My Family from WiddlyTinks.com
Dec. 1, 2009 - I Heart Faces (and "tooshies")
Dec. 1, 2009 - A, B, C, D, & F Too Hard for Parents?
Apparently the Spokane School system thinks letter grades are the cause of ongoing problems with communicating how a child is doing in their subjects. Numbers on the other hand make everything clear. Read the article to find out how.
I have nothing against numbers, and I have nothing in favor of letters--as grades, but the problem the Spokane schools are hoping to solve won't be cured because of their preference for numbers over letters. They could do the exact same report card using the letter system. Nor will telling parents how their children are doing after the term help. Parents need to know how their children are doing during the term. Unfortunately many teachers never communicate that at all and leave it to the report card to do their "dirty" work for them.
Just a few weeks ago I spoke with a mom whose son had been placed in a new school. She thought her son was doing well. She had signed up to be a substitute teacher's aide and one day she was called in to help in the remedial math class. She was shocked to find her son in it. At first she thought he'd lost his way or something, but he soon let her know that this was his math class. It was a rough day for her as she waited for the day to end to find out the answers as to why her son was in this special class and why hadn't she or her husband ever been told?
While the parent should always be the one to keep tabs on their children and not leave it up to the teachers to relay how a student is doing, parents have been conditioned to believe that they have put their children in safe hands and that until they are notified, by report card, everything is fine and dandy.
Communication among parents and teachers is bound to get worse, not better, no matter what grading system is used as long as parents continue to blindly follow the blind.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 1, 2009 - Kitchen Moments ~ Holiday Planning
When planning meals and menus for the holidays, my best advice is strive for simplicity. Plan menus that are simple to prepare and don't require a bunch of ingredients that you do not regularly keep stocked in the pantry. As much as I enjoy trying new recipes and Kitchen Adventures, I avoid those with long lists of exotic ingredients because I know the cost of buying all those little extras will add up quickly, and chances are, I'll never use some of them again. Simple food prepared with love will be a blessing. The most elaborate of dishes, if it stresses you to the max to create, isn't worth the trouble. And, if your crowd is like mine, the familiar foods are usually the best received.
One family tradition that my sister-in-law and I started a few years ago, and one that we plan to continue is a soup & sandwich buffet on Christmas Eve. We ask everyone who wants to bring food to make either a soup, a plate of sandwiches, or a simple dessert like cookies or candy. We serve coffee, tea, and spiced apple cider to drink. Everything gets set out buffet style, with the soups kept warm by crock pots, and people can serve themselves as they wish. Coffee mugs make great easy to carry soup "bowls" for this type of gathering. We have had a large crowd in a very small space, and this worked out very well, as everyone isn't sitting down to eat at one time.
If you are planning to give gifts of food this year, again strive for simplicity. Make foods that are easy to create, and don't worry about the latest "thing" in the magazines. Get the children involved and make simple, fun treats like pretzel rods dipped in melted chocolate or almond bark and rolled in nuts or sprinkles. For great gift giving ideas, the book Homespun Gifts from the Heart by Karen Ehman, Kelly Hovermale, & Trish Smith, is an excellent resource (check your local library for a copy).
Finally, if you haven't already done so, be sure to download The Old Schoolhouse Digital Holiday Supplement. This great holiday freebie from TOS is filled with wonderful ideas and planning helps.
I hope your family has a simply blessed holiday season!
Catherine
Catherine Love lives in the heart of Texas with her husband Carl, and their 3 daughters, Sarah, Hannah, and Cana. They enjoy cooking, gardening, and learning new things as they seek to live a lifestyle of learning together as a family. You can read Catherine's Kitchen Adventures and more on her blog- Seeds of Love.
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