Yeah, it's been awhile since the last post. Herewith, a few of the hot-button issues that have been stuck in my craw this fall:
1. The Demented Driving Behavior of People Driving Cars near a School During the Time that Kids are Going to School
This has got to stop. Really. If you left your house late, don't take it out on kids just trying to get to school by speeding. You are still going to be late for work. Deal with it. Also, there are these things called "crosswalks". Crosswalks are where pedestrians cross the street. Keep in mind that young children, by definition, are not big. So, you may need to look harder to see if they are in the crosswalk. Also, if someone is standing on the sidewalk next to a crosswalk and you are driving your car, you need to STOP your car and allow the pedestrian to cross. Again, this is not going to make you late for work; leaving your house late made you late for work. Additionally, in Massachusetts, it is a LAW that you MUST stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Also, school buses. They are the big yellow things that carry the students to the schools and help drivers by decreasing the number of parents who drive their kids to school. It is a LAW to stop when the school bus stops and puts on its red blinkers. If a school bus is stopped and is signaling with red blinkers, it does NOT mean that it is ok for you, the driver who is late for work, to PASS the school bus. I am stunned that people in cars actually do this. And believe me when I tell you that I am a VERY aggressive driver. But really, people: slow down. Or leave earlier. Or leave later. Just stop doing stupid things that endanger kids who are just trying to get to school.
2. The Poor Behavior of some Parents who Attend School Functions
This is another issue that has bugged me for a loooong time, and about which I have blogged before. And it hasn't gone away. If you bring your cherubs to any school function, there has been a gaggle of parents who have given up their time to make the event fun: parents who have left work early or taken vacation days or hired babysitters to work on the event. And yet, there are always parents who treat the parent volunteers and event organizers like some kind of hired help, or, worse, indentured servants. So, if your kid takes the frosting from the cupcake and SMEARS it all over a table, you, Parent, should get up and wipe it up. If you see some fellow parents drenched in sweat because they are attempting to clean up the entire cafeteria in ten minutes, it would be DELIGHTFUL if you would offer to help. You do not need an invitation to be on the committee to pitch in. Sitting at a table and watching others do the heavy lifting is so very Downton, in the very worst sense. And we can see where THAT storyline is going.
3. All Politics is Local: the Role of the PTO
I was flabbergasted when, earlier this election season, I invited parents to come to my house to meet a candidate for school committee and two of the Facebook pages where I posted the open invitation removed it and sent a message that the "PTO page is not for politics." I would agree that a PTO page is not a place to debate the benefits of one candidate versus another and that it is not a place to post an endorsement of a candidate. However, it seems to me that it is a perfect place to post information that would help parents make an informed decision. In Waltham, the school budget is more than $70 million. That's a whole lotta money which we are entrusting to six people; three of those people will be elected on Tuesday. Meeting a candidate and asking how he or she plans to use the money is information, not an endorsement. It's the best of politics, not the worst.
4. Drew Echelson Rocks
That is all. But it isn't, because this wouldn't be much of a blog if that's where I ended. I was fortunate enough to meet one-on-one with Dr. Echelson over the summer; in fact, he asked me to meet with him, which is pretty amazing in and of itself: a new Superintendent knows that there are a handful of parents who have been involved in or outspoken about a few key issues and he finds out who they are and requests a meeting. THEN he ASKS for people to schedule meetings with him via an Internet scheduler. Shazam! A Super who wants INPUT from PARENTS! What even is this? And then the super Super holds himself and the School Committee ACCOUNTABLE for DELIVERABLES, just like a functional organization. Heady stuff. Count me a Fan.
5. Stop the Hand-wringing and Let's Do Something
After YEARS of whining and waiting, it appears that Waltham is poised to address the inequity in the distribution of students in the elementary schools. And there are families that will be unhappy. And there are kids who will go to a different elementary school than the one that they attend now. Or maybe all of our kids will go to a school for certain grades and then to another school for other grades. Here's the thing: once the plan is worked out, there will no longer be kids whose classroom is a former teacher workroom; there won't be kids who have class in the library; the Science specialist (and I hear that Science is important; it's the 'S' in 'STEM' or some such thing) will actually have a Science classroom for the study of Science; there will be a space for Challenge kids; professionals will have an office. The distribution will be equitable. There won't be some schools with nearly 550 students in K-5 and others with closer to 300. And that's the goal.
6. PARCC Shlark
It is time to learn a little more about PARCC and I suggest that you do it by following the money. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is headed by a guy named Mitchell D. Chester. Guess what else Mr. Chester does when he's not heading up the Commonwealth's schools? He's on the Governing Board of PARCC, a for-profit subsidiary of Pearson Education, which was founded by a former Virgin executive. Hmmm. Switching from the miserable MCAS to the abominable PARCC would require a change in curriculum at every school in the Commonwealth. Guess what? Pearson sells the textbooks and curriculum needed to prep for PARCC! This is so completely ridiculous and such an outrage and NO ONE seems to know about it. Get informed.
7. You're too Busy to Vote on Tuesday?
Are you KIDDING me? Local elections are the ones that matter most, my friend. Do it. In addition to deciding which 3 candidates of 5 running (including Liz AlJammal, who I am supporting) will sit on the School Committee, there's also a race for the next mayor of our Fair City.
