http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-world-is-rich Author of The Last Letter Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:09:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1903 Kathie Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:03:01 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1903 Anti-Wife----YOU ARE CORRECT! Mary, I think it's hard to find the balance, but I bet you'll sense when it's becoming too much for the kids and he should back off a bit. I always try to remind myself that thirty years ago a parent probably couldn't tell you one thing their kid was doing in school. In some ways we're way too involved. But there is a reality that the old-schoolers don't consider--the world has changed. Our expectations for how adults should and have to function is totally different. Forty years ago a person could make a great living in manufacturing with a high school degree that boasted nothing but the basics. Now you need the basics and then some. There just aren't the jobs to support an undereducated person in the lifestyle we're we try to uphold (yes, I realize that lifestyle could be chucked if one desired). Now, if one was willing to live without a lot of crap, say no to soccer, ballet, violin, tennis, etc. and just let the kids play outside on their own (I know, not a bad idea in many ways) then I guess throw education into the wind and live happy with a high school diploma. I'm not saying everyone should or has to go to college, but I think it's the extraordinary person who doesn't do some higher ed and succeeds in living with all the trappings of a middle class life. I think mostly, people end up struggling to make ends meet in terms of the basics. Weird world we live in, but Mary, you can your husband, there's a person in PA who probably looks as crazy as him at the parent/teacher conferences. Anti-Wife—-YOU ARE CORRECT!
Mary, I think it’s hard to find the balance, but I bet you’ll sense when it’s becoming too much for the kids and he should back off a bit. I always try to remind myself that thirty years ago a parent probably couldn’t tell you one thing their kid was doing in school. In some ways we’re way too involved. But there is a reality that the old-schoolers don’t consider–the world has changed. Our expectations for how adults should and have to function is totally different. Forty years ago a person could make a great living in manufacturing with a high school degree that boasted nothing but the basics. Now you need the basics and then some. There just aren’t the jobs to support an undereducated person in the lifestyle we’re we try to uphold (yes, I realize that lifestyle could be chucked if one desired). Now, if one was willing to live without a lot of crap, say no to soccer, ballet, violin, tennis, etc. and just let the kids play outside on their own (I know, not a bad idea in many ways) then I guess throw education into the wind and live happy with a high school diploma. I’m not saying everyone should or has to go to college, but I think it’s the extraordinary person who doesn’t do some higher ed and succeeds in living with all the trappings of a middle class life. I think mostly, people end up struggling to make ends meet in terms of the basics. Weird world we live in, but Mary, you can your husband, there’s a person in PA who probably looks as crazy as him at the parent/teacher conferences.

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1902 Mary Witzl Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:48:02 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1902 My husband and I are both trained teachers and we taught our daughters to read English, relying on the Japanese education system to teach them Japanese. The school they go to now is, to our minds, rather lax, and neither of them is challenged enough. I am less concerned about this than my husband; he simply cannot bear it when they haven't learned something or seem not to have grasped a concept that he sees as fundamental. When they get home from school, he goes over what they've done or asks them questions about it. Up until recently this has been okay and they've gone along with it, but I worry that they are going to start rebelling at some point. While it is true that they really need more, they have a tendency to compare themselves to their under-achieving classmates and wonder why they have to do extra when their classmates can get away with doing the minimum. Sometimes at parent-teacher meetings I worry that my husband is coming across as a little too concerned... My husband and I are both trained teachers and we taught our daughters to read English, relying on the Japanese education system to teach them Japanese. The school they go to now is, to our minds, rather lax, and neither of them is challenged enough. I am less concerned about this than my husband; he simply cannot bear it when they haven’t learned something or seem not to have grasped a concept that he sees as fundamental. When they get home from school, he goes over what they’ve done or asks them questions about it. Up until recently this has been okay and they’ve gone along with it, but I worry that they are going to start rebelling at some point. While it is true that they really need more, they have a tendency to compare themselves to their under-achieving classmates and wonder why they have to do extra when their classmates can get away with doing the minimum. Sometimes at parent-teacher meetings I worry that my husband is coming across as a little too concerned…

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1901 anti-wife Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:47:27 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1901 You two need a vacation! You two need a vacation!

