Finalizing the School Years Portfolio

I had to put aside all the tasks I thought I would accomplish today when I realized it was already August and I hadn't completed one of the most important ones...finalizing my daughter's School Years portfolio.

Before my children were old enough to even begin school I had bought both of them one of these School Years books from some mail order catalogue. Each year, starting from Pre-School all the way through High School, the book is a memory-keeper of sorts.

At the end of each school year, the kids and I would sit down and fill out all the info...school name, age, height, weight, friends, activities, achievements, awards, etc. Each year has a pocket where important papers, photos, newspaper clippings, report cards, etc. can be placed in the envelope, along with a photo from that year. As you can see my daughter's book is stuffed to the brim!

One of my favorite things is reading the "When I Grow Up I Want To Be..." section  each year up until sixth grade. My daughter has "wanted to be" a ballerina, school teacher, singer, mother, model, artist, pianist, secretary, and fashion designer.

Before she went to work today at a position that wasn't one listed in the book, I asked her if she wouldn't mind filling out her high school page. She didn't roll her eyes at me or sigh. She did it gladly. When she goes on her own, I will keep the book, until she wants it. Maybe one day she can sit down with her kids and go through it. And then hopefully she will begin one for them as well.

I have nothing like this from my childhood. Although, after my father died I did find one short story I wrote when I was in school called "Golden Tuna." I received an "A" and I remember the nun who read the mystery said to the class that one day I would be a famous writer. Well that doesn't mean as much to me as the discovery that my father kept it all those years with his papers. When I found it, not only did it bring tears to my eyes, but it lit the spark in me to get back to writing, and when I thought I could go on no more telling my story, my dad's gesture kept me going.

If there's one thing I could impart to new mothers it would be to take an interest in your children's education and talents. Maybe you don't have to keep every drawing or poem they write, but do keep some. If you show them you care about their future they will take it seriously. And then one day, when they discover all you kept from them, for them, they will thank you.

"I Think He Was An Angel..."

My daughter has been working with two other classmates for the last month writing, acting in, and finally editing together a 12 minute piece for her mass communications class. It's been fraught with disaster after disaster -- too many to name. Undeterred, the girl has pushed on giving it her best. Over the weekend she completed her section. It is really funny -- she makes a great Harry Potter, - "My life sucks..." is the running theme of the piece. The girl is amazing on the I-Mac. It has a great editing program. The special effects astounds me, along with the talent the girl uses in applying them. She has convinced me upon graduation she must have an I-Mac for her field, and I'm hoping if I get her one she shows me how to edit on it.



Anyway, as usually happens when a group has to work together there's always one that leads and one that slacks. The grade given knows not who is who so if one pulls the team down the rest of them suffer. After all the hard work the girl has put into the piece there was no way she was going to let that happen. Although it was due yesterday, one of the group did not come in to school. Her piece was incomplete and she didn't care. My daughter did. Rather than have just a "crappy boring" middle piece sandwiched between the two effect-laden exciting ones my daughter took matters into her own hands. With the approval of her teacher she decided she would take the I-Mac home and complete the other girl's piece.

Unlike her mother, my daughter has always been a team player. It didn't matter that she was not well herself, or that she wouldn't be able to attend an extra-credit movie after school that she really needed in AP History, or that she would be up way past midnight making things right. To her the worst part was lugging the I-Mac home. It's a full-sized computer with a 27" monitor. It is heavy. Her backpack is heavy. Last time we weighed it, it was 38 pounds. You've seen pics of the girl. She is petite and oh, yeah, she's got that little medical bone condition as well.

The bell rang yesterday and the class disappeared leaving her alone to carry her backpack, her laptop, and the boxed I-Mac. She struggled up the stairs and sighed as she rested before heading to the far end of the parking lot. To her right she heard a male voice asking her if he could be of help. She turned and saw a young man standing next to her. "Oh my God, yes!" He lifted the box and followed her to her car never uttering a word. She opened her trunk and he gently placed it inside. My daughter was babbling on how much she appreciated his help as she laid her backpack beside the computer. She looked up as she closed the trunk to ask the young man what his name was, but she never got the chance. He was gone. "Mom, I mean gone! Like disappeared! There was nowhere he could have gone. I was parked at the far end of the lot. There's no way he could have gotten back in the school in the one second it took to put my backpack in the trunk. I know everyone at Burton and I've never seen him before. It was really weird. I think he was an angel..."