8. Why the Mayor of Waltham should not be buying Ice Cream
About a month ago, I stopped at Pizzi Farm with my kids one afternoon. I am guessing that it was either an early release day or one of the September holidays. While we were there, I saw Mayor McCarthy. I said hello and she said that she was picking up some ice cream for her staff for a party that afternoon. That is classic McCarthy: she is everywhere and likely saw this as an opportunity to get out of the office and meet with some constituents during and election year. The same way that she called me personally to respond to an email message on which she was copied regarding the Beaver Street Clusterflub. Or when she had my two boys and me to her office to meet about Parsons Ave and what an eyesore it has become. It's that personal touch. So here's the thing: the mayor of a city of 60,000 residents should not be the one to run out for ice cream. She should have delegated the call regarding Beaver Street to her city engineer, to whom it was addressed. As the Chief Executive of the City, she should be working on the vision of Waltham, not so involved in the day-to-day that, as the saying goes, all she sees are trees. Traffic is a nightmare and is getting worse. We need to build a new high school. The infrastructure is crumbling right under us. Small businesses can't deal with the byzantine applications process at City Hall and decide to go elsewhere. In the 14 years we've lived here, we've seen Moody Street go from a hip place to be to a street dotted with dollar stores and bodegas and the occasional good restaurant in between. The Inflow and Infiltration issue, which I call Poop on the Streets, is bad and getting worse and has been ignored by the mayor since 2004, when she took office. Our Police and Firefighters have given her a vote of no confidence. Tom Stanley doesn't have all of the answers to some of these thorny issues, however, he has a plan to begin serious work and a vision of what the city should be. Tom won't wait until an issue becomes a crisis: he will stay ahead of the curve with careful review and planning. I ask you to join me and vote for Tom on Tuesday.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Scenes from a Summer Day: more caution ahead
Yesterday, a perfect summer Saturday, my Boyz and I drove out to the Berkshires for some kayaking. Of course there is a #kayaking story. It doesn't rival the #putyourkidsonthebus story but it's close: I got into the double kayak (these are inflatable kayaks, sort of like kayak shaped rafts) with Finbar in the front. Jack gets his own kayak. No one had warned that the double kayak, which is sized for two adults, might be hard for a relatively small, older woman to navigate with a 75 pound 8 year old not paddling in the bow. In fact, it was not hard: it was impossible to navigate.
Finn and I meandered down the river, just doing what the kayak wanted to do, since we had no control over it, and Jack paddled ahead. We got sucked into the middle of this big extended family traveling with a 14 year old know-it-all boy who kept giving me tips on paddling when he wasn't squirting me with his water gun. I didn't for one SECOND hope that his kayak capsized and he drowned. Not for one second.
The weather was perfect and we went down our first set of 'rapids' (this was, after all, a family-friendly, self-guided trip) and caught up to Jack. And THEN we hit the second set of rapids, which was comprised of 3 inches of water over lots of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Finn and I got stuck. We rocked to get free and got stuck again. And again. Now we are the last kayak of 2 busloads of people on this part of the river. We can't see anyone else around. Jack tried to wait, but continued downstream.
After multiple attempts at getting the stupid kayak to stop grounding on rocks and to free it once it did ground itself, and determining that there was some sort of a rock magnet in it, I decided to get out of the boat and then drag it off of the rocky part, which is harder than it sounds because the current is very strong and the water is very shallow and the rocks are very slippery and I am very old. Also, about now, Finn starts FREAKING OUT. He is screaming and crying and saying things like "CALL DAD! CALL HIM RIGHT. NOW!", which I might have done had my phone not been locked in the car for safekeeping and if we were not a 2 hour drive from home. So I tell Finn to calm down and we will be FINE and just stay in the boat and look! we're almost in the calm, deep water and then I lost hold of the effing boat. I watch Finn float downstream. A passing freight train drowns out his screams. With my life jacket on, I thought that perhaps I could get buoyant enough to float to him, however, because the water was so shallow, that wasn't happening either.
With great effort, I manage to traverse the rocks and get to the calm water and grab the boat and get back into it. Finn has lost one paddle, which we really didn't need, because he wasn't using it anyway. Nonetheless, some college kids partying on a bunch of tubes and rafts had retrieved it and returned it to us as we made our way down the river.
After a bit, we see a woman in a kayak from our group paddling towards us. She is wearing a sash that says 'Bride to Be.' She gets to our kayak and says "Are your the McCarthys?" Dear God. After affirming that we were, indeed, she told us that Jack, initially quite stoic, had become very concerned when Finn and I were stuck on the rocks for probably about 27 hours. So, he befriended a floating bachelorette party. Yes, he did. They adopted him as their mascot and kept his spirits up and pulled over to the shore to wait for us while the Bride to Be paddled back upstream to intercept us.
All of this is true.
We finally reached the designated snack stop on the river and were told that we had only three more miles to go. Only?
Thankfully, the last three miles were pleasant and without incident.
On the drive home, I asked the Boyz what they would like to do for an adventure next Saturday. After a bit, Jack said, "Maybe we can just go to the pool at the Y."
Nah. I'll think of something.
Finn and I meandered down the river, just doing what the kayak wanted to do, since we had no control over it, and Jack paddled ahead. We got sucked into the middle of this big extended family traveling with a 14 year old know-it-all boy who kept giving me tips on paddling when he wasn't squirting me with his water gun. I didn't for one SECOND hope that his kayak capsized and he drowned. Not for one second.
The weather was perfect and we went down our first set of 'rapids' (this was, after all, a family-friendly, self-guided trip) and caught up to Jack. And THEN we hit the second set of rapids, which was comprised of 3 inches of water over lots of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Finn and I got stuck. We rocked to get free and got stuck again. And again. Now we are the last kayak of 2 busloads of people on this part of the river. We can't see anyone else around. Jack tried to wait, but continued downstream.
After multiple attempts at getting the stupid kayak to stop grounding on rocks and to free it once it did ground itself, and determining that there was some sort of a rock magnet in it, I decided to get out of the boat and then drag it off of the rocky part, which is harder than it sounds because the current is very strong and the water is very shallow and the rocks are very slippery and I am very old. Also, about now, Finn starts FREAKING OUT. He is screaming and crying and saying things like "CALL DAD! CALL HIM RIGHT. NOW!", which I might have done had my phone not been locked in the car for safekeeping and if we were not a 2 hour drive from home. So I tell Finn to calm down and we will be FINE and just stay in the boat and look! we're almost in the calm, deep water and then I lost hold of the effing boat. I watch Finn float downstream. A passing freight train drowns out his screams. With my life jacket on, I thought that perhaps I could get buoyant enough to float to him, however, because the water was so shallow, that wasn't happening either.
