Observation: Yesterday I made a pot of pasta fagioli, but I added soy crumbles instead of ground beef. Within thirty minutes of eating it, I found myself at the school’s Curriculum Night actually socializing with people I had never met. Stranger yet: I wasn’t even wearing my Cocksure Shoes.
Hypothesis: Soy somehow numbs my amygdala, thereby reducing my normal level of social anxiety. (Luckily, my numbed amygdala did NOT stir up any symptoms of hyperorality, which I just learned is a condition in which inappropriate objects are placed in the mouth. That could have been a bit awkward at Curriculum Night! “No, Mrs. Pudding. I don’t need my stapler back. You sort of claimed ownership by sucking on it during my presentation.”)
Alert the scientific journals! Soy inspires charm and eliminates sweaty palms! PLUS, it’s loaded with calcium, iron, and fiber!
I really do love the girls’ school. I love that every kid gets a free breakfast. I love that during their unit on Economics, each second grader will apply for a job, go through training and “work” at their job during a field trip, receive a paycheck, discover the joys of banking, and prioritize their earnings. I love that all kindergarteners are split up into focus groups during the day to work on the things where they might be struggling a bit. I love that Harper now knows the importance of Respect, Responsibility, and Peace—all because it’s part of the school’s creed.
I learned a lot about my kids last night. Specifically, Meredith wants to be a high school cheerleader (or tennis player) who spends her adult life sheltering dogs, and the three wishes she has for her future have nothing to do with ending hunger, eliminating cancer, or striving for peace. It’s all about scoring a dog, a computer, and an iPod.
———————————
You are cordially invited to admire my senior photo from high school and take a chance at winning $150!
Please read about my extraordinary family, and follow the links to win all sorts of prizes! ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
I now want my son to go to that school. And I want the getting-a-job exercise to be repeated every single year until he graduates. Three cheers for teaching practical skills!
Sounds like Meredith has her priorities in order. Can I be her when I grow up? :-)
OH, sheltering dogs. At first read I thought it was sheltering hogs — a demanding niche in its own right.
Betcha glad you didn’t go with the home-schooling now, aren’t you? Sucking on the stapler does not compare in any way with Respect, Responsibility and Peace. Also, I think you should seriously consider the whole hog-sheltering thingy. It could open up a brave new world for the Pudding family.
I’m behind a bit due to my new job, but, I’m glad to hear all the good things going on, even if Harper wrote I love you to a different mom in that last post! That was my run on sentence to cover everything .. sentence.
Oh! If you haven’t already discovered these at your local library, might I reccommend “The Puppy Place” series? Both by 6 yo son and my 9yo daughter LOVE those books. In fact we have three right now that are overdue.
Glad to hear the school is working well for you. The third graders at my daughter’s school did the same thing last year, called “Kidtown” — they even had to write investment letters, and pay us back plus interest, market their goods, and write/perform a commercial during the a.m. announcements. It was really integrated learning. I was impressed.
Ack! I mean recommend. Sigh.