The Whole College "Experience"

My wallet wasn't the only thing jumping up and down for joy when my son said he preferred to stay in Roanoke, go to a local college full time and work part time. I was thrilled he made that decision, which I know in large part was due to what the dorms looked like on campus, particularly at Virginia Tech. The two person cinder-blocked cell had no private bathroom and no sink either, and might have been the same size, or even smaller than, the boy's bedroom. At home he did have a semi-private bathroom and sink only feet away, along with a desk top computer, flat screen television and most importantly, an X-Box.

Staying in Roanoke he also wouldn't have to eat at the school cafeteria -- mom's home-cooking is just down the hall. Even though he spends a good number of days and nights eating out with his friends, now that he has cash to burn from working, it's still a plus to be able to come home to leftovers after a long night's work. Cooking Ramen on a hot plate daily while at school would get old real quick.

He tried to justify his decision, as if he even had to, by saying the first two years of classes would mostly entail taking pre-requisite courses before he even got into the nitty-gritty stuff. "Why should we (I think he meant to say you) have to spend around $20,000 a year when I could transfer to Tech with an AS degree at a fraction of the price?" I couldn't agree more.

Last week out of the blue he reiterated how happy he was with his choice. Looking for a parking spot to get to class on time seems to be his biggest complaint. This proclamation came after he said he was speaking with a friend, who is going for the same degree as he is, who went directly to JMU. His friend is miserable -- not with the classes or people or the school itself -- but with the housing. He lives on campus in a dorm. It's not that the room is too small, or he doesn't like his roommate. His problem is with the inability to enjoy his down time as he did before he arrived at college - playing on-line games and/or X-Box Live.

The school does not allow enough bandwidth for the students to play World of Warcraft or X-Box Live. I'd bet that wasn't even one of the amenities he, and especially his parents, considered when looking at colleges. When you hear the rooms have internet access you would assume this meant full access. Anyway, his friend is a gamer, as are most of the recent graduates my son knows. His friend is distressed. His friend finishes with his classes and homework early enough so that he has many, many hours to kill. Normally he would be killing his hours the same as my son does when he's not in school or working, on-line and on X-Box Live, saving the fake world and chatting with friends across the real world. His friend has been unable to join in and begs his parents to let him come home for the weekends. They won't allow it. He wants to get an apartment, but that's out of the question too. So now his friend is bored out of his mind and we all know that boredom is a recipe for disaster. My son's friend has a good head on his shoulders so I'm hopeful he'll be smart enough to stay away from any temptations. In fact, he told my son he's been out looking for a part-time job. But not all 18 & 19 year olds think like that.

What's a kid to do with so much time on their hands if they're caught up on their school work and not working? Probably get into trouble. Maybe not intentionally, but it will only be a matter of time before a bored kid will start experimenting with drugs and drinking. Eventually he or she will go to one of the many off campus parties college students have. We can all assume what goes on there. I doubt it's changed much from thirty years ago when I attended fraternity parties. Heck, just walk past any of the rental houses along College Avenue on a Monday morning and see the Roanoke College student remnants from the weekend, and you'll get an idea.



With a heavy heart I read yesterday that a 19-year-old Virginia Tech student fell from a balcony to his death on Saturday night. The police are investigating the incident but I will bet you there was a party going on. I'm not saying the boy was drinking or drugging but it's certainly a possibility. One foolish decision and in a blink of an eye a life is over.

19 years old. He was only a couple of months older than my son, and the same age as my son's friend. My heart aches for his family who probably only wanted their son to go to a good university and be part of the whole college "experience." That could have been my son falling to his death, maybe after drinking only a couple of beers. My son thinks he's "worldly" but I assure you he's not. He's book smart, logical, pretty responsible when he's not lazy, but I believe he's also naive when it comes to "the streets." I'm the first to admit I probably sheltered him a little too much. I never gave him a beer. I never said "I prefer you drink at home with me." I have no idea how he would handle alcohol. Would he get drunk after one beer? Would he succumb to peer pressure and suck on that joint? Would he stumble and fall over a balcony? I don't know. All I do know is that he wasn't ready to live away from home on campus and his Saturday nights are usually spent at a restaurant, in a movie theatre, or at work. I thank God he nixed the whole college "experience."