With great effort, I manage to traverse the rocks and get to the calm water and grab the boat and get back into it. Finn has lost one paddle, which we really didn't need, because he wasn't using it anyway. Nonetheless, some college kids partying on a bunch of tubes and rafts had retrieved it and returned it to us as we made our way down the river.
After a bit, we see a woman in a kayak from our group paddling towards us. She is wearing a sash that says 'Bride to Be.' She gets to our kayak and says "Are your the McCarthys?" Dear God. After affirming that we were, indeed, she told us that Jack, initially quite stoic, had become very concerned when Finn and I were stuck on the rocks for probably about 27 hours. So, he befriended a floating bachelorette party. Yes, he did. They adopted him as their mascot and kept his spirits up and pulled over to the shore to wait for us while the Bride to Be paddled back upstream to intercept us.
All of this is true.
We finally reached the designated snack stop on the river and were told that we had only three more miles to go. Only?
Thankfully, the last three miles were pleasant and without incident.
On the drive home, I asked the Boyz what they would like to do for an adventure next Saturday. After a bit, Jack said, "Maybe we can just go to the pool at the Y."
Nah. I'll think of something.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
The Trials and Tribulations of Summer Vacation
Before I get back to work being critical of the Waltham School Committee and the WPS Superintendent and people who post anonymously and everything that bugs me in general, allow me to just offer up some Scenes of Summer Vacations Past so that you may read about them and be smug, because you would never be as stupid as I have been when it comes to summer vacations.
We are very very fortunate to have a friend who owns a cottage on the Cape and who allows us to use it for one week each summer. The cottage is in Popponesset, which is sort of like a mythical Leave-it-to-Beaver-ville where the kids ride bikes to a pick-up softball game at the Community Center each morning and families swim in the gentle surf of the Vineyard Sound each afternoon and the parents, with red Solo cups in hand, walk to the Marketplace with the kids in the evening to listen to live music and eat lobster rolls and ice cream and play mini-golf. Except that it really does exist.
Having gone here every year since my dear friend somehow thought that it would be a good idea to allow me to bring actual real children to her charming cottage, I have some advice.
Tip Number One: If you have a two year old, and are pregnant, it's not a good idea to bring the two year old to the cottage without his dad and then invite your uncle. Because the two year old will think that your uncle, whom he has met only once or twice, is some sort of replacement for Daddy, and no amount of cell phone calls will convince him otherwise. He will refuse to be bought, even though your uncle tries very hard, and will literally attach himself to you, which is uncomfortable, since you are, after all, 32 weeks pregnant. Once Daddy arrives, the two year old will ignore you for a week. Which is actually ok.
Tip Number Two: When vacationing with a three year old and a baby, DO NOT forget the potty seat. If you do, your spouse will be required to drive all over the Cape looking for a store that sells potty seats and, when he finds one, your toddler will refuse to use it because it is not 'his' potty seat.
Tip Number Three: If there is a little cottage not far from the one that you are staying in that has a hand-written sign in front of it advertising "experienced babysitter available", take down the sign, call immediately, and replace the sign the day that you leave.
Tip Number Four: If you buy a fancy new bike rack to transport the bikes to the Cape, make sure that you break in the bike rack before you drive to the Cape and one of the bikes flies off of the rack on Route 24 and your kids watch out the car window as three tractor trailers drive over it, causing your oldest child to say "I never really liked that bike, anyway."
Tip Number Five: If the cottage where you are staying doesn't have a washing machine, find out where the closest laundromat is BEFORE you go.
And, finally, for your reading pleasure, here is a tale of what actually happened when we stayed (overnight) at a very swanky resort one year as a family getaway: When we arrived, we were delighted to see a menu of options for the kids. So, we registered the kids for some of the activities, and booked dinner for the two of us at the resort's best restaurant. The time for the kid's night out arrived. I walked the kids to the resort bus and spoke to the driver and asked him to take the kids to the Kids' Night Out on the other side of the resort. The driver said that that wasn't a problem and the kids, ages 7 and 10 (lest you think that I am even more irresponsible than I actually am), boarded the bus and excitedly said goodbye. I went back to join my husband for a big-arse martini on the veranda. After a bit, we were seated for dinner and my phone rang. I answered, and it was the Kids' Night Out supervisor. "Is there a problem?" I asked. "Um. No," she said, "It's just that no one has ever just sent their kids on the bus before." No one. Ever. We are the worst parents in the world EVER. "So, do your kids have any allergies? And do they want plain or pepperoni pizza?" Questions answered (No and Plain), we continued our dinner. So as not to be castigated, we finished dinner and then boarded the bus to fetch our kids from the Kids' Night Out; the only option being to let them find their way back on the bus, but that seemed wrong. The bus was filled with people who had been drinking longer and more than we had. The bus driver dropped us off where we thought we should be; when we couldn't find the KNO, Kevin sprinted across the drive to flag down the bus to have the drive help us find the location. It was pitch black. With the help of all of the drunken people on the bus, we finally saw the path to the cabin where the KNO was. We went in to collect our kids, and they told us that they had been dropped off at the health club, not at the cabin, and so had missed a lot of the activities while they waited patiently for someone to come and take them to KNO. Finally the mess was figured out and that was when the KNO supervisor called me to ask about pizza toppings, failing to mention that my kids had been at a health club unsupervised for 45 minutes. We waited in the dark for the bus to bring us back to the Mansion and then went to our room and woke up for croquet in the morning.
Moral of the story: put your kids on the bus. They will have an adventure. And always finish the martini.
We are very very fortunate to have a friend who owns a cottage on the Cape and who allows us to use it for one week each summer. The cottage is in Popponesset, which is sort of like a mythical Leave-it-to-Beaver-ville where the kids ride bikes to a pick-up softball game at the Community Center each morning and families swim in the gentle surf of the Vineyard Sound each afternoon and the parents, with red Solo cups in hand, walk to the Marketplace with the kids in the evening to listen to live music and eat lobster rolls and ice cream and play mini-golf. Except that it really does exist.