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1900 Kathie Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:03:01 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1900 Hey Jaye, a spy camera is right up my alley except, thankfully, the thought of it sets of alarms in my head about what a lunatic a person would have to be to do that. If the shoe fits, huh? Seriously, he's where he needs to be and I'm where I need to be. What a difference it's made in Jake's writing that I'm not the only one introducing it anymore. I've never been heavy handed in pushing Jake to write letters or engage in art because he's never liked it. But I've laid the ground work with him telling me what to write, having him sound out words for me as I write and now, lo and behold as his teacher introduces the same things, guess what...he does it and thinks it's fun. That's exactly why, in my life, my kids need more than me as a teacher. Hey Jaye, a spy camera is right up my alley except, thankfully, the thought of it sets of alarms in my head about what a lunatic a person would have to be to do that. If the shoe fits, huh? Seriously, he’s where he needs to be and I’m where I need to be. What a difference it’s made in Jake’s writing that I’m not the only one introducing it anymore. I’ve never been heavy handed in pushing Jake to write letters or engage in art because he’s never liked it. But I’ve laid the ground work with him telling me what to write, having him sound out words for me as I write and now, lo and behold as his teacher introduces the same things, guess what…he does it and thinks it’s fun. That’s exactly why, in my life, my kids need more than me as a teacher.

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1899 Jaye Wells Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:53:46 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1899 Maybe you can hide a spy camera on Jake. ;) Maybe you can hide a spy camera on Jake.

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1898 Kathie Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:58:21 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1898 Hey Jaye, that's so funny. And very true. What's odd is it's not as though Jake didn't go to preschool and pre-k, but we had a lot of access to the classroom and the teacher. I talked to his teachers every single day, it was just the atmosphere of the place. But now, we dump them in the morning at the door and they come out to us at the end of the day. They could be doing yoga and weaving baskets all day for all I know--a little of that might be good. One of my friends who was a teacher and her daughter's in my class agrees, it's hard to let go of the process entirely. I guess the answer is, if you have to have so much control, then homeschool. And I'm not dumb enough to think that would go well in my household. What's interesting is I'd never want to be a room mother. I just want to see what's going on in there... Hey Jaye, that’s so funny. And very true. What’s odd is it’s not as though Jake didn’t go to preschool and pre-k, but we had a lot of access to the classroom and the teacher. I talked to his teachers every single day, it was just the atmosphere of the place. But now, we dump them in the morning at the door and they come out to us at the end of the day. They could be doing yoga and weaving baskets all day for all I know–a little of that might be good. One of my friends who was a teacher and her daughter’s in my class agrees, it’s hard to let go of the process entirely. I guess the answer is, if you have to have so much control, then homeschool. And I’m not dumb enough to think that would go well in my household. What’s interesting is I’d never want to be a room mother. I just want to see what’s going on in there…

]]> http://kshoop.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1897 Jaye Wells Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:32:14 +0000 http://housewifecafe.com/2007/10/11/the-world-is-rich/#comment-1897 Just yesterday I had a discussion with the room mother at Spawn's school. Halloween is coming up so I asked if she needed help with the party. She said, "I'm a bit of an overachiever so I've done a lot of it. But there's a sign up sheet for the rest." I checked out the sheet. This woman is organizing the craft, bringing pizza, organizing the costume contest, etc. And all I could do was laugh because obviously she was trying to compensate for something. And I understood because I've been there myself. Just yesterday I had a discussion with the room mother at Spawn’s school. Halloween is coming up so I asked if she needed help with the party. She said, “I’m a bit of an overachiever so I’ve done a lot of it. But there’s a sign up sheet for the rest.” I checked out the sheet. This woman is organizing the craft, bringing pizza, organizing the costume contest, etc. And all I could do was laugh because obviously she was trying to compensate for something. And I understood because I’ve been there myself.

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