Peace and comfort to the family of the Virgia Tech student who fell to his death...I can't imagine the pain they must be feeling.

Two...More...Years

Every time I get back from attending the cluster%&^% known as Back to School Night I feel nauseous. It's supposed to be the opportunity to meet each of your child's teachers and hear what's going on. It's ridiculous because each session lasts a grand four minutes, two minutes of which are wasted trying to get to the class amongst the throngs of high-heeled mothers hugging each other in the hallways. I'm never one of those mothers because even after 14 years of being in the same school system, having volunteered with many of their children in various activities, these mothers still look through me as if I don't exist. I gave up even smiling at them or waving because I feel hurt every time I'm ignored. The one or two that do say hello look like they're saying it under protest. Even my husband noticed it..."They're all so phony, even with each other." I will be thrilled when I will never have to be in the same environment with them ever again. Two...more...years.

The only reason I even bother going is to meet the teacher to see if my daughter's complaints are valid or not. They usually are. Each "meeting" is pretty much the same. My name is X. This is my e-mail address. Check Blackboard. The end. I was especially looking forward to checking out her Pre-calculus teacher. It's never a good sign when everyone says "I'm sorry" when they hear the teacher's name. It's also never a good sign when the students learn more in one day from a substitute teacher than they have in three weeks from the regular teacher. Most parents don't ask questions at these "meetings" but I do. Like, why do you keep telling the students they should already know this when they are having a problem rather than going over it again. The answer: Because they should already know this from Algebra I. My follow-up: Since some of the students had Algebra one in 8th grade isn't it possible that they have forgotten some things from three years ago? His: Well I'm here at 7:30 in the morning if they have a question. Me: Some students go to Burton and have classes at 7:30. His: I am also here on Wednesday afternoons for a half hour after school. Me: Thank you I will relay that to my daughter and see if that helps before I high a tutor.

Next up was Spanish. This was the first time I ever spoke with a teacher that barely spoke English. I couldn't understand a word he said, other than the students find this class "intimidating" and that to help them we should have them watch Galavision Spanish television and buy Spanish only magazines. This should be fun.

One of the mothers in Advanced Chemistry did speak up and ask why the students weren't allowed to use calculators in class. If I understood the answer correctly it's because the school got a grant from some company with the caveat that the students can't use calculators in class because they wanted to see what would happen if they started doing math in their head instead of depending upon a calculator. So, I guess this group are guinea pigs. This should be interesting as well.

The teacher I was most impressed with was the Advanced History one. He seemed very enthusiastic about his job, had personality, seemed to relate well to the students and showed us how to find links on Blackboard. My son had him and said he was one of his favorite teachers. The only problem is that my son had such a good time in the class that the AP test he took for it was the lowest score he ever got, a 2, which is useless.

Frankly I can't wait for my daughter to be done with this high school. To say I've been less than impressed with the staff and administration would be an understatement. The front office is never helpful and have attitudes. Everything is a fight. The school itself was built too small. There aren't enough seats in the cafeteria nor lockers. The halls are barely passable between classes. I think the only thing this school cares about are the sports teams. Two...more...years.



When I got home and bitched about the evening ending with the twenty minutes it took to just get out of the parking lot because these parents don't know how to be a considerate driver by letting one car from each line go, my daughter dropped another bomb. "Mom, there's a mandatory cast meeting for the play on Thursday night." "Okay, hve fun." "Ummmmmm, the parents have to come too." What???? I didn't sign up for Drama club, you did. Why the hell do I have to go? Do you they think I'm sewing costumes or something? Fughedaboutit!!! I...am...through.

The Hardest Part of College

So here's my son's observations regarding college thus far...

"It's high school without the rules and way easier."

"All I have to do is show up to class and that's 30% of my grade."

"They grade on a 10-point scale and it's a sliding scale to boot!"

"Linear algebra is soooo hard. I finished the homework before the teacher finished taking attendance."

