Healthy Kids Survey - Nancy Waters, counselor at Hall, gave a nice presentation on the results of this survey, which was completed last year by 5th and 7th graders. Mostly, our kids give the sort of answers we'd like to see on this survey, but a couple items generated interesting discussion.
- Our 5th graders' answers suggest that they don't feel as much empathy as 5th graders at our "comparable" school. Only 36 percent of our 5th graders' answers suggest that they feel empathy some or all of the time (e.g. Do you care if someone else gets their feeling hurt?). Reportedly, the answers of 5th graders at our comparable school suggest 60+% of their 5th graders feel empathy some or all of the time in similar situations. What does this tell us about our group of kids? I have no idea, but I definitely think its worth careful consideration. According to Ms. Waters, she and Ms. Cookie are working on tweaks to the Character Counts program to try to further emphasize empathy as a component of good character.
- 31% of 7th graders reported having been in an car with an adult who had been drinking alcohol and feeling uncomfortable about the situation. The presumption by the Board members during their discussion (and it makes sense to me) is that the kids were likely referring to their own parents. This is - obviously - a very serious issue. We all hopefully realize the import of modeling appropriate behavior to our children, however... Two trustees advocated what (to me at least) were pretty extreme reactions. These were: 1) the school should feel comfortable teaching kids that it is never okay for anyone under 21 to have even a sip of alcohol (not counting religious ceremonies); 2) If going out to dinner as a family, pick a designated driver among the adults. Kids might take a mixed message from Mom drinking a glass of wine with dinner, then driving the car home. Tell me, folks: what do you think about these two ideas? I'd love to see some comments on this topic. One could argue that: 1) Some people think it's okay to offer their own kids an occasional sip of alcohol in the safety of their own home, and that is their own business. Also, as far as I am aware, this is perfectly legal. Moreover, the black and white message proposed has a bit of an "abstinence only" feel to it. 2) 12-13 year-old 7th graders are smart. Can they understand a nuanced message that Mom/Dad know when they're okay to drive and when they're not? It's important enough, that I think I'll ask again...What do you think?
Portables are Coming! - New portables will almost certainly be coming soon to Neil Cummins. The question at this point seems only to be how many. The location chosen is the grass area between the playground and the creek, along the fence that runs along the parking lot. Over the next month (probably to be confirmed at the next monthly Board meeting) the exact number we need/want to add (between 3 and 5, it seems) will be more fully explored.
District Teacher Count - You may have read in my recent preview post that the count of teachers for this school year is down from last year, to 91 from 97. Well, this is true. However, it was correctly pointed out during discussion that the FTE (full-time equivalent) number of teachers is actually up, from 80.6 to 81.95. How? The difference was attributed to the district having quite a few job share situations last year that are not in place for this year.
Ms. Halpern is Awesome! - As engaged school parents, this observation will come as no surprise to you. During tonight's meeting, specifically, Ms. Halpern was awesome because she just had to take a few minutes during the meeting to rearrange a book display and re-shelve a few, too. (She was at the back and I'm sure no one noticed except me. I just happened to be standing at the back for a few minutes to stretch my legs.) She sure is dedicated to her work, and we are so lucky to have her!
-Rob
I'll stick my neck out and offer my opinion about the board's suggestions regarding drinking...alcohol.
ReplyDelete1.) I think that parents have a responsibility to set a healthy tone and model healthy behavior around drinking alcohol. I don't have a problem with the message that no one under 21 should drink, but there are plenty of innocent exceptions. Maybe that's the problem in our society? I'm not sure. I do know that I'm uncomfortable with any school board attempting to usurp a parent's role and responsibility (I know you didn't say they were suggesting this, but it felt like there was a hint of "where do we draw the line?"). I am also aware that there are parents in every community that struggle with alcohol addiction, and that their children live a difficult life. At the risk of sounding like I'm copping out, the issue goes far beyond our little district and whether or not our schools tell the kids not to drink.
2.) Honestly, my children have never seen me drunk. I don't drink often, and when I do it's not much. They've seen me have a glass of wine, and they've asked me why I drink. I'm open with them, and I'm very clear with them about what the laws are and why we, as a people, decided to have said laws. I simply don't have a lot of alcohol in my life - I do crazy stuff stone sober! - so it's a non-issue in our house. Now, talk to me again in five years when I have 3 teenagers and we're facing real life choices, not the "one day you might.." scenarios. My story could be different.