Refugees

Adopt a family

I've been immersed in my own little materialistic world of gift buying for Avery and people I know.  It's high time I shift gears a bit and do something for those less fortunate. I also want Avery to know it's important to recognize and help others who aren't as fortunate as we are.  At first, I thought I'd find a toy drive and buy a toy for a needy kid or two, but as I was searching online for locations to do this, I found an opportunity to adopt a needy refugee family for Christmas.  Since I've read a couple of books about the lives of refugees seeking asylum in America* (Do They Hear You When You Cry? and Behind the Burqa: Our Life in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom), I feel a connection to helping out these families.  So, we're adopting a refugee family for Christmas.  It's through Lutheran Community Services NW.

I've been informed we'll be "splitting" a family with another sponsor because this family has eight people in it.  I'll soon receive details about the four people for whom we'll be buying gifts. 

I can say for sure that I won't be buying anyone this $89 decorative rope from Restoration Hardware.  Seriously?  It'd make a good (crappy) white elephant gift if it wasn't $90!

* FYI, America does not treat refugees seeking asylum very well.  We basically stick them in prison until it's proven they are truly in danger in the country they are fleeing, or we deport them.

Expectations

Juxtapose these two articles:

• American exceptionalism: an old idea and a new political battle
• US falls to average in education ranking
  

Do the people, mostly the GOP, who believe so feverishly in American exceptionalism realize that just saying it doesn't make it so?  You actually have to do the work.  You actually have to fund education.  I came across one of D's report cards from his elementary school years.  I was stunned at the bluntness of the assessments made.  It told the truth: you need to improve here and here, you're not doing well here, do better.  I could not recall a single teacher being anywhere near that blunt with me on any subject.  Does this sort of coddling contribute to the fact that American teens rank 1st in the world in self-esteem, but 23rd in math? Is it a part of why US teens lag as China soars on international test?

Which leads to my issue with Little Gym.  Consider this rant an attempt to let go of my issue with Little Gym so Christie & Amber don't have to hear my complain about it every time they see me. The general format of Little Gym is as follows:
1. Sit in a circle and do introductions
2. Run around on the mat and do various exercises
3. Spread out in the gym for a bit of "free" time for maybe 5 minutes
4. Watch the instructor demonstrate a skill
5. Kids attempt the skill
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5
7. Gather on the mat to play a few more games with balls or bubbles
8. Sing a song goodbye & listen to announcements

Now, I have issues with their method of starting the music, then stopping it to talk, then starting it, then stopping it, then starting it ...  And I have issues with how the class in conducted from an efficiency standpoint since the kids rarely get to practice a skill more than once.  However, it's not these things that so enrage me.  Let me outline what really gets my goat. 

Issue 1 - low expectations
At the beginning the teacher always says how she wants parents and kids to be on the mat and participating in the songs, but then she says, "But it's OK if they run around and play.  Just keep a watchful on the kids.  But parents stay here and model good behavior."  Yeah, if you don't tell the kids you expect them to participate in the class, you're going to have at least ½ that don't participate at any given time.

Another example of low expectations: the teachers consistently assume a child is not capable of a skill. For example, Avery and Henry can both do very skilled somersaults on their own.  They roll in a straight direction, they tuck their heads, they roll.  Every damn time the teacher says let's do forward rolls, she "helps" both kids do the roll.  Let them do it on their own!  You could argue the teacher is just being safe and spotting the kids.  However, I see it as not giving kids the room to work on the skill themselves.  Yes, spotting is needed on more difficult skills, but a forward roll?  And the teachers do this with everything it seems.  Henry could probably manage to jump off the highest bar in the room and he'd be fine, but that teacher always grabs his hand to help him jump two feet. Why are the mats there if not to help cushion falls?

Issue 2 - teaching rudeness
One of my biggest pet peeves when I was in HS was kids who would talk while the teacher, or even worse a guest speaker, was talking.  It still drives me crazy when people do this.  I find it so very rude when people talk while a speaker or teacher is speaking.  This class format basically teaches kids that it's OK to be rude when someone - and a teacher no less - is speaking.

Issue 3 - rewarding those who don't follow the rules
Often, because the format of the class is so stupid and there is so much chaos, the teacher is rushing to get a skill demonstrated so at least a few children will get to try the skill. When she/he demonstrates, kids are often instructed to watch from a safe distance. What I've noticed is that the kids who don't do as instructed tend to be the ones selected to demonstrate a skill.  I don't care that Avery, who in these situations tends to be a rule follower*, specifically doesn't get to demonstrate, but I do care that what she's witnessing is the rule-breaker being rewarded.

I don't remember having such issues with Little Gym the first time around.  Thinking about it, part of it is probably that I think expectations should increase as children get older.  When she was in the class before, it made sense that the kids would be mostly exploring and/or not expected to sit in a circle.  However, that needs to change as kids get older. 

And, yes, this is the same place where we're doing Avery's BD party.  For a BD party, the point is to have fun and have a party, so this loosey goosey way of doing things is fine in that situation.

* Need I qualify this statement? No, well, I'm doing it anyway: At the moment, Avery tends to be a rule follower in these situations ...

Falling apart

It seems our appliances are hitting the age where problems are popping up more often.  The latest appliance to act up is the washing machine.  It now beeps for no reason and sometimes refuses to work.  I did some research online and the problem seems to be a broken electrical control board.  Unfortunately, I discovered while I was doing research that our washing machine, that we paid top dollar for five years ago, is basically a piece o' crap.  We have had a few minor problems, but it's washed clothes well and I've been quite happy with it.  However, there are terrible ratings for our model all over the place.  And problems seem to start happening about now.  So I don't know if we should spend the $200 (my estimate for fixing our machine) to get this one fixed, or if we should get a new one.  I hate to spend money on a new washing machine because, well, how fun is that?  Not fun.  It also seems so very excessive to get a new one with the first issue.  But, if it's only going to experience more problems, maybe it's better to bite the bullet now.  I don't know.  Thoughts, anyone?