Wednesday, February 23, 2011

When The "Shiny" Wears Off

But, Sweetheart, the Medieval Banquet was wonderful...
Although my days of dealing with Piedmont teachers and administrators are long behind me, my days of caring about children are ever present.  In fact, once your children have left the nest, it is then that you can examine and challenge the system without fear of repercussions. It’s no secret that Piedmont is a powerhouse of fundraising for the school district and my hat is off to the individuals who work so tirelessly to that end.  But, there are some things that a cocktail and your checkbook can’t solve.  Big things.  Difficult things. When your child is struggling and suffering in a system that everyone lauds as incredible, you wonder why it isn’t working for yours and you dare not say anything because it wouldn’t be…in vogue. That’s a lonely place to be.  I think there are many Piedmont parents who have had or are having this experience. It’s sad to see the “shiny” wear away from your child when they become disillusioned with their educational experience. Things also change for parents when your challenges for the day become more than cutting off the crust and juggling play dates.  And, before those of you in the crust-cutting/play-date juggling stage accuse me of belittling those tasks, keep in mind that I did all of those things and I did them wearing an apron and a girdle!  So, back off.  Let’s face it, things are usually pretty good in elementary school and then right around 8th grade the rose-colored glasses start to come off.  I always felt there should be some sort of law that prevented a parent from weighing-in on any grade, K-12, unless their child has been through that particular grade.  I felt it would have eliminated the annoying pep-squad of parents whose children are still in kindergarten but who would lash you down with baling twine and use you as a hood ornament if you said anything negative about the PUSD. They posess a complete lack of perspective for middle and high school yet feel somehow qualified to judge those families whose experience of the PUSD is somehow different from their own elementary school bliss.  I don’t care which prestigious college issued your child development degree…If you haven’t been in the trenches, you have no perspective of said trench.  Period.  So, zip-it… until you’ve earned your stripes.  Enough with the “Golly, aren’t we a wholesome town” rhetoric and, the “Gee whiz, the medieval banquet makes it all worthwhile!” flim-flam. It’s irritating, irrelevant and the blind devotion isn’t the least bit helpful to a struggling bunch of kids or their parents. We’ve heard all about the rankings and test scores. We know Piedmont is beautiful and a great place to live.  But, there are tougher issue that could use some of the fierce and legendary Piedmont Pep-Squad energy .  Where is the task force that researches a student’s complaint or a parent’s concern?  The team that asks the hard questions of our teachers and administrators and demands answers? The system that rewards our good teachers and stops the excuse- making for the bad ones?   Why, in a community like this, would we be so complacent in this regard? We get all worked-up about defending the reputation of our schools but do little else, outside of fundraising, to improve the education experience for the child.  Why is it such taboo to talk about the shortcomings of our schools and the struggles that many children and parents face with them?  Our children count on us to be their advocates and instead of digging in deep, we rattle off a list of rankings, scores and statistics??  Good lord.  Do me a favor, when your child is in 10th or 11th grade and having a psychotic episode from the strain of a 7 hour homework load, just remind them of how terrific the medieval banquet was…and, let me know how that works out for you.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blair Park and the Swarthy Revolutionary

Well...he was handsome!
Good Lord.  A gal steps away from her desk and the whole town falls apart!  Pot Growers!   Closed Session Meetings!  Schools Brace For Layoffs!  Taliban in Piedmont!  Mea Culpa!  Public Apology!  New School Calendar With No Notice To Parents!  Geez, that’s nearly as scary as Piedmont students needing  tutors  or running out of Chardonnay at one of our fundraisers!   Just curious..what would all of those Letters To The Editor have said if there hadn’t been the tragedy in Tucson?  I, personally, was more offended by their opportunistic use of this terrible tragedy to drive home a point than I was by the reference to the Taliban used in Mr. Wieler’s column.  Seriously, with all the uber-educated residents in Piedmont, did we really not know that Mr. Wieler was speaking metaphorically and not referring to Piedmonters actually being nihilists hiding in the hills?  I’m pretty sure we all knew that.  I suppose I was partial to Mr. Wieler’s column but only because the term ragged nihilist brought to mind a tender moment years ago in a seedy bar in Argentina…oh, c’mon, who didn’t have at least one steamy romance with a Marxist revolutionary during the college years?!?  Interestingly enough, I think the message in both Mr. Wieler’s column and that of the Letters To The Editor were similar…advance the cause of civility.  It’s a good cause and in the end, everyone will end up doing that anyway. Those opposed to the Blair Park project will likely end up really enjoying the beautiful new space and the proponents, triumphantly joyful, and feeling great delight over their victory will throw a party to which they’ll invite all the opponents and after about 3 drinks it’ll be one big Piedmont love-fest!  They’ll all become fast friends and thus begins the next mega-million dollar project. Nice!  it's Piedmont's way of advancing the cause of civilty.  Whatever works, I say.  Well, folks... that’s the easy one.  Pot growing conglomerates, secret city council meetings and malicious withholding of school calendar changes all sound far more clandestine than Mr. Wieler’s metaphoric hyperbole.  Gosh, sometimes we Piedmonters make that swarthy, Argentinian revolutionary seem like Mr. Rogers!  But, maybe that’s just me.  Mea Culpa!