, if you're a boy who dresses like a girl and who identifies as a girl, it would suck to have to use the boys' bathroom or locker room. It must be confusing enough what a transgender kid is going through without being "girl" in the classroom and at home but "boy" in the locker room.

On the other hand, detractors say that this infringes upon the privacy of other students. So I guess if you're a girl and that "girl" (who was born a boy) comes into the locker room, it could be uncomfortable.

I very much doubt any kid who was born a boy decides to become a girl so he can snatch a peek inside the girls' locker room or bathroom. That would be a HUGE change to take on in your life just to see a bit of frilly panty. Which, if you're wearing them, you could look at anyway.

But what about kids who haven't quite figured it out yet? Last week, I was standing outside with a friend when her friend, and her friend's young daughter, stopped by to say hello. When they left, I said something to the effect of, "What a cute girl," and my friend replied, "That's a boy."

"That's a boy?!" I exclaimed, watching the boy with the striped tights and a pink and blue skirt walk away with his mom. Apparently the little boy (about 3 years old, I guess) liked to dress up like a girl. Sometimes. Other times, he dresses like a boy. His mom lets him decide which he wants that day.

So which bathroom would he use? Would it depend on his mood? Would he be considered a transgender kid? When you get as young as kindergarten, kids like this haven't had hormone treatments or surgery -- they just might prefer to dress like a girl, be called by a girl's name, and play with traditionally girls' toys. But does that mean the boy really identifies as female? As a kid, I wore pants, played with trucks, and occasionally liked to be called "Peter" (as in Peter Pan), but never had any doubt I was a girl and liked being a girl. (I also never thought to use the boys' bathroom -- ew!)

On the other hand, young kids of the opposite sex using each other's bathrooms isn't a big deal. They do it at home. Presumably, by the time kids like this little boy get to high school, he will know what sex he identifies as. It all gets a little confusing, but at the end of the day, kids being able to identify as the sex they want will save them from being depressed and suicidal down the line.

Do you agree with the California bill?

Image via Smithwithclass/Flickr

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