"For my Honors English class I have to write a half-page on what I know about the American Revolution period. A half-page! I could do that in the ten minute period between classes."

"College & Career Success class sounds like it's going to be on the same level as the useless Finance class I had in high school. Balancing a check book is sooooo hard."

"The one class I think may be a problem is the Philosophy one. It's the most crowded one and they had to find extra chairs for students to sit on. I felt like I was at the Valley View movie theatre. As the professor spoke, one girl kept calling out as if she was talking to the movie screen, "Uh-huh, you right...I gotchas...Amen." The only thing missing was "Watch out! Don't open that door!" As if that wasn't bad enough, when she finally stopped talking, her cell phone rang."

"You know what the hardest part of college is? Finding a parking spot!"

So you know what I said, dontcha? If it's so freaking easy I don't expect anything less than a 4.0 GPA. We'll see if he feels the same way in a couple of weeks especially after working until closing time. At least I don't have to worry about him joining a fraternity...

College Textbooks Sticker Shock

When we went up to VWCC to pay for my son's last class we stopped by the campus bookstore to see what books he needed for his five classes. My son is the first in the family to go to college so I had absolutely no idea what college text books cost. Once I found out, there went the first year college budget. Talk about sticker shock.

The first book we checked was a thin little fellow entitled, "Elementary Linear Algebra." Guess how much they wanted for it? $237.75! Yes, you read that right! $237.75! I about fell over. The class is one semester long. The class is only 2 credits which amounts to about the same price as the book would cost. There's something wrong with that. When the clerk saw my jaw drop she informed me that they had used books available much cheaper -- $178.50. Yeah, that's not cheap in my book.

We then strolled the aisles for the rest of his needed books -- $123.00, $64.25, and the cheapest one was only $39.00 for the mandatory class, How to Succeed in College. I kept adding, "without really trying" but no one got the movie reference. We still don't know what public speaking book he needs and how much that will run.

We were informed that VWCC now offers rental books which is about half the price of the new books. That's a great idea if they're offered for the student's course. Naturally Linear Algebra is not one of the courses. I asked the clerk to please write down the ISBN numbers because there was no way I was paying $2327.75 for that book.

Years ago I decided both of my kids would go to college with the goal of them graduating without being in debt up to their, or more likely my, ears. So with that in mind they took as many AP courses, tests and dual enrollment classes as they could. As long as they scored high enough they would be credited with college credits. My son is entering his freshman year with 12 credits under his belt. That's one semester and a couple of thousand dollars saved. I figured if they went to VWCC for their first two years we wouldn't have to take a student loan out. We never applied for financial aid as I didn't think we would qualify so why bother. There were no scholarships or grants either. So everything is out of pocket. I figured he'd be living at home so we wouldn't have to pay for room and board either. The only thing I forgot to factor in was textbooks.

When we got home I immediately went on-line to Amazon. Sure enough there were used textbooks. For the majority of his classes it would pay to just rent the book. When I entered the ISBN number for the Algebra book I was stunned to see how many used copies were available. When I saw the prices they were asking I think I heard the angels sing. I didn't go with the cheapest one because the comments said the book had writing in it. I opted for the one that Amazon guaranteed. With shipping and handling the price came out to $20.99! Yes, you read that right...$20.99!!! I called my son over to make sure I was seeing it right and the decimal point wasn't in the wrong place.

I don't like ordering on-line, because I don't like using my credit card on the computer (yes, yes, I know as my kids say, "join the 20th century Mom!") but I did. I had no idea what to expect but figured it was worth the 93% discount to take a chance. Three days later the book came and this is what it looks like...



It's practically in perfect condition! No markings and one little creased corner on the hard cover is the only wear I see. My advice to all parents and students who need to buy textbooks is search before you buy. Here's a site that lists different places to buy new and used text books. I'm still checking it out to see if I could find the rest of the books any cheaper. Since I saved over $200.00 my daughter and I are going to Onyx today to get our hair cut. If I'm lucky the style will last longer than a semester.

Do Sports Trump Academics?

Yes, I am a proud parent, and when it comes to bragging about my kids' achievements I'm not shy. The Roanoke Times' SwoCo Blog did post my blurb about my daughter's first place state win for Prepared Speech in the Skills USA competition that was held this past weekend. Thank you!