Having gone here every year since my dear friend somehow thought that it would be a good idea to allow me to bring actual real children to her charming cottage, I have some advice.
Tip Number One: If you have a two year old, and are pregnant, it's not a good idea to bring the two year old to the cottage without his dad and then invite your uncle. Because the two year old will think that your uncle, whom he has met only once or twice, is some sort of replacement for Daddy, and no amount of cell phone calls will convince him otherwise. He will refuse to be bought, even though your uncle tries very hard, and will literally attach himself to you, which is uncomfortable, since you are, after all, 32 weeks pregnant. Once Daddy arrives, the two year old will ignore you for a week. Which is actually ok.
Tip Number Two: When vacationing with a three year old and a baby, DO NOT forget the potty seat. If you do, your spouse will be required to drive all over the Cape looking for a store that sells potty seats and, when he finds one, your toddler will refuse to use it because it is not 'his' potty seat.
Tip Number Three: If there is a little cottage not far from the one that you are staying in that has a hand-written sign in front of it advertising "experienced babysitter available", take down the sign, call immediately, and replace the sign the day that you leave.
Tip Number Four: If you buy a fancy new bike rack to transport the bikes to the Cape, make sure that you break in the bike rack before you drive to the Cape and one of the bikes flies off of the rack on Route 24 and your kids watch out the car window as three tractor trailers drive over it, causing your oldest child to say "I never really liked that bike, anyway."
Tip Number Five: If the cottage where you are staying doesn't have a washing machine, find out where the closest laundromat is BEFORE you go.
And, finally, for your reading pleasure, here is a tale of what actually happened when we stayed (overnight) at a very swanky resort one year as a family getaway: When we arrived, we were delighted to see a menu of options for the kids. So, we registered the kids for some of the activities, and booked dinner for the two of us at the resort's best restaurant. The time for the kid's night out arrived. I walked the kids to the resort bus and spoke to the driver and asked him to take the kids to the Kids' Night Out on the other side of the resort. The driver said that that wasn't a problem and the kids, ages 7 and 10 (lest you think that I am even more irresponsible than I actually am), boarded the bus and excitedly said goodbye. I went back to join my husband for a big-arse martini on the veranda. After a bit, we were seated for dinner and my phone rang. I answered, and it was the Kids' Night Out supervisor. "Is there a problem?" I asked. "Um. No," she said, "It's just that no one has ever just sent their kids on the bus before." No one. Ever. We are the worst parents in the world EVER. "So, do your kids have any allergies? And do they want plain or pepperoni pizza?" Questions answered (No and Plain), we continued our dinner. So as not to be castigated, we finished dinner and then boarded the bus to fetch our kids from the Kids' Night Out; the only option being to let them find their way back on the bus, but that seemed wrong. The bus was filled with people who had been drinking longer and more than we had. The bus driver dropped us off where we thought we should be; when we couldn't find the KNO, Kevin sprinted across the drive to flag down the bus to have the drive help us find the location. It was pitch black. With the help of all of the drunken people on the bus, we finally saw the path to the cabin where the KNO was. We went in to collect our kids, and they told us that they had been dropped off at the health club, not at the cabin, and so had missed a lot of the activities while they waited patiently for someone to come and take them to KNO. Finally the mess was figured out and that was when the KNO supervisor called me to ask about pizza toppings, failing to mention that my kids had been at a health club unsupervised for 45 minutes. We waited in the dark for the bus to bring us back to the Mansion and then went to our room and woke up for croquet in the morning.
Moral of the story: put your kids on the bus. They will have an adventure. And always finish the martini.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Why I Hate Summer
That's too harsh, of course. I love summer: going to the beach, working in the garden, sunset at 8:30PM (instead of 3:30 PM that we get in December), Red Sox games on TV, bike riding, swimming, eating ice cream, outdoor movies, cooking on the grill, gin and tonics, the Waltham Fields CSA, our week at the Cape each year, road trips….
HOWEVER -- and there had to be a catch, of course -- camp drives me insane each and every year.
First is the Signing-up For the Camp. We are so very fortunate here in Waltham to have a Parks and Rec department that puts together wonderful camps that the kids love and which is half or even a third of the cost of other camps in the area. Prospect Hill and Kaleidoscope have saved our family gobs of money (compared to other camps that our kids attend). And yet, EVEN if I am able to be on the computer at the exact time that the on-line enrollment begins, I am still scrambling to get both kids at the same camp during the same weeks. When that happens (and it has happened), it is so much better than hitting the lottery that I just want to hug someone (and that doesn't happen often. I'm not very huggy.) This year, I was away for work and unable to get on the computer for on-line registration and then was unable, even, to stand in line at Old South at 7AM with le tout de Waltham for the in-person registration. And so, I got one week at Prospect Hill (and was grateful for that.)
So, once I know which week or weeks my kids will be attending Waltham P&R camps, that leaves the rest of the summer to fill in. We do spend one week each summer on the Cape, so there is the scrambling to fill in around that week. The Boyz this year are also doing a week of Flag Football and two weeks of Basketball camp, in Belmont and in Newton, respectively. Why not sports camps in Waltham? Because of issue number two.
The SECOND issue is the TIME of the camps. Many, many camps, including Waltham sports camps, end at 3PM. Who gets done work at 3PM? And even if work is done at 3, how does one get to the camp to collect the campers at the speed of light? I am very, very lucky to do much of my work from home, and much of that by computer and by phone; I have become adept at doing conference calls in the car with earbuds and my kids silenced into submission with screens in the back seat or literally locked out of the house until the call is over. Even my work, though, requires that I go out of town and then my husband, whose work is not particularly flexible, has to manage. So, I spend the entire summer beginning work at 7AM and working until 4PM and then again in the evening and, when I am out of town, we are at the mercy of our neighbors and friends who can pick up the kids for us or my husband is forced to do the walk of shame, leaving his workplace early, with his head down, hoping no one notices.
