Saturday Open Thread
Wonder if the large earthquakes in California will prompt the Washington State Legislature to help schools shore up their buildings and be ready?
Thoughtful story from the Seattle Times about the Pike Place Market daycare's exchange between preschoolers and senior citizens.
Thoughtful story from the Seattle Times about the Pike Place Market daycare's exchange between preschoolers and senior citizens.
The idea is that different generations can learn from each other and provide one another with companionship. Older adults often love the structure and sense of community, but can also help children practice focusing, being patient and accepting people who don’t look like them or speak the same language, said Kathleen Richardson, the executive director of Pike Place’s daycare.Great article about getting a "digital detox" for your kids. From the New York Times:
“I see it as almost like a movement,” said Matthew Kaplan, a Pennsylvania State University professor who has studied intergenerational programs for more than 20 years. “There’s growing recognition that for the health of individuals … we really need to have strong intergenerational connections.”
Gloria DeGaetano was a private coach working in Seattle to wean families off screens when she noticed the demand was higher than she could handle on her own. She launched the Parent Coaching Institute, a network of 500 coaches and a training program.
Nearby, Emily Cherkin was teaching middle school in Seattle when she noticed families around her panicked over screens and coming to her for advice. She took surveys of middle school students and teachers in the area.“I realized I really have a market here,” she said. “There’s a need.”In this 21st-century version, a group of parents band together and make public promises to withhold smartphones from their children until eighth grade. From Austin, there is the Wait Until 8th pledge.“She just said things like, ‘Are you telling your kids, ‘No screens at the table — but your phone is on your lap?’” Ms. Wasserstrom said.
I'll have an expanded thread on the candidates for Director Betty Patu's seat on the Board - there are some very good people in there. It will be interesting to see what weight the Board will give to certain aspects of each person's background. Will leadership skills count more than knowing that region and being active there? Will knowledge of the district be higher on the list (as I think it should) than a background in education?
I'll close by saying that it is helpful to learn about candidates via what is (and is not) out there on the internet. I will be asking if I can see any other documentation that was submitted (and hopefully not have to wait for public disclosure as that could take months).
Comments
Both KUOW and the Seattle Times have reported in the past about school health and safety issues, without calling out that SPS specifically was/is addressing them. I don't know if that was sloppy or dishonest journalism.
Try again
Is that right? I don't think so but it's legal.
https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/for-some-washington-students-with-special-needs-diagnosis-comes-too-late/
Great that Hamlin Robinson is here in Seattle, but their 2019-20 Tuition is:
Lower School (grades 1 - 5): $23,450
Middle School (grades 6 - 8): $25,650
Only 22% of their students were receiving any financial aid last year.
The UW charges $3200-$3900 to diagnose.
https://depts.washington.edu/bdelab/resources/
Do we really believe that only rich children have dyslexia? What happens to middle class and lower income children in Seattle with dyslexia? Do the schools even notice? I know students who didn't get their SLD diagnosed until high school or college. Why did they have to struggle for so long? Why?
Am I imagining it, or is the Times doing a better job with their education reporting?
None of this post is anything I'm saying about the district but rather, larger issues. As I said I would.
Ya Right
Start your own blog. Melissa can report or not report on whatever she damn well pleases. I really don't understand this continued sniping at Melissa. No where else in this town do parents have a place to go that listens to them. No where. I for one, wish Melissa would keep reporting on the district but I get that her interests have changed over time. And quit with money, job issue. It is a non issue for everyone else.
HP
I don't "meddle/fix elections." I offer insights based on research and knowledge. I explained my filing - I did not know of anyone running and I didn't want to leave open. As well, when there was just one person, I didn't want anyone to just walk into office. When I saw the third person, I dropped out as there were now two people running. I didn't know the third person would drop out. I had no control over the entire process as I didn't know who was running.
You've made your point. Several times so just stop.
You are not fooling anyone yaright deleteme. Sorry if this makes your job too hard having to be accountable to parents & the community. Public schools = public accountability.
Also, yaright deleteme, cut out the ageism.
-sped parent
It is also certainly not “meddling” to make whatever decision(s) re: running. By you logic, those who ARE running are meddling, just as those who aren’t running are meddling. Those who announced early—and thus may have influenced other potential candidates—also meddled, as did those who held off until the last minute to not show their hand. Incumbents who decided not to run again meddled by ensuring spots for newcomers, and incumbents who did decided to run again meddled by using incumbent status take a likely lead. I meddled, too, because I thought about running but didn’t, denying voters the opportunity to hear about how awesome I am. You are probably in the same boat—unless, of course, you were the one who dropped out at the thought of going up against Melissa, and that’s why you’re so hung up on this? If that’s the case, you still meddled. Politics is inherently about meddling, AKA influencing elections. Whether one runs, doesn’t run, drops out, endorses, puts up signs, donates, votes, doesn’t vote, etc—it all had the potential to influence election results. (We’re not talking about foreign governments, bots, and such here—those are a whole other type of meddling.)
Meddlesome
I don't know but I hope that if the Times does expose this, that the Legislature and the district truly act.
Just to note, aging is not fun. It's weird and humbling. But I do know I am a lot smarter now than ever before in my life. That's called experience.
Trust me
Move on.
To Melissa: What's up with the bitter, uninformed troll(s) who are hijacking these comment threads? Pretty tiresome.
Admin
Trust you to tell me when my kid’s diagnosis was sold in bankruptcy proceedings with connect edu? Or when the sped placement procedures changed? Whoever you are, I did not hear from you about those things. Or trust you to make sure that I never get that kind of information, by disrupting this platform for parents, staff & community members to share information about SPS.
No, I don’t trust you, trustme.
I saw the seismic retrofitting at my kid's school. Nice job. Hope we're there, instead of home during the 'big one'.
-sped parent
Moving on.
Kat
The board must withhold their vote on the budget until UNEA is permitted back into SPS- free of charge.
Trust me
Your constant queries about me are getting old. Either offer something to the discussion or just don't comment.
Thanks Melissa for the post.