Why school is not for boys. At least not Mike.

March 18, 2008 21 Comments

Sit still.

No running on the playground.

No playing chase or tag on the playground.

No pretending to be the guys from Star Wars on the playground.

I get it. You’re afraid of lawsuits from kids getting hurt. You don’t want children playing violent games and making other kids feel unsafe. It is hard to manage kids who are active on their own terms instead of via organized sports.

So where do you draw the line?

If imaginary light sabers are OK, why not imaginary guns? What about chase games that get out of hand? There are hundreds of kids at school, and it makes sense to have big rules that keep everyone in line.

But. I have to say that reliving Kindergarten through Mike’s eyes reminds me why I felt like I was in prison until I graduated from college.

And what happens in repressive regimes?

Well. For instance. Mike and his friends now play a game called “Zar Gors.” I love it so much that he and his friends invented a subversive game. It is modeled after an “approved” playground game that sounds a lot like “Red Light Green Light” and involves aliens. See? That’s what happens.

When I was a reasonably young kid my dad let me read The Monkey Wrench Gang. And now I get why.

Easily Abbey’s most famous fiction work, the novel concerns the use of sabotage to protest environmentally damaging activities in the American Southwest, and was so influential that the term “monkeywrench” has come to mean, besides sabotage and damage to machines, any violence, sabotage, activism, law-making, or law-breaking to preserve wilderness, wild spaces and ecosystems. It is the bible of what some critics call “eco terrorists”. (wikipedia)

I want Mike to follow the rules. I want him to understand why someone made the rules. And I want him to be able to make his own judgement about whether or not the rules are right and just.

Sure. It starts with something as small as thinking “Are you kidding me? There’s nothing wrong with playing good guys vs. bad guys!” and builds to living a life where you question authority before submitting to it. Or not.

Filed Under: From PlainJaneMom.com Tagged With: edward abbey, kindergarten, monkey wrench gang, school

Art and Politics. I know what I like.

February 5, 2008 14 Comments

I swear I will try to keep this from becoming “The Looky-Looky What Mikey-Mikey Made in Kindergarten Blog” but I just love this painting of Martin Luther King Jr. that he brought home yesterday. Proud Mama is my name.

Martin Luther King Jr.

(BTW, the white blip at the bottom is where Mike wrote his non-blog-name. Y’all know I didn’t really name my boys after the kids on My Three Sons, right? :)

obama supporters in california

And by the way, based on my informal poll of the people jumping around on corners carrying placards, Obama will take California today. I saw a couple of Hillaryians, but tons of Obamans. Very scientific, I know, but there you have it: Plain Jane Mom’s first political prediction.

obama supporters in california

Filed Under: From PlainJaneMom.com Tagged With: kindergarten, martin luther king jr, super tuesday

Formless

February 1, 2008 9 Comments

This week I have:

  • Signed Mike up for T-Ball
  • Registered Robbie for Kindergarten
  • Signed Mike & Robbie up for 10 weeks of YMCA summer camp (Thanks to nicole/wksocmom‘s comment!)

mom paperwork

To prove that I am permitted by law to do all of these activities, I have multiply photocopied my driver’s license, unearthed our property tax bill, rifled through my glove compartment to find the car registration, miraculously found a recent utility bill, and stood in line.

Long week

Add in dealing with Chip’s upcoming surgery and having a raging sore throat, and I’m done. I have no more brain cells left. My final contribution this week is an idea for an invention which will change the world as we know it:

Slippers that come when you call them.

If like me you’re constantly losing your slippers, feel free to get rich bringing this product to market. All I require in return is a free pair.

Filed Under: From PlainJaneMom.com Tagged With: inventions, kindergarten, little league, notjustaworkingmom, slippers, summer-camp, svmoms, t-ball

Fun with the alphabet and crayolas

January 14, 2008 14 Comments

You all know how much I love Mondays — that’s when the previous week’s work comes home from Kindergarten. So let me share some of my recent favorites from Mike’s stash.

9 Wheels in a Wheel-Holder

9 Wheels

Six Cakes

6 cakes

10 Shooting Stars

10 Shooting Stars

What? You’ve never seen a Wheel Holder before? Sheesh, you just don’t get out much, do you…

Filed Under: From PlainJaneMom.com Tagged With: homework, kindergarten, spelling

Keep your hands where I can see 'em, Buddy

November 15, 2007 38 Comments

balls.jpg

I really heart Kindergarten.

Filed Under: From PlainJaneMom.com Tagged With: kindergarten

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »
  • about
  • rss
© 2006 - 2019. All Rights Reserved. This blog was formerly known as Plain Jane Mom @ plainjanemom.com. Plain Jane Mom™ is a trademark.
Ads via Skimlinks. Domains via Namecheap. Real-time stats via Clicky. Hosting via Liquid Web and Storm on Demand.