As I mentioned, we are lucky to have flexibility in work hours. Many of our friends are not so lucky and so end up spending obscene amounts of money on things known as 'pre-camp' and 'post-camp'. It's not enough to charge $300 or more per week for a camp: if you need coverage during the actual hours that people actually work, it's going to cost another $100+ per week. In fact, the COST is an issue in and of itself. This summer is a short season, since the kids didn't get out of school until June 25th. We have one vacation week at the end of July. So that leaves us with eight weeks of camp. As I said, getting into a Waltham P&R camp is a wonderful thing: $120/kid. The Y, for my 8 year old, is $256 for four weeks and, for my 11 year old, is $275 for four weeks. This week at Belmont was $240 per kid. The next two weeks for basketball camp in Newton, it was $560 per kid for the two weeks. I think that that adds up to something like twelve billion drachmas. Or, at least a nice trip to Europe, or to a Scandinavian country where all of this camp is probably free and transportation is included.
Yet another issue is the DOCUMENTATION required, with some camps being more egregious in their documentation requirements than others (I am looking at you, YMCA.) There is more documentation required to attend camp at the Y than there is to work for Homeland Security (and I say this because I have a friend who works for Homeland Security, so that means that I KNOW.) BIRTH certificates and IMMUNIZATION records and RECENT PHYSICALS and WAIVERS of LIABILITY and PROOF of MEDICAL INSURANCE and NAMES of the DENTIST and proof of use of FLUORIDATED water and BPA-FREE water bottles. It doesn't take me this long to do our taxes.
After all of the timing is worked out and we have secured drop offs and pick ups and submitted the proper documents and paid for all of it with credit cards, which will never have a zero balance, even in drachmas, the next issue is actually GETTING to the camp. And if the camp is in Waltham, it is probably along the dreaded Beaver Street/Lexington Street corridor. Which means that, if you leave even one second after 8AM, you will be sitting in traffic for EVER and you will be late to work, anyway. That is because, along the B-L Corridor, there is the Girl Scout Camp, camps at Bentley, Running Brook Camp, Prospect Hill, camps at Kennedy Middle School and at the High School, and camps at the Y. Add in all of the people who are going to work, and the camps that take place at Veterans Field or the Gann Academy on Forest Street, and you have approximately 8 million people, all of whom have whiny kids in the car and who are late for work. This is replicated, of course, in all of the surrounding communities, so, even though my kids are at camp in Belmont this week, that didn't mean that we didn't witness a woman in a vehicle gesturing wildly at a man in another vehicle at the intersection of Common, Leonard and Concord Streets this morning (that railroad bridge is obnoxious.)
So, did I just mention WHINY KIDS? Yes, that is another reason that I hate the summer. Since my kids attend the Y after-school program during the school year and since we spend a lot of time at the outdoor pool at the Y, I do my best to limit the number of weeks that they spend at the Y for camp. And they still complain and whine. I picked them up after their first day at Flag Football camp in Belmont yesterday, chosen because they have played flag football in the fall in Belmont for the last two years, and the FIRST THING my older son said was "I don't want to come to camp in Belmont anymore because I don't know anybody." He also doesn't want to go to camp at the Y where he knows EVERYBODY, so if someone can tell me what I am supposed to do, please do! I am all ears.
Ah, yes, and then the LUNCHES! The lunches that, depending on the camp, must be 'peanut free' or must have a SNACK packed SEPARATELY and must contain the food that the kids will eat, which is NOTHING because they eat THREE THINGS. During the school year, my kids buy lunch at school and I know that they are choosing the Sun Butter Sandwich or the Bagel, and yet, I don't see it, so I can ignore it, and every so often one of them will actually eat something nutritional and mention it at dinner. The stress of the lunches is something that pains me greatly. And it pains me even more when they don't eat what I have packed. Ungrateful wretches.
Throw in some LOST WATER BOTTLES and towels and BATHING SUITS and did I remember the SUNSCREEN? and, well, this is a recipe for disaster.
So this, Gentle Readers, is why I hate summer. Guess that I'll get the kids in a few hours and then pour a generous gin and tonic, sit on the deck, and contemplate my garden.
Cheers!
HOWEVER -- and there had to be a catch, of course -- camp drives me insane each and every year.
First is the Signing-up For the Camp. We are so very fortunate here in Waltham to have a Parks and Rec department that puts together wonderful camps that the kids love and which is half or even a third of the cost of other camps in the area. Prospect Hill and Kaleidoscope have saved our family gobs of money (compared to other camps that our kids attend). And yet, EVEN if I am able to be on the computer at the exact time that the on-line enrollment begins, I am still scrambling to get both kids at the same camp during the same weeks. When that happens (and it has happened), it is so much better than hitting the lottery that I just want to hug someone (and that doesn't happen often. I'm not very huggy.) This year, I was away for work and unable to get on the computer for on-line registration and then was unable, even, to stand in line at Old South at 7AM with le tout de Waltham for the in-person registration. And so, I got one week at Prospect Hill (and was grateful for that.)
So, once I know which week or weeks my kids will be attending Waltham P&R camps, that leaves the rest of the summer to fill in. We do spend one week each summer on the Cape, so there is the scrambling to fill in around that week. The Boyz this year are also doing a week of Flag Football and two weeks of Basketball camp, in Belmont and in Newton, respectively. Why not sports camps in Waltham? Because of issue number two.
The SECOND issue is the TIME of the camps. Many, many camps, including Waltham sports camps, end at 3PM. Who gets done work at 3PM? And even if work is done at 3, how does one get to the camp to collect the campers at the speed of light? I am very, very lucky to do much of my work from home, and much of that by computer and by phone; I have become adept at doing conference calls in the car with earbuds and my kids silenced into submission with screens in the back seat or literally locked out of the house until the call is over. Even my work, though, requires that I go out of town and then my husband, whose work is not particularly flexible, has to manage. So, I spend the entire summer beginning work at 7AM and working until 4PM and then again in the evening and, when I am out of town, we are at the mercy of our neighbors and friends who can pick up the kids for us or my husband is forced to do the walk of shame, leaving his workplace early, with his head down, hoping no one notices.