I hope that Burton sends the Roanoke Times, as well as other media outlets, a press release about the Skills USA competition and all the students who placed well. I noticed when the students won the District VII competition last month, they didn't receive any acknowledgment, no press, nothing, not even a congratulations from their home schools. You can be darn sure if these kids were on some sort of sports team and placed first in the state their pictures would be splattered everywhere. The Board of Supervisors would be honoring them. Their home schools would be touting their abilities, make an announcement congratulating the winners, putting them in the newsletter, or at the very least the principal would acknowledge an e-mail with a "job well done." Heck, if these kids went to school in Salem and placed first in the state for some sort of sport, the city would put up a plaque in the median on 419. I hope I'm wrong and these students do get some sort of pat on the back, but I do have a question. Why do students who do well academically not get the same respect as those students who do well in sports?

That is something that has irked me throughout my children's academic career. When I was coaching the elementary school chess team, I made sure those kids got press and acknowledgment whenever they won a tournament. I felt their accomplishments were just as "important" as the students who could hit a ball far. As the kids get older it's clear physical sports become way more "important" than mental sports. Parents, students, educators, coaches, and especially schools find more prestige in sports than academics. The higher up the education ladder, the more "important" sports are. I believe kids have a better opportunity to get a scholarship worth more money from a college through sports than anything else. So are our priorities screwed up?

Not only do some students not want to participate in sports, some students are physically unable to. Point in case, my daughter. She has a medical condition (MHE) that has prevented her from enjoying even the most basic physical activities. She doesn't whine about it, and although there's been times where other students have teased her, she never once cried, "Why me?" Instead she's harnessed her brain power.

What's really amazing about her winning this Prepared Speech competition is that she has had a speech impediment that I tried to have corrected with the Roanoke County schools since she was in kindergarten. Unfortunately the speech teacher she had in elementary school did nothing to help her. I never could understand how having a child color pictures, or play with play-doh, would help a lisp. It was keep busy work. When I found out my daughter was left alone with a coloring book in the speech teacher's room while the teacher went to do volunteer work at her daughter's middle school, I freaked out and pulled her out of the class. The teacher resented my child, thinking she was only getting speech lessons because she couldn't participate in gym. Yes, I inisted on gym period (I had to pull her out of gym after she got hurt and the gym teacher told me he had 500 students to worry about and couldn't focus on just her) as the time she get "help" so as now to interrupt her education. How the speech teacher couldn't hear her impediment was beyond me. But I digress.

At home we've tried to help her as much as possible, correcting whenever she would say something wrong, which is ironic since I pronounce so many words wrong. With my New York accent and her hearing a Southern accent her whole life she's developed a Boston-like one..."Say water." She's still not a "perfect speaker" and she's the first one to laugh that she actually won a state competition in Prepared Speech..."Is there no one in this entire state who is a better speaker?!"

I tell her it's not just how you say the words, but the meaning behind the words you write that's important. She did write a great speech and practiced the delivery over and over again. She's Italian so she talks with her hands and is animated, and has a strong stage presence, so I really wasn't surprised she won. The national championship will be held in Kansas City in June. She won't be able to attend. Sometimes medical conditions stop students from not only physical competitions, but academic ones too. She has surgery scheduled at UVA to remove tumors on both legs and her arm the same week. This will be her third surgery in three years, and the most invasive. Although she feels bad she can't represent Virginia, she still doesn't complain, "Why me?" She's just happy she got as far as she did. I know in the future she will go even further. She's already a world champion in my eyes.



Congratulations to all the students who competed from Burton. Whether you placed or not, you did a great job! Good luck to those students who will be representing Virginia...we're proud of your achievements.

Lack of Electives, Lack of Everything

There was a quick blip in the Roanoke Times yesterday, about Mike Stovall, the new school board chairman "Roanoke County School Board Chief Sees Tough Times Ahead"...

"The coming year is going to be one of the most challenging this board has ever seen, and I look forward to meeting that challenge," Stovall said. "Together this board will work to make the best decisions we can to ensure our students continue to receive a top-quality education."

