Dear School Board Members
My name is Kristin- I am a teacher, a learner, and a global citizen. I have four sons going through this public school system. I thought I might enlighten you to what a day looks like for one of my sons....
He wakes up over two hours before school starts. This gives him enough time to take care of regular routines like getting dressed, making his bed, and eating breakfast. This early morning start allows him to spend a bit of time relaxing and gives him some much needed time to work on homework.
When you get 6-8 pages of math homework per week, the expectation of reading every night, and spelling/vocabulary work, sometimes you need the mornings AND the evenings to stay caught up.
The school day starts.
My son is in school for more than four hours before he eats lunch. During this 4+ hours he is experiencing a very long literacy block. He needs to sit still, he needs to listen, he needs to work fast.
My son does not work fast- he has always taken his time.
I love that about him when we take walks in the woods and he notices every.little.thing, but this behavior also drives me crazy when we are late and it seems like he's moving in slow motion. This behavior has also come to worry me as he takes timed math fact tests three times a week at school. I know he knows the math, but I worry he's not 'testing' well. I hate that I worry he's not 'testing' well.
His day continues where he receives a large math block in the afternoon. If he's lucky, he will have the opportunity for science/social studies learning, which is where his passion lies. But I know he misses these things sometimes to be pulled out for extra reading or extra math.
After seven hours of being compliant, quiet, and fairly stationary, he comes home to me and is wild! I give grace and lots of opportunities for play because it's deserved, but I feel pressure knowing there are things we should be working on, homework we should be doing, concepts we should be practicing.
He wants to try chess club and participate in taekwondo and soccer and I want to encourage these things. I know raising a well-rounded human being is so important. Again I feel pressure- how will we keep up on school expectations??
He goes to sleep, nice and early, to start this schedule all over again.
Oh... did I forget to mention... he's six.
Here are two reasons why I share these truths with you...
1.) I CHOSE to put my children in this district. I chose it above the other wonderful neighboring communities and above the district I work in just down the road. This district has a beautiful culture that supports education and the love of learning. I know this first hand as I am an alumni here. But, I can tell you that I was able to get a very good education AND play sports, AND be involved in things like student council, AND hold down an after school job. I fear my sons will not have the chance to experience so many things if their after-school workload keeps going the way it has so far.
The value this district places on education is amazing, but I find myself wondering- at what cost? At the cost of play? At the cost of movement and recess? At the cost of hands-on experiences? At the cost of the mental health of its students? At the cost of lost family time? Recreation? The arts? All because the work load is just.too.much?
2.) I absolutely adore my son's teacher. She is a sensational educator and human being as well as a seasoned teacher in this district. She knows child development, she knows brain development, she knows the way kids learn. Because we are both teachers, her and I have shared many conversations about education.
Her frustration was palpable as she told me she sometimes thinks about taking the kids out for a morning recess to let them have a break. She knows if she does it will put her at risk to be behind the rest of her team in their boxed curriculum. (sidebar, my son used to have three recesses at the beginning of the year, but the morning one got cut because, ya know, they're 'big kids' now).
I could feel her displeasure when she talked with me about these young children taking their math tests all online. How difficult it is for their little fingers to drag a box around, how much teaching she has had to do so they understand how to use a drop-down menu. What are we really testing here, math proficiency or computer proficiency?
Tears rolled down my cheeks as she told me how bright my son was even if the data I was looking at wouldn't say that was so.
I asked her what I could do as a parent to be a better advocate for her and my four sons. She told me to go to board meetings, which is why I'm here tonight, why I've been in attendance since November.
I hope this opens your eyes to what some of our youngest and most curious minds are being inundated with here in this district. Please, as you look through curriculums, as you plan district policies, as you meet with building principals, keep my son in mind.
What do you really want from him as he graduates in several years? I think I know you want a life-long learner, who feels empowered, cared for, and ready to make our world a better place. Keep asking yourself how we meet THAT goal.
Thank you.
He wakes up over two hours before school starts. This gives him enough time to take care of regular routines like getting dressed, making his bed, and eating breakfast. This early morning start allows him to spend a bit of time relaxing and gives him some much needed time to work on homework.
When you get 6-8 pages of math homework per week, the expectation of reading every night, and spelling/vocabulary work, sometimes you need the mornings AND the evenings to stay caught up.
The school day starts.
My son is in school for more than four hours before he eats lunch. During this 4+ hours he is experiencing a very long literacy block. He needs to sit still, he needs to listen, he needs to work fast.
My son does not work fast- he has always taken his time.
I love that about him when we take walks in the woods and he notices every.little.thing, but this behavior also drives me crazy when we are late and it seems like he's moving in slow motion. This behavior has also come to worry me as he takes timed math fact tests three times a week at school. I know he knows the math, but I worry he's not 'testing' well. I hate that I worry he's not 'testing' well.
His day continues where he receives a large math block in the afternoon. If he's lucky, he will have the opportunity for science/social studies learning, which is where his passion lies. But I know he misses these things sometimes to be pulled out for extra reading or extra math.
After seven hours of being compliant, quiet, and fairly stationary, he comes home to me and is wild! I give grace and lots of opportunities for play because it's deserved, but I feel pressure knowing there are things we should be working on, homework we should be doing, concepts we should be practicing.
He wants to try chess club and participate in taekwondo and soccer and I want to encourage these things. I know raising a well-rounded human being is so important. Again I feel pressure- how will we keep up on school expectations??
He goes to sleep, nice and early, to start this schedule all over again.
Oh... did I forget to mention... he's six.
Here are two reasons why I share these truths with you...
1.) I CHOSE to put my children in this district. I chose it above the other wonderful neighboring communities and above the district I work in just down the road. This district has a beautiful culture that supports education and the love of learning. I know this first hand as I am an alumni here. But, I can tell you that I was able to get a very good education AND play sports, AND be involved in things like student council, AND hold down an after school job. I fear my sons will not have the chance to experience so many things if their after-school workload keeps going the way it has so far.
The value this district places on education is amazing, but I find myself wondering- at what cost? At the cost of play? At the cost of movement and recess? At the cost of hands-on experiences? At the cost of the mental health of its students? At the cost of lost family time? Recreation? The arts? All because the work load is just.too.much?
2.) I absolutely adore my son's teacher. She is a sensational educator and human being as well as a seasoned teacher in this district. She knows child development, she knows brain development, she knows the way kids learn. Because we are both teachers, her and I have shared many conversations about education.
Her frustration was palpable as she told me she sometimes thinks about taking the kids out for a morning recess to let them have a break. She knows if she does it will put her at risk to be behind the rest of her team in their boxed curriculum. (sidebar, my son used to have three recesses at the beginning of the year, but the morning one got cut because, ya know, they're 'big kids' now).
I could feel her displeasure when she talked with me about these young children taking their math tests all online. How difficult it is for their little fingers to drag a box around, how much teaching she has had to do so they understand how to use a drop-down menu. What are we really testing here, math proficiency or computer proficiency?
Tears rolled down my cheeks as she told me how bright my son was even if the data I was looking at wouldn't say that was so.
I asked her what I could do as a parent to be a better advocate for her and my four sons. She told me to go to board meetings, which is why I'm here tonight, why I've been in attendance since November.
I hope this opens your eyes to what some of our youngest and most curious minds are being inundated with here in this district. Please, as you look through curriculums, as you plan district policies, as you meet with building principals, keep my son in mind.
What do you really want from him as he graduates in several years? I think I know you want a life-long learner, who feels empowered, cared for, and ready to make our world a better place. Keep asking yourself how we meet THAT goal.
Thank you.
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