As I mentioned, we are lucky to have flexibility in work hours. Many of our friends are not so lucky and so end up spending obscene amounts of money on things known as 'pre-camp' and 'post-camp'. It's not enough to charge $300 or more per week for a camp: if you need coverage during the actual hours that people actually work, it's going to cost another $100+ per week. In fact, the COST is an issue in and of itself. This summer is a short season, since the kids didn't get out of school until June 25th. We have one vacation week at the end of July. So that leaves us with eight weeks of camp. As I said, getting into a Waltham P&R camp is a wonderful thing: $120/kid. The Y, for my 8 year old, is $256 for four weeks and, for my 11 year old, is $275 for four weeks. This week at Belmont was $240 per kid. The next two weeks for basketball camp in Newton, it was $560 per kid for the two weeks. I think that that adds up to something like twelve billion drachmas. Or, at least a nice trip to Europe, or to a Scandinavian country where all of this camp is probably free and transportation is included.
Yet another issue is the DOCUMENTATION required, with some camps being more egregious in their documentation requirements than others (I am looking at you, YMCA.) There is more documentation required to attend camp at the Y than there is to work for Homeland Security (and I say this because I have a friend who works for Homeland Security, so that means that I KNOW.) BIRTH certificates and IMMUNIZATION records and RECENT PHYSICALS and WAIVERS of LIABILITY and PROOF of MEDICAL INSURANCE and NAMES of the DENTIST and proof of use of FLUORIDATED water and BPA-FREE water bottles. It doesn't take me this long to do our taxes.
After all of the timing is worked out and we have secured drop offs and pick ups and submitted the proper documents and paid for all of it with credit cards, which will never have a zero balance, even in drachmas, the next issue is actually GETTING to the camp. And if the camp is in Waltham, it is probably along the dreaded Beaver Street/Lexington Street corridor. Which means that, if you leave even one second after 8AM, you will be sitting in traffic for EVER and you will be late to work, anyway. That is because, along the B-L Corridor, there is the Girl Scout Camp, camps at Bentley, Running Brook Camp, Prospect Hill, camps at Kennedy Middle School and at the High School, and camps at the Y. Add in all of the people who are going to work, and the camps that take place at Veterans Field or the Gann Academy on Forest Street, and you have approximately 8 million people, all of whom have whiny kids in the car and who are late for work. This is replicated, of course, in all of the surrounding communities, so, even though my kids are at camp in Belmont this week, that didn't mean that we didn't witness a woman in a vehicle gesturing wildly at a man in another vehicle at the intersection of Common, Leonard and Concord Streets this morning (that railroad bridge is obnoxious.)
So, did I just mention WHINY KIDS? Yes, that is another reason that I hate the summer. Since my kids attend the Y after-school program during the school year and since we spend a lot of time at the outdoor pool at the Y, I do my best to limit the number of weeks that they spend at the Y for camp. And they still complain and whine. I picked them up after their first day at Flag Football camp in Belmont yesterday, chosen because they have played flag football in the fall in Belmont for the last two years, and the FIRST THING my older son said was "I don't want to come to camp in Belmont anymore because I don't know anybody." He also doesn't want to go to camp at the Y where he knows EVERYBODY, so if someone can tell me what I am supposed to do, please do! I am all ears.
Ah, yes, and then the LUNCHES! The lunches that, depending on the camp, must be 'peanut free' or must have a SNACK packed SEPARATELY and must contain the food that the kids will eat, which is NOTHING because they eat THREE THINGS. During the school year, my kids buy lunch at school and I know that they are choosing the Sun Butter Sandwich or the Bagel, and yet, I don't see it, so I can ignore it, and every so often one of them will actually eat something nutritional and mention it at dinner. The stress of the lunches is something that pains me greatly. And it pains me even more when they don't eat what I have packed. Ungrateful wretches.
Throw in some LOST WATER BOTTLES and towels and BATHING SUITS and did I remember the SUNSCREEN? and, well, this is a recipe for disaster.
So this, Gentle Readers, is why I hate summer. Guess that I'll get the kids in a few hours and then pour a generous gin and tonic, sit on the deck, and contemplate my garden.
Cheers!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Paraphrasing Shakespeare and the McDevitt Decision
Our outgoing Superintendent, along with our incoming Superintendent (to whom Outgoing refers to as a "Superintendent-elect", even though he is not elected, but is hired and works under a contract. But I digress) announced yesterday that Michael Sabin will be the principal of the McDevitt beginning July 1st.
Exhale.
I am, of course, extremely disappointed that Beth Gavin won't be there to welcome my son and all of the other incoming sixth graders in September. I am frustrated that, for the sixth of his seven years in Waltham Public Schools, my kid will start his first year in middle school with a principal who is in his first year at the school. I am concerned that there will be little things that will be missed when a new principal starts at the school: while he's trying to remember which stairwell is up and which is down and what to do while an assistant principal is out on maternity leave, how is he going to remember the nuances of my student, which, really, is the only thing that I want him to remember, just like any parent.
Don't get me wrong: it seems that Mr. Sabin is very qualified, even overqualified. I like that he is bilingual and so will be able to communicate with parents who are Spanish-speaking. It appears that he and Dr. Echelson have likely crossed paths in the Boston Public Schools and at Harvard, and, if that is true, then that's also a good thing. I like that Mr. Sabin lives in Lexington (of course, I liked the fact that Beth lives in Waltham even more.) The only concern that I had was that he does seem to change jobs every five years, which takes me to the year my younger son will be moving from 7th to 8th grade. I look forward to meeting and working with Mr. Sabin, and I am sure that we will get on famously, since I am well practiced in befriending new principals, whether they are interims or permanent candidates.
