Fast times and wild living with (the former) Baby Whozit…
Posted in First Grader, Simon says... on Aug 30th, 2013
This one is short and sweet. First grade has offered four amusing bits so far. 1. Simon’s school is doing Spanish this year, and his new teacher is Colombian and is taking an immersive approach. Which is to say that on the first day of Spanish, Simon’s teacher chatted away to his class in Spanish, […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 22nd, 2013
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Simon’s life is beginning to remind me of the movie Groundhog Day with its endless repetitive looping. Tuesday the kiddos within Jefferson County Public Schools all returned to school. Just like last year, I went to help sort the buses and arrange and/or verify afternoon transportation at […]
Back from vacation, with thoughts about the visit from my Israeli house-guest, whom I will now refer to as Daphna so as to avoid awkward Internet searches in the future. My main takeaway from hosting Daphna was the sometimes disorienting feeling that resulted from being on an unfamiliar side of a class divide. You see, […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 13th, 2013
Any time I’ve read about testing disparities between socioeconomic classes, I’ve always assumed that it boiled down to educational support at home, enrichment opportunities, and the like. I had read that standardized exams were also culturally biased towards middle-class white kids, and while I didn’t dispute that fact, I couldn’t quite picture where culture came […]
Two weeks ago, I was worried that after a laid-back summer of hitting the pool on the rare days it was hot enough, going for leisurely runs and hikes with Simon, kicking a soccer ball about, and otherwise enjoying the best summer weather we’ve had in years, I would find it really hard to get […]
Sunday night, our family welcomed an Israeli house-guest into our home. Dikla is a shelicha (ambassador) at the JCC’s summer camp, bringing Israeli culture to campers throughout the summer. The program relies on the support of local Jewish families to work, and Matt and I (even though we’re only half Jewish) agreed to participate. I […]