Now that my friends, has got to be the understatement of the year. I'm so happy my son is graduating this June and fretting my daughter will still have two years left. I've seen some changes the last couple of years and they've not been good for the students.

This is the second year that the RC schools do not have enough money to even print up the registration guide. Students and parents must go on-line to find out what courses are being offered so that they are prepared for their meeting with their guidance counselors. In the past, parents filled out a form with three options as to the best times they could join their child for the one-on-one with the counselor. This year that is not an option. According to a letter sent home,

"Due to the economic times and staffing concerns, the registration appointment scheduling process is changing. We will not be able to accommodate day and time requests as we have in years past...The appointment can not be rescheduled except in cases where school is closed due to inclement weather."

Naturally my daughter's date and time coincides perfectly with a dental appointment I have had scheduled from six months ago with the only hygienist I like. I cannot get another appointment with her until September! Since I will not be able to attend my daughter's registration meeting we both sat down and looked at the options that are available to her.

First off, according to the same letter that was sent home..."The unprecedented budget shortfall, which we are currently experiencing, will have an effect on the electives that will be offered in the 2010-2011 school year...We cannot ensure that a student's first choice of elective will be available...Should a student have the misfortune where none of their elective choices are available, the school has the right to contact the parent and assign the student an available elective."

That's what they did this year, only they didn't contact the parents, just assigned an elective that neither of my kids even picked as one of their classes. Looking on-line at the electives there aren't even many to pick from to begin with. They got rid of Driver's Education, some Marketing, as well as some computer classes, and probably others too that we're not even aware of. They have made Personal Finance, a semester class, mandatory. Last year I was extolling how wise that was and I made my son take it, even though he wasn't required to. It sounded good on paper, but now I have changed my tune. According to him, that class is a joke. My son said it was the most inane, ridiculous waste of time class he has had in four years. This is not a rant against the teacher, but the curriculum, a good part of which consisted of watching movies such as "The Money Pit," "Cheaper by the Dozen", "The Client" and others, one of which was from The History Channel about the Great Depression which at least was informative. One of the assignments was drawing a snowman in Word which my son felt insulted his intelligence. He did remark that many of the other students in the class, freshman, actually had a harder time with that assignment, which he blames on the freshman not having received laptops this year, one of the major cutbacks from Roanoke County. He also commented that he sees a big difference in that grade level's understanding of basic computer use and thinks it's going to have a detrimental effect on their level of learning throught their high school years. Interesting perspective from another student.

There are no other semester only electives so if a student takes Personal Finance I'm assuming the other elective will have to be a Study Hall. That's what happened in my son's case even though he had requested sociology or psychology as they were offered this year as semester classes. They're not next year. This mandatory class which has replaced Keyboarding as the mandatory class, a class my daughter already took in 8th grade to fulfill that now unnecessary requirement, puts a wrench in her schedule. Since she goes to Burton for Mass Comm she's already under a tight ship and only has room for one elective. She wants to takes Spanish IV but there's no guarantee she'll even get it. Personal Finance is at the bottom of her list, and although she'll have one more year to fit it in somehow, with her having an internship as part of her curriculum in her senior year I don't see how that's going to happen. She's hoping the School Board will realize the class is useless and no longer require it by the time she gets to her senior year. Like my son said, "If they're gonna cut classes, start with that one and bring back the useful ones, ones we may actually learn something in."

Ending this post on a bright note...Hidden Valley High School, along with two other Roanoke County Schools, Clearbrook Elementary and Cave Spring Elementary earned the 2010 Governor's Award for Educational Excellence. According to SWOCO, "The award is the highest honor under the Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) incentive program created by the Board of Education in 2007 to advance Governor Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda promoting advanced learning and achievement. This is the third straight year Hidden Valley High School has received the Governor’s Award and the second straight year for Cave Spring Elementary School. Clearbrook Elementary School received the Governor’s Award in 2008."

Congratulations to the staff, students and parents of those schools, and good luck in the future...looks like you're going to need it.

One other thing...you can help your local schools by donating not just money, which is tax deductible but also supplies. When my daughter took art last year by the second semester there was hardly anything left for the students to even use. Every little bit helps and you'd be surprised at what "junk" you might have hanging around the house that would be "treasures" to the art and other departments.