Not to go full Shakespeare here, however, something is still rotten in the City of Waltham. That is, we -- the taxpayers, the parents, the constituents, the voters, the stakeholders -- have never been given a reason for the non-renewal of the contract of a very popular and well-regarded middle school principal. The Outgoing Superintendent has not spoken to the press and, according to at least one member of the School Committee, the elected body responsible for her oversight, not to the School Committee either. Where is the transparency? A principal is an administrator: the Chief Executive of the school. Since we taxpayers pay a collective $77 million to the WPS, I do think that we need to know the reason that a contract at this level was not renewed. The last time I wrote about this, some anonymous posters asked if I felt that I had to know about every personnel change that was made. No, I don't. Unless it is contested. And then, at the very least, the School Committee should know. Just because the Ed Reform law allows a superintendent to end a contract with a principal with no oversight, I would certainly think that a superintendent, acting in good faith, would want to advise the School Committee regarding his or her reasons to seek change at the Chief Executive level in a school. Unless, of course, there's no good reason.
Of course, the lack of transparency is permeating Waltham right now, as our Mayor won't talk to the press and only responds to questions submitted via email (the better to parse them), so it's no surprise that the Outgoing Superintendent would do the same.
In the spirit of transparency, I have never pretended to be objective about my thoughts regarding Beth Gavin. She is a superstar and I am honored to know her and her family and I have no doubt that her son and my younger son are going to get into a whole lot of trouble together at some point in the future. I also know that she will quickly get another position in another district, following many department heads and principals who have led an exodus out of the WPS during our Outgoing Super's tenure. Wherever Beth lands, her teachers and students will be that much better for knowing her and working with her. And that's Waltham's loss.
Exhale.
I am, of course, extremely disappointed that Beth Gavin won't be there to welcome my son and all of the other incoming sixth graders in September. I am frustrated that, for the sixth of his seven years in Waltham Public Schools, my kid will start his first year in middle school with a principal who is in his first year at the school. I am concerned that there will be little things that will be missed when a new principal starts at the school: while he's trying to remember which stairwell is up and which is down and what to do while an assistant principal is out on maternity leave, how is he going to remember the nuances of my student, which, really, is the only thing that I want him to remember, just like any parent.
Don't get me wrong: it seems that Mr. Sabin is very qualified, even overqualified. I like that he is bilingual and so will be able to communicate with parents who are Spanish-speaking. It appears that he and Dr. Echelson have likely crossed paths in the Boston Public Schools and at Harvard, and, if that is true, then that's also a good thing. I like that Mr. Sabin lives in Lexington (of course, I liked the fact that Beth lives in Waltham even more.) The only concern that I had was that he does seem to change jobs every five years, which takes me to the year my younger son will be moving from 7th to 8th grade. I look forward to meeting and working with Mr. Sabin, and I am sure that we will get on famously, since I am well practiced in befriending new principals, whether they are interims or permanent candidates.
Not to go full Shakespeare here, however, something is still rotten in the City of Waltham. That is, we -- the taxpayers, the parents, the constituents, the voters, the stakeholders -- have never been given a reason for the non-renewal of the contract of a very popular and well-regarded middle school principal. The Outgoing Superintendent has not spoken to the press and, according to at least one member of the School Committee, the elected body responsible for her oversight, not to the School Committee either. Where is the transparency? A principal is an administrator: the Chief Executive of the school. Since we taxpayers pay a collective $77 million to the WPS, I do think that we need to know the reason that a contract at this level was not renewed. The last time I wrote about this, some anonymous posters asked if I felt that I had to know about every personnel change that was made. No, I don't. Unless it is contested. And then, at the very least, the School Committee should know. Just because the Ed Reform law allows a superintendent to end a contract with a principal with no oversight, I would certainly think that a superintendent, acting in good faith, would want to advise the School Committee regarding his or her reasons to seek change at the Chief Executive level in a school. Unless, of course, there's no good reason.
Of course, the lack of transparency is permeating Waltham right now, as our Mayor won't talk to the press and only responds to questions submitted via email (the better to parse them), so it's no surprise that the Outgoing Superintendent would do the same.
In the spirit of transparency, I have never pretended to be objective about my thoughts regarding Beth Gavin. She is a superstar and I am honored to know her and her family and I have no doubt that her son and my younger son are going to get into a whole lot of trouble together at some point in the future. I also know that she will quickly get another position in another district, following many department heads and principals who have led an exodus out of the WPS during our Outgoing Super's tenure. Wherever Beth lands, her teachers and students will be that much better for knowing her and working with her. And that's Waltham's loss.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Four Freedoms
I have been calling our current superintendent names for a long time. I've also been calling her out on her managerial skills, which I find lacking, for a long time. Two avid readers and followers of the goings-on at the McDevitt, who post anonymously, are implying that I don't have any right to call the Superintendent names or to have an opinion on the leadership skills of the principal at the McDevitt.
So, let me back up a minute here and remind anyone reading that a blog is an opinion piece. I started blogging back in its infancy, and I had a blog on Salon.com (when that e-zine was in its infancy), which was more like an online journal. I picked up blogging again in the Waltham Patch a few years ago, when I was stunned by decisions that were being made by members of the School Committee. The Patch changed its format, and I tired of the trolls, so I moved the blog here, where I post my opinions, to which I am entitled and with which you, Gentle Reader, are entitled to disagree.
Since a blog is an opinion piece, you can bet your bippy that telling me that I am wrong because you say that I am is not likely to change my mind. Especially when you post anonymously. And then try to change my mind by telling me that some middle schoolers don't like the principal because her niece is in the National Honor Society and gets some perqs that other NHS kids get. Or that incidents in the school are 'common knowledge' among middle schoolers, because middle schoolers are very reliable and give very objective and reasoned information except when they are rattled by hormones and homework, which is always.
I would encourage @fedup and @wvet to start their own blogs. Perhaps @wvet could have her son do it as part of a homeschooling project: call it "The Truth About the McDevitt, According to Students in 6th-8th Grades."
One last thing: I don't edit my blog posts and perhaps I should. If I did, I probably would have called the Superintendent 'wicked' instead of 'evil' and I never, ever, ever again will use the word 'alleged' lest someone who has watched too much CSI come back and tell me that its use was incorrect. Or gives me a gag order.
Anyhoo, I have a conference call now to prepare for and I am leaving tomorrow for 5 days, so you'll all just have to get on without me for a bit. Suggested reading: School Committee meeting minutes, posted on the city Web site and articles in the News Tribune, which does have an editorial board. Be sure to watch the School Committee meeting tomorrow night on the teevee. And be sure to show up in support of the Superintendent's decision to not renew Gavin's contract, if that's what you think is the right thing to do.
Finally, the Four Freedoms are that of Speech, Religion, Assembly, and the Press. I exercise mine regularly and support anyone else who does so and especially those who don't hide behind a cloak of anonymity when doing so. It's easy to be angry when you can't be seen: just look at Twitter.
So, let me back up a minute here and remind anyone reading that a blog is an opinion piece. I started blogging back in its infancy, and I had a blog on Salon.com (when that e-zine was in its infancy), which was more like an online journal. I picked up blogging again in the Waltham Patch a few years ago, when I was stunned by decisions that were being made by members of the School Committee. The Patch changed its format, and I tired of the trolls, so I moved the blog here, where I post my opinions, to which I am entitled and with which you, Gentle Reader, are entitled to disagree.
Since a blog is an opinion piece, you can bet your bippy that telling me that I am wrong because you say that I am is not likely to change my mind. Especially when you post anonymously. And then try to change my mind by telling me that some middle schoolers don't like the principal because her niece is in the National Honor Society and gets some perqs that other NHS kids get. Or that incidents in the school are 'common knowledge' among middle schoolers, because middle schoolers are very reliable and give very objective and reasoned information except when they are rattled by hormones and homework, which is always.
I would encourage @fedup and @wvet to start their own blogs. Perhaps @wvet could have her son do it as part of a homeschooling project: call it "The Truth About the McDevitt, According to Students in 6th-8th Grades."
One last thing: I don't edit my blog posts and perhaps I should. If I did, I probably would have called the Superintendent 'wicked' instead of 'evil' and I never, ever, ever again will use the word 'alleged' lest someone who has watched too much CSI come back and tell me that its use was incorrect. Or gives me a gag order.
Anyhoo, I have a conference call now to prepare for and I am leaving tomorrow for 5 days, so you'll all just have to get on without me for a bit. Suggested reading: School Committee meeting minutes, posted on the city Web site and articles in the News Tribune, which does have an editorial board. Be sure to watch the School Committee meeting tomorrow night on the teevee. And be sure to show up in support of the Superintendent's decision to not renew Gavin's contract, if that's what you think is the right thing to do.
Finally, the Four Freedoms are that of Speech, Religion, Assembly, and the Press. I exercise mine regularly and support anyone else who does so and especially those who don't hide behind a cloak of anonymity when doing so. It's easy to be angry when you can't be seen: just look at Twitter.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
A Few More Thoughts on a Certain Decision by our Superintendent
I read with interest a Letter to the Editor in the News Trib. My first question is, why do most letters to the editor in Waltham start with "As a lifelong Waltham citizen…."? As a non-lifelong Waltham citizen with lots of friends who are lifers and just as many who are Breezers, I really don't see how that adds or detracts from one's observations on and thoughts about a topic. Maybe all my Waltham peeps can let me in on the secret. Certainly with the current issue of the non-renewal of the the McDevitt Middle School principal's contract, I would think that lifelong residents would be more inclined to side with the principal, who is herself a lifelong resident, rather than our current superintendent, who has never made any attempt to connect with the Waltham community.
These questions came to me as I was reading that letter as well as the responses to my last blog post:
These questions came to me as I was reading that letter as well as the responses to my last blog post:
- What is the role of the superintendent of schools in dealing with alleged assaults, staff firing, and alleged bullying incidents? I call these incidents 'alleged' not because I don't believe them, but because our system of justice states that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty.
- If there is evidence that the principal at the McDevitt school was not dealing with alleged incidents appropriately, wouldn't it be incumbent on the superintendent to provide the principal with training and resources so that she could appropriately manage them?
- What is the succession plan? If the principal at the McDevitt is so terrible -- in fact, the worst of any principal in the district -- and there is documentation to support this, what happens in September? Right now, there are two assistant principals at the McDevitt: one is an interim and the other is preparing for maternity leave. So, that leaves us in September with a brand new superintendent and no principal and one interim assistant principal. Keep in mind that, in addition to the 6th graders from the Stanley and the Whittemore, the students from the Fitzgerald will be there in the fall. Those incoming sixth graders have never had a principal for more than two years: Shull in K, MacInnis in first, LaRoche for 2nd and 3rd, Castelline in 4th, and now Santillo. Yes, MacInnis and Castelline were interims, however, does anyone else here see a trend with inability to manage direct reports? Turnover at the principal level has also plagued the Whittemore School. And let us not forget that there has been significant turnover at the superintendent level, too.
- How will the Waltham Public Schools attract strong leaders with a record like that?
- What is the reasoning for the non-renewal of the contract? Given that a new superintendent starts in two months, why not allow him to make such critical decisions regarding his team? That is, unless the McDevitt principal was caught with a pack of matches and a can of gasoline trying to burn down the school, what is so urgent that it can't wait? If it's the timing of the contract, then why not just give an extension and allow the incoming superintendent to assess and make the determination?
Many many parents and students will attend the School Committee meeting on Wednesday in support of Beth Gavin. Again, I ask the School Committee to take a vote of no confidence in the Superintendent and to ask her to renew Ms. Gavin's contract.
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